be haute

3.15.2012

Live Colorfully

Live Colorfully by styleshugar featuring slim fit jeans

3.13.2012

Craving Coral

Craving Coral by styleshugar

My favorite colors for spring!!

I can hardly wait for the warm weather.

Ahh, I can feel the sun on my cheeks now.

xx, M

3.11.2012

Go on...

Go on... by dressmeupp featuring crop tops

Lipsy crop top, £22
Chiffon skirt, £24
Cheetah booties, £35
Chanel flap bag
Jigsaw hammered jewelry, £39
Vivienne Westwood engraving jewelry, $280
Jane Norman tassel jewelry, £5
GINETTE NY onyx jewelry, £590
Rose jewelry, $36
Cat eye sunglasses, $12
Zara black wide brim hat, $26
Dolce Gabbana lipstick, £29
NARS blush, $28
Vince Camuto fragrance, $60
Butter London nail polish, £12

3.10.2012

Recap & OOTD's

Hey, all!

Sorry I've been somewhat MIA. I've been on a little vacay this past week and a half with my boyfriend.

{this is said boyfriend, Henry}

We've been here since last Thursday...

{Edisto Island, SC}

Edisto is about an hour or so from Charleston, which just so happens to be my little slice of heaven. Seriously, if I could move there tomorrow, I would have moved yesterday.

Lucky for me, last Monday was too windy to go out on the boat, so Henry and I went to do a little King St. shopping. And for those who don't know, King St. is kiiind of like the Rodeo Dr. of Charleston.. high end with a little southern style. We weren't in any rush, so it was nice being able to wonder in and out of different shops.

I did manage to find these beauties along the way!

J Crew Cece studded leather ballet flats
You can buy them here!

I've been looking for the perfect pair of nude flats for the longest time. When I put these on and realized how comfortable they were I couldn't pass them up.

After shopping we grabbed sushi and drinks at O-Ku. Megan and her fiancé love this place and always have great things to say about it. I'm SO glad we went! They have a wonderful Monday evening happy hour special that runs between 4 & 7 where you get 1/2 off their specialty cocktails, as well as 1/2 off a whole list of sushi rolls!

We started off with a personal favorite, edamame, and a few cocktails. Henry tried the Lumber Jack, which had bourbon & maple syrup in it. It sounded a little manly to me, so I stuck with basil gimlets after hearing good things.

{Ps.} Their cocktail list is really unique and full of ingredients you don't normally see, like lavender! I may have to go out on a limb next trip and try something different.

As for our meal, we shared (and devoured) the Scallop roll, the Tuna Tataki roll and the White Dragon roll. I think we decided that the Tuna Tataki was our favorite, but the White Dragon wasn't too far behind. Everything was delicious and the atmosphere is fabulous! It's safe to say we will definitely be going back!

Sorry Takosushi, you may have just been kicked to the curb.

I had to work Thursday, so my brother, Paul, drove down early on Wednesday to stay our last night with us. He lives in Charleston and works alllll the time, so I really don't get to spend much time with him. It was a special treat! We got right on the boat and rode throughout the marsh to enjoy the chilly, but beautiful day.

It was actually Lilly's first boat trip!! I think she handled it pretty well. I'll have her converted into a beach bum by summer for sure. We just have to figure out what to do about this hair situation.. it didn't quite handle the ocean breeze as I'd hoped.

Once we were off the water, we headed straight to the porch for good music, steaks and wine.
A perfect ending to a perfectly relaxing vacation.

***

Now on to some outfits!

OOTD for work yesterday:

{top jeans & necklace: forever21, shoes: j crew, watch: michael kors, earrings: diamond studs from mom, bracelet: boutique}

OOTD for work today:

{top: target, jeans: forever21, shoes: tory burch revas, belt: a market in italy, watch: michael kors, bracelet: boutique, necklace: dogeared wishbone, earrings: from my mom}

Aren't these fab?
My mom wore them years ago and passed them on to me. Love them!

That's all for today.. it's time for cocktails!

xx, M

2.23.2012

New project

I've loved arts & crafts for as long as I can remember. Throughout high school me and a few other girls would get together and make cute things, like monogrammed coffee mugs to take to school, headbands & assorted canvases for our bedrooms. I would make all my girlfriends gifts for birthdays, Christmas, graduation, etc., but I was limited to what I could make because I only knew how to draw, paint and hot glue. My best friend Parker knew how to sew, so she made purses and all sorts of stuff! I was jealous, once again, so I attempted it with her guidance. I was terrible and I never tried it again.

Until now! :)

I'm in the process of teaching myself how to sew, and I'm quickly remembering how NOT so easy it is, but I'm definitely going to keep at it because it's such a convenient skill to have!

And because

a) I've always wanted to make custom clothes

b) I need a few slipcovers & throw pillows

and

c) blogs like Runway DIY and a pair and a spare can recreate high fashion pieces for WAY less with their sewing knowledge.

There's nothing like seeing something you REALLY want {a pillow, a duvet cover, a pair of shorts, a dress}, then seeing the ridiculous price tag and thinking "Ugh, I could make that!"

SO, I'm vowing to never have to say that again. I am determined to know how to sew and be good at it!

Yesterday I found this book at Hobby Lobby

via

And I'm already obsessed!!

I've also been googling beginner sewing tips! For instance, it's absolutely necessary to have scrap fabric to practice on. You don't want to hit the ground running on some extravagant piece of clothing, then end up having not so straight stitches all over the place. I also found ways to save money on practice fabric!

You can:

1) use fabric from an old piece of clothing or something you planned on giving away

2) go to goodwill and find things like sheets, clothes or window treatments for next to nothing..

3) go to a local fabric shop and ask if they have last season swatches that you could have.

Luckily, I already had a pile of things to give away and pulled out a dress that was made of a light cotton blend = easy to work with.

I used my seam ripper to take the dress apart & not only do I have scrap fabric, I now have a zipper to use on something else down the road!! Old or "ruined" pieces of clothing are perfect for gathering supplies for other projects. If you have a stain or tear on something and know you'll never wear it again, take it apart and save the buttons/zippers/whatever the piece is embellished with for something you make later! The same goes for anything you find at a thrift store!

Needless to say, I'll be rummaging through a lot of thrift stores over the next few weeks for things to practice with. When I get a little bit of confidence I'm going to use a fabric I've been hoarding on a pattern I bought for a cute pair of shorts! Hopefully I'll have something to show y'all soon!!

I'm off to do a little practice!

xxoo, M