Reese Witherspoon - Fashion Icon

Reese is exactly the type of gal Hollywood needs - classy, southern, fashionable, and funny. Oh yeah and she's a decent actor. The pic below is when she was fabulously featured in Elle Magazine. But here is some inspiration so you (if you have buckets of money) can be a little piece of Reese.



faux florals - jcpenney.com
black frayed misfit stove pipe jeans - Sass & Bide jeans - brownsfashion.com
shoes - bluefly.com
jacket - topshop.com
Mike & Chris Pacey silk top - net-a-porter.com
Celine Day One shoulder bag - net-a-porter.com
Patent Hoop earring - wetseal.com

I hope this inspires you Legally Blonde, brunette, and redheads to get out there, buy some Rendition of your own Witherspoon-like duds, and catch a Gyllenhaal of your own! And you girls that already have a stud - don't be afraid to step into Pleasantville and Walk the fine Line of fashion that will have all those southern boys yelling, SWEET HOME ALABAMA!

Crystal Crane Bridal

One of the bridal boutiques that I have modeled for - Crystal Crane Bridal - is having a HUGE sale. Located in Lawrenceville, this girly shop has over 200 dresses for sale. Here are some of their fabulous deals:

• All in-stock flower girl dresses are $50 (originally $150-$250)
• All in-stock bridesmaid dresses are down to $85 & BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!
• All in-stock bridal gowns are 50-75% off

Jennifer Huff runs the posh little shop and will be able to help you with whatever you need. Brides - please note that her mother is actually a fantastic photographer as well so you can use this as a one-stop-shop. Here are some of my favorite photos that she did during a shoot:

Dressing Room Before and After

Disgusting. I know. I am really embarrassed to even be claiming that such a room existed in our house but it did. The room is the closest one to the master bedroom in our home. Actually it was a easy decision to make it my "closet". It was soon dubbed my dressing room and the chaos began.

Whipping the room into shape was my goal this past week. It was a 'catch-all' cause we were waiting until we could purchase the wardrobers at IKEA. The frames were affordable - where the cost adds up is when you buy the doors and the interior fittings such as drawers and baskets. It was really fun to dream about the storage possibilities. You can plan your own Pax wardrobe here and it will give you an estimate of how much everything will cost. My Jeremy bought me everything that I wanted.


The racks would fall over pretty much once a week - they had to go! Now I hope to put a daybed along this wall with a cute sidetable under the window.

In the before pic, I couldn't even open the door all the way - it was cluttered to the MAX!

The closet doors now close...with ease :)

The key to maximizing storage is to go vertically. So much space gets wasted if you go only three quarters of the way up. We opted for the floor to ceiling unit to get everything to fit.

Additional storage - over the door shoe organizers are great for hats, belts, scarves, scarves, swimsuits, and well, shoes. I have also seen people use them for bathrooms to organize the many lotions, shampoos, and brushes. Have you seen other creative uses for shoes organizers? Please share!

Here is what we got:

1 Large Pax Frame with 2 rods, and 3 shelves

1 Small Pax Frame with 4 shelves, 2 clear divided drawers, and 3 wire
baskets

1 Large Pax Frame with 1 rod, 1 shelf, 4 wooden drawers, and 2 wire
baskets

Once I cleared the room, the paint job needed to be completed. Easy peasy.

IKEA makes it easy to assemble your new purchase...you just have to make sure you pay VERY close attention to the directions - no words - only pics. Good luck!

It's hammertime!

This is the current lighting in the room. I want something girly and glamourous. Please vote on your favorite or suggest your own fantastic lighting solution:

Panini Jubilee

Last night we made some mouth-watering paninis. They were absolutely delicious!

We loaded those suckers with grilled chicken, pesto, sundried tomatoes, mayo and mozzarella. But when it came time to press, melt, and toast...I was not prepared as I could have been.

Maybe if I had some new kitchen toys, the sandwich making would have been a little more enjoyable. These panini makers are im-PRESS-ive!

Emerilware Cast Iron Presses $25 each

Wolfgang Puck - Panini Maker $85

Mario Batali Panini Grill and Press $90

Breville Ikon Panini Press $100

Waring Commercial Panini Maker/Toasting Grill $560

(for the hardcore sandwich makers)

I'm a Step-Volunteer

Our house is divided.

I went to the University of Georgia and Jeremy loves the Tennessee Volunteers.

So naturally we are supportive of each others teams whenever possible...that is, when they aren't playing each other. Since marrying Jeremy, I have come to the understanding that I must act as a pseudo Vols fan - gotta love my babie's baby!

I married in...but this gear makes me volunteer to be a Volunteer!

You can get your school's gear too! And it's Victoria's Secret so its super comfy. Look it up here.

Bahama Dreams

The votes have been tallied and the results are in. The BAHAMAS are my #1 Beach destination! I can not describe the beauty that oozed from each and every one of the beaches on the island of Eleuthera. It was purely spectacular!

The beach at Preacher's Cave.

Jeremy & I snorkeling at the old Club Med beach.

The Rainbow Bay Beach.

Pink sands beach at Harbour Island.

Land of the Noonday Sun

About three hours away in the great state of North Carolina, is the beautiful Nantahala National Forest. Home to the Nantahala River and the Nantahala Outdoor Center, this National Forest is awesome! Even National Geographic Magazine thought so when they awarded it the #1 water tourist destination (probably because of its popularity with rafters and kayakers). It has class II and III rapids, and you can have a guided tour or rent your own gear to go it alone.



I was fortunate to be one of the rafters yesterday. My boss decided to take us girls (I work with three other ladies) for a day of adventure. It was a blast!

The schedule was like this:

leave the office

carpool to NC

get delayed by large truck who ran off the road

be carsick through the mountains

arrive!!!

raft river

change

drive to Dillard, GA

eat at THE DILLARD HOUSE (score!)

drive to Tallulah Gorge

admire waterfalls

get scared on bridge

get tired on steps

go home

Dog Gone it!

ooh - I want a dog! I want one so sooo much I could literally burst. However when it comes to dogs, I tend to have a Jekyll and Hyde personality. Part of me wants the cute, sweet, teacup breed that is just ADORABLE! I mean look at this photo...



Could you resist? The answer is NO - you could not.


But on the flipside, my forever dream dog is a chocolate lab. Oh just the thought of one makes me have goosebumps. Look at this sweet boy:



But the thing about labs is that you have to have the space to let em run - which is not really available right now. We would definitely need a fence. And when Jeremy hears fence, I know he hears CA-CHING CA-CHING CA-CHING!

So for now I will dream about having the itty bitty breed of my dreams - that would be the toy Maltese. And no - I am not one of those people that just want one so that I can dress it up and then discard it when it is inconvenient. It actually scares me to see animals in clothing. I just really think it would fit my lifestyle and my home. It is soooo lovable and cutie patootie...here baby...come here to Katie!

DOG GONE IT - WHY DO THEY HAVE TO BE SO CUTE!??!?!

Outfitting a Room

Domino magazine and others have had a brillant idea of taking your favorite outfit and designing a room to inspire that same feel, reflect the same personality and transform a space from BLAH to AWE! You can see how they did it here.



So inspired by the mag, I also made an attempt to make a moodboard from my cute outfit. Here is the outfit from Ann Taylor Loft:

and here is my moodboard:

1. Crate & Barrel wets my whistle with this sisal rug. Natural fibers in the rug are reminiscent of the straw detail in the outfit purse. This rug is ideal for high-traffic areas and perfect to lighten up the flooring in my room.

2. The real star of this room is the sofa - the classic, tailored look is straightlaced and comfy - just like our outfit. Best part - it has stain repellent in each fiber! Gift from God - I think so. It's the Petrie sofa from Crate & Barrel.

3. I scheme, you scheme, we all scheme for color schemes! The main element in our room is beige and white - you can plug this photo into any palette generator and see that we need to have those as our underlying theme. Paint your walls white and you will have beachy dreams while snoozing on the couch. The accent colors are our green, dark brown and marigold (see those flipflops?). Over all the look is relaxed, casual, and classic (and reminds me of what I wear to eat at the beach).

4. Urban Outfitters is hit or miss for me a lot of times - but they hit a homer with the Chloe Gauze Curtain. So breezy and light, the curtain will add a splash of color on our walls without making it feel like someone got loose with the highlighter.

5. I'm a fan-a of Santana. The Pier 1 Santana Armchair and cushion that is. This latin hottie is made with a sturdy wood frame and is perfect for my room. The horizontal lines remind me of the green striped shirt and the rich color will ground my room without making it too dark.

6. This Ikea poster is my version of "SERENITY NOW!" but better :) For nine bones plus a frame, a dream can be forever hanging on your wall. The inspiration outfit would be perfect for a day, a week or even a lifetime of sailing like this. So walk - no run - cause Ikea is having a sale tomorrow and this might be on the list.

7. The legs on this table are almost as skinny as the model wearing the fav outfit :) jk...kinda. Crate & Barrel provides the bones for this room once again with the Jules Accent Table. Watch out - it's pricey! But on the flipside it does reflect light with it's inset one-of-a-kind antiqued mirror tabletop...and who can resist one-of-a-kind?!

8. This lamp is de-lish! I love how the shade is not linen as many would expect but snakeskin-embossed tan faux leather. Totally throws me for a loop! Fill the glass base with sand and you have a seaside inspired table lamp with a twist. Get it here.

9. What's a room without Ikea?! It's someones room who has money to buy real art. This wall decal is just a bit of girliness that we need to adorn that random spot we all have. I can imagine it next to the door curling around the light switch. And this is one pretty flower I won't forget to water :)

10. Nothing says beach like sitting on the ground - and this Henley Floor Pillow is perfect for additional seating. Plus, it is our green - casual like chinos, but punchy like a skirt.

11. PB Classic Striped Pillow Covers is the best way to incorporate those stripes and the color marigold in the same sweet move. Chills...everytime.

12. Canopy is my new obsession at Walmart. This embroidered Wave Pillow in stone beige is so cute and the pricetag totally floats my boat. Perfect to remind me of the beach that my fav outfit will take me to.

13. At least you'll have a place to rest after you pay for this perfect-shade-of-green Design Public pillow. With a $90 pricetag, your head will be a spinnin! However, if you should be so lucky to have that much moola for a pillow - can I please come over and hold it sometime?!

14. I love lots of pillows and this one looks like it was custom made for our room. The colors, the stripes, the comfiness...get it here.

15. My outfit totally has a beach style and nothing brings the seashore to a room like starfish. This natural beach element is on sale too - a large bag of these suckers is only $4 at Tropical Chic. I believe I will be buying several today :)

16. My Jeremy, like many men, think that ceiling fans should be in every room of the house. This one from Lowe's is the Monte Carl Yachtsman Ceiling Fan in Roman Bronze and is like something found in a resort by the shore. The dark teak fan blades and fine bronze details take me back to a time of sailors and swashbuckling. ARG!


So - what do you think? - too much browns and greens? think it should have gone a different way? - let me know so I can improve...I think I can, I think I can, I think....

Stairway to Heaven

Dan (our friend from Chattanooga) and his #1 gal, Heidi, are some of the finest friends that we could ever ask for. So naturally we were SUPER happy for them when Dan purchased his first house in North Chatty. Here are some of the pics from the visit...





front view of the Craftsman style house - lots and lots of steps!


yes, the kitchen is really small - but with the proper layout it could be a really cozy space :)

Dan has to re-do the electrical and plumbing - but afterward you can bet, it's bubble bath time!

this is the coolest part of the house - the hatch! It is in the master bedroom and leads down to the laundry room/basement (yes it also has a door to the outside!) Can we say escape route in case of robbers, rapists, and possible ex's ?!? YES WE CAN!

After our visit and tour, Dan, Heidi, Jeremy and I hit up Riverside Foodworks. Let me just say it was YUM! The restaurant was originally an old industrial knitting mill built just after the turn of the century and the whole place has a casual, romantic feel to it. We didn't want to leave! Overall, the food was delicious, the service great, and the company couldn't be beat!

Thank you guys, and if you ever get a free weekend, we can't wait to show you Snellville.