Give me a beat...

'Cuz it's time for a RE-MIX! Oh my gosh, I think I might have set a new record for blog lameness. Yep, definitely give me that award. I crack the cornies. So the 30 for 30 winter edition starts tomorrow and I am already excited! I am a remix virgin (shoutouts to the rest of you) so maybe I just don't fully know what I have gotten myself into yet! As I was picking the select few items that I will be donning this month, my "right brain" was on overdrive picturing the various outfits that will come to life over the next 30 days. I know a lot of you smart little cookies pre-plan all your outfits for this challenge, but for full disclosure I really didn't. I know what my kick-off outfit will be (Tuesday- works for Color Brigade as well!) but that is pretty much it. Lots of ideas are swirling though. I think this will truly be an adventure and the good news is, only needing 30 items for a few weeks gives me more time to get the rest of my closet transferred from home to my NEW APARTMENT! Don't worry, lots more on that later!

As you can tell, I'm not much of a pants person, but I am definitely challenging myself with only one dress. They are usually my go to item especially for work so I wanted to force myself to get creative with skirt/top combos. Picking the items wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be, although I did make a few exchanges at the very end. Narrowing down my shoe collection for the month to just 5 lonely pairs was definitely the hardest part, but I think it is just going to make me appreciate everything I have that much more. And I am so ready for the shopping ban. I made one last purchase yesterday morning, but it was an apartment decoration/ move in present for roommate and myself so I didn't feel too bad about it. My wallet is eagerly awaiting the rest though, especially considering the rent/deposit check I wrote today. Kendi, you couldn't have scheduled this lovely challenge at a better time so thank you from the bottom of my heart (and wallet)! Looking forward to meeting all my fellow 30 for 30-ers in the next few days and definitely discovering new blogs to devour every day! Cheers ladies and best wishes on the journey.

Bisous!

I'll wear what I want and you (snow) can't stop me!

Good evening lovelies! We had been locked down for three days unable to go anywhere due to snow, and if you follow me on twitter you know that means my NYC trip was canceled. And on a less bummer-ish note, it also means that I felt fully justified in spending 3 full days in PJs and not feeling remotely guilty about it. Ok maybe by hour 50 I felt a little sloth-like and slightly unworthy of calling myself a fashion blogger. So I dragged myself off the couch today and willed my body to don something more flattering than gray sweatpants and a white vintage sweatshirt. See how I called it vintage to make myself sound more fashionable? Did it work?? Yes, I am aware that calling an old sweatshirt vintage doesn't make it any more glamorous, but you can't blame a girl for trying can you?Anyways, I needed to wear something decent seeing as how my ROOMMATE was arriving today!! Can you tell how excited I am? Of course you can because you are all brilliant. Yes, I now officially have a roommate. And to top off that wonderful news we applied for an amazing apartment today and we find out Monday if we have been approved. If we have, we move in that night! I am practically giddy with excitement. After waiting months for my "adult life" to come together, it finally seems to be falling into place.

So I don't know about you, but I don't always dress weather-appropriate. Sometimes I am just in a mood to wear "that" outfit and I can't be persuaded otherwise. Snow on the ground be darned, I am wearing my maxi skirt (actually a dress) today and I don't care what you think! Too bad if you feel like trying to get the hem all wet or jumping inside of my totally impractical flats. You won't deter me!

Dress (masquerading as a skirt): Old Navy, Shirt: Target, Flats: Kohl's, Watch: Michael Kors, Bracelet/Earrings: borrowed from mom

I have been wanting to experiment with the maxi trend for awhile now, but was a little hesitant considering I am not that tall. But I decided to go for it and I ended up really liking how it turned out.

What I really loved about this outfit was the mix of casual and dressed up. The length of the dress made it feel elegant but the casual look of the flannel shirt kept me perfectly grounded for a day of apartment hunting.

Sorry the face was nooot working in this shot. Question, should I have worn heels with this instead of flats to life the dress up a bit?

Has it ever happened to you that you feel perfectly confident in your wardrobe selection one day and then you photograph it and find yourself over-analyzing and wondering whether you should have done x, y and z differently? Hope that isn't just me because it definitely happens to me. How do you deal with that girls? Do you just try the outfit differently the next go around? Or do you just rock the c'est la vie attitude and continue on with your day?

Bisous!

