Oct 20, 2012

Saturday morning

This weekend is the Southern Ground music & food festival in Charleston. In addition to John Mayer, Zac Brown Band, and a load of other performers, the Avett brothers will be playing. One of my favorite songs of theirs is 'I and Love and You' and with the home-sickness I've been feeling all week I thought it was only fitting to share the song for SongPop Saturday. Happy Weekend!

Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
"One foot in and one foot back
But it don't pay, to live like that
So I cut the ties and I jumped the tracks
For never to return

Ah Brooklyn Brooklyn take me in
Are you aware the shape I'm in"


Oct 19, 2012

Do it yourself: Chalkboard Fireplace

Photo via @eatsleepwear on Instagram
This little gem showed up in my feed on Instagram last week and I immediately fell in love. For all of you city dwellers in apartment rentals that come with funny little mantels and no real fireplace, this is the most clever approach to keeping it the main focal point of your space instead of some awkward candelabra. You know what I mean, when you don't know what the heck to do with it so you just shove some pillar candles in the space to fake-out a fire. Romantic, sure, but this is so.much.better.
DIY and grab a quart of chalkboard paint at your nearest Home Depot. Rust-Oleum's specialty chalkboard paint in Flat Black is the best I've came across and it's only 9 bucks,  you can't beat it. Make sure to tape the sucker out... you don't want any of this paint to mark up your mantel because trust me, it will be a pain to get off later.
The best part about this DIY is that it's a quick one. Depending on the size of your inner hearth, it should take you no more then 30mins total. For $9, and 30minutes, I think this project makes a HUGE impact to your decor. Get yourself some attractive chalk at a dollar store or even a teacher supply shop and write something pretty! You can choose anything from motivational quotes, countdowns, holiday greetings, or hell, why don't you monogram it? Sick of the monogram, just wipe it off and pick something new. What a great way to customize your space! I would still have some assortment of candles on the base of the fireplace for ambience and all that, but please make sure the paint is dry. No open flames near wet paint! You should even follow the technique of @eatsleepwear and add some chotchkies that have some meaning for you. If there is one thing you learn from me, there is always room for chotchkies! But, cool ones.
If you're wondering on where to use the rest of your leftover chalkboard paint, and you fit the pre-req of being a brave soul, why not bring it into the dining room as an accent wall? This photo taken in a restaurant in Brooklyn showcases how awesome it could be to chalkboard big or small. 
Photo via @thelifestyled Instagram
The point is, there are no limits to the creative process, you just need to explore yours and see where it takes you.

Photo via pinterest
Edit: If you only have enough for a small space, how about trying it in your kitchen for your grocery lists like this person did?




Oct 18, 2012

Fall? Autumn? Layering weather...


I'm feeling a bit silly this Fall over the fact that I have yet to put on a boot, let alone a closed toe shoe. It's my first time ever, being in such warm weather during football season and I kind of love it. I don't know how long my fondness will last, but for now, I enjoy being in short-shorts and a tee, flip-floppin' my way around this beautiful town. I always dreamt of the endless summer, and I think I'm getting a taste of it now. My beach bunny ways as a kid are something I can't hide no matter how chic my attempt at the urban lifestyle. I'm an eclectic, gypsy-esque, sand fairy and I am always happier at the shore-break getting my tan on. 
Despite the fact that I'm still kicking it in 80 degrees, I'm still entertained by all of the email blasts from the fashion elite with their push on this Fall's must-haves. I enjoy the hankering for the fall items without the necessity to buy them. Dollahs in my pocket! Nothing a little window-shopping can't hurt. 
Here are my picks for the top 5 Fall looks I've came across, and once the weather becomes more appropriate in December, I'll be rocking. Best part in all this, the puffers got shoved to the very back of the closet. Sayonara! 

Photo via carolinesmode.com
  1. Great for the chilly, relaxed weekends. This one has been a trans-seasonal staple for years now. My favorite thing about this look is the pop of neon with the shoes. I have a pair of flats this color which I'll be throwing on with my go-to relaxed jeans, grey V-neck & army green cargo jkt.
Photo via thismodernlifestyle
2. For the possibility of running into someone while doing errands. I love how chic yet super comfortable this look is. You can't go wrong in black skinny jeans and pairing your slouchy tee, with a layered sweater and leather jacket - really looks so put together. 

Photo via idontwantrealism
3. Ok, you win, I'll go out in public today. I don't know about you, but I would live in my leggings if I could. They're the next best thing to real pants. Luckily, they're always kind of in fashion if you wear them correctly, and this look confirms that. Throw on an oversized sweater, some boots, and play it off as a properly planned cold-day outfit with a gold bangle, beanie, and parka.
Photo via witanddelight
4. I can pull it together, too.  Now we all know, there is nothing a little blazer and skinny jeans can't handle. Wearing your casual button-down tucked out makes it feel that much cooler (take note as above). Really, this look is super simple and a no-brainer, so when you're feeling those legging days, remember to whip this outfit out instead.

5. Shorts and Sweater kind of weather. Go ahead, give yourself a moment.... shorts? really? Well, I know for years I've had to stare at editorials showing shorts in colder weather and I always hated the fact that there was never that kind of temperature fluctuation around my neck of the woods. Well, alas! I am finally in the perfect climate that will allow me to rock the shorts and sweaters together. This look is an oldie but goodie from Miss Gwyn herself and I'm so happy to finally be able to rock the best of both worlds this year!

