And So It Begins

the start of wedding DIY projects has commenced!  we are trying to keep wedding costs as low as possible by doing a lot of the decor ourselves – and also i might be a bit of a control freak? so maybe i am doing this so it looks as perfect as i want it to?  that couldn’t be it….anyway!  this is the beginning of what will likely turn out to be my most time-intensive project of them all.  the supplies are a 2″ circle paper punch, white card stock, and some sharp crafting scissors:

did i mention white card stock?  like maybe 600 sheets…you know, plus/minus:

and GO!  punch 5 times down one side of the card stock…

then turn the paper and punch five more times down the other side. start to feel the burn, mostly in the bicep area.  hope that this is all the workout you will need to do to prepare for a strapless wedding dress.

cut one of the strips of punched paper off, as closely as you can to the circles, comme ca:

punch five more circles down the new edge:

squeeze in four more punches in the remainder of the paper.  the circles don’t need to be perfect, because there will ultimately be about 11,000 of them (no, i’m not joking), so no one will be looking at each individual circle to judge your imperfections.

annnnnd, repeat. repeat. repeat. repeat.  until you think that you might be punching circles for the rest of your livelong days.  (i might be punching circles for the rest of my livelong days…)

enlist help.  they don’t do much, but they look eager to assist:

watch episode after episode of late night with jimmy fallon on hulu plus, then switch to streaming mad men season 3 on netflix.  regret the time you spent watching “little black book” starring the late, great brittany murphy.i’ll let you know what the next stage is when i get there – in approximately 4 months.  and before you ask, yes this was completely my idea, pete has nothing to do with it, and i have high hopes for the drama it will add to the ceremony.  also, our local anthropologie totally stole my idea from my head and used it in this month’s window display – just remember, it was all me first!

A to Z Refresher

it’s been a while, as i’ve said, so i thought i’d briefly reintroduce myself to the world wide web with this little A to Z i found on another blog – enjoy!

A. Age: 26, quickly rounding the bend to 27…
B. Bed Size: queen but with a king size comforter, 2 50-lb dogs pinning down the middle was leaving us with little scraps of fabric with the queen comforter.

C. Chore that you hate: changing the cat litter and doing the dishes. i also feel like laundry has a way of mushrooming away from me – i suspect that they breed like rabbits when i turn my back.
D. Dogs: Gibson Wainwright Prescott Anderson and Oliver Bernard Harrison Anderson.  they are the loves of our lives, and i have never made a better decision than choosing to adopt a shelter dog – twice.

E. Essential start to your day: eyeliner. i don’t feel ready til i’ve got it on.
F. Favorite Color: i like a lot of colors, but am partial to yellow, gray, green, and black.  for clothes, if i could dress in black every day with jeans, i’d be happy.
G. Gold or Silver: i used to say absolutely definitively only silver silver silver, and my wedding rings are white gold, but i’ve started wearing more and more gold and gold/silver blends.

“]

[i also wear shutter shades

H. Height: 5’7″ – put my new fav Aldo wedges on and i’m a solid 5’11″ and love it.
I. Instruments you play: i learned the violin when i was in 4th grade but had to give it up. learned the piano when i was even younger than that and have lost that talent as well.  so the answer is: nothing.
J. Job Title: Administrative Assistant.  someday i will not be an assistant – someday.
K. Kids: none yet, and we’re going to go ahead and just roll with the punches on that front!
L. Live: Memphis, the Bluff City.  can’t believe i’ve been here almost three years!

M. Mother’s Name: Sarah
N. Nicknames: so many.  my dad calls me Diddle (i don’t know why, just one of those childhood nicknames), Kate, Kat, and then from pete: Smallz, Smallzbee, Smallzbee Jones, Dill, Dill Baby, Dill Baby Face, Sweetness…the list continues.
O. Overnight hospital stays: none yet unless you count getting to sleep at health services in college the night i got my wisdom teeth removed!
P. Pet peeve: chipped nails.
Q. Quote from a movie: “Cher, what do you have on?”  ”A dress, daddy!”  ”Says who?”  ”Calvin Klein!”
R. Right or left handed: righty
S. Siblings: two, kristin (25) and ally (23 – i think?), i’m the oldest and clearly the best.

