Mixed Metals

A year or so ago, we were at one of our friend's homes and they were giving us a little tour since they had just moved in. They were talking about how they meshed their style to decorate their new place.

And I remember someone saying, she is silver and I am gold. Which he said meant that she is more old fashioned and liked vintage decor. And he liked simple, modern style. I had never heard that expression before - maybe it's not an expression - but I liked it! It made me think of this blog -- VintageMODERN and how I've recently started to mix wearing silver and gold jewelry at the same time.

I've gone through phases in my life where I've only worn silver or gold.   But I can honestly say, I have recently been on a gold kick.   

A few of my recent favorites include:

Dogeared Karma Necklace

 

 Chevron necklace from F21 (I bought this in both gold and silver)

Tiny gold rings from etsy 

 

When I was trying to decide what type of metal to use for my wedding and engagement rings, it was tough. I thought about gold for a while but decided I would go with the more modern platinum.  I read a lot about the different metals and their properties and ultimately am very happy with my decision to go with platinum.  I wondered for a bit if that meant that I couldn't wear gold rings and actually avoided wearing them for probably a year. I noticed that really tiny gold rings started to be very on trend so I ordered a couple from etsy and have been rocking them on the regular. I even have worn them on the finger next to my platinum stacked ring finger.  {{gasp}} And no, the world didn't end.      

I don't think you have to exclusively be silver or gold... you can be both! Do you like to mix metals? 

Truth: Fall is here, people! It's only 73 degrees and that's the high for the day. I was actually cold and had to wear a sweater outside earlier. You're welcome.    

#Limsanity

Disclaimer - I didn't come up with that #Limsanity thing.  But I think it's pretty spot on.  Since today is still so fresh in my mind, I thought I would write up my Phillip Lim for Target experience now.  This is actually my first time participating in a a Target collab on launch day. I literally had dreams all night about waiting in line outside the store and not getting anything. I have been waiting for this day for at least 6 months. I remember hearing about the collab in early Spring and knowing that I had to get my hands on one of his signature bags!

Last night I thought, why don't I just order online like I did when the iPhone 5 came out??? No waiting in line or dealing with crazy women. But there was no clear time posted about when the pieces would be available online.  I checked before I went to bed and the website still looked the same - nothing available for sale yet. I kept waking up throughout the night and finally woke up around 6 am EST.  I checked the website on my phone and all the purses I wanted were sold out online. I kept refreshing my page and finally "The Large Tote in Black" showed up as available. I had to act quickly! I should have put my credit card info ahead of time.  By the time I signed in, punched in my credit card number as fast and humanly possible and clicked "Checkout"! Noooo... it said the item was unavailable.  I waited a few more minutes and tried again.. Success! I knew I struck gold when I got my email confirmation. 

It's in stock!

Phew! From my confirmation email 

I was way too excited to go back to sleep. I had a huge adrenaline rush from knowing that I had at least one bag in the bag (pun intended).  I knew that I should just get ready, go to Starbucks and head to the store to try and get the other purse I wanted "Top Handle Crossbody".  My next problem was figuring out what color I wanted to get. I was obsessed with the yellow but thought maybe it was too bright for a 28 year old... I told myself I would just grab a yellow and black one to compare and HECK - If I liked both, I could get both. They were only $35 each for goodness sakes. 

6:30 Left the house and headed to Starbucks. Grande skinny vanilla latte, thankyouverymuch.

6:55 Arrive at Target. Look around, don't see anyone outside the door... So I figured I would wait in my car. It was a cold 66 degrees, people. 

7:10 A van pulls up and a bunch of kids and their parents get out and head to the door. Oh no, I thought. I'm not gonna let these people buy up all the stuff and sell it on eBay for ridiculous prices. So I jump out of the car and notice a couple other people trying to make their way to the door. 

7:15 Turns out the family was just looking for Starbucks. Whew! They are gone, and now there are about 4 of us waiting in line at the door.  We thing the Target workers probably think we are currazy.  We are. 

7:30 A couple more people join us. We wait in anticipation, trying to figure out where the purses are.  We find out later that they are mixed in with the clothing section... Whaaat?

7:50 A big buff guy comes to the door and opens it a tiny bit. He goes, "you guys aren't waiting for the Phillip Lim stuff are you? Cause we didn't get any of it in". I go - "Yeah Right!" He smiles... and closes the door.

