haute hardware

you've come a long way, baby

2012-02-07T10:30:00.003-06:00

Someone turned one last week, and I wanted to share a few snaps from his birthday bash! Peter Rabbit was the theme du jour:

clockwise from top left: cake ball "cabbage patch", cupcakes, cupcake wheelbarrow & flower pot sign, finger puppet & cookie favors

We had an amazing turnout, including BFFs Gail & Kenny all the way from Albuquerque, and a fun time was had by all. Eamon did a number on his smash cupcake!

baby's first sugar!

Next it was gifts galore:

sweet guitar

IKEA tunnel

$2 banner I created via our printer & dollar store flowers!

Can you believe what a difference a year makes?!

*le sigh*

Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us, and especially to Grammie for all her help! It was a great party commemorating an even greater year. Love you, sweet boy!

you made me, promises promises

2011-11-30T11:17:00.000-06:00

Oh hey there. I'm going to do an outfit post like I said I was going to. Wait what? That was back in March?

Oops.

Moving on! I bought these bright cobalt blue jeans from Old Navy in a moment of frivolity, and I haven't been quite sure what to do with them ever since. They're hard to pair stuff with, at least for me. All colors I've tried (in my head) seem too boring or too loud, until this camel sweater I picked up from Nordstrom:

Someone else wants to say 'hi' too, someone who is 10 months old today (how did that even happen?!?):

sweater: Trouve via Nordstrom, jeans: Old Navy, boots: Aldo, scarf: eBay, bow cuff: Etsy, necklace: self-made, baby: self-made :)

save the date

2011-10-04T09:01:00.000-05:00

...and the living is easy

2011-07-22T11:51:00.000-05:00

Hey hey, anyone still left out there following me (you deserve an award, really you do). A few things going on in our little world this summer, other than trying not to melt in this god forsaken heat.

1) I got new hair.

2) Eamon got even cuter. I didn't think this was possible, but lookit!

He gets cuter by the day, it's ridic. Note the Packer tee!

3) My parents moved to Texas! Right in the middle of summer, which also merits some sort of award. I'm so happy to have them here, and I can't believe it actually happened! I flew up to Wisconsin last weekend to drive down with them, and it was a fun roadtrip. The only thing that sucked was that my dad was in a separate car, although we kept him in the loop via phone whenever we saw something that made us laugh. It was reminiscent of our trips to Arkansas when I was a kid & we used to visit my grandparents every summer. We played "First to See the Arch" in St. Louis, Auto Bingo, and laughed at all the same road signs. It's amazing how many things are exactly the same as they were 20+ years ago. We always found the name of this city in Illinois humorous (don't ask me why, we are just weird), so we stopped & took a pic this time:

We actually tried to go into Glenarm (it was time for a break anyway), but the road to the town was completely closed! So it remains an oddly-named mystery.

I hope everyone is having a good summer and staying cool. I'm ready for fall, but we're making the most of what we can while it's hot:

xoxo E

me & etsy dallas destash with "SUPPLIES ME!"

2011-06-24T06:26:00.000-05:00

Get out of the triple digit heat tomorrow & come score some craft supplies for a great deal, courtesy of myself & other pack rat Etsy Dallas artists. Details above, and more info at http://etsydallas.com/.

I'll have tons o' beads, some findings, and a bit of fabric as well, all priced to sell. Hope to see you there!

[haute hardware] save the date ~ etsy dallas spring bash, saturday april 30th

2011-04-05T10:25:00.003-05:00

Dallasites, it's almost that time again, time for the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash! Mark your calendars for April 30th, and come see me and 60 hand-picked local artists at the South Side on Lamar building on Saturday April 30th from 11 am to 5 pm. Click through the links or the Spring Bash ad in the upper right corner for more details.

Some of what will be in store at my booth:

[adventures in domesticity] nursery additions

2011-03-14T20:04:00.000-05:00

Well hello there! I haven't totally forgotten about my little humble corner of the internets, although it's been a whirlwind of a month since I last posted. This little guy keeps us running, that's for sure, but it's turning into quite a fun ride.

We were lucky enough to have Grandma visiting these past couple of weeks, which means that Eamon got tons of attention, mom & dad got a bit more rest, and projects got done. Grandma was not messing around - she started making a 'to-do' list almost the minute she walked through the door, and we got almost everything on it done, starting with this mobile for Eamon's crib:

I bought the raw wooden cutouts recently (read: months & months ago) on eBay, and finally got around to getting the paint et al to finish the project. To be honest, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to mount everything from until we were wandering through Hobby Lobby and saw that life saver (is that what it's called??!). We had to repaint the red to make it match everything else, but otherwise it was perfect. It's also styrofoam, so the entire thing is super lightweight. We handpainted the cutouts, glued scrapbooking paper on the boats for the sails, and strung it all together with fishing wire. I'm so happy with how it all turned out.

The other project that finally got finished was the dresser/changing table getting its fancy Anthropologie knobs:

Sorry for the not-so-great phone pic, but you get the gist - they look super swell.

A few other highlights from the past week:

Eamon wore out Grandma...

...and Mom!

Eamon got ready for St. Patty's day, and Dad followed the instructions on his sleeper. I can't get over the look on his face. :)

I promise to post more soon, maybe even an outfit on a day that I make it out of sweats! xoxo

happy birthday, Eamon James

2011-02-18T12:39:00.001-06:00

It's taken me a little time to get on here to post, but I suspect I'll be forgiven with one look at this sweet face:

Rod and I welcomed Eamon James into the world on 1/31/11, at 11:24 p.m. He weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz., was 20" long, and 100% perfect.

He made his arrival during some of the craziest weather I've ever seen in Texas:

It was pretty nice to be holed up in the hospital while the snow & ice were happening, with this little guy to keep us warm.

That Friday, we were finally ready to brave the elements & head home. The roads were still horrific, but Eamon was none the wiser - he slept through the entire journey!

We're all doing great and adjusting well to our new family life. Thanks for reading, and I hope to get back to semi-regular posting soon!!

[haute mama] w39d1 ~ happy birthday to BHG

2011-01-26T18:17:00.001-06:00

This past Friday the gals over at Badder Homes & Gardens threw a 2nd blog birthday soiree at Beauty Bar, and we rolled out (literally, in my case) to join in on the festivities.

Beauty Bar is really kitschy & cute - it's a bar, but all decked out like a 60s salon. I really liked the ambiance and look forward to going back for Martinis & Manicures night when I can take advantage of the former!

Oh, and also? I'm HUGE! In case you didn't gather that from the photo. As I write this post, I'm T minus 2 days from my due date, and I'm not sure my tummy can stretch much further. Please send me non-late vibes!

Sarah & I

All three fab BHG ladies, plus Sarah's awesome family

my duds: top & bubble necklace: JCrew, jeans: Old Navy, boots: Seychelles, clutch: H&M

Thanks for the great party, ladies, and here's to many more years of wit & snark!

Hope to be posting some news SOOOOON....

stalking success

2011-01-18T10:52:00.001-06:00

Remember how I cursed Anthropologie for their overpriced drawer pulls in my last post? I take it all back - the very ones I've been eyeing for months went on sale for $2.95 (from $10 a pop)! I'm so glad I held out all the times that I nearly caved & bought them at full price.

Coiled Rope Knob, $2.95

Won't these look perfect on our blue dresser/changing table?

Sorry for my harsh words, Anthropologie, let's be friends, 'k?

[adventures in domesticity] our nursery

2011-01-13T21:13:00.003-06:00

I'm so excited to finally reveal the finished nursery! It's been a work in progress for a long time, but I love it even more for the time we took and the care we put into the details. Nothing in the room is part of a set*, which gives each piece of furniture & accent more of an eclectic, hand-picked feel. But yet it all ties together so nicely. Sorry to be tooting my own decorating horn here, but I'm so in love with this room that I can't help it. I've been sneaking in there to sit in the glider and admire everything. And of course to imagine being in there with the final sweet thing that's missing...!

It's difficult (if not impossible) to get a shot of the entire room at once, so I'm starting with the view as you walk into the room.

Here's the opposite view, from the glider:

...and the view from over by the shelves:

Now for the details! The crib - here is where my asterisk comes in - the bedding is the only set in this room, from Pottery Barn Kids. I originally didn't want to do a bedding set, but this one was a little too perfect for our nautical theme:

The art above the crib is from Etsy (Keep Calm Shop), an original pointillism piece by a close friend of my grandparents (the lighthouse), and a rusty anchor from a local antique shop.

Moving across the room, I love this Ikea Expedit shelving as both a display and storage unit. The shelf above it with hooks is also from Ikea:

The red rocker, like the rusty anchor, came from Alston's Antiques in Garland, TX. Alston's is one of my favorite antique shops in the DFW area. It houses endless treasures, and this chair was certainly one of them. We didn't paint it or anything - this is how we found it, and we knew we had to have it. A couple other detail details - art is from Etsy again, Studio Lyon for the alphabet chart, and African Grey for the narwhal and otter prints on the wall. The other frames on the Expedit shelf were custom created for me by my friend Cassie of Hi Sugarplum and are awaiting pics of the little guy to fill them!

Speaking of Cassie, she was awesome enough to hand us down her glider since her babies are not so tiny anymore (and she's totally overhauling her daughter's room - stay tuned to her blog for the big reveal SOON, I hope! :). I can't resist a good before & after, so here's a shot of the chair when we adopted it:

It was cute to begin with, but the yellow didn't tie in with our nursery...and Cass won't mind me saying that light colored fabric needed a little TLC after two kids! $10 worth of Ikea fabric later, et voila:

It's pretty hard for me to pick a favorite piece in this room, but this one's a real contender. My mom and I (okay, mostly my mom) recovered this baby in about 2 hours, and I still can't get over how great it turned out. The oar side table is from Christmas Tree Shops, and the rug from World Market.

Another DIY gem in this room is the changing table. We picked this up at a thrift store in Oak Cliff for all of $40, and it was glossy black, tagged with graffiti on the back. We left the graffiti because it's kind of humorous (and not visible), but Rod covered the hideous black with a couple coats of Behr Paint + Primer in an inky blue. I want to add some pulls eventually, but the ones I love currently are from Anthropologie and cost twice what the dresser did. Screw them and their stupid prices - the search continues.

And since I can't resist jumping in a photo, an outfit shot in the nursery...this was sometime in my 36th week:

dress: Gap, cardigan: C&C California, boots: Steve Madden, headband: Lacoste, leggings: Target

Finally, I'd be completely remiss if I didn't mention the great help I had in the creation of this stunner of a room, especially in the final stages. First, my mom who recovered, assembled, painted, moved & lifted heavy stuff, etc. etc. etc.

...and Bill who helped my mom paint on his day off so that I could avoid fumes and backache...

...and last but not least, Rod who painted, assembled, hung stuff up, endured shopping with me and most importantly, had opinions & took an interest in this stuff! Love you. :)

Thanks for taking the tour with me! We are beside ourselves with excitement at this point...hopefully I'll be posting soon with some big news!!

should auld acquaintance be forgot

2011-01-09T19:36:00.002-06:00

Is it too late to wish everyone a Happy New Year? We're only 9 days in, so I think I'm okay. I hope you all had great holidays and are recovered from all of the festivities & excitement. There was no travel for yours truly, so we had our first Christmas in the new home. My parents flew in from the Great White North of Wisconsin, and we did a lot of eating, relaxing and working on the nursery (post to come!). We also threw a little soiree for New Year's Eve and my mom's birthday:

Me 'n' the tree...36 weeks!

