Carrie Bradshaw Lied

Friday’s Five

double decker art

– For any of you Oxford, MS people – my sister Sarah Thorne will have a booth at Double Decker near the telephone booth & William Faulkner statue on the square this weekend!! She’ll be selling both art and some jewelry (I’m wearing one of her necklaces in this photo)! –

orange county sunset

– being welcomed back to California by this gorgeous sunset –

cecelia new york pumps

– the most fabulous white python pumps –

purple spider mums

– when C goes to the grocery store knowing that I have a heavy week and even brings home flowers (talk about speaking my love language) –

one day juice cleanse

– gladly taking on a one-day juice cleanse after almost three weeks of delicious Southern eating –

First week back in my normal surroundings and it feels good. Of course, that’s after I came home to a thick layer of dog hair covering the majority of our house and a stinky refrigerator + all those other fun things that accumulate when you leave for a long period of time, BUT I still love being back home.

AND if any of you plan to be in Oxford, MS this weekend, it must be said that my big sister will have her art booth by the red telephone booth and William Faulkner statue on the square for Double Decker! You can see a preview of her work here, and she’s adding some of her handmade necklaces to the lineup. If you do stop by, please tell her I sent you and I’ll get some cool sister points!

C has the weekend off (insert praise hands), but we’re both so wiped from going into overdrive this week in efforts to get life back on track. Even so, I can’t let a “golden weekend” go to waste – having the whole weekend off is pretty special for him, so we plan to take advantage of the pool, take some bike rides and maybe visit our favorite beach down in Dana Point. It’s supposed to be a beautiful weekend!

Tell me your weekend plans! Lately I’ve been wanting to go on a picnic, and I’m not exactly sure why… Thanks so much for reading – XO

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Blue Backless Romper

Laguna Beach always does you favors… when the scenery is this gorgeous, it’s next to impossible not to capture a beautiful photo! On Tuesday, a few of my girlfriends and I played in Laguna for the day in a bungalow at the Pacific Edge Hotel. I love this spot (you might remember our staycation post here), and whenever I’m in this beautiful area, it always blows my mind that I can drive a few miles and be in this vacation destination. Toto – we’re not in Kansas anymore!

This blue romper isn’t like anything I’ve had before – the bottom part is so flouncy with so much fabric, it looks more like a skirt than shorts. Plus, it has pockets, and who doesn’t love pockets? Don’t even get me started on the back… something about this blue baby makes it feel so retro to me and I love it!

photos by Nikki at the Pacific Edge Hotel

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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CBL Tour de South

Back at it with round two after yesterday’s post with some of my Southern photos! These photos were snapped in my hometown of Columbus (more about that here), my parents hometown of Greenwood and a little from New Orleans in the beginning of the trip.

I think something I tend to forget about regarding the South is the incredible homes. I’m talking drop your jaw, breathtaking, The Notebook kind of homes. That is just a kind of charm you can’t deny!

jumper (so comfy and true to size!) | similar heels | bag

dress (sold out), love this one | chambray | booties | bag

jumper, also love this one | heels | bag

dress, also love this one | heels | bag

tunic | denim | booties | bag

similar sweater | denim | bag

dress | bag | watch

dress

Thank you guys so much for following along this super fun time! You guys know I’m the papparazzi taking so many photos all of the time, so it’s really fun to compile them together and share with y’all. I can’t thank my parents enough for taking so many photos for me during these past few weeks – seriously, I would have been lost without their help!

In the meantime, I’m coming at you guys with a super California post tomorrow (photographed by my friend Nikki), so talk about one vibe to another! Thanks again for reading – XO –

PS – be sure to check out my 2019 Tour de South coverage here!

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Oxford, Mississippi + Nashville, Tennessee

wedding in Taylor MS

I had no idea how many photos I had to share with you guys – so I’m going to break my #CBLTourdeSouth into two posts! Today I wanted to share some of the photos I snapped while in Nashville, TN and Oxford, MS!

I was visiting my pregnant childhood best friend Kady in Nashville, and I loved seeing her gorgeous home and world in Tennessee. The nursery was fully decorated for little Miss Lela, and I can’t wait to meet this lucky baby girl! While in Nashville we cruised Belle Meade and 12South, and ate dinner at Prima, brunch at Husk and I stuffed my face with white queso at Taqueria del Sol. Dream.

