Only 7?

I was tagged by Veronika to share 7 quirky facts about myself with all of you. I'll try not to share anything that will make you think that I am completely out of my mind :)

1. I have lived in Houston all my life, a true Texan :) I wanted to move to Austin and go to UT, but I think my mom knew that it was the #1 party school at the time and made me stay back. I am sure my life would be completely different now if I went. I don't know if I would have ever met my hubs if I went to Austin.

Image from kir.com

2. I always carry a cardigan with me because I get cold pretty easily. Unless its in the middle of a heat wave in Texas, you will find the AC vents in the car pointing away from me. And my nose starts running when I get cold. I think I am allergic to the cold, is that even possible?

3. I listen to wide variety of music. You will find Zach Brown Band, Jay-Z, Michael Buble, Joshua Radin, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and random remakes.

Image from fanpop.com

4. I am awesome guitar and drum player in Rockband. Yes I love playing all the musical games like Guitar Hero, Rockband, and even Singstar.

5. I love drinking Lemonade and Ice Tea together. If you have never tried it please do! Just mix half and half, it is so good. And of course being from the south I love me some sweet tea.

6. I love the feeling of my teeth right after they are brushed. I don't know why, its just so nice and clean. I am so glad that I bought a Sonicare toothbrush because I noticed a huge difference after the first use.

Image from dentist.net

7. When I eat I like to save the best for last. Some of my friends disagree with my method and tell me that I should it the best first because what if I get too full to eat the best? Well I can tell when I am getting full so I stop and eat the best :)

And here are a few bloggers that I follow and would love to get hear their quirky facts:

Fashion Bananas
Femme Rationale
BonBon Rose
A Haute Mess

Have a Happy New Year's! Here is to a fabulous 2010!

Christmas and After Christmas Goodies

I love Christmas time because it means lots of family time and lots of eating, but I am kind of glad they are over because I need to start watching what I eat again and all these sales are not good for my wallet. Its been pretty cold here in Texas, well at least for me, and most of my winter outfits are pretty "blah". I'm sure you have noticed the lack of outfit posts.

Anyway I didn't take a picture of my Christmas outfit for a post so I had to crop myself out of a larger pic for you guys to see. Yes, I am aware that is ghetto.

Everything is from Forever 21 except for the tights from H&M.

I am in love with the necklace I am wearing. It is such a gorgeous statement necklace and can really spice up a rather plain outfit.

One of my little cousins got me these cute house slippers from Target. Apparently they are a look-a-like of a Juicy Couture pair. As long as they are cute and keep my feet warm I am happy :)

I also got some jewelry and a dress from my sister, a super cute apron from a good friend, and a neck warmer thing from another good friend.

I didn't really find anything with the after Christmas sales except some work shoes and a pair of booties. I never really liked the bootie trend, but the more I see it the more I like it. I'll post about them when I receive them. I also scored this super cute blazer from Ann Taylor Loft. They were having an additional 25% off. I tried to look for a picture on their website, but couldn't find one.

I love the ruffle detailing around the collar and how it flairs out a little at the bottom.

Any of you ladies score some great after Christmas deals or get anything you really wanted? I would love to hear about it :)

Empire State of Mind

I was doing my usual rounds catching up on blogs when I saw that With Love... had a trailer for 'Sex and the City 2"! I loved the series and the first movie. I didn't even realize there was already a trailer out for it. And you know I have to show it to you ladies.

The moment I heard 'Empire State of Mind' playing at the beginning of the trailer, I knew it was going to be good. The trailer really didn't give anything away (although I wish it did). I can't wait to see what happens in this movie. I've already marked my calendar for the premier and I might, just might try to catch the midnight showing.

The only thing that gives the fashion the show has a run for its money is Carrie's closet. Yes, I am in love with her closet. Here was the closet in her apartment. Nothing crazy fantastic, but heck much better than mine!

And then there was the gorgeous white closet that housed those beautiful blue Manolos.


One day......my closet will look this amazing.

And here are some other fabulous closets of famous celebrities. I know many of us have seen Mariah Carey and Paris Hilton's so I focused on other celebs for this post.

Eva Longoria Parker

Miley Cyrus

Fergie

Christina Aguilera

Anyone else have serious closet envy right now? I think my fave has to be Christina's, what about you?

Victoria's Secret Semi Annual Sale

Its that time again for us ladies to stock up on any undergarments we need. I hate fighting the madness that is always in the store and I can't ever find anything decent in my size. I much rather shop the sale online. I haven't ever ordered any clothes from there, but these dresses look really cute and the price is even better.

