RING IN THE NEW YEAR IN STYLE

RING IN THE NEW YEAR WITH NEW GEAR!

These are my favorite stand-out pieces for ringing in the New Year. Sequins, Lucite, Evil Eyes & A Dash Of Neon for the win. And keep that face looking fresh with Korres Lip Butter + Urban Decay's Naked Eye Palette. You'll be enjoying them all year long! 

Pocket shirt $43 / Topshop skater skirt $45 / Jeffrey Campbell clear high heels $120 / Luichiny black peep toe booties $95 / Lulu Guinness patent handbag $360 / Alexis Bittar neon earrings $85 / Golden jewelry Ear Cuff $11 / Korres beauty, $10

GRACE: A MEMOIR // GRACE CODDINGTON + KAREN ELSON - A CONVERSATION

A few weeks back I was spectator to an especially unique and delightful treat - something that made my inner fashion nerd squeal. 

Creative director of Vogue, Grace Coddington,
so graciously (haha, I crack myself up) came to Nashville to speak about her recent book, Grace: A Memoir. 

Downtown Nashville's Frist Center for the Visual Arts hosted the event which was totally sold out. Tickets were about $50, but included a copy of Grace's memoir which you could have signed afterward. 

For the fashion obsessed, Grace needs no introduction. 

Made famous by being a true master at her craft, and even more so after the release of the spectacular fashion filled documentary, chronicling what goes on behind the scenes at Vogue during its most anticipated monthly issue -  The September Issue.

What was even equally as thrilling, was that supermodel and songbird Karen Elson was the interviewer of the evening. Engaging Grace in conversation over her memoir, and sharing similar experiences and mutual hilarious fashion industry moments. You may also recognize Karen as the former wife of dreamboat Jack White - who was also present at the reading. 

You can find Karen's music on her website HERE and a great photo stream of her in model mode from Style.com HERE

Grace divulged childhood memories, along with an impressive recollection of the ins and outs of her modeling career, adding some wit and wisdom along the way for those interested in getting into the business. 

I was so thrilled she took the time out to visit Nashville! Thanks Grace! We feel special! 

TEN MINUTE DIY: SPARKLE KEYS!

MATERIALS: 

GLITTER

CLEAR COAT NAIL POLISH

A KEY! OR A LOT OF KEYS!

This is the easiest glitter filled project ever. Ready?

1. Cover top of key with thick layer of clear nail polish. 

2. Sprinkle awesome glitter of your choice

3. Tap off excess and use finger to lightly press down on glitter so it sticks to clear polish.

4. Let dry! Once dry, apply another layer of clear polish to seal the deal. One or two good layers of clear polish would help to make sure it's on there good. I've had mine for a few months now and they haven't pealed off!

5. Ta-da. Your keys are pimp.

And for good measure: I purchased this glitter at the dollar store. But if you're looking for a specific color, I'd suggest Martha Stewart's brand of craft glitters. (A good excuse to use that 40% Michael's coupon you've got laying around)  they're great quality and come in every color! 

THE BALEE COLLECTION AT THE NAIL LOUNGE EAST NASHVILLE

Seriously. How cute is she? Balee Greer is the new face of Nashville Vintage  -  I've come across a few purveyors of vintage finery in this town, but I have to admit, it's hard to beat her style and mid-range prices. Anyone could find a piece they loved - there was something for any style or occasion.  Balee's Collection can be found for sale HERE through Tidwell and Perryman - another one of Nashville's vintage mainstays.  

If you're a Mad Men fan, you've no doubt been drooling over this cream floral print masterpiece.  It's alright - I was too. Which is exactly why I purchased it! And for $39, who wouldn't? I may not have any immediate holiday plans, but I guess now that I've got this dress, I have to come up with something!

Another adorable short little winter dress! Balee suggests black tights, and I'd complete the look with a sparkly pair of holiday shoes! If you're a last minute type like me, you better jump on this.  

Thanks to Balee & The Nail Lounge East Nashville for letting us come browse her goods and eat her sweet treats (omg cucumber sandwiches & bacon wrapped dates) and I'll be sure to keep you all updated on future events where you can browse Balee's Collection! 

WARBY PARKER CLASS TRIP // NASHVILLE

My favorite eyewear brand, Warby Parker just passed through the Volunteer state recently spreading joy, good music and vision to all! I was thrilled to be invited by the crew to a little shindig, celebrating the recent launch of the brand's eyewear showroom inside Imogene + Willie, a rustic chic jean shop that caters to a wide variety of denim loving clientele. 