A splash of red, please

Aloha chicas! I am attempting to channel a warm Hawaiian breeze and the airy Hawaiian attitude to get me through the rest of this week. You know how when you have something that you are really looking forward to time just seems to drag on? That is exactly how I am feeling this week because Thursday after work I am taking the bus up to NYC (!!!) to collect my soon-to-be-roomie and help her move to DC! Yes, I know I make it sound like we are getting married and you would think for how excited I am that we were. But I can't help it. We have been talking about living together practically since we met in Paris on our study abroad trip two years ago and now it is finally becoming reality. She has her last day of work Friday so I will pass the time shopping (twist my arm) and then we will celebrate with a fancy dinner courtesy of restaurant week. Then on Saturday we will load up her car, thankfully with the help of her boyfriend, and drive back to DC. We still haven't figured out our official move in date but it will be sometime in the next few weeks. I'm sure you will end up hearing more apartment/moving talk than you signed up for, so I'll try to keep it to a minimum!

So if you check out the Color Brigade today your eyes might think they are seeing green. Yes, they might be a little green with envy over how gorgeous those ladies look but I meant literally seeing green! It was obviously the color of the day. While many of these fantastic bloggers dazzled in lime and emerald, I went with a slightly muter olive and gray combination, with a red accent. It is definitely not a color combo that I usually choose, but hey that is what this blog is all about, right? And it gave me the perfect opportunity to debut my new snake-skin Dany's :) For those of you questioning my sanity wearing such a ridiculous heel to work, don't fear: I didn't. These only made an appearance for my sushi date with the bestie for her birthday! She was questioning my sanity for buying them so I had to prove to her how wearable (and fabulous) they truly are!

Dress: H&M, Cardigan: Forever 21, Belt: Kohl's, Tights: Unknown, Shoes: Jessica Simpson

I have been wanting to wear this dress ever since I saved it from it's lonely existence on the sale rack this summer. It isn't a color I usually wear, but the flirty bow tie was too much to resist. I just wish it didn't get so wrinkly so fast! Would you believe I fully ironed it this morning, and it was already looking like this after work? Annoying.

I had a long debate with my mirror this morning over the red belt. I loved the pop of color but I just wasn't sure I was feeling it. In the end, the mirror won.

What you don't lounge around on your sofas posing for pictures? Oh I guess that is just me :)

I was totally in love with this lace back cardigan from the moment I saw it. It is actually a lot harder to work into outfits than I would have imagined, though. I have found a couple of options so far and will just have to keep working on it.

My dreams have been Dany-filled for quite some time now and when I saw that they had miraculously gone on sale for under $50, I just had to make them mine. Or I might have to had to make two pairs mine :)

All in all this outfit is certainly darker than many entries you will see over at cute and little but I think the genius of Color Brigade is that it means something different to us all. And for me, it is all about having fun with different color patterns. Some days they will be bright and wild and other days they might be darker with unique color pairings. Who knows. The mystery of not knowing where my style will go next is one of the many reasons I love blogging. What about blogging keeps you awake at night with excitement dears?

Last but certainly not least, a big birthday shout out to the BEST FRIEND a girl could have! Since I know you read this, I wanted to make sure you know how much I value you in my life. Love you babe and hope you had a wonderful day!

Bisous!

Greetings from chef Laura

Bonsoir cuties! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend whether you cozied up by the fire with a loved one to escape the cold or wandered out for an adventure. I pretty much only left my house to consume copious amounts of chai lattes a la Starbucks. Yes, I was horridly lazy and it felt so completely wonderful.

In order to ease my (barely existing) guilt over being such a sloth for 2 days straight, I had to accomplish something. So I tapped into my domestic skills and took to the kitchen. I didn't quite fulfill last week's resolution of cooking three times, but I got close. I prepared two meals that I had never made before, and that is 2 more meals than I have made in months so I did feel slightly proud. I alluded to Friday's cooking venture already. After a successful afternoon of ball gown shopping with the bestie, we were quite ready to refuel with something warm and delicious. And what better meal to enjoy with a friend on a frightfully cold evening than the classic favorite: grilled cheese and tomato soup. I have never actually made homemade soup before and tomato soup is my all-time favorite meal. It seemed high time to branch out from the lackluster Campbell's version and try my hand at it myself. I had been wanting to try out a recipe that Mara had posted back in December and all I have to say is oh.my.goodness. It was absolutely the best tomato soup I've ever had and I know that had way more to do with the incredible recipe than the chef. Try it for sure if you are a fan of tomato basil soup. Saturday night I just couldn't quite fully shake the laziness and decided to go with comfort food and make un petit déjeuner to cap off my evening. Yes, you are probably wondering how it would be possible for me to have never made breakfast before and that most certainly would be a lie if I tried to pass that off. But, it is fully truth to say that I have never made French Toast before which is exactly why I chose it. Well, that and I had all the ingredients. I added amaretto coffee creamer to the egg and cinnamon mixture just to glam the meal up a bit. And at the last minute I decided scrambled eggs would be the perfect side. Voilà: a classy brinner if you will. Not exactly what you would call cooking genius but I thoroughly enjoyed both of my cooking ventures this weekend, and hopefully I won't wait months to cook again.