Cute, cute parents. Happy Birthday to Jean!

Sarah of Badder Homes and her festive frock & self-made tiara.

Sarah's awesome mini-pie maker, a very important guest at the party.

Great pic of Bill. He needs to write a novel & put this on the back cover.

Dad & I stationed by the food.

Me & my boo.

El Bebe's first New Year's kiss from grandma at midnight.

All of these photos are from our amazing new camera, courtesy of my parents for Christmas. We're still plugging our way through all the bells & whistles (i.e. Rod is reading every single page of the manual and giving me the highlights I'll be most likely to remember/use), and will hopefully be pros by the time el bebe makes his arrival. It's less than 3 weeks away at this point...I can hardly believe it.

Happy 2011, y'all! Stay tuned for a nursery tour later this week.

[haute mama] w34d5 ~ back in black

2010-12-22T13:02:00.000-06:00

I'm getting to the final stretch, and although baby & I still need some time, I'm so ready to be done! I've had a wonderful pregnancy, don't get me wrong, but I'm also looking forward to being able to take my own shoes off again. On that note, there haven't been a whole lot of outfits that have inspired me to take pictures lately either. I'm sort of in 'whatever still fits' mode, which is so boring & mildly depressing! However, I really want to document up until the end, and today's ensemble was a little more worthy of the camera than usual.

Note the short sleeves & bare legs. It is so warm this week! I can't believe Christmas is in a few days.

*sings* I don't think you're ready for this belly...

top: Urban Outfitters, skirt: Motherhood, boots: Frye, necklace: Haute Hardware (similar here), cuff: flea market, geode ring: gift shop in San Juan

In case this is all she wrote before Saturday, wishing everyone an excellent & safe holiday!

xoxo

ready for my close-up

2010-12-14T09:58:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving weekend my friend & favoritest photographer, Ange Fitzgerald, was in town, and was able to steal away from her family for a bit to do some maternity photos for us. I love every last one of them & wanted to share a few of my favorites here.

We couldn't forget about our current babies, so Ange did a series of shots with the buns! It was hard to keep them from tearing around the yard, but we managed to do it.

Transporting them from the photo shoot. They all look so thrilled right here!

Ange is so talented, and I'm so happy she was able to squeeze us in (and on short notice). Thanks again, lady!

haute hardware etsy sale

2010-12-07T23:13:00.000-06:00

Yep folks, it's all on sale from now until Santa comes! Just get your shop on at hautehardware.etsy.com, enter code HOLIDAY10, and reap the benefits.

Better than going to the mall, in so many ways.

Happy Holidays and happy shopping!

**Free shipping is automatic, but limited to U.S. only.

[haute mama] w32d1 ~ over the knee & through the woods

2010-12-07T11:34:00.000-06:00

I truly didn't think that over-the-knee boots were something I'd be trying whilst pregnant, but in the end I was lured in. In general I prefer a flat OTK boot to avoid any potential Pretty Woman implications, and that just happens to work out a lot better for me these days in the comfort department. I think I've been wearing heels about once every two weeks, at best...and my feets and calves aren't very happy with me when I do. I wore a mere 2.5" heel to work last week because some sweet co-workers threw me a shower & I wanted to look fancy, and then I got a debilitating leg cramp on the way home (yes, while driving...fun). But anyway, these Steven boots are actually easy to get on (also important) as well as comfortable, so they work. And keep me from feeling like a total schlump these final months.

Layered up with a vintage swing coat that I've had for a few years. It happens to be a pretty fab maternity winter coat (for Texas winter...it only has 3/4 sleeves but is otherwise relatively warm), and I'm glad to not have to buy one:

boots: Steven, jeans: Loved, sweater: Max Studio, tank: Liz Lange, coat: vintage, bag: Rachel Nasvik, necklace: Haute Hardware

Necklace close-up - I'm still all smitten with this piece from the Jingle Bash!

Last but not least, I'm also wearing a new Chanel Rouge Coco that I splurged on during a mini-post-Bash-spree. The shade is Rivoli which is a dark berry red that can be applied relatively sheer for daytime and vamped up for night. I love it.

[adventures in domesticity] if we took a holiday...

2010-12-03T10:27:00.003-06:00

Rod & I bought our first home this year, and I'm not a good candidate for travel right now...which means we get to do all of the holidays at our house this year. While my energy levels are waning a bit, I'm still up for the challenge (especially since I have an Extremely Helpful Husband and family members to do some of the legwork).

Thanksgiving was the kickoff to holiday season at Casa Cruz, and although we were a small group (Rod & I + mom- & sis-in-law) we still did it up right, food-wise. I'll just say we're still working on leftovers a week later. Here's me posing, er, at work in the kitchen:

(Week 31 day 1 for those keeping track!)

In keeping with the Thanksgiving Fiesta™ theme of my sugar skull apron, I decided to go with a bright, cheery theme for the table. Not very fall-like at all, but hey, these fresh flowers were still going strong & I had placemats to match.

My in-laws were awesome enough to bring all of the sides and veggies, while I tackled my first turkey, sausage, apple, and cranberry stuffing...

...and my mom's famous raspberry pie

The table again, loaded up and ready to go, along with 3 of the 4 chefs, ready to dig in!

Is anyone else getting hungry right now?!

After we plowed through insane amounts of food, we plowed through the Black Friday ads since Rod was determined to get in on that action this year. I've never been one for the BF hoopla, but the Michael's ad caught my eye this year, AND they were starting their deals Thanksgiving night. No getting up at 3 a.m. So we ventured out to get some things for the tree, and also came away with some festive flair for our mantle:

I spotted this mirror on a previous trip to Michael's, but the $120 pricetag gave me minor sticker shock. All the combined Black Friday deals brought it down to $50, so into our cart it went! The mirror isn't so much a holiday-only decoration, but I do love how it looks with the pinecone vase, gold glittery sticks/birds/candleholders, and the tin impression of El Convento that my mom got us in Puerto Rico. There's sort of a Silver & Gold thing going on [cue Burl Ives].

Full effect with fireplace - I love that it's finally fireplace weather, by the by:

I've been adding more holiday accents this week that I'll photograph, including our tree! I can hardly believe we have it up already...I think it's safe to say my nesting instinct has kicked in in full force. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

[haute hardware] great success!

2010-11-24T11:44:00.002-06:00

A slightly belated but huge THANK YOU to all those who came out to the Jingle Bash this past Saturday! It was another home run by Etsy Dallas - they sure know how to put on a great show. I saw a lot of familiar faces and met a lot of new people shopping my booth, so it was a super fun day. Everyone who braved the crowds (and man, were there crowds!) in the name of shopping local and handmade, I salute you! Here are a couple of shots from my booth (the banner is for a Facebook promo Etsy is doing):

And by some amazing feat, I actually found energy to list all of the remaining necklaces this week in my Etsy shop! I'll tackle earrings this weekend, but my shop is already looking nice and full...for once!

giveaway winner!

2010-11-19T22:13:00.000-06:00

Congrats to.....JENNA!

I'll be getting in touch with you shortly!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered. <3

last day of the giveaway - have you entered yet?!

2010-11-19T10:38:00.000-06:00

Dear Readers, Friends & Countrymen, don't forget to enter the giveaway before 9 p.m. tonight!

You know you want something pretty. As a reminder, the lucky winner will get their choice of one of these necklaces:

The Jingle Bash is TOMORROW *excitement, nerves, giddiness*, so it's time for one BIG final edition of...

Adorbs fabric plant from Jane Joss that I can't kill

Rad Puerto Rico T-shirt bag from Nerdbomber

Stunning Floral Prints from YLK Photography

Bunny Pouch from Cut Out + Collect

Baby Cinnamon Roll Soaps from Soapopotamus (maybe this will keep me from craving the real thing all the time?! Or not, but I want these soaps anyway.)

Wrap Cardigan from Harrilu

Cheeky Throw Pillow from Laura Davis Design Lab

Amazing Vintage Key Door Chime from Ferrochie

In the spirit of the season, this kick-ass Turkey Plush from Midnight Snack

Hope to see all my Dallas readers there tomorrow!

P.S. Don't forget to enter the giveaway. :)

[haute mama] w29d5 ~ cinnabun

2010-11-16T10:55:00.001-06:00

First things first, have you entered the giveway yet? If not, jump on it! It's free jewelry, peeps!

I wanted to sneak in an outfit post this week, amongst the Etsy madness, and today's seemed like a good day for a couple of reasons: 1) My top is by fellow Etsy Dallas member, XY Factory, and 2) it was a present I got for my best friend Gail while she was pregnant, that she's sinced loaned back to me. Here's a pic of Gail and her son Kenny, to give you a visual of these x-treme cuties:

Kenny is 5 months old, which will make him approximately 8 months older than our bebe...which is coincidentally exactly how far apart Gail & I are. Poetic, non? Now I just need to get them to move to Dallas so the boys can grow up together...

So. Gail gave me a stack of great hand-me-down maternity tops when she was here a week ago, and I've been wearing something of hers almost daily. Here's the aforementioned XY Factory skull top:

tunic: XY Factory, jeans: Forever21, cardi: C&C California, glitter flats: Gap

I also attempted to get a close-up of my hair today, as I tried out a new bun style that I spotted on Second Star, which she tried thanks to this tutorial on The Daybook. Now, thanks to my stick-straight, slippery mane, my bun didn't turn out as full our boufy as either of those lovely ladies', but I do like it anyway. It also feels really secure (except for the million flyaways!).

That's what I love about the blogsphere - there are so many good ideas out there on how to do just about anything. And my hair actually wasn't the first thing I tried out from a blog this morning - upon waking up, I whipped up this Cinnamon Toast to Die For from some leftover French bread, thanks to Hello, Splendor. It not only tastes to die for, but it makes your house smell to die for. You should seriously try it out, but I warn you, you may not want to return to regular ol' cinnamon toast after you try this version!

[haute hardware] GIVEAWAY TIME!

2010-11-14T20:31:00.001-06:00

Hey folks. It's time for my first ever Haute Hardware giveaway! I thought what better time than pre-Jingle Bash, as I've been busy creating a ton of new goodies. We'll get to the goods in a bit, but first let me give you the low down on how to enter:

1. Follow my blog by clicking the "Follow" button along the right-hand side & registering. If you're already a follower, thank you, and you're already halfway there!

2. Check out my Jingle Bash preview below, then leave a comment telling me your favorite of the new Haute Hardware pieces.

It's that simple! Then on Friday, November 19th at 9:00 p.m. CST, I'll select a winner at random from the comments posted. Now the good stuff - the lucky winner will get one of my new Single Gem Necklaces, shown below:

Shown left to right are ametrine & 14kt gold-filled, chalcedony & sterling, and citrine & 14kt gold-filled. The winner may take their pick of any of these three necklaces!

And here are some quick snaps of some other new things I'm super excited about for the show (& eventually my Etsy shop):

Thanks for letting me showboat my new stuffs, and bring on the comments! Don't forget to follow me as well to qualify.

