Was there, like, some important wedding today?

Okay, internet. I get it. You have wedding fever. I am going to attempt to jump aboard your bandwagon. Next month I'll be writing a piece for MyWedding.com on Austin weddings, and in June, after ten years of being together (and seven years of being married), Chris and I are going to renew our wedding vows. You're going to see a little more wedding talk 'round here than usual.

In honor of the royal wedding day, here is a photo from my commoner wedding. I call this photo "wed to a witch":It is funny and somewhat indicative of our last seven years together.

I think wedding fever is okay, but I do wish that starting ten years ago I would have spent more time focusing on my marriage (which is supposed to last a lifetime) instead of the singular day that I walked down the aisle. Instead of worrying about how my hair and photos looked, I should have been focusing on how my marriage looked. Chris and I will be the first to tell you, our story was not a fairytale.

But lest you think that Chris and I are redoing our vows so that I have an excuse to buy an expensive dress and drop a load of cash on a day in which I demand that everyone treats me like a princess, please know that it isn't about that at all (beware: that link is to my personal blog and I've been told that it's a bit of an over share). We plan to keep it pretty small and very simple. For me, it's not about that day... it's about the rest of our lives. We may not have had a fairytale wedding or marriage, but when I'm a grandmother I hope that our family will be able to see that ours is a story of redemption and grace.

Feel free to get your wedding fever on, people, but get your marriage fever on even more so, okay?

Get a load of these jorts (and make some yourself)

Lately, I've been living in these jean shorts that I made:

date: 23 April 11 | occasion: watching The Sound of Music on the Whole Foods roof
shorts: DIY (for Made This/ Love This) | blouse: purchased on clearance at Plain Ivey Jane | shoes: UO | spoon necklace: flea market in Seymour, Indiana

I hate to admit this, but I am having technical difficulties with Made This/ Love This. Namely... I was flooded with spam users, I'm locked out of the admin panel somehow, and I'm the sole admin. I'm going to spend the day troubleshooting the problem that way we can get all the new submissions for the t-shirt scarf up AND get the instructions for the jorts up. In the meantime, here's the instructions:

I'll update here to let you know when the site is up and running again! I fully expect to have it working by 5 pm today!

EDIT: [1:20 pm] I'm happy to report that Made This / Love This is back online! Win prizes from Lulus.com and IndiCustom.com by making an easy t-shirt scarf and jorts. Go go go!

Connect the Dots

Getting packages in the mail still makes me extremely happy. Being part of the Delightful Dozen, which is a group of twelve bloggers who have been rotating and swapping clothes with each other for over a year and a half now, ensures that surprise packages show up on my porch every once in a while. I got this cute little dress from Mel of Ideé Géniale last week who got it from Lulu Letty previously.

date: 25 April 11 | occasion: errands
dress: Ruche via Delightful Dozen | vest: GAP via Savers | wedges: Shoe Carnival | zebra bracelet: Fashionique (since closed)

I bid farewell to this dress today as it's going across the country to see Jen from Jen Loves Kev next. Jen is my height (around 5'8'') so I can't wait to see how she styles it up.

Video: Innovation, UT's 2011 Apparel Design Senior Showcase

I had an amazing time at Thursday's UT Fashion senior fashion show. It is easily one of my favorite fashion shows every year, and I was thrilled to be given a media pass and a seat right next to the runway:

My photographer friend Peter, whom I met at last year's show shot from the photographer's pit, so he got some great shots of the entire show. See his set here. I was really impressed by most of what I saw, but by far, my favorite look was Colton Gerard's collection. I gasped when the male models walked out:

I need one of these coats for Chris, immediately!

[photo © Joanna]

Dreamy, huh?

Easter Sunday

In college I was a bank teller. One year before Easter, an older gentleman came in and asked for twenty $20 dollar bills, twenty $10 dollar bills, some fives, and some ones. He said that he had to fill Easter eggs. I asked him if there was an age limit on his Easter egg hunt. Who here wouldn't be ashamed to knock down some preschoolers if more than $600 was up for grabs?




date: 23 April 11 | occasion: Easter Sunday with Austin City Life
dress: courtesy of Francesca's | hat: Walmart | wedges: Franco Sarto | sweater: Mink Pink

When I was little, my grandpa would put one $1.00 bill inside a plastic egg. A few eggs would have some candy. A couple of eggs would have a quarter or a nickel. The rest would be filled with grass or dirt but the majority of the eggs would be filled with pebbles. I really hated emptying all my eggs only to have a basket full of rocks and other yard waste.

