Pocket of Presh

Antiquing and Squeaking

2012-02-07T10:11:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday my mom, sister, and I decided to go antiquing! My little sister (you remember Bu) was reluctant to tag along, assuming that hours of looking at "old stuff" wouldn't be very entertaining. After only a couple of aisles however, I think mom and I had convinced her otherwise!

For my mom, each antique set off a dazed recollection of some childhood memory, so my sis and I soaked in all her history lessons as we jumped from booth to booth. Then... what started out as a giggle over whether or not we should purchase a 60's style hands-free hair dryer, soon snowballed into full on laughing hysteria...and we have no idea why! We were trying not to make a big loud scene which resulted in us making those sudden involuntary squeaking laughs (you know the type?). Our laughter may or may not have been provoked by one failed attempt to get a picture off of a wall, a spindle straight out of Sleeping Beauty, and a pair of perfect turquoise candlesticks that upon discovering were only $5 I slowly and silently picked up and walked off with.

I thought I would share a few of our treasures we purchased!

First up, we found this neat little tin keyhole thing. The tealish color was perfect for my breakfast nook.

Then, we came across this really cute dry-erase board. It could easily be DIY'd. Just frame a piece of burlap and you are done! Any type of glass is a dry-erase board ya'll!

When we got to the next booth, I couldn't resist snagging this cute little chalkboard to write different quotes/Bible verses on. Bonus! The booth's owner was trying to raise money to adopt a cute little girl from China. I was glad to know I could help in a small way.

Here are those infamous $5 candlesticks...

This find was sooo cool to me! A neat old jar filled with old wooden thread spools! How cute will this be in my sewing room!

It was teal. It was tiny. It was a working sewing machine.It was vintage. It was $15. It was MINE!

Here's a pic of me holding it just so you can see how cute and little it is. :)

This adorable pillow was too expensive to purchase, but we took a picture so we could attempt to DIY our own!

After a long hard day of treasure hunting, a stop at GiGi's cupcakes was essential. ;)

Amanda or Iris?

2012-02-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

As I slowly begin to decorate my house I find I'm torn between two styles. These 2 styles can pretty much be summed up in the movie, The Holiday. I love the cozy cottage feel of Iris's English countryside home, but I also love the chic modern feel of Amanda's LA mansion. They are both "Totally Brill!"
Just look at Iris's living room. Aren't those ceiling beams incredible?! I have a similar gridded ceiling in my house.

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Natalie on Pinterest

But then, Amanda's living room is gorgeous too with those clean neutral creams and accents of purple!

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Natalie on Pinterest

Don't you just love Iris's blue cabinets?! And that fireplace in the kitchen is to die! So cute!

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Natalie on Pinterest

But then again, how amazing is Amanda's kitchen with those lantern-like chandeliers. It's so clean-line and chic!

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Natalie on Pinterest

Iris's bed is almost an exact replica of my beloved childhood bed (that I still sleep in when I visit my parents).

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Natalie on Pinterest

But I just die for Amanda's upholstered headboard... and remember those remote control black out shades? I wouldn't mind having those!

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Natalie on Pinterest

Ok, stop right now. Tell me this is not the cutest bathroom you've ever seen.. maybe not the most practical for my hubs, but still...

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Natalie on Pinterest

Amanda's bathroom similarly has a free-standing tub, and "furniture-like" cabinets. Her's is much more spacious and hellooo balcony doors.

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Natalie on Pinterest

So, what do you think? Which is your favorite? I promise to post more of my house progress soon~ almost done with the breakfast nook!

Winterized

2012-01-25T11:56:00.000-05:00

Too soon to wear shorts? Nope! Today I decided to winterize (hmm, that's actually a word) my summery lace shorts by pairing them with tights and boots. I then layered my favorite yellow Zara jacket over my trusty black ruffled tank. Voila! I just love it when I can figure out a way to borrow clothes from other seasons.:)

(Jacket: Zara, top: Express, Shorts: Express, Necklace: Forever 21, boots: Target)

Vest with the fur.

2012-01-17T12:15:00.000-05:00

It was so tough leaving for work yesterday morning with my husband still warm, cozy, and fast asleep in bed while I braved the frigid 34 degree weather (hey, that's pretty cold to us here in Atlanta ;). He was off work work for MLK, but I unfortunately was not. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to bust out my new fur vest to lift my spirits and keep me somewhat cozy and warm. It not only did that, but it also made me feel almost as fab as Rachel Zoe. I may or may not have used the terms "bananas" and "cray cray" excessively yesterday..

(Vest: Zara, Top: Target, Pants: Old Navy, Boots: Target, Watch: Michael Kors)
What are you doing to stay warm these days?!

House Party

2012-01-14T12:47:00.000-05:00

We decided to throw a little house warming party for New Years Eve. We invited a few of our best friends from out of town to come stay for the weekend and we had a great time. Here are a few snapshots of the party details~ maybe they'll inspire your next bash!

After putting up my Christmas decorations, I was left with an empty table, so I decided to utilize it as a little bar. I printed and cut out a simple banner using my favorite font- "never let go" which can be downloaded here. (Yes, I have a favorite font- call me a nerd ;). I taped it to some herringbone ribbon and pinned it to the wall.

I also printed out little name tags for the wine glasses using the same font and chevron background. I just punched holes in them and tied one to each glass with twine. I then arranged the glasses on a silver tray and used some Christmas garland for a little sparkle. The lamp on the right was a gift from my sister that helped illuminate the bar with a festive glow.

I used a glass parfait bowl as an ice bucket. And arranged some wine, sparkling cider, and Grand Marnier around that.

I typed up a little mimosa recipe and put it in a sparkly frame. Anything with sparkles is perfect for NYE.

I decided to make a little new year's resolutions station, so I rolled up some brown craft paper and tied it with some pom pom trim and added a few gold pens into a bowl so guests could write down (and remember) their goals for 2012.

I decided to go for a tapas-style menu so our guests could munch on little bites throughout the night as opposed to one huge meal. I kept it simple and did most of the prep work ahead of time so I could spend most of my time entertaining our friends.
I ordered truffle mac and cheese from our favorite local restaurant and then just reheated it and served it in fancy ramekins. (See, I told you I kept things simple!) Pasta is a great dish that will serve well (if not better) a day later.

So...we had a minor mishap just before the party. In all of our running around we had forgotten to start cooking the pulled pork! (The 6 hours slow cook crock pot pulled pork!!) I was disappointed that our guests didn't get to try the delicious recipe, but we quickly came up with plan B-- we ran to a local BBQ place and picked up some pork there. Problem solved! Whew!

To add something light (and non-carb related) to the menu, I decided to make some mini salad wedges. I just cut up a head of lettuce into bite size wedges and sprinkled with tomatoes, cheese, and bacon. I bought a delicious sesame ginger dressing for the side.

I also served loaded baked potato dip with waffle fries-- a recipe I found on Pinterest!! It's quick and easy to whip up and it tastes delicious!

We played games, watched football, played with sparklers, ate delicious food, and rung in the new year. In the end I think everyone enjoyed our party!

Resolutions

2012-01-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

Maybe posting these on the internet will help me keep them! ;) What are your resolutions?!

2011 Recap

2012-01-04T15:29:00.000-05:00

Looking back on 2011 I had an amazing year. I have truly been blessed. Here are a few of the highlights..
We took a family trip to the mountains..

We had an amazing time with friends in Panama City..

We went to our first Major League baseball game~ go Braves!

We explored little neighborhoods in our city...

We visited the Atlanta Botanical Gardens

We took a trip of a lifetime to LA!

We bought my dream house!

We "rolled Toomer's" one last time...

I celebrated my quarter of a century birthday!

And we ended the year with one of the best Christmas's ever! :)

Top that 2012~!

Snapshots of Christmas

2011-12-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm back to work today after an amazing 10 1/2 day Christmas vacation (I know I know, I am so lucky!) I had an amazing week going to 4 family Christmas parties, meeting up with old friends, shopping, watching Christmas movies, baking with my mom and sisters, and eating so so much good food! Bliss! We have a Christmas Eve tradition of cooking a nice meal together and eating it by candlelight. This year, Matt joined in by making the main course- scallops and shrimp risotto with asparagus! It was delicious! Everyone else helped with the salad and bread. Mom made the dessert~ warm chocolate melting cake with peppermint yogurt. omg...yum!!
I took a few snapshots of my family on Christmas eve. Would you like to meet them?

My little sister who wanted purses and clothes this year instead of scooters and toys, who will probably be a Rockette someday, who saves up her money all year to buy her family gifts for Christmas,and who we lovingly nickname Bu Bu.

My beautiful mom who always goes above and beyond to make Christmas amazing, (I mean, seriously, we're like a freaking Hallmark commercial).

My dad, the real "kid" of the family who really enjoyed his remote control helicopter as well as belting out "O Holy Night" throughout the week. :)

Haha~ My beautiful sister Brit who was so excited about her new PJ's that she did a hurkey!

And my sweet sweet hubby, Matt, who puts up with all of our cheesy traditions~even the one where we run down the staircase on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought us (yep, we still do that).

My new shelf table thingy to fill one of the many the empty corners of our new house!

I am so blessed to have such a great family! I hope your Christmas was as great as mine was!

Christmas Tour of Homes

2011-12-17T14:43:00.000-05:00

I'm linking up over at Kelly's Korner today for "Show us Your Life: Christmas Tour of Homes!" I love seeing how other people decorate for Christmas so I thought it would be so fun to join in!

Here is our lovely little tree. I did a color scheme of red and silver. The silver and white butterflies were used as decor in our wedding. They are a perfect touch to our little tree. ;)

This was my first year to have a mantel to decorate! It sort of became a hodge podge of various decorations. I'm hoping to find the time to make stockings~ maybe next year. ;)

I've been collecting this Christmas village since I was about 12 years old. I just love it! It's always been displayed at my mom's house, and I was so happy to finally have a place to display it in our new home. All I needed to do was buy a table! ha! Meet my new side board Christmas village display table. ;)

Here is my winter wonderland themed dining table! I found the little glass plates, runner, and and napkins at Target~ they all have snowflakes on them. I just used the candlesticks from our wedding, and I filled a parfait bowl with left over Christmas ornaments.

Even Matt and I are dec'd! We hosted a tacky sweater party for our small group Bible study. I had trouble finding a tacky sweater that wasn't $35 so I just sewed a stocking on a sweatshirt for me and sewed part of an apron on a T-shirt for Matt!
Merry Christmas everyone! :)

Curtain Reveal

2011-12-03T14:05:00.001-05:00

Curtains are to rooms as scarves are to outfits...........except you can change your scarf daily, but curtains you keep for years! Talk about outfit pressure! I've been scouring for the perfect pair of curtains, and I found a lot of great ones, but I mean, $70+...per panel? Annnnd I needed 4 panels. It was about that time when I decided to make my own!.... Sound impressive? Oh no~ don't be that impressed--it's really quite simple! Annnd I got to use the most to-die-for fabric!

I've come to the realization that I'm obsessed with this fabric company, Premier Prints. I realized I had unknowingly used that brand several times in the past. You can find Premier Prints just about anywhere, but I bought the fabric for these curtains at Fabric.com. I mean this fabric kinda makes me wanna pull a Scarlet O'Hara and make a dress out of my drapes! :)

Now, if you can cut a rectangle and then hem the edges in a straight line, you can sew a curtain panel! I decided to make a tunnel at the top of mine to put the rod through but you could also go even easier and buy those clip-on curtain rings. I love the way they turned out. The Suzani print is so cute, but the colors are subtle enough to be sophisticated.

Next up: throw pillows and roman shades for the breakfast nook... in coordinating Premier Prints of course.

Toomer's Corner

2011-12-01T14:24:00.000-05:00

Matt and I recently took a trip back to our old Alma Mater~ Auburn University~ for the homecoming football game. The game was fun, but the best part was getting to see all our old friends again. We always just pick up where we left off. :)

In case you're not from around here and wondering what all this toilet paper is... this is a famous Auburn tradition. When we win a game we run out of the stadium and head over to Toomer's Corner to roll the trees. It's a fun and crazy tradition! Imagine thousands of people screaming in celebration and covering the whole corner in white. Nothing like it! :)

Sadly, these trees will soon be gone so this may have been our last picture with them. A crazy Alabama fan poisoned them last year. :(

We also ate at one of our favorite local restaurants, Big Blue Bagel. Aren't hole in the wall restaurants always the best?!

The Tiger Melt is voted one of Alabama's top 100 dishes~ honey mustard chicken salad with melted cheese on top of a bagel. And a side of bagel chips of course! Mmm!

And as we say in Auburn....Warrrr Eagle!

Perfectly Pink

2011-11-18T15:14:00.004-05:00

(Top:Zara, Cardigan: Express, Pants: Jcrew, Boots: Target)
It's not very often that I buy from J.Crew...unless of course I find a pair of perfectly pink pants on sale for $29.99! Never mind that they are summery capris~ I'll just pair them with boots and no one will ever know. ;) The weird thing is, they pretty much go with everything in my closet! Perfect for color-blocking!
Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekend!

Solutions Solutions!

2011-11-15T12:41:00.001-05:00

Matt has pretty much given me the steering wheel when it comes to decorating the new house, but there was one very important issue that has caused some heated discussion between us... where to put the TV! haha~! To my dismay (and Matt's happiness) we discovered that the cable outlet was right above the fireplace--my beautiful focal-point-of-the-room fireplace-- which meant unless we spent hundreds of dollars on re-wiring, the TV had to go there. :(
The good part of it is that it makes furniture placement easier since there is only one focal point to the room now. The bad part was seeing all those ugly chords and the big fat ugly Tivo box (why is that thing so huge?!) everyday.
I agonized over this silly issue, googling non-stop to find a way to make it work. Wiring on the inside of the wall just wasn't a cost-friendly option for us until....

Then my mom said, "Why don't you try putting the Tivo in this basket!"It was a perfect fit! All we had to do was saw off the back panel of the basket to make room for the cords. Boom! 19.99 Target wicker basket= happy me!