Good luck!

xoxo

[haute mama] w28d7 ~ great job!

2010-11-12T14:44:00.001-06:00

Hang onto your hats, I'm posting twice in a day. I still have last weekend's baby shower to document, as well as more Jingle Bash banter, so I figured I'd better get crackin' on some of my post backlog.

Just a quick outfit post from yesterday, which included work followed by The Tim & Eric Awesome Show (Great Job) Chrimbus Spectacular at the Granada Theater. If you're not familiar with T&E, you just need to set your DVR to Adult Swim and see for yourself. It's a little hard to put into words, to say the least.

top: F21, skirt: American Apparel, boots: Seychelle's, bag: Rebecca Minkoff, scarf: World Market, necklace: Haute Hardware

One more for the cheap seats - shot of me in front of T & E's super rad bus (which according to an inside source couldn't be parked in front of their fancy hotel because of all the tongue action. LAME.):

[fiesta, forever] ain't no party like a blogger party: POST recap

2010-11-12T10:55:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of attending the POST Blogger Social, hosted by Beth of Hello, Splendor and Kelly of Fabulous K, pictured here in all their loveliness:

*photo by Kevin Dotolo*

The party was held at Nest, otherwise known as the reason I need a serious raise. What I love most about this shop is that it's pretty much undefinable - I was expecting a space full of furniture and other home interior goodness, but that's just the beginning. Nest also hosts a chic array of accessories, books, gourmet bites, bath & body items, stationary...the list goes on & on. Here's a glimpse into this beautiful space:

It would probably easier to list what I didn't want from this shop, but here's a handful of what stood out to me in a major "I wawnt that" way:

Jonathan Adler Addison Chair and Key Pillow

Missoni Home (I think?) throw that would look ah-mazing pretty much anywhere in my house

Jonathan Adler Slipper Chairs for my orange-accented living room

Giant Zook for the baby room (he stands 3' tall!)

These fabulous Skull Harp Chairs redesigned by Nest Interior Design

The other eye candy of this soiree? The attendees, of course. I met a bunch of great Dallas bloggers, and ran into a couple that I know & love:

Cassie of Hi Sugarplum *photo by Kevin Dotolo*

Sarah of Badder Homes & Gardens

Last but not least? There were cupcakes. I'm not going to tell you how many I ate, but I will say that I'm now a total devotee of Citizen Sweet:

*photo by Kevin Dotolo - more party pics by this talented young man here*

It was a really great night! Thanks again to Beth and Kelly for putting it all together. When's the next one??

[i wawnt that] more jingle bash cravings

2010-11-09T13:31:00.001-06:00

Today's edition of Etsy Jingle Bash features, i.e. things I will be sneaking away from my own booth to blow my money on, is dedicated to little ones. There's something for everyone at the Bash, even the tiniest of shoppers! For instance....

This rad dinosaur tee from Mama Dee's Boutique:

Spanish alphabet "El Búho" nursery print from mere designs:

And speaking of art for the nursery, how great would this pelican print from Bee Things be in our nautical nursery? It even features pelican poop, which means it would be perfect above the changing table.

If I were having a girl, I would certainly go home in the red after visiting Three Yellow Starfish's booth.

(lookit those little peanuts wearing her Knot Dresses...*dies*)

And lest we forget mama - I'll be really shocked if I come home without this Lotería maternity tunic from XY Factory:

What are you craving from this year's Jingle Bash Artists? Tell me what you've got your eye on, and then come & get it on November 20th at the Palladium!

w27d6 ~ mama's got a brand new bag + jingle bash preview

2010-11-03T13:44:00.000-05:00

I've been dying for JCrew's Exhibitor Pouchette since it was released several months ago, but was waiting for a sale. Although JCrew likes to send me an e-mail about a sale or promotion every. single. day, this bag is still hanging out at full price. So I turned to my good friend, eBay. I found one in the Beechwood color I wanted for $125. Not bad, so I bought it. A couple days later I got the shipping confirmation from the seller, along with a note saying the bag was not up to snuff with their standards & they were discounting the bag by $50. They didn't tell me exactly what was wrong with it, but they said if I was unhappy with it I could send it back. A little crestfallen, I waited, expecting the bag to arrive with a giant hole in it or worse. When I got it, there was basically a tiny mark on the bag (which could just be a variation in the leather), that's under the part that flaps over to boot. In a nutshell, it's no big deal (I'll almost certainly get worse marks on it after carrying it awhile), AND it means my bag rang in at all of $75. Score!

Enough of my yammering. Here it is in action:

I'm drawn more & more to small bags like this that I can wear cross-body. They're awesome for shopping and errand-running, and they're also small enough to chuck into a diaper bag in the near future.

bag & cardigan: JCrew, top: Joie, jeans: Gap Maternity, oxfords: Uterque, necklaces: Haute Hardware

My necklace is actually a pile of 3 different necklaces, all of which will be available at the Jingle Bash. So don't forget to come - November 20th at the Palladium. /plug Anyway, I did really quick snaps of these pieces, so forgive the less-than-stellar photo quality.

antiqued gold-plated chain + citrine

various brass chains

layered brass chains - gold toned

tricks-or-treats

2010-11-02T10:52:00.002-05:00

Feliz Dia de los Muertos, and happy belated Halloween, y'all. We had a fun weekend of dress up, sugar consumption, and fun parties. I'll kick things off with a new recipe that I made for my friend Sarah's party on Friday night, Caramel-filled Chocolate Cookies (courtesy of Allrecipes). Here's the skinny (although there isn't much that's skinny about these bad boys):

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon white sugar
48 chocolate-covered caramel candies (I used Rolos)

Directions

1.Beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in white sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, and cocoa. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in 1/2 cup walnuts. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

2.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

3.Combine remaining 1/2 cup nuts with the 1 tablespoon sugar. Divide the dough into 4 parts. Work with one part at a time, leaving the remainder in the refrigerator until needed. Divide each part into 12 pieces. Quickly press each piece of dough around a chocolate covered caramel. Roll into a ball. Dip the tops into the sugar mixture. Place sugar side up, 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

4.Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool for 3 to 4 minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
******************************************************************************************
They were pretty easy, although a little time consuming. Here are some pics of the process:

After the dough is fully refrigerated (don't skip this step!), roll into balls. I made mine on the small side so the cookie-to-caramel-center-ratio would be about half & half. I also used parchment paper on the cookie sheet, per many of the reviews on Allrecipes.

Next, make a little "well" for the Rolo (my thumb worked great for this), press the Rolo into the cookie, and seal the dough around it.

Dip in sugar, and then chopped walnuts. You can skip the walnuts (or sub for another kind of nut), but I'm not sure why you'd want to do that unless you're allergic! They add a lot to the texture and also the Delicious Factor.

Here they are fresh out of the oven. Also do not skip the cooling step or they will fall apart on you. A few minutes is all it takes.

Are you ready for this?

**DROOOOOL**

They were super awesome, if I do say so myself, and a hit at the party. Speaking of which, a few shots from said party - Rod and I went as Juno & Paulie Bleeker:

Kristen, Bill & I

Sarah, our hostess, puttin' the hurt on some Journey. I love how Rod looks like he's stretching for the 50 yard dash in this shot.

My favorite costume of the night, Sarah's dog Billie.

It was a super fun night, and you can see more pics of Sarah's kick-ass decorations on her blog, Badder Homes & Gardens. She went all out & her house really looked super spooky and awesome. Thanks again for the good times!

[haute hardware] yo, it's about that time

2010-10-29T16:17:00.001-05:00

Yes, to bring forth the rhythm & the rhyme, but also to mark your calendars for some super sweet handmade local shopping at the Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash. It's coming up with a quickness on Saturday, November 20th, so start saving your pennies and cashing out your Christmas Club NOW.

There's something for everyone at the Bash, and if you don't believe me, just take a few minutes to peruse this year's Artists. As for me, I get almost as excited about shopping this show as I do about my own booth. Here are just a few things I'm loving from my first (of many) pre-shopping excursions on Etsy:

Awesomely macabre medals by Signifying Not

Amazing photography by Seen Studios

Colorful yoyo necklaces by Tefi Designs:

Snuggly, chunky cowls by Karma Crochet:

T-shirts from Dowdy Studios for Rod, since they're all he wears (just ask Dylan, pictured). And I can steal them whilst pregnant:

And of course I've been a busy bee with Haute Hardware preparations - stay tuned for previews of some brand new stuffs in the upcoming weeks!

[haute mama] w26d1 ~ it's friday, i'm in love

2010-10-22T11:04:00.001-05:00

The weather still can't seem to decide whether it wants to be summer or fall, so it's a good time for in-betweener clothing. Such as a sweater dress (or tunic, if you're stretching it over a bump) with short sleeves. In most climates something like this would be useless, but in Texas "fall" it works.

I couldn't resist taking the YSL cage heels for another spin while the weather permits. I will surely get a lot of crap from the mother hens in my office for wearing these crazy high shoes. They all think I'm going to spontaneously fall over every time I'm in something other than flats. It's sweet of them to worry, but as my wardrobe gets more & more functional, I'm not ready to give up ridiculous shoes just yet.

dress/tunic: Banana Republic, jeans: Loved by Heidi Klum, shoes: YSL, cuff: Marc Jacobs, necklace: Kohl's, leather pyramid ring: Ted Rossi

Today's lipstick is a brand spankin' new one that arrived yesterday by way of eBay. eBay is good (or highly dangerous, depending on how you look at it) for feeding beauty addictions since you can almost always** find better-than-retail deals on overpriced cosmetics. This gorgeous red is from the perfectly formulated Chanel Rouge Coco collection. It's called Gabrielle, and it's a true, bright (but not too bright) red with just a hint of orange to it. It's not a frost, but it does have the slightest bit of shimmer to it if you look really closely. It applies and wears effortlessly, which can't be said for all bold reds. All in all a winner, and at almost 40% off of retail to boot!

Chanel Rouge Coco - Gabrielle

**I *still* can't find the new Tom Ford lipsticks on eBay or anywhere, for that matter, below retail. And at $45 a pop, I need to hold out for a deal! If you can find me a deal on these, I will send you a pony. Or even a unicorn.

[haute mama] w25d7 ~ she's a brick...house

2010-10-21T12:41:00.000-05:00

So I'm definitely to the point where there's no mistaking my "condition" (I love that euphemism), which is pretty fun for me. I've graduated from that 'is she pregnant or is she just packing it on' phase, and you wouldn't believe how many perfect strangers want to talk to me about being pregnant. I've also been fortunate enough SO FAR to not have anyone make stupid, insensitive remarks (I'm bracing myself for the day that that happens...and I know it will). People generally are just really excited about pregnant women and want to talk to you. I like that.

