Color Inspiration

With Christmas quickly approaching, I have been busying finishing last minute shopping (what would I do without online shopping?) and baking cookies. My days have been filled with everything red and green and I have (dare I say it?) begun to tire of the combination.

I have been obsessed with the colors in this Anthropologie dress ever sense I first laid eyes on it:

I find it very fresh and not overly feminine, which can also be said about the images below. While reading Lonny online magazine (Check it out!), I fell in love with these photos from designer Eileen Kathryn Boyd's home:

Can you see the similarities? Apparently I'm obsessed with all things blue, cream, and magenta. I love how she used similar colors not only in her overall design, but and also in her holiday decor. The room appears very soft and whimsical, but at the same time very festive. To me, it's the ideal balance.

Gift Guide

Now that the Christmas season has kicked into full gear, my mind is racing with all the possible gifts to give and possiblely receive this season! I'm a firm believer in the idea that the best gifts come from the heart and are either personal or functional. Based on that concept, here is a little list of what I think of as great gift options:

As a hostess gift or for the party girl:

I think some vintage mid-century champagne glasses like these I found on Etsy would be the perfect addition to anyone's bar and would be lovely to use to ring in the new year.

For the person who hibernates through the winter and loves a good book or movie:

There is nothing better than a soft throw to cuddle up with through the cold months. You can pick a color or pattern that matches their style and even get it monogrammed to make it a bit more personal.

For the entertainment junky:

Experience gifts are often times better than physical items, so getting them tickets to an upcoming concert or play is a great idea. If you plan on going together, you can make a full night out of it and take them out to dinner beforehand.

For the girly - girl:

There is nothing better than a good accessory, personally I think it is best to go with something a little unique but not too sparkly so she will have a chance to wear it often. I love this ring from Free People and these earrings from Anthropologie.

For the person who has everything:

I love the idea of making donation to a charity or cause that the the receiver cares for or has a personal connection too. It is the giving season, so why not give a gift that keeps on giving?

Holiday Spirit

Now that Thanksgiving is over and I successfully ate my weight in turkey, it's time to get into the Christmas spirit! I am one of those people that gets way into every holiday, so I never seem to have any trouble with this. I'm currently counting down the days till finals are over so I can head home for the holidays. Until then, here are a few things that are keeping my spirits up:

1. Dreaming of snow (and a white Christmas in Memphis)

2. Christmas Music (specifically Elvis' Christmas Album)

3. My small fake Christmas tree

4. Christmas shopping for friends and family

5. Creating my own list for Santa

6. Looking up holiday cocktail recipes to enjoy once I'm home

7. Deciding what christmas cookies I plan on making this year

What's keeping you in the holiday spirit?

If I Were a Shoe

I found some inspiration in the most fabulous pair of shoes I purchased last week. I bought them to wear to a wedding, so yes I did NEED them- but I have a feeling they would have come home with me if there were no reason at all. When I look at these shoes I see me- or at least what I aspire to be. They are feminine, sleek, and sophisticated; yet playful and have a bit more going on than first meets the eye (love the surprise gold heel and gold trim throughout).

After pondering the idea further, I can't help to think that maybe I am actually more like my cowboy boots- reliable, laid back, but also ready for anything (where can you not wear boots?) While these two shoes are completely different, combined they have many qualities that I see in myself. So my question for you is what kind of shoe do you see yourself as?

Halloween Adventures: A Whole Weekend's Worth

Since Halloween was on a Sunday this year, I (along with my party animal friends) decided to celebrate on not just Sunday, but the entire weekend. Out of all the nights, Friday was the most laid back. I dressed up as a zombie bride and we all went to a few of the local college bars.

Katie as an Avatar

On Saturday, we made it down for the end of the street party in the Central West End. I was sad we missed the costume contest, but it was still pretty awesome seeing so many people dressed up in one place. I went as the energizer bunny for the night, and although I got a lot of complements on the costume, it probably wasn't the best thing to be wearing in such alarge crowd.

