Urban Fashion Network - Tarah

I love a good sale!

2008-07-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

As some of you know the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is coming up. I found this fact out when I was bra shopping recently. (This may be TMI for some of you, so, sorry...) I tried on about 18 bras and narrowed it down to 4 (that was not easy!). I wasn't going to buy 4 because for those of you who shop at Nordy's you know those suckers aren't cheap.

I ended up then narrowing it down to 2 and once I did that, my lovely sales girl told me not to worry because one of the ones I was fretting over would be on sale on July 18th. She wrote down all the info and I plan to go buy it! (Natori Lace Bodydouble Style #136001 - it was wonderful but spendy, on sale sounds much better!)

So anyways, the reason for this whole post is that 2 days ago my Nordy's catalog came that has some amazing Fall items in it. I'm not as special as Dawn as she gets a preview and can buy before the general public - something about spending tons of money there with your credit card gets you that privilege. (I had to get rid of my card there when someone stole my identity... that's a whole 'nother story.)

Check out the catalog as there are some amazing new items featured. Apparently we all need a purple purse for fall and red shoes are here to stay!! I love the pink and blue coats... Not real crazy about the mustard color - pale skin only looks paler... not a good look for me.

Oh to be a Nordstrom stylist - what a great job!! I would love to work on their magazines... to bad I have no magazine or stylist experience...

John Mayer. Coach. Hong Kong. Part 二

2008-07-10T21:54:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite blogs, Fasion Vixen Hong Kong, just posted her interview she did with John Mayer while he was in Hong Kong for the Coach store opening - it's a great one! (If only I could figure a way to interview him for some reason... hmmm... Is awesomeness a good reason? Goal #275, interview John Mayer.)

She told me she had some amazing shots of him and after seeing this one I can only imagine. He looks way HOT in this picture, dont'cha think?! ;)

(photo from fashion vixen hong kong, CLICK ON IT, it's even better in it's full size, I promise.)

UPDATE: She just posted more picts, check em out!! Her site states that they were shot by Laurent Segretier for Prestige Hong Kong. (Beautiful shots, Laurent!)

Happy Belated Birthday America (and Tim)!

2008-07-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, the weekend flew by way to fast! Hopefully you all had a fabulous 4th of July weekend and were able to spend some quality time with friend and family.

My day job gave us Thursday AND Friday off so I had lots of time to relax and enjoy the Summer weather. Woohoo!

Thursday, after spending most of the day doing stuff around the house, I ventured up to my local Tully's coffee shop to meet with Cory who has started a new website called stylescout.com. It seems like it will be a really fun place to go and discuss fashion with other like minded people and local boutiques. He setup an invitation code for UFN readers – it is UrbanFashion. It will work for anyone that visits stylescout.com and creates an account. Go check it out and let me know what you think.

After that I headed to a yoga class with my boot camp group and got all kinds of stretched out. Man, I need to do more of that! We tried to then eat at Bamboo Garden... Closed... Then Sushi Land... Closed... What the *&@#! I had no idea some restaurants closed early on July 3rd... We finally found a place open, Tup Tim Thai.

Friday was July 4th! We had a few friends over for BBQ'ing and socializing. Then we headed over to Geoff's boat to watch the fireworks on Lake Union. It was a really enjoyable time!

Saturday was pretty low key. Nothing worth writing about. Sunday I woke up and went to boot camp with Regina and Melissa... although I wasn't feeling real well so I did, like, woosie boot camp... When I got home I started to ache all over, my throat hurt, my head hurt, I had a temperature... I was coming down with the flu. I started taking emergen-c and trying to get myself medicated but I just felt worse and worse. It was a pretty miserable day.

I still didn't feel well on Monday so I stayed home and rested. Regina dropped off Back to The Future, that made me feel a little better. ;) I had so much free time I watched all the little commentary tidbits on the DVD. Did you know that Eric Stoltz was the original Marty McFly?!