All that said, I think today's dress makes me look even pregnant-er than I am! Which is just fine, I just didn't realize how mighty mighty I looked until I saw the pics. In theory this is the perfect cut dress - it's not maternity, but it might as well be - but I think the length makes it a little (or a lot) "tent-y" with a bump. It'd probably look sassier at knee length, pregnant or not. Maybe one day I'll get it tailored, but for now, here it is, as-is:

dress: eight*sixty, tank: Liz Lange, bag: Hayden Harnett, shoes: Ciao Bella, necklace: Early Jewelry, earrings: Haute Hardware, scarf (on bag): Junko Koshino

I don't know if I can chalk this up to pregnancy or not, but I've developed a little bit of a lipstick obsession as of late. Actually, I decided I prefer lipsticks to glosses about a year ago, but the sheer obsession has definitely heightened since becoming knocked up. Lipstick still fits even when nothing else does, and it's cheaper than a handbag. In most cases. Anyway, I figured why not highlight what I'm wearing on my lips as well? Sometimes it's the most exciting part of my daily ensemble.

Today I'm wearing MAC Party Line from the Cremesheen collection. It's a red-toned plum, and although it looks dark in the tube, it can be worn fairly sheer, or built up for a more vampy effect. The Cremesheen formula is moisturizing and wears well - my morning application lasted me until lunch and still looked great.

Not that I need to add to my lipstick want list, but I'm curious to know, what lipstick(s) are you loving currently?

[bon voyage] puerto rico

2010-10-19T20:21:00.001-05:00

I must have remained in vacation mode even after we got back - sorry for the nearly two week hiatus! Our trip was beyond wonderful, and oh so relaxing. Just what I needed. We spent most of it on the beach, by the pool, wandering the streets of Old San Juan, eating delicious food, and lounging at the lovely El Convento where we got married. If you're ever in San Juan, you seriously need to consider staying there. It's beautiful, charming, romantic, and has an amazing history. It's like staying in a different era, yet with all the luxuries of a modern boutique hotel. I'm so glad we chose to stay there, since there was a lot I missed in the hubub of the wedding last year!

From here, I'll let the photos do the talking, starting with the view from our hotel room:

Garden in front of the hotel:

I met another expecting mama!

At the pool at La Concha:

Parque de las Palomas (Pigeon Park) - we loved these little pigeon "garages":

Streets of Old San Juan

At the beach, and possibly my favorite shot of the bunch - Rod was jumping in the waves just as the Policia was cruising by!

More bonding with the natives - this guy loved garnish food from the pool bar!

*deep breath* I never thought I'd see the day I posted a swimsuit shot on here, but I really love this photo. It stormed for a bit and then we got a rainbow:

Anniversary night - Rod wore his wedding duds (awww! sadly, wearing my dress was not an option :), and we ate at an amazing restaurant called Marmalade.

On our final night, we took a walk down the lovely Paseo de la Princesa:

One last stroll through Old San Juan before we took off.

Ahhh, I wish I could be back there right now. Thanks for reliving our vacation with me!

[haute mama] w23d7 ~ leather & lace

2010-10-07T10:50:00.001-05:00

Happy Thursday, y'all. One day closer to the weekend, one day closer to Puerto Rico for me (can you tell I'm excited?).

Today is a business dress day at our office, something almost as rare as a solar eclipse. I took advantage and finally busted out these skinny black pants that I scored at Motherhood. I was searching high & low for something in this exact silhouette, in black, and there they were one day when I wasn't even looking for them (of course), the very last pair on the clearance rack, in my size.

This top also came from a clearance rack (at Kohl's). It's not maternity, but it's nice and long and has a little bit of stretch to it. I love the lace pocket detail.

That's where the bargain bonanza ends, I'm afraid. But my shoes were on sale at least.

I love a pop of color with black & white, and the emerald green is a little bit more unexpected (in my opinion) than red, for example.

top: Lauren Conrad/Kohl's, pants: Motherhood, shoes: Valentino, necklace: Kohl's

This will probably be my last post until after our vacation. See you next week with some photos from la isla bonita!

[haute mama] w23d1 ~ fall for it

2010-10-06T06:16:00.001-05:00

I'm a little behind on posting, as this outfit is actually from last Friday. In addition to the standard fare (work), I had a hair cut and dinner plans. I don't know about you, but I always want to dress up a bit for the salon, even though I'm covered by a cape most of the time I'm there. I went to a new place by my office, Avalon, and I'm really pleased with it. Plus, you can't usually go wrong when they're putting Aveda products up in your hair.

I usually make the mistake of getting my hair cut on a day where I have nothing going on, or worse, I'm going to yoga or something and end up tying it back. This time I made sure I went on a day that my salon hair wouldn't be wasted. Rod & I met my good friend Cassie of Hi Sugarplum and her lovely family for Thai food and lots of laughs.

This is another Old Navy maternity find, and I'm really happy with it. It's so well made - the knit is really thick & sturdy, unlike most budget sweater dresses I've encountered. It's still a *little* warm for sweater dresses and knee socks and boots, but I'm hoping I can will fall to get here for real by dressing for it.

dress: Old Navy, boots: Dr. Scholl, necklace: House of Harlow, socks: Target

In other news, we're leaving for Puerto Rico in two short days! It's actually been a whole year since we got married (can you believe it?), and we're returning to where it all happened to celebrate our anniversary. I can hardly wait to be back here:

or here...

[haute mama] w22d6 ~ olive you

2010-10-04T20:40:00.001-05:00

I don't have much to say about this ensemble except that I felt really good in it, and none of it is maternity. My American Apparel pencil skirts have been really good to me throughout this pregnancy, and I'm happy they still fit. I'm also happy that they spring back to their original shape in the wash, so I can still wear them later. The top was a super clearance find during one of my trips to Albuquerque to visit Gail. I was so dazzled by the price that I bought it a couple sizes big, and while it looks a little sloppy non-pregnant, it suits me really well right now.

Eek, super washed out face in the next photos. Sorry 'bout that!

top: LAMB, skirt: American Apparel, bag: Lauren Merkin, shoes: Bally, earrings: Art Street in Green Bay

Speaking of photo quality, although this camera has served us really, really well over the years, we are planning on investing in a better one before el bebe arrives. Any reader recommendations? We're thinking SLR.

[haute mama] w22d5 ~ get booted

2010-10-01T18:26:00.000-05:00

These boots were a birthday moolah purchase (thanks, Mom & Dad!), and I'm loving them. I wanted in on the military-inspired footwear trend, but in a more subtle way, and these were the ticket. The taupe color plus the non-chunky soles make these really wearable for me.

I also want to talk about these jeans and my love affair with Old Navy Maternity. I bought these on a whim because they were $20, and they ended up being the most comfortable pair that I own. They're also a size 2 which is nice for my self esteem right now! They just have a regular (albeit stretchy) waistband, which makes them feel more like normal jeans. I'll probably get some mileage out of them the first few months post-pregnancy for this reason.

boots: Seychelles, jeans: Old Navy, blazer: Calvin Klein, tee: Ya-Ya, cuff: Hi-Fi Jewelry

[savoir fare] thin crust margarita pizza

2010-09-28T20:45:00.003-05:00

I've been wanting to try my hand at food posts for awhile now, but I always forget to take photos when I'm cooking something. It's too easy to get in the zone and think more about my impending hunger than snapping step-by-step pictures.

But tonight, as I prepared the toppings for the home made pizza I was throwing together, they just looked so lovely and reminiscent of the Italian flag that I had to grab the camera:

Before I get ahead of myself, the beauty that is this pizza starts with the super thin, crispy-but-chewy crust, courtesy of this recipe on food.com. Over the years I've tried several thin crust recipes, and I haven't found one that holds a candle to this one. The consistency is perfect, or at least exactly what I'm after in a pizza crust. Plus, it's dead easy and the recipe makes dough for two pizzas - one for making immediately and the other for freezing, thus making the next round of pizza even faster/easier. Here's the dough after step 7 - I mix in my KitchenAid with the dough hook for maximum ease:

After it rises comes the hardest part (for me): Forming the dough. It's a little tricky to get it thin enough without breaking holes in it, and it's even harder to transfer it onto the pizza stone without the dough flopping over onto itself. Plus, if you use a stone (you don't have to - you can use an oiled pizza pan or cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal), you have to preheat it with the oven. So it's not like you can manipulate the dough once it's on there since it's 425 degrees at that point. Once you get past this sucky step, though, you have this:

The recipe states that you don't have to prebake the crust, but I always do for 8-10 minutes. I basically watch it until it has a few toasty brown points on it:

From there, you pull it out of the oven and top it. Enter the fresh mozzarella, roma tomatoes, and basil chiffonade from earlier, plus homemade tomato sauce (mine is a simple mix of tomato sauce, paste, and a mess of herbs/spices) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil:

Okay, there's also pepperoni on here, which is not typical of a margarita pizza. Margarita purists and vegetarians can skip this part, but if we have turkey pepperoni in the house, I'll be damned if it isn't going on my pizza. This beauty got a dose of cracked pepper and fresh grated parmigiano before going into the oven for the second time:

Ten short minutes later, it's done!

Mmmm...melty and awesome looking. But how did it taste?

Great success!

[haute mama] w22 ~ 1...2...3...repeater

2010-09-28T14:27:00.001-05:00

I only got to wear last week's purple Gap dress for a matter of hours to Sarah's party, so I repeated it yesterday for work. I'll admit to doing this fairly regularly when I'm excited about an outfit or particular article of clothing, especially if I'm seeing different people on different days. Provided I haven't spilled anything on myself. Normally I wouldn't take a new set of photos of the same outfit, but something magical happened in ye olde Texas this weekend - fall started to make an appearance. And I like seeing how people style the same article of clothing in different ways, so I give you the Gap dress, a few degrees colder and a few days more pregnant (w22d4):

I also got an unusually high number of compliments on this color combo yesterday, which motivated me to photograph it again. I've always liked purple & yellow together, and I really love this bright purple with the mustard cardi.

And don't our hibiscus plants look lovely??

dress: Gap Maternity, cardi: JCrew, shoes: Calvin Klein, bag: Rebecca Minkoff, necklace: gift from Rod

Today's post will be a double feature, so let's rewind it back to last Friday, i.e. week 22, day 1. I promised separates this week, and separates you will get. This isn't a terribly exciting ensemble, but it is a good representation of my more day-to-day maternity wardrobe when I'm not being all fancy in a dress.

Skinny jeans? Check. T-shirt? Check. Accessories? Check. If I had to define my uniform (pregnant or not), this would have to be it.

My favorite part of this ensemble? The shoes, which I bought myself for my birthday this year after some diligent stalking at my local DSW (80% off, yo - it was worth it):

jeans: Loved by Heidi Klum, tee: Gap Maternity, shoes: Miu Miu, scarf: Old Navy, bag: Rebecca Minkoff, cuff bracelet: street vendor

[haute mama] w21d7 ~ let it rain

2010-09-24T10:50:00.001-05:00

I'm thinking maybe the name of this blog should be 'another day, another dress.' I do wear separates, too, I promise, but it's pretty much been some variation of jeans and a tee lately. Nothing that inspires me to whip out the camera. Perhaps that will be my goal for next week, to come up with interesting ensembles involving separates.

But in the meantime & in between time, I was really happy when I tried on my DVF Lluvia dress and it totally worked on my pregnant bod:

The pleat under the bustline makes just enough room for mah belleh:

I almost sold this dress in the past because I have a wrap in a similar print, but I'm so glad I hung onto it!

dress: DVF, shoes: No. 704b, bag: Reggio Veneziano, earrings: self-made

[haute mama] w21d6 ~ mind the gap

2010-09-23T11:01:00.001-05:00

As far as actual maternity clothing goes, Gap's offering has been my favorite by a landslide. It's well made, their styles are cute and relatively on trend, and it's not terribly expensive either, especially if you hit a good sale. I was eyeing up this dress earlier in the summer, but passed on it at full price. However, last night when I spotted one lone electric purple beauty on the clearance rack, in my size, marked down to $14.97, I couldn't help myself.

