LOVES: For Love & Lemons Kimono

 I've been obsessed with this kimono ever since I first laid eyes on it in the showroom of my internship over a year ago. They had white in stock and I wasn't necessarily sold on the color, but the fabric + lace trim was so great. Not sure why it's taken me until NOW to order it in black...but it's mine! It goes with everything...e v e r y t h i n g. I'm already pretty excited about wearing it over bikinis this summer too! This morning was pretty chilly so, instead of the dress I had in mind, I ended up just throwing on jeans and a tee then added my kimono for an instant splash of fancy. Not to mention...it's gorgeous outside for some chiffon!

Tee - Wildfox, Hat - American Apparel, Boots - Sam Edelman, Kimono - For Love & Lemons

LOVES: Black Cats, Sweet Tarts, + Faux Fur

Today was a wonderful Halloween day! I didn't make any specific plans this year, as my Indy love and Halloween extraordinaire, Travis, moved to the East coast leaving us all very confused and lonely this holiday. I didn't splurge on (AT LEAST) three DIY costumes like usual...just one for Chichi. Instead, I ended up having multiple wardrobe changes for my very busy day of running errands, playing with Fang, painting, and card shopping. Surprise surprise, I had MANY Halloween appropriate options in my closet...

Sweater - One Grey Day, Cross Tee - F21, Booties - DV by Dolce Vita, Faux Fur Infinity Scarf - Target

Booties - DV by Dolce Vita

Sweater - h&m, Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell, Skull Blouse - Unknown

DIY: Crystal Skull Wine Toppers

Last week I was taking a fun stroll through Target in their Halloween section and was so excited when I found these fun skull wine toppers for about five bucks each. I picked up two for my friends from Pittsburgh who were visiting me in KY, one for my best friend's birthday, and of course...one for me. Even though they are perfect as is, I had an idea to make them perfect little McQueen-inspired gifts.

What you'll need: black nail polish, clear nail polish, assorted crystals, tweezers

 

Before I started, I filled in the eye sockets of the skull with some black nail polish. This is definitely optional, but I liked the way it added a little extra depth.

 

I'll note that the first time I tried gluing in the crystals, I used a strong clear super-glue. It worked fine until it dried. It did NOT dry very clear and residue ended up getting all over the skull. for the second trial, I used a clear nail polish. It holds just as strong and dries completely clear and shiny. I put a generous amount of clear nail polish in the eye sockets, waited for it to dry a LITTLE so that it was a little tacky, then placed the crystals in the eye sockets with tweezers.

 

I set the toppers into water bottles while they dried (overnight).

 

I really liked the green + emerald crystals and you can't go wrong with an original clear. I got an assortment bag with red, orange, blue, purple, green, and clear. Any of these would look great!

 

Now pop open your favorite bottle of vino and enjoy your toppers as a great decoration + convo starter! HAPPY HALLOWEEN WEEK!

LOVES: Grey City

Even though I started dressing and preparing for Fall way before Summer had ended, I am still way too excited about my new finds and purchases for the best season of the year. So far, my absolute favorite Fall statement are my new Grey City Bandit platforms. The whole collection is without a doubt my new favorite and on the top of my wishlist. Today I wore them with coated black skinnies, an oversized sweater, and House of Harlow cat-eye sunnies for a major badass moment (or five). I can't wait to expand my GC collection!

Pants - h&m, Sweater - F21, Handbag - Target, Beanie - h&m, Sunnies - House of Harlow, Shoes - Grey City

 

 

 

"Like" Grey City's Facebook page and check out their new Fall collection

Must-Haves: CAT POWER

Black cat prints + accessories are a super(stitious) trend right now...and just in time for Halloween! Of course, wearing your feline fashions beyond the creepy holiday is totally acceptable. While I'm partial to any black cat trend even more now (I adopted one recently named Fang), you can definitely show a softer side with kitten prints in playful colors on cardigans and scarves. MEOW.

 

 

Clockwise from left: Kitty Loafers - Urban Outfitters, Sweater - Wildfox, Scarf - Coolforcatsuk.com, MEOW tee - UNIF, iPhone case - eBid.com, Cat Nap ring - Feline Fatale/etsy.com

LOVES: Stars + Fringe

I can't tell you enough how much I love this Woodleigh fringe cape! Since I got it from Excess Baggage earlier this year I have probably worn it with just about everything from just jeans + a tee and even as a beach cover up! Oh, and it IS as fun to twirl around in as it looks. 

 

 

 

 

Cape - Woodleigh, Blouse - Nasty Gal, Cut-offs - Mink Pink, Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell

Weekly Recap

Is it me or has this Sunday felt like an eternity? I am shamelessly still lounging around in bed at 6PM waiting until my birthday guest arrives so we can make cupcakes + watch the Roseanne Roast. I was going through my Instagram and cleaning up the photos on my phone and thought I'd share with you my favorites from this week.

Sweet Hearts

 

This week I decided to whip up some of my Grandma's favorite strawberry cupcakes to bring to her as a thank you for buying me a handful of massages for my birthday. I tried something new (for me) with this recipe. I cored + filled them with an AMAZING strawberry fruit spread and topped with a cute little strawberry heart. She loved them!

Fashion Head

 

My parents have been remodeling most of our home for the last few months and my rooms are finally (just about) done! I've been having so much fun putting my things back in my room and organizing (totally normal) EVERYTHING. My bookshelves are filled once again with my favorite books and...stuff.

Pop Of Color

 

On my way home from Cincinnati last Sunday, I stopped by the mall hoping to find some goodies from H&M. After a very disappointing skim of the store, I ended up just going to Forever 21 and finding these adorable neon heart socks. They were so cheap I bought them in black, bright blue, and neon yellow. I LOVE pairing them with my Jeffrey Campbell studded flats....and basically everything.

Joseph Gordon Lemme Mary You

 

Uhhhh....HELLO! Continuing my crush on JGL after seeing The Dark Knight Rises this week AND after seeing this while walking down the magazine isle. There is nothing...NOTHING...better than a man in a suit.

I Love The 90's

 

My Mom has also been organizing her newly painted + furnished office and I have been going through her drawers of old photos. Found this gem of 6 year old me in what has to be the best outfit ever. I remember loving this cat sweatshirt so much + I wore those hiking boots with EVERYTHING. They were also my go-to shoes at amusement parks because homegirl was never tall enough for any of the rides!

So those were the highlights of my week. What were yours?