Oh, and by the way, I found out yesterday my dog, Scooby, is in the running for the NWSource Pet Photo contest - please go vote for him here (he is on the 2nd row, middle picture). You can vote everyday if you want!! Reagan (our other dog) won last year and it's about time Scooby wins something - he is tired of her strutting around all the time... He'd love your support. :)

Ok, enough of my ramblings... Go enjoy the day!

I Love You, Barbie

2008-06-30T15:00:00.001-07:00

Most of you won't know this but I am a collector of Barbie. I have been getting the Holiday Barbie's for years. I have every single one in their original box except one. I have her, but I took her out of the box. It was 1988... I was 11 or 12 when I got her! I didn't know.

A few years ago Mattel started a ballerina line of Barbie's, I have the first one in that series (pictured above), she is porcelain and by far one of my favorites. They made one other in the series, Classic Grace, and then stopped the series. My mom tried to get the 2nd one but wasn't able to.

I also have an Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany's Barbie as that is my favorite movie/actress.

Just a few days ago I got a comment on my blog by a guy, Kenneth Fron, who liked my blog. In return I went to check out his blog and low and behold I learned all about a new Babrie that I must have - the Tarina Tarantino Barbie!! She is only one of the coolest jewelry designers out there, she is who I wish I could be professionally! Back when I first moved out here I emailed her after coming across her website. I just wanted to pick her brain for advice. She actually emailed me back a very nice email... To bad I didn't save it. Check out her jewelry site, she has some really fun jewelry that I am sure you may recognize!

You know you've made it when you have your own Barbie... She is the epitome of fashion! Goal # 274, get own Barbie!

<---- Oh and check out this image and little story by clicking on it, this is why I love Barbie... I wish I could come up with this stuff for a living, what a fun job!

It's Gettin' Hot Up In Here....

2008-06-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a weekend we had here in Seattle. It was really warm and humid. We've had a pretty slow start to our Summer so it was a nice change of pace. I welcome the warmth... now the humidity is another story. My house was like a furnace. We had to hang out in the basement to stay cool. Thankfully the basement is finished and is our TV/game room.

I had a rather enjoyable weekend. Friday night Jeff and I went to Neumos to see Eric Hutchinson perform. I heard about his from Perez Hilton several months back and loved his music so I bought his CD from iTunes. When I saw he was coming I bought tickets and drug Jeff out with me... Jeff got into it and said he enjoyed the guy. We stuck around for awhile when Marie Digby was performing and we got to talk with Eric briefly. We basically just told him we enjoyed the show and I actually said "I think you may be the next John Mayer to me." (I feel soooo guilty writing that right now... SORRY JOHN! You're still my #1.) He laughed and Jeff goes "Wow, that's a big deal". Eric then asked where I had heard about him and embarrassed I said "I hate to admit it but Perez Hilton". He was a funny guy, we enjoyed meeting him and I would definitelly see him again. (the picture was taken with my cell phone from the 21 and over area, hence why it's not so great... I didn't want to get a pict with Eric with my phone, that seemed lame... we opted to just chat with him and he signed a poster promoting the show instead.)

We wandered around Capitol Hill for awhile as there were Pride Week festivities going on. Then we headed to Capitol Club to see a few folks from work who were celebrating a b'day.

Saturday I had a jewelry show in Ballard. Sadly, it didn't go well for me, I sold nuthin'... Plus it was so nice out it was killing me to sit indoors. I think my new rule is going to be no indoor shows during Summer months. Marlo from Etsy Rain did a great join organizing the event. I think the weather just wasn't helping us any... people wanna be enjoying the sun and not shopping. Oh well, it was worth a try.

After the show, I rushed home to get dressed for Regina's B'day - 80's Party. I got decked out in leggings, old school Adidas, short ruffled skirt, leg warmers, hot pink tank top with inside out turquoise sweatshirt (which I cut to make cropped and hang off my shoulders), big jewelry (which I made while sitting at the show during the day), and lots of hair spray!! Jeff dressed up like his idol, Magnum P.I. He looked hot!

