Valentine's Day Gift Guide: for her

cashmere scarf / colorblock heels / beaded dress / fuchsia nail polish / dainty necklace / graphic sweater / floral bracelet / tassel loafers / silk pajamas / kissaholic lip gloss / colorblock clutch / neon earrings / patent satchel  / lace dress / suede pumps / quilted crossbody

All of these items are under $100! Go get 'em, guys! (this includes you, Tyler) :)

If in doubt, diamonds and puppies are ALWAYS good ideas.

Come back tomorrow to see the Valentine's Day gift guide for him!

Polished Weekend Wear

Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft / Blouse: J. Crew / Jeans: Express / Shoes: J. Crew / Clutch: J. Crew / Bracelet: J. Crew / Necklace: Sandy Hyun (on sale!) / Sunglasses: Kate Spade

Since it was so warm outside last weekend, I ditched my coat for a short-sleeved sweater. It was the perfect light layer for the 70 degree weather and I love how the chunky knit dresses down a silk blouse and statement jewelry. My necklace and bracelet are two of my very favorite pieces in my collection. I fell in love with both pieces after seeing how Emily styled them on her blog. I learned the hard way that following Cupcakes and Cashmere can be a major threat to my bank account.

I wore this last weekend for exciting Saturday afternoon activities (i.e. looking for Tyler new under shirts, new bronzer for me, and browsing the clearance section in TJ Maxx). I was so glad to get to spend the day with my hubby leisurely "running" around Memphis. While I like to have things to do, sometimes weekends with little to no plans is a relaxing and welcome change. Saturday night we met our friends Will and Courtney for Mexican and Jerry's sno cones. Side note: If you're like us and have never tried Jerry's, YOU MUST GO as soon as possible. I don't care if it's cold outside, you can sit in your car with the heat on while eating them. But it's not a bad idea to pack heat 'cause it's kinda in the ghetto. Side note 2: Take a moment and visit Courtney's blog, exodus31three! She's awesome!

Photography by Tyler B. Parks


Stay tuned for Valentine's Day gift guides!

DIY Headboard

It's not as hard as it looks, I promise. It's actually really simple, believe it or not. I don't consider myself a very creative person when it comes to DIY projects-- I can copy most things with photos and detailed instructions, but I am not the type to come up with these things on my own. Enter Pinterest. My favorite site on the Internet, even more so than J. Crew (Seriously, how did people plan weddings without it?!). There are just SO many ideas, my brain becomes overloaded every time I look. This headboard was my first DIY project since discovering Pinterest (except for my dining chairs re-cover project, which did not require any creative skills whatsoever) and I am so pleased with the end result, and the fact that I managed not to harm myself or anyone else with the staple gun.

I pulled tips and ideas from many DIY blogs I found through Pinterest, but most of my inspiration came from Freckles Chick's DIY headboard.


Materials needed:

Upholstery fabric (number of yards determined according to the desired dimensions)
Piece of plywood (many bloggers suggested 1/2 - 1 inch thick, but I think mine was 1 1/2 or 2 inches) Home Depot cut it to my dimensions for free.
Batting (I used 3 layers of twin-size quilter's batting)
Foam, optional (I chose to use a little extra batting instead of foam. I was afraid my nailheads wouldn't stick all the way through to the wood)
Staple gun
Nailhead trim kit 
Rubber mallet 
Scissors
Heavy duty wall mount (If you plan on hanging it on the wall as opposed to attaching to the bed frame)

1. One layer at a time, spread the batting flat on the floor, and position the plywood on top so that it is somewhat centered. Using the staple gun, wrap the batting around the plywood and secure tightly. You may need to trim excess to prevent bulkiness on the back. Repeat with remaining batting layers.
2. Iron your fabric. I know, I know, everyone hates ironing but don't be tempted to skip this step. Or you might have fold creases on the front of your new headboard and be very upset. Consider yourself warned. I also recommend vacuuming your floor beforehand to make sure your fabric stays clean.
3. Carefully lay your fabric on the floor, with the inside facing up, and position your padded plywood in the center of the fabric. Pick a side to start on, and begin folding your fabric over and securing with the staple gun. Don't be tempted to move around in a circle-- Instead, then move to the opposite side and pull tight.
4. Don't stress out about the corners. With each corner, I pulled the middle of the fabric corner straight up and stapled, which left fabric loose on both sides. Then I folded each side to the opposite side of the corner. (This would probably make more sense if I illustrated with photos, but I didn't have a blog then... forgive me?) Be sure and practice folding the corner how you want it before stapling, or else your husband will get real mad about having to get the staples out and call you names like "picky" and "OCD freak."
5. Almost done! Flip the headboard over so the top is facing up, and begin positioning the nailhead trim along the edge. Use a ruler to keep it straight and the same distance from the edge (I think ours was 1 inch from the edge).
6. Nail in every 5th nailhead (the rest is fake) and try not to lose your mind or be too OCD (I was guilty of both those, just ask my husband). I just put the nailhead across the top and down both sides, because the bottom is hidden anyway and the nailhead trim was running out...
7. Yay! You're done! But your man's not, because he has to hang it on the wall while you lay on the bed and watch.

Since taking these photos, I have gotten 3 Euro pillows and shams that match the duvet cover.