Thank goodness that's not what Easter's all about.

In related news, Jude won an Easter egg hunt yesterday. It was a lot better than my Grandpa's. Every egg had candy. Jude won a duck Pez dispenser. I let him drool on the dispenser and bang it around a little. I'm going to eat all his Pez and chocolate later today, then I am going to pass out from an awesome sugar high.

By the way, I'm totally in love with this dress. I originally picked it out in blue, but it was sold out, so the kind folks at Francesca's sent it to me in pink, instead. If you like it too, be sure to use the code ADORED for 30% off any regularly priced item online. I'm eying this skirt in pink. I just can't get enough pinks with neutrals this time of year!

Mapping it

This is one of my favorite photos. I stole it from Erin without even asking (sorry, Erin!). This is one of the last photos taken at the Texas Style Council Conference. This is a group of the last bloggers standing at the end of the after party: that's me (Adored Austin), Kendi Everyday, Jen Loves Kev, Work With What You've Got, My Edit, Concrete Catwalk, Intern Rachel, Stephanie from Lulu's, Punky Style, & Sartoriography.

Two of my favorite things:
1. Meeting new people (especially other bloggers and blog readers), and
2. Traveling

That's why it's so great that Linda from Rose a La Mode and her husband Bob have come up with a Style Bloggers Map. Wow look at all them bloggers!


View Fashion & Style Blogger Map in a larger map
It's a really great way to find bloggers in your area. You can plan meet-ups or at the very least get style inspiration from them since they'd be dealing with the same weather you are. When you're traveling, you can find out if your favorites are along your travel route or live in your destination city.

I plan to visit Boston this August, where hopefully I'll meet up with Jen, Julie, and Amy. I have fall plans to visit the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, & Ohio) and winter plans for Atlanta. I may even squeeze in a trip to Santa Barbara this summer, too (my mom bought a restaurant there with her friend).

Mark your city and blog on the map here. (I wouldn't recommend putting your exact address unless you want me and my family on your door stoop asking for tacos and tea!).

Where is home for you?

P.S. Yes, this is almost an exact copy of the post I did on The Delightful Dozen today, but I wanted to share it here, too! Now go get mapping!

Founders Day

My husband can no longer call himself a vegetarian. I should have realized this two weekends ago when he bought a Primo Grill/ Smoker. It wasn't until last weekend that it hit me that we are both carnivores now. Why last weekend, you ask? Because Saturday was spent at Founders Day in Dripping Springs, so that we could see a BBQ cook-off and taste some brisket by the award winning BBQ team that Chris bought his Primo from. We ate the best brisket I have ever had in my life and we had a blast:



I would like an alpaca now.

And this Pomeranian.

I kept it casual (and cool) in a Francesca's tank (gift), Billabong cutoffs from PacSun, Old Navy sandals, and a deer necklace from A Box From My Treasure (gift).

I shot a couple photos for The Style Co-Op, which is an Austin street style blog that I pretty much begged and pleaded to join as a contributor:

Jenna, TSU student, in a vintage tube top.

Melissa, DSHS student, in perfectly broken in boots.

The highlight of the day (even better than the brisket) was meeting Adored Austin reader Mae! We bonded over our shared love of being half Asian (her mom is Filipino, my mom is from Thailand), country music, and our matching blinged out phone cases.

All in all, it was a great weekend, and I'm excited that now I'll be able to eat cheeseburgers without getting a raised eyebrow from Chris.

Video: Blo

I wish I could have a blowout every day. As promised here's a little video that Intern Rachel and I did Saturday morning at Blo:

Blo is awesome because:
1. They will make your hair look amazing in 30 minutes for $33.
2. This includes a wash, blow, and style from one of their seven signature styles (my favorite is the red carpet with an added boho braid).
3. They open as early as 7 am.
4. The blowouts last three days, and they sell dry shampoo, shower caps, and other goodies to help your blowout last.

Never in my life have I ever gotten so many compliments on my hair. Blo blew my hair... and my mind. Watch for a video collaboration in the future where they show us how to achieve awesome blowouts at home!

Pants on fire

I am trying out pants. Y'all know I'm not really into pants at all, but I've been drooling over pretty much everything Kim from Eat.Sleep.Wear. has, especially her red Zara pants (exhibits A, B, & C). I'm smitten with these ADAM bellbottoms from ShopBop (coming soon!), but I know that I'll never be able to afford them. So, red pants are on my list. And by "list" I mean my master wants list. Since I only shop from the list now, when I spied these red pants at Buffalo Exchange last weekend, I got them with my store credit.

date: 16 April 11 | occasion: blowout at Blo
pants: Buffalo Exchange (House of Dereon) | blouse: Strut | necklace: c/o Accessorize | wedges: Franco Sarto

Something else I tried out is my very first blowout. Blo opened an Austin location this weekend, and Intern Rachel and I got to be some of their first customers (video blog on Blo coming later!). My hair looked the best it has ever looked!

It made me realize that after Amp it up April, I'll embark on "Makeover May". I have to figure out how to get my hair to look that good at home!

Seeing red

I scored this red dress from Buffalo Exchange for $10.50 last weekend, fully intending to wear it with my Cynthia Vincent for Target gladiator wedges and a gold belt.





date: 15 April 11 | occasion: Sushi Saké dinner
dress: vintage from Buffalo Exchange | wedges: TOMS | bracelet: Naughty Secretary's Club | sunglasses: Buffalo Exchange (new merch)
I got home clutching my new purchase to my chest and then I remembered: June snacked on my beloved shoes and they are out of commission.

That's it. The hunt is on. No substitute will do. I am going to get a new pair of these shoes. They were last summer's MVP, and they must be replaced.

UPDATE: Scored!!! (Thank, Breenah!)

In related news, anyone want a dog with an insatiable appetite for things you love?

Owl prowl

I am crazy about owls. My high school mascot was an owl and my aunt and grandma collected owls, so our house was full of them when I was growing up. It was a little kooky, but a lot of fun. A couple of my grandma's owls have migrated to my house in Texas, too.

Because of my love for owls, I, for one, welcomed the resurgence in owl popularity a few years ago. I'm delighted the owl trend is still going strong. I'm always on the prowl for a cute owl.


Y'all know I love animal jewelry, but for the last year or so, I've been loving animals on clothing, too. I love this dainty owl printed skirt from Francesca's.


date: 14 April 11 | occasion: I did nothing today!
blazer: Organic by John Patrick | skirt: c/o Francesca's | shirt: Trouvé | belt: Target | loafers: Savers | necklace: City Wide Garage Sale

Part of "Amp it up April" is to add to my closet more thoughtfully (this includes purchases and courtesy items). This blazer and skirt are great examples of how I'm doing this. The blazer was gulp inducing expensive. Originally priced at $495, then marked down to $347, and marked down one more time to $148.50, I bought it. I bought it after I got a 50% off coupon to Otte from Refinery 29 Reserve! It's "ethically produced", made from organic cotton, was made in the US, is fully lined and fits me perfectly. I expect to wear this blazer for the rest of my life. Expect to see it practically non-stop this fall.

The owl skirt is priced at $38, which is a hair above what I'd pay for something similar at Forever21. It gains my seal of approval because it's much higher quality than what's on the racks at F21. It's fully lined, constructed impeccably, and made in the USA. I hope that it will remain in rotation long after the owl trend has died.

Haha. Who are we kidding? The owl trend will never die.

What about y'all? What makes you pay more for an item?

Francesca's is now offering Adored Austin readers a great deal!

PROMO CODE: ADORED for 30% off one regularly priced item
FROM: 4/18-4/30
FREE SHIPPING: Monday, April 18th

Winner: Wanted Shoes giveaway

With over 330 entries, it was so awesome to see my shoe box full of the names of so many women wanting Wanted Shoes.

Congrats to the winner! I wish you all could have won! Thank you so much for entering. A huge thanks goes out to Wanted Shoes for providing such a great giveaway. My yellow Wanted wedges are fast becoming my favorite shoes. I'm still working on my post pregnancy shoe (re)collection project, and I have my eye on these, these, these, and these.

Winner: Friends of Naturalizer

Thank you so much to everyone who voted in the Friends of Naturalizer giving campaign last weekend. Adored Austin readers voted, and WaterCan was the organization that garnered the most votes, total. Boys & Girls Club (the Adored Austin favorite) and The World Wildlife Foundation will each receive $1000 from Naturalizer, and one lucky Adored Austin reader who took time to vote will receive a $100 gift certificate to use online or in any Naturalizer store. The winner is...

Kristi N. Congrats, Kristi! Thank you Naturalizer and everyone who voted!

What would Tyra say?

Do you watch America's Next Top Model? Much to Chris' chagrin, I do... and I love it! I spied these strange pants in the Love21 section of Forever21 and had to have 'em. I think Tyra would have liked them, too, but when looking through my "film" from my outfit photos she would have said, "Girl, you did not smile with your eyes and your film was full of dreckitude! Where's your fierceness? We did not get a single. Usable. Shot." She would have then sent me back to loft to pack my things and to be sent home.



date: 12 April 11 | occasion: city seminary & snowcone meeting
tank: Old Navy | pants: F21| watch: c/o TIKKR | wedges: c/o Wanted | scarf: DIY (instructions)

My new friend Jessie and fellow ANTM watcher and I were joking the other day that Tyra should do an America's Next Top Model style make-over on a few style blogger (*ahem!* And by "a few style bloggers" we meant US!) I would totally accept a Tyra mandated make-over. I wonder what she'd do to me. Probably chop off all my hair and put a gap in my teeth, right? I say bring it on. She says:

A quick note

[enjoying my first snowballs of the season last night: mango & peach with chili powder, necter & almond with cream... yum!]

I have an audition this afternoon, so I'm prepping for that today. When I get home, I'll be doing the drawings for the two most recent giveaways. I'll Tweet and let you know when those go live. I tweet at @adoredaustin.

I'm in hippie denial

I had a home birth and I use cloth diapers on Jude, but I swear I'm not a hippie. It's hard for me to explain this to people, especially when I wear stuff like this:





date: 11 April 11 | occasion: Domain shopping
dress: maternity gift from ThreadSense last summer | vest: D12 gift from Langford Market| headband: c/o Accessorize | wedges: TxSCC gift from Wanted Shoes | bracelets: Ten Thousand Villages | owl necklace: City Wide Garage Sale | sunglasses: SoLa | Jude's Texas teether: Little Sapling Toys | Jude's cloth diaper: Best Bottoms

Watch for this vest to appear on the rest of the Delightful Dozen. I sent them out yesterday, so I'm excited to see how it gets styled by the other eleven ladies.

Regarding this whole "You might be a hippie mamma if" thing... for the record, I still shave my pits and legs, I still wear a bra, and I do still eat meat. I haven't gone full blown hippie, yet, I promise.

Shazam!

I can smell who owned this dress before me. And she smells good.




date: 10 April 11 | occasion: Austin City Life, BBQing
dress: Buffalo Exchange (Kimchi & Blue) | cardigan: BDG- Urban Outfitters| belt: Buffalo Exchange- vintage Neiman's | watch: Goodwill- Michael Kors | sandals: thirfted, Savers

I have been intermittently working on organizing my closet since January. Since January! It's been a frustrating project, but I suspect I will finally be done later this week (I'm just waiting on some hooks for my new jewelry pegboard). I estimate that I've gotten rid of 50% of my closet, and I have loads of stuff to take to Goodwill and Buffalo Exchange. I took a big 'ole laundry basket full of things to Buffalo Exchange Saturday and walked out with two dresses, one beaded jacket, a pair of red jeans, and $70 in my pocket. This lovely floral frock was one of the new acquisitions.

The girl who owned this dress before me smelled great! I washed the dress, but her stubborn perfume is still on it. I need to figure out what it is. I wish there were a Shazam app for scents. I'd totally let my phone sniff my dress and tell me what the perfume is.