Sunday was a lazy day for the most part... I wasn't feeling fabulous when I woke up due to Ms. Regina's b'day... Quatro (or cinco) margaritas = uno headache. Urghhh!

Later that day I had a hair appointment at Seven Salon - the follow up to my first appointment last week, this time we did the color. Let me just say this first - Love the cut, love the color, HATE the price... It was by far the most expensive my hair has EVER cost me (mind you I JUST got my hair colored this trip). I don't think I can continue that and feel ok about it. I typically tip at least 20% but hell once I reached $200 I just couldn't give anymore. I don't know what to do... I LOVE what she did to my hair but I don't want to spend that much every time. It's not like I'm going to see Ken Paves! What does he charge for cut and color?!

Sorry Seven, you're totally great... but I have to think more about this...

UPDATE: I looked up Ken Pave's prices and they are, of course, way higher! Haircut $125+, base color $95+ (blow dry is extra $45), full highlights $225+, etc... For the record, my hairdo would have been (at the low end of each service in LA) $415. If I went to Michigan (he has a salon there too) the price would be lower than what I paid at Seven. Hmmm....

Boho Fashion Show in Capitol Hill

2008-06-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight I attended the Boho Fashion Show at The Sole Repair Shop in Capitol Hill. The fashion show started at about 8pm and they had 13 local designers partaking in the event.

I really enjoyed most all of the clothing - there were some really creative pieces. A few of my favorites items (I linked you to the item) came from designers Kelsey Colliander, Brooke Bennett and Lady Konnyaku. Sharon Anderson had a really creative and daring grey and pink striped dress that I loved. It's the kind of dress I would buy, want to wear but then never get up the nerve to wear it. She really designs clothing for the woman who likes to be adventurous!

If I took notes properly the show went in this order:

Oscar Milano
Christine Ramsey
Summer Godfrey
Kelsey Colliander
Brooke Bennett
Jesse Iness
~ Intermission ~
Nicole Hood
Lady Konnyaku
Monica Kitchen
Sharron Anderson
Odessa Christiana
Jamie Mercer
Nicole Martin

To view my pictures from the show please go here.

All in all it was a great event and I enjoyed seeing all of the different styles!

Thanks to Courtney from Half Past Lavish Event Production for the press passes!

Vera Wang Dresses!!

2008-06-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

Bluefly.com sent me an email today about Vera Wang Dresses and how they are "Up to 40% Off". I just had to go look as I have this Kate Spade-like obsession with Vera Wang. I don't own any clothing from her, but a friend of mine did give me Vera Wang lingerie when I got married because, as she put it, "every girl needs Vera Wang!" (Thanks K!) I've added an image of one dress that I thought was adorable - plus it's 51% off! Ohhh Ahhh!

So anyways, I headed on over to bluefly to see what they had and it appears that Vera Wang was the headliner of the email but in fact many designers have dresses up to 40% off. Here, see for yourself!

I don't know what it is about Vera Wang but I do love her dresses. I wish I could have had a VW dress at my wedding but oddly enough when it came down to my actual wedding I wasn't as into the whole idea of the dress as I had dreamed I would be. I tried on many dresses at one place and once I found it, I found it. I didn't spend more than $500 and I loved my dress. No label, just a dress that worked well for my body and I was able to add a touch of pink, my favorite color... My friend, Jenny, found the dress for me and when I first looked at it I was like "eh, it's ok". It had this hideous flower on it but she reminded me it could be removed. She insisted I try it on. Thank God she did, because as soon as I did we all said "It's the one!!" One thing I wish I would have done was to go to many places and try on the high end expensive dresses for fun!! I got married in Hawaii, so buying an easy dress was on my mind. I had to carry that sucker on the plane so a big dress would have been a pain. (Sorry, that was such a random tale to tell you all.)

