steel magnolia

details:dress-glimmering magnolia-antho/cardi-express/fishnets-kohl's/shoes-steve madden

Several months ago, I sent out an APB for Antho's glimmering magnolia dress. It was the one that got away. A lovely reader, Diem, contacted me and let me know that she had "the dress" in my size, brand new, never worn, with the tags still attached. She sold it to me for a song!! I had intended to wear it to my brother-in-law's wedding but ended up wearing something else. This weekend I decided to break it out! Gah!!!I love it so much! I didn't get a chance to take pictures until late in the evening so I'm kind of disappointed with how these turned out.

I felt so pretty in this outfit. Perfect for an early evening dinner with my parents.

Thank you so much Diem:) 

the result-first florist job

A few weeks ago I was contacted to do flowers for an 8oth birthday party. The birthday girl celebrated with her family Saturday.

These are some of the arrangements I designed. Because I'm kind of a novice I thought simple would be best. I did three large arrangements with baby's breath(which I'm loving!!!They looked like a beautiful cloud!) and several small arrangement with my favorites, blue hydrangea! I also decorated the fireplace of the venue with a baby's breath garland(but forgot to take pics..oops!)

I was very nervous and really wanted them to love everything. They did! Even though my stomach was in a nervous knot, I had such a wonderful time working and creating.

inspired by...

Kim at Anthroholic is one of my daily reads. She has such a femine and ladylike style. She also puts together the most lovely color stories. When I saw this outfit I knew that I wanted to create a similar look with things I had in my closet. The colors-mustard and shades of blue- are some of my favorites and the slightly nautical reference is pure genius! I purchased this little mustard skirt from f21 because I was drawn to color but I wasn't really sure how to wear it. Kim's sweater is similar to one I purchased at f21(I know!) but had so far only worn it with jeans. Navy tights and these nubuck wedges make it a little more casual. 

Thanks for the inspiration Kim! 

details:skirt/cardi-f21/tights-old navy/shirt-target/shoes-aldo

I don't know if the pictures do it justice but I love this outfit!! It's been a long week and I needed a little pretty to get me through the day:)

I have to venture out into the snow{Boo!!Hiss!!} Tonight I'm going out to celebrate the birthdays of two of my best friends! I'm also hoping that I'll get time this weekend to go see Blue Valentine. Anything good planned this weekend? 

Happy Friday!!

p.s.-I've gotten a few emails about my nail polish. It's Essie lapis of luxury. I looove it!

twinkle, twinkle

 details:dress-f21/belt,necklace&cardigan-anthropologie/tights-wal-mart/shoes-aldo

What can I say about today? Hmmm....it's almost tomorrow! Yep, that's all I've got:(

Instead of yammering on about the bad weather and my general exhaustion I'll leave you with a dose of cute because when you run out of things to say you can always resort to babies and pets:) 

  Now I'm going to unplug, drink some tea, cuddle with my man and sleep!

Have a wonderful evening:D

sunny side up

details:top-f21/skinny jeans-target/boots-target/rose ring-aldo/pearls-f21

It's funny this outfit isn't what I'd call spectacular. There's nothing particularly special about it but when I put it on this morning it felt really good and I think when I look at these pictures I love it even more{funny how red lips and pearls can make anything look good}! These jeans were on sale and the gray wash was kind of intriguing. When I tried them on the fact that they have a higher waist is what sold me. Three cheers for not having to worry about your muffin top hanging out!!! I'm also having an intense love affair with this golden yellow color. I can't seem to get enough of it. The stripes and the super soft cotton are just icing on the cake;)

This week seems to move so slowly! I'm exhausted and I have no idea why? If I had to guess, I'd say the long, cold days are getting to me. Come on Mother Nature, give a girl a break!!    

rambling rose

details:skirt & belt-anthro/top-f21/cardigan-express/tights-target/boots-aldo

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? I went out for a girls night on Friday. It felt nice to get dressed, shake off the winter blahs and hang with the girls:) Saturday was a date night with the hubby. That's right, I went out two consecutive nights in row! What...didn't think I still had it in me:0 Of course I spent most of the day Sunday sleeping and recovering...ha!

So these tights,um, kinda love 'em and kind of look at them and shake my head. Of course the color and the delicate rose pattern drew me in. They've been languishing in my dresser feeling unloved because what in the world could I pair with them. I think this fairly neutral color palette and the softness of everything works so well and lets the tights be the stand out.  

I'm off to all the mundane things I should have yesterday but didn't because I was so hungover tired;)

 

snapshots from the week

 Coffee run with my sweetie

 The cutest candle ever!(and it smells so good!)

 We woke to a a family of deer in the front yard:)

 Pink tulips!

Perfect comfort food-roasted cauliflower and cheddar soup...so good! 

