I mean…is there anything else to say? Crazy about these fur babies. I hope y’all have plenty of candy today and have a fun and safe Halloween! XOXO –
1. Jack Skellington cupcakes – yums!
2. This cat lady costume that has my name written all over it (obviously).
3. This lions mane that has Bailey’s name written all over it.
4. The Food Network’s pumpkin carving contest – Chopped host Ted Allen nailed it with this one!
5. This year’s American Apparel’s Halloween costume competition in full force, inspiration from last year (like these fab trolls) here.
6. Forked eyeballs made from donut holes…yes please.
7. Black bean cat crudités, because I just couldn’t resist sharing.
8. Watching the best Halloween movie of all time, Hocus Pocus!
I just wanted to share a few things that have me excited about Halloween this year! What do you have up your sleeve for the holiday!? Thanks for sharing – XO –
When I first spotted these man behind the blog posts of vmac + cheese, I knew Christian needed some much deserved (but not desired) spotlight, except I wanted to be the one to feature him!
Christian is the man behind the camera whenever there are fashion/outfit posts shared (more about that here). He has honed his photography, sounding board and patience skills, and I don’t know what I would do without him. Some of my favorite CBL decisions have been suggestions from Christian and he always amazes me with his willingness to help. Recently he came home from a 15-hour day to say, “I was thinking about your ____ post today, and I think you should approach it from this angle…” I was so touched that he was thinking of ways to help me during his hectic day.
Enough gushing! After asking him multiple times to participate in this fun little spotlight, he finally obliged. I give you, the man behind Carrie Bradshaw Lied.
I just love the man. Best friend for seven years and husband for one – he gets me!
And he was totally right, I would 100% request Nene Leakes. Or Shirley MacClaine.
Thanks for reading!! XO –
– this selection of gorgeous grapes at the OC Great Park Farmer’s Market –
– a few candy corn sugar highs –
– finally visiting Hi-Times Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa and losing myself in their unbelievable selection –
– wishing my husband would stop loving morning donuts so much –
– these Stella & Dot earrings that are going to be my holiday staple –
This week has felt like a long one and I’m so happy to welcome Friday! I’m looking forward to getting organized this weekend and spending some cuddle-sofa-cuddle-blanket-wine time with my two and four-legged family.I want to take a minute to apologize to any readers who had problems visiting CBL on Wednesday morning. I had an advertisement on the site that had suspected improper coding and was warning those on certain browsers that the CBL possibly had malicious software. This advertisement has since been removed and the brains at Google has confirmed that CBL is free of any virus-related activity! Thank you to those of you who reached out to make sure I was aware of this problem and for being patient for those hours until everything was fixed! Y’all are the best.
What are you doing this weekend? Eating donuts in bed like me? That sounds really bad doesn’t it…maybe I’ll throw some hiking and pilates in there. Maybe.
Y’all have a beautiful weekend and thank you so much for reading! XO –
I’ve had this casual jumpsuit for years and have usually tried to dress it up and attempt to make it work-appropriate. However it’s styled, I always feel a bit like a feminine mechanic…but it’s so comfortable and fun that I go with it! Now that I work in an environment that has no dress code, I chose to pair it with Chuck Taylors and a sweater for a comfortable daytime look.
When we found out that both my brother and his family and Christian and myself were moving to California, my brother kept saying, “I can’t wait to see Kathleen turn into a California girl.” He thought I would be permanently ditching my heels and living in tank tops and flip flops. I was full of eye rolls…but no longer dressing up so much for work keeps my looks more casual in California than back home in the South. But believe me, I still dress up every chance I get!
jumpsuit – AB Studio (old), similar here and here / sweater – Free People, similar here / sneakers – Converse / sunnies – Ray Ban / Chanel bracelet – Birds on a Wire Vintage (c/o) / assorted David Yurman / watch – Michael Kors / shark tooth ring – Favery (c/o) / charm bracelet – Tiffany & Co / lipstick – Urban Decay Catfight
Thanks for reading – XO –
I’ve had these LC Lauren Conrad leather shorts for a few years now and the perfection of the style and fit is probably why I’ve never been able to find a pair of black leather shorts that fit the bill.
The leaves might be changing colors where you live, but over here in California the sun is still shining and everything is still green (well except yesterday when it actually rained and brought in some chilly weather), so I’m still wearing the summer items I didn’t get enough wear out of this year! You might remember this peplum top from this post in the Bahamas. It’s so versatile, and I’ve really gotten so much more wear out of it than I had anticipated. I’m thinking I should purchase it in black for fall…here’s so hoping my size comes back in stock!
shorts – LC Lauren Conrad, love these and these / top – Forever21 / heels – Michael Antonio / bag – linmade, custom / rose gold pave chainlink bracelet – Derng (c/o) / gold pave chainlink bracelet – J.Girls Jewels (c/o) / gold mini chain bracelet – INPink (c/o) / peacock feather necklace – boutique / monogram pendant – BaubleBar / sunnies – Ray Ban / leather vintage Chanel button cuff – Birds on a Wire Vintage (c/o)
Thank you for reading! XO –
We’re going to skip Friday’s Five today and recap the week in instagrams and iPhone photos. My camera has been at the camera hospital getting a facelift (a few minor repairs) this week and I’ve been without it…the horror! No worries, this gal splurged on a new lens and as soon as I get my baby back I’m going to be ready to roll (you can see the lens in one of the photos above!).
A week indeed! A quick trip to Chicago, a DVR fully loaded with goodies, starting to plan a romantic weekend with my husband to celebrate our one-year anniversary and some weekend pumpkin carving plans with friends – I am feeling happy and rejuvenated this week after such a stressful week last week. Thank you for your tips and tricks on how you stay de-stressed. Y’all have no idea how much you really bring into my life. I’m so grateful for all of my helpful and kind readers!
