charleston, south carolina: so nice to finally meet you.

had the complete pleasure of 

heading down to 

the charming and most wonderful hidden gem

charleston, 

south carolina

i didn't realize at the time i would be falling in love

over the weekend

i'm here to spread the good charleston word

here is a little snap shot diary of

our quick trip...

 Yes.  

found this bad boy on the main drag right off.

had only browsed the website. 

way better in person.  

way.

scored this great scarf.

 do we not loved stripes?

 

have i mentioned the charm?

off the charts.

all i'm saying.

had to take a photo of

this quaint wreath

 hanging on this simple wrought iron gate.

so cute.

then found this sparkly little bauble 

at another one of my fave stops

J CREW

not bad for 

$18

oh. 

and  it's not uncommon to see a horse 

drawn carriage cruising down the main drag.

i think we  might have taken a whiff of this guy before

we knew he was headed our way.

regardless it was a great sight.

it still gets better...

next we found ourselves in the grand lobby of 

one of the city's crown jewels.

charlestone place

located in the heart of historic downtown,

noted as the most ritzy places in charleston proper.

i don't disagree.

 

check out this gorg building

loved it so much

had to make my children pose on the 

grand staircase for a quick shot.

duh 

no wonder i love it.

it's the library society building.

i think i've told you about my love of libraries.

right?

well,

i have a love of anything library.

finally 

we dined in

one of the towns staple restaurants

hyman's seafood

(I know...i look slightly confused)

you get the picture

we got to try all their

signature local dishes

 tess couldn't stop talking about 

those 'to-die-for' 

hushpuppies

all in all

charleston, sc

can't say enough  about this little southern hot spot.

highly highly recommend a visit if you

ever get the chance.  

you will not be disappointed.

think:

new orleans meets old town alexandria

have you ever been?

would love to hear your thoughts.

make your own american apparel pouch

it hasn't gone away.

my obsession with the 

oh so versatile,

american 

apparel 

pouch

knew i had to take matters into my own hands.

so i took it upon myself.

headed down to my local fabric store,

dusted off  my trusty sewing machine

and got to work. 

way easier than i ever imagined.

 check it out.

my trusty model

shows off the clean lines

and neutral tone.

 

 used it the other day 

for some paperwork and my nook.

 was divine.

and knowing it was home spun

made me walk with a little bounce

all day long.

any 

hand made 

stories

you can share?

would love to hear.

14

my twins 

turned 14 yesterday.

too fast, it's going. 

much too fast

but so proud of 

the young women they are becoming.

grateful they still don't mind 

a mom-hug 

in front of friends.

not sure how i feel about our 

grand ability to share clothes and shoes.

triple the loot,

triple the wear.

love that they still end each phone call

with a

"love you, bye"

forever grateful they still want my opinion...

couldn't have hand picked better girls.

happy birthday,

ladies.

fashion week continues: grainy stripes on stripes

 slight obsession with stripes

of all kind

as you can see

i like  mixing them

 

 probably not fashionable

or chic

or with it

but right now

i'm a fan.

wardrobe wednesday: what i do when hubs is away

exhibit a:

one blue button down

(mens)

can you see where this is going?

nothing like 

walking around all day, 

knowing who's garb you are in.

especially when 

he's far and away

ah.

get back soon.

clutch love-blog love

totally understandable.

i need another bag 

like i need a hole in the head.

sometimes can't help myself 

 

mostly i stalk.

like this amazing

american apparel large leather to-die-for pouch

 not bad for just $56

real leather

tons of solid colors

want the stripes?  

have to add those bad boys yourselves.

please visit

 atlantic-pacific

(i regularly stalk this style icon...

impeccable master at layering)

you'll drool over her outfits,

much like i do.

also love this little

envelope clutch

this  is sydney over at 

the daybook

love her.

she's one of  my bff's

but she just doesn't know it yet.

you know.

one of those girls, 

you know you'll love the second you meet them.

tell me

if you share my sentiment

broad stripped panels: made my moi

finally...

my long time 

want

of making stripped panels

finally

turned into a 

reality 

this week.

 

 originally was going to hang them in my dining room.

see here

well.
that did not happen
but this did...

play room 

stripes.

love how it turned out.

so easy anyone can do it.

started out with a simple black panel

(from walmart)

and one white cotton shower curtain

(that i cut to make stripes)

so,

what do you think?

are diy stripped panels in your future?

easy

peasy.

and as always,