Monday, December 30, 2013

Travel Diary: Thailand Wat Arun

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I couldn't be more excited to return to Thailand after my initial trip there a few years ago. I'd been plotting my way back there for years but other people's lives got in the way.

Thought not ideal, we ended up going in the midst of monsoon season in July. The weather was steamy and cloudy, but we tempered it by ducking into the many shopping malls for some reprieve from the heat and unexpected showers.

wat arun

This time we went to the amazing Wat Arun, Temple of the Rising Sun with the beautiful burmese style architecture so different from the Grand Palace which I visited last time. The most amazing site of this temple though is not actually within, but across the river at the Deck Restaurant. We took the boat from the temple to Tha Tien Pier, bought some fruit and snacks from the multitude of street vendors, then headed over to watch the most amazing sunset from the bar at the Deck restaurant with drinks in our hands. We got here about an hour before sunset and scored a great table right at the balcony. When darkness came the temple lit up beautifully as we finished our drinks and fruit.

wat arun
wat arun
wat arun
wat arun

Saturday, December 28, 2013

all white in the suburbs of Bangkok

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zara shorts

wearing all white from zara in the sweltering heat of bangkok from a few months ago.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

coffee filter flowers from our wedding

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coffee filter flowers
wedding center pieces

It's been 3 months since our wedding and I still loved every minute. It was more perfect than I could have imagined. I'd love to say some disaster happened and that's what made it memorable, but no basically it was perfect.

Weather was perfect, food was amazing, my center pieces turned out just as planned. The only thing that was a fail was the photo booth because a) Sean forgot to change the snap on piece for our tripod and b) the wedding coordinators didn't set up my photo back drop wall high enough because I forgot to tell them it goes up to 7ft.

Sean wants to have a wedding every year....I said no.

I thought I'd share a few of my DIY decor pictures from my amazing photographer since I spent so much time making making each center piece. Oh and did I mention I miss counted the tables and had to make a whole new center piece from scratch day before the wedding and not to mention forgetting the sweetheart table too! There were some busy hands at my house a week before the big day, mainly mine! I wish I could say Sean was more helpful, but let's be realistic, boys rarely are. Though I'll give it to Sean, he was pretty dedicated at burning the table numbers onto the wood circles. I never imagined of all things that particular activity would take so long! And when I stressed over instructions for the photo booth he did what all boys do, run to the computer to compose a drawing and instructions on how to put the thing up! And yup that was still the one thing that failed! hahaha

Check out my Etsy store for some of the paper flowers I've put up for sale: https://www.etsy.com/listing/180156947/flower-crown-floral-headband-bridal?

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Zen Bedrooms Memory Foam Mattress Review

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Since moving, I've been on the market for a new mattress. I already knew what I wanted, a Tempurpedic memory foam mattress. Having slept on several in hotels and at a friend's house I was sold that this would be my next bed.

So how ecstatic was I to see this Living Social Deal from Zen Bedrooms:

https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/766510-memory-foam-mattress

A king size for only $400 bucks! What a steal. But as usual I hemmed and hawed, knowing full well it wouldn't be the same as the expensive ones. And I did my usual research. Comparing the Zen Bed Room ones to Tempurpedic and Costco. Then a though entered my head...what if this is just a glorified mattress topper? Well I ran a google search with those exact terms which led me to walmart and finding basically the exact same mattress for about HALF of the cost of Zen Bedrooms.

