August 2011
1 post
5 tags
June 2011
1 post
May 2011
4 posts
but here i sit in dublin...
Well I wish I was in Austin - In the Chili Parlor bar - Drinking Mad Dog margaritas
I’ve had this song stuck in my head all morning.
Photo courtesy of http://wisegeorge.blogspot.com/
Rule No. 164
rulesforthesouthernlady:
If you want to get dressed up, you go ahead and get dressed up. Never worry about being “overdressed.” Wear whatever, tasteful outfit you want. Never let anyone make you feel down about looking nice. Never.
April 2011
7 posts
movin' on up
Anyone who knows me even remotely well can tell you that I hate our soon-to-be old kitchen and bathroom. In the end, it was the icky old tile and linoleum, tacky wallpaper and cheap landlord “solutions” to various problems in these two rooms that confirmed our decision to move. As a woman whose mantra is ”Do it now,” my landlord’s “duct tape it over and hope I...
“I don’t go to things with the world ‘festival’ in the title.”
– As pictures of Coachella abound on Tumblr and chatter about Lolla/Pitchfork heats up in Chicago, I abide by this excellent advice offered by my Dad. I like a good tailgate, though.
shop – sip – sup: best of austin, texas
I spent four years living in Austin getting my bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas and the past eight years since then wishing I could go back and relive one or two of those relatively carefree days.
Luckily, I do get to go back pretty often for work and fun. And whenever I’m in Texas, I hit up all of my old favorite shopping, eating and drinking haunts. During my latest trip home,...
March 2011
9 posts
Running out this morning to snag this lovely mirror before it sells out in store (already sold out online).
Home ORB Sunburst Metal Mirror; $24.99 at Target (no longer available online)
I’ve been searching for the perfect sunburst mirror for awhile but didn’t want to spend over $100. If it looks nearly as chic in person as it does in the picture, $24.99 is an absolute steal for...
dreamy
I’m using a combination of bedding sets to create a fresh and clean look in our new bedroom.
Organic Cotton Pintuck Duvet Cover; $99 and two standard shams; $19.99 each on westelm.com
Mixed with…
Mimosa bedding; 2 standard shams; $39.95 each and 2 king shams; $49.95 each at zgallerie.com
With a simple, crisp white sheet set. What do you think?
prep steps
When I was eleven, I read my mom’s copy of “The Official Preppy Handbook.” I was fascinated. In the ninth grade, my favorite outfit was a navy pleated skirt and J. Crew ivory and navy striped collegiate sweater and penny loafers. I had to order away for the sweater because we didn’t have (and still don’t have) a J. Crew in El Paso. In college, I lived in khaki shorts and polo shirts...
1 tag
spring clean slate
We are moving in May, something I’m quite desperate excited to do. Our current apartment is 100 years old - no hyperbole - and what was amazing to me five years ago when I moved in at 24 (two whole bedrooms! Hardwood floors! Charming vintage features!) no longer impresses me (did I mention the nasty old tile in the bathroom? The ugly wallpaper? The never-clean linoleum kitchen floor? The...
February 2011
20 posts
1 tag
gratuitous bowage sunday
Just like the gloriously foofy party dresses I covet, it’s unlikely I could get anyone to take me seriously while wearing either of these darling Ban.Do bows. I love how precocious they look with the top-knot hairstyle. File these under entirely unnecessary (see also: wantwantwant).
“So darn cute” vintage bow (sold out); $300 at shopbando.com
Two-tone satin sash; $55 at...
1 tag
in this white house
After almost five years in my current apartment, we are hunting for a new home in Chicago. Chief among my fantasies is the notion that someday we’ll have one home in Chicago and one in Texas. But in the meantime, we’re trying to take care of the Chicago part of the equation – in other words - reality. Of course, I already have ideas on decorating our new, perfect three-bedroom apartment....
did you see that in an issue of republican vogue?
Seeing “The West Wing” references from two different Tumblogs on the Dashboad while watching “The West Wing” is nifty.
Photo courtesy of Entertainment Weekly
1 tag
The iTunes Store
dad: would ya’ll take me to the itunes store…i don’t know where its located…is it on S. Congress?
Pretty sure this is an Austin, Texas parent-who-texts.
shop my closet: milly, rodarte, kate spade,...
This past week we had Fake Spring in Chicago. Fake Spring happens every year in February or March. The weather warms up enough to melt the snow and trick everyone into believing winter is over. It’s not, and winter’s misery returns just as quickly as people got out their summer wardrobe and began behaving strangely (see also: My Boys “Madder of Degrees” Part 2). We’ll get spring at the same time...
gratuitous pepperage sunday
Who needs this? Nobody. Who loves it? I do! It would look so cute attached to my luggage or carry-on bag… a little piece of the Southwest everywhere I’d go!
Frye Chili Pepper keychain; $28 at urbanoutfitters.com
do you do this, too?
Sent to myself from myself at the nail salon.
a coup!
I’ve been coveting these booties for awhile. Very Texan.
BCBGeneration Flossy Bootie; $97.27 down from $138.95 at zappos.com
And just found them on Endless.com for $55.60!
1 tag
Rule No. 93
I saw this charming little site on the Dashboard and just had to share. As a displaced Southern lady myself, this is a comforting little reminder:
rulesforthesouthernlady:
“Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, be gracious if it kills you.” -Elsie de Wolfe
1 tag
gratuitous dressage sunday
I love party dresses. I certainly have enough parties to attend with Junior League, other volunteering and my husband’s theatre, but as mentioned in a previous post, at times my casually-dressed social circle barely lets me get away with looking made up, let alone wearing something as gratuitous as this gorgeous, fun little dress. I can think of absolutely nowhere I could wear this dress and...
1 tag
personal style manifesto
Let me share something with you: I believe that everyone cares about looking good. There can be any number of definitions of “good.” (Yes! You, not society or culture, define this for yourself! Be empowered thusly!) There are many caveats and assumptions to this belief: you live in the First World and have the luxury of worrying about your appearance, you are in good health, etc. But I really...
Super Bowl
I’m a Texan, so it makes sense that one of my best dishes is chili. However… my recipe? The one I’ve become so famous for? Full disclosure: it isn’t my recipe and worse yet, it isn’t even Texas chili (which cannot contain beans, according to the experts). I got this recipe from a former colleague, so all credit is really due him, but since I have made a few adjustments over the years and...
On sale: J. Crew schoolboy blazer
J. Crew Factory (“open” only on weekends) is offering a navy wool schoolboy blazer very similar to the one featured in my post below on sale for $78!
J. Crew Factory schoolboy blazer; $78 at jcrew.com
Currently it’s only available in sizes too large for me (6 and 8), so I’m hoping some other lucky gal will snatch it up!
top coat
A great blazer or jacket can pull a look together without much effort. Minimal work; maximum effect. Just how I like it.
And ever since I moved to Chicago where there are actual seasons, outerwear of some variety is appropriate almost year-round. As a result, I cannot stop coveting (or buying – judging by the 25-odd coats, trenches, blazers and jackets currently hanging in my closet) them up....
January 2011
6 posts
No big deal. Just swim away.
And this reminds me of my Dad.
Is that a no?
When Parents Text is perfect. The only way I can be sure this is not a text conversation with my own mom is that I’ve never been on a business trip to China.
sparkly details
Forever 21 embellished cap-sleeve tee; $24 (no longer available online)
I wore this top last night out to sushi with my husband. The t-shirt material makes it feel casual - I wore it over skinny jeans tucked into tall black boots - but the embellished cap sleeves give it the right amount of glam.
bad pop love
My husband and I recently returned from a six day roadtrip to/from Miami. Woefully unprepared with mixed CDs and without an MP3 hook up, we listened to the radio the. Whole. Way.
We heard these songs approximately 100 million times each and now I love them with a Stockholm Syndrome kind of affection.
Confession: I love bad pop music.
The Social Network Butterfly
My friend Brigitte authors a blog chronicling her super-neat project: connecting over drinks in real life with each of her 500-plus Facebook friends over the course of the year in an effort to put the social back in social networking.
I love this concept, and it was cool to be a part of it. You can read about our connection in Louisville here.
2010 flew *by. I did lots of things in 2010: I traveled; I overhauled our apartment; I got promoted at work; I learned more about how to be married; I did adult things like open a savings account and pay down credit card debt. There were also things I didn’t do: I didn’t highlight my hair even once; I didn’t renew my gym membership; I didn’t print or order any of our wedding photos despite...
April 2010
1 post
Juarez mayor denies he's living in El Paso →
The Texas Tribune is quickly becoming one of my daily news reads. I still feel a significant personal connection to El Paso, have followed closely the violence in Juarez, and have found the Texas Tribune to be better in many aspects than the rife-with-typos El Paso Times.
March 2010
6 posts
2 tags
it comes in this color too?!?
Visit hm.com
I’m buying both!