Solution #2: I love the pedestal sink in our 1/2 bathroom, but where oh where do you put the soap dispenser? Well, I had this old shelf (actually I used it in my college apartment) so I decided to paint it the trim color with the leftover paint our builder left us. Now, it's a perfect little spot for soap and mints for our future guests. :)

Solution #3:
The beautiful ceilings were definitely a selling feature of the house, but that teeny tiny builder grade light fixture just didn't do the ceiling justice IMO. It's a great light for a hallway or powder room, but not the main living room.
BEFORE:

Since I'm not a "fan" of ceiling fans (cold-natured) I chose a pendent light instead. I ordered it from one of my favorite websites- Joss and Main It's a much better solution! :)

When you move to a new place you end up running into a lot of little issues like these. Hope these solutions help if you have any issues of your own! ;)

Meeting Grace Bonney!

2011-11-13T10:42:00.000-05:00

Do you read Design Sponge? I'm sure you do! When I heard Grace was writing a book I was so excited! I was even more excited when I heard I would have the chance to meet her on her book tour in Atlanta! She's like a blogger legend! ha!

So here she is signing my book. She is just as adorable in real life as her blog!

This is my friend and coworker Susan and I with Grace! Needless to say we were a little starstruck since we read Design Sponge daily in our free time at work. :)

Any guess on where my outfit inspiration came from?....

Oh yeah, that's right...straight from Grace's adorable book promo video. It's the sincerest form of flattery right? ;)

(Skirt- thrifted, jacket- HandM, Top- Express, Boots- Target)

We've moved!

2011-11-02T09:05:00.000-04:00

Matt and I finally found a house!! We've been busy moving! Ahhh! I can't wait to share pics of each room as I slowly begin to decorate! I'm so overwhelmed with possibilities! Here are a few pics~

I fell in love with the Savannah-style double front porches and cute little craftsman touches. After all the stress of picking the perfect house, I can say I am extremely happy with our final decision! :)

Our beautiful Fall view as I wake up every morning. Much better than the brick wall view at our old apartment. ;)

Matt was so pumped to tackle some home improvement projects. Here is his new saw.

Our first meal in our new house~ Chinese! We turned a box into a temporary dining table and slept on a blow up mattress before moving all our furniture the next day. We were too excited to spend another night in our old place!

I was excited to see our new "private residence" sign they put in our yard. This made it seem for real! :)

Driving down the 101

2011-10-12T15:14:00.000-04:00

On the last day of our trip we decided to take a double decker bus tour and explore Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

Here we are on the bus tour!

Annnnd, I'm home.

Via Rodeo Drive

Heaven on Earth

This was the most expensive store in all of Beverly Hills according to our tour guide. Shopping is by appointment only. Can you imagine?!

Sprinkles cupcakes was a must!

So yum!

The Beverly Hills sign! So Iconic! It was surreal being there!

The sign from the top of our tour bus! :)

Our next stop was Santa Monica Pier~ it was such a cute little board walk with hot dog vendors, psychic readers, and sketch artists.

Then we decided to rent bikes and ride down to Venice Beach.

A bike ride was not such a good idea.... I totally wiped out! Ha!

After finally finding a life guard and getting all bandaged up, we found the Venice canals! This made our little mishap all worth it! :)

Right back where we started from

2011-10-10T15:00:00.000-04:00

Day 2 of California~ our anniversary. :)
After a cute breakfast in our hotel we headed out for a walk around downtown LA.

Matt was so pumped to go to the Wells Fargo museum since he works there~ haha!. It was a couple of blocks from our hotel.

Then I totally geeked out when we spotted the crew of Mad Med outside a little restaurant!

Next we explored the Walt Disney concert Hall~ isn't it just amazing looking?!

The highlight of our day of course was visiting Warner Brothers studios for a taping of CONAN O'BRIEN!!!!!!!!!!

I could not be any happier right then! Wish I could have taken pictures inside, but no cameras were aloud.

After the Conan taping we took a little road trip down to Laguna Beach. I put my feet in the Pacific ocean for the first time! Then we ate at an amazing spanish-style seafood restaurant overlooking the beach called Las Brisas. It was seriously one of the best meals of my life. Can't stop thinking about it! ha!
It was a great anniversary!

California, here we come

2011-10-09T13:19:00.001-04:00

On the first day of our trip we had tickets to see a taping of the Dr. Phil show at paramount studios!

We saw 2 tapings! The producers carefully place each audience member in the appropriate seat, and for the first show we were placed on the 2nd row! So at the end of the show when the guests are seated in the audience, you will be able to see us right behind them! We don't know when it will air yet, but we'll let you know!

After being in that studio for so long, we were starving so we quickly headed over to In and Out burger! It was my first experience there and it was so delicious!

Later that night we headed over to explore the Chinese theater and the walk of fame.
I was really surprised to learn that the Kodak theater, where the Academy awards are held, is right in the middle of a mall!! ha!

The Hollywood walk of fame area reminded me so much of Times Square. I loved the excitement and quirkiness on every corner. Like seeing Jack Sparrow just hanging out....

Here's my handsome hubby in front of the Kodak.

Here's me in front of the Chinese theater.

Just something you have to do once in your life~ put your hands in the handprints of a classic Hollywood actor. I chose Natalie Wood since I was kind of named after her.

We ended the day with dinner overlooking the Chinese theater. We were in sort of an Asian mood so we had sushi! ;)

LA Lady

2011-10-07T13:19:00.000-04:00

Matt and I recently celebrated our 2 year anniversary! Can't believe it has been 2 years already!! What better way to celebrate than with a trip to LA?!

My wonderful uncle gave us 2 plane tickets to anywhere in the country~ (how blessed are we?!). Neither of us had ever been to LA, so we decided to go... it was amazing!

We stayed at the Standard Hotel in downtown. I highly recommend it. The price was very reasonable and the whole atmosphere has this fun 70's vibe.

This was the chandelier in our hotel room that I thought was so cute!

I loved the striped design on the wall and how they carried it across to the curtains and even the lamp!

The wall separating our bedroom and bathroom was the glass shower wall which made showering.... interesting..:)

Here's a picture of the workout room~ complete with plaid carpeting and wood paneling. Aren't those photos on the wall hilarious?

Our favorite part of the hotel was hanging out in the outdoor waterbeds by the rooftop pool while waitresses dressed in cute red 70's track suits brought us drinks.

And sure, lets put an organ in the lobby. Why not?!

Here we are in the cute little yellow restaurant in the hotel one morning. It really made me wish I had worn some bell bottoms!

And this, was the most amazing brioche French toast I've ever had!!
It may sound like I'm getting paid to tell you about this hotel~ ha!! No, I just really loved it! Stay tuned for more photos from our trip!

Through the Gardens

2011-08-29T14:12:00.000-04:00

Matt and I had been meaning to visit Atlanta's Botanical Gardens, so when we saw the Groupon available for Cocktails in the Gardens, we grabbed it! It was a relaxing way to unwind after a busy day at work!

I planned my outfit so that it could take me from the office to date night! I wore this dress with a cardigan over it to work to make it more professional. Since it was a muggy 97 degrees that day, I just removed the cardigan, threw on some flats, and pulled my hair back into a messy bun and walked over to meet Matt for our little date in the gardens.

I found this dress in a little boutique here in Decatur. I thought the lace and ruffles would be perfect for Cocktails in the Gardens!

Note the enormous frog!

It was fun to be a tourist in our own city for a change! We are glad we got to see the gardens, even though we were miserably hot and all the free hour de vours were eaten before we got there- ha!

Another year older

2011-08-28T14:12:00.000-04:00

We recently celebrated Matt's 24th birthday! It was a great weekend filled with lots of cake, family and friends!

Matt and his dad at the family birthday party.

Matt with our wonderful friends at one of our favorite restaurants~ Flip Burger.

Amanda and I with the beautiful view of Birmingham in our background.

More of our great friends.... aren't we lucky?! ;)

Had to take a picture of the amazing turkey burger and zucchini fries.

And lets not forget the Krispy Kreme milkshake!

Happy Birthday Matt! I love you!

Cooking Corner: Fancy Fried Green Tomatoes

2011-07-27T15:29:00.001-04:00

What is this a cooking blog now? Ha! No, not quite, but we love food and cooking so much that you shouldn't be surprised when recipes start showing up here more often!
My latest creation was inspired by one of our favorite local restaurants~ Hobnob. If you live in Atlanta--you must go! When my granddad gave us a huge sack of fresh green tomatoes straight from his garden, this Hobnob dish immediately popped into my head, so I tried to recreate it as best I could. It's almost a no-brainer recipe, and it turned out so good!
Ingredients:
Green tomatoes (we used 3, sliced)
Red tomato: (1 diced)
Goat Cheese (enough to sprinkle on top)
Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing (we used Ken's Steak House brand)
2 eggs (whisked to break up yokes a little)
Corn meal (about 1/2 a ceral bowl-ish)
Olive Oil
1. Drizzle just enough olive oil to coat bottom of skillet and get it heating.
2. Dip slices of green tomatoes in egg and then dip into corn meal. Drop into skillet. Cook about 2 minutes each side or until brown.
3. Garnish with diced red tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, and drizzles of vinaigrette.
Hello delicious light Summer meal!

Straight from the UK

2011-07-26T17:46:00.000-04:00

My sister recently returned from a 10 week internship with Armani in London. How cool is that?! I was living vicariously through her stories of Wimbledon, watching the royal family go by in a parade, and seeing Blake Lively at an Armani event.

How kind of her to bring me back some goodies.....
Elle UK! Which happened to come with a free tank top from one of my favorite bloggers~ Garrance. I just love her illustrations!

A mug so I can daydream about the royal newlyweds as I drink my morning coffee..

And a cute apron from her day trip to Paris.

Here's my 2 lovely sisters and I celebrating Brit's return to the states. So thankful for them!

Great Lengths

2011-07-24T15:05:00.000-04:00

You may remember this skirt from back in the winter. I hadn't worn it since then~ it was just too long to be practical. So I decided to hack off 4" of it! Now it's perfect for a summer shopping trip!

It's a subtle change,but it made a huge difference to me! I can forsee this skirt evolving to a midi length just below the knee once I get tired of this maxi style. Who knows, you may even see it as a mini on day~ha! Do you have favorite pieces that just need tweaking sometimes so they feel brand new?

So I decided to test out my new skirt length in a cute little area of my town called downtown Decatur.

We happened to have one of those rare Saturdays with nothing to do! Matt was off work and we just decided to do a little house hunting and a little exploring of our huge city. I of course did a little boutique shopping! Then we stopped in a cute little pub to cool off. It was one of my favorite kind of Saturdays-- no real agenda-- just hanging out!

The contents of this bag will appear on this blog really soon! ha!

Five Favorites

2011-06-25T18:45:00.000-04:00

I have so much to be thankful for! Some days are better than others, but I want to try and start listing the highlights of my week no matter how big or small they might be. It's so important to look for the good things in life and keep positive! I have been so blessed! This week it wasn't hard to come up with five great things!
1.Getting to entertain our good friends from out of town.

2. Going to my first major league baseball game ever~ go Braves!

3. Getting caught in a torrential downpour, annnnd making the most of it!

4.Matt made this amazing dish for dinner and I'm still dreaming about it. Recipe here.

5. Listening to the rain put me to sleep all week long. I secretly love summer thunderstorms. ;)

House Hunting

2011-06-22T08:39:00.000-04:00

Matt and I have decided to start the exciting, emotionally-draining, scary, grown-up person journey known as.....house hunting! While we love our cozy little apartment, we are ready to start investing our money in a house (umm..yikes!). We are hoping to take advantage of some great deals caused by the bad economy. Annnd we wouldn't mind having an extra bedroom since we frequently entertain out-of-town guests. I can't wait to have a room to sew in other than the middle of the living room~ha!

I have been having fun browsing trulia.com and saving my favorite houses for several months now, and we spend our weekends driving around the city checking out various neighborhoods. I find I'm drawn to the craftsman styles like these:

Aren't they just cute?! I just love porches!

Who knows? We may not buy a house for a while, but it's so fun to look and dream about how I would decorate each one. We're leaving everything in God's hands. :)

Weekly favs

2011-06-11T11:20:00.000-04:00

Have you noticed some bloggers have started listing of 5 or 10 things that were the highlights/favorite things of their week. I LOVE this idea and I'm thinking I will try and start doing that too! I thought it would be sort of a digital equivalent to Oprah's gratitude journal idea. I know some weeks it will be a stretch to try and find 5 things, but I want to try and look for the good things no matter what kind of week I'm having! It may be as simple as a new lip stick, but I think it's great to step back and enjoy life's little blessings~ right?! Ok, so here goes this week's:
1. Watching a film crew interview people for Food network's The Great Food Truck Race.

2. Marveling at the gorgeous aqua color of the ocean on our trip to Panama City, FL.

3. Discovering Thomas' Donuts for the first time--- OMG amazing red velvet donuts and cute pink boxes.

4.Embracing the cheesiness of souvenir shops at the beach.

5. Reading (yes..me..reading..shocking) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

6. Loving this guy for letting me drag him out to the beach everyday (not his fav--lol).

Cooking Corner: Best Nachos Ever!

2011-06-08T13:07:00.000-04:00

I just had to share this great recipe with you guys that Matt and I tried the other night~ Margarita Shrimp Nachos! Oh. my. gosh. Talk about yumm!
Matt and I love to cook...ok, well to be more precise Matt likes to cook, and I like to find the recipes and eat~ha! When I saw this recipe that combined our love for seafood, guacamole, and nachos I couldn't wait to try it. The best part is that it's really easy! We modified the recipe just a touch~
What you'll need:
1/2 lb shrimp: just get a bag of frozen shrimp
Margarita mix
Tortilla chips (recipe calls for lime flavored chips but we found it was too much lime so we do plain)
White cheddar cheese (shredded)
White cheese sauce in jar (this is our own addition~ it's better when it's saucy! ;)
Onion
Avacado
Cilantro
Lime
1.Peel shrimp and marinate in margarita mix about an hour. While it's marinating, also let wooden skewers soak in water (this is so they won't catch fire when grilling)
2. Put shrimp on skewers and grill till it's slightly blackened on edges.
3. Spread chips on pan and sprinkle with cheddar cheese and cheese sauce. Bake at 350 for about 10 min or till cheese is all melted.
4. Sprinkle chopped onion, chopped cilantro, sliced avacodo, and shrimp over nachos.
5. Squeeze a little lime juice on there and folks, you've got yourselves a DIN-NER.

