ah, you smell like a winner

...and we have our winner!

kate! you win! i'll email you with details. 

thank you all so much for entering, and for reading. 

it means the world to me. 

i'm working on some more fun giveaways for the future... 

so keep comin' back... 

it works if you work it...  

have a great weekend! 

xo

all grown up: my first official giveaway!

remember this scene from sixteen candles?

specifically the second one. with the grandparents?


well today i'm feeling all "fred, she's gotten her boobies"...
cause i'm doing my first giveaway!
yay!

shabby apple contacted me about giving you fabulous readers some of their loot, and of course i was thrilled to oblige. 
so... without further ado, i give you...


the contest.


first, check out shabby apple. 
ooooooooooh. aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. i know.
beautiful dressing with a conscience. 
what a concept, right?!


next...
take a look at these beauties, 
and let me know which one you like best!

"you're all mad" purple or black suede cuff bracelet

 "poker face alice" bracelet

"dark secrets of wonderland" bracelet

"unlock the queen's castle" necklace

"through the looking glass" necklace

 "white rabbit's time keeper" necklace

"the queen's rose" pink cameo necklace

 "the duchess" b & w cameo necklace

 "lost in wonderland" green cameo necklace

"light as a feather" necklace

"key to wonderland" skeleton key necklace

"key to my heart" skeleton key necklace

so! which would you choose? 
(personally, i'm all about the bow tie cuff bracelet & the magnifying glass orb necklace. gorge.)


leave a comment here and like shabby apple on facebook to enter.
for multiple entries, follow them on twitter or follow their blog.


play fair; no hair pulling, taco punching, or throat chopping.
enjoy!
xo

winter weekend getaway

fabulous friends invite you up to the chalet 

for a holiday weekend getaway?

you mustn't arrive empty-handed. 

a rustic, re-usable enviro-friendly satchel, 

packed to the rim with luxurious trim. 

flowers, wine, treats of all kinds; 
good for two-legged friends and four. 
a fancy game night in, by firelight's glow, is much more luxe when cuddled up with an hermes throw. 
some cozy slippers for him and for her and some sunflowers to brighten le chateau, will ensure this invite will happen again, and back to the slopes you'll soon go! 

xo

girls night out tote

girls night out?

as we discussed in the previous post, a good hostess gift can make all the difference. 

(via)

i like to come prepared. 

new years eve, bachelor/ette parties, birthdays; 

any of these events warrant a survival tote of this nature. 

a bag full of "meds" of many kinds; always stands out amongst the bottles of booze everyone brings to the party. 

once you've enjoyed too much bottle service, 

this bag o tricks will cure what ails you.

trust me, your guest of honor will appreciate it!

*a stylish tote she can re-use later containing advil liquigels, a hot water bottle, pepto, coconut water--its more gentle and hydrating than gatorade, trust me--voss sparkling water, revive eye cream, a cozy wrap and eye mask, bagels & cream cheese--the only thing i want to eat when i've over-imbibed--my favorite coffee, light reading material and some classic, girly movies. all perfect accompaniments for a recovery day in bed.*

xo

gift horse

via

nothing pisses me off more than seeing christmas and holiday decor out and about even before halloween.

(ok, i lied. things which piss me off more: my waistline, drivers who refuse to use their blinkers, old navy commercials, the waiter bringing me flat water when i clearly asked for sparkling 
(i said "con gas"!!!)...

i digress.

the day after halloween, my inbox was flooded with the 

first wave of this year's onslaught of 

holiday deals/gift ideas/party dresses/etc.  

all of this has me freaking out a little bit

--i have got to get on it with my cards! gifts! i'm living across the country from everyone...just how am i going to do this?!--

but also has me excited. 

i truly love the holidays. 

my family schedule is always jam-packed with fun events 

of memory-making material, and i do my best to 

decorate/cook/craft up the season. 

in that vein, 
(and because when i went to the halloween party armed with a bottle of veuve to give the hostess, people looked at me funny--and not because i was dressed like sexy dorothy), 
i thought i would share with you some of my favorite hostess gifts, including some new ones i'm going to use this season, and get your opinion on the act itself. 

do you normally give a hostess gift when attending 

a (holiday or otherwise) party?

what is your favorite thing to give? to get?

here are a few of mine:

 

1. veuve clicquot brut yellow label 2. st. germain 3. two hands shiraz 4. knob creek bourbon 5. avion tequila (exposado, silver, or anejo)

you can never go wrong with a nice bottle of booze.

unless, of course, the recipient doesn't drink. so yeah.

poilâne french bread.

you can order a fresh loaf to be shipped overnight for about $35bucks. it is an extravagance for sure, but for the right recipient and special occasion, it would make an impression, and be a thoughtful (and delicious) gift.

