A Winter Wedding

Mr. SE and I are headed to Atlanta for a evening wedding in January. This is the first winter wedding I've ever attended, and frankly I'm a little stumped with what to wear. I'd definitely like to wear tights and my new Jessica Simpson suede booties/pumps. So here's where I need your help- what would you wear (or have you worn) to a winter wedding? I'd like to be festive and dressed nice, without freezing!

Here's some ideas for the kinds of dresses I'm looking at....

all dresses from Piperlime

Similar to the style I got

Winter Coat Success!

My trusty black coat finally reached the end of it's life, which isn't bad considering I purchased it on clearance in 2001. I'd been on the hunt at several of the "usual suspect" stores: Banana Republic, J. Crew, Gap, and Old Navy, but nobody had anything that walked the line between trendy and timeless. Enter this fabulous number...

DKNY Julie Empire Waist

purchased from Dillards in black

I was ready to drop some cash on a new coat that would last a long time if it had the perfect fit. Oftentimes double breasted coats overpower my frame and seem to swallow me. Lucky for me this DKNY style was both stylish, form-fitting, and a great price. The hood is the part that takes this coat to the trendy side, but it's easily unzipped off for a more formal/traditional look.

What do you look for in a winter coat? Do you get something trendy at a great price or purchase an expensive staple that you'll have forever?

Spring Sales

Not sure about you, lovely readers, but here in Nashville we're tired of winter. I can't wait for spring, and the best way to get it here is surely by stocking up on some new clothes. There's lots of great sales this weekend and I wanted to give y'all a heads up! Here's the scoop on 3 of my favorite stores: Banana Republic, LOFT, and The Limited.
What's one spring item that you're dying to buy? As for me- I've got my eye on some perfect shift dresses, along with some chinos that I can wear for work and on the weekend! I can't wait to hear what you get.

Looking Forward: Spring 2010 Fashion

I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little bit of cabin fever. Fall was beautiful and fun, and the bundled-up coziness of winter was sweet for awhile. But now I'm ready for spring! Last week's taste of warmer weather had me longing for layered tissue tees with lightweight cardigans. Dresses with bare legs- le sigh! Ann Taylor has some great spring looks right now, and I can't wait to get my hands on some of their new styles.

{perfection in a simple silhouette}

Are you getting restless in this cold weather? What's your most coveted piece of clothing or accessory for this upcoming spring season?

A Dress for Our Littlest Lady

Please meet our flower girl! She’s the cutest girl ever, and we’re beyond thrilled to have Emma as a part of our wedding. Emma and I have a special connection, as I was the flower girl in her parents’ wedding back in the 90’s. She’s full of sass, and I love that; because frankly, so am I!

I’ve been trying to stay in line with our budget throughout this planning process, and finding Emma’s dress was no different. I can’t foresee spending hundreds of dollars on a dress that she won’t be able to wear in 6 months. She’s a growing child for goodness sakes! I do, however, want her to look like a girl. I don’t like flower girl dresses that mock the bride. Childhood is really special, and it shouldn’t be hurried. That being said, I think I’ve pretty much settled on the type of dress she’ll be wearing.

I love the classic tank flower girl dresses. Not above the knee, cause that's for younger flower girls in my opinion. But I also don't want it too long. Tea length is perfect in my book. As for the sash, I'm not a fan of colors, so I know she won't have a blue one. Maybe champagne or gold, but likely white.

{from Us Angels}

{from Us Angels} {David's Bridal}
We’ll be watching for Easter/First Communion season to find some great deals! Where did you find dresses for your flower girls? Did you want them to look like a mini bride/junior bridesmaid or did you want her to look like a young girl?

Christmas Recap: Gifts for My Mr.

Mr. SE and I love to cook together. We've done several classes at the Viking School, and we're doing another one this spring (more on that later). While registering at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, we paid special attention to the cookwear that we chose. The debate became heated. I was rooting for the non-stick team, and Mr. SE for stainless. We ended up registering for a little bit of both, but I could tell Mr. SE was feeling a little bit sad. So for Christmas, I decided to buy him the pan of his dreams. The 11" stainless pan from Viking. You should've seen his face light up when he opened it!

Also, it's no secret this man loves some blu-ray! He also loves Dexter, and is still quite upset about the season finale that aired earlier this month. I have a weak stomach, and I don't enjoy CSI-type shows, so he was really surprised when he opened Season 1 and 2 of Dexter.

