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Maybe a little food and thrift shopping thrown in for good measure.

Thrift shopping for our Halloween costumes, that is:

K&Laura

Abby wants to be a Pan Am  stewardess this year.  I'm happy to let her borrow my pale blue hat box luggage case (ah, so chic).   I think it will fit the costume perfectly!  We'll probably draw a pan am logo and tape it on the bag for a little more emphasis:

Yea Ebay!

I actually use this as my carry-on when I travel. 
It's the only thing I've ever bought online.  I love to shop but online shopping provides none of the instant gratification that I get in a store, holding my shopping bag.  I seriously don't understand the allure...except for people who hate to shop in which case I understand it being an easier thing. I guess..really just a lazier thing.  Ok I'm done.
Happy Happy Thursday!

Eureka!

Had to have a quick throw back to Eureeka's Castle.  While Eureeka was a cute puppet, I watched the show only for the fish fountain:

My point?
So, I'm in my third week of training for the Turkey Day 5K in Charleston.  As you might recall, this is my first race ever. And yesterday I finally found my stride! I'd been struggling with tiring too quickly and feeling awkward.  And then it just clicked.  Eureka!

This video is solid gold indeed!

Next...
I am in the process of redecorating my living room.
The walls are now a pumpkin color, warm and lovely.

But it needs some brightening up!
I have chosen to use turquoise and bright white accents.
I like this fabric for both and area rug and curtains:











I bought these white hanging dots from Michael's  a long time ago.  I can't wait to play around with them in the room!











I'm not one to pull many interior design photos and ideas together beforehand, it's an organic process for me.
I'm looking forward to hitting up goodwill and garage sales in the coming weeks to find some unique things.

Also,
I'm buying this cape and no one can stop me!  It's one of those things I've been daydreaming about wearing to upcoming social events and I know it must be mine. I think it's absolutely adorable. I found the zig zag cape I referenced a while back and was sad that it didn't look as great in person.  But this one is a cutey.

Do you like it?
Also, does anyone have any color recommendations with my swatch above?
I hope everyone is having a good week so far!

Hot Hot Hot

Today's post is dedicated to the heat index.

A couple of things:
Last night I made chicken parm, one of my favorites. I really just dip a boneless, skinless breast in egg whites and then into a mix of panko and parm, for a light crunch on the outside. Then bake at 375' for around 25 min, until golden brown. I like to put a slice of mozzarella and some marinara on top of the breasts about 3-5 minutes before I take them out of the oven. I'll put this over pasta with marinara. Most often I pair this with a side salad, but I've also put chopped spinach in my marinara which is a great way to bring in something green. I'm a sucker for carbs of all kinds so I did make myself a single slice of garlic bread. It was worth it.
The most exciting part of the meal was that I used wagon wheel pasta! So cute :)

Oh and lastly, remember that ring I've been lusting over? Well I haven't bought it. BUT I did find a cute ring with both silver and gold metal this weekend with a smaller pricetag. What do you think??

I'm wearing one of my favorite summer work dresses today. Anyone remember when Isaac Mizrahi was head designer at Liz Claiborne?? My wardrobe does! I think I alone kept the line in business here in Charleston! Unfortunately I wasn't enough and now JCPenney has taken Liz into the ground.
Anyway, Happy Tuesday!

Humpity Hump

Happy Wednesday everyone!
Yesterday, on the treadmill, I was reading about how to make a decorative statement in a room for under $50. To some this may seem a challenge, but to me it's just what I do.
When I first bought my place I knew that I wanted to switch out light fixtures and hardware on a dime. I focused on the light over the dining room table. I visited lighting stores and fell in love with thousand dollar chandeliers. I spent an entire month at Lowe's and Home Depot trying to find unique lighting, but it all just looked the same.
Finally, one day in World Market, I found the prettiest paper lanterns at less that $10 each. I bought a couple with hopes they would work with the hanging bulb we already had. And they did. These lanterns create the prettiest soft glow of light. And the prices are unbeatable. You can actually change them on a whim, literal mood lighting!
I found this Lilly Pulitzer lantern in Floaters for under $10. It's perfect for the bright months of summer!


Okay guys, Let me hear your budget decorating tips!!