Month: January 2014

Be Mine This Valentine’s

Carrie1 Comment
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The heart garland is available at Pier 1 Imports. At $5.95, it is not worth taking the time to make it yourself.

In an effort to get my beau in the mood for Valentine’s Day, I decided I would decorate the house for when he comes to visit this week.  I know it’s a little early to celebrate, but let’s be honest…shouldn’t everyday be Valentine’s Day.  We should appreciate our other half everyday of the year.  In the past, I have not been quite as eager to give in to the Hallmark holiday but this year I must say I put it in gear.  As I got out my decorations, I was sadly disappointed with the two owl tea towels on which say “Who loves you?” (which was a sad reminder of my singledom last year and I remember wanting to burn it) and a coordinating owl serving platter.  This year I decided I needed to up my Valentine’s game.  I said to myself “Never fear for Pinterest is here!” in my superhero voice.  I’m sure you all find yourself saying that at times.  Anyway this is what I came up with.  I hope you have as much fun playing Cupid as I have!

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I made this garland that you can find on my Valentine’s Day Pin Board. I used pages of Pride and Prejudice and hot glue to make the pinwheels. Then I used scrapbook paper, Mod Podge, and glitter to decorate the pinwheels. I hot glued the finished pinwheels onto ribbon. I adhered marbles on the side you don’t see as weights to make it hang straight. The finished product really makes the mantel look festive.
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These are zipper heart ornaments that I created from inspiration I pulled from Pinterest. Check out my Valentine’s Day Pin Board for this idea and some more I found interesting.
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I got the conversation heart ornaments from Lillian Vernon.
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I used Valentine’s fabric as the tree skirt.
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I used a pink depression cake plate for an updated napkin holder. I simply framed the napkins with glass beads from Pier 1 Imports.
I used a cake stand for the centerpiece of my dining room table. The glass beads and the candles are from Pier 1 Imports.
I used a cake stand for the centerpiece of my dining room table. The glass beads and the candles are from Pier 1 Imports.
This is an old retro server that I turned into a centerpiece for my coffee table. I bought the hearts and candle at Pier 1 Imports. I thought outside the box and bought the candle at 75% off because they were in the Christmas clearance section. The candle ended up being about $2.50.
This is an old retro server that I turned into a centerpiece for my coffee table. I bought the hearts and candle at Pier 1 Imports. I thought outside the box and bought the candle at 75% off because they were in the Christmas clearance section. The candle ended up being about $2.50.

Workout Wear

Sadie1 Comment

Usually I buy workout gear 24/7/365, I love it. But I realized recently that I kind of took a hiatus this past six months. I was so concentrated on buying suits and suit adjacent things for work, that workout gear took a backseat. Well, enough of that! I would much rather buy neon spandex than black wool, believe me!

Here is combination of my current favorites and wish list:

My best friend recently bought these from Athleta and I’m totally jealous:

Athleta Capris

It’s a little hard to tell but they’re call “stardust” and they basically look like purple and black leopard print. Fantastic! Apparently Athleta’s standard fabric cocktail (% spandex vs. % cotton, etc) is only one percent different than Lulu’s, so it’s basically the same quality with a more affordable price tag (I saw that tidbit in an article last month that I can’t find…).

And these look like good running/spinning capris from Under Armour:

UA capris

They have a zipper on the lower back/butt which is why I say running or spinning. Not optimal for rolling around in Pilates…

I just got this long sleeve from UA that is great for running in chilly weather:

UA long sleeve

It might be hard to tell in the photo, but it’s metallic and shiny! So that means it needed to come home with me.

When it comes to inside workouts though, I think this tank from UA needs to get into my closet:

UA mesh shirt

I have a couple other mesh tanks from UA and I love them! This looks like a slightly different cut so I need to add it to my collection.

Also I keep seeing Nike’s Dry Fit shirts like this one that look and feel really soft and stretchy, but I can’t decide if the clingy nature would be kind of unflattering when I’m at the gym (in case you didn’t know, Arlington’s Gold’s Gym is a dress to impress atmosphere):

Nike dry fit

And PS- in case you didn’t know, printed leggings are in. According to everyone. Do it.

Nike leggings

The SAG Awards’ Best and Worst

Sadie1 Comment

Here we go with the second awards show of the season. I thought there were some higher highs and some lower lows from a fashion perspective as compared to the Golden Globes last week. The name of the game was simple and perfectly tailored. It’s the busier, blousier dresses where people seemed to get into trouble. (photos from People.com again)

The Best:

Amy Adams: This blue is spot on for her red hair and fair complexion. Though her Golden Globes look got praise, I think this was an improvement.

Amy Adams

Jennifer Garner: Super simple, nothing new, but dare I say perfect? It’s hard to look better than this.

Jennifer Garner

Cara Theobold: I don’t know who this is, but she can pick a dress. I like how this is nothing outrageous, but it’s not the average sleeve, or print placement. Classic but interesting.

Cara Theobold

Elisabeth Moss: It’s got to be difficult picking several perfect dresses to wear throughout awards season. Elisabeth is definitely off to a great start this season. Plus she got the orange-red memo like many others this year as well.

Elisabeth Moss

The Worst:

Claire Danes: This one has a lot of different textures going on and a weird cut, plus her makeup looks a little scary to me. Not my favorite from Ms. Danes.

Claire Danes

Edie Falco: Can you say unflattering? Between the silhouette and the bohemian print, I don’t really understand why she made this choice.

Edie Falco

Amanda Peet: Is she serious? In what world is this flattering, pretty, or glamorous? Amanda needs a refresher course on red carpet fashion.

Amanda Peet

Meryl Streep: I didn’t want to have to do this, because it’s Meryl. I wasn’t going to, but she was mediocre at the Golden Globes as well. She’s just not trying anymore. I get it, it’s not her thing to find a fabulous gown, but we can do better than this Meryl.

Meryl Streep

What are your thoughts?