Confession: we ate this whole thing in one sitting.......just the two of us.....
Wouldn't this be a great Appetizer for a fun Mexican party?!

Monogrammed Apron

2011-05-31T09:23:00.000-04:00

I have a new lover. It's my new Brother sewing machine!
I love it so much! I'm so thankful for my parents and grandparents who bought it for me for my birthday. It's like a dream.. I want to monogram everything I own. I've even monogrammed all our pillow cases. Matt drew the line when he caught me trying to monogram his underwear... ;)

And here's my latest creation:

This is my mom's apron I gave her for Mother's Day~ monogrammed of course~!
Stay tuned for more projects that I'm sure will come!

I'm back!

2011-05-24T09:27:00.000-04:00

Hi guys! Sorry I've been MIA for a while, and thanks if you still follow me on your blog reels! I decided I needed to take some time off from the blog and sort of re-prioritize some things. I went through a little stressful patch in my life --nothing too dramatic or anything--but I just knew it was time for a break!
But now I think I've got things back on track and I'm ready to get back into blogging action! BUT....A few things will change. I really want to use the blog as more of a scrapbook now. I'll still do some outfit photos, and things like that, but I want to include more of my everyday life with my wonderful husband Matt. I'm also not going to stress myself out about posting every single day. I may only post once a month! I just want to be able to look back over this blog years from now and remember all the great highlights of my newlywed life!
I've really missed blogging and it feels good to be back!!

Anywaayyys... on to more exciting things like this latest purchase....
I snagged this dress before it ever officially hung on a rack! It had literally just been steamed by the sales associate~ ha! This was a huge deal for me since I very rarely buy anything that's not from the sales corner, but Loft was offering 40% your entire purchase of ANYTHING in the store.... yes, anything! Like, what store does that? Loft does! So awesome!

(Dress: Loft, shoes: Target)
It's good to be back! :)

Show Us Your Life: Single Friends!

2011-01-20T18:54:00.001-05:00

Well, I sort of gave up on blogging until Kelly over at Kelly's Korner blog announced she was doing Round 2 of Show Us You Life: Single Friends! Last time 2 couples found each other and got engaged! I just could not resist posting about my lovely single friend Megan! (Muahahaha~ sorry Meg- I just had to do it! ;)

Sooo, Megan is 24 years old and lives in Atlanta, GA. Her hair is naturally blond and beautiful~ (can you believe that?!). Don't let the "blond" deceive you though- she is incredibly smart! She graduated from Berry College in Elementary Education. Now, she is a first grade teacher and is also working on her Master's degree!

She absolutely loves children and they love her! It was always her dream to become a teacher and she is perfect for the job!

Megan is probably one of the friendliest people I know. She seriously sees someone she knows wherever we go~ haha! She has so many friends!

Megan loves to travel. She has been to New York, LA, has studied abroad in Spain, and has done mission work in Costa Rica. Bonus: she even speaks Spanish! Habla Espanol?

The most important thing you should know about Megan, is that she has a huge heart for Jesus! As a long time friend, I know how important it is to her that her future husband share this same passion for the Lord!

Other interests include Vera Bradley, M&M's, and Law and Order. As for the rest, I'll leave that up to you to discover....

Days 8 and 9: A little behind

2010-12-02T19:42:00.000-05:00

Well, hello there! Did you think I had fallen off the face of the Earth? Sorry for the slight delay between posts! I have a few decent excuses that involve my car breaking down, being stranded in a sketchy neighborhood, my friend's car getting a flat tire, catching an awful cold, and getting an unfortunate letter from the IRS. All this sort of put a damper on my week and I lost all motivation to blog. BUT...all that is behind me now, and it can only get brighter from here, right?! I'm back and ready to plunge into this 30 for 30 challenge again! I'll try to do 2 outfits a day to catch up!
Day 8: Wintery White

I sort of took a risk when I threw these shorts into the challenge! I wanted to see if I could figure out a way to extend the life of a summery item through the winter, but I wasn't even sure if it would work out. I think it turned out pretty well.

{TOP: Loft, SHORTS: Lotus Boutique, TIGHTS: Forever 21, Booties: Forever 21}

Day 9: Thanksgiving Outfit

Glad I went ahead and wore this short sleeved top before the cold front hit Friday! Later on in the challenge, I can layer it up with a cardigan or maybe try a t-shirt underneath.

{Top: Tucker for Target, PANTS: Arden B. (redesigned by me), booties: Forever 21}

It feels so good to be back! I missed you guys!

Natalie's Favorite Things!

2010-11-22T13:10:00.000-05:00

Inspired by Oprah's favorite things episode Friday, I decided it would be fun to make a little list of my own favorites! You'll learn a little more about me and maybe even discover a great product you've never tried before! These would be great gift ideas too!

And in case you were wondering, no, I won't be giving away all my favorite things like Oprah does.....but I might could afford to send you all an M&M or two!

Day 7: Those boots again....

2010-11-18T19:28:00.000-05:00

Yep. Here they go again. And you haven't even seen the last of them either! They go with jeans, they go with shorts, and apparently they go with dresses.......

{dress: Forever 21, boots: Belk, necklace: Forever 21}

By the way, thanks for the advice on the maxi skirt yesterday! What would I do without you guys? ;) So maybe my fears of wearing it during the day were a little unwarranted. I've decided to definitely try wearing it to the office and other daytime activities~ like perhaps Thanksgiving lunch?!

Day 6: To the Maxi

2010-11-17T20:58:00.000-05:00

You may recognize this skirt~ it's been popping up all over the blog world! From the moment I first saw it I knew I wanted it. After about the 3rd time I saw it, I lost all control and clicked over to the Forever 21 website to place my order.

Buuut...I'll have to admit, when I first tried it on I was a little let down. I mean it's really dramatic and I felt a little bit like I was ready for the prom. I guess I got caught up in how great it looks in photographs (especially at sunset with a slight breeze) and forgot to think about practicality. Oops.
I decided to reserve the skirt for special evening occasions~ like date night with the hubby! What do you think? A little too dramatic for daytime/office wear?

{top (actually dress): Khols, Skirt: Forever 21, Necklace: Forever 21, boots: Shoe Department}

Happy hump day! Thanks for stopping by!

Day 5: Ray of Sunshine

2010-11-16T20:33:00.000-05:00

The weather was still dark and dreary when I woke up this morning, so I decided to throw on my brightest top, hoping it would brighten my mood. Well, it worked! That along with a hot shower, a little Starbucks, and a toaster strudel.

I bought this sweater a while back. It was part of Sarah Jessica Parker's short-lived line called Bitten. Too bad Steve and Barry's went bankrupt just when I had discovered this cute collection that had nothing over $20~! Sad!

{Sweater: Steve and Barry's, Top underneath: Loft, Pants: Target, Boots: Belk, Purse: Dolce and Gabanna, Necklace: Forever 21}

Day 4: A day of Rest

2010-11-14T19:28:00.000-05:00

I decided to keep my outfit laid-back for a lazy Sunday afternoon, so after church I slipped into a cozy t-shirt and shorts! I added the thermal leggings and boots to make it a little more Fall-appropriate. I just love easy Sundays with nothing to do! Sometimes, you just need a day to unwind from a busy week~! That's why God made Sunday right? ;)

The leaves have finally changed colors down here. It is absolutely beautiful! And the weather has been in the 70's! Love it! Now I'm ready for Thanksgiving!

{Top: Target, Cardigan: Old Navy, Shorts: Express, Leggings: Forever 21, Boots: Belk, Necklace: boutique}
Have a great week everyone!

Day 3: Kelly Kapowski

2010-11-11T19:10:00.000-05:00

I'm was so excited to have my photographer (my wonderful husband) back today for pictures! It's been kind of awkward lugging the step stool to the top floor of the parking garage and using self timer......(so not chic). Today, we were able to go out into a public courtyard and snap away~!

I felt a little like Kelly Kapowski in my leggings and tennies! Looove it! I'm even wearing Bayside colors aren't I? These shoes are the most comfy ever!! They're sort of a great mix of one part chucks and one part brogues. When I saw Tieka wearing them with a dress the other day, I thought I would give it a whirl! I think it's such an unexpected choice with a dress~but such a great one too!

{dress: H&M, leggins: Forever 21, shoes: Target, earrings: Forever 21}
By the way, Happy Veteran's Day everyone! Take a little time to remember those who serve our country. :)

Day 2: A Little More Leopard in my Life

2010-11-10T19:47:00.000-05:00

I didn't even think about how I wore that leopard scarf yesterday when I put on this leopard print blouse today. Oh well! I love the print and the way it sort of makes me feel a little bit rocker chic. Adding the black boots gave my look even more of a rock vibe. I'm definitely not what you would call a rock and roll kind of girl, but it's fun to dress a little like that sometimes. This outfit is pretty much as tough-girl as I can get! haha!

I'm planning to give you all a little tutorial on turning pants into skinny pants whenever I get the chance~ hopefully really soon! It's really not too hard! These pant may not have looked as cool had I not taken out some of their flare.

Well, as you can tell, I snapped the last photo just in the nick of time before the sun completely set! Whew!

{top: Express, Cardigan: Forever 21, pants: Arden B. redesigned, boots: Shoe Department}
Happy re-mixing everyone! I'm loving looking at everyone's outfits!

Day 1: There she goes again

2010-11-09T18:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I came home from work yesterday with good intentions of doing the most amazing first-day-of-the-challenge outfit post, buuuut I hadn't factored in the whole time change thing and it was dark by the time I got through the door! Craziness! So I do apologize for making you wait an extra day, but I'm sure you'll be glad I didn't try and pose in the dark..... my eyes would have looked really creepy....

You'll notice my beloved camel cardigan has found its way into the remixes again. I just couldn't bare to be without it for 30 days-- it goes with everything!

Without realizing it, I chose one of the same pair of shoes as Kendi which makes me secretly really happy that we share some of the same taste in clothing. :D

And as for the little leopard fur scarf? (Oh, this old thing!?) I've had it for years!! Haha~ I bought it back in high school on sale for $5 at Abercrombie and Fitch and I don't think I ever wore it....until now! Now that leopard is so hot and fur scarves are so hot, I'm really thanking my high school self for making this AWESOME (although weird back in 2004) purchase! This kinda thing usually doesn't happen to me since I am notorious for donating at least one trash bag of old clothes I don't wear every season, but for some reason I never threw this thing out! Lucky me!

{Dress: Khols, Cardigan: Old Navy, Booties: Forever 21, Scarf: Abercrombie, Tights: target}

Happy remixing!

Tips it from an old pro.

2010-11-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

A few of you have asked me to share some tips since this is my second time around with this 30 for 30 challenge. Well, here ya go! Even if you're not joining in the challenge, these tips may offer you a few ideas on how to change up your current wardrobe!
Tip #1: Not what they seem. By day 15 or so, you may feel like you've already exhausted all of your ideas for remixes. This is when things get a little crazy! Try wearing a dress as a skirt, or tucking a shirt into pants and wearing it as a top!
I wore this skirt as a dress:

I wore this dress as a shirt:

Tip #2: Inside out. Is one of your pieces lined in a different color fabric? Turn it inside out! Just be sure to cut off any tags. If there are any raw seams, you could try covering them up with a belt or accessory. Seen here:

Tip #3: Make a distraction. It's kind of hard to tell what top I'm wearing when I add a big scarf over it. Co-workers will never notice you've worn the same top over and over when you distract them with a bright colored scarf.

Tip #4: Double Duty. Use a blazer to make a fun dress work-appropriate, or pair a blazer with jeans for a chic night-out look.

Tip #5 Make a chart: I know it might be nerdy, but I totally made an excel spreadsheet last time! It really helped keep me organized. I put the bottoms and dresses in the columns and the tops in the rows. I highlighted it when I had worn it. This way I could know what items I had worn the most/least.

Well, hope these tips help!! Happy remixing!!!!

Time for another Challenge!

2010-11-06T12:30:00.001-04:00

30 pieces of clothing, 30 days, 30 remixes. No shopping!
It's time for round 2 of Kendi's challenge! Get excited!!!

Alterations

2010-11-03T20:24:00.000-04:00

So I've had this pair of gray pants for many many years (like I'm thinking since high school). They're a good-fitting pair of basic trousers, and there's nothing really wrong with them, except that they were starting to really bore me. So I decided they were in need of a makeover...

Before, they felt very Pam. I used to pair them with classic pumps and a button-up blouse for a take-me-seriously business look. Now that they're skinny, I feel like they are not only more fashion-forward, but somehow seem more relaxed and fun. I snagged my hubby's sweater, added some oxford pumps and a cool necklace to complete the new fun look.

As you may have been able to tell, I've been dying for some awesome trousers for Fall. I'm glad I was able to get some without spending a single dime!

Details:
Pants: Arden B. (redesigned by me)
Sweater: Express (Men's section)
Shoes: Forever 21
Necklace: Forever 21
Purse: Dolce and Gabbana (it may or may not be real;)

PS: I signed up to participate in the 30 for 30 challenge again. AAAH! Are any of you doing it? Read more here.

Autumn in the Park Cape

2010-11-01T16:21:00.000-04:00

I'm absolutely in love with capes this Fall! (Who isn't, right?) It's the perfect thing to throw on for an Autumn walk in the park! I decided it would be more fun (and a lot cheaper) to make my own cape, so.....
Presenting: the Autumn in the Park Cape.

I fell in love with this brown plaid fabric~ nothing says Fall like plaid! I wanted the cape to feel like I was snuggling up in a blanket all day so I designed it sort of oversize. And then of course, I knew my cape had to have a bow!

This weekend weather was perfection! We just had to get out and enjoy it at Peidmont Park on Saturday. We even grabbed lunch at a little cafe we found. It was such a presh day~ hehe.

Cape: Presh (by me)
Leggings/pants: Target
Boots: Belk
Shades: Forever 21

Happy Monday everyone!