Oxford… where do I even start? We have looked forward to our friends Michael and Brooke’s wedding for months. Not only do we absolutely adore them, but I also grew up coming to Ole Miss games with my family, so Oxford is a special place. I attended the University which is were I met Christian. My brother married my sister-in-law in Oxford, and my sister currently lives there while her husband finishes up his PhD, so her youngest was born there! My parents have a home in Oxford, so we are super grateful that there’s always a reason to visit and a place to stay. Maybe one day we’ll be a little closer so we can visit more often! And if we need to bring it back to food – I had to eat at Volta, City Grocery and Bouré while we were there… and we had brunch at McEwen’s (it wasn’t there when I was in college), and I think it was one of Christian’s favorite meals of the trip!

pink floral maxi dress

dress

gray ramy brooke dress

dress | booties | bag

kathleen and christian barnes amanda uprichard off the shoulder dress

dress | bag

the square, oxford

chambray | his top | booties | bag

church in oxford ms rehearsal dinner place setting kathleen barnes oxford-mississippi

top

black forever21 dress

similar black maxi | bag

portrait of little girl and boy

I could share 193473487 photos from this little session I did with my sister’s family… but how precious are her two babes?

black and white rescue cat christian and kathleen barnes

his top | his jeans | bag | denim | similar top here and here

belle meade homes nashville mural mural in east nashville kady navarro

sweater | similar denim | bag

i believe in nashville

top | denim | booties | bag

sanctuary off the shoulder top

Thank you guys so much for reading and following along! It was so fun to be in the South for such a nice, long trip (and my jeans are a little tight from many meals involving fried food and queso). It feels good to be back in California, and I know I’ll find a reason to visit again soon! Another round of photos from the trip coming tomorrow – XO –

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Black Lace Off the Shoulder

When I was growing up in Columbus, Mississippi, I never appreciated the charm of the downtown area. When we first moved from Nashville, my parents rented a yellow house downtown we called “Old Yeller,” and it was right next door to the fire station and around the corner from our church. My hometown is known for all of the beautiful Antebellum homes (I’ll be posting a Southern roundup post tomorrow and will show you some more, sneak peek to some here), and these are all located in the downtown area.

This little alley perfectly captivates the charm of the historically preserved town, and I because I had not visited in three years, I could really appreciate its beauty during this trip. My mom snapped these photos for me (she kept getting nervous she was going to drop the camera, ha!), and I’ve loved sharing some blog posts from Columbus during this #tourdeSouth (you can see more on Instagram here!). I can’t wait to share more photos with y’all tomorrow!

photos by my Mom

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Friday’s Five in Tennessee + Mississippi

– visiting my pregnant bestie in Nashville for the weekend –

– the cutest truck transformed into a flower truck –

– a driving tour of some of the beautiful homes in Belle Meade –

– catching up with Miss Harper, my sister’s daughter and my sassy protégé –

– walking along the street in Greenwood Viola Davis walks down at the very end of The Help –

My second week in the South, and I think my pants are fitting a little bit tighter… but I’ll take care of that when I’m back in California! I loved playing in Nashville with my childhood best friend, Kady, and seeing a weekend in her life. We also realized the house I grew up in when I lived in Nashville was less than a mile from her house – what are the odds!?

I met Christian in Madison, Mississippi for a few days to catch up with his family, and we arrived in Oxford last Wednesday night. Christian is in a wedding of two of his high school best friends this weekend, and we are excited to see so many of our college friends this weekend! It’s actually pretty rare that Christian and I have two of our good friends marrying each other, usually we know the bride or groom, so this is a wedding we have looked forward to for months!

It has been so wonderful to be back in some of my favorite Southern places over the past few weeks, but I’m not going to lie, California (and my three and four legged children) are calling me back. I will always call myself Southern, but it’s even more special to visit now that we have made our home out West. Thankfully, we will always have lots of reasons to visit, no matter where we end up.

Thanks so much for reading – and I hope all of you have a beautiful weekend – XO –

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Wednesday Wish List

spring must haves

1 | 2 comes in turquoise too | 3 comes in orange as well, 25% off with the code FRIENDS | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 comes in black too! | 8 | 9 | 10

Back at you with a mid-week roundup of some of the great pieces I’ve been spotting online! Nordstrom has so many great markdowns on their site right now, and Lord & Taylor is also offering 25% off almost everything with the code FRIENDS. Thanks to the sale, this little dress is now $66 in two colors, love it.

If this clutch isn’t the cutest thing, I don’t know what is. I snagged this dress last year and it’s so flattering and comfortable, I’m so excited to see it’s back in stock for spring and summer. I’ve also been looking for a cute crochet swimsuit for quite some time, and I think this (bottoms available here) might be “the one” for an upcoming tropical vacation coming up in May.

Have you guys snagged any great deals lately? Any spring items that are must-haves? I’d love to hear! Thanks so much for reading and sharing – XO –

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Metallic Ankle Strap Heels

You guys know I’m all about gray – I love that it’s a neutral that goes with cream, black, white – anything. It’s such a great color choice that it can really be worn year-round, not to mention I think it looks great on everyone. SO, an ankle strap that comes in a metallic gray is something I can wear nearly 12 months a year in California with dresses, skirts, denim – you name it. Because of that, I think a great pair of heeled sandals like these Jimmy Choos from Saks Fifth Avenue is worth the investment, especially if they make you walk a little taller and feel like a #boss.

