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!

hope

how amazing would it be if you could bottle up those precious times you have with your loved ones and open it up just to experience it again at any given time? if i could do that, i would have bottled up our evening last thursday. i was supposed to go to atlanta and decided to wait because i just wasn't feeling that it was where i needed to be that night. i've learned to pay attention to those nudgings and so glad i did on this one. luckily it was a light homework night so em and i picked up pizza and pb got wil from lacrosse practice and we all met downtown at pb's studio. the two of us used to have date nights with pizza and wine there a lot but we haven't ever taken the kids to join us. i've mentioned before how beautifully his studio lights up at night and it was especially cool in there on thursday. he has been working on a project for the new harbin clinic cancer center and had some of his large completed photos there for us to see. i need to write another post about this (or he does) because it has been quite a journey for him. he has been photographing cancer survivors and hearing each of their stories along the way. it has been an exciting and sobering project at the same time. very proud of him.

so thursday night was the unofficial unveiling of some of his photos for us. wil and em were intrigued. they didn't quite understand the term "remission" and they had lots of questions about the faces they were seeing. we sat and ate pizza and talked about which photos we liked best hanging on the brick wall in front of us. so intriguing to hear their opinions and what they love about a photo. it was like our own little art critique.

after we ate, pb took some photos of all of us to test his lights, backdrop, etc. for a party we had scheduled for last night. he wanted to make sure his idea would work so we were more than happy to serve as guinea pigs. we all know that wil and em are not shy in front of the camera. everyone was jumping and laughing and i think we got some pretty great photos.

if we had planned this night in advance, it probably never would have worked out like it did. the kids kept commenting on how much fun they had and how they loved eating dinner at pb's space. family dinner is so important to me. that time of day when we are all together, can decompress, share about our highs and lows, sometimes argue, most of the time laugh, means so much. i think it provides a stability and security for parents and kids. it's the time of day when everyone can let their guards down and be glad to be home. so it was fun to do this at pb's space and break up the routine of the week a little bit.

if i could bottle up that night, i would. the little things like that make such an impact on our lives and those are times we are all going to remember. last week was a bit of a heavy week for some people we care about so having that time together on thursday makes me realize what matters. i hope wil and em will always remember that silly evening as one of their best childhood memories.

"sand tropez"

2 things on this sunny wednesday:

1. essie polish now at walgreen's!!! i ran over there after lunch to pick up a prescription and spotted 2 bottles at the medicine counter. i asked the girl if they were carrying essie now and she said "huh?". she had no idea what i was talking about but said the polish was from their store. i ran over to the nail aisle and found a large display of my favorite polish in lots of shades. this is either a good thing or a bad thing...i only got one today.

2. loving jennifer aniston's new bobbed haircut. i saw it last night on a random website. i think the cut is so cute but she looks a little odd to me in this photo. is it the lighting or??? i do think this is a great length on her. i wish i had the nerve to chop.

spring "tees"

we have had quite the weekend. thank goodness for the warmer temperatures and sunny weather! it started off on friday night by letting em go to atlanta and spend the night with one of her best friends and her mom. they had a cheerleading competition this weekend in atlanta. we let her go on friday night to have some girl time and not have to get up so early on saturday for the competition. i got up early yesterday morning and drove down to meet them. the gazillion people in atlanta and the traffic trying to reach the world congress center, find the parking deck (i had reserved parking online last week because of the enormity of this competition) and then racing through crowds of people in platform clogs(???) and a giant purse that was hitting everyone i ran past, were all indisputably my "lows" for the weekend. one of the definite "highs" was seeing em's bright little face when they came off the stage. her cheeks were rosy and glowing. her eyes were sparkling. how can i not support my baby girl when she loves this so much even if it is all so foreign to me? another high was having girls lunch in atlanta with her at bricktop. she has been dying to go there ever since she read that her girl, t swizzle, eats at the one in nashville. the girls were so excited after the first round of competitions and em was entertaining us all at lunch with her stories and antics. she amazes me. so much confidence at such a young age. another high.

so friday night while em was heading to atlanta, wil was "relaxing" at home after lacrosse practice. his "for sure" high for the day. we were invited over to our good friends' house around the corner to help them paint some things for a school auction. they had volunteered to create a large cardboard car that would attach to a golf cart for the auction (it was supposed to look like the pope mobile... would try to explain but it would take too long). so they lured us over with thai food, wine and beer. we had a great time painting and hanging out on their porch. i appreciate the simple friday nights with friends so much. high.

after the marathon day in atlanta yesterday , wil's scrimmage lacrosse game, and pb helping construct the golf cart car for several hours, we went to the auction last night. a fun time sitting with friends at the table and being entertained. we both crashed hard last night and are looking forward to a slow sunday at home and a family dinner tonight. em requested burgers for our sunday night dinner and we are going to attempt onion rings in the fry daddy.

to celebrate the great weather we have had, here are a few finds and images from this week.

1. redken's new line called nature's rescue.
"a new collection of paraben-free, sulfate-free and silicone-free haircare essentials, with plant and marine extracts, that remove impurities and buildup while helping nourish hair. Formulas with water-fresh fragrances, cooling sensations and ocean-inspired textures provide the perfect balance of moisture. Suitable for all hair types. Alternate with your regular haircare regimen or use daily to detox, replenish and experience an instant ocean escape!"
i tried some samples of this last night and lovvvvve it. it smells so amazing and fresh. the refining sea polish (step 2) felt a little strange at first. you are basically exfoliating your hair. but followed by the cooling deep conditioner, it made my hair really silky soft and shiny.

2. stila lip glaze. my atlanta friend found this shade on sale at j. crew and sent one to me. it's called grapefruit and is a great color for spring and what i love about this lip gloss is that it stays on.

3. cute tees from american eagle. i never go to our mall but happened to be out there last week and had a second to run in ae. spotted these on the table and got one in this marled gray and a black. they are a drapey cotton knit and could even be dressed up with a fun necklace or earrings. they look more expensive than they are at $19.00 and they are an extra 20% off this weekend thru monday for president's day sale.

4. i just love this outfit. saw it online at calypso and think it is adorable. i love the shoes and the long shirt under the short sweater with leggings. super cute.

5. last is this photo of a bar that i found on another blog. i am obsessed with beverage carts and chests that are set up with vintage glasses, bottles and other bar accoutrements. we have an antique beverage cart that i use as a side table but i would love to have a bar set up on a chest with all the pretty trappings one day. we just don't have the place for it right now...or i haven't rearranged to make one. my look book is full of clippings for ideas for one. loved this one.

happy sunday!

girrrrllll....

happy late valentine's day! our party saturday night for the bride and groom to be was a success and a grand time was had by all. pb transformed the space that normally houses our dining room table into a mini-studio with lights and backdrop included. we had quite the spread, lots of candles and lots of champagne. the valentine playlist was a hit and pb's fire on the patio was stellar. the weather cooperated and it was a perfect night to be outside. a special shout out goes to larry for providing us with some dry firewood. it also one the prize for "coolest" firewood ever by several guests. it is chopped by him to perfection for our fire pit.
so cheers to the happy couple and thanks for giving us a reason to throw a party!

the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs

i love birds. i painted a lot of them at christmas time this year. i saw this ring online and think it is adorable. and the sun is out today for the 2nd day in a row so it has me thinking of spring. this ring would be a perfect spring accessory.

if you like birds too, or just need a happy little tune for your ipod, download the littlest birds by the be good tanyas. always a great song.