Halloween Costume

2010-10-30T10:20:00.000-04:00

Let's see if you can guess who I am! Very few of my co-workers could figure it out and I was a little appalled! She is truly my style icon!

"If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name! "

"You could always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels."

Well, if you haven't guessed by now I highly suggest you watch this movie. ;) Immediately. It could change you life....ok, well maybe not your life, but it could definitely change the way you get dressed in the morning.

"A girl can't read that sort of thing without her lipstick."

How to recreate this look:
It's easy to pull of this look if you're in need of a last minute costume! I'm sure all of you have a little black dress in your closet. In my case I wore a black tank and pencil skirt. I put my hair in a really high ponytail. Then I sort of took the whole ponytail and rolled it under and bobby pinned it in place. I had 2 pearl necklaces that I doubled up to look like 4 strands. I safety pinned one of them to the other so they would lay right. I wore the earrings from my high school prom. I made my cigarette by rolling up black and white paper. Presto!

Have a Happy Halloween! What are you going to be?!

Cloudy with a chance of style

2010-10-26T19:49:00.000-04:00

The stormy weather made me want to be comfy and cozy! I threw on my most comfortable, go-to dress and added the sweater on top for a slouchy effect. It was too hot for tights, plus I liked to look of the boots without them~ it added to the thrown-together look I was going for.

Lately I've been forced to take my own photos since my hubby has been working late~ hope you don't mind the same parking garage backdrop and the occasional headless shots (thy're supposed to be artsy and cool, ok? haha)! This weekend we're hoping to go to some great Fall-ish photo shoot locations! Can't wait for the candy apples, hayrides, and pumpkin patches!

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Outfit Details
Dress: Gap
Sweater: Forever 21
Boots: Shoe Department
Necklace: Forever 21
Bangles: Old Navy
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Thanks for stopping by!

Meet me Half Way

2010-10-22T10:46:00.000-04:00

Not too hot, not too cold. Perfectly half way in between weather calls for a little creativity in the wardrobe department! I haven't made "The Big Switch" yet (you know, that time of year when I drag all my wintery clothes out from the bins under the bed and switch them with all my summery tanks from my closet one by one) so I've been improvising a little....

Today I decided to introduce that wonderful trend I've been seeing a lot lately in the blogger world to Atlanta-- tights with denim shorts! This look is such a great excuse to procrastinate making "The Big Switch." I love being able to make a pair of summery short feel Fall appropriate with tights (and my bank account loves it too).

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Outfit Details
Top: Forever 21 (actually could be worn as dress)
Cardigan: Forever 21
Shorts: Arden B. (cut off by me)
Tights: Target
Shoes: Steve Madden
Necklace: Forever 21
.........................
What do you guys do about switching seasonal clothes out of you closets? Do you have closets big enough for both seasons? I need tips! haha!

Elle's Birthday

2010-10-21T11:47:00.000-04:00

Elle didn't have a lot of time to come up with the perfect outfit for her birthday bash in New Orleans, so she enlisted the help of her blog readers. Here is the look I came up with. What says New Orleans better that sequins and feathers?!I was thrilled that she picked my outfit! Go check out Elle's adorable blog and hear about her adventures in New Orleans!
If you need help coming up with something for a special event, I can help! Have you guys ever heard of fiverr.com? It's a website where you can buy all kinds of services for only $5. (I heard about it on Nate Berkus of course). There are some really crazy services offered, but there are also some really cool ones!
Click here to get a wardrobe consultation from me for you next big event!

Elle's Birthday by nmcmyler featuring a sequin sweater

Sequin silk sweater
$129 - talbots.com
Sequin sweater »

Classic Motorcycle Jacket
$35 - forever21.com
Forever21 jackets »

Portland Nightlife Skirt
$50 - modcloth.com
Tulle Clothing skirts »

Tights for Every Occasion in Family Dinner
$15 - modcloth.com
Tights »

Steve Madden Women's Cammyy Platform Pump
$97 - endless.com
Platform shoes »

Forever21.com - New Arrivals - Accessories
$8.80 - forever21.com
Forever21 clutches »

Pearl Flower Cocktail Ring
$48 - anntaylor.com
Dome ring »

What's Your Necklace Say?
$12 - modcloth.com
Heart jewelry »

I blame Nate Berkus...

2010-10-19T20:09:00.000-04:00

I ran into Target the other day to grab "toothpaste" (wink wink), but as usual I had to make a quick detour through the clothing section. (Why do they have to put all that cute stuff right up front and all the toiletries in the very back of the store?!) That's when I spotted this lone polka-dot, bow tie top hanging in the very back of a rack....in my exact size....HELLO LOVER! I inserted it into my shopping cart immediately.

The top also just so happened to be from the Tucker for Target collection--all the more reason to buy it! I learned on Nate Berkus the other day that all these special designer collections for Target will be worth something some day! They are collector items! So, if I go over budget this month, I blame it on Nate.

The pumpkin spice colors are just perfect for Fall too! I decided to pair it with my plaid shorts. I added the socks with the sandals just to feel a little more Fall-ish.

Two lessons to be learned: 1.Next time you need toothpaste, go to CVS. 2. The best clothes are always hidden in the back of the racks!

............................
Deats:
Top: Tucker for Target
Shorts: Express
Socks: Forever 21
Sandals: Steve Madden
Cardigan: Old Navy
.............................
Thanks for stopping by!

Craving....

2010-10-15T07:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! Just thought I would share a few of my favorite Fall pieces for you to lust over on your coffee break! What have you been craving for Fall?

High waist Trousers: Zara $59.90
Cape: Modcloth $94.99
Peter Pan Blouse: Top Shop $70.00
Maxi Skirt: Forever 21 $19.80
Peep toe Wedge Booties: Forever 21 $29.80
Camel Dress: Top Shop $135
Fur Scarf: Anthropologie $58
Pumpkin Spice Latte: Starbucks (of course) $5

Black and White

2010-10-13T19:37:00.000-04:00

I love the simplicity of an all black and white look, so today I decided to wear just that!

I've been noticing this neck bow trend a lot lately in the fashion blogger world and on the runways, so I thought I would do my own version. I had a roll of black grosgrain ribbon lying around so I just cut off a piece and tied it in a bow. Bam! Instant runway look!

By the way, I'd like you to meet my favorite chair.ever. Since it is black and white, I thought it should join me in my photo shoot. I have a little bit of a damask obsession (If you read my wedding post, you may have noticed). I even have a damask ironing board (yep). There's just something about that classic print that always catches my eye whenever I spot it in a store!

I liked the holga effect my hubby used on this photo below. It may just have to become my new blog title. What do you think? I'm constantly re-working my blog look trying to get it just right. Maybe I'll settle one day~ ha!

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Outfit Details:
Top: Loft
Pants: Arden B.
Shoes: Steve Madden
Cardigan: Forever 21
Chair: Stein Mart
.........................................................................

Good Vibes

2010-10-11T17:00:00.001-04:00

You know when an outfit is good when it puts you in a certain mood or makes you want to do something out of the ordinary! Today's outfit really made me feel like riding horses --something I haven't done since I was a little girl! I guess it's the legging pants paired with the boots! I didn't go into my closet thinking,"I want to look equestrian today." It just sort of happened! Love it when that happens!

Someone recently asked me how I know when an outfit is right. Now that I think more about it, I usually base my decision to wear an outfit whether or not it has a good vibe. Sometimes I'll look at my outfit and think, I feel a little like I'm going to a tea party, like I could be on the cast of Jersey Shore, or like a schoolgirl. An outfit should always have a little vibe or mood. It could be as simple as a "reading a book in a coffee shop" vibe. This kind of outfit would make me feel sort of cozy and intellectual all day! If you look in the mirror and don't feel like anything, you're just gonna feel blah all day! As long as I like my outfit's vibe and it fits the setting I'm wearing it to~ I wear it! Haha~does this make any sense? Hope that answers the question!

These pants are sooo comfortable! They are sort of like leggings, but since they have pockets, zipper, and a button, I feel like they can be worn as pants. These shoes on the other hand may get returned. I love them, but they are ridiculously hard to get on. I also already have similar pairs of shoes that I sort of forgot about when I bought these, so they may get the "boot". Bah haha. What do you think? Are they keepers?

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Outfit Details:
Pants: Target
Jacket: Simply Vera for Khols
Shirt: Abercrombie
Shoes: Steve Madden via Marshall's
..................................
Now if only I could find a horse to ride.......

Presh Sale

2010-10-10T15:42:00.000-04:00

I can't thank you all enough for your support of me and my blog! In order to show my appreciation for my wonderful followers, I am offering 25% off my Etsy line, Presh! Here's how:
Step #1: Follow my blog over on the right (if you're not already a follower).
Step #2: Go to my Etsy shop and pick out the style you like.

Step #3: Pick out a fabric that you like! Yes, if you like the criss cross dress, but you'd rather have it made out of the pocket of rosies fabric~ I can certainly do that!

Step #4: Tell me what size you would like. Be sure to read my "how to measure guide" carefully. I can accommodate any length you would like- just be sure to specify.

Step #5: Make your purchase securely through Pay Pal. You don't have to set up and account to purchase! Be sure to let me know you are a follower, and your 25% discount will be refunded to you right away.
Step #6: Go wait by the mailbox for your pretty little package to arrive. ;)

Thanks again for all your support and sweet comments~! Stay tuned for my upcoming Fall collection for Presh!

The "it" list

2010-10-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! Fall is here for sure... I hope you are taking some time to enjoy it this weekend. Don't forget to take some time to enjoy these links this weekend too! There is so much great inspiration here!

elle sees rounds up fall inspired cocktails... I'll take one of each! Although the mulled wine seems to pique my interest the most. You'll definitely want to try some of these this weekend!
sweetie pie pumpkin noodle is currently coveting gold... and black. Such a swanky combo... I just adore all of her picks here!
really cute stuff has a great gift idea for Christmas stockings this year... a pad of dollar bills. Tear them off as you need them... this is SO ingenious! You have to check it out.
style within reach is "wishing, wanting and needing" a leopard print dress. And now that she mentions it... so am I! Check out her choices at all price points.
one sweet find has a gorgeous cake stand that would be a great addition to any Thanksgiving Table (it's only next month people!) or a hostess gift for the big meal! So pretty!
one hundred inspirations is loving this January Jones look. Hop on over there to see how to get this classic-chic look for less!
pocket of presh has the most amazing outfit that is perfect for the 'tween temperatures (for between seasons!). You know... cold in the morning and then warm in the afternoon? I just LOVE this look!
speaking of the holidays... maggie rose has this gorgeous silver pitcher for your holiday gathering. It would look amazing on any holiday table (specifically mine)!
merci blah blah snagged the faux fur vest from Rachel Zoe's collaboration with QVC. And it's downright gorgeous! See how she styles it!
adella avenue has a super hip outfit inspiration for the apple orchards this fall (a place I love to visit when the temps drop!). I would LOVE to wear this outfit on a fall day!
If you love these grey Stuart Weitzman wedges you must check out honey dearest's look for less. She found a great option at only $30... almost $300 off!
fashionably southern is craving chevron for fall... who isn't? It's such a sophisticated yet whimsical print - she has a great round up of chevron inspiration that you don't want to miss!
jewelscapes has the most gorgeous fall outfit that is perfectly accessorized... you must check out both the outfit and the jewelry - so pretty!
jillgg's good life has a round-up of the best camel colored pieces for fall. It's a classic color that is making it's way through the trends again! Any of these pieces would be a great addition to your fall wardrobe.

Happy Weekend! If you are interested in learning more about the "it" list... click here! Or email goodlifeforless @ gmail.com!

Tweens

2010-10-05T19:36:00.000-04:00

It's hard to know what to wear in these in-between seasons sometimes. When you walk out your door at 7:00am it's really chili, but by the time you get home it feels like summer again (at least that's how it is in Georgia). You're really in the mood to wear all the Fall trends, but the temps aren't quite there yet. Sooooo, what's a girl to wear in the tween days? How about this:

There's really no other time of year I could get away with this. It would be too cold without tights in the winter and too hot for the heavy blazer in the summer. So, ladies and gentlemen (if there are any gentlemen reading my blog) I give you the perfect tween outfit solution! Hurry up and wear it before it's too cold~ haha! ;)

This look would also work with any type of shorts you may have~ even denim cut offs! Just add a frilly top and blazer or cardigan. Go drag your winter boots out from under your bed, and voila! You have a whole new look without buying a thing.

Of course, I couldn't wear these shorts to work, but I will probably substitute the shorts for some skinny jeans and wear this to work really soon~!

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Outfit Details:
Blazer: Forever 21
Top: Loft
Shorts: Express
Booties: Steve Madden
Necklace: Forever 21
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Here's to the tween season!

Think I'll go to Charleston

2010-10-03T18:37:00.000-04:00

I'm finally getting around to posting the outfit pictures from the 2nd day of our anniversary trip. We decided to take a little tour of downtown Charleston. Good thing we got these pictures in before the torrential downpours began! Haha~ so much for shopping and walking around all the historic landmarks! We ended up doing a quick drive by of a couple of neat looking buildings and then decided to head home.

King street was such a cute little street! Next time I come I hope I can spend more time there! I was able to go into a couple of adorable boutiques. One was called the Butterfly Consignment shop where I saw vintage Armani suits, Elie Tahari blazers, and the most amazing pair of vintage silk high waist Gucci pants! I was a good girl though and only "window shopped."

Well, I did it again-- I wore a dress as a skirt. I just can't stop myself! This dress is a halter top that just doesn't fit me quite right up top. I love the print though, so I just decided to pull the old make it into a skirt trick again. I thought a long maxi skirt would really fit the whole southern historic town mood.

The side braid was a definite must for taming all the hair frizziness in the rainy weather. I never wear my hair like this, but I think it just may become a one of my staple looks. It's simple, and I don't have to spend so much time flat ironing!