Grace as a Vietnam Vet

Finally, on actual Halloween, a group of us went to see Umphrey's McGee at the Pageant in the Loop. The band really got into the spirit of Halloween and were all dressed up. They put on an amazing show, playing some of their music along with some great covers. Although I'm too old for trick or treating, I still love Halloween and am so happy I got to fully celebrate it this year.

Umphrey's Rocking Out

Fall Festivites

picking our pumpkins

With Halloween approaching, my friends and I decided to spend a day pumpkin picking and carving in preparation. We went to Eckert's, which is just outside of St. Louis, where they let you pick your own pumpkin. Luckily, it was a gorgeous day, so we were able to fully enjoy everything from the tracker ride to the kids fair. After searching to find the best pumpkins, we sipped cider and carved away the day. For me this was a perfect day because it involved some of my most favorite things: friends, food, crafts, and the outdoors.

our masterpieces

Little Things

Now that the LSAT is over with (finally!), I have a bit more time on my hands. However, as it always goes, as one thing ends another begins- and in my case it's midterms. But, I am making sure to take time to relax and enjoy some of the small pleasures of life this week. For me this includes walks in the park, picking wild flowers, homemade desserts, listening to records, shopping for records (at Vintage Vinyl in the Loop- check it out!), cocktails parties with friends, reading outside, and sipping pumpkin spice lattes. The weather in St. Louis has been unseasonable warm, so I am trying to make the most of it before winter rolls in. I encourage you to take 30 minutes a day to do something just for your own enjoyment- I mean why not?

my lovely record player

wildflowers from the park

Pre-Fashion Week Party

So, I know that I am still slacking on posts, but what can I saw I'm a busy person? But, with all the the chaos that is my life, I have been looking back at some of the few nights I have made it out with friends. One of the more recent of these was a pre-fashion week party at Mandarin Lounge put on my Synergy Productions. Myself and a few girlfriends attended the private party to kick off St. Louis Fashion week. Although it wad fairly crowded, we were able to enjoy a few cocktails at the rooftop bar and take in the wonderful weather. I'm so happy that I was able to spend one last warm evening out with friends before my life started to pick up speed.

Grace, Myself, and Ruthie

Luckily, my life should be slowing down a bit within the next few weeks- so look for more posts!

LouFest

With school beginning and my schedule quickly filling in, I have been slacking on my blog posts...

But, the other weekend I volunteered and attended LouFest in Forest Park. This 2-day festival had both local artists and some bigger names like broken social scene, Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco), and She and Him on the lineup. Being the first year for the festival, I was unsure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised with the 2 stage set up, food venders, and recycling efforts.

Grace on the cart

My friend ,Grace, and I showed up before the gates opened to volunteer. Our task was "waste management," and we were a bit nervous about what we would actually be doing. Luckily, we got the exciting job of driving around the recycling cart. At first, we were setting up the recycling bins around the festival grounds and then we went on to collecting cardboard from the venders. It actually turned out to be a really fun job and we made friends with a lot of the other people working at the festival.

The real fun began later in the evening when we returned to LouFest to enjoy the music. We made it in time to see Built to Spill and Broken Social Scene. The bands put on great performances and the weather couldn't have been better. LouFest was the perfect way to end the summer, and I have a feeling that it will grow in the upcoming years

me with friends, Albert and Ruthie

Broken Social Scene

Fall into Fashion

I realize that this blog is suppose to based around things in the Loop, and I haven't had any posts including it recently- so here ya go!

This week I redid the windows at the store I work at, Morrell's, in the Loop. It was suppose to be themed around fall/back to school, and I came up with the concept "Fall into Fashion." I bought all of the materials (besides the spray paint) at Goodwill, which was exciting because I love giving old objects a new life. I used spray paint to turn the paintings I bought into chalkboards and old book pages to decorate the walls. To age the pages further, I tea dyed them (basically dip the paper in tea), which I think adds more color and texture to the display. I'm happy with the way it turned out, but looking at it daily reminds how quickly summer is coming to a close.

