Arts Festival

This past weekend was filled with errands, errands and more errands. Owning a house is a lot of work let me tell you. A LOT of work. We did manage to squeeze in a little bit of "fun time" by heading down to the Columbus Arts Festival. Like I mentioned last year in this post, I truly look forward to this event every year. I really love the array of art at the show - handbags, photographs, jewelry, hammocks, prints, life-size animals made of nails (yes, you read that right) - really, tons and tons of stuff to peruse and keep you entertained.

We wandered around the artist's booths, drank excessively sweet lemonade and listened to some live music. All in all, a perfect day.

I walked away with this AMAZING print by Christina Smith (you can view more of her work here) that I'm totally jazzed about hanging in our house:
I plan on framing this gem and spending hours upon hours staring at these adorable little pelicans. Now I just need to find the perfect spot for it...

[source: gcac; photo cred: christina smith]

Tee Party

Yowza, it's been a while! I'm not even going to apologize this time because I seem to get in these little "no blogging spurts" every once in a while and hey, that's OK, right? It always happens around big, life-changing events (um, hello, we bought a house AND I'm working full-time!), so I think that's fairly justifiable.

Anyway, I'm easing my way back into blogging because I love it and I missed it. My first "I'm back" post features something so easy and so simple, yet helpful and extremely relatable. I came across this article on InStyle entitled "8 Ways to Dress Up Your Tee." Like I said, pretty simple stuff, but informative nonetheless. I often times overlook some of these pairings, so it's nice to have a little style refresher every now and again.

It's a great little slideshow and you can check it out here. Hey, any excuse to wear a tee is pretty awesome in my book.

[source: instyle; photo cred: gap]

Dude, where's my blog?

Wow, I've been really, really bad about this whole blogging thing. I guess my New Year's resolution didn't hold up too well. Is there such a thing as New Month resolutions? If so, that being "a better, more consistent blogger" thing is definitely mine for May.

So take that.

UPDATE: I meant June...

Modern Military

A slim and sleek cargo pant, complete with a skinny-leg silhouette? Don't mind if I do.

[photo cred: martin + osa]

Peachy Keen

How pretty are these lovely peachy pieces? Now, pastels aren't normally my cup of tea, however I find myself completely enamored with this gorgeous shade. Great as an all over color, as in Anthro's "Drifting By Dress," or just the right added peachy punch, as in this J.Crew "Sunray Sequin Tee" and/or these Alenxander Wang "Natasha Pumps."

[photo creds: anthro, j.crew, barneys]

Two's Better Than One

One statement jewelry piece is great, but two? Well, two's just tops. Loving the double cuff look on these pretty ladies.

[photo cred: instyle]

Stripes and Coffee

An unbeatable combination.

[photo cred: stockholm street style]

House of Harlow 1960 Shoes

I was pretty jazzed when I first heard Nicole Richie was adding shoes to her House of Harlow 1960 collection. I've been lucky enough to view her jewelry line up close and personal (at Ladybird, of course!) and let me tell you, it's pretty fabulous. Her jewels are extremely heavy duty and very beautiful, which leads me to believe her shoe line won't disappoint!

Here are a couple pairs from the House of Harlow 1960 shoe collection I'm currently lusting over:

Pearl Scaled Leather Heel

Black Brigit Flat

Want to shop the shoes? Head on over to Singer22 or Kitson.

[photo creds: kitson]

Pretty in White

Ladies, it's time to retire that LBD for the spring and summer months and invest in a LWD. Translation? A little white dress. Instead of playing it safe in black, try out this trend for your next big event. I can tell you firsthand you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results (I thought I'd look super washed out or bear resemblance to a marshmallow, but I loved the look!).

Choose a piece that soft and flowy, with a dash of femininity, and trust me, you won't be disappointed.

My pick? This gorgeous little number by Pavonine (available at Ladybird!).
[photo creds: the cut, pavonine]

Listening to:

Devendra Banhart - "Bad Girl"

Both this song and the artist were recently introduced to me by my music-loving husband. He played "Bad Girl" for me first, knowing I'd love it (I'm a sucker for pretty slow songs) and then acquainted me with the rest of Banhart's repertoire. And it's a good thing he eased me into his music because, at times, it can be a little cooky.

