Overload

Between course work, completing my clinical seminar, side projects with professors, working, fitting in a workout schedule, and trying to maintain a sense of normalcy with my living situation, this sums how I've been feeling lately. {I'm one of the little birds, in case you didn't catch that. Except that I somehow got separated from the group & don't have all those other birds to help out.} I have archived outfits for the 30 for 30 that will be going up sometime this weekend or whenever I find my sanity.

In the mean time, here are a few interesting reads that you may {or may not} like:
One
Two
Three

Happy Hump Day
xoxo

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Check It Out!

My sweet friend and fellow blogger, Lesley asked me to do a guest post for her while she is on vacation. I'm so honored.

Lesley's blog, Homemade Grits, is one of my daily reads. And not just because we are friends IRL, but because her sweet style of unabashed honesty is just infectious. I love hearing her thoughts on everything from motherhood to yoga and nutrition. Lesley also has an Esty shop. She's a true renaissance woman!

So... go check out Homemade Grits and see what is at the top of my list for spring!

Twenty Ten

Two thousand ten was a year filled with firsts {our first year of marriage, our first anniversary}, textbooks, laughter, late nights studying, and quite a bit of love. I have grown personally and so has this blog. I appreciate your support from the very bottom of my heart, and I look forward to another year spent in the blog world with you.

 Happy New Year.

xoxo

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Street Style Inspirations

With the fickle fall/winter weather taking its toll on my wardrobe creativity these days, I turned to some of my favorite sources for inspiration - other fashion bloggers. There's definitely something to be said for photo shoots and runway shows, but sometimes you just want to see someone real. Isn't that why we all started blogging anyway? I digress. Here are some of my recent inspirations from the street.

kertiii
I love the overt femininity of this outfit, especially paired with the black tights and studded bag.

lookbook
Since mother nature can't decide between winter frosts and summer temperatures, I think shorts and bulky sweaters will be my new uniform.

Street Peeper
I'm beginning to reevaluate the idea of long skirts on my petite form.

Cupcakes & Cashmere
Chic simplicity. Love it.


Where are you finding fashion inspiration these days?
xoxo

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Behind the Scenes

In the past two weeks I have been lucky enough to receive two blog awards from two very lovely ladies -- the first from Diana of One Crafty Fox and the other from Jessica of Punk Rock Momma. It's always heart warming to know that other people read and appreciate what you have to say, and I personally like to know more about the women behind the blogs that I read. So, to continue to spread the love, here is a combination of both awards which ask for a bit more personal information than your typical outfit post affords.

Name your three best memories:

Christmas Eve at my parent's house - just drinking coffee and telling stories with my family.

Meeting my bestie for the first time - We were paired up as college roommates and immediately became inseparable, as in within minutes.

September 5, 2009 - the day I married my K

Name five things you can't live without:

Wooded running trails

Camping and hiking trips

Time to cook and bake and experiment in the kitchen

Rainy days and quiet time

Kisses from my love

What is the best thing about being a woman?

The quiet, constant strength that we possess - it doesn't need to be elaborately displayed or even explained. It just is.

Name four of the best fiction books you have ever read:

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Kite Runner

Ender's Game

The Chronicles of Narnia

(this list could honestly go on forever....)

State an interesting fact about yourself:

I have a cat named Cooper who is missing his pinky toe and his tail. He acts more like a dog than a cat (he plays fetch) and has more personality than some people that I know.

Because there are so many blogs that I love to read daily, I am passing these awards on to anyone who wishes to participate. I love finding out more intimate details of other bloggers' lives and ideas. It makes this online community we have developed that much more special.

Happy Monday.

xoxo

images via weheartit

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Pretty Pretty Poppies

Exciting news.
Hiking in Stilettos has been registered with the Coach Poppy Project! Follow the poppy trail to the left, and make it grow by tweeting with the hashtag #hikinginstilettos and #CoachPoppy. You can also become a fan on Facebook.

Look through the pattern and click for special suprises as well! If you find a Coach Poppy bag, click on it for a fun gift!


Help me make the poppy trail grow by tweeting with #hikinginstilettos!

xoxo

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Blushing Baubles Giveaway Winner

First of all I want to say thank you to each and every one of you for reading and commenting on this blog and for entering the give away. It really brightens my day to see and read the comments that you leave! It makes this whole experience that much more wonderful. That is  the whole idea behind this giveaway series... a thank you for your support.

So, the winner is...

 Heather Taylor from The Dream Machine, lucky {random} number 16!