The whole point of this whole post was to share with you the % going on at bluefly... Go shop!!

Shoes for Summer - I want, I want!

2008-06-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

I got an email about "Wood Detailed Heels" today and was instantly smitten with two pairs I saw. Naughty Monkey and NaNa - they are the two pictured here.

Check out Zappos.com for tons of cute shoes for Summer!

Kate Spade... Alright Already!

2008-06-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up to not 1 but 4 emails from 4 separate websites about the Kate Spade first semi-annual private sale happening RIGHT NOW!

So rush on over to KateSpade.com and check out the sale! You can save up to 60% and inventory is limited. All sales are final. HURRY!!!

What a Weekend!

2008-06-16T12:23:00.001-07:00

This weekend for me was jam packed full of fun and exciting things.

Friday evening included a SIFF film, 'Cherry Blossoms - Hanami', which was EXCELLENT! I loved ever second of it. It's a beautifully made movie (scenery, acting, story, etc...) and it just makes me want to go to Japan EVEN MORE!

By the way, it won the Best Film Golden Space Needle Award for the festival!

Saturday morning was boot camp with Regina and Melissa. Then that afternoon was more SIFF movies: 'Jolene' and then 'Frozen River'. I really enjoyed Jolene. It was an intriguing story about an orphaned girl's journey through life - her journey was very rocky at times. The actress's Jessica Chastain (Jolene) and Frances Fisher (Cindy) were at the screening. Director Dan Ireland was also in attendance and introduced the film (reason why it started late). I wish we could have stayed for the Q&A but with the movie starting late we had to book it to the next theater to see 'Frozen River'. We were about 10 min late to it but thankfully they let us in anyways. Regina loved that movie but I was kinda "Ehhh" about it. I didn't hate it by any means, but I can't say it was my favorite of the festival.

Sunday, Regina and I went for breakfast at Cyclops and then she had to head over to the Cinerama to see Cherry Blossom - Hanami. I wandered around downtown for 2 hours before my haircut at Seven. While wandering, I ended up finding a cute pair of Gladiator sandals at Nordstrom. Then at Macy's I found a dress for me to wear this weekend to my friend Jen's wedding and some cute patent leather sandals/heals to wear with it. I headed over to Seven Salon and had may hair done - just cut this time as there was no time for color, sadly. I had to schedule another appointment to get that taken care of. (I am an impatient person, it killed me to leave w/o it being done, but what can ya do...)

If you haven't ever been to Seven it's quite an experience. They have a DJ spinning and they give you free latte's if you so choose (or water or tea). A haircut is about $75 but they are known for looking at your features and knowing what style of cut and color will work best on you. We didn't actually do this as she didn't really change my hair all that drastically, versus just thinning it out a bit and giving me more layers and thicker bangs. I like it but want to get the color all done before I'll say I love it!

After my haircut, I wandered around some more and called an old friend to catch up. I had a movie to attend at 6pm and didn't see the point in going all the way home via bus to then just turn back around... By 5pm I just couldn't stand being downtown anymore. I hoped on the monorail and headed home. I skipped 'The Whackness' - I'll just see it when it comes out.

Oh, did I mention it was sunny all weekend and beautiful here? We needed that!!

I'm a mean mean girl....

2008-06-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

Actually, I'm not really mean (or so I think) but this may be the meanest post I've had on here. It's nothing personal towards this beautiful model, but man, the hair... WHAT THE HELL... It looks like a rats nest on her head. (Yes, I added a rat on her shoulder, thank you photoshop!)

Anyways, what brought me to this image is the cute coat. Love it, it's Marc by Marc Jacobs... Sadly, it's still chilly here in Seattle, so a cute coat still grabs my attention. But really, the hair distracted me so much that this post became about that. Sorry!!

The Gladiator Sandal is IN!

2008-06-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by another blog I was reading on Gladiator Sandals, Rebecca Luke's Style Blog, so I decided to do a little searching for this sandal of the season.