I+W also carry a few other products & clothing items but tend to stick to a very strong standard of quality - only picking high quality products and only producing the best of the best when it comes to their own apparel line. {Meaning it was only natural for them to want to include products from Warby Parker!}

WP went the literal extra mile by re-purposing this adorable yellow bus into a traveling show room.  They will be in Nashville till December 9th, (The Gulch, 2nd Ave N.) so don't miss this opportunity to check them out! If you're not in or around Nashville, don't worry - the crew has a few stops to make before they settle back in at home in New York. You can find the itinerary online HERE or below: 

WARBY PARKER CLASS TRIP DATES 

December 12th - 23rd - ATLANTA, GA

January 11th - 27th - DALLAS, TX

January 31st - Feb. 10th - SAN DIEGO, CA

February 13th - March 10th - LOS ANGELES, CA

You should give a pair a try - for each pair purchased, one goes to someone in need! Brilliance. Especially during the holiday season! What a great way to tell someone you care, in addition to helping someone else in need. Thats what this time of year is all about, right? Or of course, you can buy yourself a pair and not feel guilty. ha. 

But really. What better an opportunity to pick your poison? Of course if you can't make it out you can always give WP's AT HOME TRY ON BOX a go - but wouldn't it be nice to be able to see all of their available frames in one place? 

Plus, another thing to remember is: They sell sunglasses too! So if you're fortunate to have perfect vision and glasses just aren't your forte, then maybe a little something something for the upcoming warm spring and summer months? I know there's a pair on MY list. 

FOUR REPURPOSED DIY PARTY // HOLIDAY DECOR IDEAS

Friendsgiving may not be on anyone else's calendar, but it's an integral part of my holiday season.  It's wedged smack dab in the middle of Thanksgiving and Christmas - an added bonus to the season's festivities and feast filled events.  Just one more excuse to eat, drink and be merry. 

This makes Friendsgiving 2.0, and hopefully will continue as a tradition for years to come. 

We had a great turn out, a huge variety of delicious treats and an open bar which I created out of an old re-purposed window, but we'll get to that later.

I could go on for hours about Friendgiving, but in this post I'm just going to focus on cheap, quick holiday decoration ideas for those of us who are desperately trying to budget this holiday season. 

Think Outside The Box

Re-purposing is not only a way to practice mindfulness but also a way to show appreciation for the things we do have by taking the time to find new uses for items we would otherwise just toss.

Old Is The New New. 

The mantel piece set-up found in my pictures below was created out of old reclaimed wood our adorable elderly neighbor ripped off his home in order to put up siding. We grabbed several pieces; some for the chicken coop, some for shelves, and we even used a few boards in a wedding photo booth - writing the bride & groom's names on them along with their wedding date. It was suuuuper cute. 

Alright, so this wasn't repurposed - but it's really, really cute. I will make a note here though, that you can totally find hundreds of tutorials online to make similar cute display stands out of vintage plates or glassware glued together.  Google it! 

Treat Stand via Target // 

Macaroons via The Painted Cupcake in Green Hills 

BOTTLE IT UP

I picked up this idea from Style Me Pretty a few weeks ago, featuring it in my DIY: THANKSGIVING DAY DECOR post. I really didn't know how daunting a task stripping the labels off of fourteen bottles was going to be - but two days and a bathtub full of floating wine bottles later: Success! I'm sure there's a better way to strip off the labels, but taking up the only bathtub in the house for two days was funnier. 

I picked up this little green wreathe at Michaels craft store last weekend on sale for about $2, plus a huge sale on decorative ribbon with a 40% off coupon - WINNING. 

I had a few other little random delights floating around the house that I thought might make for good focal points - These deer antlers came from the Nashville Flea Market, I got them for about $20. My roommate also had a stash of vintage cameras just floating around by themselves which I gathered up into this antiqued bucket. 

This bar box was re-purposed from an old window. The glass was still in the bottom which helped keep spills to a minimum. I added a few finishing Thanksgiving themed touches by spray painting the tips of feathers gold - another great DIY via m-funk which you can also find included in my DIY: THANKSGIVING DAY DECOR post - in addition to spray painting a few pumpkins and an old Patron bottle turned vase.