T. Time you wake up: 6:00 or 6:30 during the week, and AS LATE AS POSSIBLE on the weekends.  i can sleep for insane amounts of time.
U. Underwear: do i wear it?  yes.  what brand?  i really like aerie.
V. Vegetable you hate: mushrooms, eggplant
W. What makes you run late: sleepiness and trying to decide what to wear.  true confessions time: i used to write down, every single day of high school, what top, bottom, and shoes i wore to make sure i kept it varied.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: lungs (for pneumonia check – negative), teeth
Y. Yummy food that you make: pico de gallo & guacamole, nachos, anything baked.
Z. Zoo Animal: love the big cats.  love ‘em!

Fast Forward

soooo…you all still around?  did you give up on me totally?  i can’t believe i’ve been off of this blog for almost a year – i still read all of you, every day, but just kind of lost the motivation to tell you about my days.  to gloss it over, my job was overwhelming, i had a lot going on, and something had to give.  i’m sorry to have let it be this!

so let’s review the past few months in a minute or less….

july:

august:

september:

october:

november:

december:

january:

february:

march:

april:

may:

in summary – hawaii, new dog oliver bernard harrison anderson, ENGAGEMENT!, boston trip, visit with family in kansas and my adorable nephews, christmas in san francisco with college besties, family reunion in new orleans, tip reunion in memphis, march was full of family (my grandfather in cincinnati, my nephews and step-niece here, my grandfather’s funeral in pittsburgh [not pictured] and new job for me AND full-time position for pete as a firefighter(!), pete’s birthday in april with his big boy firefighter cake and a trip to nashville [not pictured] and me quitting my second job [not pictured], and may brought me a brand new goooorgeous melie bianco bag that happens to match patsy.

ok wow that was a lot of traveling, in retrospect. annnnnnnyways.

on to the big stuff: WEDDING PLANNING.

i don’t want to forget some wedding ideas, and i want to keep track of my life during this engagement – we’ve already been engaged for 8 months – so here i am!  we are about to confirm a wedding date of february 25, 2012 here in memphis at a B.A.utiful location:

we’re super excited and are in the process of figuring out the fun stuff – wedding party, guest list, decor theme, and most importantly, what kind of cake we’ll be having.  so welcome back to my life, i’m glad to see you all (maybe?  i’m not sure anyone’s still out there) again!

also i’m taking another trip next week – my FIVE YEAR college reunion at wellesley (p.s. i’m old, though the ladies coming for their 50th reunion tend to differ)!  watch for pictures!

8

i lacked imagination and inspiration for posting about anything today (and obviously all of last week…) so today i went to polyvore, opened each category, went to page 8, and put together an outfit from only things i found on those pages.  here’s the result….a little outside of my usual realm, but there you have it!:

                  

Season Finale

as i head off on our fourth of july vacation, i will leave you with the fourth and last installment of my trend series.  if you have enjoyed these, let me know!  i had a ton of fun making these up.  or!  if you have an item you don’t know what to do with or how to wear it, float it by me!

back to the regular programming: my fourth and last trend is inspired by the glamourai – she is always promoting her philosophy of “mixology“: the mixing of patterns and textures to create a visually inspiring but also cohesive look.  here’s my poor man’s polyvore attempt at this…

pretty simple, i know.  but this is from the girl that freaked out and repeatedly asked pete if i looked weird wearing a fine herringbone print wool pant with a striped shirt.  groundbreaking, i know.  this cute little floral top paired with the striped skirt works because of the similar tonality and the visual break of the wide belt.  a cute little vintage beaded purse emphasizes the golden and camel tones of the belt and bracelet mix, and the navy tone is back in the MIU MIU SHOES I LOVE THEM wait what?  where am i?  truth be told i prefer the bird patterned shoe, but couldn’t find them on polyvore.

my keys to making mixology work are as follows:

1. visual breaks

2. similar tones

3. distance between patterns visually and geographically on the body

4.  killer attitude to pull it off

5. very strong legs to walk in those miu mius

there are probably others, but that’s all i can think of.  think outside of the box when it comes to mixing your patterns and you might find a whole new world.

and i mean, look at the pattern mix here:

works, right?  happy fourth of july, everyone, i’ll see you next week!!

Episode 3

next trend up this week: drop waists.  typically we’re talking dresses here, as tunics traditionally often have had this silhouette.  and don’t get me wrong, dresses have too, but that was like….1930.  so we’re back to that silhouette, and again, it’s a hard one for some body types to pull off.  i decided to give you two options with the same jersey, drop-waist dress to show you how you can wear it with a little more or a little less coverage:

ok for one, how weird that i found the same girl to be my hair model for each option?

anyway.

option 1 on the left there is tossing the dress on as more of a tunic with a colorful scarf, bright comfy sandals, and a gorgeous big tote for a day out shopping on the boardwalks (or streets of your favorite city.  newbury street, i miss you…).  i also love the jingle of the kate spade bracelets stacked on.

option 2, still just as much of a day look (but perhaps a little more transitional to night), keeps it as a short dress with some long layered chains, another visual layer of a light white tank under the dress, and some adorable camel oxford wedges.  a straw and leather tote adds some additional texture, and the hipster headband will keep your beach hair in check.

drop waists can be scary since so many girls have been trained to accentuate the narrowest part of their body: the natural waist.  but the drop waist can be used to camouflage a lot of sins with its blousiness, so don’t write it off without giving one a try.

Episode 2

episode 2: the cargo jacket.  that’s right, i’m getting all kate moss in glastonbury on this biotch.  you’ve probably also seen this look on the olsen twins in years gone by, maybe lilo when she was straggling out of god knows whose house on an early, early morning.  anyway, i’m a big fan of third pieces – cover-ups are awesome.  this one is a little bit grunge rock, but i think a lot of women could a. pull it off and b. enjoy it.

summer concert wear is pretty key.  my #1 rule: layers.  so the cargo jacket complements it perfectly by keeping you warm as the sun sets.  more nautical horizontal stripes (my personal go-to favoritest trend ever) will add some visual interest under the solid jacket.  some comfy jean bermudas that can take some beer or mud staining, paired with some ok-n0t-so-practical balenciaga wedges, give a good length to the leg and some height to see over your neighbors.  an easy cameo necklace adds a little bling but isn’t important enough to ruin your night if it goes missing.  and finally, my #2 rule for outdoor events: a cross body bag – much harder to steal, much easier to keep close and clean, and hands free!  rock on.

Summer Trends! Episode 1

working my part-time retail job, i hear a lot of frustration over how to incorporate some of the freshest trends and silhouettes into real wardrobes.  pieces look great on racks and on hangers, but a lot of women are having a hard time figuring out how to actually wear them with other things they might already have.

since we all know that we want to look hottt for the fourth next week, i figured i could spend this week showing you how i would style some of these latest trends.  not that i know much of anything, but i’ll throw in my two cents!

the first one i’m tackling is one that i’m not even too sure of for myself – high-waisted shorts.  a great trend right now for its thriftability (check your grandmother’s closet for some castoffs that you can ride high and belt up!), high-waisted shorts definitely aren’t for the faint of heart or, honestly, the chubby of stomach.  you pretty much have to weigh nothing to pull this off.  BUT i hear, from a lot of our petite ladies especially, how hard it can be to find a flattering fitted look for tiny frames, so boom!  here you go!

here’s my vision for a coney island high-waisted shorts look – relaxed, comfy, and fresh!  i like the fifties silhouette of a snugly tucked plaid camper shirt into the high waisted shorts, cinched with a slim belt.  most people and fashion mags would say throw on some wedges with this, but who would pass up soft huaraches for high teetering wedges?  add a messy bun, kiehl’s sunscreen, smooth cream blush for that summery flush, some vintage-style ray bans, and a fun nautical tote to carry your towel and bottle of water.

not only are the shorts big right now, the plaid, the nautical accents, the woven leather shoes, and the always-fashionable uv-ray consciousness are also high on the Summer 2010 trend list.  if i had a little less stomach and a little less bust, i’d totally rock this.  and word to the wise for my similarly well-endowed friends: make sure you have a super long torso if you want to give this a try, otherwise all people will see are BOOBS and HIPS.  which, hey, if that’s the look you want to showcase, go for it!

A True Memphian

i met this sweet girl a few weeks ago.  as i walked on my lunch break, i happened to glance behind a bush only to see a small doggy figure curled up behind it in the “cooler” (i.e. 90 degrees rather than 100) shade.  i bent down and called out to it, and she unfurled and looked at me, thumping her tail but clearly too hot and possibly too unwell to lift her head or come to me to greet me properly.  i patted her head and got more tail thumps and a kiss on the hand, but not much more energy.

i fretted about her over my lunch break, greeted her again on my way back, and was distracted by her for quite a while longer.  since this time, i’ve tried to rescue her / capture her to bring her home three times, each of which she has bolted from me when an awareness of impending capture dawned upon her. 

i’ve seen her trotting down south main, down second street, and i’m sure she goes elsewhere.  i’ve met several homeless men that know her (they call her “old lady” – she’s clearly had at least one if not multiple litters), several construction workers that toss food to her, and a businessman today who confessed to bringing her “a cup of Old Roy every day!”  clearly she has a group looking out for her, and it is just as clear to me that she wants to stay on the streets of downtown memphis, at least for now.  it’s what she knows and where she’s comfortable, but i’ll keep visiting her at lunch, bringing her food from the dollar store (she has her own pink bowls now that i set up in her den area) and cold bottled water to combat the memphis summer.  someday, maybe, she’ll hop in the car with me and discover the joys of a/c and all the comforts that my gibson boy enjoys!

Entrepreneurs, Hear Me!

now that i’ve worked in downtown memphis for four months, i have compiled a list of missing businesses from downtown that would make my life happier and easier (i’m thinking mostly of my lunch breaks):

- a bookstore.  preferably a small one, with large armchairs, that doesn’t care if i come in to just read my kindle.

- a dessert shop.  something with ice cream, smoothies, cupcakes, brownies.  my REAL business plan (and hear ye, i am now trademarking this as my very own *slightly ripped off* idea): a cupcake truck.  by Muddy’s.  park it on south main from 11-3 and watch the $$ roll on in.

- a health food bistro/cafe.  in direct opposition to my previous thought, we really need someplace down here to get fresh, healthful sandwiches and salads.  i don’t want a greasy hamburger if i’m treating myself to lunch, but i usually can’t spring for a $20 sushi lunch either.  something mid range that is actually relatively low cal but high health.

- a starbucks that is closer and larger to my office.  i have to walk 15 minutes to one, across beale street, and this has led (more than once) to uncomfortable interactions with the homeless population of memphis.  i have been told how beautiful i am, how they want to show me memphis, how we could be beautiful together, how if i ever need an errand run to just let them know, how they are a FELON.  ok, lovely, nice to chat with you gottagokbye.

(on that note, how do you deal with these kind of interactions?  i know they’re pros just trying to make a dollar, but i can’t help but treat them as humans and try to be kind, even if it’s out of self-preservation and my fear of their snapping and hurting me.)

those four things would make downtown such a much more pleasant place to stroll in, for me.  out of curiosity, what do you all do on your lunch breaks?  i’ve realized recently just how much i need that mental break during the day, and try to take advantage of it, usually by reading a book and relaxing somewhere outside of the office.  do you use it to run errands?  take a nap?  go home?