The jersey is nice & thick, so I think this will transition nicely into fall with tights & a cardigan or jacket.

dress: Gap Maternity, necklace: Kohl's, shoes: Ciao Bella, bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

I wore this last night to my friend Sarah's leaving-her-old-job-for-a-much-awesomer-one party (congrats again!). It was a good evening with good peeps, and the bar, City Tavern, even had a good non-alcoholic beer (Beck's). I discovered a few weeks ago that I actually enjoy NA beer, but it's surprisingly hard to find, both when you're out & about and even in some liquor stores. I mean, I'm sure it's not the most popular item in these establishments, but this gal sure appreciates when it is available. It does the trick when yet another Sprite sounds about as exciting as watching grass grow.

[haute mama] w20d7 ~ Target love

2010-09-21T10:19:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since anything in a Target Go collection has moved me enough to haul out my wallet, so I was pleased when a few of the Tucker items a) appealed to me, and b) fit me. Granted, my bump pushes this dress (and most of the other things I tried on) into tunic territory, but that works too, and I'll be able to wear it as a true dress down the road.

Of the signature dresses, I liked this print the best. I'm not much for florals usually, so I was glad for this alternative. I love the pops of fuschia in the diamond print.

dress: Tucker for Target, leggings: Forever21, bag: Hayden Harnett, shoes: Via Spiga, belt: Club Monaco

[haute mama] w20d6 ~ layer cake

2010-09-16T11:24:00.001-05:00

My friend Julia recommended this Target dress to me, as she thought it had great maternity potential, and she was totally right. I think I need to shorten the straps a little bit because it sits scandalously low when I don't have anything layered underneath. But I do like it with this tee for the time being:

A lot of the reviews on this dress complained about the length being too long, but I think it's perfect. It also gives me some room to grow, as my hemlines start to creep up in the front.

Yay for bumps!

The morning sun finally got to me...*squints*

dress: Mossimo, tee: American Apparel, shoes: Givenchy, necklace: Kohl's, earrings: Michelle Chang

[haute mama] w20d5 ~ ruffled

2010-09-15T12:32:00.001-05:00

I got this Manoush dress ages ago at a Loehmann's in Houston, and it tends to get buried/forgotten in my closet. Whenever I do pull it out it makes me feel instantly put together and cute, plus it's a great cotton/linen blend that's perfect for hot, muggy weather. Which is still going strong here, ugh. I'm ready for fall, but it doesn't seem to be showing up anytime soon. No matter, I have a lot of great summer frocks that I'm happy to get a bit more wear out of.

You can't see them in the pics, but I got a new pair of studs from one of my favorite Etsians, Michelle Chang Jewelry. I have a pair of her gold pyramid studs that I wear to death, and I needed a pair of go-to silver studs. These baby skulls were just the ticket:

dress: Manoush, bag: Marc Jacobs, shoes: Ciao Bella, earrings: Michelle Chang

[fiesta, forever] let's shower together

2010-09-14T20:12:00.001-05:00

My lovely friends and mama threw me a baby shower during our trip to Wisconsin over Labor Day, and it was nothing short of the best shower, ever. We had the perfect weather, and my parents' back yard provided the perfect setting:

And it wouldn't be a party without a huge table full of beautiful and delicious eats:

I had to make these Better-Than-Crack Brownies that a friend tipped me off to on How Sweet It Is:

I have always been a sucker for anything with peanut butter involved, and pregnancy has only strengthened my relationship with the PB. Needless to say, I was very happy when this recipe came into my life, although I may be singing a different tune as I'm trying to lose the baby weight later. But I digress. As you may have guessed by my dessert's accessories, the theme of the shower was nautical, in keeping with our plans for nursery decor. This sign (along with this hunky cater waiter) was one of my favorite touches:

Rod, my dad, brother, and uncle all were super helpful, not to mention excellent sports, and helped the hostesses by refilling drinks, dishing out desserts, etc. They all donned sailor hats with Rod in a captain's hat. I'm still kicking myself for not getting a photo of all of them together! Believe me, it was pretty damn cute.

But speaking of cuteness and sailor hats, I'd be remiss if I didn't pay tribute to the hostesses with the mostestsses in this post - Toby and Julia.

I can't thank these girls and my mom enough. Love yous!

And for good measure, the outfit details: dress: H&M, necklace: Kohl's, shoes: Boutique 9

[haute mama] w19d2 ~ labor day weekend

2010-09-09T19:14:00.000-05:00

A belated happy Labor Day weekend to everyone. We headed north to Wisconsin to visit my parents over the long weekend, and were greeted by crisp, early fall weather. It was admittedly a little cooler than I expected, but still a nice change from the sweat box that has been Texas for the past few months.

My mom is a fantastic gardener, and although she claimed her garden wasn't very colorful or exciting at this time of year, I think it looked amazing:

dress: Motherhood, cardi: Urban Outfitters, flats: Ted Baker

Stay tuned for part II of my Labor Day weekend with some shots from our fabulous nautical baby shower. Ahoy!

[haute mama] w18d6

2010-09-01T11:18:00.001-05:00

Some days I think 'wow, I don't really look that pregnant yet,' but I know I really do. Case in point, I've worn today's exact outfit before on the blog (check it here), and yeah...there's a difference! But once again, it's nice to be finding a lot of pieces in my existing wardrobe that work for me right now.

This deserves a 'before & after,' especially since I posed EXACTLY THE SAME the last time I wore this. Embarrassing, but funny.

Heee! I'm definitely filling out the top portion of this dress a little more now, too. *ahem*

dress: Wal-Mart, shoes: Miu Miu, bag (in today's version): Tylie Malibu

[haute mama] w18d2

2010-08-30T10:41:00.002-05:00

Another non-maternity maternity gem: Maxi dresses. I got this one last year for our wedding trip, and it's kind of working out perfectly for this stage in my pregnancy. It's 100% cotton, which is crucial in this heat, and the empire waist leaves me just enough extra room. It's got no stretch to it, so it may not make too far into the 3rd trimester, but it's so summery that I don't really need it to. I love it right now!

I wore this on Saturday to hit a few thrift stores (found a fab $40 dresser that will become our changing table - more on that later), followed by dinner at one of my favorite Dallas restaurants, Hattie's.

I went closer to the tree for this last pic, but then didn't know how to pose. Rod yelled, "Hug it!" So I did.

**dork**

dress: Old Navy, bag: Rebecca Minkoff, flip-flops: Old Navy, necklace: self-made, cuff: Hi Fi Jewelry

[haute mama] w17d7

2010-08-27T09:56:00.001-05:00

For some reason I've been neglecting my Mexican pueblo dresses this summer, which is crazy because they're perfect as maternity wear. I usually belt them for a little definition, but belting a bump is definitely a different ballgame. You kind of have to go above, which doesn't exactly work with all belts. I tried on about 5 different ones before I decided on this elastic vintage belt, which I think looks cute and also stretches with me - always a good thing.

I'm may have to figure out a different spot for morning pics - the sun was KILLING my eyes! Sorry for all the squintage.

dress: La Mariposa in Dallas, belt: vintage via eBay, sandals: Boutique 9, earrings: Forever21

I wore this yesterday and got mad compliments on it all day - I'll definitely have to wear this one and my black version a few more times before summer runs out. Also, I don't know about you, but I normally can't change out of my work clothes fast enough when I get home. But last night? I popped off that belt and lounged in my dress all evening long. It's basically the most comfortable article of clothing, ever.

Bring on week 18!

oh hi. remember me?

2010-08-26T10:40:00.002-05:00

I've never pretended to be a consistent blogger, but I think I've outdone myself this time. The excuses are good this time, though, they really are! First of all, Rod & I bought our first house together & moved back in June. It's been equal parts exciting and exhausting getting everything in order, especially in this summer heat, but we're loving every second of it.

Aaaand the second great excuse? We're expecting our first baby!!! Yep, folks, come January we are going to be parents to a baby boy, and we couldn't be more thrilled. The past 4+ months have been a bit of a whirlwind, getting used to this new chapter of our lives, starting all of the preparations, and trying to stay awake. It's also been interesting dressing a figure which seems to change on the daily! Which is part of the reason why I've finally gotten the motivation to return to my much-neglected blog: Now that I'm starting to show, I figured why not share my growing waistline and adventures in maternity fashion with the world? Plus, I know my family and friends who don't live near us will get a kick out of seeing me grow. So without further ado, I give you my very first mama-to-be outfit of the day, week 17, day 6:

My bump is still a small speed bump at this point, although I know not for long! As such, I'm trying to make as many things in my existing wardrobe work, as well as purchasing more generously cut non-maternity pieces that I can wear later on. I have had to cave on pants and skirts, though. With a couple of very rare exceptions, I was sized right out of my normal pants/jeans/skirts about a week ago. This skirt was a good find at Motherhood Maternity - their quality tends to be a little iffy (LOTS of polyester), but I really like the cut and fit of this one, and it seems to be well made. Oh, and it was $21.99. Not bad for a basic black skirt, and I know I'll get a ton of wear out of this at work this fall & winter.

Throwing in a side note on the new house, this is our back yard! Rod and my mom planted that flower bed right after we moved, and it makes me seriously happy. We haven't done anything major back there this summer, but the flowers definitely prettied everything up for the time being.

Outfit details: top: Gap, skirt: Motherhood Maternity, shoes: Anne Klein, bag: Handmaid by Michelle Frantz, necklace: Urban Outfitters

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more! xoxo

etsy dallas spring bash - may 1st at south side on lamar

2010-04-24T21:03:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder that the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash is only one week away! Dallasites, head down to South Side On Lamar between 11 am - 5 pm to catch 60 of Dallas's most talented artists and crafters, including Haute Hardware.

The last two bashes have been EPIC, so you don't want to miss this! Tell your friends and get yourself there on the 1st!!

happy easters

2010-04-04T16:57:00.004-05:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter today, with a promise to be back soon. It's been mass chaos up in here, with us buying a home, getting ready for our trip to Spain at the end of the month, and making pieces for the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash.

In the spirit of the day, some bun spam:

One of our babies, Fiver Ears McBigglesby, chowing down.

Our other babies, Ruby & Ethel, doing what they do best (maxin' & relaxin').

Haute Hardware leaping bunny necklace

Bunny pancakes I made this morning.

Last but not least, in loving, loving memory of our sweet Zoe:

We miss you so much, sweet girl.