The picture on your left is the one she just fell in love with. You can buy it at Urban Outfitters, see purchasing information below...

I do believe you can thank Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mary-Kate Olsen, etc. for the big buzz surrounding this shoe!

It took a little while, but they're growing on me. I think my favorite so far has been the one in the Sex & The City movie worn by SJP; The Extreme Dior Gladiator Sandal, it's only $770 (Did you like how I said "only"? HA!). But then again, she wore them really well in the movie! It may look like a crazy mess on me, who knows...

Anyways, I decided to a little budget shopping of my own to see what I could find for under $50... I believe I was successful!

Here are a few of my favorites:
1. Urban Outfitters Infinity Sandal - $38
2. Macy's On Your Feet "Leoal" Gladiator Sandal - $49
3. Bakers Candice - Knock-off Dior's version - $69.95 (more than $50, I get that)
4. Zappo's Madden Girl - $46

Or you can go here and see tons of options at various prices!

I Heart SIFF

2008-06-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

This blog is not related to fashion at all, sorry... I do like things other than fashion! ;)

For those of you who know me, you know I LOVE going to see movies. It gives you a chance to escape life and travel somewhere else, be someone else or just get away for some mindless humor...

The Seattle International Film Festival is in full swing and so far I've seen some really great movies.

I've been volunteering for 3 years now and not only do I get to see tons of amazing movies but I also get vouchers to see the movies I want for free!

So far this year I've seen:
Battle in Seattle - Can't say I really liked this movie but I think I'll give it another chance when it comes out... I just wasn't able to attach myself to any of the characters.
The Art of Negative Thinking - This movie was entertaining, I definitelly laughed.
The Home Song Stories - I could relate a little to this movie. It was very well written! One fashion related note, I loved all the different cheongsam's the mother wore. They were beautiful!
American Teen - I loved this documentary - the q&a after made me love it even more! Definitely go see it when it comes out in theaters.
Captain Abu Raed - Very well done and enjoyable. The characters were easy to like. The q&a at the end made me like it even more. Also, liked that is was "The first independent film from Jordan, and the first Jordanian feature in 50 years".

I plan on still seeing:
Choke
Phoebe in Wonderland
Jolene
Frozen River
The Wackness
Cherry Blossoms - Hanami

If they have a Q&A after, I suggest staying, you learn some interesting facts and you can ask those burning questions.

I'm sure I'll see more but for now that is what I have tickets for... Any recommendations?

SATC & the CRAVE Market

2008-06-01T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today was finally the day I got to go see Sex and the City. I won't give you any spoilers because that's not cool... I will say though that I loved the movie. I laughed, I cried and I laughed some more. The outfits were amazing, the shoes, the accessories - I loved it all. Way to go Patricia Field!! I wish I had half the clothing budget she had!! (Dear Santa, please send me my own stylist along with fashion budget for Christmas. Amen & thank you, Tarah)

If you haven't seen it yet, I urge you to check it out. If you were a fan of the show then I think you will be pleased with the movie! (I wish I was getting paid for that plug!)

After the movie I met Dawn at the Seattle Center to check out the CRAVE Market. There were tons of local businesses there promoting fitness, massage, chocolate, skin care, etc.

Local boutiques and designers had tables selling their wares at sample sale prices. I picked up two cute dresses from Horseshoe in Fremont and an amazing leather handbag from Kimberly at Clutch. Then we mosied over to Dry Soda for my favorite flavor, Lavender. Sustainable Style Foundation was there as well so we chatted with Zanetha to get the low down on what they do and how we could get involved.

All in all, I think Melody put together a great event. I love the sample sale idea and getting all those boutiques together in one place. You really can find something you need when you have that many options.

From all the designers and boutiques I spoke with, it sounded like it was a great venue for them and they did really well. I'm sure Melody will be doing the event again, so make sure to sign up and be apart of the next one!!

Check out my photos from Crave!