This week's resolution is partly to please the mother and partly to reassure myself that I still enjoy it. Sadly, I have not read a novel since graduation. Reading has always been a favorite pastime of mine, but lately I have put it on the back burner, much to my mother's chagrin. So this week I will challenge myself intellectually and set the goal of getting at least half way through a novel. I won't say all the way finished, because I know I have a super busy week, what with being in NYC at the end of the week and moving my almost-roomie down to DC! But, I will make major progress on a novel this week. That is my resolution.

Bisous!

Closet makeover

Hello lovers! Happy weekend! I hope you are all making it a great one. I had literally nothing on my agenda for the weekend and have thoroughly enjoyed filling it with purely fun activities. Mornings filled with Sex and the City marathons and evenings spent shopping for ball gowns with the best friend and cooking delicious tomato basil soup. And it was a very successful trip considering we found a hunter green gown that is simply stunning on her! She will be a real life princess dancing the night away with her prince charming hubby. And we might have maybe even tried on some hiiiiideous dresses that should never be worn by anyone. For a whole 5 minutes I got to experience what it feels like to be a cupcake swathed in an overload of tulle, pink (I know, even I didn't think that was possible) and pearl-like baubles. It was a glorious experience :)

So unfortunately Fashion Challenge Friday was not able to happen this week as I am without a photographer until the wonderful mother returns. I admire you ladies who can take your own pictures, but that is not a talent I possess. But don't worry I have some photos that I am fairly certain will make you laugh and feel infinitely better about your life and make you forget all about the fact that I didn't post yesterday. Oh how devious I am :)

I am pretty much mortified to share these pictures with you, but I did promise to show you the before and after closet shots and it would just be rude to break that promise to you. But you have to promise not to think that I am a horrible pig because I swear I am totally not. My closet had gotten so beyond bad, but it is wonderfully clean and organized now and it makes me smile when I stand in front of it, whereas before I made the face shown above. Ok so now I bear my (horribly messy) soul to you and pray you won't judge me and disown me. Here's hoping...

 

Eeek seeing them again makes me shudder. I vow to never return to this state of messiness ever again! There were clothes on the floor, no pattern or organization method whatsoever to how the clothes were arranged within the closet and the shelf space was not being used to its maximum potential. The shoe rack was a disaster with things strewn everywhere. Something had to be done. And since my very first Resolution Sunday set me down the path of closet cleansing, it was time to get my fashion life in order. Now my closet still isn't nearly as cute as the lovely pink design I was drooling over that day, it does feel sooo much better now.       

The finished product. It may not look like there any fewer clothes, but my closet is now three trash bags lighter and the clothes are organized within each section by type: jackets/blazers, skirts, dresses (organized by sleeve length), shirts (same thing), cardigans and pants. Makes getting dressed so much easier. 

Now that you can see the floor again (yay!) the space is being utilized to display purses. I have so many purses I love but I tend to use the same one everyday, because they weren't sitting right in front of me. Now I will have no excuse not to make better use of my purse collection.  

And the shelf space is now serving a much greater purpose, housing my boots/wedges and taller shoes that don't fit comfortably in the shoe rack. I have to do something about the boots flopping over though so that they don't lose their shape. Suggestions? 

A much more organized shoe rack. 

Well there you have it dolls. I realize that it was almost a waste of time to organize everything right before I move, but I just needed to get everything in order. Plus, I think it will make it easier once I go to pack everything. Ok beautifuls, enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Bisous!

Can I get a little color please?

Good afternoon dolls! Hope you're all having a wonderful Wednesday so far. Mine is pretty good- I've gotten to learn a lot of twitter tricks at work today, which is always cool. I love when I can apply things from my day job to my outside interests (aka blogging)! So I mentioned this already, but I am living alone for the week as my brother is now back at college and my mom is traveling on business. I can't decide if I like it or not. Pro: It feels great to be in my own space (I am staying in my grandmother's old condo) and to truly feel like a responsible adult. Con: It is lonely. To be honest, I think the con wins in this case. Luckily, it is only for a week and in just 10 days I will officially be living with my roommate so I can have the best of both worlds! 

