Memorial Day Weekend

If you need me for the weekend, I'll have my toes in the water, heinie in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold marg in my hand, but won't be forgetting all those who gave their life, so I don't have to sacrifice all the things I love. (yes, I just adapted not one but two Zac Brown Band songs)

over and out. stay safe you filthy animals.

TNB Look-Alikes

I'm am a firm believer that there is an Inslee Haynes illustration for every mood, occasion, and time of year; so, why would a beach reunion be any different?! (see here, here or here for proof of my infatuation with Inslee)

I'm beyond obsessed, and since I can't afford to commission a custom one for myself (much less my besties), although I'd love to, this will suffice. I've found the best of the best to depict our personalities. Ladies and gents, I present to you, my besties in illustration form:

First, we have the lovely Ashley, who unfortunately can't join us on our trip, but she is no less loved. She'll be soaking up the rays in SoFla with her main squeeze and her precious nephew.

Next, we have the wannabe twins, Kelsey and Mere. Seriously, it's freaky how often people mistake them for twinkies. That said, they both have impeccable style and will most definitely be sharing clothes on the trip.

 

Next up is my fellow Tennessean and our hair dresser extraordinaire, Claire. The top knot and ray bans sealed the deal for this image as you, my dear.

 

For my leetle baboosh {Erin} things got tricky... there were a number that reminded me of you but it took some finesse to find the most perfect one. For the baby-lovin, stylishly put-together nanny of the year, I give you, EZ-E. (note: bebe not included for reunion)

 

Last but not least, myself. Since my gurl Inslee doesn't make too many with curly hair, I was limited, but I think it works (key factors were my vanilla skin tone, crazy hair, Mary Poppins bag, and large cup of java to go).

 

Now, for the runner ups... I found far too many to not show you what was left on the cutting room floor. So, enjoy:

Ashley:

 

 Kelsey:

Mere:

 Claire:

 Erin:

 Me:

 

Can't wait to see y'all soon!

*note: all of these images are from Inslee Haynes' website and are copyrighted accordingly.

Make a Statement

In my quest for the perfect cocktail ring (a la The Family Stone and my 101 things in 1001 days list [see #6]), I have rekindled my love of jewelry. I've always been obsessed with rings, but these days just about any bauble, be it necklace, cuff or earring, catches my eye.

I've loved cocktail/statement rings for a long while now, but haven't been able to find the ideal one for my style and price range (aka won't turn my finger green nor break the bank). 

But, alas, I have found a few that I'm currently lusting over, and saving pennies for.

{Coach ring}

 

{Margaret Elizabeth Black Onyx} 

{also in emerald}

 

{above: Margaret Elizabeth Ophelia Ring in Onyx}

 {Ophelia ring also available in aqua, mint, and moonstone}

Clearly, I have an obsession with Margaret Elizabeth jewelry... Which do you like best? 

Have you found others?

Surprise Sale

Yes, it's true. My oh-so-fabulous sister tipped me off to an amazeballs sale in which we all took part in last night. But don't fret; you have til midnight tonight before the surprise sale ends! 

Now, I love Kate Spade as much as the next person, but unfortunately a tragic experience with the Memphis store manager one fateful Christmas-season day made Lulu vow to never again give them business. Thing is, we still love their stuff. So, what's a gal to do? Shop online, of course. That's why this sale is pure magic. We get the same merchandise, at a discount, and don't have to deal with anyone who may or may not still be working there.

Here's what the purchases were:

For Emily:

For me:

For Lulu:

Other wish list items that we didn't get but wanted to are:

 Journal Bon Shopper bag

 Spotlight studs

Gatsby gold hoops

Franny Coat

 

So, what are you waiting for?! 

The sale ends at midnight 5/15/13.

Office Chic

Stumbled upon these gorgeous offices during my daily consumption of celeb gossip on E! Online. Not only do I love the companies, but I love getting to know the people behind the brands and feeling like I get a new perspective on how their lives really are. 

Trendsetters at Work: The office of The Knot in NYC

 

How did you get started in your career? When I got engaged in 1993, my fiancé and I both realized that the wedding resources at the time could not help us with planning our wedding. We somehow pulled it off, and then three years later decided to launchTheKnot.com, which is now XO Group Inc.  We wanted to be a one-stop source for brides and we also wanted to keep our consumers with us past their wedding, which was the thought process behind TheBump.com and TheNest.com.

Describe a typical day for you. Pure madness. I am up at 6:30 and I do 100 jumping jacks (that's all the exercise I have time for!). Then shower, breakfast, walk my kids to school, get into the office by 9 a.m.! Once I get to the office I have calls with the West Coast developing TV shows, pitches from entrepreneurs, I move from meeting to meeting to check how my second set of children—The Knot, The Bump and The Nest—are doing, and by 7 p.m. I am back to being a wife and mother.