Congrats, Heather! Just email me your address!

hikinginstilettos@gmail.com

xoxo

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Junk (tbd)

One of my favorite ways to spend a morning is sitting at my desk with a big cup of joe, catching up of all of my favorite blogs. From inspiration to entertainment, reading what each of you have to share is an absolute joy. A new addition to my daily reads, Love this Junk is quickly becoming one of my faves. {It doesn't hurt that the author is also one of my fave friends.} From book lists to hunky vamps to hilarious rants, Junk covers it all. If you like(d) Kindredly, you'll love Junk. Go check it. Now. I promise that you won't be disappointed.

xoxo

image via we heart it

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Favorite Things Giveaway Series!

In honor of all the little things in life that make it that much sweeter, I will be hosting a giveaway series based on some of my favorite things. I figured summer is the perfect time to celebrate these small indulgences, and I hope that they will make your days just a bit brighter! From girly and frivolous to practical and outdoorsy, I have a few items up my sleeve that I would love for you to win.

{image via we heart it}

Check back early next week for the first part of the series!

xoxo

Fill in the Blanks Friday

One of my favorite bloggers, Trishie, over at Under Lock and Key is doing a fun game each Friday, and I have decided to pass it along! It's a fun way to celebrate the beginning of the weekend, so here is the first fill-in-the-blanks-Friday-game post!

Hello, my name is Ashley but you can call me Ash . Today, I am wearing grey cigarette pants, a loose grey tank, and a pink striped cardigan {to work}. I am looking forward to having a weekend with nothing to do! I am feeling a bit bummed about having to work, but excited about a couple days off. I miss my bestie but I get to see her in the morning! I wish for more time off to read your blogs and shoot some outfit posts!

If you want to pass along the game, feel free! Just make sure to link back to Trishie's post.

Happy Friday my lovelies!

xoxo

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pssst...

my friend jodi is doing an incredible giveaway on her blog.

you should head over to passport in my pocket and read about all the wonderful things jodi shares... trips and adventures, great books, art, music, and food, interesting interviews, and quite a bit of insight and inspiration.

want to know one more secret?

the biggest reason that i love jodi and her blog?

because i truly believe that our mutual wanderlust and overwhelming desire for adventure makes us kindred spirits. that among other things.

xoxo

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aww, shucks

i've said this before, and i will say it again, i have the best readers in the world.
seriously, reading your comments and advice really makes my day, so when april of the right hypotenuse, told me she tagged me with a blog award, i was quite giddy. thank you april! you are too too sweet. {don't you just love her blog name by the way? i always liked the right triangles best in geometry class.}

ahem, and now...
seven things you probably don't know about hiking in stilettos:

1. i graduated from agnes scott college with a french major & chemistry minor. {read: i am a total nerd-o}

2. when i was five, we were coming home from christmas eve at my aunt's house when we saw our neighbor dressed as santa entering his front door. i was so scared that santa wouldn't leave me any toys because i was awake, so i hid in the closet & wouldn't respond to my mother's calls for 45 minutes.

3. i am addicted to long-sleeved, tissue weight t-shirts. i have one in every shade of every color of the rainbow, but i mostly wear them at home.


4. i spent 20 years of my life dancing, from the age of six up until after college... ballet, modern, graham technique... i still have my very first pair of pointe shoes.

5. i prefer odd numbers and lower case letters & avoid even numbers and upper case letters whenever possible.

6. one of my nicknames in college was "granola." it referred to my hippie tendencies of hiking/camping, wearing teva sandals, and being a veggie {see below}.

7. i genuinely like vegetables, pretty much all of them. broccoli, asparagus, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, you name it. in fact, i was vegetarian for a while.


i hope you enjoyed that little "get to know you" session. i really like learning quirks about my friends. that is actually one of the things i am enjoying most about being recently married. that being said, i am passing this award and it's seven facts along to each of you! i want to know what makes you tick :)

xoxo


coypyright Hiking in Stilettos

my friends are so talented

let me take a few moments and introduce you to a few of my incredibly talented, incredibly inspiring friends....


if you are looking for some serious fashion inspiration look no further than thelittlebit. this girl has a way of seeing fashion and clothes that none other can match. to say that she thinks outside of the fashion box just doesn't cut it.