Gas Masks, Stilettos and Designer Jeans

2008-05-31T23:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the SPU Fashion Show, Gas Masks, Stilettos and Designer Jeans.

It was proposed by it's creator, Heather Cozad, to be "a story that reflects our history, our present, our future. Fashion is a visual aesthetic and a tool of communication. Fashion influences us and yet, it is a product of us. It has the ability to open our eyes or blind us. Inspire benevolence or violence. How can fragile threads hold so much power over us?"

The fashion show was broken down into four parts:
Fashion as Military Power
Fashion as Environment
Fashion as Cultural and Religious
Fashion as Social Justice

The Fashion Group at SPU obviously put a lot of hard work into the show. My two favorite pieces were in the Fashion as Environment. I believe the designers are Laura Hendrie and Emily Bajemabut sadly I was to busy taking pictures and not taking notes (That is not an easy task as fashion shows are way to fast to do both, it's a 2 person job. Sorry. If I am incorrect, please let me know so I can correct my mistake.) I loved those two dresses, I'd wear either!! They are made out of sustainable materials which makes them even more appealing.

I found the show, the models, the clothes, and the music to all flow really well. The message of the show was clear. I really hope to be seeing more of these creative designers out there in the real world. Best of luck to you all!

I took several pictures, check them out!

My Weekend Agenda... if you care.

2008-05-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

I don't typically say "Hey this is what I'll be doing" for all the world to see but there are two events that UFN will be covering this weekend and I hope to see you, the world, there! (Please, no stalkers.)

Saturday I'll be attending and selling jewelry at the Gas Masks, Stilettos, and Designer Jeans: A story of fashion and our lives fashion event at Seattle Pacific University. I'll be taking pictures and doing a write-up about the event after it's over. Sorry no live coverage... I'm just not setup for all that. I'm not CNN people! ;)

Then on Sunday I'll be seeing Sex and the City in the morning (Yes, I HAD to mention that as it's an important fact to my weekend) and then attending and covering the CRAVE Spring Market Party. I'll also have a little write-up and pictures to share with you all after it happens. (See above CNN comments...)

Alrighty then, I'll be seein' ya!! Have a great weekend!!

John Mayer in Hong Kong... for Coach.

2008-05-29T11:38:00.000-07:00

I just learned that John Mayer is in Hong Kong for a Coach event.

As those of you who know me know that anyway I can squeeze JM in here when related to fashion KNOW I will do it! It appears he is in HK and will be performing at some big Coach event. How does one get on that guest list? Do I need to buy more Coach? What does a girl have to do?!

I found this info out via Try JM, my favorite blog, but it directed me to a new blog that I will be adding to my favorites: Fashion Vixen Hong Kong.

If only I had more insider knowledge...

Would You Like Peanuts or Pretzels?

2008-05-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

I just got an email from a local designer who creates "one-of-a-kind handbags that are constructed of high quality wool airplane seat cover fabric and lined with military jacket flight satin. Jumpseat bags are designed with simple 'classic' lines and unique materials including seat belt straps and buckle connectors. These retro bags with their vibrant colors and bold patterns are as traditional as they are trend-setting. The 'SeaShells' pattern, in Blue Lagoon and Tropical Sunset, were created exclusively from vintage aircraft seat fabric for the launch of jumpseatbags.com, released only in a limited quantity." WOW!

I sooooo want one!!! Dear Santa, I know it's only May but please send me a Jumpseat Bag in the lovely shade of blue! Preferably this one! I've been a good girl, I promise!

They're not cheap but I can't imagine they are easy to make. Plus, they are one-of-a-kind ya'll!! (the Southern accent comes out when I'm real excited...)

Perez Hilton Fashion Line?

2008-05-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

I was reading today about Perez Hilton launching his own line of clothing through Hot Topic. I applaud his efforts, however, I can't say I applaud the designs I have seen sofar. The kids may love it though and that's what matters, right?