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Outfit Details:
Top: Express
Skirt: (dress) from Target
Shoes: Target
Necklace: Forever 21
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Hope you all had a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

The "It" List

2010-10-01T08:29:00.002-04:00

September flew by and October is already here! Enjoy these great links from around the web today... you are sure to be inspired!

pocket of presh took a nautical vacation and of course, dressed the part! Check out this adorable nautical inspired outfit!
closet confections is sporting a Tucker for Target dress (I love them all!) and a great jacket... this is the perfect summer to fall outfit!
style within reach has a great series, A City Girls Guide to Glamour in the Suburbs... I just love the "basics" she selected as a foundation to any great wardrobe!
honey dearest is in love with the new fall line from Fossil. This unexpected retailer has some really gorgeous pieces for your fall wardrobe!
maggie rose just released an exciting new mini-ebook featuring 101 Things to Put in Apothecary Jars! A classic and simple way to decorate for any season!
really cute stuff is forcing us to start planning for Christmas already (thank them!) with these super practical Christmas stamps... perfect for stamping your own wrapping paper, Christmas cards or gift bags!
sweetie pie pumpkin noodle features the most gorgeous London home. It's impossible to choose a favorite room even... so gorgeous!
one hundred inspirations recreates this easy but stylish Jessica Alba outfit for at or around $100!
merci blah blah is looking hot in this second hand shirt dress which is on the spot for style this season! Gorgeous!
elle sees recreates one of her favorite bloggers looks for herself. Super cute!
jillgg's good life is loving the new wedge boot from Hunter... see how she creates three outfits around the boots!

