"Of course you can wear it again"

How many times have you heard that about bridesmaid dresses?  And how many times have you actually worn it again?

Well, we all know by now that J. Crew offers a très chic line of dresses for the bride and her party, but the new bird on the block (at least new to me) is twobirds bridesmaid. (Yes, birds again.)  It's one dress that you can wrap in so many different ways, it's bound to be flattering on everyone in the bridal party.

Don't you hate it when such a simple, brilliant idea comes along and you say to yourself, "Why didn't I think of that???" (i.e. bottled water, the internet, pants...)

 

 

I'm now playing match-maker in my head to all of my single friends, for the sole purpose of being in more weddings. (Did I just say that out loud?)  It's only under the conditions that they will 1) choose twobirds and 2) all pick the same color for their wedding. 

dress images via

Love birds

I want:

buy it here

I can't help it.  I'm in a 12-step program.  Maybe my aversion to birds in real life* is balanced by my immortalization of them in accessory form, so my karma is balanced.  Yeah, that's it.

*My aversion is mostly limited to pigeons and crows and those birds that wait around your patio table so they can swoop in and peck at your food.  Oh, and parakeets.  Those are mean little bitches.

Boho chic

Bohemian influences are everywhere this spring.  The skinny pant is being replaced with a wide leg pant and flat sandals are taking over 5" heels.  This is not to say that you still can't wear your skinny jeans or high heels (I know I can't afford to lose the extra height!) but designers are showing an easier look on the runways. 

Boho-chic is about flowy pieces, fringe, macrame and owls.  (Lucky me.)  You can wear a flat sandal, wedge or platform shoe for a fresh spring look. Jeans and pants alike are getting wider leg openings and higher rises.  (A plus for those with problems finding jeans that fit the hip and rear but always gap in the back.  The higher rise should eliminate the gap and the wider leg will give you more room in the thighs and balance out full hips.)

Fringe, this spring, is like last fall's fur.  It's everywhere.  And no rabbits were harmed in the making of said fringe.  (Cow's didn't get so lucky. Sorry.)

So pick up one piece or try them all, but get ready for a bohemian rhapsody.

blouse, hat, necklace, clutch, gladiator, jeans

Accessory overload

I was running particularly late this morning and couldn't find any of the accessories I needed to complete my look.  This happens pretty much every morning, since my jewelry is everywhere.  Evidence of this can be seen here:

Soooo...I was looking for ideas to keep it all organized (in one place) where I could see it every morning and not be late.  At least, not be late because of missing jewelry.

I found this little birch tree that would be perfect for showcasing a few favorite things to wear right now:

image via

This is the same kind of feature-a-few-things idea, but if you have more than four favorite necklaces, you can hang a different word.  Like sesquipedalian.

image via

But my favorite jewelry organizer display is an easy DIY weekend project from Amy.  It's huge, it can be hung on the closet wall, or on display in the bedroom, and it can hold all of my jewelry.  I'm now on the hunt for a good large vintage frame.......and someone to make it for me:

image via

Party Time - Part Deux

I'm sorry for the lack of posts this week...I'm still recovering from last week's party planning!  Every. Single. Thing. was homemade.  Invite.  Decor.  Food.  Onesie.  Baby.  All made by yours truly.  I think I spent at least 40 collective hours, after work and over the weekend prepping everything.  Was it worth it?  Yes.  Am I going to do it again?  No.  Ok, probably.  What can I say, I'm a party planner and I just can't help myself.

The theme was "Over the River and Through the Woods to a Birthday Party We Go!"  (We chose a "forest" theme as an excuse to leave the Christmas tree up a little longer.  I'm thinking of leaving it up all year and just hanging the different holiday decor on them.  Valentines, shamrocks, American flags...it will be a year-round tree.  I think I'm on to something here.)  Now...on to the party...

Birthday invite, emailed to guests. 

(It was just family and a couple friends so no need for formalities!)

I wanted to carry on the theme in the living room, so in addition to the 7' tree and multiple mini trees scattered throughout the house, I taped felt trees to the wall with a tissue paper "river".  The (homemade!) happy birthday banner is about 18' long and with a couple extra blank flags, the perfect fit across our wall.  That was just dumb luck on my part.

 

The table is almost set and the "Happy Birthday" canvas board 

is still resting in the corner.

 

FYI - you can make about 21 tissue puffs of all sizes when on a 2 hour conference call.

I've used this recipe for farm stand lemonade several times and it's always a hit.  People are initially wary of the cream with lemonade, but one sip and they're hooked.  Even better with citrus vodka.  I made a few bottles of this and they were all gone. (Side note: those are gift wrap rolls that I cut and covered with burlap, not toilet paper rolls.  My husband asked if I was putting something we're using to eat in something we used in the bathroom.  Um, no.)

 

 I finally made use of all of the baby food jars!

 

These looked like toadstool mushrooms at one point, but the

little tops fell over by the time they were photographed.

 

Very realistic, mushroom-like cookies.  Making them required a bottle of wine.  

So I made two batches.

 

And my favorite - OWL cupcakes!  Oreos are NOT as easy to twist apart as I remember the commercials showing when I was little.  It's false advertising, I tell you!  If the two sides twisted off at all without crumbling, the icing would be broken.  So I ended up just using the (homemade!) buttermilk icing 

on the cupcakes and the Oreos.  

Thanks for nothing, Nabisco.

Note to self: when making an image for an iron-on, you must make the image backwards.  Otherwise, you when you iron it on, you will only be able to read it correctly in the mirror.  Genius.

See the Happy Birthday sign on the wall?  That took 2 hours.  Not because it was difficult, but because the OCD in me had to measure the size and spacing of each letter perfectly and it bothers me to no end that there are a couple letters 1/16th of an inch off.  I used wooden animal and tree cut outs, cut letters out of heavy cardstock and taped it all on a large canvas.  Voila.

So what do you think?  Cutest 1st birthday party ever?  I know.  athankuverymuch.

photography courtesy of paul go images.

For the birds

Here's a little secret: I'm not a fan of birds.  You never know what they're thinking.  And those beaks and talons could really hurt you.

But I love me some bird decor and accessories.  Necklaces, prints, lamps, decor.  Doves, owls, falcons, penguins.  Whatever.  If it's fake, I like it.  (Side note: I do like penguins in real life.  They seem harmless and they mate for life.  Lifetime-maters can't be plotting evil, can they?)

Here are some birds that I'd add to my faux-aviary:

There's nothing sadder than owl without his graduation hat.  But this one lights up a room.

image via

A delicate bird and lariat necklace to dangle around your neck:

image via

A red bird to add some color into your living room:

image via

A mommy and baby bird, discussing how to drop a poop bomb on humans:

image via

A rather distinguished looking falcon that belongs in an antiqued 

brass frame with his own name plate (Mr. Farnesworth Helmington III)

image via

And my favorite little bird of all...

owl hat from Gap baby, baby from me