Of course, I also threw in the obligatory boxers, along with two button down shirts from BR. I think Mr. SE was very pleased with his Christmas gifts this year!

Columbus Day Sale @ Bath & Body Works

Oh boy! You know where I'll be this weekend. Now if I could just get this storm front to quit messing w/my head and causing me migraines. Happy wedding weekend to the Thirty-Something Bride! I'll be at the reception, and I promise to take pictures.

One more thing. I'm having an aggressive love affair with this bouquet. I die.

Dear Sephora, I love You

Yesterday after work I stopped in at Greens Hills mall to exchange my coat (more on that below) and pick up some new makeup. It's been FOREVER since I tried something new, and I was ready for a change. Here's what I grabbed: Peach eyeshadow for every day, navy blue eyeliner (must have for baby blues), and some new rose blush. I've been having tons of problems with what I assume is rosacea creeping up on me. I've got an appointment with the dermatologist in a couple weeks, but until then I thought I'd give this Clinique solution a try. It got great reviews- we'll see if it can keep my freakout-inducing hive-looking hot flashes under control.

Now onto the trench. Said trench purchased online (XS) fit perfectly, but the sleeves/shoulders were a little snug. I tried it on just wearing a fitted tee, so I'm concerned about the fit with a sweater or layering. Tried on the small (regular) at Green Hills BR, and it was enormous. Why such a huge difference between one size? Lame. So the incredibly nice manager at BR (shout out to her- she was seriously great!) called Cool Springs BR to see if they carried my lovely coat in a Small Petite. They had it! I'll be stopping by the Cool Springs store this weekend, before I babysit for the lovely Thirty-Something Bride's wedding reception! Hopefully the small petite will be the answer to my prayers. I want this coat to fit SO badly....

On another note, I am LOVING my brown heeled boots that Mr. SE bought me from Off Broadway. The brand is Michael Shannon and they are TO. DIE. FOR. Unfortunately, MS doesn't have a website so I can't upload a picture. If you're lucky enough to see them in person (I'm sure they'll be making lots of appearances), you can admire them for yourself!

Fall Fashion: Part II

After returning from a fantastic weekend in Blairsville, GA, I decided to pop into Opry Mills to catch the tail end of Labor Day sales. Ann Taylor factory store had some great sweaters on sale- picked up a brown tunic and black v-neck cardi (you can never have too many cardis!). The BR outlet had some pretty good deals, but nothing was too fantastic. I bought a grey tunic cardi and navy dress pants (love the Ryan short fit- no hemming!). I needed some belts for my new sweaters, so being the frugalista (thanks, Target) that I am, I headed down to Forever 21. There were so many cute goodies in there- and one big fat problem. I realized that while I do love Forever 21, there's not much room for it in the workplace. For about 15 minutes I longed to be back in college wearing maxi dresses 24/7. Then I realized that I now get a paycheck- panic attack over. Two skinny belts later (black & gunmetal) and I was headed back home.

Here's some of my favorite tops from BR's fall line.Now if they would just go on sale... What's one (or two or three) things that you're dying to pick up for fall?

Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin

Okay boys and girls, it's that time of year again. Although I'm a spring girl true and true, I always get excited about the beginning of fall. My Coconut Lime Verbana is replaced by a spanking new bottle of Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. Just this morning I was sharing with Mr. SE how excited I am to switch to my "fall" scent. It's the little things.

What's your favorite part about fall?

ps- along with Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, I also love kicking off fall with the purchase of a new cardigan. A girl can never have too many!

Fall Favorite: Forever 21

It's no secret that I heart Forever 21. There's no sense in dropping big bucks on fashion that won't stay in style very long. I'm loving this dress for a casual night out. It would be perfect for beers at the Flying Saucer with Mr. SE. Depending how long this would be on me (I'm not 6' like the model), this could even work w/a pair of flats for casual friday. $13.50? I think so.

Blog Love: Emersonmade

I'm in love with the floral goodies featured on Emersonmade. I found her items through an inspiration board on Snippet and Ink. What a lovely way to brighten up a plain t-shirt or dress! It's a little J. Crew- but a little over the top too. I think I'll be purchasing a set for myself.

Banana Outlet Sale

Ladies, run do not walk to your nearest Banana Republic Outlet. The entire store is 40%. Yes- even the clearance!!! No coupon needed. I picked up a couple dresses today, and I'll be sure to post pictures tomorrow.