I’m excited to finally share the winner of the gift card giveaway!! Thank y’all so much for your patience…the winner is… Erin Clish!!
Thank you so much to everyone who entered. Just like last time…never fear, there’s another fun giveaway around the corner (wink wink). Y’all have a beautiful weekend – XO
I’ve had my eyes out for a Prada Marfa print for my home ever since I saw the sign in Lily Van der Woodsen’s home in Gossip Girl. Some of you may have seen a peek of this print on instagram, and I’m excited to share more details with you! I love the simplicity and style…and to the rescue came DbyNbuzz! This print is exactly what I was looking for and with a simple white Ikea Ribba frame, she’s a beauty.
I knew exactly where this print would go – on the empty wall space beside my hanging rack (on sale!) in the bedroom.
A big thank you to the talented DbyNbuzz Etsy Shop for this fabulous print that instantly made my bedroom a little bit fancier. I’m in love!
I was a little worried it might be too girly for Christian, but believe it or not, he actually likes this print because it reminds him of this SNL skit that we love.
Marfa reminds him of “Amorfa.” So every time he looks at this sign he looks at me and says, “Amorfa.” I then usually say, “latte for Shar Shar.”
I laugh pretty much every time:
For anyone wondering, I have the largest size, the 14.5 x 22. Thanks for reading! XO –
When Christian and I were on our honeymoon, we would have this delicious green juice every morning with our breakfasts. Packed with vitamins and greens but tasty with punches of pineapple, orange and lime, we were seriously into this drink. I may have even gotten some to go and mixed it with tequila by the pool. It’s a vacation, right?
We’ve been adamant about recreating this delicious juice ourselves (minus the tequila), especially after asking one of the sweet waiters what all was in it! We’re slowly but surely getting there and I have to share the best version yet.
Y’all know I’m into using my Vitamix to juice – especially if you’ve read my DIY BluePrintCleanse post. I blend everything in my Vitamix and then use a nut milk bag to strain the juice, removing some (but not all) of the pulp.
Combine all ingredients in a blender or juicer. Blend until smooth and strain. Store in an air tight container and drink within 3 days.
Are you into green juice? If you’re hesitant about the green juice and smoothie trend, try this drink. The flavor and sweetness will surprise you!
Thanks so much for reading! XO –
Some of you may have seen on instagram that we recently went camping (or as I like to say, glamping) in California. Christian finally convinced me to go camping with him and some new California friends a few weekends ago, and I think it was the first time I had slept in a tent since I was in the single-digit years.
Christian likes to consider himself the outdoorsman and is always trying to include me in his adventures. Now that we are in a different climate, I’m more likely to get onboard with nature and we’ve found some new outdoor hobbies to share that are really fun for both of us.
Camping, however, may not be becoming one of them. We had a great group of people and it was fun to bring our dogs, go hiking and walk down to the lake. The drive up to the campsite in the mountains was absolutely gorgeous – we’re not used to seeing such majestic mountains! But at the end of the day, after a long work week, I would rather wake up in my bed than in a tent with Bailey taking up half the air mattress and breathing on me. Not to mention the prep work for a camping trip is kind of intense!
I did enjoy conversation around a campfire with friends and Christian’s excitement to share his one of his favorite childhood adventures with me. I am definitely glad that I went and hope that maybe in the future we can spend all day outside, but then come home to sleep inside. Or at least sleep in a cabin.
Did you grow up going camping? Do you have tips and tricks for falling in love with sleeping in the outdoors? Talk to me.
Thanks for reading!! XO –
Today I am excited to pair up with the adorable Amy of Coffee Beans & Bobby Pins for our third and final maxi collaboration plus a fun giveaway! Our first maxi collab was a Fancy Maxi, then a Casual Maxi and now layers on layers (P’Trique shoutout).
I have loved teaming up with Amy and having a reason to chat with her on the regular. A fashionista blogger / resident wife / Ohio to North Carolina transplant…could we have more in common? She’s just as precious on the inside as she is in her cute as a button outfits on her blog, and I love following her adventures. I am not only envious of that tiny waist in that adorable camo jacket, but also of the fall leaves on the ground. I’m missing a Southern fall right now. California is still beautiful and super green – no complaints, it’s just different!
As for this layered maxi, I also wore this dress with my leopard linmade clutch here. Something about this pattern makes me want to mix prints and adding a blouse to belt gave the maxi a different feel. Learning to layer your dresses can really help you get maximum wear from the items in your closet. Blair Eadie from Atlantic-Pacific is so good at this!
dress – Forever21 (also worn here) / heels – Michael Antonio / lace overlay – Forever21 (old), similar here / bag – Meshka Design (c/o) / leopard calf hair belt – Target / sunnies – Ray Ban / bracelet – J.Girls Jewels (c/o) / watch – Swatch / stacked ring and earrings – boutique
Have you seen enough maxis and convinced yourself you must expand your maxi collection?
Thank you for reading! xo –
Remember my python cravings last week? Because one snakeskin piece is never enough, I thought I would share the most recent snakeskin purchase I made at a boutique back in Mississippi. I’ve always loved snakeskin and python patterned pieces. I’ve shared some of my favorites here (the shoes), here and here. I think animal printed clothing is not only fun, but also really versatile and can be easily dressed up and down.
I’ve already worn this blouse with a pencil skirt, jeans and dress pants and I loved it each way. Don’t think you have to leave the python print to just accessories!
Or…you can add a hat!
What do y’all think? Hat or no hat? Christian doesn’t love when I wear hats and my response is, “but my Mom always said I looked great in hats…” Good thing I dress for myself more than I dress for my husband, right?
Thanks for reading! XO –
