Minor Obsession: Pola Shoes

SJP 'Pola" Pointy Toe Pumps, Nordstrom, $365

Gal Meets Glam

Just popping in to bring you the perfect black heels, and the perfect little pic of said heels, styled by Julia of Gal Meets Glam, who can pretty much do no wrong.
(Thanks for showing me these, Rebecca!)
I'm back in meetings for our conference all day, but I hope to enjoy some more of San Diego a little later.  Hope your week is going well!
~Lori

Summer to Fall

Summer to Fall by rebecca-iverson featuring patent leather shoes

As we enter August I am thinking of my purchases in terms of longevity for Fall months as well.  Here are the items I think will work well now and layered for the colder weather (which I love).  

I am off to San Diego with my family for the next 3 days.  Lori will be there too so I look forward to seeing her more often!  Yay for the dog days of summer! 

Outfit of the Day: eShakti

About three weeks ago, Rebecca and I were contacted by eShakti.com to see if we would like to work with them and review an item of clothing.  Having seen examples of eShakti dresses floating around the web for a while now, and always liking what we saw, we of course jumped at the chance.

In case you haven't heard of them yet, eShakti.com is the only online women's fashion apparel company offering size 0-36W & custom clothing.  They have an amazing array of clothing, especially dresses.  Their dress selection is huge, and I love how many classic and retro-inspired pieces they offer.  I also love that many of the pieces can be customized; not only can you send in your measurements and have the dress cut to fit your body, you can also, on many of the pieces, choose the length and the sleeve style.  I love that addition, as sometimes you see a dress that would be perfect, if only it were a little longer/shorter, or if the sleeves were a little bit different.

  I went custom with the dress, and sent in my measurements.  My only warning here- make sure you know how to properly take your measurements (and have someone help you!) before you go this route.  The process is relatively simple, and the website gives you clear instructions on how to measure yourself for the perfect fit.

The belt that came with the dress was a simple string belt, made out of the same material as the dress.  I changed it up a bit with a brown and gold belt.  I also tucked the dress up a little bit to make it just a tad shorter, so that it hit right above my knee. (If you want the dress to come with an above the knee cut, it's totally doable- you just have to ask!)

dress c/o eShakti.com
shoes Dillard's
belt H&M

Here is the dress, styled again with my own belt, but at the normal, below the knee length.  I like that I can change it up and go a little shorter if I want to.
It was such a pleasure working with eShakti.  The turn around time on the dress was really quick, especially considering the dress was literally made just for me!  Clothes are processed and shipped within 7-9 working days.
Right now eShakti is having a sale- up to 70% off and free customization (if you order by 7/31).  You can also sign up to receive $25 off if you are a new customer.

With school starting back up next week (eek!), there are plenty of pieces that would be a welcome addition to my wardrobe.  The quality is fantastic, and the service really can't be beat!

NeuLash

I'm thinking that most of you out there have used a product like neuLash before, but if you haven't you need to check it out!  I have had wonderful results with this product.  As a teenager, I had amazing eyelashes and I have noticed through the years they gradually lost length and thickness.  I am thrilled that there is now a product that can re-capture what I once had naturally.  I posted a photo on Instagram and NeuLash regrammed it (as you can see in the above image).  

amazon.com

I got my neuLash through Amazon but nordstrom.com is also a good source. 

Remember to do your research on side-effects.  I didn't have any myself, but it is good to be aware if you decide to use a product like this.  

Happy Monday to you! 

What I'm Wanting: Office Edition

Acrylic Pen Pencil Holder / Rifle Paper Garance Dore Desk Pad / CB2 teardrop vase / Home decor / Chronicle Books Scholastic Stationery of the Art Pencil Set / Dwell Studio Snake Letter Opener / CB2 3 drawer file cabinet / Worlds Away gold leaf furniture

Now that my vacation is winding down, and I have to be back in the classroom (starting Monday, I think), my mind has been shifting over to work mode. And that shift means I have been thinking about home offices, and office supplies, and redecorating my home office. Hey, it's a process, alright?! Getting back into work mode takes a little time, but a fun new office space with some sparkly/shiny accessories can help ease the transition, you know?
I can't believe it is already Friday!  Any big plans for the weekend?  We are planning on going to the Renegade Craft Fair on Sunday.  Originally we were going to go to the Anthropologie pop up market on Saturday (at the Grove, for all you Southern California readers), but plans changed, and now we are going to the craft fair on Sunday.  I can't wait, as I have never been.  Fingers crossed that I find some amazing goodies!

A Word of Advice

image via

Still working on this!
Hope you're having a great day!

Designer Nam Dang-Michell House Tour

Today I thought we could visit Calgary based designer Nam Dang-Michell's house.  I first came upon her work after I found the above image of her kitchen on Pinterest.  I felt that it had that perfect contemporary and traditional balance.  I found that the rest of her gorgeous home has the same mix and it is obvious that every design choice was very deliberate.

You can visit houseandhome.com to see more of this lovely home and to view other rooms designed by Dang-Michell.  

We are spending the day at the lake today.  It will be lots of fun except that my husband will be with his mother as she undergoes a biopsy of a suspicious spot on her lung.  We are very sad about this because she has been cancer free for a few years now.  Here's hoping that it is not cancer again.

Have a beautiful day friends!