{for more about The Knot click here}

Trendsetters at Work: The Birchbox office in NYC

 

How did you get started in your career? After graduating from Vassar College with a degree in International Studies and Economics, I worked in private banking and commercial real estate in New York City. I landed my first job after on-campus and in-office interviews—I remember there were almost 20 interviews! I worked for three years before applying to Harvard Business School for my MBA.

Describe a typical day for you. It's definitely not your typical 9-to-5 day. I wake up around 5:30-6 a.m. and start to catch up on e-mails. Now that we have our business units in the U.K., France and Spain, a lot goes on while we're sleeping. As soon as I get to the office, I'm in back-to-back meetings for most of the day. My days start early and end late, but the days are so exciting and action-packed!

{For more about Birchbox click here}

Trendsetters at Work: Shopbop Offices in NYC 

 

How did you get started in your career? From the time I was a little girl, I always knew I wanted to be in fashion. One summer during college, I interned at Vogue in New York and that is how everything took off! I learned a ton and met some really great people who have helped me out along the way.

Describe a typical day for you. There is no typical day in PR. It ranges from sending out samples and images of product for press stories to running around to meetings and setting up for events.

Describe your work environment. Shopbop has a pretty relaxed work environment and our office has a great open floor plan so we are able to collaborate throughout the day. We recently moved to a new space where we have a roof deck, which is nice when the weather in NYC wants to cooperate.

 {For more about Shopbop click here}

101 things in 1001 days

As promised, I worked on my list of 101 things in 1001 days. It's a combination of a to do list and bucket list with more of a finite time frame (hey, you can't live forever, and I want to make sure I'm getting the things I most want to do accomplished).

I'm interested to see how it goes; if I like it, I'd consider keeping it up and just updating the specifics. As per #1 (you'll see in a second), let me know if it inspires you to make a list too. And, I encourage you to keep me accountable. I keep a printed list in my Erin Condren planner to make sure I can keep track.

Here goes nothin':

101 things in 1001 days

Deadline: February 2, 2016

(if my math is correct)
{as of June 3, 2013, 7 of 101 complete} 

1. inspire someone else to make a list
2. organize my nail polish collection
3. expand my closet (as in the physical dimensions)
4. find my signature scent (Fancy by Jessica Simpson. I just can't get enough)
5. wear heels (at least 3x in one week)
6. find (I want one of these..now I just have to save up) Buy the perfect cocktail ring/ signature ring a la The Family Stone ring
7. go back to New Orleans
8. learn 10 new recipes (1/9 complete-quinoa,)
9. find my ideal skincare regimen
10. read these classics(1/7 complete- I just read The Great Gatsby)
11. go to a journalism conference of some kind
12. gain 15 new blog followers
13. make a connection to someone in the corporate beauty world
14. read a Faulkner and Hemingway novel
15. go to the Oxford, Mississippi's “Festival of the Book”
16. dip my toes in the Atlantic for the second time in my life (Memorial Day 2013, SC)
17. pay off my student loans/be debt free
18. learn more about my family history
19. travel to 3 new cities (1/3 down- Pawley's Island, SC)
20. go to a Music Festival
21. meet/get a photo with a Grizzlies player (QPon, 5/16/13)
22. take a photography class with Mary Jane/attend a Design Love Fest photoshop class
23. shadow a photographer
24. scrapbook my college memories
25. mail 25 snail mail letters (1/25 complete)
26. become more involved with the Memphis ADPi alum assoc.
27. start donating/giving back to Samford
28. spend an entire day with my mom and sister doing whatever they want
29. go fishing with my dad
30. talk at an event/speaking engagement
31. visit Sean in Denver
32. go back to the Smokey Mtns with my besties
33. help connect at least one JMC student to a job interview
34. work for one of my dream jobs
35. work out at least twice a week for 3 months
36. throw a surprise party
37. host a dinner party
38. find a worthy costume to top my “Katy Perry”
39. help my mom organize and clean the house
40. subscribe to the magazines I buy anyway
41. figure out exactly what I'm allergic to  (dust, ceclor, and septra--May 2013)
    