You know how you plan your entire bedroom decor based on one pillow? A pillow that you don't even have yet? Am I the only one? Don't judge me. It was love at first sight for me and this pillow from Caitlin Wilson Textiles. So naturally, I set my heart on a mint headboard and wasn't satisfied until I found mint fabric that matched that fabric swatch exactly. Trust me, it wasn't easy (or exactly cheap) but when I set my heart on something I become kind of obsessed. Tyler's thrilled with that part of my personality.

Image via Caitlin Wilson Textiles

Pictured above is the combination of pillow covers I absolutely LOVE and I am so impatient to get them! I plan to use the gray chevron pillow I already have and purchase the floral and smaller chevron pillow to complete our bed!

If you're considering going DIY for a new headboard, don't hesitate! It's way cheaper, totally customizable, and so satisfying when you see the end result! I'm already itching to make another one for our guest bed!

Leopard v. Mint

Shirt: J. Crew Factory / Skirt: J. Crew (sold out) / Belt: J. Crew (similar) / Booties: Gianni Bini via Dillards (old) / Necklace: Kate Spade via sample sale (eBay listing) / Bag: Dooney & Bourke (really old)

I originally planned to wear a skinny leopard print belt, but at the last minute I decided to play up the bright factor with the mint belt. After all, you can never, ever go wrong with mint. Well, or leopard print, for that matter. Actually, as it turns out, both are pretty much equally versatile. Bottom line: leopard and mint go with everything. And so does chambray.

I said "Yes to The Dress!"

Shopping for my wedding dress with my mom was such an awesome experience and quite possibly my favorite aspect of wedding planning. We had SO much fun! We spent a weekend in Atlanta hopping from place to place trying on gorgeous dresses, shopping in Buckhead, and cherishing girl time together. I found my dress at Bridals by Lori, the salon featured on Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta. I wasn't filmed for the show, but I did see camera crews preparing to film later that day. We took tons of pictures and met several people I knew from watching the TV show, even Lori herself! I obviously couldn't share most of these pictures before the wedding since they show my dress (this was in July 2011), so here they are!

Dress by Marisa

 I originally planned to wear the crystal sash, but later decided against it. As it turned out, I went much simpler than I ever imagined I would! 

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer / Wedges: Vince Camuto

Yes, I wore the same dress both days. It was cute, comfortable, cool, and easy to slip on and off. Don't judge me! 

I fell in love with the dress the moment I put it on and didn't want to take it off! It was perfect, and the sample I tried on ended up being the same size I ordered! The only bad part? Waiting 8 months to try it on at my first fitting, and another 4 months to actually wear it! 

Mad About Mint

1. Sam Edelman Camdyn 2. Madden Girl Getta 3. Truth or Dare by Madonna Jabulania 4. rsvp Jameson

Mint has consistently been my favorite color for over a year now, and I still can't get enough of it! Lucky for you, I wasn't blogging during my excruciating hunt for the perfect mint jeans. Which I finally found, if you were wondering. Besides my love for this beautiful combination of blue and green, it's my lack of mint heels that motivates today's post/problem. So what's the solution, you ask? Zappos! The website with endless amounts of shoes at all price points, taxfree, and free shipping both ways! And if you're a VIP like me, you get free next day shipping :-) (No, they're not paying me to say this, although they really should!)

So, back to my mint heel dilemma. We've already determined the solution is to buy a pair (duh) and buy them from Zappos, but now it's just the issue of which one. (If I were really desperate, I'd just buy them all and return 3 for free, but I have confidence in your advice-giving skills).

My initial thoughts are:
#2 is the best price and has great reviews, but the toe shape looks a bit awkward and appears to be a little darker than I would like... although has a pretty pearly shimmer.
#4 has an edgy cap toe, which is a trend I am loving, but it's faux leather and I'm afraid it will make the whole shoe look cheap.
#3 has a cute little peep toe and is a gorgeous mint color, but is the priciest out of the bunch and at 5" tall, may be a little too high to be practical.
#1 is the perfect color of mint with a hint of shimmer, has a classic almond toe, and a subtle patch of snakeskin at the heel cup. My first pick!

What are your thoughts? 

Neutral Party

Coat: J. Crew (similar) / Sweater: J. Crew / Cords: J. Crew (on sale!) / Heels: Vince Camuto 

Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore bright colors and how I always gravitate toward bright pink as opposed to black. However, there are days when the mood strikes me just right and I wear neutrals head to toe. This isn't a frequent occurrence so I felt it only made sense to document it. Plus I got this sweater for $2.92 and couldn't wait to share it.

These photos were taken before I got our new camera, so please forgive me for posting such low-quality photos... It was after I saw these that I decided we needed a better camera! (The more I say "camera" in my head, the weirder it sounds.) Do you ever say words over and over and they start to sound different? Camera camera camera. It sounds like something a celebrity would name their baby. OH! Speaking of celebrity babies, go read Suri's Burn Book now. It's hilarious. You will be entertained for hours.

So, what's your preference? Are you a Neutral Nancy or a Bright Betty? (This is slightly ironic considering my mother is Nancy and I'm pretty sure the word "neutral" isn't in her wardrobe vocabulary).

Have a fantastic day :-)