part of the crew

i am often asked to define my personal style, and well,

i find it quite a daunting task.

my style is somewhere where feminine-romantic meets 70s rock meets professional preppy with a few other things mixed in

{like i said.. kind of a daunting task}

i am often a jeans and t-shirt girl, and i like oversize accessories to spice it up.

there is definitely a hint of old school rock to my style...

think more almost famous and less ashlee simpson

and i adore mixing menswear pieces with frills,

especially blazers, vests, and button-down shirts.

as i move forward with my career, i find myself drawn more to structured pieces and less to trendy tees and tanks

{although i do still love the trendy tees and tanks}

i don't think i will ever find one store or brand that is 100% my style,

but the most recent jcrew catalog, east of eden, is definitely part of the fray.

i adore the romantic pieces, the pastel color palette, and the oversized, layered jewelry.

i would pair the pastels with a bright jacket, clutch, or peep toes.

i will definitely be perusing the catalog pages for inspiration come cooler weather.

way to go, jcrew. good show.

images courtesy of jcrew.com

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weekend adventure no. 14: {high shoals, ga}

k and i recently enjoyed a weekend in the north georgia mountains
visiting some of our favorite friends.


our drive up was so lovely...
filled with rolling hills and country homes

once in the mountains,
we hiked down to a local water fall, high shoals.
the boys braved the arctic waters, while the girls took pictures

the river water was so cold!

my little feet were quite content to dip into the crevices of the rocks
without actually immersing into the frigid pool

overall, it was a lovely little getaway
the falls were beautiful and serene, and the weather was perfect.
we enjoyed our time together in the solitude of the woods
and sharing the day with our dear friends.




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{dream home}

oh how i would love to live here

yes, please mr. mcqueen

i am obsessed with these booties from alexander mcqueen

seriously obsessed.

i dream about them {it's that bad}

24.7.09

old family photo {one of my favorites}




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another daily read

i've just found another blog to add to my daily reads..
it is

{wait for it}
hilarious.

and the witty author, JennyMac, happens to be in my city.
so, hop on over to let's have a cocktail and check it out.


xoxo

a perfect combination

ever since my friend Lar of the AsianCajuns posted about her studded white toms,

i have been on the lookout for a great pair of shoes to add studs to as well.

enter my love of dancing and training in classical ballet,

and you have the perfect combination.

for those of you who don't have about eight pairs of ballet slippers in the back of your closet,

you can purchase a pair of these sweet little shoes here.

{it may actually be cheaper to buy them than make them yourself if you don't already own ballet slippers.}

i think i know one thing i'll be doing this weekend :)

stay tuned for pictures of the project and the final outcome.

images courtesy of bonadrag

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searching {for solitude}

sometimes we all need a bit of solitude

a bit of time to ourselves to regroup

and to reconnect with ourself

and with our surroundings

images from rock.too.fast for.love

{constant} obsesison: retro red lipstick

image from W magazine

it's no secret that i love color,
that much is evident by a quick peek into my closet,
but something you may not know, is that i am obsessed with retro red lipstick.
{evidence here and here}

ever since my high school days of trying to be audrey hepburn,
i have been in love with the vintage, feminine, and classic look of red lips. just that pop of color can completely transform an outfit and change the entire look of the garments.

here are some recent inspirations for retro red lips:

image from GQ Magazine

image from W magazine

image from W Korea

image found here

image from GQ Magazine

what about you, my lovelies? what are some of your favorite beauty staples?
what do you do to completely transform a look?



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feeling gilty

what do marc jacobs, vera wang, tracy reese,

alexander mcqueen, and diesel have in common?

they {among others} all have amazing pieces on major sale at gilt group.

gilt group is an online store where designer names are available at incredible prices. the sales begin daily at noon and last for 24 hours, and the site will email you day the sale begins.

you do have to be a member to purchase from gilt,

{don't worry, it's free to sign up}

so if you are interested, leave a comment with your email address,

and i will send you an invitation!

image credit

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dear {soon to be} husband,

my life with you is one of such great happiness,
that i can scarce begin to describe.

our differences may cause us grief at times,
but in the end, they are so very small.