{images via the ajc}

for some incredible handmade "children's clothing and accessories, toys, and trinkets for your home," look no further than the homemade grits etsy store. this girl is beyond talented with sewing abilities that i can only dream of. also, check out her blog for more inspiration!
{images via homemade grits}


for your daily dose of absolute hilarity, check out my girl kindredly. with topics ranging from the latest fashion trends, fashion disasters, days at work, fixing up the house, books to read, and the city in general, her blog literally makes me laugh out loud. not to mention that she has fabulous fashion sense.
{images via kindredly}


and for you locals looking for the best places to eat/shop/listen to great music/find great art in the decatur/atlanta area, check out the asiancajuns. everything you could ever want to know about the city with a huge dose of fashion as well! with such different styles, their site is a great place for inspiration.
{images via asiancajuns}


my friends are so very talented.
xoxo


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dear followers,

i adore you <3>

it honestly makes my day that you read this little blog.

i love reading your comments and getting your input on my musings.

thanks for being so great.

xoxo

Heart U, originally uploaded by twoeyes.

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salute my shorts

it is about this time of year that summer vacation comes to a close,

and children grudgingly return to school,

despite the heat and humidity of summer that lingers behind.

for a few of the "luckier" children,

the return to school is delayed for another week,

and the buses that they board do not take them to their schools,

but somewhere else...

to camp.

this year, i will be joining them.

in approximately one hour i will be leaving for camp twin lakes

to spend an entire week sleeping in a cabin with nine twelve-year-old girls,

learning archery, canoeing, arts & crafts, and mountain biking,

just to name a few.

{yes i am worried about being a responsible counselor,

yes i am worried about missing k,

yes i am worried that all my campers will be taller than me,

yes i am worried that they will hate me and hate camp,

yes i am worried about shooting a bow and arrow,

yes i am worried about what i will eat,

and yes i am mostly worried about what i will wear.

but i figure it's too late now, so i'm not worrying any more.}

since i will be without internet access for the next six days,

i have arranged some outside talent to grace the pages of HiS.

these lovely ladies include my bestie, E, who is hands down the most fashionable person i know.

my girl, kindredly, who is not only stylish, but absolutely hilarious.

and two of my favorite college friends, the asiancajuns, who are a constant inspiration for me

so keep checking in as my fabulous friends take over for the week.

i honestly can't wait to read what they have to say.

see you all on Friday.

xoxo

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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

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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{catching up}

So it is finally the weekend for me, and I now have a chance to catch up on reading all of my favorite blogs and responding to your comments on my posts. Let me just say that I absolutely love getting emails that tell me one of you lovelies has left a comment on my blog. It really makes my day :)

That being said, I received the sweetest award from my friends, the AsianCajuns. Theirs is one of my daily clicks, so I was incredibly flattered. Merci, mes amies!


To further cement my reader-induced blog-euphoria, the lovely Arlynn of Fleur De-licious tagged me with a Summer Blog Tag. {Seriously, I'm blushing!} Here are my top five favorite things about summer:

1. eating ice cream outside on the town square
{italian coffee is my favorite flavor}
2. sandals, wedges, and peep-toes galore!
3. reading books merely for pleasure instead of studying them
4. driving with the windows down and listening to bob dylan and tom petty
5. morning runs at 7am while it's still cool out
{there's something about the cool of early summer mornings. its like a special secret, not meant for anyone to know of, and you are lucky to be a part of it. the air is tinged with moisture but not humidity, the birds are barely awake, and the world is still in silent slumber. it's very quiet and very magical.}

But my most favorite thing about this summer.... is planning my wedding!

What about you, lovely readers? What are your favorite things about summer?

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I'm blushing...

First of all, let me apologize for the recent lack in posting. I have unfortunately been without Internet access for the last week (eek! No technology for a week!), but I have been saving up some outfits for you, my lovely readers, so stay tuned! Since I haven't been able to post or even read/leave comments, I was so pleasantly surprised to receive the Kreativ Blogger award from one of my favorite daily hautes, Mrsfatface! Merci beaucoup mon amie! Definitely check out her blog to read about her great Esty finds and her talented husband's artwork!

Okay, so if I am playing by the rules, which I tend to do, I am to divulge seven things that I love and pass the award along...

Reading the comments that you lovelies leave for me
Spending time outdoors with K
Bopping around town and going to Target with my BFF
Fresh, homemade salsa with mangoes
Eating said salsa on a patio/porch with my family
Snow skiing out west
The first sip of coffee really early in the morning, especially after camping and during the winter


And since I am indecisive and am loving catching up on reading all of your blogs, I am passing the award along to anyone who wishes to post about it! I know that doesn't technically follow the rules, but there is too much wonderful posting right now for me to choose. <3 I am so honored that my lovely readers enjoy Hiking in Stilettos enough to share awards with me. I really enjoy reading your feedback, and I hope you continue to read!

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