happy halloween!

happy halloween!

i've never been a huge halloween fan because i don't like scary things, but i do still get a little excited on the day, and i really love some jack-o-lanterns and cute kids in costumes. i also really love candy and the fact that after halloween comes thanksgiving and christmas. so overall, it's still pretty great.

go check out google's home page today and watch the little video - so cute and festive!

image via weheartit

cheap romance

this post title makes me think of a drugstore romance novel, however, i assure you fabio doesn't have anything to do with mel tormé. i've been a fan of jazz and crooner music for most of forever and am not ashamed to admit that i have several albums by dean martin, nat king cole and many others. i was introduced to mel tormé one morning while getting ready for work last year when npr did a story on his son steve march's tribute performance to his father's work, and i immediately became a fan. which basically means i created a "mel tormé" station on pandora and looked for some of his cds at the library, where you can check them out for free. so you can imagine my excitement yesterday when i came across the "mel tormé: recipe for romance" cd at mighty dollar. i was so thrilled i think my "oh look! a mel tormé cd!" exclamation was heard by the entire store/shopping plaza instead of just my mom. the album has twenty songs on it, which means i paid a mere 0.05 per track. take that, itunes. i've been listening to it on this perfectly crisp gray fall friday, and it makes me feel like i live in a black-and-white movie, look like rita hayworth, and live a glamorous life. i'm fairly certain none of these things is true, but thanks to mel, i can pretend they are. now if only gene kelly would show up. i'd take him over fabio any day.

i mean, let's be honest here. who wouldn't?

images: 1.doctormacro 2.galaxyaerospace

nesting

thy bounty shines in autumn unconfined, and spreads a common feast for all that live. - james thompson

reminiscing

one year ago today is one of my fondest memories with bestie sarah and bestie lacey. sarah and jason's wedding was filled with so much love, happiness, dancing, and pumpkin doughnuts and i've been looking back over photos this weekend and feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. it is such a blessing to be able to stand up with someone you love as they say their wedding vows and i was so honored to support sarah and jason as they asked the lord's blessing on their union. i can only hope my own wedding is as wonderful. happy one year anniversary sarah and jason! love you both so much!

top image via brandywine photography 

in the middle, somewhat elevated

this past thursday, i had the pleasure of attending the north carolina dance theatre's first performance of the season, director's choice. the evening featured three pieces, chosen by artistic director and the most adorable frenchman i know, jean-pierre bonnefoux. the evening began with a world premiere ballet choreographed by dance theatre's own beautiful aussie, sasha janes; the second a piece, bolero, choreographed by mark diamond; and the third, in the middle, somewhat elevated, by william forsythe. and while the first two were lovely, in the middle completely and totally stole the show. the 1987 piece was created originally for the paris opera ballet and i couldn't help thinking while watching how angular, unbalanced and aggressive it was, but that for some reason it was still totally appealing and captivating. the wings of the stage are bare and the dancers wear skin-tight lycra. they come and go throughout the 25 minute piece, bursting into abstract, athletic movement before exiting again to the industrial, electronic thom willems score. i could go on and on writing about how wonderful it was, but here's a clip from the renowned houston ballet's performance so that you can see for yourself!

paper flowers

last night, i decided i needed to hurry up and finish my fall decorations or it was going to be christmas and i still wasn't going to be finished. as of today, i'm almost done and a blog post is on its way. i've been toying with the idea of making brown paper flowers for the old decorative window over my television/entertainment cabinet for a few weeks now using this pinterest inspiration and i'm so happy with how they turned out. they took me about an hour to make (while i was watching my new favorite fall show, pan-am) and because i made mine smaller than the tutorial ones, i think i only used about eight paper bags total. easy, cheap and lovely!

fair-ly disappointed

the state fair this weekend wasn't really as awesome as i was expecting. it was basically like any other fair i've ever visited, just bigger, more crowded and more expensive. it was approximately $6 to ride one ride or eat anything. no thank you. the highlights of the trip were a corndog, which i don't think i've eaten since elementary school; and a visit to the prize-winning produce building, which featured giant cucumbers, watermelons and a 500-and-some pound pumpkin, which was awesome. i also enjoyed seeing the goats and piglets, but not really the smell of them.
for some reason i think i have it in my head that the fair is much more idyllic and lovely than it actually is. i always think of them as romantic and nostalgic, but in reality they're just kind of icky. i've decided nighttime fair visits are better than daytime ones because the icky-ness is somewhat hidden by darkness and the lights are pretty. after our daytime visit, we drove past the fairgrounds again around 10:00pm on the way to a movie, and they were setting off a fairly impressive fireworks show. the lights and colors of the rides, combined with those of the fireworks, all from a removed vantage-point, is the way i like to remember my visit. lovely and not-icky.
i was too busy fighting the crowds and taking in the sights to take a lot of photos, but here are a few fun ones. the sky was so blue and cloudless on saturday that it made for a perfect ferris-wheel backdrop. overall, i'm glad to have checked "visit-the-state-fair" off my north carolina to-do list and at the very least it was a fun way to spend a saturday afternoon with some of my favorite people.