I remember these outfits back when I was a child of the 80's. I sure did love neon green, neon pink, jelly shoes and bracelets, my awesome plastic charm necklace, big polka dotted bows in my hair, friendship bracelets, koolots... Obviously I'm not the target audience for his clothing line and there's nothing wrong with that. Damn adulthood!

Best of luck to ya Perez! Must be nice! ;)

Gas Masks, Stilettos, and Designer Jeans...

2008-05-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to make all you loyal readers aware of an event coming up on May 31st.

Gas Masks, Stilettos, and Designer Jeans...a story of fashion and our lives

When: May 31st, 6 - 10 pm
Where: Seattle Pacific University's Upper Gwinn Room, 3307 3rd Ave West, Seattle

A fashion show fundraiser to benefit the YWCA's Dress For Success and the Queen Anne Helpline, hors d'oeuvres, live music,raffles, and eco-friendly shopping.

Tickets: $20 VIP (front row/swag bag) / $10 general admission / $9 FGI members / $7 students.

There will be an after show celebration at Ascada Bistro.

Urban Fashion Network has been helping out and finding local eco-friendly designers to be vendors at the event.

Sofar the list includes:
revivalink.com - men's/women's t-shirts
Tote2Go.com - cute reusable bags made from recycled fabrics
juliajae.etsy.com - Affordable jewelry from recycled pieces and parts.
una-shop.com - womens clothing
LadyKonnyaku.com - accessories
tarahpraterdesigns.com - jewelry
Deviant Design - accessories
Fashion Ethic - clothing/accessories
Bunny's Bath - bath products

Welcome warm weather!

2008-05-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend was so amazing here in Seattle. I don't know if it ever got up to 90 degrees or not but I know it was close. The sun was shining, the breeze was warm and everyone was out trying to enjoy it!

I started my weekend off with boot camp down at Golden Gardens. We sweated and worked out hard! I had the library panel discussion to attend at 2pm. I met some great new contacts and hopefully I helped shape some young minds. ;) Apparently the library will be doing more of these events covering different career paths. Such a great idea and I'll promote them on here so you'll all know (all 2 of you... Dad and Jen, I know you two read my blog! Thanks!! HAHA)

After the library, I hoped the bus home and was forced to relax in the basement b/c our house was so hot. For those of you not living in the Northwest you may or may not know this, but most houses do not have A/C. We don't tend to need it as it's not a humid place to live. Opening the windows tends to do the job as we always have a soft breeze off the water. Saturday supplied a breeze but it was warm and my house was even warmer. The basement was so cool though that I laid on the couch down there and tried to cool off and relax. I made some jewelry as well. (I'll be updating my site with TONS of new items soon!)

That night I had dinner plans with 2 friends. We headed over to Kirkland to see what we could find. One thing new I discovered about Kirkland is they have more boutiques than I thought... I need to go over there and check them out!

If you are curious as to what boutiques are on the Eastside we have several listed here!!

Spring Fling... Boot Camp... Jewelry... Life!

2008-05-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Friends keep asking me "So, what's new?" and I don't want to let them down with boring stories of me laying on my couch watching The Office. So, this is what I came up with:

We had the FGI Spring Fling event last Thursday and that turned out to be a lot of fun. We had a pretty good turnout and some amazing vendors!! I met some new fabulous people and did a lot of networking. I had my jewelry setup but sadly sold NADA... I was to busy walking around to even bother with it... I have to find that good balance where I can do both. I hate being stuck behind the table.

For Saturday mornings I started a boot camp with some friends. I was inspired after going with my friend, Jen, to her butt-kicking bridal boot camp. I don't really have the extra money right now to pay someone to tell me what to do but I figured if I get some friends together we can do it all by ourselves. I took the one routine we did at the bridal boot camp and had the girls do exactly that around Greenlake. We had 7 people show up so it was perfect!! We ran, we lunged, we did stairs, we did push ups, we did sit ups, we laughed, we cried... OK, no one cried... I like the aspect of socializing while exercising!! We're going to switch up the leader each week so I don't become "queen bitch" of boot camp, or Sissy Camp as it was coined. (when the girls started moaning about some of the things we were gonna do I said "This is boot camp, not sissy camp!". They liked that name better. HA!) Regina is in charge of next weeks boot camp - location TBD. Can't wait!!