James Piatt Bags

As Racked said, I can't decide if these bags are creepy or cool. James Piatt's handcrafted bags take on the form of Paris Hilton's chihuahua Tinkerbell, a machine gun, brass knuckles, and screaming abandoned babies. Even if you don't love them, you've got to admit they're interesting (to say the least!).

The handbags are available online and are priced from about $85 to $1,000. Check them out here.

[source and photo creds: racked]

You got it, dude.

Who knew little Michelle Tanner would grow up to be so chic? Mary-Kate attended the Burberry show during London Fashion Week looking ultra stylish in her black ensemble, complete with subtle touches of color in her accessories. Love!

[source and photo cred: fabsugar]

Romper Room

I've recently started coming around to the idea of wearing a romper. When I first saw them popping up all over the place last year, I was a little hesitant (to say the least) to give this style a go. However, after seeing all the great new rompers out this season and viewing endless photos of designer's Spring 2010 runway shows featuring this trend (Hermes, Stella McCartney, Derek Lam, Karl Lagerfeld, Elie Tahari, Valentino, Anna Sui, Ports 1961, Marc Jacobs...the list goes on and on...my, rompers are so very tres chic!), I've found I really do enjoy the look and practicality of a romper.

Pair this look with stacked/wedge heels, a vintage belt, a fitted blazer and lots of jewels and you're good to go!

Here are some of my current faves:

Corey Lynn Calter - Available at Ladybird!

Only Hearts "So Fine Keyhole Romper"

Shoshanna "Ruffle Front Romper"

[photo creds: latimes, shopbop, bloomingdale's]

Garden Patch

One MAJOR downfall to apartment living is space...or, I should say lack of space. With only a couple rooms, limited parking and no yard, it's difficult to really feel comfortable and own/do things I would otherwise LOVE to own/do. Specifically, I've always, always wanted to grow my very own garden. Nothing big, nothing fancy, just some herbs, tomatoes and other various veggies I can consume fresh on a daily basis.

And, looking through these photos of photographer Dan Martensen and his girlfriend Shannan Click at home on The Selby make me yearn for my imaginary garden even more.
Other examples of things I'd love to own include: bikes, a fire pit, a cute dog, etc...and things I'd want to do: decorate, have friends over, dance and sing at the top of my lungs.

[photo creds: the selby]

l.a.m.b.

The always fabulous Gwen Stefani debuted L.A.M.B.'s Fall 2010 collection on the first day of New York Fashion Week and from the looks of the pictures, it was amazing!

According to Stefani, she based her collection "on this vintage, naughty Hollywood girl — starlet girl, and then a little bit of a modern, futuristic girl, and a little bit of a soldier girl." Sounds like a whole lotta different girls mixed into one!

Though I have to say, browsing through the looks you can definitely see Stefani's unique, edgy style present within the collection. Each piece reflects what she'd typically wear. Frankly, I'd LOVE to wear any of these looks myself!

Read the full story/interview here.

[source and photo cred: fabsugar]

Round and Round

The revival of round sunglasses?? According to many fashion blogs, runway shows and designer collections, these circular specs are back in a big way.

Will you be sporting these unique, retro shades?

[source: ny mag, photo cred: shopbop]

A Lace Affair

One spring trend I'm definitely jumping on the bandwagon for is lace. I've always loved the pretty, feminine feel of this fabric and I am beyond thrilled there's so much of it currently out there. Every time I put on a lace top or a lace-embellished accessory, I instantly feel more confident and ladylike. Truly a perfect addition to any basic outfit.

Here's a peek at a few of the pieces I'm slightly obsessing over:

Anthropologie's Field Game Cardigan

Anna Sui's Embroidered Lace Dress

Topshop's Lace Blouse

Aurélie Bidermann's Gold Lace Cuff

[photo creds: anthro, net-a-porter, topshop]