Style Parade 11.30.09

The weather has been really erratic lately (per usual fall in SoCal), so I've been wearing more layered looks. I picked up this cool striped knit from the sale rack at Ann Taylor this past summer. I knew it would be one of those great crossover pieces that I could wear during warm & cold seasons. It's so versatile. I can wear it to work with a pencil skirt & a skinny belt or pair it with jeans like I've done here. The last couple of years I've sported black leather pointy-toe boots during the cold months. Last year I picked up these great gray suede ones, but didn't really wear them much. This season I've already worn them a lot. I think gray is the new black, as far as my wardrobe is concerned.

Jeans: Lee brand from Kohl's; $25. Black tank: Target; $8. Stripe knit sweater: Ann Taylor; $40. Knit scarf: Old Navy; $12. Boots: Off Broadway; $80

Autumn Tea

Today I hosted the Autumn Tea. It was really nice. I love girl time, especially when it's with old & new friends over tasty food and drinks.

We started with brunch - Crepe bar & mimosas with a twist. I used almond champagne instead of regular. I made the crepes yesterday, then reheated in the oven before serving. We had almond & orange toppings, baked apples & caramel, pumpkin butter and lingonberries.

After brunch, we sipped vanilla chai & earl gray teas enjoying crumpets, orange cranberry scones & homemade cookies that my friend Melinda made with her grandmother (best cookies...ever!)

The decorations kind of took on a Marie Antoinette feel. Not really festive in a holiday sort of way, but I find that kind of refreshing. I hung feathers, ribbons & paper birdcages from the light fixture above the table. It was a last minute finishing touch & I think it's one of my favorite details. I made little place cards too using gold paper doilies.

I even made little take home bags for the girls to enjoy cookies later.

Book nook

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving holiday. This year we spent the holiday with Gary's side of the family, enjoying all the traditional bites from green bean casserole to turkey & ham. Plus, I realized that I have no patience when it comes to jigsaw puzzles. Gary & his sister spent hours trying to assemble a 25 inch Thomas Kincade puzzle while the rest of the family discussed conspiracy theories about the new Denver airport. It was nice & chill. We switch off between families for the holidays, so we'll be spending Christmas day with my family.

Aside from that, I really had no plan to venture outside for Black Friday, except that I had to make a Target run for a birthday gift for my brother (We celebrated his 23rd today). While there, I spotted this side table for my office. It was discounted because it had a small scratch on the back of one of the legs. Barely noticeable. I've been looking for a small table with drawers for a while, but haven't been able to find anything reasonably priced.

So this is one corner of my new office - my book nook. This is where I like to do my reading. The chair is from Ikea, from our very first living room set when Gary & I first moved out together. I purchased a new chair cover for it (used to be bright green) & added this fun damask pillow from Target - $19.

The lamp base is also from Target (Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic line), which I purchased for $24. The shade is from Ikea - $9. I scored the damask flocked candle for $1 at Tuesday Morning.

Denim satchels

Although the nautical look has been going strong the last 2 seasons it will likely not be as hot when summer 2010 rolls around. However I still love the look of these striped satchels from Crazy Boy's etsy shop. Such nice construction and quite the steal at $45.

Royal whimsy

I really lucked out at Home Goods a couple of weeks ago while shopping for some odds & ends for the autumn tea party I'm hosting this weekend. I needed to 2 more teacups & I spotted these lovelies, complete with saucer for $3 each. I also got these cool dessert plates for $4 each. I only got 2, planning to use them for cookie serving plates instead. Like my table runner? I made it. I purchased 2 yards of fabric from JoAnns (on sale for $3/yard). I hemmed & added a ribbon border.

Style Parade 11.25.09

I was basically by myself at work today. I probably could have shown up in sweatpants, but that's not really my style. I was feeling kind of festive, hence the sparkles. I had a mini debate with myself, trying to decide if sequins are "work appropriate." Since I'm in a creative field, I think I have a little more freedom to wear alternative work attire. I think this look could totally work for an evening out too.

Boyfriend cardigan: Old Navy; $20. Sequin top: Vera Wang for Kohl's; $30. Skirt: Old Navy; $25. Tights: Forever 21; $5 for 3-pack. Boots: Target; $26-ish

Sexy socks

Anyone browsed J.Crew's website lately? I'm loving their creative takes on holiday looks. My favorite is their use of hosiery here. Pair your strappy evening shoes with some sheer socks. Brilliant.

Style Parade

In case you haven't noticed, I'm really into fashion. Not like high fashion or anything, but I really enjoy getting dressed everyday. I've been wanting to start a fashion blog for some time, but have really lagged on getting down to business. Lately, I've been inspired in a major way by Jen Lula of Jen Loves Kev. I admire her for posting her creative outfits. It's difficult to put yourself out there.

