I Heart .....

I got these babies at a little clothing shop at the Town Center Mall while in Boca. While I absolutely love them, today's the first day that I attempt to wear them because well... two things are irking me.


1. They're incredibly white. Like blinding white. Like I'm not scene/hip/hop enough to rock shoes this white.
Since it rained all night, and its supposed to pour later, I figured today's the day!

2. They're blank. My issue isn't that I can't think of something to fill in the blank, it's that I have waaaaay too many things that would suit the empty space just fine... How could I choose just one or two?


I ♥ ________...
nutella • Boca Raton • SKing • MTher • nicknames • Riesling • Climax, GA • lunch dates • Hello Kitty • Words with Friends • lederhosen • BCBG • pesto cream sauce • milkshakes • GChat • the oilfield • hugging it out • skype • ninjas • greeting cards • motivational speeches • forms • interventions • Royal Pains • blogging • twitter • crepes • self help books • being ridiculous • abbreviating words • catching up • convertibles • randomness • hand sanitizer • iPhones • bb cream • vanilla bean fraps • mobster movies • snail mail • picnik • shitshows • charity events • baked salmon rolls at Tsubaki • road trips • Almaza • Olliekins • my godson • Woodchuck • witty people • Frenglish & Fralley • british comedies • late night phone calls • painted toes • instant film • kawaii • comments • online sale sites • celebrity gossip • cuddles on the couch with my besties • adventures in cooking • festivals • dive bars • being classy • inside jokes


So tell me, what should I put in the fresh white blanks of my new converse??
How would YOU fill in the blank??

To Each His Own...

So, everyones got their obsessions...

Some have their 'staches. Others have their Owls. And some even have their Lilly.

And while I think they're all adorable and completely loveable...

nothing has really "wooed my soul."

That is until I found my latest obsesh!

ARMADILLOS!

Yes... I know you're all "Crazy Southern Lady says whaaaaaaaa?"

But a few weeks back, I heard a truly hilarious story about an armadillo encounter

and now I can't help but giggle and smile every time I see one.

So you're sitting there going "Uhh...yeah that's cool and all, but Armadillo's aren't exactly the cutest thing to be obsessed with...."

Um. Well I scoured the internet and youre right....

Take a slighty odd animal and pair it with people's "etsy-ism"

You wind up with some pretty creepster stuff.

BUT I managed to weed through the creep,

and I'm proud to bring you the cutest armadillo stuff around.


Snuggle up with a Plush Armadillo




Channel a little Friends with The Holiday Armadillo T-Shirt



Bake up some delish Armadillo Cookies with this cookie cutter



Or give your steaks a little Armadillo branding



A lovely little original print



A onesie for your wee one



A lovely little print for the office



Just bought this pair of swirly armadillo notecards



Just love the colors in this print



Perhaps an armadillo decal for your laptop or mirror?



A women's screen printed v-neck shirt


But perhaps my favorite would be.....



If only I were brave and kooky enough to buy unisex armadillo boxer briefs for all my friends...

Thug with a Mug

Oh yeah... Thats a personalized crawfish mug made just for yours truly.Who's a little bit of a badass?
Thats right.I am.


Mug from the lovely and oh-so talented ( & I truly mean that.... mugs, pillows, ribbons, bags, coozies - they do it all!) folks at Fine Thread Art.

Hello There Lover

Move on over iPhone, I've got a new inanimate object to commit my affections to.
This hot little thang finally made its way to my doorstep yesterday, and to say I'm in lust is a complete understatement.
We've reached a point where I'm handing off the purse to various folks and asking them to "work it" so I can admire it from afar as I note the quality of the leather and the absolute genius that are the zippered compartments.
Best part of all? I didn't have to hock a kidney on the black market to afford her. (Yes, I'm now assigning gender to the bag) I got this $180 bag for less than $50 through what can only be described as a label whore's best friend, Ideeli.
Excuse me while I go (metaphorically) make out with the hotness that is.


((Now Ideeli is by invite only, so if you want to know more or want an invite -
e-mail me or leave a comment!))

GP: Shades of Color

Happy Thursday lovie-dovies! While I haven't left for my weekend trip yet, I dooo have the first guest post in my little series for you guys! Today's guest poster is Miss Katie from one of my top 5 favorite blogs, Off Switch. My love for this cheery gal and her blog may be what some consider "stalker-ish." - srsly, just check twitter and see what I'm talking about. It's just that I love anything she puts out there... it's all so.... refreshing. Did I mention she has a killer eye for etsy finds? See what I mean below!

---

first thing's first, thank you so much kora for inviting me

to do my very first bloggie guest post! i'm so thrilled to be here!

---------------

ok, ok... now let's get down to business!
my name is katie, and usually you can find me over at my

daily blog called off switch, where i post on just about

anything that tickles my fancy at a given point in time...

lately, i've been compiling some of my etsy favs in a series

i like to call, shades of color... so, without further ado,

here is the newest edition in the series:

yellow!

{dandy apple, $10.00}

{12 fifteen, 8 coasters, $12.00}

{giant dwarf, $30.00}

{tangle and fold, $20.00}

{alchemic muse, one bar, $6.00}

{replicca, $55.00}

{roundabout, $21.00}

{namolio, $8.55}

{dude and chick, $4.50}

if you like my shades of color collections,

check out past ones here!

-------------

before i go i wanted to leave you all with a link to my

etsy shop called off switch designs, where i sell my

handmade greeting cards.

have a wonderful thursday everyone!

{ps: don't forget to laugh today!}

Keep Your Louboutins...

I don't want em'...

...Cause today I'm rockin' these babies.

Nike Limited Lace Dunks.

awww yeah.

Thrifty Lady

Last weekend, I popped into the local Sephora with my mum to help her pick out a new foundation. I prepped myself by repeating "There's nothing I need in here," seeing as how I already own way more make-up than one girl could ever apply. I've found myself in possession of one crazy-out-of-control makeup stash - we're talking 4 or 5 tackle boxes full. I love it all - lip glosses, eye shadows, foundations, primers - everything. And being completely honest... I'm a total makeup snob. I like the good stuff.

But let's face it...the good stuff ain't cheap.

I've been pretty vigilant about sticking to my budget, so when it comes to making a visit to my mecca, Sephora, I've learned its best to leave the plastic and the checkbook in the car. I walked in to the Holy Land with a $20 bill my back pocket and my spending mantra on repeat in my head. But after a collision with the clearance section and a 5 minute mental conversation weighing my options, I walked back out the door with $3 in my pocket and a little bag filled with 4 fabulous Stila finds...

Ready for my rationalization?

Stila Color Push Ups in Rose Flash

Regular Price $17 // Sale Price $4

Stila Gel Cheek Color in Pink Flush

Regular Price $15 // Sale Price $4

Stila Liquid Lip Stain in Pucker

Regular Price $20 // Sale Price $4

Stila Lip Glaze Stick in Fruit Punch

Regular Price $17 // Sale Price $4

Regular Total $69 //Sale Total $16 // Money Saved $53

Nothing more economic than a thrifty splurge right??

PS: Don't forget to celebrate with me and enter my easy-peasy giveaway from Ellen Ishee Studios!

Sunday Shopping

Inspired by the latest giveaway at Rockstar Diaries, I did a little online shopping today at Shabby Apple. I have a few things coming up that I need dresses for so...

I scooped up this little number.....

...and this one as well.

Can't wait for them to come in so I can play dress up and match them up with shoes and clutches. Hurrah!

Little Thing 22

Candlelit bubble baths on a Wednesday night - specifically a bubble bath with Indonesian Teak tea lights in my clearance priced Slovenian glass candle holders

Newsflash: It's not 1996.

Nor do I live in Venice Beach. I don't own a fuschia sequined fanny pack a la SJP in Sex in the C-c-c-citttttay. And I'm definitely not in the position to rock the stirng bikini/jean shorty shorts combo so I'm not quite sure what convinced me that these babies needed to be in my life...

I should have known it was a bad idea from the very start. Yesterday, I went to the Academy right after work and headed straight to the Rollerblades. Oh No - this wasn't an impulse buy. I went with a mission - perhaps its a skewed mission. Let me explain, I'm in the process of of optimizing my life for exercise. Months and months of eating like a true southerner with no cares have left me with more than a little extra weight to carry around. And with a baby shower in Houston next month and a family wedding coming in October, Mum says we need to get our butts in shape. Cause lets face it, no one enjoys being stuffed into dressy clothes especially with 14 layers of Spanx hidden below. Knowing myself and my eating habits, I figured that exercising was my way.

So I had been eyeing this pair of Rollerblades for sometime now. I even tried them on a little bit back. The fact that I nearly pulled a muscle while trying to put them on in the store should have been a sign. But nooooo. Once I get an idea in my head, it's hard to shake. So as I was saying, I went right up to these Rollerblades yesterday, found my size, and then proudly paraded myself to the counter - no looking at other skates, no trying on, no taking them for a test drive up and down the aisle. Just picked em up and said "Herrre we go!" At the counter, there were other signs - signs that this whole Rollerblade/Fun Fitness thing was wayyy outta my league. For starters, the cashier opened the box to remove the security tag and noticed that I had two left skates. Mhmmmmm. After a 10 minute search for the right skate, we noticed that only one skate had a stopper. After some debate amongst me, the cashier, the cashier on the next lane, and the shoe (& Rollerblade) specialist, we all decided that you're only supposed to have one stopper. Sure, who the heck needs 2?

Mid-debate, over on the next check out lane, I noticed a little someone that I was soooo not interested in seeing - lets call him "Person X." Coming straight from work, I looked like hell - crazy hair that was on it's last day before a wash, splotchy mineral makeup that decided to fade off in some spots, and a crazy tank top / blouse pairing riding up in the back and dipping too low in the front. I panicked. As LyLa kindly pointed out this morning as I told her this story, I am anything but "cool, calm, collect." Suave will never describe me. So in a panic to avoid Person X, I began the hurried dash to pay for my merch and get the freak out of there. Had I been fresh from a day at the spa and clad in some ass fabulous jeans and a top that stayed exactly where it was supposed to, I would have made my cashier flash the light above her register and yelled "YOO-HOOOO! Please turn your attention to Lane 1 where I am looking oh-so fabulous and happy. Feel free to spread that information around! - especially to anyone that you're friends with that I may have dated!" Sure the above is shallow. But in that moment, it would have been ideal - well in my mind anyways. But that was not the situation, and I scurried out the sliding doors, huuuuuge Rollerblade box in tow. I took a teensie glimpse back towards the registers, and wouldn't you know.... Person X caught me. Again, I will never be subtle.

Awkward run-ins pushed aside, I rushed to change into some work-out wear as soon as I got home. While unlocking my trunk and lugging out the box of skates, I mentally wrote down my new Rollerblading fitness regimen. I'd skate in the evenings and on weekends - extra long on Saturdays. I sat in my driveway and unlaced/unsnapped/unbuttoned (seriously Rollerblades are like the straight-jacket of shoes) my skates and began to put them on. Putting these things on may be classified as the most unattractive thing I've ever done. Seriously, I was on my back, legs splayed out in the air...tugging and groaning - oh and SWEATING. Yes I broke a sweat just putting them on. Immediately after I finished gettin 'em on, the first thought that popped into my head was "Maybe I should have bought the safety pads?" and then I expelled that with a "NAHHH. Safety pads are for geeks."

OH you just don't know folks. You just don't know.

I pulled myself up, grasping for anything, and steadied myself by holding on to the side mirror on my car. "How hard could this be?" I thought. I used to rock it at the Skate Zone in 6th grade. It's like riding a bike, no? NO.

I plugged in my headphones and put on the only song suitable for this adventure - Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA." So I pushed myself forward, a little wobbly but good. I skated down to the end of the driveway and made a-way-too-wide turn. Half in the bushes lining the driveway, I held on to the branches until I thought I had my balance and then I leaned forward and pushed myself back up the driveway. After a few more wobbles - I thought I really had it.

I was "nodding my head like yeaaaaaaaaaah, rockin' my hips like yeaaaaah." For a moment, I really did think it was 1996 - the wind in my hair, swerving around in my drive way like I was on the speed skating team, snapping my fingers to Miley - feeling soooo cool I could barely stand it. Then, my dear lovelies, a rock brought me back down to Earth. Literally.

Ten minutes into my skate-sesh.... deja vu. There I was on my back, legs in the air, and me panting for air. I had hit a rock and my skates flew right out from under me and I came down to the ground with a thud, right on top of my left wrist.

Now's probably a good time to tell you I live on a major roadway - and traffic is still backed up at 6 pm. I suddenly became aware of this as I sat at the end of my driveway and looked up to see traffic slowing dowwwwwwn in front of me. I waved everyone on as if to say "Nothing to see here folks - Just a girl who's lost her dignity"

And there I sat for another 10 minutes. Just sitting.

Wondering whatever made me think Rollerblading was my ticket to fitness.

I eventually crawled back up the driveway, kicked my skates off, and went inside - my head hung low. As if I didn't feel defeated enough, I began to notice a searing pain in my left wrist.

Oh yes! My first (of many to come) Rollerblading injury.

I spent the rest of my evening in bed, watching Disney Channel, and gorging myself on Otter Pops.

So much for being in shape...

Where You Stand

Life is full of exhilarating firsts - first steps, first days of school, first kisses, first day on your own, and of course... the almighty first Etsy.com purchase. Yes my dear lovlies, my life as I know it has changed.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm no stranger to Etsy. It’s been one of those “lusting-from-afar” relationships – a few quick glances, bookmarking a few favorite shops, adding a few items to my Kaboodle Wish List– you know… non-committal happenings.

Last week, I spent a little bit of my lunch hour cleaning out my favorite links, which had seemingly become absolute bedlam (I get a teensie bit frantic and dramatic when I can’t find what I’m looking for..."OMD Where is it?! I know I sav-whaaaat did I save it under? Wherrre is iiiit?!") and I came across an Etsy link for a store called the Grass Is Greener.

[The next few sentences will be like a rousing game of “Guess How Small Louisiana Is” – if you’re from a small town, you know this game. It’s nothing to connect two seemingly unrelated people in less than 2 or 3 degrees.]

Grass is Greener is run by Haley Williams from Lafayette, LA. Haley, turns out, is a super close friend of my good high school friend Mizz Wormser, who now lives in New York. Yes. This is the part of the “How Small is Louisiana” Game where we sing “It’s a Small World.”

I poured myself over Haley’s shop and forgot all about the chaotic mess of links. I’m not exaggerating when I say I wanted to buy everything in the store. She’s got this charming mix of earrings, rings, sachets, and cards. OH the cards! They’re some of the most stunning handmade cards I have ever seen –hand drawn flowers and water colored birds (oh my) - and she can customize them too! But here’s the best part – and the bit that sealed the deal on my first etsy purchase – Grass is Greener is completely eco-friendly. From the materials used in her creations, to the packaging, to her listings with eco-tips, this girl keeps the environment in mind.

Want to know what I got? Want to see the absolutely adorable (and recyclable) packaging? Want to shop at Grass is Greener? Scroll down, lovelies.

You guys are lucky that you're getting shots of the packaging - I wanted to rip it open right away


How cute are the signature Grass is Greener flowers?

Ps. Haley, just wanted to let you know I used half of the packaging to wrap a gift and the other half has been recycled!


Haley even custom makes her own envelopes!
I fell in love with the gorgeous stiching detail.


She means that.
Trying to rip the package open with your teeth doesn't quite work.

Lots of goodies...

The whole shebang

Goodies on display...

Yep. She handwrites a note on to each customer...

(Oooh... hint hint on what's going down on Monday if I get 25 Followers!)

On pretty embossed stationary, nonetheless.

Eco-friendly with southern manners?? That's Haley.

Thank You note with the signature flower on recycled cardboard

The good stuff... all tied up with some pretty twine

My three finds!

The wooden button came packaged on a bookmark!

Notice the wood grain on the gold band??

TAH-DAH!

I love how unique this is - and Etsy does too.

It was featured on Etsy's Rustic Wedding Post.

Wire Earrings!

The leaf earrings were a gift for Ruby Locks to go with the haircut/color she's getting today,

and the signature petal earrings are all for me. I've been wearing them since I got them - going on 4 days now... They're super light and I forget that I'm wearing them - until the lady at the grocery store stops me to ask where I got my "dainty drop earrings."

There's a pretty little link to Grass is Greener on my sidebar, if you haven't already clicked on one of the many links to it above. =)

Remember lovlies,

the Grass is Greener where you stand.

(And there's certianly no harm in looking pretty while you're standing there)