happy (state fair) weekend!

i've lived in north carolina for 21 of my 26 years and have never visited the state fair. all of that is about to change this weekend, though, and i could not be more excited to wear my cowboy boots, ride the giant swings and eat lots of yummy fair food!

happy friday, everyone!

image via imgfave

all things grand

 

last weekend i had the pleasure of attending lore emelio's fall runway show, all things grand, in charlotte. if you've been reading for a while now, you'll know this is my fourth show of lore's that i've been fortunate to attend, and lore's collections and following in the charlotte area are definitely growing quickly. i always look forward to her shows for several reasons. one, i often enjoy pretending i'm a cast member on gossip girl. two, there is generally free champagne (this time it was chardonnay, but who am i to complain?). three, they are attended by so many lovely and fashionable people from charlotte's society and art world. i am not one of those people, but it is really fun to see what everyone is wearing. you know how people watching in an airport is way fun? imagine yourself in the coolest and most stylish airport imaginable. and four, because lore's collections are creative and unique and have continued to progress over the past two years. it's fun to see her style developing and this particular show was certainly the most opulent, luxurious and grandiose that i've attended. my photography skills are seriously poor, but here are a few looks from the show...

pre-show festivities featured live art installations as guests entered. the car on the left is lore's grandmother's rolls royce, or so i was told. fancy. 

 

these dresses had the look of a very well-tailored grandpa cardigan, worn backwards. the back featured a deep-v with buttons and pockets. the turbans were also a big part of the show. i think they're kind of awesome.

look how shiny this guy's hair is. he doesn't need a metallic turban like the ladies above. see the guest in the turban behind him? she's jealous.

for some reason, this look reminds me of a more chic, modern version of clueless.

favorite dress of the evening #1. i think the fur did it for me. i also wish i looked this beautiful bald. i haven't been bald since i was a baby, and i don't even think it was cute then.

favorite dress of the evening #2. i really want to wear this to runway for the ballet in february. i also wish i had a cool mini-fro in which i could stick feathers and not look like i was dressing up for a thanksgiving play.

this picture thoroughly terrifies me because for some reason it reminds me of the creepy twins in the shining. i've never seen that movie, and i don't want to.

i'm going to go out on a limb here and say i will never look good in teal velvet, but she pulled it off.

lore is all about the low v-back and i love it.

oh wait, a teal velvet CAPE!? i take back what i said.

this dress reminds me of the rainbow fish after he shared his rainbow scales and was happy.

 

so, all in all, it was a really entertaining show! aren't you entertained? i'm pretty certain that now that i've compared lore's looks to a horror movie, a children's book and clueless, i will likely never be invited to another show, but i had a good run. two years, four shows. i'll take what i can get. that said, here are a few other photos from the evening:

attention women everywhere: just because it's designer doesn't mean it's tasteful, that you won't still look like a stripper when you wear it, or that it is worth more than $700. that is all.

 

one, i need a haircut. two, julia and i both look dazed and confused in this photo and three, i am in serious need of some bronzer. not a great photo, but the only one i have and i wanted to include at least one photo with julia, my fun plus-one for the evening. she was an awesome date and even shared a caramel brownie with me at dandelion after the show. and, she also has a puppy named kevin. this is completely unrelated to the show, i just think it's worth sharing.

and because lacey asked for it, here's what i wore for the evening. i can't say it was my best look, but i had to work with what was already in my closet, and i take this event as an opportunity to be a little more creative with my ensemble than i otherwise would be. you can't really tell in this photo, but i totally went for the blazer-with-nothing-underneath look, which actually looked much less slutty than i've always thought it would, probably because i was not blessed in the cleavage department.

hopefully despite the fact that i am in a strange, sarcastic mood this morning, i'll have the opportunity to attend more of lore's shows in the future as her brand continues to grow. if you're loving her work, head over to her website and check things out. i'm so thankful i have been able to follow lore's collections up until this point, and i can't wait to continue seeing her creative mind at work!