she wore an itsy bitsy yellow polka dot... romper.

have you checked out old navy's baby & toddler clothes? oh my goodness some stuff is so cute (& inexpensive)! 

i snagged makaela's romper there along with some other goodness. how sweet is a little girl with pigtails?

...

(i'm a) sewing machine.

that's right. a few weeks ago i finally pulled my christmas gift out of it's box and set her up in the dining room.

i was pleasantly surprised how it all came flooding back to me from both my youth and "first stitch" sewing class... winding and threading the bobbin, adjusting stitch lengths & all that jazz. such a great creative outlet. it's kind of addicting. i'd tell you what i've been making, but it's pretty much a bunch of gifts, soooo i can't.

i can tell you that danny was pretty impressed that instead of sending one of my coachella looks off to the tailor (i'm hell bent on wearing this romper, but there were some major fit issues - just ask colby), i decided to tackle the project myself. just me & my sewing machine along with some measuring & pining help from ting. and after becoming an expert with the old stitch ripper, things finally look great. done and done.

the most boho pets of them all.

have you seen Free People's new pet line? beaded collars, dyed rope leashes, copper tags and a graphic print cat teepee? i'm trying to get d to get this teepee for kit kat and the rest of our felines... pretty damn cute. perfect little gifts for the furry friend of someone you love because the old, "he who loves me loves my dog" is such a true statement. 

on that note, we owe nick & angela a huge shout out for watching huntie for nine nights while we were on vacation. that's a long time to watch someone's pooch. we're so grateful to have friends who genuinely love our pig and are more than happy to have him around (and sad to watch him go). you two are the best - thank you. 

eek! i've gone to the dark side.

take II

 (kinda) 

for those of you who remember my horribly tragic attempt at going dark in 2003, this is a lot different and much better. why? because it wasn't done in a bathtub. it's not "black widow" from a box. and it's not permanent dye. (what were we thinking???)

i've been in the mood for a change and contemplating brunette for a little while. 

a week ago, danny and i were playing around with this fun online InStyle.com hairstyle app... 

and then i mustered up the courage to start texting with my stylist. she told me she had a cancellation on saturday afternoon and it was mine if i wanted it. i stopped texting. the next morning i woke up to a text... "did you lose your courage little lamb?" and i booked it. come saturday night, i was a full blown brunette. 

i wasn't really nervous about going dark, i was more nervous about the thought of having to get back to my blonde hair if i didn't love it because i knew it would be a long process. but, the color turned out just how i wanted. warm & rich with some lighter pieces for depth without being stripy. no freakouts. no tears. looks like it can stay a while. 

it's totally different, but i'm really diggin' it. so is the ting. 

time to put the blonde bobbi pins in storage.

p.s. the last time i dyed my hair black (very different), my dad walked passed me in the hallway of our home and didn't recognize me. at dinner that night, he looked at me and said, "please never do this again." sorry, dad. i hope you agree this is a lot different than last time.  

oh so trendy.

i came across a refinery29 article about the "top trends you should try before you die" and it got me thinking about how my fashion and style is constantly evolving. 

i'm a girl who's always been guilty of following trends... aren't we all a little bit? i guess there are those uber cool girls who are always ahead of the trends or the women who have such a unique style they're always trendy in their own way, but i'm one of those girls who's usually up for trying the latest trends. and why not? it's fun and just like anything in life - change is good.

i recently told a group of girlfriends that i credit blogs with giving me a boost of confidence to try new trends.  i'm from the generation that grew up with magazines - in fact, we all were until a couple of years ago. what does that have to do with it? well, think about it. it was only once a month - just 12 times a year - that we'd get a glimpse of the season's hottest trends that had trickled down from the runway... and who was showcasing them? models. models in the articles, models in the advertisements and beautiful people on TV. see what i mean? now we have blogs, pinterest, instagram, facebook and a slew of other social media channels giving us daily access to new trends and real people sporting the looks in their every day lives. "if she can wear that, so can i" - right? in generations past, unless you lived in nyc or a similar big city, i feel like very rarely did we see trends translated into real life. 

in the past i never felt comfortable being daring with fashion, make-up, hair or the like - especially things that weren't "me"... but what does that even mean? i guarantee we all love different looks and styles and that's totally okay. it's called eclectic. there's a part of me that love the super bohemian look, another that loves a little rocker grunge and sometimes i'm drawn to that uber preppy style. who says we have to choose one look? life's too short not to mix it up, right? they're clothes. it's make-up. hairstyles - nothing permanent. sure, you'll look back on photos at some "misses" but that's fun.

so back to what started this whole thought... refinery29's "top trends to try before you die." i'm proud to say that i've tried 21/29 of these trends. and a lot of them have been within the past couple years. looks like it's time i dive into leather pants, mixing patterns (this is one i see all the time, but think danny would look at me like i had four heads if i tried to wear floral with chevron), monster plaforms, everyday sequins, wearing a fedora, an all white suit and colbs - do you have a dangerous ring i can borrow? 

what about you? what's your trend number?

