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| Kate Spade |
With a black sheath dress or over a gray sweatshirt...
9.04.2011
8.13.2011
7.10.2011
like butter
6.20.2011
5.18.2011
they said it
seche vite in french means dry quickly-a utile name for a seriously utile product. i should have prefaced this by telling you that i cannot paint my nails to save my life. they usually look like i dipped my fingertips in their entirety in red paint followed by two or three days where I wait for it to rub off all but the actual nail- none of which matters because even so i end up with fabric crosshatches and pieces of lint dried into the lacquer at which point i just wait for the color to chip off entirely which is when i usually just decide to never paint my nails again. this is my basic method/cycle for nail painting, fascinating i know.
however, this top coat has changed my outlook. it dries shiny and super fast so i know the crosshatch situation is taken care of which makes me take better care when painting my nails which makes me avoid the macabre bloody fingertips look all together. love it.
seche vite, $8, beauty stores
5.04.2011
Pink stripes
If you think it's been a long time since we posted, it's been even longer since the other bird and I hung out. Last night we had dinner for the first time in four months. Needless to say we've both had a busy spring. Here's to summer and more free time for posting!
3.28.2011
a spring time balance
here is a little something i am loving now:
milky neutral vases with a vibrant neon flower.
it pushes toward a summer time color kaleidoscope but tempers the blast of color with a muted vase to slowly wake you up from winter. i love the idea in big bunches too but with the price of flowers in new york i personally have been loving the idea on a smaller scale with a bud vase and one to three blooms. i keep mine next to my computer so i have a little bit of natural beauty to keep my days on the computer in perspective. enjoy!
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| Orange and Coral Juliet Rose, Whole Blossoms |
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| Bud vases, West Elm, $6 |
Flower and Vase Color Combo Ideas left to right: Red and Celadon, Purple and Aqua, Pink and Mint, Magenta and Tan, Yellow and Olive, Orange and Grey (currently on my table!)
3.25.2011
3.11.2011
Spring Work Wardrobe
Spring Work Wardrobe:
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| A Chambray Shirt |
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A tweed foil print skirt |
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| A floral silk shell |
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| An army green sequin pencil skirt |
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| A mulberry colored mid-length circle skirt |
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|
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| Cropped Navy Trousers |
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| Coral Silk TShirt |
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| And, piece de la resistance: a ruffled silk trench |
I'm working on possible combos with accessories so here are a few of my ideas and please send me yours too! I am working on learning how to make several key pieces work for me forever so if you have another outfit idea style away!
Combos:
1. Chambray Shirt tucked into Foil Print Tweed Skirt
Accessory: Big Gold Man Watch
2. Silk Shell with Cropped Navy Trousers and Trench
Accessory: Fuchsia Lipstick
3. Coral T with Tweed Skirt
Accessory: Ladylike Chain Purse in Emerald or Camel Color
4. Silk Shell tucked into Mulberry Circle Skirt
Accessory: Red Suede Heels
5. Coral T with Sequin Skirt
Accessory: Wedge Sandals
6. Silk Shell with Sequin Skirt
Accessory Mustard yellow clutch and strappy gold heels
7. Chambray Shirt with Cropped Navy Trousers
Accessory: Silver Braided Belt over the shirt at the waist
8. Lace Top with Boyfriend Jeans and Trench
Accessory: My grandmother's antique locket
3.09.2011
3.03.2011
The best souvenirs.
Shopping on a visit to Emily this weekend, I went a little nuts. I bought a pair of sandals, a vintage navy polka dot dress, a creamy sweater with mustard flower appliques (you know me and mustard florals...), and a horse-print sundress that, regarded by non-daiquiri-clouded eyes, might actually qualify more as a shirt and I'll be doing squats from now until May if I ever hope to wear it. Also found in the sale rack at Anthropologie a dress I had stalking on eBay since last summer, where it is currently selling for $119. It was the only one left, in my size, and marked down to much less than $119, plus I had a gift card. Score!
My favorite clothing souvenir, though, was the Peaches record store t-shirt Chris got for me. If there's one thing I like more than mustard florals, it's vintage fruit!