{drawers and hangers are overrated,
and messes may sometimes creep in}

i know you are not one for grand, romantic gestures
but simple, meaningful ones instead.
i know you do not shout our love from the rooftops
but i would not have it that way.
i cherish your deep, quiet way of loving me.

i await the day when i wake beside you and say

{good morning, husband}

just thinking of that moment

the warm fuzzies invade my heart all over again

a spiral of heat within my chest

and i feel how much you love me,

and how i love you in return.

i would always choose you to be mine

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asian lettuce wraps {how-to}

i love food
and i love cooking food,
especially when it is both healthy and delicious.

last week k and i decided to try homemade asian lettuce wraps,
and they were scrumptious!
{and the recipe is oh-so-simple, added bonus!}
our {frozen} veggie spring rolls completed the meal perfectly


mince 1 clove of garlic and saute in olive oil,
add in ground chicken/turkey* breast & cook until no longer pink
add frozen edamame beans and a splash of soy sauce
{if using any other frozen veggies, add them in with the edamame}
once the beans have cook for about 5 min,
add in some chopped carrots (fresh)
stir in thai-peanut sauce until the veggie/meat mixture is well covered
let that cook for another 5 minutes,
and add in a couple handfuls of sliced almonds
simmer for a just few minutes to brown the almonds

pull off a few long leaves of romaine hearts,
top with the chicken/veggie mixture,
and enjoy!


*i used ground turkey breast, but i think chicken would be better
also, you could use a lean ground beef if you prefer.
for the lettuce, i bought stalks of romaine hearts,
but iceberg would work as well.


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some {pretty} things

emma watson's teen vogue photo shoot...

{i'm still not over it}

exactly how i will be dressing for fall

vintage aqua bar stools from etsy

that make me think of an old soda shop

glass drinking straws from glass dharma

because they are so very chic yet so very practical

{and eco-friendly}

click here to see the rest of the collection

simple, fun, and adorable diy project from designsponge

{thinking i'll do a red and turquoise version of this for the kitchen}

paige black label greenwich jacket in navy

by paige denim

i hope you all had a very wonderful summer weekend!

xoxo

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layer alligator

when it comes to work wear, i often have trouble dressing in a way that is conservative enough for the dress code, yet playful enough for my fashion taste. among the ways that i try to combat this is by layering and adding pops of color to otherwise bland outfits.

since i can't pull out my white menswear shirt in the 90 degree heat, i settled for a short-sleeved button down and some audrey-inspired trousers. i added a preppy alligator print pink belt and some heels, and i was set!

{note, i did wear pointy pink flats for a while at work but didn't get a picture of them.}

blouse, Patrick Robinson for Target; audrey trousers, H&M; belt, UO (long ago); heels, Michael Kors

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when it really MATTErs

for those of you who may be interested,

OPI has a new line of matte nail colors.

this is very exciting

why? you ask...

image courtesy of Pink Sherbet Photography on Flickr

as someone who changes nail polish about every three days,

and someone who searches multiple drug stores for matte nail colors,

i am simply thrilled.

don't get me wrong, shimmer and sparkles have their place,

but i love matte finish on my nails.

take a look for yourself.

which colors are your favorites?

i am loving the lincoln park after dark {i already own the original, which is stunning}

and alpine snow. in fact, i love them all!

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updates updates

image credit: kcc12 on flickr

i have decided to spend some time updating the site a bit, including the blogroll to the right.

i love perusing through all of your pages in the mornings, gaining inspiration on everything from what i'll wear that day to what i will eat for dinner.

that being said, if you would like to be included on the blogroll, please leave me a comment with your site link.

as much as i love my fashion mags, i am finding more inspiration from all of you lovelies these days, and i simply adore it.

so feel free to comment. i will be updating the list in the next week or so.

xoxo

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happy {independence} day

i will be spending the weekend in something along these lines

airy dress over a bathing suit, straw hat and cute sandals, bright accessories...

and sparklers in hand

our weekend plans include:

grilling out with some good friends

driving through the mountains

lounging pool-side

a fierce game or two of scrabble

getting lost in a good book

and, most importantly, sparklers {my favorite part}

and what for you, my lovelies?

how will you spend the holiday weekend,

and what will you be wearing to celebrate?

xoxo

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