Italian Merino Wool Sweater Dress. Found here for $79.

Strapless lace dress for $59.99.

Silk bandage sweater dress for $79.

And of course I couldn't forget about the shoes, I mean boots (because there were mainly boots on sale). If I didn't have such a hard time finding boots that fit my calves, I would have bought any one of these boots.

The Devon Convertible Boot for $129. The only thing I dislike about buying items online is when they show you how some items are convertible (even dresses), when you try it for yourself at home it never turns out the same.
Over the knee Riding Boots for $179.


Mini Wedge Boot for $79. I actually have a pair I got from Target a few years ago that is very similar to this style but in gray.

Are you buying anything from the sale? If you have one of those secret gift cards they were giving out, you can redeem it online!

P.S. Happy Holidays everyone! I have a busy weekend ahead, but will enjoy every minute of it because I will be spending it with my families!!

Handbag Heaven

I love handbags that have an extra across the body strap because I use it so often, especially while shopping. I was browsing People.com the other day and came across this picture of Reese Witherspoon and fell in love with her clutch.

It is a Rebecca Minkoff Morning After clutch and I love it to pieces! I went to the Rebecca Minkoff website and it looks like it comes in black or purple with gold hardware.

I also love handbags with hardware (the clutch above scored double points). So when I saw this bag earlier on in the year I fell in love with it, but not the price. Its the Alexander Wang Coco Mini Duffel.

Image from Bagsnob.com

Tressje Monaco Bag. Image from Revolveclothing.com

I tend to purchase black handbags 95% of the time because I can wear them with almost anything. And I feel that if I am going to spend a pretty penny on a handbag I better be able to wear it almost everyday. I do have a gray purse that I got as a bday present from a good friend and that goes with pretty much everything too. But you won't see me buying an expensive handbag in pink, green, or purple just because I would find it too hard to wear it on a daily basis.

What do you look for when purchasing a handbag?

Something Blue

OK just a quick post about something I just found in case I have any brides reading my blog. When I was planning the wedding I wanted blue shoes as my something blue, but I needed shoes that weren't so tall because I didn't want to be taller than my hubs. Well my search ended because all the shoes that were less than 2 inches tall in blue looked like something an elderly lady would wear.

Well I am sure if you haven't been living under a rock you have seen the Something Blue Manolo Blahnik's that were featured in the 'Sex and the City" movie. I think in the movie Carrie says they are only $500, but I think after the movie the price went up to $945 (and that was the moment you heard brides' hearts breaking all across the world). This may be old news to some ladies, but I thought I would share anyway.

Here is the orginial. Image from stylefrizz.com.

And here are the look-a-likes by Martinez Valero.

Looks pretty good to me! And the price of $159 sounds much better than $945. However, I am sure that the Manolos are much more comfortable than these, but I am wondering if it would be manageable after you crowd the shoe with all the foot pads.

Anyway, while I was browsing I also found some super cute shoes that a bride (or anyone for that matter) would love.

Badgley Mischka

BCBG

Joan and David

All of the above images are from Amazon.com. I think the yellow ones are my favorite!

I love colored shoes because it adds a little character to the outfit. I don't have many colored heels, but I do have lots of colored flats. Do you wear colored shoes? Do you find them easy to style with your outfits?

Hana Hou!

Its been a week since I have been back from my vacation to Hawaii and I still think I have not adjusted to the change. While I was there, I got a few texts that I was missing all the snow in Houston and of course I had to text back with a picture of me laying out on the beach :) Cruel, I know.

I had a fabulous time on the Big Island and Oahu. There is so much I wasn't able to do and hope to visit Oahu and another island in a few more years. The Big Island was phenomenal with star gazing on Mauna Kea and visiting the volcanoes and walking through a lava tube. I haven't been able to go through all of my images yet, but most of them have family/friends in them so I probably won't be posting those. But here are some general photos I took.

This whole trip I was so busy behind the camera that I almost forgot to get a picture of hubs and I. This was taken before the sunset picture above. I just realized I look like I'm pregnant in this picture (which by the way I am totally not). I guess its just the way the dress is cut and the angle of the picture. Oh well.

This was the first trip my dad has taken with hubs and I. He had such a great time (because he didn't have to do anything, we just told him what time to wake up haha) he wants us to go to Europe next year with him and his siblings. I wouldn't mind going to Europe again, but I REALLY wanted to go to Asia.