3.02.2011
pretty birds at the oscars
some of my favorites:
above photos via Lucky.
above photo via Huffington Post
aove photo via Just Jared
above photos via Lucky.
smart birds and the money train
so, if i made new year's resolutions one of them this year was to reassess my budget, buy everything with cash and pay off those student loans. so, how did i start? by reading two books that helped me look at my finances as a long arc and create an action plan: The Total Money Makeover and Get a Financial Life. I furthered those savings by getting one book at the library for free and getting the other on Amazon for a penny! Yup, a penny.
Then I signed-up for Mint. This is a total money management website that puts all my money, investments, debt, credit cards, loans into one interface for me to see simultaneously. So I could actually see where that penny went and categorize it according to purpose and then see breakdowns and pie charts of how much money I am spending on say my clothes, my cell, or my financial education.
Next I subscribed to LearnVest. This is a money managing site for women that covers everything from which beauty products to splurge vs. save on to the best apps to invest in to how to invest in the stock market. An even cooler feature is that they have several free bootcamps that you can subscribe to. They send you daily (or weekly if you prefer) emails that give you 1-3 steps to take this week to achieve your goals. I am currently subscribed for the get out of debt bootcamp and the cut your costs bootcamp. Awesome.
Anyway, all of this is a preamble to two money saving tricks that I tried yesterday that totally worked. One of my emails mentioned an app that monitors items that you are watching online and considering buying and tells you who has the cheapest rates and when they go on sale. Cool right? But even cooler, they mention that you should also check back, up to a week after you bought an item, and if it goes on sale even after you have purchased it, call and ask for a refund of the difference. Really, I thought this would never work and what I would have to do is re-buy the item on sale and return the pricier one but then I pay the shipping twice, which does not make me save money and then I just give up and pay the higher price.
Regardless, I tried it and it worked! I bought the shirt below at Macy's on Sunday night for $45.99 and Tuesday afternoon it went on sale for $26.99, so I called and asked for the refund and they gave it to me! That is $19 back in my pocket.
Then I was so excited that I figured I would try to get back a processing fee that Overstock charged me in November (for those of you unaware about processing fees this was an item that I ordered online for $89 and then returned which Overstock only refunded HALF OF THE PRICE for because there was a hair on it. Hence the processing fee was that someone had to run a lint roller over an item, hence I was paying $45 dollars for someone to do 6 seconds of work and I am pretty sure Overstock is not paying their warehouse employees $40 per every 6 seconds so I was not having it.) Anyway, the order specialist put me on hold for less than a minute while he checked with his manager and then returned the $45 dollars back to my card and apologized. So kudos to them for great customer service and kudos to me for "making" a grand total of $64 yesterday. Try it. I'm obsessed.
Then I signed-up for Mint. This is a total money management website that puts all my money, investments, debt, credit cards, loans into one interface for me to see simultaneously. So I could actually see where that penny went and categorize it according to purpose and then see breakdowns and pie charts of how much money I am spending on say my clothes, my cell, or my financial education.
Next I subscribed to LearnVest. This is a money managing site for women that covers everything from which beauty products to splurge vs. save on to the best apps to invest in to how to invest in the stock market. An even cooler feature is that they have several free bootcamps that you can subscribe to. They send you daily (or weekly if you prefer) emails that give you 1-3 steps to take this week to achieve your goals. I am currently subscribed for the get out of debt bootcamp and the cut your costs bootcamp. Awesome.
Anyway, all of this is a preamble to two money saving tricks that I tried yesterday that totally worked. One of my emails mentioned an app that monitors items that you are watching online and considering buying and tells you who has the cheapest rates and when they go on sale. Cool right? But even cooler, they mention that you should also check back, up to a week after you bought an item, and if it goes on sale even after you have purchased it, call and ask for a refund of the difference. Really, I thought this would never work and what I would have to do is re-buy the item on sale and return the pricier one but then I pay the shipping twice, which does not make me save money and then I just give up and pay the higher price.
Regardless, I tried it and it worked! I bought the shirt below at Macy's on Sunday night for $45.99 and Tuesday afternoon it went on sale for $26.99, so I called and asked for the refund and they gave it to me! That is $19 back in my pocket.