DIY tutorial: clip-in hair extensions.

let's be real. when you see a celebrity or a girl walking down the street with a long luscious mane, there's a def a chance she's got some help in there. don't get me wrong, i have plenty of friends who have real manes (mentioned here), but even the Kardashians admit to wearing extensions.

it's never been a secret that i've wished for super long, naturally wavy hair. oh, how i dream. in 2005 i thought i'd make my wish a reality and went for "permanent" extensions... and that's when the hair torturing began. first flashpoint bond extensions (i'm so sorry hair) and then the toupee tape extensions (put double sided tape on your hair for six weeks, take it out and then get back to me on how your hair feels).

they all looked wonderful for the first couple weeks, but then the washing, the drying, the not washing and the tangling began. oh, and forget swimming. some people don't mind them, but i found perma extensions to be a huge pain in the rear. after my final round of head torture, i decided to use my leftover weft of hair to make clip-in extensions. i bought the supplies, YouTube'd a how-to video and was off the hair races. it's the best thing i've ever done (well, that may be an exaggeration, but not when it comes to my hair). they're so fun and so easy!

making them is cake. if you can thread a needle, you can sew your own clip-ins. the secret's out. i love them.

{both of my hair stylists have recommended the brand 909, it's real hair (vs. synthetic) and super high quality. it's about $150 for a 6-foot weft of hair that'll last you for a couple sets of extensions)

summertime beauty product.

i'm not much of a make-up girl, but lately i've been noticing the need to wear it. i really wanted to avoid actual foundation, so i hunted for an alternative and found Philosophy's "Hope" Tinted Moisturizer. i got a sample and fell in love.

the perfect daytime moisturizer, i love that it's lightweight + has SPF 20 + is just the right amount of tint to even out my complexion and give me a healthy summer glow.

$39 for 3 ounces (lasts a long time) and comes in six shades of tint.

DIY tutorial: flower crowns.

the spring weather means festival season is right around the corner. with coachella only 50 days away, i've started making accessories for me and my girlfriends. i think my favorite festival accessory is the  bohemian flower crown. you can see me and my girls wearing last year's coachella crowns in the  photos here and video here.

i've experimented with making them all different ways, but find this is by far the easiest and cheapest way to get the look (as long as you're okay with the underside of your headband not being gorgeous). the options are endless and it would be really hard to mess this project up... have fun with it and good luck!

{sweet & simple... yellow braid and four daisies. pete, you love? this one's all yours.}

{a fuller and bolder look for the flower crown queen}

{little daisies all the way around}

silk flowers: for this project, i buy all my flower bunches from the Dollar Store. they're perfect & cheap.

suede: you can buy spools at Michaels or purchase by-the-yard at places like SAS to have more color options.

the new man in my life.

look at what i woke up to this morning! a clean-shaven face. it's been almost two years since i've felt this silky smooth skin. back in april 2010, ting decided to give the beard a whirl and it's been around ever since (minus one day when he shaved, but let it grow right back). plus, this week he traded in his longer locks for this new hair do. i'm diggin' the look. 

a fun read: we both enjoyed this New York Times article about what a man's beard says about him.

a 2012 resolution.

host more dinner parties, cocktail parties, backyard bbqs... just host more at home.

use our collection of mix-matched stemware... {thanks, mom!} 

mix & serve-up fun seasonal cocktail recipes...

{via}

step the table with my pretty runners & napkin rings... 

make appetizers appear fancy in mom's old crystal bowls...

play our slew of boardgames... 

who wants to come over? 

all pinned up.

bobbi pins are a staple in my life. i can't live without them. i use them daily.

i'm loving the fancy pins i've been seeing online and in stores like anthroplogie, but $15 - $28 for a single bobbi pin? come on. so i did what any crafty girl would do - i decided to matters into my own hands and create my own fancy pins using things i had around the house. it almost feels silly to consider this a DIY project because it's insanely simple. hopefully it will inspire you to create yourself some hair flair for pennies. 

all you need... 

super glue / a glue gun - if you don't already own one, go buy one now. they're like a dollar and the best tool ever. 

buttons, rhinestones, ribbon, yarn, sequins stretch... - $.25 a yard for this stuff*. that's a ton of bobbi pins. 

bobbi pins - small or large 

*if you're in phoenix, locate your nearest SAS fabrics wholesale warehouse and thank me later.

{my new bobbi pins using a variety of materials. get creative. tie bows, wrap with ribbon or do a single sequin}

{looks just like these here, huh? $.15 vs. $28. your choice}

{makes a boring messy bun just a little more fun}

{an extra button from an old dress i'll never wear again}

{a piece of yarn tied into a bow & glued to a pin... easy as that}

home is where the heart is.

i'm so glad to have had this man by my side throughout 2011.

 i can't wait to see where we're headed in 2012. 

have a happy new year's eve.