A quick breakfast.

creating a spectacle

details:dress-vintage/sweater-f21/tights-target/shoes-steve madden

Today I'd planned on going to the Contemporary Arts Center but I woke up from a bad dream that put me in an unpleasant mood and the thought of battling the crowds(free admission today) seemed overwhelming! Instead I put on a pretty dress, went for coffee with my love and finally started reading Jonathan Franzen's Freedom-75 pages in and I'm loving it! 

Here's to easing into the week:)

legacy

There are things, worries, and concerns that keep me up at night and perhaps a fashion blog seems an inappropriate forum to discuss these topics which is why I keep them to myself.


My parents were part of the civil rights movement in their hometown. I think that's why it seemed so real to me and not a part of ancient history. I've always been aware of the real life sacrifices that were made for me to have the kind of upbringing I was lucky enough to have.


As part of interracial couple in a city where this can still raise some eyebrows, I sometimes am acutely aware of how much work is left to do. And sometimes this makes me very sad. Then I look around. We have created a family that sees love before color. We have created friendships that while based on commonalities, also celebrates our differences. No matter what the nightly news tells me I believe in the goodness of people and that love will always triumph over hate. Happy Birthday Dr. King and thank you!





"Darkness cannot drive out darkness;only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate;only love can do that"
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

the week in snapshots

Two new nail polishes

Happy puppy frolicking in the snow 

A perfect cup of coffee

 An afternoon drive with the husband



and yes more freaking snow!

flowers on a friday

details:sweater-f21/skirt-jcrew/tights-??/boots-steve madden

Happy, happy Friday!! Weekend plans anyone, anyone, Bueller, Bueller? So far we have nothing planned. I may try to catch a movie tomorrow but I haven't decided what I want to see. I'm also going to attempt to bake macarons! What the what!? Baking is not really my thing but I love them so! I mean, how hard could it be? Ha! Famous last words...right?

This afternoon I have a meeting. I've been hired to do the flowers/tablescapes for an 80th birthday celebration! A group of siblings are throwing a big bash for their mom's 80th and they want me to do the florals!!!Woohooo! I'm so excited! I'm hoping everything goes well{keep your fingers crossed}.

Lately, I haven't really been happy with my outfits or excited to get dressed. I think having to dress for the bitter cold is messing with me. Today I decided to kick the winter blahs in the face! This is essentially a spring/summer skirt but because it's a heavier fabric I think it works for winter. All of the colors make me happy:) The ivory cable knit sweater is warm(a must) and dials down the intensity of some of the colors. It's January in Ohio so tights and boots are a given-although I stare at my my peep toes and strappy sandals wistfully everyday;)

There are only 66 days until the first day of spring!!So,Think warm thoughts my friends!

Have a fantastic Friday!

And just because this song reminds of spring and of course Ferris Bueller;)

smells like teen spirit

details:dress-f21/cardigan-gap/belt&necklace-anthro/tights?/boots-target

All of this snow is really interfering with my right to wear cute shoes! Mother Nature is a woman so you'd think she's have a little empathy! Don't get me wrong I really love these boots, but all my pretty sparkly heels are starting to feel neglected;)

In an effort to not wear those ridiculously comfortable cargo pants again today, I went with a dress{or a longish shirt}. This outfit feels a little 90s grunge to me with the short floral like dress and the motorcycle boots. You know I had to disco ball it up with the sparkle belt and glittery tights.  I'm pretty sure this ensemble is going to get the husband headshake-which he does when he doesn't really get what I'm wearing. He'll also ask me if I'm so cold why am I wearing a dress-boys just don't get it, do they?

I really wish I  had something more interesting to tell ya today. I think the cold is freezing my brain:(

Stay warm and have a great day!   

basic training

details:top-f21/skinny cargo pants-target/sweater-jcrew/boots-target

Hey all! How are you? I'm freeeeezing! These super cold temps have me feeling completely miserable and totally lacking in any inspiration! All I want to do is pile on as many layers as possible, huddle in front of the fireplace and sip tea. I think I'm turning into an old lady:D

I tried to muster up something a little interesting to wear today. The jury is still out on my success. I've been wanting to jump on the skinny cargo bandwagon for a while. But, I wasn't really sure how I felt about having pockets on my thighs. It's not an area I like to highlight with a gigantic "look at me!" detail. However, I found these on the Target sale rack for $5...Sold! I'm pleasantly surprised:) They are not as low rise as I originally thought and they have a little stretch so they're super comfortable. Well done Target, well done!

The reason I went to Target in the first place was to see if they had black boots. I've been dying for a flat, black boot all season. I'm gonna admit that I was slow to embrace the flat boot thing. I'm short and I love a heel{the higher the better}! Once it starts snowing and there's ice everywhere, it seems kind of ridiculous to teeter around on heels! Maybe I'm getting wise in my old age;) I'd seen a few online that I liked but for whatever reason never purchased. Once again Target saved the day. One pair of these left and they were my size! Booyah! Most importantly they were on sale for $24!

I'm off to make another pot of tea:D

Have a good one!