Then I was so excited that I figured I would try to get back a processing fee that Overstock charged me in November (for those of you unaware about processing fees this was an item that I ordered online for $89 and then returned which Overstock only refunded HALF OF THE PRICE for because there was a hair on it. Hence the processing fee was that someone had to run a lint roller over an item, hence I was paying $45 dollars for someone to do 6 seconds of work and I am pretty sure Overstock is not paying their warehouse employees $40 per every 6 seconds so I was not having it.) Anyway, the order specialist put me on hold for less than a minute while he checked with his manager and then returned the $45 dollars back to my card and apologized. So kudos to them for great customer service and kudos to me for "making" a grand total of $64 yesterday. Try it. I'm obsessed.
2.24.2011
Tight on time
Just dropping in to say that Target's $7 Merona tights are the best ones ever!!! And Gap's $16 tights pretty much suck! Too shiny, too blotchy. Miss you all....
2.15.2011
2.02.2011
not guilty
In Afghanistan women can be imprisoned for leaving a husband who beats them, for not marrying the man their parents promised them to in childhood, for just being accused of having an affair. These women can even be imprisoned to serve the time for a crime the man she belongs to committed. What proof do the authorities need? The word of two men who say that she should be imprisoned. And here is the worst part of it: their female children are imprisoned with them.
What can we do? Buy this shirt. The proceeds go to The Afghan Women's Justice Project who helps non-profits provide proper nutrition, fix the condemned buildings they serve their sentences in, offer literacy classes for inmates and their children and last it trains wardens on human practices.
What can we do? Buy this shirt. The proceeds go to The Afghan Women's Justice Project who helps non-profits provide proper nutrition, fix the condemned buildings they serve their sentences in, offer literacy classes for inmates and their children and last it trains wardens on human practices.
Thanks always to Marie Claire who uses their valuable print space to inform women of projects that matter. I always appreciate that you are not a vapid publication which is why you are one of the few magazines that I will spend my hard earned dollars on.
Thank you thank you thank you to all who do this work.
Please see AWJP for more information on how you can help
1.31.2011
Vera and David sitting in a tree
Starting February 11th Vera Wang is releasing a collection for David's Bridal. The collection, dubbed "The White Collection", consists of wedding dresses priced from $600 to $1400 and the bridesmaid line will be coming along in June. Maybe we should plan a wedding dress party just so we can all wear one...
P.S. As per our friend E. we also recently found out that Anthropologie is designing a wedding dress series. More information will be forthcoming as soon as I get the scoop.
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|
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| oh la la |
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| All Photos via The Huffington Post |
1.26.2011
oh la la rose gold
i don't know why but i have become slowly obsessed with the soft pinkish glow of rose gold. i am a gold fan to begin with-it is the gypsy in me-but rose gold offers something softer but still striking that the woman in me really loves. and since i am already a watch fan, or as D., my BIL states it, "You love watches don't you, girl?"( my response? yes yes yes and they don't even have to work for me to wear them. true story.)
but the rose gold seems to me to be the ultimate lady's watch and maybe that is the catch because we girls now have so few reasons to be the ultimate lady-so little is expected of us that every time i put on lipstick people ask what the special occasion is. i mean, i am all for liberation but what about an occasional return to classic feminism, just once in a while? i think i'm going to try harder at it because it makes me feel truly lovely and i will be starting with rose gold on my wrist.
but the rose gold seems to me to be the ultimate lady's watch and maybe that is the catch because we girls now have so few reasons to be the ultimate lady-so little is expected of us that every time i put on lipstick people ask what the special occasion is. i mean, i am all for liberation but what about an occasional return to classic feminism, just once in a while? i think i'm going to try harder at it because it makes me feel truly lovely and i will be starting with rose gold on my wrist.
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| One of the few times I do not despise the branding nor the bling, very rare for me. Nordstrom |
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| I don't know that I think rose gold always goes with the sportiness of a chronograph style: but somehow the square shape keeps it sophisticated. Nordstrom |
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| I also don't usually prefer a white face on watches because I want them to look seamless like a bracelet but it works here because the Roman Numerals put it in the "eternally classic" category. I could wear this watch now or when I'm 60 and it will still work. It looks like something Katharine Hepburn would have worn and we all know how much I love her. Amazon |
1.25.2011
globes
isn't that what she always wears?
nicole kidman: i want more.
halle berry: i want less.
megan fox: just stop it.
helena bonham carter: with the rest of them i may have been joking a little but this is seriously what she wears every time. le sigh. i still love her though.
it breaks my heart but...
natalie portman's look was way too fussy for me and for her i think. though i must also confess my undying love. forever and ever. seriously. since both of us were like twelve.
michelle willams: no. wait, no. and no. perfect hair, makeup, face but that dress is too 8th grade for me. i know you have that pixie gamine thing going on, and IT REALLY WORKS FOR YOU, but you are still a woman not a child.
heidi klum: nope. but who can blame that girl for trying? her life is golden no matter what and in that situation i might just wear whatever i want too.
clair danes: as much as i try, i don't care for this look. but i am glad that the pink made her super happy.