The rest of the week, sofar, has been pretty low key (other than this HUGE Neighborhoods project I have been working on at my day job). I have started making more jewelry as it's just time to do an overhaul on my site and make some new designs. I stopped by my favorite bead store wanting a few items and walked out with tons of items, plus some inspiration!! I want to do more chain work, but man, sterling silver has really gotten to be pricey. Thank God I don't do much work in Gold!! (The picture of the Schnauzer is one of my pieces but not one of the new ones I've been working on, pictures haven't been taken yet...)

The rest of this week will include the following highlights: Massage, coffee with a new friend, dentist (ughhh!), possible attendance at a fashion show, being being part of a library fashion panel, boot camp, seeing friends, time with hubby and enjoying the supposed 90 degree weather we'll be having in Seattle! I guess my life isn't as boring as I think... I try and whoop it up, some!

Deal of the century!

2008-05-05T10:18:00.001-07:00

Sunday was a beautiful day in Seattle. I actually got a tiny sunburn sitting in my backyard - whoohoo! I had a bridal shower to attend in the afternoon (it was a great time Jen, congrats!). The shower was really lovely, yummy food, great sparkling wine and amazing company!

After the shower I headed to Buffalo Exchange in the U District to try and sell some old clothes. Out with the old in with the new! I dropped off my giant suitcase full of stuff and decided to shop around the store. Thank God I did b/c I found some amazing items!

A few weeks ago at the SPU Sample Sale, the guys from Sameunderneath had mentioned they dropped off some last season items at Buffalo Exchange. I love their stuff and was thrilled to actually find many of the items they dropped off. They still had the original tags on them and have never been worn. Great thing about their clothes, they are classics and don't go out of style. So I bought 5, which were all under $20! Then as I wandered around some more, I found a beautiful pair of green Kate Spade strappy green giraffe print heels for $36. YES, $36!!! Then I found a pair of brand new brown/green Ferragamo Italian leather sandals for $30. Score!!!

I took my items up to the register and put the $82 credit I got for selling my clothes towards my new purchases. Then to my surprise both pairs of shoes were an additional 50% off. $15 Kate Spade shoes - WHAT!? So crazy yet so exciting!! It was a great day!

Wrong... so wrong...

2008-04-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

I hope people don't think this is how everyone in the Northwest dresses... I thought we were past this people!!

Dress-a-palooza!!

2008-04-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

A new obsession for me has become dresses. I am definitelly a jeans and tee girl, but I do like them to be cute and trendy for the most part. One great thing about living in Seattle is I can wear jeans to work everyday. Most people I know here have this luxury... (sorry doctors, attorneys, bankers...)

I love finding cute, easy to throw on, dresses and have since been on that quest. I got an email today from Victoria's Secret about summer dresses and once I visited the link I discovered all sorts of cute reasonable dresses. Most I would not dare wear to work but I would wear them around town... once it gets warmer (pray people, pray! We need lots-o-sun!).

Last weekend I stumbled into my local Ross and found 5 lovely dress (after digging through many racks, mind you). 4 of them retailed for around $275 each at my local Nordstrom but I got them for the low, low price of $29.99.

Bluefly sent an email a week ago about dresses for under $100. Check them out as well as you can find some great pieces there! When is Christian Siriano of Project Runway going to have his collection at Bluefly? Wasn't that part of winning? I can't wait to see what he comes up with!

Old Navy didn't have much when I visited their store but their site seems to offer more selections of dresses. Check them out as well!

Oh, one more of note that I really want but have yet to purchase is from a local line called Out of Line. Beki, the designer, has this adorable Allways Dress that I soooo want!!