Tory Burch River Fisherman Sandal

If you've read my blog for a while (or even if you haven't), you probably know I love a good Tory Burch shoe sale. I'm partial to her flats (easier to chase children and puppies), but at the last extra 20% off sale sale I decided to give some platform heels a try.

I'm back in the South on vacation - right now home where I grew up - so had these shipped to my parents' and when I took them out of the box my mom said "Where are you going to wear those?!"

True, they are not my usual. But I really like them and think they'll be great with some bootcut or skinny jeans. I have the high Sophie wedge in suede and have found them to be actually pretty comfortable for the height. These are too.

Tory Burch River Fisherman Sandal in Royal Tan

my polish is OPI Strawberry Margarita

Happy Friday!

xoxo

OOTN for Traveling {sleeping in this one}

My husband and I were discussing the other day exactly why we thought taking a red-eye across the country with three children would be a good idea when we bought our tickets a while back. We couldn't quite recall.

We've done flights this length with them quite a few times... and even the longer flights from Seattle to Copenhagen and back last summer... but we've never done the "get on the plane way past your bedtime and please just fall asleep so you're up bright and early to jump in a car just in time for rush hour traffic" kind of flight. Any kind thoughts sent our way will be greatly appreciated... ;)

I know I said "sleeping" in my blog title but that is optimistic. At any rate, I will be spending the night in this outfit so I wanted it to be comfortable, layered, decent enough looking in the airports, and not high maintenance. All the pieces are recent purchases from Target and great buys. The cardigan is thin but similar to a weave you'd find at J Crew, with a nice drape and nice finishing on the hem and cuffs.

I snapped the pics below right after I bought the pieces just to try on. I'll wear them with some Tory Burch Revas and my LV Totally tote in Damier Azur. Minimal jewelry -- I had a chunky necklace set off the airport security buzzer once. You don't need those kind of delays when you are trying to get three little ones' shoes off/on and through security with their backpacks/American Girl dolls etc etc.

Mossimo Supply Co Kimono Dress in Ebony, $15.00, Mossimo Drape Front Cocoon Cardigan in Purple, $19.99, Mossimo Supply Co Leggings in Grey $6.00

This dress came in a few different colors but I could only find Grey online. There is also a maxi dress that looks like a similar style.

a little brighter lighting to show the cardi...

I don't see the Purple online, but they do have Royal Teal, Black, Grey, and White

the $6 leggings -- love these!

I am super busy getting ready for our upcoming vacation but should have some on-the-road travel (and possibly shopping) posts up over the next couple of weeks. Hope everyone's having a great week!

xoxo

Bobbi Brown Chocolate & Navy Set {Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Order #1}

This was my first time buying Bobbi Brown cosmetics and I can see why so many people rave about her products. The lipstick in Brownie is my favorite part of the Nordstrom Exclusive Chocolate and Navy Set... it looks very natural and gives me just a slightly deeper color and more polished look. The lip gloss in Pink Blossom is the perfect complement for a little shine.

The eye colors in the palette are subtle but very pretty. I had a really difficult time trying to get the colors to show up in a photograph and I probably should have applied more of the the Royal Navy along my lash line - it doesn't really show in this pic but it is a very pretty eyeliner color. The set includes (L-R) Navajo, Cement, Gold Bar (sparkly), Copper Cocoa (shimmery) and Royal Navy. There is also a pot of Caviar Ink gel eyeliner (didn't try this yet), and a mascara (didn't try yet either).

Bobbi Brown Brownie #33 Lip Color and Pink Blossom #31 Lip Gloss

Bobbi Brown Navajo (all over), Cement (on lid), Copper Cocoa (crease), Royal Navy (lash line), L'Oreal Telescopic mascara in Blackest Black

...So I've been hearing a lot about this new (?) Maybelline Falsies mascara lately... has anyone tried it?

Maybelline's mascara, pic from Ulta.com

It sounds like it's getting great reviews and I'm looking forward to getting out to Target and buying a tube soon. I've tried lots of mascaras... Dior, YSL... and have found that for me the drugstore versions can be every bit as good as (or better than) the pricier brands.

Hope everyone is starting out a great week!

xoxo

Cole Haan Air Talia Bootie {Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Order #1}

Cole Haan Air Talia Bootie in Ironstone Suede - also available in Black

I wasn't planning on ordering these -- I didn't notice them in the catalog if they were in there -- but since I was looking for some great gray boots much of last Fall and never found them, I thought I would give them a try. (And I'm glad I did.) I ordered from my ipad in the lobby of our hotel in Victoria the first day of the sale. (I didn't mention in my Empress post that they only have wifi in the lobby and business center... otherwise you need to have a laptop to plug in if you want to use a computer in the rooms -- and I had not brought a laptop.)

I ordered my regular size, 8 1/2 M, and then read reviews (and heard from a sales associate in-store) that Cole Haan tends to run short and you should usually order up half a size. Happily they do fit in my regular size though, since I now see 9s are sold out online.

I was only able to try on one shoe since I injured my left foot recently sprinting outside and running over a rock or something to save Winnie the puppy whose collar tag got stuck in something in the backyard. Y'all, it was frightening because he wasn't moving - but luckily he was/is okay. So anyway, I got a pretty bad cut and a big bruise on the bottom of my foot. It's getting better, but still very sore and I am still hobbling a little and certainly can't think about putting that foot in some 3 1/2 inch heels right now. So... in pics below I'm just wearing the right boot:

I also ordered some Hanky Pankys on the Buy & Save deal and the Bobbi Brown chocolate and navy make-up set which is really great. I tried to get some pictures of the eyeshadows and lipstick/gloss on but couldn't get the pics to turn out. Boy, it's difficult to photograph eyeshadow on your own eyes. I'll try again tomorrow.

Happy Weekend!

xoxo

The Empress

Our most recent trip to Victoria was an early birthday trip for Grandma so we booked a beautiful two bedroom suite at The Empress. It was actually three rooms that interconnected and were separately accessible from a private section of hallway... all of it decorated so beautifully -- and with an amazing view. (I have the sweetest mother-in-law in the world but it's never a bad thing to have some space when traveling with family. :) )

We did eat at Willie's (where Grandma had a huge slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for breakfast - go Grandma!) and Pescatores ( I had the Scallop Carbonara, 1/2 order and Bananas Foster - both were delicious), shop for candy, and visit Miniature World and The Wax Museum this time around, but really, my children just had the best time playing hide-and-seek with Grandma in the rooms, going down to the pool, snacking, watching a couple movies, and just hanging out as a family. I asked my 5 yr old son if he would like to stay there. His response?

...

"Sell the house!"

LOL

So here are some pictures of this gorgeous historic hotel:

our little seagull friend who came to visit...

...I wonder why? ...

Happy Friday!

xoxo

OOTD 7.21.10: Yellow + Stripes

It is really gray and misty here this morning (think Scooby Doo episode) but the sun has been coming out in the afternoons and it's pretty warm. I think I've finally made it through all the vacation laundry -- plus some catch-up since my washer broke right before we left for Portland. Luckily we ordered one right after we returned and it arrived the next day. (I'm really excited for my new washer, by the way!)

So today: day camp, getting my hair highlighted (finally), afternoon appointments. I was also up bright and early for a second Nordstrom Anniversary Sale order since I got the tweet about replens. My order consisted mostly of things for Hubs (that cashmere cardi I wanted did not come back in stock) but I do have a few fun items on the way for myself too. I was really surprised that my kids' shoes pre-order got cancelled since I ordered really early in-store on that one... so I am also on the hunt for some Keen Newports today.

Anyway, here's my OOTD:

J Crew cardi (couple years ago), Silence + Noise Tank from Urban Outfitters #18654277, Merona denim, TB Revas in black

exposed zip on back of tank

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo

Victoria, BC OOTDs

We are just back from a wonderful time in Victoria, British Columbia... the weather was gorgeous and we spent some slow-paced, relaxing family time enjoying The Empress (beautiful, beautiful, beautiful) and surrounds. I have lots of pics (actually over 250 somehow) so I'll post a few later, but for now, here are my oufits-of-the-day for the trip:

Travel day (my new favorite travel uniform = comfy dress over leggings, cardi, ballet flats):

ON dress in gray, Target leggings in black, LOFT cardi in ivory, Tory Burch Revas in Silver, light blue stone earrings from little bead shop

First day in Victoria:

LOFT ruffle top in white, J Crew Jackie in Misty Lavender, Merona denim, TB Revas

Tea on Saturday:

Liberty of London for Target dress (girls' dept XL), LOFT cardi, Jack Rogers Navajo in Gold, Anthropologie earrings

Cocktails & Dinner at the Bengal Lounge:

J Crew Impressionist Floral Cami in Golden Beach, ON white denim (years ago), Jack Rogers Navajo in Gold

Last day in Victoria:

J Crew Ringspun Cotton Rosette Tee (last year), ON denim in white, oatmeal cardi from Nordstrom Rack, TB Revas in Silver

Hope everyone's starting out a great week!

xoxo

OPI Over the Taupe

I love short, dark nails for Fall and Winter but usually go very pale (or no polish at all) the rest of the year. Today I felt like some darker color - but being it's July didn't want to go too dark.

So I went for a nice mushroom-y taupe for a change: OPI's Over the Taupe. I've seen this hue compared to Chanel's popular Spring 2010 Particuliere, like in this mention at Splurge vs. Save. It's a pretty soft color and definitely needs 2-3 coats.

I've got 2 coats on in the pic below. And, you may notice, a long gray sweater... because although we had a nice little heat wave of temps up to the low 90's recently, this morning my car thermostat said 59 and it appears we are back to gray and rain for awhile here in the Pacific Northwest.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

xoxo

Portland Pics

What a great time! It was only three nights, and we got to see just a tiny bit of the city... but came away with the best impression... we found Portland, OR to be easily walkable, family friendly, and filled with good shopping, restaurants, and activities. The city appeared to be very green and environmentally aware too.

Here are some pics from our trip:

view of the Waterfront Blues Festival (so fun!) from our hotel room (we watched 4th of July fireworks from here too - they were impressive)

Mother's Bistro & Bar

We ate breakfast here one morning - it was packed! Loved all the sparkly chandeliers everywhere and my double cappuccino was DE-lish.

Spanish Frittata at Mother's

sign on a paper towel dispenser - good reminder

we cruised the river on this boat at midnight

animatronic dinosaur at the Oregon Zoo (watch out - some of them spit water)... the kids loved this exhibit

International Rose Test Garden... these gardens smelled amazing and the flowers are just gorgeous... it was so beautiful to wander around - and kind of reminded me of the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden in Thailand we visited ages ago

heading into Chinatown

we had fun perusing Powell's City of Books in the Pearl District

Whole Foods in the Pearl District

there was a nice Anthro close by too - very convenient!

Happy Weekend!

xoxo