 

1. votivo 2. balenciaga 3. tom ford 4. diptyque 5. temperley

6. d.l. & co. 7. fomasetti 8. d.l. & co. 9. seda france 10. koff

the left side was curated solely on scent; 

these are my faves, & they are delicious.

the ones on the right are showstoppers as far as candles go.

gorgeous!

(now if someone could send me one of each of these, that'd be great. mmmmkay? thanks.)

those are my top three simple hostess gifts... however, i often like to create custom baskets/bags for that special event. 

they are, in fact, kind of a signature of mine, 

and i really love creating them. 

the key is to tailor it to the recipient, as with any gift; i'll show you what i mean soon. 

stay tuned...i've got to go untangle the spider webbing from our front gate, take the spiders and pumpkins down, and start planning our thanksgiving dinner!

xo

give it away now: babies!

it seems like all of my friends are having babies right now. 

i'm not.

but that doesn't mean i don't love shopping for just the right gift for the new babes and their mums & dads!

here's a roundup of some of my favorite of-the-moment picks:

honestly one of my favorite childrens' books 

(for obvious reasons--birdie! and shoes!)

by gifted author & illustrator sujean rim; you may recognize her signature watercolor prints from your inbox every morning, as she is the talent behind the gorgeous illustrations of daily candy's website & books, among others.

the story is adorable, stylish, and fun, and after almost two years, we still read it almost daily.

what to pair with the sweet read? 

why, a pair of perfectly fabulous shoes, natch!

obsessed with tip toey joey's sweet mary janes. 

pick your favorite color...or get all three.

birdie would approve.

looking for something with a little more wow factor?

cutest ever 

burberry three piece tunic, legging, & gilet set

$213 via alex and alexa

who doesn't love a gift from tiffanys?

instant heirloom status. 

i treasure the tiffany & co. china sets we received for our girls, as well as the precious moon rattle that for whatever reason they still play with. 

my pick for a truly unique gift from tiff?

the elsa peretti padova bubble blower.

sterling silver, $200 bucks, and awesome. 

also. had our financial bubble not burst in recent years, 

this would be mine. ha.

bla bla dolls are one of my absolute favorite gifts to give.

(in addition to which they have the most precious knapsacks, a great back to school gift for little ones!)

not only are they made with all natural, high quality cotton, hand picked in peru where they are hand-sewn, but their home base is in my hometown of atlanta! 

their shop is utterly adorable, as are their products. 

read more here. 

from their website, here are a few of their fabulous offerings; its almost impossible to pick a favorite 

as they are all so special! 

 don't you want one?

the jonathan adler junior collection is about as adorable as home decor can get! 

i'm loving these sweet yet stylish needlepoint pillows and totally chic nightlights:

$48

 $120

 $165

 $120

 $98

$48

 

$98

go here for more. 

finally, i give you: calliespondence!

callie burnette's fresh & unique approach to stationery makes for a wonderfully personal, and therefore special gift.

so proud to be able to call her my friend, 

callie's incredible personal style translates effortlessly into her work; describe your vision for stationery perfection, and she'll make it a reality.  

there's just something...special about receiving a thank you note on the baby's personal stationery. 

some may think its a bit much, but i think its 

one of life's little pleasures. 

after all, how often will someone be able to give a thank you note on behalf of their infant child? 

ok, those of you who are not kate gosselin, octomom, 

or living on a "farm" in utah. 

you get my point. 

go here to see more of callie's work, order some stationery as a gift or for yourself, and stay tuned for
an interview with her in the coming weeks. 

yup, i have an official ladycrush.

before callie, however, comes jenny.

this week's ladycrush is my very own sisterwife, mfamb. 

interview forthcoming.

happy gift giving!

xo

lets dance

(via sweetfashiondreams)

(via pinkwallpaper)

need some new music? go see the flashdance. he'll hook you up.

if you don't know, now you know.

(but really, how did you NOT know?)

i love you, though.

(via weheartit)

and just in case you didn't know that, 

i'll be going my first ever giveaway next week!

BAM.

and, a chance for you atl-iens to win 

half off of a photog sesh from 

one of my local faves. 

trust me, you want this.

have a fab friday!

and remember...

(via pinkwallpaper)

cheers!

xo