I have purchases from Saks from years ago that I still love and wear, and its shoe selection cannot be beat. This pretty pair is part of the Jimmy Choo MEMENTO Collection, celebrating the 20th anniversary of iconic red carpet styles (check out this adorable video!). This includes both shoes and handbags (love this one), and there are so many beautiful and versatile styles that are a part of this unique lineup. So fun!

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

Brought to you by ShopStyle and Jimmy Choo at Saks Fifth Avenue

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Blue off the Shoulder

Another post from my hometown of Columbus, Mississippi! I somehow struck Southern weather gold because the weather has been nearly the same as California – sunny 70’s and cool at night. New Orleans was pretty humid with the rain coming in, so it’s been beyond lovely to have such crisp weather here.

I think this comfortable, loose off-the-shoulder top would look just as cute with long boyfriend shorts or white jeans as it does with regular denim (plus it’s a way more affordable version of this luxe version). The sleeves tie at the wrists and I think the side slits add some shape. While it’s not a chambray, it looks similar and lends itself to a more casual setting, and I wore this to do just that – a sushi date with my parents!

photos by my Dad

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

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Friday’s Five in Mississippi

– driving by some of the antebellum homes downtown on my visit home –

– meeting my mom’s new 5-year-old cat, Piper, that she rescued from a shelter after she fell in love with my Lula (and she is quite the snuggler if you saw my Snapchat (CBLied) of her lying on top of my head, #casual) –

– admiring my parents majestic bedroom –

– and another gorgeous home, you know I can’t help myself! –

– a quick stop in Greenwood before heading to Nashville –

One week into my #TourdeSouth, and it feels really great to be home. I spent the first few days in New Orleans, then onto my hometown of Columbus, MS and a quick stop in Greenwood, MS before heading to Nashville today for the weekend to catch up with my pregnant bestie who is due with her first baby in less than a month! I can’t wait to see Kady preggers – she’s like a sister to me, so it’s so crazy for me to think she’s going to be a mom in just a few weeks! She’s going to be a natural, I know it – but I have to see this pregnant belly in person.

I’m hoping to do a whole recap post of my two weeks here at the end of the the trip, and my sweet parents have been such awesome troopers taking all my photos (and getting Christian off the hook, which he’s totally fine with). Both mom and dad have photographed blog posts and all my insta snaps of my #TourdeSouth, so thank God for them!

Because I’ve been in three different towns in Mississippi this week, I do feel the need to address all of the news about the controversial law that recently passed. I absolutely do not support the Governor in this initiative to discriminate anyone for any reason. I was not raised that way, and everyone that I’ve spoken to in Mississippi is honestly embarrassed and disappointed at this misrepresentation of so many of us from this state. I think Ellen Degeneres said it perfectly – this is about human rights and I will always support equal rights for everyone.

I SO appreciate all of y’alls sweet comments and recommendations on my trip down South – like always, you guys are the nicest. Don’t forget there are still some awesome sales going on if you’re in the shopping mood! Thanks so much for reading – XO –

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Ruffled Pink Off the Shoulder

Pink ruffles – loved ’em when I was six and still love ’em today. This pretty little dress comes in multiple colors, and you guys know I can’t get enough of the off-the-shoulder trend right now. I’ve always loved the style, but it was so much harder to find – now it’s all over the place!

I plan on wearing this little dress to a rehearsal dinner with Christian next week in Oxford, and I think it’s such a great piece for a brunch or dressy casual evening event (or my favorite invitation dress code: “snappy casual,” just kidding – snappy casual – like, could that be more confusing?!). I also had a reader this week inquire about dresses for graduation, and I think this little piece could be a great dress to wear all day for graduation festivities.

dress c/o, different colors available here (25% off right now with the code FRIENDS) | similar heels, also love these | clutch – Charming Charlie (old), love this one and this one | sunglasses c/o Henri Bendel, sold out, similar pairs here and here | cable bracelet 1, 2, 3, 4 | “take me away” cuff c/o | tassel earrings c/o BaubleBar (sold out), also love these and these, necklace version of these earrings here

Thanks so much for reading! XO –

PS – Don’t forget about Tuesday’s amazing 25% off sales! They’re still going strong –

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Wallet on a Chain

I have loved traveling with this little midi dress because it folds up to nearly nothing (taking up no suitcase space), and it’s so colorful and fun – perfect for a bridesmaids lunch or day of shopping! Mara Hoffman always nails it with her cheerful and fun prints, and this same silhouette now comes in this print, of which I am mildly obsessed with.

But let’s talk about the other love of my life – handbags. When I splurge on a great bag, it’s usually a bigger, everyday bag. You think – “I want to be able to use expensive baby everyday, the bigger the better!” BUT, I carry clutches and small crossbody’s all the time. This bag from Luisa Via Roma is like a wallet on a chain, big enough to hold your wallet necessities plus a cell phone and lipstick. I have honestly been shocked at how often I’ve worn this little bag since I got it, and now I’ve realized that smaller crossbodies and clutches can be just as essential as a great tote or satchel.