Hopefully you are able to enjoy the fall weather this weekend!

~~~

Interested in being featured on the "it" list? Click here or email goodlifeforless @gmail.com!

Dreamboat

2010-09-30T10:08:00.000-04:00

For our anniversary last weekend, we decided to take a little trip to Charleston, SC. We rented a cute little private yacht for a couple of nights~ it was quite an adventure! I just had to wear my striped blazer with nautical buttons~ of course!

I discovered the yacht through a really neat website called airbnb. You should check it out if you're looking for a unique vacation experience! Neither of us had ever been on a yacht before, so we thought it would be a fun way to celebrate our one year!

Once we figured out how to work the toilet and got used to the constant smell of gasoline it turned out to be really romantic~ haha! It was neat to be able to sun tan and watch for dolphins from the bow of the yacht. It even had a little kitchen and cable TV (so Matt didn't have to miss his football game). We were able to walk to some great seafood restaurants and the beach.

I wore this blazer again, but this time I decided to dress it down by pairing in with denim cut-offs (a little shipwreck island-ish perhaps?). It was extremely hot so for the remainder of the trip I pretty much just wore a swimsuit! We even had to sneak into a nearby resort's pool to cool off (I was a little skiddish about diving into the middle of the ocean).

The sunsets were absolutely gorgeous! I think I want to move here when I retire. What an adorable little beach cottage community!

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Outfit Details:
Top: Loft
Blazer: H&M
Shorts: Arden B. (cut off and frayed by me)
Shoes: Target
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Wedding Week: My Dress

2010-09-27T07:00:00.001-04:00

It's wedding week here at Pocket of Presh! To celebrate my one year anniversary, I decided to do a series of posts on the big day! Today's topic: My dress~!
Like the bridesmaid dresses, I decided the only way to get exactly what I wanted was to make my own wedding dress! One year, ten yards of ivory silk duchess satin, and 5 minor panic attacks later, my dress was finally complete! In the end it was all worth it!

Here I am with my wonderful groom (better known to you as the guy behind the camera) on the happiest day of my life! :)

I was inspired by the celebrity wedding trend of having several wardrobe changes throughout the wedding day. Instead of putting on a completely new dress every couple of hours, I thought, why don't I just design a dress to have removable layers? For the ceremony, I wore all three layers for a full on princess effect.

For the reception, I shed the bottom layer to reveal a tea length dress~ perfect for dancing!

For the grand finale exit, I took off the 2nd layer for a fun above-the-knee look to run through the bubbles in~!

My mom hand embroidered our wedding date in the lining of the dress for "something blue."

I had a rather difficult time finding some attractive looking bridal shoes. I finally found these Chinese Laudry peep toes on Ebay! I was amazingly lucky to find some that matched my dress and were in my size~ it was fate!

For the back of the dress, I added a giant burberry-style bow (of course I had to have a bow somewhere!).I kept the veil simple so as not to over shadow the dress. I used ivory tulle and bound the edges in the same satin as the dress.

For my garter, I used some of the lace from my mom's wedding dress for "something old."
It was a lot of work, but I wouldn't have changed a single thing about my wedding day! Hope you enjoyed taking a sneak peak into our day!

The "it" list

2010-09-24T07:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday everyone... today's list is full to the brim of inspiration from the blog world - enjoy!

the hillside home features her favorite lighting options for your home and then comparison shops them all. It is hard to choose a favorite here, as there is nothing like a great light fixture or lamp!
maggie rose pulls amazing interior inspirations from lonny mag - I would gladly live in any of these rooms! Just gorgeous!
closet confections takes her summer wardrobe to fall/winter with amazing remixes - you must check out this post for fall inspiration. Kudos to Kendra on her amazing style and creativity!
pocket of presh attended an event with The Sartorialist... check out her snapshot of the handsome guy and his gorgeous gal and also peep at her outfit for the night! So jealous - what a fun night!
one hundred inspirations finds inspiration with Olivia Palermo's look - and then recreates it on the cheap! It's such a great fall/winter look... don't miss this!
rose a la mode pulls off an adorable rainy day look... and the photos are really great too. I just love her easy midwest style!
spry on the wall is my go-to source for runway round-ups! If you are a busy gal like me, check out her top 5 for each show - genius! Marc Jacobs is always a favorite of mine - check out his looks first!
sweetie pie pumpkin noodle is inspired by sperry shoes... click with extreme caution. You will be too, no doubt!
elle sees posted a diy pumpkin face mask... I don't know if this would make it to my skin or my mouth first, but pumpkin is supposed to be great for your skin!
merci blah blah is two friends that blog together, how fun!?! They both have amazing style and love to accessorize... I just love this particular look!
molly newborn's chunky necklaces are divine... this week I am crushing on this one. It would be great on it's own or layered for some punch!
really cute stuff is launching a ton of well, you guessed it: *new* really cute stuff this fall! First up, I NEED these monogramed note cards. So modern and chic!
style within reach has a feature I am completely hooked on called "wish, want, need" - great style at ALL price points. These green earrings are calling my name... so lovely! Check this out for sure!
one sweet find offers up this one sweet brass elephant! This would be adorable on a book shelf or adorning a baby's nursery. Who doesn't love a sweet elephant?
jillgg's good life rounds up great winter coats at great prices... shop early and shop smart for the most important accessory of the upcoming season!

Interested in learning more about the "it" list? Email goodlifeforless @ gmail.com or click here for more information!

Wedding Week: Bridesmaids

2010-09-22T19:21:00.000-04:00

It's wedding week here on Pocket of Presh! I'm celebrating my 1 year anniversary by bringing you a series of posts on my wedding! Today's topic: Bridesmaids!

Believe it or not, one of the easiest wedding decisions I made was choosing my bridesmaids! I am so blessed with 4 great friends and 2 wonderful sisters, so to me the choice was clear. The difficult part was choosing what they each would wear!
Having just graduated in fashion design, I felt like the pressure was on! After searching around bridal stores, I finally decided to (deep breath) design and make my bridesmaids dresses myself. Each of my bridesmaids have such unique styles and I wanted them to all feel comfortable wearing their dresses. I wanted them to truly feel like they could "sooo totally wear that dress again after the wedding" haha!

Let's start with Brittany, my sister and maid of honor. Brittany is definitely the life of the party wherever she goes! She always has great style and owns about 80 pairs of shoes~haha! I wanted her dress to match her va-va-voom personality. I thought a form-fitting dress with a pleated sweetheart neckline would be perfect for her~!

Next, is my little-er sister Michalyn. I like to think of her as my mini-me! I chose a simple high-yoked dress and added pleats so the dress would swing out a little. I thought the bow would add a cute touch to match her adorable personality. Here she is teaching us all the cotton-eyed joe at the reception!

My friend Melissa and I have very similar styles(actually, we have similar everything). I thought a form fitting princess seamed dress would look great on her body type. The ruffle was a fun feminine touch.

My friend Megan is the perfect first grade teacher if that tells you anything about her personality~! For her dress, I went with a pleated bodice and a 50's style full circle skirt (great for twirling)!

My friend Kathy's style is always so chic and sophisticated~ think Ann Taylor Loft. I chose a basic clean lined silhouette for her dress.

My friend Amanda is gonna be a famous actress one day (and guess who her personal stylist will be!). I thought an empire waist line would highlight her coveted long legs. The criss cross neckline turned out to be really flattering and something she felt comfortable in.

Wedding Week: The Details

2010-09-21T19:08:00.000-04:00

This time last year I was running around like a crazy person getting ready for my wedding~haha! To commemorate my one year anniversary I thought I would do a whole series of posts on the big day! I'll start with the little details and lead up to the grand finally~ the most important outfit post I will ever do~ my wedding dress! Hope you enjoy!
(All photo credits go to my most amazing wedding photographer: Stefanie from Lost in the Moment Photography)
Step one of planning my wedding was choosing a location. After visiting several venues and much deliberation (I'm the most indecisive person ever), my heart finally set on Birmingham Botanical Gardens. I was a nervous wreck the entire month of September because it rained every single day leading up to the wedding, but on September 27th, this is what I got to walk down the aisle to! Gorgeousness!

After choosing the location, my next big obstacle was coming up with a color scheme/theme. I just love black and white damask prints so I decided to incorporate them into the bouquet wraps, centerpieces, invitations, and programs. I also wanted a pop of color, so I chose a color I like to call "raspberry" which is in between red and purple. I sewed the little bouquet wraps myself and my florist pinned them on with rhinestone floral pins~! I've always loved butterflies and decided to incorporate them in the decor.

I decided to sew simple rectangular runners to jazz up the white tablecloths in the reception room. We had some leftover bathroom floor tiles that my mom and I covered in fabric for the centerpieces. I mixed and matched damask, raspberry, and silver runners and tiles around the room. We found really inexpensive candlesticks at the thrift store to give varying heights to the candles. The silver butterflies are actually Christmas ornaments we snagged at TJ Maxx.

My beautiful cake tied everything together! It tasted delicious too!

Our favors were cute little butterfly sachets we found at a Pier 1 after-Christmas sale! We displayed them on branches we had spray painted silver.

A special thanks goes out to my mom who helped me pull all the little details together! We had so much fun planning and wedding crafting every weekend leading up to the day! It was everything I imagined it would be and more~!

Fashion Week Scrapbook Part II

2010-09-20T20:04:00.000-04:00

Here's another slew of amazing Fashion Week looks that I really want to recreate less expensive versions of in my own wardrobe next spring! I've left all the designer critiquing up to Vogue and Tavi. ;) I just want to show you a few pretty pictures I picked out. (All images are from nymag.com)

Left: This look by Carmen Marc Valvo reminds me so much of my style icon~ Audrey Hepburn!
Rigt: This is a jumpsuit done right in my opinion~ easy breezy and printed! Cynthia Steffe.

Left: Diane Von Furstenberg can make a fanny pack look chic! I just want to put this on and go jet-setting!
Right: This shade of blue is so beautiful! And if it's not already obvious, I love high waist pants. Elise Overland.

Left: What a perfectly simple white dress. I love the hat too! by Erin Fetherston.
Right: There's that pretty blue again! I could easily knock off this Malandrino look by adding a chunky beaded necklace and straw hat to the blue romper I already have!

Left: Oh, I'm in love with this Mad Men-ish look by Preen! I just might have to jump the gun and sew a tea-length skirt like this for Fall!
Right: Love the mixing of a stripe with polka dots by Timo Weiland. And yay for the socks!

Left: Rule: If it has a bow, I love it. By Carolina Herrera.
Right: I've been thinking of getting a leather jacket, but I'm just not so sure it's me. I wouldn't mind wearing this suede one from Deisel.

Left: Look at the cute ruffles on the blazer! I could easily recreate this DKNY look for less.
Right: So lovely and romantic. And the shoes. I die for. Donna Karen.

Left: All the Marc Jacobs looks were so amazingly inspiring. I had to go with this one because it's the easiest to translate to my wardrobe. I would even do the giant flower bow.
Right: The Alice and Olivia romper looks so much more sophisticated under the trench!

Left: I think this is so brilliant~! A casual brown belt makes this Luca Luca evening gown look so cool.
Right: Tea length is baaack! Hooray! Love this by Marc Jacobs!

Left: Ok, I'm obsessed with this sewing pompom trim on everything so when I saw these shorts trimmed with little pompoms, I died! Love this Anna Sui!
Right: This is way too chic to be called a hoodie. I love this look by Elie Tahari~!

Left: I wanna live in this comfy looking sweatshirt dress by Michael Kors.
Right: This jumper be Nanette Lepore is just adorable.

Left: Love this Tori Burch look~ the skirt is so romantic and graceful!
Right: Probably my favorite collection by far~ simply because I would literally wear every single look as is. Never knew how much I love Tibi!

And there you have it! All my favorite picks!! What were your fav's?!

Meeting the Sartorialist!

2010-09-18T21:01:00.000-04:00

Friday night I had the pleasure of meeting one of my favorite bloggers, Scott Schuman of the Sartorialist! I was beyond thrilled when I heard that a local art gallery was going to be displaying some of his amazing photography and that he would be making a special guest appearance!
Here is the best shot I was able to get of Scott as he gets mobbed by the crowd! You can see the beautiful Garance too!

Well, I'm definitely not the only fan of his work here in Atlanta! I was amazed at the huge turn out! The tiny gallery was barely big enough to contain all the Sartorialist fans~ all of whom were dressed fabulously like they had just stepped out of one of Scott's photos!! I had the most fun just looking at everyone's outfits!
Here's what I decided to wear.......

It's not everyday you see so many fashion forward people in the South~ haha! (I mean no offense to Southerners~ I'm just saying it usually takes a little while for fashion to trickle all the way down here from NYC~ haha!) It was so cool to see other bloggers right here in my own backyard who aren't afraid of expressing themselves through fashion !! It was actually the first time I've felt a little intimidated and second guessed if I had chosen the best thing to wear! In hindsight, I wish I had been a little more creative with my outfit~ ah well.

Going to an art gallery felt like such a sophisticated thing to do~ thus, I chose the navy blazer which always makes me feel a little more sophisticated. ;)

And I mean.. when do I ever get to wear a clutch? It's just not so practical for everyday life since it's not big enough to hold very much, but for an art gallery~ perfect!

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Outfit Details:
Blazer: H&M
Tank: Loft
Skirt: (Actually a dress) Old Navy
Shoes: Steve Madden
Clutch: Old Navy
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Have a great rest of the weekend everyone~!

The "it" list

2010-09-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome weekend! I hope everyone had a great week and that you are gearing up for a fab weekend! Take some time to peruse the links below... there are so many inspiring posts here!

maggie rose pulls together an amazing living room make-over for an e-decorating client. I am loving the navy, white and neutral palette.
molly newborn's etsy shop is always full of great jewelry... this week my favorite is this chunky coral beaded necklace with turquoise accents.
jillgg's good life rounded up the best of boots for fall. If you are in the market for boots this fall... check out these great options!
spry on the wall can always be counted on for great runway round-ups. check out her picks from Victoria Beckham's spring '11 runway show at this weeks Fashion Week.
speaking of fashion week, closet confections was able to take part in Fashion Night Out in NYC as Fashion Week was kicking off. See her adventures and her fab outfit as well!
local cities had Fashion Night Out as well (I know my city did!)... pocket of presh headed out for Atlanta's, even if the night wasn't all she had imagined, her outfit made up for it!
merci blah blah and the rest of the internet (me included) is nuts for Tucker for Target. This diamond dress is my number one fav and Shan wears it very well!
rose a la mode is in the market for a pair of "jeggings" (jean leggings)... she has a clear and concise overview of several styles and announces her top pick!
the hillside home is prepping a new spot in her home for a play/creative room... swoon! She has great inspiration, I can't wait to follow the process of completion!
elle sees pulls together an ensemble inspired by her favorite blogger. This is a great fall get up!
sweetie pie pumpkin noodle is getting ready to celebrate her birthday, she has a wish list to die for... and don't forget to pop over and wish her a Happy one!
one sweet find just updated the shop with new goodies... my favorite is this vintage greek souvenir plate. It makes me think of warm greek beaches and honey doused baklava. mmmm....
one hundred inspirations takes this Gilmore gal's outfit from chic to cheap... the entire ensemble is under $75!

If you would like more information about the "it" list... click here or email goodlifeforless @ gmail.com!
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Be sure to wear a flower in your hair.

2010-09-15T20:13:00.000-04:00

I guess I just couldn't get that Marc Jacobs show out of my head as I was getting dressed this morning! Seeing all those beautiful flowers made me really want to wear my Ador headband made by my talented friend Melissa. I'm sure she'd be happy to make one for you too! ;)

Wearing this outfit really made me want to go to a tea party or something~haha! Instead, I just settled for a 2 minute tea break at my desk in between meetings at work.

You may recognize the skirt from my Etsy shop. I decided since I'd worn it as a dress before, I would mix it up and wear it as a skirt today~ it's a dirt! I just stuffed the bodice part down in the skirt as you can probably tell. It's an old trick I learned from Kendi.

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Outfit Details:
Top: Loft
Skirt: Presh~ by yours truly
Headband: Ador
Shoes: Old Navy
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Thanks for stopping by!

Pancake Mornings

2010-09-13T18:57:00.000-04:00

You may be under the impression that I wear dresses and heels to the grocery store, but that is definitely not the case! Sometimes I like to go really casual! Take this outfit for example........

I love Saturday mornings when we have nothing to do! I like rolling out of bed, throwing on denim cut offs and walking right across the street the the Original Pancake House! Soooo yummmy (If you live in the Atlanta or Birmingham area, it's a must. Everything is made fresh daily from the coffee to creamer to syrup. Even their butter is deliciously fresh and soft~ ha! This time I went with the Georgia pecan pancakes...

So anyway, back to the outfit at hand... I went with this cozy lightweight batwing sweater thinking the restaurant would be chilly as usual. It's a lot like wearing your boyfriend's sweatshirt, only it's a little more chic!

These shorts were once pants. One day I just put them on and decided they needed a makeover. I took a marker and marked how short I wanted them, took them off and cut. Then, I just threw them in the washer and dryer to fray them up. So easy!

I pulled it all together with a necklace and the most comfortable tennies I've ever put on!

It was a great weekend! Hope yours was just as wonderful!!
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Outfit Details
Top: Forever 21
Shorts (originally pants): from Arden B.
Shoes: Target
Purse: Betsey Johnson
Necklace: Forever 21
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Fashion Week Scrapbook Part I

2010-09-12T18:57:00.000-04:00

Here are some of my favorite looks of inspiration from New York Fashion Week Sp11! I was able to narrow it down by choosing only looks I could really translate into my own wardrobe. All images are courtesy of nymag.com.

Left: Here's a chic office look by Jill Stuart! I love the mix of silver blouse with gold shoes.
Right: Love all the high-waist pants from ADAM's collection. Do you think I could rock the bun on my head?

Left: How interesting is this giant bow-like collar by Bensoni? I feel a sewing project coming on!
Right: Cynthia Rowley featured so many yummy sherbert colors! And how cute are these giant hole-punched shorts?!

Left: Giant bow? check. High waist pants? check. Jason Wu, you just stole my heart.
Right: You know I'm a sucker for prints! Love Peter Som's mixture!

Left: Check out Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti's cute little sundress. What a perfect look for a day on the beach.
Right: Is this not one of my signature looks? Printed dress, cardigan, and suede flats~ love! Rachel Comey.