I am sure many of you have heard that Kendi from Kendi Everyday is hosting a winter edition of her very popular 30 for 30 closet remix project. I have admired (from afar) the brave bloggers that partake in this challenge and thought about joining the fun myself. But it wasn't until a lovely twitter convo with Katie and Collette I finally decided to make the leap! So come on girls, just go for it and head over to Kendi's blog to sign up. I need more of you with me :)

So I definitely meant to sure this with you lovelies yesterday, but having forgotten that my grandmother's condo does not have internet access, I was left stranded. Two weeks ago the fabulous Kileen from cute and little (don't worry she lives up to the name) launched an awesome blogger project called Color Brigade where she encourages bloggers to put their creativity to the test and style bright outfits using at least 3 colors. I absolutely love this idea and have been itching to put together colorful outfits to combat the dreary winter weather we are experiencing. I mean who doesn't feel a little better when they throw on some pink and colored tights, even if the weather outside is frightful? And sleeting rain definitely counts as frightful in my book!

Blouse: H&M, Skirt/tights: Kohl's, Pumps: Steve Madden, Watch: Michael Kors, Rings/bracelet: vintage grandmother's. Highly annoying sleeting rain and ice covering everything that causes Virginia drivers to act like they just got behind the wheel of a car yesterday: c/o Mother Nature.

I have been wanting to add a fun pair of colored tights to my arsenal to utilize on days like yesterday when everything around you is just screaming drab. And these babies worked. Not only did I feel lighter and sunnier, but my coworkers commented on how my outfit made them smile. I couldn't have been happier!

My only complaint about this blouse is that it is SO staticky and it clings to everything, making it look wrinkled when it isn't. But I just haaaad to have this color combo so I wound up doing that awkward "tug and smooth" game all day. No bueno chicas.

And the Pièce de résistance of the outfit: the coveted gold glitter Steve Madden pumps! Yes, you have patiently let me editorialize my love for these beauties time and time again and they finally nestled up in my closet right before Thanksgiving. It was a touching moment. I cried. Just kidding. No really. It was the happiest ending to a love story that this little romantic could have imagined. 

To see all the fierce day-brightening-with-color members of Kileen's fearless brigade, head over to her blog! I mean it. Go now. Or else :)

Bisous! 

The case of the missing date night

Bonjour babes! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend, and for those lucky ducks whose weekend will be extended, I am jealous! So what was on your agendas? Fabulous soirees, wonderfully comfortable movie nights, shopping extravaganzas? Pray tell chicas! You know I love to be in the know. Ok, enough of sounding like gossip girl... I headed up to Philadelphia this weekend for my cousin's baby's baptism!! I was so stinking excited to see the most precious baby girl ever and her fashionista mommy! And it was really nice to spend some quality time in the car with my lovely mumsicle and brother as all three of us made the drive together. Matt goes back to school Monday so this was my last chance to spend time with him for awhile, as baseball will consume his life from the moment he goes back through August! Isn't that a crazy schedule?? He is going to make it big one day though and it will all be worth it. And you can all say you "knew" about him before he made it dears! This is basically my long way of apologizing for not posting on time this weekend and combining Fashion Challenge Friday and Resolution Sunday in this ginormous post. Forgive me you gorgeous little divas you? Oh thank you, thank you- I knew you would :)

So loverlies, I have a confession to make (and yes, I know I make a lot of confessions- don't judge me). I am 100% a total sucker for what I like to call "the date dress". Exhibit A: one of my very first posts. Others may call it a cocktail dress, but when I see a fabulous mini frock it just screams to me "parade me in front of a cute boy pretty, pretty please!!" Nine times out of 10 I answer the call of that most perfect date dress and welcome the newbie into my closet. But that is where the warm reception ends, darlings, because I have not actually partaken in the dating ritual in two years and counting. Alas, these poor, sad little beauties that thought they were going to be taken out for many nights on the town hang limply in a dark closet growing increasingly less optimistic of their chances of seeing daylight by the hour. I know, it truly is an unfortunate plight and I would love to be able to help them out. Trust me, I would. So seeing as the whole dating prospects still appear to be slim to none, I have decided to conquer the forgotten "date dresses" and ensure that if they can't be seen by the suit of their dreams (and the boy of mine) that at the very least they become my latest Fashion Challenge!

Dress: Betsey Johnson, Cardigan/Belt/Tights/Shoes: Kohl's, Necklace: Pearl shop in China, Earrings: Gifted from mom, Ring: Gifted from Aunt

When I saw this dress on Rue la la this summer marked down 75% off retail, everything about it was just screaming my name! The pink, the ruffles, the tulle- I just couldn't resist.