Just a quick reminder today that although rabbits are an awesome symbol of Easter, and in my opinion the greatest pets in the whole wide world, they're not a suitable Easter "present" for young kids. Rod and I volunteer at the North Texas Rabbit Sanctuary, and shortly after Easter, rabbit rescues like NTRS & humane societies are inundated with rabbits, Easter gifts whose "owners" no longer want them. And these are the ones who aren't just abandoned outside. So without getting too preachy, just remember to make your bunny a chocolate one this Easter, or a stuffed animal, or a Peep, or a bunny-shaped pancake, or a pretty necklace... And if you decide a rabbit IS the pet for you, just make sure to do your research first, and adopt vs going to a pet store. Fiver, Ruby, Ethel, Rod and I will thank you!

i carried a watermelon

2010-03-23T12:43:00.003-05:00

My pal Emily played personal shoppah for me last week and scored me this H&M dress that I was dreaming of. It's actually sleveless, but I couldn't resist busting it out in spite of this psychotic weather we've been having (it snowed on Saturday! in March! in Texas!). This pale ballet pink is actually a color I love but have never been 100% on whether it looks that great on me, so I think the contrasting black tights and grey cardi are doing me a favor. And keeping me warm.

(I was going for some pose variation here, but it looks like I stepped in something & am checking to see what it is.)

dress: H&M, cardi: JCrew, shoes: Georgina Goodman, belt: vintage, jewelry: Anomaly (ring), F21 (earrings), Liz Claiborne (bracelet), hair clip: JCrew

I think I just put my finger on what drew me to this dress so much, as I was writing this post:

Add a curly wig and Rod in head to toe black, and I think I have a Halloween costume for this year. Although I did want to go as Humpty from Digital Underground...

Aaaaand that's enough tangents for one post.

best costume for the [st. patty's] day

2010-03-17T14:53:00.000-05:00

Top o' the...afternoon. Is it time to drink yet? This has been one crazy week - we've been house-hunting which has eaten up every second of my free time and most of my energy. On top of that I ran the Rock & Roll Half Marathon here in Dallas on Sunday, so this is really the first day my feets have been able to semi-tolerate cute shoes. But I'm back, with 13.1 miles under my belt and some festive green Miu Mius in the spirit of the day:

tank: Target, cardi: Norma Kamali for Wal-Mart, jeans: Martin + Osa, shoes & bag: Miu Miu, necklace: House of Harlow

As much as I hate admitting it, these are some of the hurtiest shoes I own. But as they're also some of the cutest, in the words of the great Tim Gunn, I will Make It Work. I need to also talk about this NK cardigan. It's one of a few NK pieces I ordered from walmart.com, and I am extremely impressed with the quality & fit of what I got, especially for the price. My other favorite pick was a black trench that I got for $35. The details are awesome, and it's a nice, thick, waterproof material - be on the lookout for that baby in upcoming posts.

Everybody have fun (and Wang Chung) tonight in your St. Patrick's endeavors. And be safe.

best costume for the day ~ 3.11

2010-03-11T15:36:00.002-06:00

One thing I enjoy about blogging outfits is it makes me give a damn about getting dressed. This week my office declared jeans days on Thursday & Friday, and normally that would mean jeans + tee + cardi + Chucks, i.e. general laziness/boringness for me today. And I still have those days, but when I ask myself "to photograph or not to photograph?" and the answer is "to photograph," I definitely hold myself to a higher standard.

All that said, today's outfit isn't a HUGE departure from the aforementioned combo - don't get too excited - but it's ever-so-slightly more inspired.

back-to-back Es:

jacket: Max Studio, tee: JCrew, jeans: Blank, bag: Marc Jacobs, flats, Miu Miu, jewelry: Anomaly*, Fleathers

*Y'all, I forgot to report that I GOT MY GOLDEN GIRLS NECKLACE. After much agonizing over which Girl to get, I went with Sophia. She makes me laugh the most on the show, by far. I also got thise 2-finger ring that I've been admiring for months:

Karen is wicked talented (and sweet!) and will get all of my money eventually.

best costume for the day ~ 3.9

2010-03-09T10:06:00.000-06:00

I like today's outfit better in person than in pictures. That's just the way it goes sometimes.

I figured I'd be skipping the whole baggy/pleated/harem pants epidemic that's going around, until this silk pair called out to me at Forever 21 (yes, they are real silk, too). They're fitted through the hips & bum which is why I like them more than a lot of the ill-fitting, sloppy (to me) ones that I've seen.

Shoe Shot of my very favorite Loeffler Randall heels

pants: F21, blouse: JCrew, jacket: Walter, heels: Loeffler Randall, bag: Marc Jacobs

forever plaid

2010-03-05T10:15:00.000-06:00

I got this shirtdress yesterday & wanted to play around with it a bit before wearing it out. I also should mention that I ran across a great execution of OTK socks by Hot Robot yesterday and was anxious to try my hand at them again. I'm decidedly bad at OTK socks, and I don't really know that I've done them right this time either. Perhaps the dress is a bit too long for starters. Thoughts?

Next, I swapped out the self belt in favor of this thrifted patent belt. I think I like it better this way.

dress: Faded Glory, shoes: Dolce Vita, belt: thrifted

I'm new to the shirtdress arena, so any styling tips are appreciated. My first instinct was to slap on my tooled brown leather belt & Frye boots, but I didn't want to go too western with this particular plaid.

But all that aside, I love this dress. I found it at Wal-Mart yesterday for $14, and it's a nice thick, soft cotton - not at all cheap-feeling. They had it in a fantastic chambray as well, but not in my size...so I ordered it. I can see myself wearing these a TON in the TX summer heat.

best costume for the day ~ 3.3

2010-03-03T18:51:00.001-06:00

Two things I'm wearing today are hand-me-downs from supa-fly friends of mine. The blouse was given to me by Gail who purchased it last summer and never wore it. She jumped on the bandwagon after seeing mine in cream/navy, but didn't really have much use for it in her wardrobe. I was more than happy to take it off of her hands.

Also a hand-me-down, or more accurately a trade, are these fantastic shoes. My friend Sarah and I have the same size feets, so we've done a couple of shoe trades of things we're sick of but that aren't ready for donating. I love these Via Spiga peep toes that she gave me.

A rare jacket shot with one of my favorite oldies but goodies - this Gap denim trench:

blouse: Wal-Mart, skirt: Martin + Osa, shoes: Via Spiga, trench: Gap, bag: Ananas

So folks, today marks the one year anniversary of Rod & I getting engaged. He actually reminded ME last night...what a guy. Anyway, even though we're an old married couple now, we're going to celebrate a bit by going to dinner. I also picked up the following on the way home tonight - from the winery/castle where Rod axed me to marry him:

...and just because they were beautiful:

Yay, love.

best costume for the day ~ 3.2

2010-03-02T11:04:00.000-06:00

The CK jacket makes the second of many (I predict) appearances, this time frilled up with a UO skirt I got on sale:

Close-up of sweater booties & the awesome pattern on these tights. I have 58 pairs of black tights, yet I only ever seem to wear these.

jacket: Calvin Klein, tank: F21, skirt: UO, booties: Georgina Goodman, necklace: vintage/gifted, ring: Fleathers, tights: ?? courtesy of my Christmas stocking

sequins of events

2010-03-01T22:40:00.003-06:00

Saturday was a night for celebration. My friend Jenna got a new job, and my friend Bernadette had a birthday. We went to one of my favorite Dallas restaurants, Cafe Izmir, to celebrate all of the above. I wore a vintage fully beaded & sequined top I found at Buffalo Exchange in Albuquerque, for $12. $12! I love it.

(omg, BLURRY...I am so over this camera. sorry, people.)

I love the cut-away detail of the back of this top. It's such a fantastic piece & in such great shape, that I'm still in disbelief about the price. I had to replace like 6 beads, and that was it. Otherwise it was PERFECT.

top: vintage, pants: F21, shoes: Dolce Vita, bag: Rebecca Minkoff

Great shots of great friends:

(Rod looked so super cute in this Ben Sherman tie I got him awhile back...his idea to put on a tie <3)

ships -n- slips

2010-02-26T12:14:00.003-06:00

Last night RULED. I haven't had that much fun going out in a long time. Rod, Bill, Sarah from Badder Homes & Gardens & I went to The Slip Inn which is ~~my favorite~~ the only place I will go out dancing in Dallas. Old school hip hop on Thursdays = bliss. I didn't sit my ass down once. I also need to talk about Ships, i.e. my new favorite bar. We went there before AND after Slip Inn - it's the definition of a hole in the wall, and it is AWESOME. I love everything about it - the jukebox, nautical decor, bartender, cheap drinks, the patronage, which is a good mix of regulars and kids like us looking for a non-douchey bar that you can sit & have a conversation at. The icing on the cake is that they only serve beer & wine, so you can BYOLiquor if you're so inclined. Which I was.

I wore this H&M number I picked up last time I was in Milwaukee (H&M, if you're listening, COME TO DALLAS):

close-up of what is officially my Ships Bag...'cause it's just big enough for mah flask:

dress: H&M, belt: Linea Pelle, booties: Sofft, bag: Sondra Roberts, earrings: Buffalo Exchange

Finally, gratuitous party shots. We're a pointy bunch, apparently.

Faux grinding. And more pointing.

...and more pointing.

VIVA SHIPS.

best costume for the day ~ 2.25

2010-02-25T10:58:00.000-06:00

Today's not terribly exciting ensemble:

sweater/tunic: Max Studio, jeans: M+O, boots: Kenneth Cole, cuff: flea market, earrings: Buffalo Exchange

In spite of this being NTE, I like it because a) it's comfortable as hell, and b) almost everything I'm wearing is really old. I like it when I'm wearing something & it dawns on me that 'wow, I've had these boots for 8 years' (true story with these KCs). I have plenty of trendy/throwaway things in my closet as well, but it's nice to realize I have pieces that have stood the test of time & were a good investment. What oldies but goodies do you have in your closet?

In other news, tonight's outfit will be terribly exciting, because we're going out dancing. And you always have to wear something exciting to da club. Always.

I'M EXCITED AS HELL. Stay tuned.

public service announcement:

2010-02-24T15:59:00.000-06:00

Go to the dentist regularly. And floss your teeth, even though it sucks. When you don't, bad things happen. Bad things that HURT.

I had to have Arestin shots in my gums today, where my wisdom teeth once were. My entire mouth is throbbing, and I'm not enjoying life right now. It's enough to make me a flossing convert FOR LIFE.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...

best costume for the day ~ 2.24

2010-02-24T10:30:00.000-06:00

I realized last week that I'm a Cardigan Junkie. Cardigans are my easy, lazy, fail-safe layering crack, and the moment I realized this I knew I had to switch it up a bit. Enter> this blazer:

Gail forced me to buy it in Albuquerque last weekend. She forced me! But I'm glad she did, because it's fantastic.

a close-up of les bijoux:

and a closer-up shot of Life Changing Lipstick, MAC Rebel. I loooooove this shade, y'all, and it stays put like nobody's business.

blazer: Calvin Klein, top: M+O (also worn here), jeans: Levis, shoes: Dolce Vita, necklace: Haute Hardware, bracelet: Liz Claiborne, ring: Fleathers, bag: Rebecca Minkoff

best costume for the day ~ 2.23

2010-02-23T10:19:00.004-06:00

I realized I hadn't worn this Karoo wrap dress in nearly two winters, and today I figured out why: It's always felt like more of a cardigan than a dress to me. So voila - today it's a cardigan:

cardigan: Karoo, shirt: F21, jeans: Martin + Osa, boots: Frye, bag: Hayden Harnett, scarf: CrystalJ on Etsy, earrings: Eve M. Metalsmith on Etsy

...and THE best part of today's outfit, my new Fleathers octopus ring:

Finally, because it was on my camera and making me drool all over again, the Ghirardelli molten lava cakes I made for Valentine's Day:

DO WANT.