Left: Great 50's shirtdress with a pop of red belt by Ruffian.
Right: Some of these looks make me wonder who is inspiring whom~ the street style blogger or the designer? This one looks like it was ripped of the pages of Chictopia~ I love it! By United Bamboo.

Left: Love the whole Native American Vibe from Vivienne Tam's collection. What a cute beaded heart necklace!
Right: I just now discovered Band of Outsiders and I'm totally digging the retro tennis player vibe.

Left: Floral Romper and socks?! Why, thank you Charlotte Ronson.
Right: It took me a while to pick just one favorite from Derek Lam. I suggest you view the entire collection here for quite an enjoyable experience.

Left: Love the huge side braid, the pick-up in the skirt, the blouse, the necklace......ok so basically everything about this Lela Rose look.
Right: I think this Prabal Gurung dress would be stunning for a red carpet event.........if only I were going to one of those....

Wow! And there are still more collections to come~eek! Looks like I will be camping out on nymag.com for the next few days!

Fashion Night Out Atlanta

2010-09-11T11:48:00.000-04:00

I think I was a little over-excited about Atlanta's version of FNO. Walking down the mall, I kept looking for some sort of Fashion Night Out sign, crowds, DJ's, maybe a couple of local celebs.... Finally I came to Banana Republic where they were handing out 25% off coupons and free drinks. That's about all the excitement I could find~ lol.

I sort of gave up and decided to grab a Starbucks and read Women's Wear Daily Live Tweets from Fashion Night Out in NYC. Kate Walsh playing poker at Valentino, Mary Kate and Ashley judging Karaoke inside Barney's, Anna Wintour spotted in Soho.....This list of celebrities was endless!

Maybe next year I'll be able to go to the real FNO! Better start saving money right now! Perhaps if I could make a few more Etsy sales.........(hint hint) ;).

On a brighter note, my dress totally has lightning bolts on it!! Love it!

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Outfit Details
Dress: Lotus (my Birmingham readers know what I'm talking about)
Necklace: Forever 21
Shoes: Steve Madden
Purse: Betsey Johnson
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Pocket of News

2010-09-08T19:35:00.000-04:00

I have a little pocket of breaking news to share. I'm going to be blogging as a Chic Beauty Member for Beauty and the Budget! You should totally go check out this awesome website that's all about dressing stylishly on a budget! I'm honored to be amongst all the other amazing fashion bloggers! We will be posting outfits that will feature at least 3 items under $100! If there's one thing I love, it's a good bargain!
Like this dress for example..........

So, here's the story behind the dress: Well, Anthropologie is pretty much my favorite store of all time. As crazy as it sounds though, I'd never actually bought anything there (I know, it's such a crazy, sad thing!) I guess I'm just such a cheapo! The only reason I usually ever go in there is to get inspiration. The store just makes me feel so good! I always push and shove my way through the tiny sale closet only to find amazing things in sizes way too large or with prices not marked down enough. That is until I came across this little number..........

There it was sitting on a sale rack for $29.99.....and it was in my size.....I think I just stared at the price tag for a really long time in total shock.

The incredible sleeve detail, the portrait collar, the empire waistline, the vintage lilac color, the polka-dot-ish pile. I mean, come on. I think this was the best $29.99 I ever spent.

I can't really decided if this dress is 50's housewife, 30's Great Depression farmer, or The Little House on the Prairie style. Anyways, I'm in love with it.

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Outfit Details:
Dress: Anthropologie
Socks: Forever 21
Shoes: Forever 21
Pearl bracelet: Vintage necklace
..............................................................................................

Midnight Train to Georgia

2010-09-06T22:11:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm finally getting around to blogging after my relaxing Labor Day weekend (sorry for the slight delay between posts)! Here is my Sunday church look featuring another one of my favorite Fall trends: Lace!

It's hard to visit my hometown of Alabaster, Alabama without running into at least one train! There are tracks all throughout the city! So while we were waiting on one to pass I jumped out and had Matt snap a few pics.

This dress is one of my favorites (wait, don't I say that about all my dresses?)! Its vintage-looking lace and crocheted neckline makes me feel so feminine and pretty! The brand is called Pineapple Patch and it came from a Christmas craft show (so random, I know!). I really wish I could find a website to share with you all, but I haven't been able to so far~ such a shame!

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Outfit Details:

Dress: Pineapple Patch

Cardi: Belk

Shoes: Wal-Mart

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Well, I hope everyone has a great day back to work/school! The weekend flew by way too fast~!

90210

2010-09-02T19:57:00.000-04:00

Today I wore another one of my favorite Fall trends~ sequins!! I don't think I've been this shiny since my tap dance recital in 3rd grade...........(shuffle hop step, ball change~ jazz hands!)

I was a little hesitant to wear such a (literally) flashy top to work, but Jessica's adorable post the other day gave me the courage to brave up and throw it on! It wasn't until I was on my way to work that I thought more about the fact that Jessica lives in the fashion capital of America.......meaning, no one thinks twice if they see a girls walking down the street in a light reflector top. Here in the South, however, I think I definitely turned a few heads~ haha!

That's alright though! I guess one of the perks of living in the South is that you really feel like you're a trend setter! I'm usually one of the firsts to try out the latest trends in my area~ and I like it!

Plus, I toned everything down with a cardigan and suede flats so as not too look too "evening."

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Outfit Details:
Top: H&M
Cardigan: Old Navy
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes:Old Navy
Necklace: Street Vendor in NYC
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Isn't it cool that today's date is 90210?!

Sweet September

2010-09-01T19:53:00.000-04:00

To celebrate the first day of September, I broke out my favorite pair of pants!

Ok, so I'm not as sick of my 30 pieces as I thought I would be. This polka dot top keeps popping into my outfits!

Pants: American Apparel (Warehouse sale score)
Top: H&M
Necklace: Vintage
Shoes: Old Navy

I think September is my all time favorite month! There are so many things to look forward to! Besides the weather getting cool enough to wear my new gray lacey tights, here are a few other things I'm really pumped about.....

September 2nd: Zara Opens Online Store~ haven't we all been waiting for this?!

September 7th: Labor Day~ boy do I need a day off!!

September 10th: Fashion Night Out- Atlanta! (I wish I was going to the one in New York, but I'm so glad there's one here!) Anyone else going?!!

September 9-16 New York Fashion Week!! I'm not going this year, but I will be anxiously awaiting blogger and magazine reports!
September 13th: Final season of Oprah premiere!

September 21: Season premier of Glee!

September 23: Season premiere of the Office and 30 Rock~!!

September 27th: Our 1 year wedding anniversary!! I'll be sharing all about my wedding fashion/ sewing/ DIY ideas that whole week!

Bring on September!!

The Making of an Outfit

2010-08-30T18:53:00.001-04:00

This outfit seems so quintessential of what Stacey London might tell someone to wear, that I hesitated to even post it~ haha! Just like 1+1=2 every time,a pair of dark straight leg jeans + a jewel tone ruffle top + patent leather pumps+ a great accent necklace= a great outfit every time. I can think of few occasions in my life where this would not be appropriate.

I'm like a magnet to prints when it comes to shopping, so I grabbed this Zara top and "suggested" Matt get it for me for Christmas. He can take a hint.

Don't we love Zara?! I was so glad to have a Zara close by when I moved to Atlanta. If you don't have one near you, you're in luck! Zara opens its online store Sept 2nd!! (This may be bad for my work productivity).

I'd never really shopped at Calvin Klein until they had a going out of business sale. I got these jeans for $12! Aannd so it goes... you finally find a pair of great fitting jeans, and the store shuts down the next day.

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Outfit Details:
Top: Zara
Jeans: Calvin Klein
Necklace: Forever 21
Shoes: Old Navy
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Preash you stopping by ;)

Work to Weekend

2010-08-27T21:13:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! Today's outfit is a 2 for 1 deal! Here's my work to weekend look...
(please excuse my sloppy photoshop skills and the fact that half of my toes are missing).

On Fridays we typically head straight from the office to a restaurant (preferably with an outdoor patio) to unwind from the busy week! This time, I just stripped down to my romper, threw on some flip flops, and I was good to go!

I just love this romper! I was glad I finally came up with a way to wear it to work! The only downside was when I had to use the bathroom. It took me forever to unzip, untie, and unbutton everything and then put it all back together!

Remember when Arden B. was so awesome?!! I don't know (maybe it's just me) but I think their style has changed a lot lately. It's just not my style anymore. I was glad when I saw this cute romper though. I found it for only $5 thanks to Shop It To Me! How could I pass it up?!
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Outfit details:
Romper/Top: Arden B. (via Shop It to Me for $5!!!)
Skirt: Forever 21
Work shoes: Steve Madden
Weekend shoes: Target
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Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Wednesday's Child

2010-08-25T19:07:00.000-04:00

After all that hype about pants yesterday, I bet you never thought I'd be wearing a dress today! Well, I like to keep your toes~ haha ;)

This blazer is one of those pieces from my wardrobe I used to stare at longingly, wishing I had added it to the mix for the 30 for 30 challenge. I'm so glad to have it back in action!

I pass this old abandoned Chinese restaurant on my way home from work everyday, but today i suddenly realized how cute it was! A pink brick wall has "Presh photoshoot" written all over it. Why haven't I thought of this before?!

The necklace is a new purchase from my fashion binge this weekend! I tried on a ton of clothes at Forever 21, but ended up not really feeling any of them so I headed over to the jewelry section. I scored 3 necklaces, 2 pairs of earrings, some knee high socks, and lace tights for under $30!!
I
I really am a Wednesday's Child, although I don't think I'm full of woe.....it just sounded like an appropriate blog title for a Wednesday..... and no other title came to mind.

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Outfit Details:
Dress: Kohl's
Blazer: H&M
Necklace: Forever 21
Shoes: Steve Madden
Bangles: Old Navy
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Thanks for stopping by~!

She wears the pants!

2010-08-24T19:26:00.000-04:00

So, I went on a little fashion binge this weekend! (No, for your information, I didn't max out my credit card at the mall.......although I might have had Matt let me take the credit card...;). Instead, I spent a good 2 hours sitting in Barnes and Noble sipping Starbucks and catching up on the latest fall trends~ it was heaven! So, what one Fall trend am I most pumped about? The Pants!
Yes that's right, Elle Magazine claims pants are the must-haves for Fall. At first, I was thinking.....wait....pants??!! Did they ever go out of style? Well no not really, but they were definitely out of the spotlight. Think about it~ the past few seasons have been all about the dresses! I mean, good luck finding a great pair of pants amongst all the leggings last season! I even had to start pretending like leggings were pant substitutes! Not this season! A/W 10 brings us a bountiful array of gorgeous wide leg trousers, sexy high waist skinnies, and chic boot-cut slacks~! Gimme Gimme!
So.. ..I then proceeded to spend another good couple of hours online looking for some affordable pant options for Fall! I couldn't really decide between all these.................

1. Urban Outfittters $58 Skinny Cargos~ I would have to buy the socks and shoes too!

2. Newport News . $49 Stretch wide legs- These look so comfy yet so chic!

3. Loft $69.50 Skinny Riding Pant- Ok, just the name sold me. Annnd I'm loving the olive green trend!

4. J.Crew : $59.50 Everyday Chino~ I love how they can be worn rolled up or down!

5. Forever 21: $19.80 Skinny Chinnos~ these are the best value, and they're just as cute!!

6. Free People $68 pink skinny cordoroys. ~ I mean.....how presh?!!

7. Anthropologie $49.50: Orion's Belt Trousers~ They're studded!!!

8. Americn Apparel $75 Calvary Twill High Waist Pleated Pant: I just love this 60's menswear look!

I guess you could say I had a productive weekend! Now, all I have to do is choose a pair!

Etsy Shop Now Open!!

2010-08-21T15:11:00.000-04:00

I have put a few little things up on my new Etsy shop! Go take a looksy~! More to come later!

For my first collection, I wanted each piece to evoke the name "Presh." I put a lot of precious elements in such as tulip-like overlays, criss cross straps, and fun mini pockets. I wanted the looks to be easily translated from summer to fall so I styled everything up with knee-high socks, cardigans, and suede booties. Each piece is perfect for this "in-between" weather we're having~!
As you will see, I love prints! I especially love the vintage vibe these prints give. If you like a print, but would rather have it in a different style, I would be glad to accommodate~!
And now, without further ado,
The Pocket Full of Rosies skirt...

The Pink Tulip Skirt.....

The Criss Cross Dress....

And the Sweetheart Cocktail Dress.....

Hope you enjoy. :)

Aftershock

2010-08-19T20:04:00.000-04:00

Here's the final recap~! What were your fav's?

What were my favorite looks? #5 and #21~ I love the skirt belt thing.
What was my least favorite: #15~ just not that creative.
What was my most re-mixed piece? The floral Target dress (as seen in #3,10, 21, and 27)and Loft Jeans (#4, 15, 24, 25, 30)
What one piece from my closet do I wish I had thrown in the mix? My blue shorts, because they were nice and summery and it's about to be too late to wear them!
Will I ever do this challenge again? Oh fahuure-sure.
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Well friends, I even took the day off work tomorrow to celebrate this challenge being over~! (Haha- that's not exactly true... but kinda). You know, sometimes you just need a day.......to go shopping by yourself, to watch Regis and Kelly, to eat breakfast somewhere other than inside your car, to go to a book store and catch up on all the September issues I haven't had time to read, to eat greasy food court food, and to work on my Etsy Shop. Sounds like a great day to me....eek!

Day 30: Stick a fork in me

2010-08-18T20:01:00.000-04:00

I'm done!!!!!!!

Hooray!!

Fist Pump!!!!!

Whoa! I can't believe it's over! I have really loved participating in this challenge! I mean....there were moments about midway through that I didn't think I could come up with a single more outfit combination, but then it would just magically come to me somehow! It has really been eye-opening to discover I really can make it with only 30 wardrobe pieces!!

I would love to say that doing this has cured me of my shopping addiction, but that would be a complete and utter lie. (I'm not ashamed to admit that I am dying to get into the brand new 2 story Forever 21 that just opened up near by.) The challenge has, however, taught me to think twice about what I do purchase. I think from now on I will really really need to be in love with something before I buy.

I am also a lot more open to wearing things as other things.....like dresses as tops, skirts as dresses, dresses as skirts....etc. I've definitely learned to stretch my wardrobe beyond the tiny walls of my closet through flipping inside out, twisting, and pinning.

Lastly, one of the best parts was getting to know so many of you other fellow challengers! I know it's sappy to say, but it feels great to be connected with people that share my same interests and passion~ people that "get" me. I really appreciate everyone's support! I wish we could all meet up in real life for a 30 for 30 party~ wouldn't that be great?! Kendi? Party at your place? :)
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Outfit Details:
Dress: Charlotte Russe
Jeans: Loft
Shoes: Old Navy
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Here's an attempt to do a heel click.....in heels.....

Day 29: Date night

2010-08-16T20:13:00.000-04:00

Matt and I had a little movie date night the other night~ so I got dressed up a bit.

I decided I would try really hard not to fall into that jeans and a T-shirt style rut a lot of couples fall into once they get married. Don't get me wrong-- I have a drawer overflowing with T-shirts that I just can't seem to part with, but I think it's important to make an effort to get dressed up sometimes. It sort of lets your husband/sig other know you still care and still want to impress him/her. When we first started dating 5 years ago, I would spend hours perfecting my hair, make-up, and outfit. I want to make sure I still do that for specials nights even when we're old and gray. ;)

Matt even broke out the cologne for our date night! I was impressed!
Also, I failed to snag a picture of him in his outfit, so I've decided to do a whole other segment on man style sometime. It will be all about how to dress your man/how you wish your man would dress. haha!

And I even did my toenails... (I'm sure he didn't even notice...)

We had a fun time pretending we're still in the first date stages.

Now if only I could grasp exactly what the movie Inception was all about...
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Outfit Details
Top: Forever 21
Skirt: Macy's
Shoes: Kristen Davis for Belk
Bangles: Old Navy
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**So I got a couple of questions about how to wear a dress inside out like I did here. Well first of all, you have to use a lined dress so that no seams are shown. Also, I removed the tags using a seam ripper and tiny scissors. Since the lining is usually shorter than the actual dress fabric, you might want to safety pin the dress fabric up. I just decided I liked the floral print peeping out so I left it. ;) Hope this clears it up!

Day 28: Catching Up

2010-08-15T13:11:00.000-04:00

We made a little pit stop in Auburn (where I went to college) on the way to the beach. My friend's apartment made a perfect background for the photo shoot~! I love its vintage charm! :)

I'm wearing a very simple look (nothing that would get me into the style gallery on Chictopia or anything-lol) but it's a look I go to a lot. I love a simple T-shirt and casual skirt combo for weekend getaways with friends!

I had such a great time catching up with friends~ eating crab cakes, nightly stargazing, floating in the ocean, reminiscing, and laughing basically the whole time.

The title of this post actually has 2 meanings (oh! I am so clever~ hehe). The day I wore this I did a lot of catching up with old friends, and I'm also trying to catch up with all the other 30 for 30 challengers who are already done. You can choose whatever meaning you like......

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Outfit Details
Top: H&M
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: TJ Maxx
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Day 27: Back to School Chic

2010-08-12T16:58:00.000-04:00

Although I've been out of college for little over a year now, all the back-to-school excitement really got me wishing I was shopping for my first day of class outfit! Buuuut... since I'm on a shopping ban and since I have no first day of class to attend, I thought I would just put on a schoolgirl outfit and live vicariously through all of you actual students....

We never had to wear uniforms at my school, but I've seen some schools require students to wear navy jumpers kind of like this. The funny part is, I would have been sent to detention for having such a short skirt in school, so this is my~ "Haha! I can wear whatever I want to now" uniform. ;)
I thought about even adding knee high socks (a trend I'm totally loving right now), but then I thought that might be taking the schoolgirl look one step too far.

This is actually the Target floral dress worn inside out again. I decided to let the outside fabric hang down this time for a little hint of the floral print along the hemline. I will definitely be taking a closer look at the linings of all my dresses from now on to see if they can be flipped inside out!! I also love the idea of making a dress into a jumper by layering a top underneath! I will so be doing this again.

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Outfit Details:
Dress: Target
Shirt: Abercrombie
Shoes: Old Navy
Belt: Abercrombie