For $229 you can have the same king sized "memory foam" mattress that Zen Bedrooms is peddling at Walmart:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Spa-Sensations-8-Memory-Foam-Mattress-Multiple-Sizes/12542630?findingMethod=rr

For $419 you can get the thicker 12" model:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Spa-Sensations-12-Theratouch-Memory-Foam-Mattress-Multiple-Sizes/10086752?findingMethod=rr

The descriptions are almost identical. I'm guessing Zen Bedrooms is marketing it as a foam mattress that is comparable to the actual Tempurpedic when in reality it's more in line w/ the Walmart variety of mattress. They marked up the price to be on par with Tempurpedic, then come out w/ a "deal" on Living Social, Groupon, etc. so it looks like they are giving you the same product at much lower cost. Wrap all that up in a nice slick website and there you go! And to boot you can get it from Walmart much faster than the 6 week delivery time I see from Zen. The Walmart model also has over 2,000 reviews rating it at almost 5 starts. Plus you also get Walmart's 90 day warranty/ return policy without having to deal with the hassle of return shipping...god I'm starting to sound like a Walmart commercial, they should pay me for this advert!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

flocks of feathers

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I love feathers. I'm obsessed with feathers...put feathers on it and I will buy it. This all started about 3 years ago when I spotted a feathered skirt by Robert Rodriguez at Nordstrom while wedding dress shopping with a friend (not my wedding). I looked at it longingly as I walked by it and my friend said "that's so you." But no I was not willing to spend $400 bucks on it, I have some self control. That obsession though kept gnawing at me and sent me on a 2 day google search of similar skirts to which ended at ASOS with an ostrich skirt which I love and have worn to death. I try not to wear it too much since I lose feathers every time I do...soon I will be bald.

As luck would have it while perusing ASOS once again, low and behold I come across a feather dress! Yes I had to buy it, and yes I did wait for it to go on sale, and yes I did have a coupon code! It arrived...and was perfection. I felt like a glorified peacock fanning out my feathers for display while wearing it. And yes I did lose feathers, so I'll have to save this one for special occasions only!

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[wearing asos feather dress, zara leather jacket, steve madden heels, UO necklace]

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Litas or Not

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http://www.buzzfeed.com/aodell/the-jd-salinger-of-platform-shoes

An interesting article on Jeffrey Campbell and those infamous Litas. Not sure if I should burn them or start wearing them again...

Though I'm pretty sure if I hold on to them for another few years they'll revive from over exposure on the interweb. Thinking back to 2010/2011 they were absolutely everywhere online, though I rarely saw anyone wearing them in real life. I don't agree though that NastyGal can take credit for "making" Jeffrey Campbell. I owned my first pair of JCs before ever knowing about NastyGal, which didn't really surface on my radar until maybe in the last year or 2 and the quality of their stuff is mediocre at best, but I can't help looking and occasionally caving, only to be disappointed once my package arrives.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Lazy Sundays

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Hot days call for sangria outdoors and minimal accessories! And white toenail polish to further emphasize the minimalism.

More blogging to come on my whole Thailand trip which included splashing around with some elephants.

[wearing ae dress, Thailand hat, random gold sandals, Kate spade bag]





Wednesday, May 22, 2013

staples

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zara leather jacket
Leather jacket, check, flannel shirt, check, flirty skirt, check, streamlined ankle boots check...my spring uniform. I have a great many leather jackets, but I always seem to end up buying them a size to big, except for this one. This zara jacket I got last year has a close fit and the quilting on the shoulders and cuffs I had been searching for forever.

[zara leather jacket, madewell flannel, asos skirt, michael kors boots]

Friday, May 17, 2013

fuzziness

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Nothing like leather leggings, a fuzzy sweater and a fur stole to keep you warm and toasty on a otherwise dreary day, post wedding merriment!

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[wearing vintage stole, unknown leather leggings, michael kors boots, theory sweater, zara leather jacket]

Thursday, May 16, 2013

leopard

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I've never been really into leopard prints, but this H&M coat caught my eye with the faux fur and giant hood...I'm a sucker for giant hoods. Toning down the animalness with super casual staples.
hm coat
leopard print

[wearing H&M coat, william rast jeans, jcrew plaid shirt, michael kors bag, zara hat]

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Rag & Bone Newbury boots vs Vince Camuto Hadley boots

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newbury boots

Late last year I purchased the Vince Camuto Hadley boot, it was a perfect knock off of the Rag & bone Newbury's at a quarter of the price. But about a month later I managed to score a pair of real Rag & Bone Newburys from Gilt at 50% off. I was delighted they came in the exact shade I was looking for, but I debated, since they were still twice the price of the Hadley's. In the end I pulled the trigger and was not disappointed when they arrived.

