besides being drop dead gorgeous and having a killer bod, zoe saldana has style. she is always looking of-the-moment but somewhat classic at the same time. rarely over the top (for the exception, see her purple ombre ocscar dress!) and never overtly sexy, she is always a head-turner. you’ll see her in a lot of looks straight from the runway, but she carries them in a way that appears more approachable. my favorite is the last look – i just love a surprise back, and that one is awesome.
in college, i was part of a sorority, where i met some of the greatest women you could possibly imagine – smart, fun, spunky, i could go on and on. we were very involved in all the greek ‘stuff’, and for some reason, we decorated everything we did for rush, skits, etc. with glitter…and we were known for it all over campus. i saw this the other day, and it brought back such fun memories of that time. i’m also cooking up a project for our playroom involving glitter, and i’m excited about working with the sparkly stuff again.
i am beyond lucky to have a great group of buddies from college that live here in kc, and more coming back soon! we took our herd to the deanna rose farmstead last week, and i cannot say enough about it. it’s filled with all kinds of farm animals – cows, horses, goats, sheep, chickens, and more – some you can pet and feed. if you live in kc and have kiddos, it’s a must-do. it’s big, clean, and super interactive for the kids. just don’t bring your own food if you want to eat in the farmstead – we got in trouble for that. oops.
{gage and beckett checking out the goats}
{kellen – i can hear him saying ‘cheeeese’}
{rachelle and lynley – you might recognize rachelle from the maternity pics i took}
{allie taking a break}
{parker-man, not too interested in mugging for the camera}
{b-man sat still for approximately 12 seconds, enough time to take one picture}
i can’t help sharing these next two pics. miller and beckett were having a bonding moment after we got home that afternoon. bonding = miller licking beckett, and beckett laughing his little buns off. they are becoming such good buddies.
this chick is cool, that’s all there is to it. alexa chung caught my eye when i was shopping for hair styles, and she was featured in the september issue of in style, which i read religiously. i couldn’t pull off half of what she does, but she does inspire me to push the envelope.
i love fall – we begin to get a break from the hot temps, football is in full swing, my wardrobe is transitioning, and the leaves are thinking about changing. i have always felt that it can be a time for reinvention, and this year i went kinda big. see that pony tail below? a few short hours ago, it was attached to my head. it actually looks kind of creepy, right? well, i didn’t request to keep it just because. i’m donating it to beautiful lengths. i’ve wanted to do it for a long time, but never had hair long enough to where it wouldn’t be a pixie if i cut this much. so, i’m happy it worked out this time.
i’ve done a drastic cut like this several times, but i was extra anxious today. i guess because it’s been quite a while since my hair has been short. i sat in my hairdresser’s seat, and i got her endorsement to make the big chop. back it went into a ponytail, and then the unmistakable sound of it being cut. i looked up, and she said ‘don’t give me that look. there’s no going back now.’ the moment my hair fell, i already loved it. she cleaned it up, gave me a few curls, and here’s the new look.
it’ll never look this good again – because i am not good with hair – but at least i feel good tonight.
it was a gray and rainy weekend filled with football, and a giant pot of soup seemed a fitting way to cap it off. this is a super flavorful soup that’s pretty healthy, though we balanced the healthy bit with a grilled cheese. i used this recipe from ina. it ended up being a little more work than i really planned on, but it was worth it in the end, and we have a ton of leftovers.
first step is roasting tomatoes and doing all the chopping. the only modification i made was adding a red pepper in the beginning with the onions. i thought it would add more flavor than it actually did – i may try more next time.
assemble the soup and cook for 45 minutes…
send it all through the food processor, warm it back up, and voila!
rachel bilson is another celeb whose style i like to watch. i feel like she’s always on trend without being too trendy, and she always looks just like herself. she knows what works on her petite frame, as you’ll see some recurring themes – blazers, scarfs, ankle boots, and wayfarers for example. ladylike or casual, she’s always hitting the nail on the head.
if you can sew a straight line, you can sew a pillow with a hidden zipper! pinky swear.
i followed this great tutorial and turned out two pillows during one of becket’s naps last week. they turned out great, and i’m wondering why it took me so long to do this. i followed them up with two more, and now our couches are finally ‘dressed’.
my tips:
– take the time to pre-wash your fabric if you want to be able to launder the pillows after they’re complete. i used lightweight upholstery fabric from premier prints and it weathered the wash and dry with flying colors. not all fabric will, so just proceed with caution there – you may want to wash and dry a small piece first to see how your fabric will hold up.
– make sure you iron your fabric before you cut your squares and do the seams as you work and at the end – it’s worth the 5 extra minutes of work – and the tutorial will prompt you.
– my last bit of advice is to buy good inserts that you can keep for a long time. i prefer down, and i picked mine up at nell hill’s. my 16×16 inserts were $16, but i’ll probably have these forever, and all i have to do is whip up a new pillowcase when i get bored with these. i’d say each pillowcase cost me about $5 between fabric and the zipper, which is a bargain in my book!
have you been on the edge of your seat all day long just waiting to see what i brought home from the antique mall and put my spin on?? that’s what i thought. well, without further ado (i had to look that up), here she is…
oh boy, can you believe i bought that?? a search for a coffee table is what instigated my trip to the antique mall in the first place, so it was a successful outing. we wanted to replace the ottoman in our family room, and since we have a toddler (yes, he’s walking!), we need to have a coffee table with soft edges and corners. i knew i wanted to give something a fairly major overhaul, so i was really just looking for the right legs, and she had them. my idea was to upholster the top of the table, turning a dowdy coffee table into a pretty cool ottoman. here’s the finished product. (tomorrow, the how-to!)
chasingshinyobjects.com 