7:58 Security guard gets in place near the merchandise.  My heart is racing! The hype!  

8:00 The doors open slowly. I am the 2nd one in. They are yelling at us not to run and the Target employees are taking pictures of us fools. The guy points us in the direction of the bags. I grab the first yellow crossbody bag I see! Whew! The 2 other yellow bags are swiped in seconds. I also grad a black one since I can't decide! 

Safely in my hands! 

8:15 The adrenaline is pumping! I got everything I wanted but I wouldn't have if I didn't get there exactly when I did. What a fun shopping experience.  I tried on a couple tops but ultimately didn't like how they fit. Plus, in the end, I really only cared about the bags. 

I think I'm keeping both! Can't resist a good handbag!

Did you score anything from this line? Someone posted a few pics of the men's tshirts and I gotta say I am interested! I think I'm going back for round 2 later today. Gotta love it! 

              

Fall is the New Black

Can you believe it's September??? I seriously can't. 

Everyone is blogging about Fall {and NY Fashion Week} and all I can think of is... wait, is Summer over? Living in sunny North Carolina, it still feels very much like Summer.  And I was worried that the pool at our apartment would close for the Fall -- but I saw people there today so I'm hoping that it stays open year round... well, maybe not year round but at least while it's still super hot and sunny. I'm pretty sure my car said it was 94 degrees today with a 0% chance of rain. 

Ok - back on topic. Last year I purchased this amazing Pumpkin candle from... guess where? Target! 

I'm thinking that I need to make another trip to Target as soon as possible to snap up any and all delicious Fall candles before they get sold out.... and.... it's only a week until Phillip Lim for Target arrives in stores - I don't think I've been so excited about a Target Collaboration EVER.  New clothes  {and accessories} seriously get me super excited for Fall. I am planning to purchase the Tote in Black - it's $60! I can't decide if a want the Grey/Taupe color too. Just pure craziness. I'm hoping my fellow Charlotteans aren't as stylish as I am ;) but I'm still planning to be there when it opens next Sunday 9/15! 

Some of my other favorite candles of all time are at Anthropologie. One is called Capri Blue in Volcano - it smells like fresh peeled oranges.  Another favorite is Voluspa in Santiago Huckleberry.  

Well, friends - I'm out.. hopefully to make a quick run to everyone's favorite...Target! 

P.S. I have seriously found so many great, affordable finds there in the past year - I should do a blog post on Target. Chambray shirt. Bib statement necklace. Lace Dresses. Glitter Flats. Two tone black and brown wedges.  The list goes on and on!             

Dear 16 Year Old Me

There was a campaign going around in 2011 called "Dear 16 year old me". The campaign was about serious business - skin cancer. It's here if you want to watch the youtube video. 

And while we're on that topic.. For me, growing up in Hawaii, the beach {and the sun} were everything. I can't think of a period of time of more than a couple weeks where I didn't make it to the beach. I wore sunscreen for the most part. But probably not every single time. It's crazy - seeing older people get skin cancer from mistakes they made in their teens.  Really puts things into perspective for me. But, it's not too late to start. Since moving to a generally sunnier place {Charlotte, NC} it's important for me to wear sunscreen again... daily. I think the thing I hate most about sunscreen is that it's sticky, gloopy and just makes my skin not feel great. I have read about some new formulas out there. So I will keep you updated if I find anything that I don't mind wearing on a daily basis. Things to think about.... I'm not getting any younger .... 30 next year!!! Yikes. 

Anyway, the "Dear 16 year old me" thing inspired me to actually write a letter to my 16 year old self.. and it goes something like this

Dear 16 Year Old Me....

1. You will get the occasional pimple in your 20's. Even though you thought taking accutane in High School would prevent you from ever getting a pimple again.... not the case. Anyone in their 30's care to share if this fun trend continues?

2. Being a grown up isn't as fun as you thought it would be. There are things you just have to do - like wake up and go to work everyday. Go grocery shopping. Exercise. Pay bills. That is probably the worst of them all.

3. You are, however, in charge of your own happiness. It's really quite simple - If you don't like your life, change it. That is a hard and fast rule, no exceptions.

4. Sometimes things don't always go as planned. Life isn't fair. Things don't turn out how you expected them to. But that, is the beauty of life. 

Signing off.

Your loving 28 year old self