On a side note: Do you use Fall or Autumn to reference this season? I tend to use Fall, but I often wonder if many more people say Autumn. Let me know!




Oct 16, 2012

BFW: Bridal Fashion Week

Photo via @mercinewyork Instagram
Some of my favorite bloggers were at Bridal Fashion Week last week and let me tell you, I couldn't pry myself off of Instagram. I'm already married, yes, but the infatuation with the gowns never lets up for me. The structure or lack-there-of, the ethereal qualities, the bows, lace, ribbon, petticoats, veils, hairstyles, make-up, everything encompassing that day just brings me so much satisfaction. I loved my wedding day more then any other day on this earth, and the feeling I got in my dress, I felt like the most beautiful girl on the planet. I still look back on photos and think "who was that girl? that's not me". Your wedding day is the most glorious day you'll ever experience and the dress carries so much of that story. It literally is the start and the end of that day. It starts when you put on that dress, it ends when you take it off. You have to make it count. 
Anyway, you can see how passionate I am for these little white things! So, you can imagine how giddy I was when I started seeing photos of the 2013 styles on the runway show up in my feed.  
Photo via @glamourmag Instagram
I mean look at that back?! Would you expect anything less from a Jenny Packham?

The silhouettes over at Winnie Couture, reminded me a lot of my own dress.. good to know it's still a classic.
Photo via @glamourmag
The sleeves on this Christos dress are stunning.. If you're one of those brides that need their arms covered for the ceremony, would you not die over this one?
Photo via @mercinewyork
Have a sweet-tooth for the whimsy of it all? Check out these charming gowns.
Kenneth Pool
Photo via @glamourmag
Monique Lhuillier
Photo via @mercinewyork
Jim Hjelm
Photo via @mercinewyork
Modern Trousseau
Photo via @glamourmag
Kenneth Poole showcased the 60's beehive for hair, which I don't know about y'all but I love a good bouffant.
Photo via @mercinewyork
You can see why I go bonkers over this stuff? If I could just float around in wedding day decor all day long, I would. Who can stop me? 
Check out more from the BFW over on the Huffington Post. They did a great wrap on the week and their slideshow showcases a ton of other dresses that I drool over.

*edit: Brides Magazine also compiled some of the greatest looks of the week on their Pinterest board, check it out.


Oct 15, 2012

Finding out what's important

Photo via Notes from the laundromat
My apologies for the small hiatus I took late last week - We had some friends from NJ come to stay for the weekend and I couldn't keep up with the blogging demands while mixing virgin cocktails.  Nothing like a mama and a baby!
Anyway, I hope you won't mind this personal post while we take a small break from the fashionable musings. You see, lately I've found myself losing the motivation for pretty much anything. I kind of feel exactly how I felt my first semester of college. Kind of lost in a foreign land with no promise for the success of the future. I'm completely overwhelmed and confused. I keep thinking about what this all could possibly mean, being that it happened to me not exactly what I orchestrated for my life. Why were we put in Charleston? Why did my career get cut short on an upswing? In a way, I feel like I'm being taught a life lesson. What really matters at the end of the day are your family, your health, your well-being. I've been plucked right out of the rat-race of New York City and plopped right down in the slowest moving population in the United States. Time for me to slow down? Stop allowing life to pass me by? I know I've voiced concerns as I got older about how I never knew how I'd ever be able to have the white picket fence, the kids that got to live like kids with streetlight curfews, a school bus popularity, and the beach-town lifestyle I was lucky enough to experience myself. I love New York. It's a part of me that will never subside. I yearn for it every day, I yearned for it everyday before I even walked its streets for the first time. I was born with the city in my dna. Yet, there's something about it that just doesn't complete my perfect circle of happiness. That kills me.
My inner-self  thinks she's Carrie Bradshaw skipping around Manhattan living the life. But, my true self wants all of the things that make life, LIFE. The love of your life, the success, the house, the kids, the dog, the family around a huge table... I mean where am I fitting that in Brooklyn? I can say that I feel somewhat accomplished by the blip that was my career. I always said I never wanted to make it all the way to the top. I could witness everyday how alone and bitter those people were. Their jobs weren't fulfilling them. They were missing out on so much so they could stay another 3 hours at night to plan the layout of a sweater table. That's what I didn't get about my job. The clothes I've designed are practically non-existent right now. They existed for 4 weeks in a store and removed off the floor to make their red-lined way to Loehmann's. The people that save lives on a daily basis - emt's, firefighters, teachers, social workers, nurses, our enlisted military being deployed every single day to the most dangerous and conflicted provinces... why are those people paid 'ok' salaries while I was paid a pretty penny to design a few pairs of jeans? I always thought how backwards it was. You can see why I'm going crazy.
So, getting so wrapped up in those anxieties got me thinking and I decided that I'm going to look into volunteer opportunities that can draw me out of my champagne bubble and open my eyes to the life others live. To really live is to open our eyes to the lives around us and how we can make a change or a difference. I love being creative, and I love being able to effortlessly do something to make a great living, but I also know that I've been put here for much more then the superficial things. I'm not going to rush into anything, but just leave myself open for the opportunity to present itself. I want to like doing it, and I want to feel that same accomplishment that I felt with my other jobs but just in a different realm of importance.


We will resume our regularly scheduled fashion talk tomorrow, friends. Thanks for listening.