I make every effort not to buy items that I don't have any place to wear, but as I mentioned I have a major weakness for "date dresses" and passing on this one was just not an option. When it arrived I think I literally danced around the house for several minutes, and sadly, that was the last time it was worn- until this weekend.

But as soon as I decided that my latest project was to start incorporating date dresses into my daily wardrobe, I knew this was the place to start. And what better color to wear to a baptism than the color of new beginnings? I had to throw in the shoes to add a little edge to a very girly ensemble.

I am kind of a (total) wimp when it comes to the cold and Philly is even 10 degrees colder than what we have here in DC, so as much as I would have loved to have taken all my photos out here I was too much of a weenie. I love the street my cousin's live on- all cobblestone and you can't even drive on it because it is too narrow.

I have to say that I am kind of obsessed with Kohl's right now, which you probably figured out by the fact that half my outfit is from there! They truly have adorable clothes (and shoes) for unbeatable prices. I love the Simply Vera Vera Wang line (the shoes) and I am seriously considering going back and buying this cardigan in every color they offer it in since it is possibly the best cardigan I have ever owned. I know I was going a little overboard on the ruffles this day, but I was just feeling particularly into ruffles.

Well, since today is really Sunday and not Friday (like I just pretended it is) I think I should start talking about resolutions and willpower and such :) Last Sunday I kicked off my first resolution Sunday by vowing to start the year off on an organized path by engaging in a closet cleanse. I have to say, it feels great! I can see my options so much better now that the closet is divided by categories and I can actually see the floor! It is amazing how much better you can feel when you start off organized. I plan on having a lovely before/after post this week. But enough about last week, let's get on to this week! I am on my own for this week as my mom is traveling on a business trip and I plan to make the best of it by focusing on another area I wanted to work on this year. My weekly resolution will be to cook at least three times this week and they will be new meals that I have never made before! I have been ordering food way too often lately, and that does nothing to help get me prepared to live on my own, nor is it wallet friendly. So this is an all-around good idea and I am very excited to get back in the kitchen, considering I have hardly cooked since graduation. I will let you ladies know how it goes :)

Bisous! 

Passing on the blog love

Hi loves! Happy almost weekend! I apologize for the lack of posting this week; it has just been one of those crazy weeks that you don't seem to have even a moment for yourself. But I am happy to say that things seem to be calming down, and that regular posting of Fashion Challenge Friday and Resolution Sunday will occur!

In this crazy, busy and slightly stressful week one of the absolute highlights came when I signed on here yesterday morning to see that the lovely K of Roam Where You Want To had given me a "Stylish Blogger" award! Thank you doll for giving me this award and totally making my day/week! Her blog has been one of my favorite recent finds as she combines a love of traveling, fashion and cooking. Who could want anything more?? I adore her Fashion Friendly Monday posts and am always amazed at her out of this world DIY abilities (just wait until you see her adorable wristlets)! Suffice it to say, this chick is fantastic and I am so humbled that she passed this award on to me.

As part of the award I am supposed to share 7 things about myself with you girls. I promise to try not to bore you :)
1. I truly think everything looks better in pink. I once put a red sock in my whites load on purpose so I could have all new pink clothes without having to buy anything. A bit extreme, bien sur; creative solution to a pressing addiction, mais oui!
2. I absolutely adore Audrey Hepburn because I think she embodies the great qualities all women should have: grace, glamour and class!
3. I am the happiest when it is snowing but I despise the cold. Yes, darlings, I am the queen of contradictions.

4. The smell of chlorine is comforting to me because swimming pools were such an integral part of my childhood, and typically the setting of many of my favorite memories. 
5. I can relate almost any situation to an episode of the tv show Friends. A true classic if you ask me (or my bestie!) and I will never get tired of watching episodes over and over and over again.
6. As a little girl, my favorite thing to do was lay perfectly still in the oceans and just float wherever the waves took me. Now I sometimes wonder when I lost that ability to just float with the current and see where life takes me.
7. My brother is my hero and best friend. I don't know what I would do without him.

The brother and I on Thanksgiving

To keep the fun going I get to pass the award on to some stylish ladies whose blogs always provide me with great amusement, inspiration and sheer enjoyment. I definitely recommend these blogs if you are looking for a few new ones to check out and haven't already seen these! Check them out and I know you will enjoy.

Kileen of cute and little
Vicky of bikinis and passports
Hannah of Mademoiselle Hannah
Sydney of The Daybook (p.s if there was an award for cutest couple of all time if would so be THEM!)
Ivonne of Ivonne Stacy Style
Kim of eat.sleep.wear
Carrie of this free bird
Mara of M Loves M
Jessica of Style Obsession
Gabby of Gypsy*Diaries

Bisous!