2010-02-22T11:26:00.006-06:00

My world screeched to a halt this morning, and it's all because of Anomaly Jewelry:

The Stan pendant kills me.

And on the back of all of them:

Anomaly, you complete me.

I have "Gotta Get You Into My Life" (Earth Wind & Fire version) looping through my head. I am a serious GG fan, and WILL find a way to make these mine.

The Girls are available on her website (link above), and she's also on Etsy.

I need a raise.

DIWhy

2010-02-19T16:46:00.000-06:00

My favorite show of all time** taught me that it's cheaper & easier just to buy stuff, but I will DIY 'til I die. I got a truckload of studs yesterday from studsandspikes.com, and this was my first project:

This was my mama's clutch, and it's got some stories to tell. There's a lot of wear to the leather and possibly some spots where drinks got spilled on it, but that makes me love it even more. Two rows of gunmetal studs make me love it EVEN MORE still.

I'm heading out now to grab my stuff and head to Albuquerque to see my girl, Gail. Gail, if you're reading, I may or may not have studs & practice bags in tow, so be prepared to bedazzle this weekend. I think I'd get chucked off of the plane for bringing the awl, so I hope you have an ice pick (or something we can poke holes with).

**Craft Corner Deathmatch. Check out a few lone episodes on vimeo.com. That's vimeo with an "m".

earn your stripes

2010-02-19T13:08:00.000-06:00

I never thought I'd be saying this in my Texas life, but I am tired of cold weather. I think this is the first time in my (nearly) 5 years here that we've had a real winter, and I'm ready for it to be over. I'm ready for bare legs, sandals, and all of the stripey, nautical awesomeness that is hitting stores right now.

I'm wearing the above today - Merona Draped Collar Pullover from Target in Navy/Polar Bear. It's a gauzy, lightweight blend of cotton & poly - I love it.

F21 Heritage 1981 Knit Stripes Dress. This is adorable & must be sought out for $14.90.

Martin + Osa Maritime Chevron Maxi. I've been lusting after this ever since it showed up in their spring lookbook.

Urban Outfitters BDG Long Sleeve Striped PE Cardigan. This cardi or something like it is on my spring/summer wishlist.

Have you been on L.L. Bean's website lately? I don't know if I ever had until recently, but I'm glad I stumbled in. A couple favorites from their nautical lookbook:

Finally, no pining-for-summer post would be complete without mentioning these old favorites of mine:

Sperry Topsiders. Mine are actually navy patent, but I couldn't find a photo so this will do.

Oh, and HI readers, if there are any of you left out there. I can't say for sure that my blogging hiatus is over, but I will say that I'm going to try. I've been a combo of busy, lazy, and trying to decide what direction to take this blog in. I love fashion, but I'm not entirely sure that fashion blogging is for me. I like having a forum to showcase my creative outlets, but there are long periods of time when I don't create jack. So we'll see what happens. But for those of you who are still tuned in, thank you for your loyalty, even though I don't deserve it. :)

tuesday shoes-day

2009-12-22T09:50:00.000-06:00

Today is all about the shoes. I scored these Valentino d'orsay pumps on sale after much, much stalking, but haven't busted them out due to cold weather &/or lack of polish on my toes. Today was pretty much my last opportunity to wear them in 2009 - it's pretty mild out, and in 2 days I'll be headed to Wisconsin where it will be anything but mild. I kept the rest of my outfit fairly simple:

...and the piece de resistance:

Major swoon units *sigh*.

details: shoes: Valentino, top: Ya-Ya, cardi: Alternative Apparel, jeans: Jordache, bag: Rebecca Minkoff, earrings: Untamed Menagerie

On second thought, maybe I'll bust out these shoes on Friday with red tights. Would that be too much?

Advocate Magazine

2009-12-09T00:14:00.003-06:00

Advocate Magazine, a local publication to the DFW area, did a great series of articles for the December issue featuring Etsy sellers in their respective neighborhood editions. There's a mug you may recognize on the cover of the web edition:

www.advocatemag.com Preston Hollow Magazine - COVER STORY: Think Outside the Gift Box

I had no idea - I'm so honored! I have yet to see the print copy, but I heard from a customer (that found me via the article, no less) that it's a two page spread. I'm so excited, AND already getting business from it. Holla. Thank you Advocate for the Etsy love!

oh hi, i'm hollywood steve...

2009-12-08T20:39:00.003-06:00

...and you've caught me not wearing jeans and a t-shirt.**

My office is officially a business casual office, but we're also a small'ish sales office that for most intents & purposes is self-governed, so 90% of the time management decides to let us go casual. This is great for my laziness, but bad for the majority of my closet. Part of the reason I haven't posted an outfit in about a million years is because I've been in some variation of jeans & a tee/sweater/tee & cardigan combo. Not exciting. Today I decided to switch it up again in a green ombre Theory number:

dress & cardi: Theory, shoes: Givenchy, tights: Limited (I think? they are OLD)

**The title and first line of this post are a Yacht Rock reference. For those of you not familiar, click here immediately & prepare for your life to be changed for the better.

jingle bash sneak peek

2009-11-19T18:26:00.005-06:00

Here are just a few of the many, many new things you can expect to see at the Haute Hardware booth if you come on Saturday. I've been a busy gal.

I'm really excited about these new "bauble" necklaces. They're a mix of freshwater pearls, czech glass beading, a mess of chain, and satin ribbon:

Some charming new charm necklaces:

A pretty piece with a vintage brass finding and teal chalcedony briolette:

A new Swarovski pendant I've been using:

And finally, some earrings - these pin-up gals are my new favorites:

Hope to see you Saturday at Sons of Hermann Hall. Visit http://etsydallas.com/ to get more show info than you'd ever need, and preview the rest of the fab designers!

save the date ~ etsy dallas jingle bash, 11/21/09

2009-11-09T12:49:00.005-06:00

Yes yes, y'all, it's that time again - time to think about holiday shopping. The mere thought of this strikes fear and panic into the hearts of many, but it doesn't have to - not when you shop the Etsy Jingle Bash. There will be over 50 local artists, including yours truly, featuring clothing, jewelry, accessories, candles, bath & body, home goods, baby stuff...there's truly something for everyone. Imagine knocking out your entire Christmas list in one fell swoop, never having to set foot in a mall, all BEFORE Thanksgiving. It's easy if you try.

So if you're in the Dallas area, tell your friends about it and be there on November 21st. Shopping, full bar, music, food, more shopping, and all-around good times. You know you wanna.

More info on the Bash and its vendors here and also check out this article - we were voted Best One Stop Shop by the Dallas Observer. Holla.

mo' wedding

2009-11-06T10:12:00.002-06:00

We've finally got our wedding photos up on Snapfish, and they have a nifty feature that communicates with Blogger. So I thought I'd try it out & share the album on here. Enjoy!

Click here to view photos

you & i

2009-10-22T15:47:00.007-05:00

I know it's been a lifetime since my last post, but I've been busy marrying the love of my life, so I hope all will be forgiven. Here's what I wore on October 11th, 2009:

My lovely, lovely ladies:

The ever-handsome groom, Rodrigo, and a celebratory fist-pump from yours truly after the 'I Dos':

I love this shot 'cause it has great 'awww' factor AND showcases my hair/veil (from BrendasBridalVeils on Etsy) quite nicely:

One of our delicious cupcakes from Amy's Cupcakes - this one was mango (we also had s'mores and brown sugar pecan...are you drooling yet? I am.), with toppers by giftsdefine on Etsy, accessorized by me. I gave the groom bird a tiny bowtie (that you can't see very well) which also could pass as a mustache. Ace.

Just a taste of the party we had going on at the reception - our salsa band, Extasis, was out of this world:

His & hers shoes, resting after a night of dancing hard:
It's safe to say that this was the most fun I've ever had in my life...so far! I have to tack that last part on since life with Rod just gets better and better every day. Thanks for reading and sharing in our day a little bit. I promise to follow up again soon with more Puerto Rico/St. John pics and vacation outfits.

xoxo Mrs. Cruz

fail safe dress

2009-09-18T14:29:00.004-05:00

This DVF dress is one of those "instant win" pieces in my closet - it's a shift, but not a tent-y shift, so it's body-conscious enough to feel a bit sexy, but comfy enough to feel like I can still eat a slice of pizza (or four). It's one of my very favorite dresses - polished, yet comfortable as PJs. It doesn't get much better.

dress: Diane VonFurstenberg, shoes: Ciao Bella, necklace: Paige Sargisson (close-up below)

birthday part deux

2009-09-18T10:27:00.004-05:00

I couldn't lay my birthday to rest without posting a few photos of our dinner at Abacus that night. It was our first time there, and everything was amazing. Like one-of-the-best-meals-I've-ever-had amazing. I was basically in a food-induced euphoric haze the entire time.

But before we move to the food, my ensemble of the evening - I swapped out the top & skirt in favor of this Martin + Osa dress & Banana Republic clutch:
This drink is called the Big Daddy (which reminds me of Blanche Devereaux's father on the Golden Girls. I'm sure that's why I ordered it.):
While we were still at the bar, the bartender brought us this delightful melange of Spanish tapas. From left to right you have olives & almonds, Serrano ham, pan con tomate, and croquettes. This got me both nostalgic for the year I spent in Spain, and excited for the trip we booked recently for this spring. Both Rod and I had enough airline miles to fly round-trip to Spain FOR FREE, so we're going for two weeks in April/May of next year - so. excited.And then there was dinner. Rod ordered filet, and I got the lemon sole, both of which were conveniently divided/presented in two pieces, so halfway through we made a switch. I love being able to try more than one thing at a great restaurant, and fortunately Rod is the same way.

Finally, this stupid good chocolate slab I had for dessert:This look on my face says it all!

high/low: the birthday edition

2009-09-09T10:11:00.004-05:00

So today's my birthday, y'all. So much has happened already, and it's only 10:15. Rod made me a kickass breakfast, played me a birthday slow jam that he wrote and recorded on the new T-Pain app, Ruby (one of my bunnies) came in for a birthday snuggle, and I've already gotten countless calls, e-cards and messages. I feel trés spéciale. Let's see, am I forgetting anything? Oh yes, I got YSL cage sandals (!!!):

I've been dying for these suckers since I first laid eyes on them, and by some stroke of luck (and a Barney's sale, and an extremely generous fiance), that dream became a reality.

It amuses me that I'm wearing them with the aforementioned Miley Cyrus Wal-Mart blouse. I love a good high/low combo, and I think YSL/Miley for Wal-Mart pretty much takes the cake.

I'm full of little sidebar comments today, but it's my birthday so I'm allowed. I realized that this Tahari skirt, my perfect, staple, fallback, basic black skirt is now way too big on me. It's a good problem to have, but still kind of a bummer. I've had it for years and years, so I may get it tailored or I may just replace it if I can find one just as perfect.

One more time for the cheap seats. **swoon**

shoes: YSL, top: Miley Cyrus for Wal-Mart, skirt: Tahari, bag: Hoakon/Helga (etsy), belt: Max Mara, shades: Dior, random silver cuffs/bracelets

the wal

2009-09-08T12:31:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone's holiday was fantastic - we had a lovely time in Wisconsin with my family and friends. It was hard to come back, and even harder to get up for work today...bleh.

I had a helluva great score at Wal-Mart this weekend - two clearance swimsuits for $7 each, a sweet ruffle blouse from the Miley Cyrus line (don't judge), some Op shorts for Puerto Rico, and this blouse:

top: George (Wal-Mart), skirt: Mango, shoes: Bally, enamel cuff: Old Navy

This blouse comes in several other colors/patterns, and it took some restraint to not buy them all. At $12 I could've come away with one or two more, but in an effort to not overstuff my closet, I thought I'd stick with one for now. It really is a great buy, though, and looks spendier than it actually was. The ruffle detailing isn't popping all too well in the pics, but if you enlarge them you can see it a bit better.

One day I will get better at remembering to take detail shots.

last hurrahs of summer

2009-09-04T10:50:00.002-05:00

Summer is winding down, which is good for some reasons (no more gross, hot weather that makes you sweat immediately upon walking outside) and bad for others (weekends spent in the pool are numbered). Whichever way you cut it, I realized I need to hurry up and wear a handful of frocks that don't really translate to fall. This Old Navy number is one of them:

dress: Old Navy, shoes: Steve Madden, bag: Rebecca Minkoff, necklace: self-made, cuff: Craisfrod Leather (etsy)

free stuff

2009-09-04T10:23:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite shopping haunts, Martin + Osa, is offering some pretty sweet swag over the holiday weekend. With any full-price denim purchase you get either a Love Story scarf (for the ladies), or a belt for the guys. And you can take 20% off of your order of $100 or more with 87888515. I can't keep a good deal to myself, so I wanted to share with my lovely readers. Have a fantastic, safe, shopping-filled holiday weekend!

pic-palooza

2009-08-25T10:00:00.005-05:00

I decided to end the unplanned outfit hiatus in a big way today, by overloading you with more pictures than you can stand. This Christopher Deane dress can be tied either in the front or back, so it's basically two dresses in one. Today I have it tied in front.

dress: Christopher Deane, shoes: Ciao Bella, earrings: F21

This ensemble from last week was so basic yet made me feel super pulled together.

linen pants: H&M, belt: vintage, tank: Target, cardi: American Apparel, shoes: Tory Burch, bag: Hayden Harnett, glasses: Laura Biagiotti, earrings: self made, necklace: my grandma

Finally, a high/low combo - who knew Miu Miu and Wal-Mart would compliment each other so nicely?

dress: Wal-Mart, shoes: Miu Miu, bag: Handmaid by Michelle Franz, necklace: Haute Hardware

show next weekend

2009-08-15T07:54:00.000-05:00

Lovely Tara of Tara to the T invited me to be a part of this trunk show going on next weekend at Move Studio, called Style Stay-Cation. It's going on Friday and Saturday, and there will be some great Dallas designers in addition to MASSAGES. Really, why wouldn't you go? See the flyer for all important info, and I'll see you there.

this list is a list of the things i like

2009-08-13T15:55:00.011-05:00

I am a lazy git and haven't been taking pictures. Even when I wear something neat. Like yesterday, I wore a kick ass new pair of Givenchy heels that I scored at DSW for 80% off, and I didn't bother taking their picture. That is borderline new shoe abuse. One day I will change my wicked ways, but until then, I'll attempt to entertain you with a bunch of Etsy stuff I saw today

that floats my boat.

I have a pyramid stud obsession, and so does HeistJewelry. This ring in particular makes me lose my shit a little bit:

Pyramid Stud Knuckle Ring, $85

Cuffs are my favorite, and this one by LoveAtFirstBlush is MAJOR. Just look at it!

Leather Love Cuff, $65

I'm not sure what I'd do with this cage skirt by iheartnorwegianwood, but that doesn't stop me from wanting one.

The Cage Skirt, $110

A favorite of mine, HoakonHelga, has a new'ish clutch style I've been ogling every time I hop on Etsy (so, every day). I need to buy it already (esp. at this price), but people keep buying the black ones out from under me. That's what I get for waiting.

Upcycled Leather Bow Clutch, $32

I am starting to obsess about our wedding just a little bit. I'm far from a crazy bride, but I am a girl after all, and it's now less than 2 months away. I got it in my head today that I still need a cake topper ('though would anyone really notice if the cake wasn't topped?), and this one is pretty rad. Plus, it pays homage to our four rabbits that won't be present on the big day. By melabo.

Bunny love Cake topper, $40

I also wholeheartedly support any artist that creates this, and calls it "Fantasy Wife":

Fantasy Wife, $40

Finally, I did pull the trigger on one of the 8,273 things that I looked at today. I ordered this necklace by GemsByEm, but monogram (3 initial) style...with my NEW INITIALS. See, I told you I'm a big ol' girl. And I won't lie, I'm pretty excited about marrying Rod.

14kt Gold-Filled Keepsake Necklace, $45

So there you go. On a totally unrelated note, there's less than one shopping month left until my birthday. I'm just sayin'.

double your fun

2009-08-06T16:07:00.003-05:00

My super cute co-worker friend Caitlyn got some adorable Tory Burch topsider heels about a month ago, and I swooned over them each time she wore them. Around the third or fourth time they made an appearance, I started feeling like I needed to have my own pair. I looked them up on the TB site, and they had been marked WAY down, so that was it for me. I asked her permish to get the exact same shoes as her, she said she didn't care. So I ordered them.

I decided to wear them today, and I *briefly* thought about texting Caitlyn to see if she was wearing hers. It's her birthday (HAPPY B-DAY!), and I really didn't want to ruin her day by stealing her shoe thunder. But we're both shoe whores with a LOT of shoes in our respective arsenals, so I figured the chances were slim. I was wrong:

Not only are we in the same shoes, but we're basically wearing the same outfit. This would mortify some people, but I think it's kind of hilarious. Fortunately so does Caitlyn. We even went to DSW together over lunch, like a couple of Doublemint freaks! We resisted the urge to skip around the store, arm in arm. Here they are up close:

Last but certainly not least, I promised my friend Bill I would accessorize with a new keychain that I won at his Dave & Busters birthday party this weekend, and I like to keep my promises. You can't see it, but it is in fact a Dr. Fart keychain, complete with six different fart sounds. Most of them don't sound a whole lot like farts, but it's still pretty much the funniest thing ever. And yes, I am doing a fart pose for authenticity's sake. I am a true lady.

shirt: Love by Ya Ya, jeans: Yanuk, shoes: Tory Burch, bag: Reggio Veneziano, earrings: self-made, shades: Ray Ban, bracelets: Craisfrod Leather and Love Erin (both Etsy), Dr. Fart keychain: Dave & Busters

tulle academy

2009-08-06T10:51:00.004-05:00

This dress is the last Isaac Mizrahi for Target (R.I.P.) piece that I bought, and it set me back all of $8. To be honest, I don't love the top of it (hence the cardi in August), but I love the layers of tulle. It reminds me of Carrie's skirt in the opening credits of Sex & the City.
See? Same idea, sort of:Thus, I think I ended up channeling her with my big, messy, high bun as well.

dress: IM for Target, cardi: JCrew, shoes: Ciao Bella, bag: Hoakon Helga (Etsy), necklace: Haute Hardware, earrings: Banana Republic.

On a general note, I'm really unhappy with the state of my photos. I size them down & crop them in MS Paint, and the end result is always blurry. I'm going to experiment with uploading straight from Picasa to see what happens. But I don't have Picasa at work. >:O At any rate, I'm aware of the problem and will address it STAT.

happy belated

2009-08-05T09:57:00.004-05:00

I feel like I'm a perpetual state of behindness on this blog lately, and for that I apologize. Again. I'm in the throes of both wedding planning (only 2 more months!) and 20K training (only 1 more month), so things are a bit crazy at the mo'. But I digress. The other weekend we celebrated Rodrigo's birth, and I surprised him with a weekend at the Aloft Hotel in Plano. They have fresh-baked cookies waiting for you upon check-in, so we were off to a good start:
Then we hit the pool.

Several Solo cups of white wine later, we headed out for dinner. This is one of my favorite dresses that I always forget about. I bought it from an online sample sale more than 5 years ago, and it's by some random brand called Wang. Not Alexander Wang, just Wang. Hehe, Wang.

The following night, we headed out for dinner at one of my favorite 'burb spots, Jasper's. I wore this Trina Turk number that I got for New Year's Eve last year.

Later when we got back, there was a birthday party (not Rod's) in full swing in the lobby/hotel bar. We intended on having a couple cocktails and calling it a night, but somehow ended up on the dance floor. The party was 80s-themed with a great DJ, so really, how could we not join in? There were also some bachelorettes there that were fellow crashers.

All in all a fantastic weekend.

haute chicks - love erin designs

2009-07-29T10:31:00.005-05:00

Today's Haute Chick is my good friend Erin Johnson of Love Erin Designs. Not only does she have a great name, but she makes amazingly clever and fun jewelry that's simultaneously edgy and easy to wear. And did I mention she's beautiful and has great style? It's true - you can see for yourself on her blog, Work With What You've Got. All these things combined would kind of make you hate her a little bit if she weren't so damn cool. Which she is.

So as you can tell I love Erin, now let's let the designer herself tell you about Love Erin:

"I started out making jewelry for myself. I was frustrated with the lack of interesting and affordable jewelry created with quality materials. At the time there was no Etsy yet, and it seemed to me that all of the really clever pieces were way out of my price range. So I bought some pliers and some wire and beads and started making things for myself. As a result, my jewelry is always priced for the everyday girl. The girl who likes to be able to accessorize without breaking the bank, but who is not willing to sacrifice style for price.

turquoise bird necklace, $35

"When I make a piece of jewelry, and then see that jewelry accenting someone else life, I cannot describe the thrill. I was once at a party, and a guest I didn’t know walked in wearing a piece I made, and I was so excited. I walked right up to her and said “I made that!”. And then I made a friend! I've also seen pictures of people at parties, or on holidays wearing my things and it just really excites me.

razor blade bracelet, $27

"I really believe in the handmade movement and for every dollar I make at Etsy, I put as much back into Etsy as I can. I get supplies there, as well as jewelry handmade by other artists (Haute Hardware is a favorite of mine!), clothes, handbags and more. I love that for the most part Etsy sellers tend to have good feedback. It’s not just a shopping destination, it’s a community. "

shark vertebrae necklace, $35

peruvian opal hoops, $20

Thank you Erin for sharing your story, and for spreading the Etsy love!

skirted

2009-07-28T10:26:00.007-05:00

I've been lusting after these Miu Miu ruffled spectators since they came out, oh, a couple years ago or so. By some stroke of luck I scored these off of eBay for a decent price, so they are finally mine!

shoes & bag: Miu Miu, top: Martin + Osa, skirt: Tahari, belt: thrifted, bracelet: my grandma, earrings: F21

Rod bought me this sweet bow top on a shopping trip for his birthday. He got some stuffs too, though, so it's okay. :)

(I look angry in these pics - I'm really not)

top: BCBG, skirt: Isaac Mizrahi, shoes: Ciao Bella, bag: Rebecca Minkoff, bracelets: random silver cuffs