50/50
kaley cuoco: this dress fills my almost daily wedding dress daydream but i am going to say that hair needed to be a bit punched up and that was the wrong necklace. but she is still young and clearly on the right path.
diana argon: love the dress, love the necklace but what is with the 1990's prom hair? you are wearing cartier woman show off that neckline. i honestly would have preferred a bun.
mila kunis's dress. though the accessorizing was nothing special the dress was fantastic.
sandra bullock: love the dress but think the badass rocker hair totally opposed the super-romantic feel of the dress. and don't give me that song and dance about doing opposites with several parts of an ensemble bc i know how that works and this isn't it.
olivia wild: this dress looks incredible. and then she left her hair looking like she just came back from a day at the beach. ugh.
love love love
amber riley: i might have put a different belt with it but she looked like a goddess.
january jones: mother of god woman, work it.
tina fey: that lady just knows she looks killer in a navy dress. kudos to her for going velvet too.
elizabeth moss: for playing such an awkward character she sure nailed this.
christina hendricks: mother load. even though a side bun might have been better with the giant rose on her shoulder i don't care. this woman does nothing in a small way and I love her more and more for it every time.
eva longoria: this was admittedly safe but still stunning.
anne hathaway: i liked it. shoulder pads and all, though i might have preferred it even more without them.
julianne moore: awesome. love a redhead who is not afraid of color and she IS NOT.
kiera sedgwick: orange orange orange. you hippie beast you.
julie bowden: yay! who doesn't want to be covered in marabou all day?
Please see the gallery at the Golden Globes site for pictures.
nicole kidman: i want more.
halle berry: i want less.
megan fox: just stop it.
helena bonham carter: with the rest of them i may have been joking a little but this is seriously what she wears every time. le sigh. i still love her though.
it breaks my heart but...
natalie portman's look was way too fussy for me and for her i think. though i must also confess my undying love. forever and ever. seriously. since both of us were like twelve.
michelle willams: no. wait, no. and no. perfect hair, makeup, face but that dress is too 8th grade for me. i know you have that pixie gamine thing going on, and IT REALLY WORKS FOR YOU, but you are still a woman not a child.
heidi klum: nope. but who can blame that girl for trying? her life is golden no matter what and in that situation i might just wear whatever i want too.
clair danes: as much as i try, i don't care for this look. but i am glad that the pink made her super happy.
50/50
kaley cuoco: this dress fills my almost daily wedding dress daydream but i am going to say that hair needed to be a bit punched up and that was the wrong necklace. but she is still young and clearly on the right path.
diana argon: love the dress, love the necklace but what is with the 1990's prom hair? you are wearing cartier woman show off that neckline. i honestly would have preferred a bun.
mila kunis's dress. though the accessorizing was nothing special the dress was fantastic.
sandra bullock: love the dress but think the badass rocker hair totally opposed the super-romantic feel of the dress. and don't give me that song and dance about doing opposites with several parts of an ensemble bc i know how that works and this isn't it.
olivia wild: this dress looks incredible. and then she left her hair looking like she just came back from a day at the beach. ugh.
love love love
amber riley: i might have put a different belt with it but she looked like a goddess.
january jones: mother of god woman, work it.
tina fey: that lady just knows she looks killer in a navy dress. kudos to her for going velvet too.
elizabeth moss: for playing such an awkward character she sure nailed this.
christina hendricks: mother load. even though a side bun might have been better with the giant rose on her shoulder i don't care. this woman does nothing in a small way and I love her more and more for it every time.
eva longoria: this was admittedly safe but still stunning.
anne hathaway: i liked it. shoulder pads and all, though i might have preferred it even more without them.
julianne moore: awesome. love a redhead who is not afraid of color and she IS NOT.
kiera sedgwick: orange orange orange. you hippie beast you.
julie bowden: yay! who doesn't want to be covered in marabou all day?
Please see the gallery at the Golden Globes site for pictures.
1.20.2011
courtesy of the Nate Berkus show...
so, here is a really cool website that Nate Berkus mentioned on his show that i wanted to share with all the savvy birds out there. it is called 1SaleaDay and offers one electronic, one watch, one jewelry piece, and one family item at an enormous discount every day. case in point the citron studs below for....wait for it...$2.99 down from $89.99! i might just make this site my new start up screen...
1.19.2011
speaking of which...
as i did in the post below for a friend's birthday party, if you would like to send an event that you need an outfit for please feel free! let me know some critical information like the responses to the questions below and i will put up some outfits and accessories that you can buy online for your event.
1. What is the event?
Example: Meeting the parents!, First Date, Throwing a Dinner party for my Colleagues
2. How do you want to come across?
Example: Interesting, Sexy/Fun, Capable
3. How would you characterize your body?
Example: Pear-sharped, Super-tall, Busty
4: What are silhouettes you are comfortable in?
Example: A-line, Body Hugging, Wide Leg Pants
5. What would you never wear?
Example: Mini-skirts, Sleeveless Outfits, Heels Higher than 2 inches
6. How would you describe your style?
Example: minimalist, Romantic, Professional, Casual
7. Name someone who's style you love.
Example: Halle Berry, Nate Berkus, Miranda Kerr
8. List some colors that you like/dislike on yourself.
Example: LIKE: plum, chartreuse, creme
DISLIKE: pastels, optic white
9. Give me some general sizes of yours.
Example: 14, XS, Size 9 foot, 36 inch waist
10: Describe an outfit you love on yourself.
Example: My favorite outfit is a white t-shirt and jeans with Frye boots, I love putting on my one-shoulder chiffon dress with gold foil, I can't get enough of my class black sheath and pearls.
1. What is the event?
Example: Meeting the parents!, First Date, Throwing a Dinner party for my Colleagues
2. How do you want to come across?
Example: Interesting, Sexy/Fun, Capable
3. How would you characterize your body?
Example: Pear-sharped, Super-tall, Busty
4: What are silhouettes you are comfortable in?
Example: A-line, Body Hugging, Wide Leg Pants
5. What would you never wear?
Example: Mini-skirts, Sleeveless Outfits, Heels Higher than 2 inches
6. How would you describe your style?
Example: minimalist, Romantic, Professional, Casual
7. Name someone who's style you love.
Example: Halle Berry, Nate Berkus, Miranda Kerr
8. List some colors that you like/dislike on yourself.
Example: LIKE: plum, chartreuse, creme
DISLIKE: pastels, optic white
9. Give me some general sizes of yours.
Example: 14, XS, Size 9 foot, 36 inch waist
10: Describe an outfit you love on yourself.
Example: My favorite outfit is a white t-shirt and jeans with Frye boots, I love putting on my one-shoulder chiffon dress with gold foil, I can't get enough of my class black sheath and pearls.
1.14.2011
let's say...
let's say you are a lovely woman,
let's say you are thinking about having a birthday party
let's say you are hesitating bc you aren't used to doing nice things for yourself,
what do we say to that?
we say (say it with me now, birds)... DO IT!
and whether it is an intimate dinner party with a few friends or a happening cocktail party complete with mangotinis here are a few options for you...
let's say you are thinking about having a birthday party
let's say you are hesitating bc you aren't used to doing nice things for yourself,
what do we say to that?
we say (say it with me now, birds)... DO IT!
and whether it is an intimate dinner party with a few friends or a happening cocktail party complete with mangotinis here are a few options for you...
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| Fanciful print with a sophisticated shape Modcloth |
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| Hot Shape, Fun Color JCrew |
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| Soft shaping in a birthday girl color Anthropologie |
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| Understated, interesting, and soft to the touch (like you!) Modcloth |
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| Beautiful colors and interesting patterns makes for great conversation with the cuties in the room Anthropologie |
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| Classic shape, subtle color and pattern mean you can wear some eye-catching shoes as well Anthropologie |
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| Nothing says home like a sweater and nothing says party like some sequins JCrew |
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