copy cat chic

where is the sun??? last week was perfect spring break weather. just as i was about to pull out the self-tanner, sandals and the california coral for my toes, the grey returned. last weekend it rained and rained so it was the perfect time to be inside and work on a little sewing project. i totally ripped off this idea from another girl's blog so i am admitting that up front. i saw it one afternoon and had to try my own version.

i am completely enamored with emersonmade. i have mentioned this site before but it is total lifestyle lust for me. every time she creates something new, i lose at least an hour perusing her site and all the new photos. her website is full of the most beautiful and inspiring photos of her designs, her home, her farm, her life! she even has baby chicks. emerson began with these incredible handmade fabric flowers and has now ventured into designing her own line of clothing. in this particular blog i was reading, the girl mentioned a dress on emersonmade that she loved. however, the price was not in her budget so she recreated one very similar by altering a dress she found at walmart. i am all about the thrill of the hunt, finding an amazing deal, and especially creatively recreating a look for less. it is great fun for me. so i immediately went to walmart.com and found said dress. it is a norma kamali dress (designers designing for stores like walmart and target needs to be another post sometime...calypso st. barth coming to target in may...hope they can pull it off...) so when i got to the website, the dress was unavailable in my size in the ticking stripe like the one on emerson's site. they did have it available in black though. i can always use a black dress. so i ordered it and paid .97 in shipping and it was on my front doorstep in 2 days.

let me pause here to say that if my sister is reading this, i know she is experiencing a little distress and probably cringing too. if something is not the exact color or style as the picture in the magazine or on the website...or she cannot cook it with the exact ingredients and measurements and cooking utensils as the recipe, it is just not right in her left-brained world. so i probably should have worn my finished product before i let her in on the behind the scenes work and story of this dress. the emersonmade dress is sleeveless and collarless..mine has cap sleeves and a shirt collar. hers is of course, striped. i had to go with black. i know i have totally lost her on how these 2 dresses are even remotely related now.

the dress was adorable on its own but i copied the idea i saw that was inspired by the emersonmade dress and changed the cheap plastic black buttons for some nicer looking brass ones. i trekked out to hancock's in the pouring rain last saturday morning and found the perfect ones for $2.10 and had them all replaced in about 30 minutes. i ironed the dress and the sash and tried it on with some black slingbacks. loved it. it has pockets and a great full skirt. it reminds me a diane von furstenberg eyelet wrap dress from several seasons ago that i loved. pb took a break from march madness to view a quick fashion show and seemed to approve too.

looking forward to wearing it soon. it will be cute with a bright cardigan for some color or just on its own with a fun necklace.

kiss on my list

i haven't been that inspired to write about anything for a few weeks. not that we haven't had a lot of blog-worthy stuff going on or anything. lots has been going on. i just haven't had the time or energy. so i am simply going to give a rundown of a few of the highlights of our lives, things on my mind, things that have inspired me or just things i've noticed these past few weeks, in a list. if it makes sense, great! if not, then it is probably something i just need to get typed and out of my head : )

1. wonderful wedding weekend last weekend. beautiful weather. i was in the wedding and pb was the photographer. enjoyed seeing him work from that perspective.

2. beauty maintenance is exhausting. i love hair day. i love getting a mani/pedi. i love products and finding new ones. but last week was sensory overload. i tried to schedule all of these types of appointments right before the wedding. while it is fun to have everything fresh at one time, it is also draining.

3. trish mcevoy. loving a new scent i tried. and also loving the black eyeliner and new techniques i learned from the make-up artist that was here in rome yesterday. he will be back at mel and mimi's in a few months and so worth the visit if you can schedule an appointment. i have added the perfume to my spring list of must-haves. the candle would be nice too.

4. the bird & the bee. downloaded one of their albums last week, interpreting the masters: a tribute to daryl hall and john oates. it makes me smile. (don't get it liz, i am mailing you a copy)

5. people with no filter. not everything that goes through your head has to come out of your mouth. that's all that i am going to say about that.

6. spring break. we are leaving for the mountains tomorrow and i cannot wait. the thought of a fire outside tomorrow night and a few days of doing nothing are priceless to me right now.

7. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/chicken-parmigiana/
we made this last night and it is so good!!!

8. ash wednesday. we went to the ash wednesday service last week with our family. i am so thankful that we did. st. peter's is so beautiful and it was the perfect way to begin this easter season.

9. this equation. "modern art = i could do that + yeah, but you didn't."


10. retin-a. i love it. i am a firm believer in it. but, how much is too much??? why does everything in life always have to be about a balance?

11. pb, wil and em. love you so much and glad for the balance you bring to my life every day...wanted or not.

happy st. patrick's day!