Reggae Festival at Atomic Cowboy

On Saturday night, my friend Grace and I ventured out to the Atomic Cowboy on Manchester to check out the Reggae Festival (and do some movie promoting) for the night. As we were driving in the neighborhood looking for a parking spot, we could already hear the music blasting from the back patio of the bar.

I had not been to the Atomic Cowboy before and was really impressed by the size of the bar/restaurant. There are several booths to sit and grab a bit to eat at and a large bar inside as well as a huge outdoor patio and bar. I loved that they had a huge fire going outside; that combined with the Reggae music really put me in a relaxed summer mood. Although we weren't sure what we were getting ourselves into, it was actually a really entertaining night filled with a great mix of music and people.

Journey Through the 7 Levels of the Candy Cane Forest

So, I didn't really travel thought the seven levels of the candy cane forest or through a sea of swirly twirly gum drops, but it was pretty close. My adventure to deliver Will Ferrell's dinner on Thursday, following the premier of The Other Guys, began with a trip to Pappy's. For those of you who do not know, Pappy's is probably the best BBQ that you can find in St. Louis. I have to agree that it is pretty amazing, but I will forever be partial to Memphis BBQ. There was quite a buzz at Pappy's once everyone realized that I would be the one delivering the food. They included not just food with the order, but pretty much everything they had to offer: t-shirts, BBQ sauce, menus, business cards, phone numbers, and love notes to Marky Mark (I guess they thought it was going to him as well as Will). All of their excitement got me pumped up for my adventure.

After getting the food, I headed out to the Chesterfield airport to deliver it to Will's private plane. As usual, I found a way to turn myself around despite the fact that I have a GPS, but I did actually make it on time. Now the difficult part of the journey began: getting past all 10 of the police officers and security guards. I guess no one was informed that I would be making a delivery, so I had to do some sweet talking to get access to the area. I was able to make the delivery and get within 10 yards of the plane before being rushed out by the police. I think I saw a glimpse of Will Ferrell- but I'm not sure. Even though I was hoping to get to say hey to Will, knowing that I delivered one of my favorite foods to one of my favorite celebs was worth the journey.

As a side note, I heard The Other Guys was pretty hilarious and I am excited to see it isoon!

Style Inspiration: Boy Meets Girl

I have been filling up my weeks with quite a bit of traveling, so I haven't been participating in many St. Louis activities. Although I attended a lively Cardinals game this weekend, I doubt that I have enough knowledge on the sport to write an interesting post (don't get me wrong I love sports- just not a huge baseball fan). So.... I decided to write about my recent fashion philosophy: Boy Meets Girl

To me, this means mixing up distinctly masculine pieces with feminine staples. This trend developed awhile back with the popularity of boyfriend jeans and fedoras, but I like to take it a bit further. My favorite outfits include this Free People ruffled layer skirt which I own in cream (http://www.freepeople.com/clothes-skirts/ruffled-layers-skirt/) . It is so girly and playful that I think it is perfectly contradicted by oversized menswear tops. I have been pairing mine with a baggy 3/4 sleeve rugby striped sweater (that I purchased at Soul and Blues in the Loop) For shoes, I have s slip on wingtip style flat that is perfect for a more masculine touch. No outfit is complete without jewelry, so for this look I like to layer several necklaces.

Here is my outfit:

For fall, I am very excited to start mixing in mini skirts and thigh high socks ( a la Clueless) with oversized sweaters. I think it will be the perfect way to mix up my typically preppy style and continue with my Boy Meets Girl obsession.

Creative Fashion

I have been craving creating my own unique dyed and cut top for weeks now, but unfortunately have not had enough time to "craft" one myself. However, I am lucky enough to have an a extremely artistic friend, John a.k.a. J-Rye, who created these AMAZING shoes for me. They are so bright and add a fun and unique touch to any outfit. I got the all white shoes at urban outfitters and he used sharpies to created the design. Although time consuming, projects like this are fairly inexpensive. It is always more fun to do crafts with other people, and I am hoping to get started on some of my own projects when more of my friends get back to St. Louis next week. A great way to beat the summer heat is to have a craft day: you and your friends could decide on a project and have everyone bring one of the needed materials and a snack to share. What could be better? For some great ideas, check out psimadethis.com.

The Importance of Music

Recently, I feel as though I have been running around in circles and not really getting anywhere. So, unfortunately my weeks have been lacking the usual fun events that come with summer. However, there is one thing that I refuse to avoid- music. This past week, I once again attended the Whitaker Music Festival at the Botanical Gardens. It is always such a great time, that it seems like a sin to not make time for it. FolknBlueGrass were the performers for this week, and they did a great job of getting the crowd moving. This acoustic group's music is a great twist on classic bluegrass. I checked out their schedule for future shows, and they will be playing at Oyster Bar (downtown, on Broadway) almost every weekend of August, so if you get a chance, you should check them out!

To continue with my musical focus, I wanted to mention my recent obsession- Mumford and Sons. I have found this folky rock group from London to be addictive. The band is made up of four friends- Marcus Mumford (hence the name), Country Winston, Ben Lovett, and Ted Dwane. I would say their music has the soul and charm of that of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young with the fire of groups like Kings of Leon. If you haven't heard any of their music before- I insist you check them out ASAP! Here is this myspace site where you can hear most of their recent CD: http://www.myspace.com/mumfordandsons

Summer Nights

This past Wednesday evening, myself and a few girlfriends went to check out the Whitaker Music Festival at the Botanical Gardens. I have been a few times in previous years, but this was a first for this summer. There are a couple reasons why I love this event so much:

1. IT'S FREE!!!

2. You can bring your own food and drink (I'm a sucker for a picnic)

3. The music is always pretty good

4. Amazing people watching- the crowd includes families, young adults, older couples- you name it

5. The Botanical Gardens are an amazing place to spend an evening

On the night we attended- the performers were Dawn and the Electro Funk Assembly- a very upbeat group that played a lot of original music along with a few covers (the Michael Jackson cover was my personal fav). Usually the music is more of a blues/jazz style; so it was fun to here something different. This event was the perfect beginning for the evening, and if you haven't gone to a night yet- I encourage you to check it out! Here is the website for more details about the festival: http://www.mobot.org/events/Whitaker/default.asp

Style Inspiration: Classic Americana

With the 4th of July quickly approaching- my newest style inspiration is everything America, specifically items with a western flair. Here are a couple images of what has been inspiring me recently:

You can see just about every sort of style in the Loop, but it is clear that the popular plaid/ flannel shirts from the fall have transferred into lighter versions for summer. I was lucky enough to find an amazing version for myself at J. Crew yesterday (on sale!) , and I cannot wait to wear it. I am also feeling the urge to invest in a pair of short cowboy boots like these: http://www.freepeople.com/shoes-boots/coachella-boot/, but I might have to hold off because I already own what is probably to many pairs of boots.

Another thing that screams America in classic red, white, and navy. I love the idea of mixing tomboyish pieces- boxing tops, rugby strips, or baggy jeans with girly touches of lace, shimmer, or layers of necklaces within this color palette. If done correctly, it can create some of the most beautiful and interesting ensembles.

One thing that that i am definitely going to have to do soon is create a version of these shorts for myself.

I'm hoping to find an inexpensive vintage pair of cutoffs and paint the stars and strips on using fabric paint pens. It should be fairly simply, but I think it will make a bold statement. Maybe I will have time to get this done so I can sport them on the 4th!

It's Beginning to Feel Like Summer

I can now say that I am truly in summer mode after attending a Kim Massie show the other night at Beale on Broadway. Nothing is better than relaxing outside on a hot night with a cold beer at a picnic table- that is until you do all of the above with Kim Massie as entertainment. Although I have seen her on several occasions; she never disappoints. My friends and I are always up for a night filled with dancing to her great soulful covers. Being from Memphis, the music definitely feels like home to me. If you haven't checked out a show yet, I highly recommend you head down to Beale on Broadway for a great evening. If you miss seeing Kim; don't worry because there is live music every night at Beale. I think that I might end up becoming a regular this summer...

Party at Mandarin Lounge

the indoor bar

outside with friends

outdoor bar

This past Saturday, Jeremy Maclin of the Philadelphia Eagles hosted a party at Mandarin Lounge in the Central West End. The party was put on by Synergy and it was a really fun summer night. Mandarin is a rooftop lounge, and it was great to be outside and enjoy the hot, sticky summer weather. It is decorated with a very sleek Asian theme, which was perfect for this fun event. I love that the bar is covered in warm red and orange tones, that are fun but chic at the same time.

The highlight of my night was getting to meet Jeremy Maclin himself. Although it was only for a brief moment, it was awesome to get to meet the man of the hour. Even though the party was packed, it was actually a pretty relaxed night. A large group of my friends were in attendance, so I was never concerned about having a good time. As always, I was probably having a bit too much fun, but who could blame me?

outside with Jeremy Maclin

Cyrus at the Tivoli

Thursday afternoon I attended a screening of the Jay and Mike Duplass movie, Cyrus. This movie stars John C. Reilly and Marisa Tomei as a blossoming couple. Cyrus, played by Jonah Hill, is Tomei's 20 something son in the movie, who has an unhealthy obsession with his mother. The movie explores the troubled relationship of a mother and son while looping it around a romance between two very needy people. It is both romantic and funny at times, but also extremely uncomfortable to watch at many points. Overall, I found it entertaining, but I left the theatre not really knowing how I felt about it. This is definitely not your typical romantic comedy- so if your into movies that are a bit different, you might want to check this out. Here is a link for the trailer if you want to see more: http://www.breakingentertainmentnews.com/watch-cyrus-online-trailer/8883463

What I enjoyed most about this movie was Tomei's characters 70's inspired wardrobe. I loved that she was wearing what appeared to be vintage slips in several scenes, and now I am on the hunt for a few for myself. It is such effortlessly chic style that can be interpreted to your personal taste. I love the idea of layering a few styles in order to create your own look. I am hoping to have time to check out Tag (http://www.tag-stl.com/) this weekend, a vintage store in the the Loop, to find a few for myself. The best things about shopping vintage is that each item is unique and eco-friendly!

A Night at Blueberry Hill

My Tuesday night began with a lovely dinner at Pi for a work meeting. If you haven't tried it yet, you need to go. It is some of the best pizza I have ever had and you couldn't ask for better atmosphere. I love the outdoor seating area; it's perfect for people watching (and there is never a shortage of interesting people in the Loop). Having been to both Pi locations, the one in the Loop and the one in the Central West End, I will say that the CWE location definitely has a more intimate feeling and is better for a romantic date night while the Loop location offers a more laid back vibe- perfect for a night our with friends.

After dinner, we weren't ready to call it a night, so me and a few friends decided to head over to Blueberry Hill. I had actually gotten us passes for the concert in the Duck Room that night- One eskimO, an indie rock group from London. The lead singer Kristian Leontiou had a pretty amazing voice and I was upset that we missed most of the show due to our delayed arrival. Even though it wasn't the genre of music I an typically interested in; I am happy I got a taste of their music. It ended up being a very fun evening with just enough cocktails to not hate myself in the morning.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at the Pageant

  This was definitely one of the better concerts I have been to in recent years. This ensemble band plays a folky jam band style music that is really hard to place in one distinct category. The lead singer, Alex Ebert, formed the group based around the story of a messianic figure- Edward Sharpe. According to Ebert, Sharpe "was sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind, but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love." What I enjoyed most about the concert was Ebert's explanation of the meaning of the songs before he began singing them. It was great that he wanted to share with everyone what he was thinking when creating the song. The show ended with Ebert coming into the crowd and having everyone sit around him for the last song. It was a very intimate ending and the Pangeant proved to be the perfect venue for such a performance. Definitely check out some of their songs from their first album: Up from Below. Here is a link to their youtube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMagneticZeros.