1.25.2014

Knee High


I'm sure you remember the scene in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts is fixin' to go out on the town and she uses a Sharpie to cover the scuffs on her heels.  This was the state that my usual over the knee Jessica Simpson boots had been in for some time.  So, instead of feeling like a hooker every time I put them on, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new pair.  Imagine my glee when I found these amazing Calvin Klein Averie Platform Boots at Nordstrom! I haven't been a skirt and boots type of gal until lately, simply because I've packed on a few LB's over the last year, but I've been hard at work in the gym and felt like I could finally strut these babies with a leather mini.  Other than the striped sweater, everything else is from a thrift or vintage store!  The skirt and jacket were great finds at Goodwill, while the necklace came from a local antique shop here in town.  You seen in worn with stripes before here, and the rich gold and candy colored stores give a monocromatic look a much needed splash of color.






Jacket, Skirt, Necklace : thrifted/vintage | Sweater : Banana Republic | Boots : Calvin Klein Averie Platform Boot | Socks : Velvet Heart (and a gift from my future mother in law) | Ring : Francesca's 

Don't forget to enter the giveaway here for the Lipstick Rose Ram's Head Clutch Bangle, happening this coming Friday!!

xoxo,
sarah

1.21.2014

Casual Denim

I had a funny email from a reader one day asking if I ever wear flats and the answer is a resounding "Y.E.S."  I used to be one of those girls who was full time fabulous in sky high heels and a pencil skirt on a daily basis, but as life evolved, so has my footwear.  I am constantly running from project to project, schlepping heavy boxes of tile, walking through wet paint, and it's generally impractical to do any of that in 4 inch Louboutins (although sometimes a bad day is easily remedied by a pair of red soles).

I absolutely adore the denim on denim look, but there is really only one way to wear it: light denim on top, dark on the bottom.  I didn't feel like washing my hair, so I threw on my boo's Southern Tide Hat, ballerina pink satin Chuck Taylor's, and my favorite jacket on the planet.  I literally wear this jacket every single day.  It's been extra cold in Texas this year and my usual jacket wasn't cutting it.  I love how thick this Lululemon Calm and Cozy Jacket is because the tailoring and structure makes it easy to wear to the gym early in the morning and while I'm out and about. 






Jacket : Lululemon | Top : J.Crew | Denim : Current Elliott | Sneakers : Converse
Cap : Southern Tide | Bag : Alexander Wang | Monogram Necklace : West Avenue via Max & Chloe
Circle Necklace : Bauble Bar | Bracelets : Stella & Dot, J.Crew

xoxo,
sarah




1.20.2014

Giveaway Week with LipStick Rose

When the fab fab fabulous online jewelry boutique Lipstick Rose contacted me to do a giveaway, I was so very excited.  What sets these ladies apart from everyone else is that they carefully and meticulously curate their collection.  So many online jewelry sites display every little every cheap little trinket they can find, but Lipstick Rose does just the opposite.  Their baubles are of the utmost quality and you can tell that a lot of time and love went into their selections. The other inspiring thing about LR is that these ladies are not only friends, but business partners who love what they do.  I totally admire their entrepreneurial spirit and am proud to be a partner. 



Enough gushing, lets get down to business!  One lucky duck will receive the gorgeous Ram's Head Clutch Bangle.  Can you imagine adding this guy to your arm party?  I've worn this bracelet several times in the past week and people have actually stopped me to admire it!  So, the giveaway starts today and the lucky winner will be chosen next Friday, Jan 31st at midnight.  This is all you have to do:
Leave a comment and tell us how you would style the Ram's Head Bangle.
Like/follow Lipstick Rose on two of the following - Facebook, Twitter, Insta
Like/Follow WW on two of the following - Facebook, Twitter, Insta


Of course, if you are unlucky with these sorts of things (like me, I never win anything!!) you can buy the bangle directly from LR here!  GOOD LUCK Y'ALL!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
xoxo,
sarah

1.15.2014

C. Wonderful and a Giveaway

A few months ago I was in Atlanta for my best friend's wedding and the hotel where we stayed was connected to a mall.  Seriously dangerous!  We forgot a couple things and while running around searching for the perfect pair of cufflinks, I saw a C.Wonder store.  As absolutely amazing as Dallas shopping is, we do not have a C.Wonder.  It was such a beautiful and happy store!  Bright colors, sparkly baubles, monograms galore!  It was a perfect mix of home decor and clothing and accessories.  AHHH!  I promptly sent the man back to the hotel room so I could have the opportunity to touch every single thing in there.  Two hours later... among several other things, I walked out with this adorable zebra print blouse.  It reminds me of my favorite Scalamandre Zebra wallpaper, so it was a must have.






Blouse : C. Wonder Dancing Zebras Blouse | Vest : Target | Denim : Rich and Skinny Balboa
Bag : Alexander Wang | Heels : Christian Louboutin | Glasses : Rayban
Necklace : Brina Box | Bracelets : Lipstick Rose, Stella & Dot, Bauble Bar, J.Crew
Ring : Bauble Bar

Lipstick Rose has been gracious enough to sponsor a giveaway with WorkdayWeekend!  They are giving away a beautiful Ram's Head Gold Clutch Bangle (as seen in this post). Stay tuned on the blog in the next week or so for giveaway info!

xoxo,
sarah




1.10.2014

Blanket Scarf

Remember a few weeks back when I wrote this post about one of the biggest trends of the season? Blanket scarves are all the rage, yet I couldn't seem to get my hands on one no matter how hard I shopped! Imagine my surprise when my bestie blessed me with this beautiful grey masterpiece!  It was a Christmas miracle, for real!  I am in love with a blanket scarf, y'all.  It is so warm and I can just wind it around my neck to make anything, and I mean anything, look super chic and relevant. 

Just a little fashion food for thought: If for some reason you don't have leopard heels, or you are scared to try them and don't want to fork over $100, consider these for less than $9.  You heard me!  These babies are only $8.33!  Not to high, not to low, and not too light in color, these are the perfect shoes to take the plunge.  Toe too pointy?  Try the same shoe in a rounded toe for $13.86.







Scarf : Forever21 | Jacket : no brand, thrifted | Denim : Current Elliott | Blouse : New York & Co 
Heels : Banana Republic | Earrings : H&M | Bracelets : J.Crew, Stella & Dot, Bauble Bar, Banana Republic




xoxo,
sarah

1.07.2014

Below Zero

"Below Zero" two words I never thought I would hear living in Dallas.  Sweet Baby Jesus it's cold y'all.  I don't mean forty-two degrees I know I'm being a huge titty baby cold. I mean two pairs of pants, three shirts, a scarf, boots, freeze your ass off, don't want to go to work cold.  Now, I lived in Chicago as a kid so don't you think for one minute that I don't know what cold is.  I really think this is karmic retribution for me making fun of the Green Bay Packers coach's choice of head gear while watching the game last night.  I even spilled coffee all over my cream sweater on the way to work... and it was already cold!!  FML!
I only own this one flannel shirt and this one really warm heavy sweater, both purchased this year and blogged previously, so I apologize for the close proximity repeats.  I was just at such a loss this morning that I couldn't pile on enough clothes.  I was crazy enough to go to the gym at 5 am, but it was a whole 'nother deal getting dressed for work.  How do you ladies do it, up in the frozen north and Midwest.  I am thinking about moving to Brazil for half the year at this point!



Jacket : Forever 21 | Sweater : Banana Republic | Flannel : J.Crew Factory | Pants : J.Brand | Boots : Dolce Vita
Bag : Louis Vuitton Monogram Idylle 30 in Sepia (retired) | Gloves : Lululemon (in store only) | Bracelets : Stella & Dot

xoxo,
sarah

1.05.2014

Home Sweet Sunday: Our Kitchen Remodel

Since we've started our business, our weekends and most of our evenings are spent planning and picking up odds and ends for the homes we have under construction.  We are finishing up a project (which I can't wait to show you guys) and starting demo on another, so this weekend was one of those rare times when we could be at home and didn't have any other social obligations (weddings, engagement parties, baby showers).  Sometimes I forget how much I love my kitchen until I get to spend some quality time there and that's exactly what I did yesterday.  

For those of you interested in remodeling or building, the kitchen, as you know, is the most important room in the house.  Even if you eat out every single meal and use your oven for storing sweaters, spend the money on designing a great kitchen.  If you follow my Home Sweet Home board, you know I am totally obsessed with kitchen design, so when I had the opportunity to design and build my dream kitchen, I was already prepared.  My main priorities were amazing marble, a badass range, and a huge island, so those are the items that I focused on with the design. 



As you can see from the before photos, we ripped out a very long wall that closed off the living area from the kitchen.  This created a huge space for the island, which is where everyone congregates when we entertain.  We also don't have need for a dining room, so it's entrance was walled off in exchange for creating pantry space.  I didn't want double ovens, nor did I want to physically see a microwave.  Big pet peeve of mine.  We chose a 48 inch range with double ovens and a griddle that we got for a fabulous price (over 50% off) because it was missing it's feet.  We simply ordered them from the manufacturer for $100!  This was the first purchase for our new home and the whole room was planned around it.



Two budget items that I had used on other homes and knew would fit seamlessly into this home were the apron sink and cabinets pulls, both which came from Ikea.  Apron sinks can get into the thousands, but this one is huge and was only $186.  Cabinet pulls can be outrageous, especially for the larger ones and the most expensive ones in our kitchen were $6 a piece.  I do tend the splurge on backsplash tile and mosaics simply because a small area can make a huge impact.  I had the Carrara marble laid in a brick pattern for the backsplash and then a herringbone pattern over the range for something decorative and chic.


We are a bit messy in the kitchen on a day to day basis and it would have been a bad choice to put white marble throughout the kitchen.  I chose black leathered granite around the cooking areas because it holds up to grease.  The Calacatta marble is much better suited for the island where it's less likely to be stained.  I kept the cabinet design simple with shaker style door fronts but added some style with the mantle and glass fronts on either side.  You can't really see the living room TV from all points of the kitchen and we have a small tv nook so I can watch Bravo while I'm preparing dinner.  Finally, I mentioned earlier that I am not interested in seeing the microwave.  I designed a 'garage' of sorts to hide it when it's not in use.



I'm so super proud of the kitchen design and it's the one thing that people absolutely fall in love with as soon as they see it.  It's functional, stylish, and makes me happy every time I walk in the front door.  I'm so very lucky that the man trusted me to design it from head to toe exactly as I wished.  It's definitely my crown jewel!

Happy Sunday, loves!

xoxo,
sarah