Anyone have any interesting vacation plans in the near future? Do you vacation with your parents? If so, how does that work out for you?

UK Flawless

I am sure by now you all know that I love photography, so when I saw these images this morning I had to blog about them. Now ScarJo isn't one of my girl crushes, but with these images, I think she moved up a few spots. Here are ScarJo's pictures for UK's Harper's Bazaar January 2010.

This cover picture is absolutely flawless.

Images from Magxone.com

ScarJo is talking about her charity work in Africa on the second to last picture. I love that she is dressed in (product) RED clothes to raise awareness.

What do you think about this spread? Is ScarJo one of your girl crushes? If so, why? If not, who is one of your girl crushes?

Early Christmas

Yup, it isn't even December yet and I got my Christmas present from hubs. We normally don't do super big gifts for Christmas or any occasion really, but he knew I've had my eye on a pretty lens for my camera for a long time. And because I am a person that takes a long time to make big purchases, he surprised me by being sneaky and asking my friends which one I wanted and made the purchase. He had to give it to me over the weekend because I was expecting to borrow my friend's lens for our trip but she really needed it for work but only told me I could borrow hers to buy time for my lens from hubs to come in. :) I have great friends and a great hubs. :) I will get to play with my new toy in Hawaii on Wednesday, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L.

Image from bhphotovideo.com

I have a really big family and sometimes its really hard to keep up with who likes what. So every year at Thanksgiving my sister and I make it a point to find out what all the kiddos like this year so we can make Christmas shopping a little easier. You know the kiddos are getting older when they no longer are asking for toys but rather clothes and shoes. And I have no problem with shopping for clothes, even if they are for kids.

One of my nieces is just learning to read so she asked for books. I had a coupon for Barnes and Nobles so I decided to do some early shopping. I bought her these beginner reader Fancy Nancy books that I think she will like.

Image from BarnesandNoble.com

And as I browsed some more I came across one of my favorite books from when I was younger and couldn't help but pick it up for her. I know she can't read this yet, but I am sure her mom will read it to her and with in due time she will be able to read it on her own.

Image from BarnesandNoble.com

I loved all of Shel Silverstein's poems, especially "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take the garbage out".

Did you do any early Christmas shopping with all the sales that went on over the weekend? What are some of your childhood favorite books?

P.S. I am leaving on vacation on Wednesday and I don't think I will have time for another post before I leave. Have a great week everyone!

Ladies, if its ugly...its ugly!

I have to say that I love Tim Gunn and when I found out he was getting his own fashion help show a few seasons ago I was thrilled. I just about died laughing when I heard that he said "Ladies, if its ugly....its ugly!". Tim's honesty is sometimes crazy funny. If any of you haven't seen his show, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, he helps teach women how to shop and gives them a list of the 10 essential items they need in their closet.

Basic Black Dress
Trench Coat
Dress Pants
Classic Shirt
Jeans
Any Occasion Top
Skirt
Day Dress
Jacket
Sweatsuit Alternative

I think this is a great starting point for anyone trying to revamp their wardrobe. Stick to classic pieces that you can wear any time, even in 5 years. One other thing that is mentioned on the list that he heavily emphasises is the right undergarments. Wearing the right size bra can really make a difference with your appearance and confidence.

Here are 4 of my classic pieces. My shoes are not on Tim's list, but a pair of classic black pumps should be.

Trench: NY&CO, Shirt: Banana Republic, Belt & Necklace: Forever 21, Jeans: Citizens of Humanity, Shoes: BCBG

Oh and the necklace isn't on that list, but its one of my favorite necklaces. Sorry for the bad photos again, but I think its time to retire my old point and shoot camera. I sold my old beginner dslr (which was small) and I am way too lazy to pull out my new dslr camera to shoot outfit photos. I wonder if hubs will mind me taking outfit pictures with his point and shoot. hahaha wishful thinking.

Since I am on the subject of classics, this is one of my favorite red nail polishes that can be worn at anytime. Its OPI's "Bastille My Heart", which I think was part of the "Collection de France". After I took this picture I realized I forgot to clean up the mistakes. There goes my laziness again, oh well.

Do you think Tim Gunn's list is a good list to go by? What are your favorite "go-to" pieces that will never go out of style? Any pieces you have that should be on Tim's list?

Currently Listening to La Roux - In for the Kill