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I sure do miss shopping for all the notebooks and binders (usually Hello Kitty), opening up a brand new box of crayons, and sharpening all my pencils; but I'm grateful to finally be in the real world where there's no homework~! ;)

Day 26: The show must go on

2010-08-10T12:43:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone! I've scheduled this post for you all to have a little something to read while I lay here relaxing on the beach. Jealous much? ;) I didn't want to get behind on the challenge when I'm so close to the finish line!

This sheer top seems to dress up any look so much. It's a great wardrobe staple! I've begun to wonder if I will be so sick of my 30 items at the end that I won't want to wear them ever again, but since this top is so versatile I don't think that will happen. We'll see...

Well, I hope you all are having as great week as I am! I'll be back tomorrow. See you then!
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Outfit details
Top: Old Navy
Skirt: Presh original
Shoes: TJ Maxx

Day 25: Mom's scarf

2010-08-08T11:00:00.007-04:00

Kendi gave me the great idea to wear a scarf the other day, so I picked out this one that I ~~stole~~ borrowed from my mom's closet. It may be circa 80's or early 90's and it's just the right size and color. Best of all, check out the fringe!!

*Note, I actually didn't wear the same jeans 2 days in a row, they just happened to get downloaded and edited 2 days in a row.... (riiight).....
No really though.

Sometimes the best shopping is in your mom's closet. :)

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Outfit Details
Top: Loft
Jeans: Loft
Belt: Ruche
Shoes: Forever 21
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DIY: Grommets!

2010-08-07T13:00:00.001-04:00

Grommets have always intimidated me a little. I thought they took some sort of special machinery or that I would have to track down and pay someone to attach them for me. Au contraire~! All you need is a little $6 grommet kit, a hammer, and a little muscle!
Since I'm going to the beach this weekend, I thought it would be a good time to try a grommeted beach bag!

If you want to make one for yourself, here's how:
1. Choose some sturdy fabric like canvas or back your fabric with interfacing. Mine's from the big upholstery roll sale section from Hancock. Grab a grommet kit and a pack of grommets (also can be found at Hancock). For this project, I used 3/8" grommets. Make sure your kit and grommets are the same size. I also got some cording that I decided to braid together for the straps.

2. Cut out your bag 2 ply. Choose whatever shape you like. I decided to make mine sorta watermelon shaped. My dimensions were 19"x16" (including a 1/2 seam allowance on the sides, and a 1" seam allowance at the top.

3. Mark the position where you want your grommets. Don't forget to leave enough room at the top to turn and sew the hem! Trace around the inside barrel of the grommet and cut it out. I have these little baby thread snips that worked perfectly for cutting the tiny hole.

4.It's probably a good idea to go outside and do this next part on a hard concrete surface so you won't dent any floors! Here's the order you will need to place everything.

Your fabric will go in between your 2 grommets with the face side toward the ground.

And as for the little part that looks like a ring, make sure the domed part is facing up!

5. Now hammer away! You don't have to enlist a man to help unless you have zero muscles in your arms like me. (I should probably start working out. Immediately.)

6. Sew up your side seams and hem the top!
7. Pull your straps through your grommets and knot in place.

And there ya have it~ a beach bag! My head is spinning with other ideas of things to grommet.....luggage tags.....shower curtains.....wallet with grommet key hook......the possibilities are endless.
Of course if you don't have the time or desire to sew, I could always make one for you instead ;)

Day 24: Make it Work

2010-08-06T12:55:00.000-04:00

This is actually a top from the challenge that I haven't worn yet. I threw it into the mix in case I needed a party/"going out" kind of look. In the end, I decided to make it work for work by adding a top underneath. This may not work for all types of work environments, but I'm glad it works for mine!

A gust of wind came through and it looks like I just might fly away.

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Outfit Details:
Black and White Top: Forever 21
Cream top: Old Navy
Jeans: Loft
Shoes: Steve Madden
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Project Runway Corner

So, it's time to talk some Project Runway! Who are everyone's favorites this season?! Of course I love what Gretchen's done so far~ that Jumpsuit last night was presh! I secretly really want to pull for Peach though~ simply because she's in her 50's and she's on Project Runway! I mean, at least she knew her dress sucked last night as opposed to the creepy figure 8 dress dude who seriously thought those safety pins looked good.

Day 23: Re-marc-able

2010-08-05T12:00:00.001-04:00

Here is the Marc Jacobs jacket sorta worn as a top. It just somehow feels different buttoned up.

I seem to be having a staring contest with this bush...

Thanks for the lovely blog award Angeline! Check out her blog here to learn great tips on dressing professionally!

And now I am supposed to write 7 things about myself and pass along the award to 7 other bloggers, so here goes....
1. Today's my one year anniversary at my work. I am a tech designer for a OshKosh B'Gosh. It's not the job I always dreamed of, but it turned out to be the perfect job for me!
2. I got to marry my high school sweetheart 11 months ago.
3. I own pretty much all of Julia Robert's movies.
4. I can't really get through my day without some kind of chocolate and a Dr. Pepper.
5. I totally keep up with the Kardashians.
6. I could spend all day in a craft store like Hobby Lobby.
7. Jesus is my Saviour!
And now I'm passing the award on to some more Lovely Blogs~enjoy! Sorry If you've already been given the award~ you don't have to do it again!
1. Ador~ Click to find the cutest Interior Design inspirations and DIY projects!
2. Laugh a Little~ This girl always makes me laugh.
3. A Southern Belle's Tales~ I love reading about her life adventures!
4. Eliz in Atlanta~ Yay for the ATL! She is always cooking something delicious!
5. Girl Boyd~ Need make up advice? This girls is an expert!
6. The Searched and Found~ If you like Etsy, but don't have time to sort through all the junk, this girl finds the cutest stuff for you!
7. J's Everyday Fashion~ I love this girl's style!

Day 22: Jersey shorin' it

2010-08-04T19:00:00.001-04:00

I feel like this outfit is a touch on the Jersey Shore side. All I need is my Bump-it! I didn't initially intend for it to be that way, just kinda happened....and I like it! This was a casual weekend look, perfect for a backyard BBQ! (I'm trying to catch up on posting my pics~)

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Outfit Details
Top: Loft
Shorts: American Apparel
Belt: Forever 21
Shoes: TJ Maxx
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Random tip of the day: If your husband knocks your phone into the toilet, try taking it apart and sticking it in a bag of rice and leaving it there all day. The rice soaks up the water. This miraculously revived my blackberry today~ whew!

Day 21: A Whole New World

2010-08-03T20:26:00.000-04:00

Whoa....can't believe this never dawned on me before-- I can turn the floral target dress inside out!! It's like I have a whole new item added to the 30~!! Kinda feel like I'm cheating!

This wide belt is an oldie, but it was perfectly wide enough for covering up the seams. I also had to pin the dress layer up a few inches since the lining was shorter than the dress. The pinning created a lot of extra volume. I like the way it turned out poofy!

See? There's a little bit of the floral dress peeping out here. Promise it's not a brand new skirt. ;)

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Outfit Details:
Top: Forever 21
Skirt: (dress inside out) Target
Belt: Abercrombie
Shoes: Old Navy
...................................................
Good News to announce! I am really close to opening up my Etsy shop! I've been working hard on getting everything together~ (fun stuff like shipping and exchange policies. haha) This weekend, I did a little Etsy photoshoot and I can't wait to share it with you all! We borrowed a really nice camera so the pics turned out great (thanks so much Anita)! I will have a grand opening when the challenge is over~so get pumped!! It will only be a few pieces, but then I will slowly add more. I didn't want to make myself too crazy! :P

Day 20: Gas Station Celeb

2010-08-02T19:27:00.001-04:00

On our trip to Birmingham this weekend, we stopped to get gas and I decided that the sun was in just the right position for a good outfit photo shoot. There was a nice field right next to the gas station, so while the car was filing up, we pulled out the camera and started snapping. When we were done, we looked over and everyone at the gas station was staring at us. It was awkward, and I just waved at them...haha!

Do any of you do your photo shoots in public locations? Usually we wait till no one's around, but this time we were out in the middle of nowhere so we didn't really care!

This is the strapless chambray dress worn as a skirt this time. I decided to pair it with my ribbon bow T-shirt.

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Outfit Details:
Top: New York and Company
Skirt (dress): Charlotte Russe
Shoes: TJ max
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Tag, I'm it!

2010-08-02T17:35:00.000-04:00

I have been tagged to answer 8 questions about myself by another fashion blogger named Meek! Check out Meek's adorable blog here.

1. What is you all time favorite store to shop in? Wow, this is so hard to choose! The majority of my clothes probably come from Forever 21. I love their great prices! If money was no object I would say Anthropologie!
2. Use one sentence to sum up what your personal style is. My style is the preciousness of the Zoey Deschanel cotton comercial meets the sophisticated charm of The Notebook, with a twist of Carrie Bradshaw's risk-taking flair . (or so I wish--hehe)
3. Do you shop online? if yes what is your favorite website? Yes.... guilty! Shopstyle.com is great~! If you are looking for something specific you can type it in and it will pull up all the stores that offer it! Shop it to Me is also one of my fav's. It's like having a personal stylist email you everyday! You should def sign up!
4. You have been given some money to spend on your self. What are you going to use it for? A new sewing machine! One of those computerized, embroidery ones!
5. What is the first thing you do when you get home from a hard days work? Blog and eat!!
6. What is your favorite thing to do with your girl friends? Go to the beach! (Which will be happening in about 7 days~ yay!)
7. If your house was on fire and you could save something from your closet what would it be? My wedding dress!! I'll never wear it again, but I would just hate to see it go!
8. What is the most expensive thing in your closet? Again, my wedding dress. Although I saved a lot of money by making it myself, the fabric still cost more than any thing else I own. :)

So, now I have to come up with 8 more questions of my own and tag 8 more people. Neat idea and a great way to get to know people!
1. What movie best describes your style?
2. Where do you find inspiration for your outfits?
3. How do you feel about thrift store shopping?
4. What's the next item of clothing you really want to buy?
5. What's your favorite color to wear?
6. If you could shop in any city in the world, what city would you choose?
7. Do you have an item of clothing from the past that you really regret wearing?
8. Which is more important to you when shoe shopping, style or comfort?

Tag, you're it! I've tagged these 8 fellow remix challengers. Check out their answers to my questions on their blogs below:
1.Best Foot Forward
2.The Sweet Roads
3.The New Professional
4.A Pretty Penny
5.Dash Dot Dotty
6.Miss Melissa
7.Sock Monkey and Gee
8.Tights and Bites

And now, on to day 20.................

Day 19: Cotton Candy Sky

2010-07-30T16:00:00.001-04:00

The sunset was so pretty that night! It was the perfect backdrop to my neutral outfit~!

Here is the white dress again, worn as a top. This time I paired it with the black skirt~!

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Outfit Details
Top (Dress): Old Navy
Skirt: Old Navy
Shoes: TJ Max
Sweater: Old Navy
Head Scarf: scrap fabric
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Warning: Project Runway Spoiler Alert:
Did anyone get a chance to watch Project Runway last night? Thoughts??
I liked the winning dress. I can see myself wearing that.

But, this blue dress lost to the "pole dancer from Dubai"???? I mean, maybe the armholes were waaaaay too big, and maybe the Mohawk was not so chic, but I don't think she deserved the boot.

And here is (in the words of Michael Khors) the "mother of the bride, who's also a belly dancer".

And was anyone else confused why they kept telling the contestants that they weren't "on the show" yet? Then what show was I watching?

Day 18: Time flies

2010-07-29T18:39:00.000-04:00

With these skinny jeans and black top, I felt a little too rock and roll (not a bad thing~ just not me) so I added this polka dot top and white necklace to make it a little more feminine and "presh." I felt more at home!

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Outfit Details
Black top: Express
Polka dot top: H&M
Jeans: Forever 21
Shoes: Forever 21
Necklace: White House Black Market
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Wow!! Time to do a recap already?!! Only 2 more recaps to go! I'm a little behind on my posts so I may start adding more than one outfit per day. That way I can get done faster and start shopping! ;)

Well, I'm off to get ready for a night of Project Runway, delicious Amy's frozen pizza, and slice and bake cookies (usually I do less of baking, and more dough eating)...
Have a good night!

Day 17: Eternal Sunshine

2010-07-28T12:00:00.001-04:00

I was glad I had chosen bright sunny colors to wear on such a gloomy cloudy day! Isn't it cool how colors can affect your mood? Or does my mood affect my color choices??? hmmmm.......
While you ponder that thought, take a look at my day 17 look:

It may look like pretty blue skies behind me, but a really big storm hit a few minutes later~! As you can see by the dried up river behind me, we needed the rain!

So I was beginning to stress a little bit about coming up with 13 more outfits, so I do what I do best~ I got organized!! I made a little chart so I can remember all my outfit combinations. It helped to see what has been worn the most and the least. Bottoms and dresses are the columns, and tops are in the rows. I highlight the outfit after I've worn it. I'm a bit of an organization nerd. (Did you notice it even matches my outfit?)

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Outfit Details:
Top: American Apparel
Skirt: Forever 21
Belt: Ruche
Shoes:TJ Max
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Day 16: Hotlanta

2010-07-27T19:53:00.000-04:00

I know "Hot"lanta is an old school nickname that probably should have been abolished a long time ago, but with temperatures well over 100 degrees this weekend I just couldn't help myself! It was definitely hot! It was the perfect weekend for hanging out by the pool! I did take a few minutes to get dressed and snap a few pics before grabbing a bite to eat.

I love living in the South~ I've lived down here my whole life, and I don't think I would trade our sweltering summers for the North's freezing winters. The ponytail holder must have been invented down here. No sense in blow drying and straightening today. My hair would have been curly again within 5 minutes of stepping outside! I pulled it in a low bun and threw a scarf on!

This strapless chambray dress was the next best thing to a bikini in this heat! I love the subtle floral print! I decided to spice it up with some socks and heels.

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Outfit Details:
Dress: Charlotte Russe
Belt: Ruche
Socks: Target
Shoes: Forever 21
Purse: Lotus Boutique
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What do you wear to beat the heat?

Day 15: Yawn

2010-07-26T17:51:00.000-04:00

You must be thinking,"Wow... this girl paired jeans with a t-shirt??! How groundbreaking! No wonder she has a fashion blog!"
Well folks, we are half way through this challenge, and I'm already desperately pairing together anything that matches and un-apologetically calling it an outfit. So, here you have it: a simple casual look #15.

Although simple, I do really like the outfit! These jeans always make me feel good! Probably because my friends always joke that I have no butt (they call it my "top of the legs")but in these jeans my butt magically appears. Why hello there! There's something about the back pockets and the fit that can turn pancakes into muffins ;)!

And since this outfit is not so interesting, I thought I would share a pair of really interesting shoes our friend Josh nonchalantly strolled into our home wearing this weekend.....

I guess I am not up to date on the latest ~~fashion~~ trends, because I immediately started laughing. He claims they are quite comfortable and perfect for running and boating. They are apparently called Five Fingers and you can buy a pair for yourself here. Let's just hope these stay in the world of outdoor sports where they belong.... (of course I hoped the same about Crocs).

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Outfit Details:
Top: Forever 21
Jean: Loft
Shoes: TJ Max
Necklace: Boutique in Savannah
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Day 14: Standing Ovation

2010-07-25T11:30:00.000-04:00

Every time I watch the Devil Wears Prada I want to give a standing ovation during this part~looove it haha! I thought it so appropriately pertained to what I talked about in my last post! (I know I don't have to keep explaining my obsession with fashion to all you guys~ you all understand me! That's why I love blogging so much~ I get to know so many other people who can relate to my love for fashion!)

Annnnnd now for the moment we've all been waiting for.....day 14:

Here is the grey dress again, this time worn as a skirt. It was really easy to transform this dress because it was stretchy knit and it has a huge neckline.

I love the ribbon detail on this top~!

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Outfit Details:
Top: New York and Co.
Skirt: Ann Taylor Loft
Necklace: Forever 21
Belt: Express
Shoes: Old Navy
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Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Mine flew by waaay too fast! Thanks for stopping by!

Ra-ra-ra-remix

2010-07-23T15:17:00.001-04:00

Here's week 2 in case you missed anything~!

If you're new to the blog, I'm taking on a 30 for 30 challenge hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, Kendi. I have picked 30 pieces of clothing (including shoes) and will be remixing them into 30 outfits. Oh yeah, and I can't shop the entire time! The point is to help you miss all your other clothes so much that you don't feel like you always need something new. It's like quitting your shopping addiction cold turkey. It also forces you to be really creative remixing all your outfits~ which is a lot of fun!
**Kendi just posted an excellently written post that pretty much sums up what this whole fashion blog is all about! Sometimes I feel so superficial blogging all about fashion. When it comes down to it, I know it doesn't really matter what I wear! I dress the way I do because it's fun! For me, it's not about keeping up appearances by having all the latest designer label handbags; it's just a great way to express my creativity! It's just like any other hobby or talent anyone might have. I'd rather be shopping or reading Instyle magazine than watching football, playing video games, or playing a musical instrument. I love that Kendi brought this up~ I hope it clears any misconceptions up that we fashion lovers are not shallow. Whew~! Glad to get that out.
Have a great weekend everyone!

Day 13: Blazin

2010-07-22T16:51:00.001-04:00

Anyone else pumped about upcoming reality TV fashion shows?!! Mark your calendars for July 29th when Project Runway premiers! On the Fridays after the show I'll be sharing my thoughts on the episodes! You can join in too!

On July 30th, Say Yes to the Dress comes to my town~ Atlanta! This will be an interesting spin off! I love seeing what dress fits with each bride's personality!

And now, on to day 13..............

Yes, this is the middle of summer, and this may look like more of a winter outfit, but believe me I was so glad to be wearing it in my freezing office! In between air conditioners I simply shed the blazer and just wore the breezy sheer sleeveless top underneath. No need to worry :)

I thought it might be cute to do the photos on my couch for a change. I like my little couch! It was my first piece of "real" furniture purchased with my first pay-check. It is usually stuffed full of cushions and blankets, but I wanted a clean slate for the photos.

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Outfit Details:
Top: Old Navy
Blazer: H&M
Jeans: Forever 21
Shoes: Steve Madden
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Preash!! (appreciate you stopping by!)