Vegetables, Finally!

Our microwave broke a while back, and GE wanted $75 to fix it. Excuse me, sir? I believe that's close to the price of a new one! Yesterday I hopped over to Target and picked up this little beauty (by Emerson). It was $85 and completely covered with graduation gift cards thankyouverymuch.

Now you know I have a penchant for Lean Cuisine Pizzas, but what you didn't know is that I LOVE VEGGIES! Last night I ate the most delicious bowl of Bird's Eye green bean steamers. Happy as a clam.

Weekend Update

Mr. SE and I arrived back in TN late last night. The wedding was a lot of fun, and we're glad we got to spend time with Mr. SE's parents. On Sunday we went to Ikea with FMIL SE and made out like bandits- as usual. I go into Ikea wanting one particular item and leave $500 poorer.

Anywho, here's the breakdown of what we picked up. I'll be sure to pictures of them in use once we put them together.

HEMNES MIRROR
We're going to be hanging this little beauty over the dining room table

HEMNES DRESSER
This will go in our room. Maybe soon we'll be adding a little TV on top of this lovely dresser.
ORGEL VRETEN LAMP
This is going in the corner of our room- eventually. Right now it's hanging out by the door.

Organize.com

I love this website. Granted I've actually never ordered anything- BUT I have been stalking for awhile. They have great decor inspiration for the Type A in us all. There's also a great blog {Mrs. Organized} that showcases tips and inspiration daily. As if the site wasn't sweet enough, there's a wedding section where you can pick up super cute gifts for the uber organized bride. Or maybe just a bride that you think should be more organized! My current obsession is this wine rack.
Such a fantastic use of space- love it!!!Do you have a home decor/inspiration site that you can't live without?

Weekend Update

I'm not funny like Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler, but I'll try and keep you entertained. Mr. SE and I had a lovely day of errands. Here's the run down: Bed Bath and Beyond, BR Outlet, Zales, Pottery Barn, Tiffany, and Macys.

What's that? Yes, we went to Tiffany. Their solitaire setting is still my favorite that I've ever seen. And although I understand the unsurpassed quality of their stones, I still can't seem to get past having Mr. SE pay the exorbitant markup. At Zales we found a ring that I loved (6 prong, 1.6 carats, white gold) with a fantastic price to boot! The only problem was that their prongs are so thick and the stone sits really high. We're going work with a jeweler that'll help Mr. SE get the setting just right. Our wonderful salesman at Tiffany (ask for Clark, he's amazing) gave me "The Engagement Rings & Wedding Bands" book. I plan on holding it close, the pictures are to. die. for.

At Bed Bath and Beyond we wrapped up our living room curtain conundrum. Our apartment comes furnished with vertical blinds. Lovely. We decided to take those down and put up our own double layer rod. The front panel is a combo of part of our palette (aqua and brown) and the back sheer is plain brown. I think it looks pretty nice. **I'll post pictures tomorrow, my camera is in the car*

At Macys I used my gift card from FFIL SE to purchase the lovely Martha Stewart strainer in red, and a new crock pot! I debated with juicers and decided to buy an electric one, but I'm really lusting after this little baby.What did we have for dinner? Oh yes, I made the linguine & white wine again. We loved it!

True Life: I'm in Love With A Plate

Dear Pottery Barn,

Please still have this pattern available when we start to register. It's traditional, yet modern, and makes me happy all over.

Fondly,
Sarah

It's Here, It's Here!!!

Happy June! I'm super excited to announce that the Bath & Body Works semi-annual sale has begun!! The sale is both online and in stores, so don't worry if there's not a location near you.

-Signature classics $5
-Foam Burst $4
-Wallflowers $5
-Body Lotion and Shower Gel: buy 2, get 2 FREE

J.Crew for the Little Ones

I'm in love with this Allegra dress from J. Crew's weddings & parties line! The breeze and ivory shades are my favorite. For a evening wedding (or early fall), I'd like to see this dress with a coordinating cardigan. At $98, it's not overly pricey. I love the look of simple, classic lines for flower girls.

Now just for giggles, let's take a gander at this little beauty. If I A) had a daughter, and B) had lots of disposable income, I might buy this Celia dress for her. I this it's so chic and on point with current trends. But $295 is a little steep for a dress she'll probably grow out of really quickly.