At first glance they are almost identical, but I noticed a finer toe shape, a more over all streamlined look and a natural wooden heel in the original Newbury's. And they are insanely cushy! Must be the the leather lining on the inside that the Hadley's lack.

vince camuto hadley
newbury boot
hadley boot

Friday, May 10, 2013

floral fridays

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coffee filter flowers
coffee filter roses
coffee filter flower tutorial
coffee filter flower

I must have scoured the web for tutorials on coffee filter roses, specifically the ruffly centered garden rose, but found none to my satisfaction. The swirly centers on these I think mimic a variety I've seen before. They take a bit more time to make than the Martha Stewart coffee filter roses that I've seen all over the web, but I think it's worth the effort. I love the almost cabbage like appearance. I'll be putting up a tutorial soon! And I've just recently created a pretty good peony with coffee filters that I hope to share soon. It's probably my favorite so far. What are your favorite coffee filter flowers?

If you don't want to make your own paper flowers check out my Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/listing/180156947/flower-crown-floral-headband-bridal?

Thursday, May 9, 2013

crave vs save

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Crave or save


Schutz lace up ankle booties / Nine West pumps / Zara sandals

Earlier this year I fell in love with a pair of nude lace up (corset) sandals by schutz, the arieli. The detail on the delicate laser cut version lent just enough girly factor to the statement making shoe, but sadly they sold out rather quickly leaving only the studded version. But not to fret Zara and Nine West both have versions of the open lace up bootie / sandals at much lower price points.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

ballet pink

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asos dress
fuchsia lips
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I've had this perfectly ballet pink dress in my closet forever, reminiscent of a Halston Heritage dress worn by Sarah Jessica Parker's character in the second Sex and the City movie. Unlike her setting though, I was not in a desert and needed the requisite fur to retain some body heat.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Flora Fridays

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wedding centerpiece
wedding flowers
baby shower
Beautiful yellow roses left over from a baby shower that I arranged into a serving bowl from Crate & Barrel. Sometimes simplicity is best.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Skorts

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Leave it to Zara to make a skort fresh and modern, complete with clean lines, geometric shapes, and in a crisp white.

zara skort

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

minted

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Minted


Bustier dress / Milly print dress / Top / Closed skinny leg jeans / American Eagle Outfitters american eagle outfitter / Steve Madden high heel sandal / Essie nail polish, $21

Mint green has been one of my favorite colors since purchasing a miniscule panasonic cell phone back in the early 2000s, it stood about 1" wide and 2" tall. It was a lovely ombre mint green. That phone has long died, but my love of the color survives. Mint dresses, mint shorts, mint, mint sandals, bring it on. From lovely shades of seafoam leaning toward the blue spectrum to yellow based mints, mint green is everywhere this spring and I can't wait to get minted!

Sunday, April 14, 2013

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I've been spotlighted by Nicole at Nicole's Revolution! Go check out my answers about my blogging experiences so far...



Thursday, April 11, 2013

unexpected heatwave

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[wearing minted tshirt, nordstrom shorts, ray ban aviators, bali bag, zara sandals & scarf]

Looks like we skipped spring and went straight to summer! These pictures were actually taken last year in the fall but I think a blush, nude and white pallet is so fresh for both spring and summer. The pink billabong tempe shorts I bought early last year are so reminiscent of the Isabel Marants from spring/summer 2011. I wore them to death last year and plan to incorporate them into this spring and summer as well but perhaps a bit differently.

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[wearing billabong tempe shorts, thrifted winter kate shirt, zara coat and shoes]

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[wearing billabong tempe shorts, express knit tank]
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