So from here on out, I'll be including some fashion posts. I'm calling it Style Parade.

I'm still learning how to take pictures of myself, so forgive the excess background clutter. Today's ensemble incorporates one of my favorite new color combinations for Fall: Raisin & Pewter. They are very muted tones & I love how chic they look together.

Jacket: H&M; $60. Dress: H&M; $50. Scarf: Target; $10. Tights: Target; $6. Shoes: Kohl's; $24. Bag: Ann Taylor Loft; $35. Ribbon wrist cuff: Gap; $14

Life, simplified

I am not a naturally organized person. I have messy tendencies, like I just leave things wherever I feel like leaving them. This means that at the end of the week my place is kind of a mess. However, I have always been very organized when it comes to work & school related things, because I really can't function when things are messy. I've tried a bevy of personal organizers. I'm always torn between physical calendars & virtual ones. At last, I've found the perfect balance. I heart Google Calendar. I actually use it. It has several view modes - calendar & agenda style. It also has a separate panel for Tasks (you can make as many task lists as you want) with due dates that automatically show on your calendar. Plus you can print the tasks for on-the-go. Love it.

DIY Lace Pendant

I have my own office/haven in our new home. I'm in the process of updating some key pieces to give it a fresh look. I'm sort of going for a Parisian whimsical look. Black & white with pink & red accents. First mission: make a common lamp look more unique.I started with this: 9" Fansta shade from Ikea. Cost: $9

Then I added some trimmed lace fabric left over from the wedding. I used a glue gun to affix the fabric to the top & bottom of the shade. Using a small craft paint brush, I applied tacky glue to the lace edges. Let dry for 1 hour.

Bedtime lovelies

Personally, I am somewhat afraid of the dark, so the idea of sleeping with mask on isn't my forte. However, these eye masks from Naomilingerie's etsy shop are so gorgeous & feminine. Naomi also has some very pretty vintage-inspired lingerie in her shop, and reasonably priced for the amount of detail the pieces feature. Definitely worth a visit if you love lacy goodness like me.

The day before

I'm not going to sugarcoat it. The day before the wedding was crazy. I expected that it would be busy and potentially stressful, but no matter how organized you are or how early you start planning, it's still insane.

I had spent the better half of the night before (Friday night), packaging decorations & writing set-up instructions for the venue. That was the only moment that I wished I had hired a wedding planner. I was very specific with everything. I took photos, labeled everything. It was exhausting. But worth it because everything was set up perfectly the day of. There were 4 things that had to get done the day before (Saturday) 1) Drop off the decorations at the venue. 2) Go shopping with Gary for a white dress shirt to wear at the wedding. 3) Get a mani & pedi. 4) Attend the un-rehearsal dinner. This was how the day went: The guest list, in its ever-evolving state was definitely the source of my ongoing stress the week of the wedding, and this day was no exception. I was literally calling people that morning, asking if they wanted to come to the wedding because we had 6 people drop out who RSVP'd yes. We needed to be at the venue at 2:00 in Redlands to drop off the decorations. Redlands is over an hour drive, one-way. It was past noon and I was sitting on the floor in my pajamas - hadn't even taken a shower yet - redoing escort cards & packing them up to take the venue. We were a little late, but we made it! We rushed home. I didn't have time to go with Gary to the mall to get his shirt, so I quickly got my mani & pedi (didn't really get to enjoy it at all) before I had to rush back home to get changed for the un-rehearsal dinner. I had planned on dressing a little nicer for the dinner, but after the day I had experienced & realizing that I would be very dressed up the next day, I opted for jeans, cotton tank, sandals (my polish was still wet) & my favorite wrap cardigan. I kind of regretted how I looked once we got to the dinner. My bridesmaids were all dressed so adorable and I was well, not my personal best. The dinner was held at The Macaroni Grill in one of their "private" rooms. It was more like a section of the restaurant divided by a couple of archways. Another source of stress was realizing that the dinner invitation had been extended to more than just the immediate family & wedding party. The list had grown to over 35 people (I honestly lost count). And to top it off, 3 people in the wedding party never received their mailed invites. I got some confused phone calls from our friends wondering where and when the dinner was. Oy.

Me, trying to be heard. Photo courtesy of Tammy Thomas

The trouble with the large guest count was that I had to somehow command attention over the chatter to hold an actual meeting with the parents & wedding party to go over the order of the day & ceremony. I decided to make a quick announcement at the beginning of dinner requesting that the parents & wedding party stay after dinner so I could go over specifics. This worked. Another very important tip: Print out a copy of everything you say & give everyone a copy. I knew that people wouldn't absorb everything I was saying & would probably need to review the day of. I know a lot of this day sounds really negative, but there were some parts that I really enjoyed. 1) Seeing my friend Gina (bridesmaid) & her boyfriend Matt. They live in San Francisco & I haven't seen them since the bachelorette weekend. It was great catching up a little bit before the wedding chaos began. 2) Sitting with my parents. They were both so excited & happy. I truly enjoyed chatting with my mom & just hanging out. It had been a while since we had the opportunity to do so. 3) Looking around the room at our newly formed family. Seeing all the different people that have shaped our lives, all together in one space. It was kind of surreal, like our lives were 2 different TV shows and this was the finale crossover episode where all the characters meet.

the fine table artwork of Gary's brother Dan. I guess that's what we get for getting married in October.

Gary's super cute nephew & his sister Melissa (maid of honor) me & my parents.

Photos are done

Our photographer just sent us a link to view the photos. There are like 690 of them. This could take a while. First impression: I smiled A LOT, which of course makes for good photos. Reminds me of Annie... "You're never fully dressed without a smile."

oh, and I might need to stop following Once Wed for sure now because I saw this today and I eyeballs almost fell out of my head.

source

Buffalo plaid

OBSERVATION #236: Plaid is only okay when it doesn't dominate you head-to-toe.

bag = claire's. scarf = target. skirt = kohl's.

Otherwise it's like lumberjack chic, which doesn't equate really. Last winter I added a plaid handbag to my accessory arsenal. I loved the pattern pop on the traditional black ensemble. So this year, I spotted this lovely scarf from Target. It's especially fun because it has different plaid prints on both sides and adds texture when it's all knotted up.

Kitchen window

Our new home has this gorgeous window space above the sink in the kitchen. I felt it needed a little personality. I spent over an hour at Home Goods sorting through potential goodies. I scored some majorly cute stuff. Green microfiber towels for cleaning counters & stainless steel appliances (these are great for polishing). They also had peel n' stick chalkboard paper, which saved me a trip to Michaels. I added this to my canisters that I purchased from Target a while back. I also picked up this fun cookie jar, which currently holds leftover candy from Halloween & a stockpile of salt water taffy. The "S" & "P" mugs are actually from Anthropologie, which I filled with flowers. I got these letters for "salt" & "pepper" - same as my new initials. My other project yesterday was spray painting clay pots with chalkboard paint. I will fill with some fresh herbs after they dry (project from this post).

Antique silver

I'm really loving Pottery Barn's antique silver collection. The script inlaid on distressed metal is so charming. I'm seriously thinking of getting the salt & pepper set for the kitchen. My current kitchen set is a grinder style, but I don't really like using sea salt when I cook so I'm always having to walk to the dining room for the salt shaker.

Coffee cozy

Jane Austen's Romantic Java Jacket from TerreMum

Yep. It's exactly what it looks like. A sweater for my Starbucks. But it's not because my latte is feeling a chill come on. Actually it's instead of using those wasteful cardboard sleeves. I'm not a "green freak", but I figure it's my small choices, like eating reduced fat cheese. You'll never miss it. Either way, that's one fashionable cup of coffee.

Teavite

My whimsical little invite for my tiny tea with friends. Better than a regular e-mail don't you think? I had to blur all the personal info, but you still get the point.

My job

I work for a television advertising agency in Orange County. It was my very first career job after college. I went to school for film & television production, but I never would have guessed that I would end up in the advertising sector of that industry. Surprisingly, I'm pretty good at it.

My main job is to edit the commercials & graphic design. It's actually a lot like being on the set of AMC's Mad Men. I'm the only female in a group of guys and like Peggy Olson, I also just started copy writing. I flirted with the idea of minoring in English in college, so having the opportunity to become a copywriter felt like a great thing to add to my skill set. Plus it's nice being involved in both pre & post production for the same client. But like the show frequently demonstrates, working with clients - trying to grab their attention & make them happy - can be challenging.

The mask

I finished my mask for the holiday masquerade I posted about earlier. It came out so beautiful & I had fun making it.

I totally raided Michaels for most of the supplies to make this. Everything from the Christmas aisle to the jewelry aisle. I even used some scrapbook embellishments. It's amazing how you end up using random items to make crafts. It's all about thinking outside the box.

I trimmed the mask using scissors, then painted with metallic shimmer acrylic paint (about 3 coats). I let it dry 24 hours. Then I added all the embellishments using hot glue.