Brand We Love: Maileg

The Cat, my mom and I are spending a couple of days in Ventura. Yesterday we headed down to Main Street to do some thrifting and antiquing. I had no luck, but the Cat found a couple of cute things at the Buffalo Exchange, plus she got a new bathing suit since she went off and left her new one at home! (This happens every year. Maybe she does it on purpose? Crafty little devil.)
We popped into one of my favorite stores out here, Copperfield's, and found these ADORABLE little stuffed animals.  They have a home made feel to them, and the Cat really wanted the elephant.  (She is in love with elephants, as of late.) She settled on a bookmark that looks like a Persian rug, but maybe that little elephant is in her future.

Maileg 

Circus tent w. podium + cutting sheet / Circus Lion / Circus Elephant / Circus Sealion / Circus podium

Gorgeous Grey

Like the rest of the world, I've been in love with deep charcoal grey tones.  For that matter I love any shade of grey.  I am all about contrast, though.  I think it takes an unimportant space and makes it look far more special and dramatic.  

I could move right into any of these rooms or outdoor spaces!  I love how intensely modern and cozy they all feel. 

The wedding I was preparing for has come and gone and it was a success!  Like all events there were things that didn't get accomplished and things that didn't happen just like I might have hoped, but...it turned out gorgeous and when the bride cried when she saw her bouquet I was making her, well, let's just say that's all the reward I needed.

New Love: Maiedae Prints

Don't you just love social media?  I do.  Sometimes. I'll admit, I'm not very good at all of it.  I just can't seem to keep up with tweeting and pinning and instagramming and facebooking and all the rest.  But mostly just the tweeting.  Though I do like to jump on there when I'm in line somewhere, or waiting at the orthodontist's office forever.
And thank goodness for Twitter, because you can find fun new things on there, like these beautiful prints from Maiedae.

$14.00

$14.00

$14.00

Aren't they fantastic?  You can find them all on the Maiedae website.
I can't believe it is already Friday! Any plans for the weekend?

Just a Peek...

image via Hemingway & Hepburn

Just a peek into perfection for you today.  I'm loving how bright and open this space is!
~Lori

What I Want: Copper

H M small item storage, $17 / H M metal box, $6.83 / H M frame, $14

I am loving these copper pieces from H&M. And what's more- I'm loving the prices on their home goods! I hope you are having a fantastic Wednesday!

Busy Day Outfit Inspiration

I am currently on vacation in Montana so that is my excuse for such a short post today.  Also, I didn't bring my own computer with me so I'm fighting with a borrowed one, ugh! 

This is a working vacation for me as I am working on projects for an upcoming wedding (fun work, right?)  that will take place next Saturday.

angelsstyle.tumblr.com

I think this outfit is pretty perfect for my busy days filled with projects and running around town.  Up here there are storms and rain on and off so it's great to have a scarf to throw on and even a light weight jacket. 
I want to thank Lori for pitching in to help me with posts while I have been so busy over here!
Have a wonderful day and I can't wait to show you all what I have been up to.

Inspiration: Mr. Kate

Happy Monday!  (It is Monday, right?  Sometimes a teacher on vacation tends to forget trivial things like the day of the week!)  I hope you had a fantastic weekend.  Mine was spent obsessively searching for a coffee table that I need to stop obsessing over.  And buying books, and watching Harry Potter, Arrested Development, and finally finishing Dexter (boo to the ending, by the way).  The weekend also consisted of my boyfriend winning a t.v. at a golf tournament and then giving it to the Cat to put in her room.  This is not going to happen, as she is not allowed to have a t.v. in her room, but it will be finding a home in the guest bedroom, where she can access it.  That's going to be a project, to put that in there, because the shape of the room doesn't make for the easiest furniture placement.  Luckily, I have a piece of furniture in mind to set the t.v. on, thanks to staying up too late last night and binge watching all the episodes of Mr. Kate's OMG We Bought a House.

image via Mr. Kate

Originally, this was a ratty old dresser they got at a thrift store.  It needed some work, and they worked it!  I love the two- tone coloring, and the rope pulls are a cute touch.
This little project is on my list, and I'd better hurry, cause the actual cat keeps trying to make the box the t.v. is in her new bed!
Oh, and if you haven't checked out OMG We Bought a House, it is really cute and fun to watch; they're new house is amazing!

Bar Cart DIY

A couple of weeks ago, I stopped in at one of our local antique shops, where I made out like a bandit.  Among my treasures was an old bar cart.

The shelves were in pretty poor shape, but I liked the overall shape of the piece. And luckily, I had come across this post on A Thoughtful Place and this post on I Heart Organizing and I knew I wanted to use marble contact paper in some kind of project.  When I saw this cart, in my head I immediately envisioned it in gold with newly covered marble contact paper shelves. I took it home for around $30.  And when I say I took it home, I really mean I took it to my dad's garage so that he could help me.  I really wish I was little miss diy, but I will readily admit that I am not.  I am really lucky to be surrounded by a bunch of fabulously creative people, though, and they very often take pity on my lack of skills and they help me.
So my dad helped me clean this baby up.

We applied some paint stripper and let it go to work.  A lot of the black paint came off while we were applying the stripper, and for a little while my dad was convinced that the cart was actually painted over brass.  Alas, it was just brass plating, which mostly got stripped away too, but that's okay, as I had already bought some gold spray paint for the job.

As that was drying, I got to work on the shelves.  They needed to be sanded in order for the contact paper to stick to them.

After measuring, cutting, and covering all three boards, it was time to put them on the cart.

I, for one, am pretty happy with how it turned out.  I plan on getting more plants for the top and using that shelf as an indoor herb garden.  I must admit that I already bought some other herbs for it, like basil and parsley, and then promptly killed them.  Oops.  I want to pick up some cilantro and maybe try another basil, since those are two things I know I will use.
Can you believe it's Friday already?!
Any plans for the weekend?