42. take a girls trip to NYC at Christmas time with mom, MJ, Em and Ash
43. have a sleepover with my sister (May 22-24, 2013 b/c her air conditioning was out)
44. have a sleepover with Ashleigh at college
45. be at every home game for Memphis Tigers Basketball
46. read the Bible cover to cover
47. actually study the bible/participate in Bible studies
48. find an organization to contribute to/serve/support/participate in
49. run a 5k
50. see the rockettes
51. face my fear of heights
52. find a new hair style
53. invest in a LV or Chanel bag
54. travel out of the country
55. guest blog for a popular site
56. perfect the art of iced coffee
57. tour a brewery
58. wine taste at a vineyard
59. drink an O'Carr's milkshake and eat a baby bite in Birmingham
60. share my testimony
61. find out 10 fun facts I didn't know about my Papaw
62. throw a shower/party/brunch
63. buy ice cream from an ice cream truck
64. run on a trail with a puppy
65. try one new workout outside of my comfort zone
66. try yoga
67. organize my movie collection
68. watch at least half of the bond movies (1 down)
69. get a monogrammed piece from S. Meredith
70. have an inslee illustration of myself for the blog
71. paint a room
72. purchase either duck boots or hunter rain boots
73. have a library in my house
74. read: what I know now: letters to my younger self and pen my own advice
75. figure out who A is in PLL
76. go on a mission trip
77. use my press pass to get into an event
78. start tithing consistently
79. learn to shoot a gun
80. learn to drive a stick shift car
81. go to Dollywood
82. go to a concert
83. find the perfect recording device for interviews
84. find an idiot proof self-tanner
85. complete a DIY project from Pinterest
86. have a friend take pictures for my blog
87. get better at Spanish/use it
88. run at Shelby farms
89. freelance for 2 new places
90. travel to Texas
91. dye my hair red
92. find a reason to wear my cowboy boots
93. watch Gone With the Wind
94. bake bread
95. take the train somewhere
96. find a a tea (ex. Herbal, chai, breakfast, chamomile) I desire to drink Arizona Diet Green Tea
97. check out books at the library/use my library card
98. take a spin class
99. wear a jumper/jumpsuit 
    100. plant a garden (6/2/13 at JT's house)
    101. put $10 in my savings account for each item I complete.

I'll keep you posted about the progress!

{Design Darling} inspiration

I love lists, planners, nail polish, and blogs more than normal Americans love a baseball game and a hot dog. And, I may have found yet another career/life coach in Mackenzie Horan.

She has red hair, lives in New York, and writes for Matchbook. As if that's not enough to envy, she also has a fabulous life list: 101things in 1,001 days.

Per her own description, the list is "I am keeping a list of 101 things I'd like to accomplish in the next 1001 days. For me, 1001 days (2.75 years) is a happy medium between writing a to do list and keeping a bucket list. It's a way to dream big and make regular progress toward meeting those longer term goals. Here goes!

{62 complete, 39 to go!}

End date: September 28, 2013"

 

This got me thinking. If I ever want to accomplish all of the things bouncing around in my head, I'll need a list too. I'm currently working on mine and will post when complete.

 

Til then, enjoy her blog, pinterest, and boutique. 

Flashdance Friday (not really)

Okay, so this post has nothing to do with Flashdance as it pertains to the movie and/or the actual dance from the movie. But, I love alliterations. And in my weird little mind, I associated all YouTube videos as being "flashdance-y" types of distractions in which you repeatedly watch dance groups in Australian studios perform Rihanna or Beyonce music video choreography (I do believe I have Miss Claire Bear Strate to think for this mentality). 

Nevertheless, I have come to find that YouTube videos don't always have to be like that. Nor do they have to be about watching screaming goats or babies laughing (all of which have their place, mind you). They can be motivational; cue The Conversation | Honest Talk in which Amanda de Cadenet interviews some of Hollywood's leading ladies and digs a lil deeper than the average interview.

To better explain my infatuation (thus, hours of distraction) with the following videos I offer these facts about myself:
-I detest YouTube (except for gems like these videos)
-I'm vocal about my hatred of said social media outlet
-I'm freakishly obsessed with celebrities and their lives
-I truly, genuinely believe that I should be (and will be) friends with Nicole Richie, Katy Perry, Gwyneth Platrow, Giuliana Rancic and Tori Spelling (among others).
-I wish I had Amanda de Cadenet's job

Now, if you can accept these disclaimers, watch on and fall down the rabbit hole with me.


 

A to Zara

I'm sure I'm late to the Zara party, but now that I'm here I may never leave. Seriously, could their site be any cuter (and semi-affordable)?! I can think of about a zillion ways to completely blow through my entire paycheck on this site alone; so, I figured it was post-worthy. Some of the newest items on my wish list include:

{animal print trousers- $79.99}

{tri-color crossover blouse- $79.90}

{this hot pink suit- blazer here}

{tricolor dress- $89.90}

{bird print kimono- $129.00}

{flowing printed shorts- $49.90}

{mid-heel sandal- $49.90}

{medium height sandal- $79.90}

{leather strip sandal- $49.90}

{tie-dye shopper- $49.90}

In the words of Stilwell Angel, "gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme."