summer style.

 

 

I've been trying to avoid shopping and save money for a girls' trip to Savannah we're planning next weekend. The city has lots of vintage stores and fun, affordable boutiques, and I love shopping there more than I do here in Charleston. Plus, you can drink on the streets there. Bonus!

I've been making semi-obsessive shopping lists of what I need for my summer wardrobe. Which is basically everything, because I hate everything in my closet lately. I envision my summer look to be all about lace tops, loose tanks, cut-offs, boho sandals, striped maxi dresses, red lips, and a never-ending supply of cheap sunglasses. Maybe I'll even find a hat that actually looks good on me. Oh, and braids. Lots of messy, beachy braids.

What are you wearing this summer? 

friday music: freelance whales.

This song makes me happy. That is all.

glamping.

 

Todd and I are toying with the idea of going camping on Edisto Island this weekend. Believe it or not, I've only been camping once — and it was in a camper, which I don't think even counts. This time it'll be the real deal, with nothing but a tent and the cold, hard ground to sleep on. Well, maybe we'll get an air mattress.

My question to you is, what should I bring? I'm sure there are some things that could make this experience much more enjoyable that are slipping my mind since I'm a newbie. 

Also, I will admit that I'm a little concerned about being murdered in the night. We had an experience at a campground in Rome (random, I know) that's left me weary of sleeping with nothing but fabric separating me from the outside world.

good things.

Sometimes little things can redeem an otherwise crappy week.

Like pretty tulips beside the bed (even when they droop)...

and tasty, summery meals, like this shrimp cobb salad.

Not pictured: Champagne-filled Easter brunch with friends 

and a nighttime walk on Folly Beach with one joyful dog.

so pinteresting.

Sometimes I get on a roll surfing the interwebs, and I find so much awesome stuff I know I won't be able to remember it all. Enter Pinterest, a virtual, visual pinboard that helps me keep track of everything from recipes to design inspiration to stuff I want to buy. It's a bit like Tumblr, but more organized — perfect for anal people such as myself. I'm a little obsessed.

Besides helping me categorize the things I find online, Pinterest lets me browse finds from a big community of stylish pinners. Say I want to find a summery cocktail recipe, like I did a few weeks ago for a barbecue. All I have to do is search "cocktail" and I'm flooded with tasty recipes. I save my favorites in my "soif" folder and reference it when I'm ready to try something new. I've also used Pinterest to keep track of DIY projects I want to try, places I want to go, and art that I love, not to mention find inspiration for blogging. 

I was recently featured with a few other style bloggers for a spring looks feature. And if you comment on this post with your e-mail address, the Pinterest folks will send you an invite to the site. Let me know if you're ready to start pinning!

happy easter.

via eclectic recipes.

I'm hosting a little last-minute brunch in the backyard. Wish me luck! What do you have planned this Easter Sunday?

atlanta recap.

Sometimes I think you don't really get a sense of a city until your second, or even third visit. The first is usually a whirlwind of the must-see spots, while subsequent visits let you explore the hidden places you may have overlooked.

We stayed with our friend Phil, who lives in Brookwood Hills, last weekend. I could have spent all day walking around the beautiful neighborhood, but we also fit in an estate sale, a drive through Decatur, the Dogwood Festival, a Braves game (including drinks at the 755 Club), and much-needed trips to Ikea and H&M. One of my favorite areas was Virginia Highland, a cute, stylish neighborhood where we ate at Yeah Burger. I can't wait to go back and explore more of this big ol' city.

portrait of a hot dog.

Speaking of things that smell good, doesn't this hot dog make your mouth water? Susan got it at a recent RiverDogs baseball game — it's got bacon, onions, and barbecue sauce.

I love baseball games, even though I don't like baseball. I don't watch the game. I chat, eat, people watch, and drink beer (it's one of the only settings where I like PBR). RiverDogs games are especially lovely because of the park's picturesque setting by the Ashley River and the great menu of fatty foods like bacon-wrapped corndogs and funnel cakes topped with fried ice cream. Can't go wrong with that.

smellivision.

I wish my blog had smellivision, because Charleston smells freakin' amazing right now. Jasmine, honeysuckle, and all sorts of other flowers are in full bloom, and the scent is enough to knock you over. I love this time of year.

Photos taken on a dusky South of Broad stroll with my good friend Kate earlier this week.

atlanta: teaser.

I'm excited to share about our refreshing weekend trip to Atlanta, but this week is non-stop and I'm afraid it might take a few more days for me to be able to sit down and properly blog about it. Until then, here's a little teaser from the Braves game.

I hope you all are having a lovely week!

foolproof banana bread.

I'm still honing my baking skills. The last time I tried something a little bit complicated (chocolate cupcakes with Nutella icing), they didn't turn out and I ended up throwing a cupcake across the room. And then my dog ate it, and I worried that he would die from the chocolate. But he didn't.

There are a few recipes that I just can't seem to screw up, though. This banana bread recipe, for example, is so incredible forgiving. Last time I made it, I only used two bananas instead of four. I didn't have enough sugar so I added brown sugar to make up for it. I didn't have butter so I used margarine. I completely forgot the egg. And I threw in a ton of chocolate chips for good measure. As always, it turned out delicious. Next time you have some overripe bananas, don't throw them away. Make this.

frogger.

I met this little guy in my backyard yesterday. Isn't he the cutest? He patiently waited on the water hose while I filled up the watering pail, kept his cool when my cats sniffed him, and smiled when I poked my camera in his face. What a nice little dude.

This was after a lizard landed on my windshield and hitched a ride back to my house. But before I found a tiny snail riding on the cat's tail.

early bird.

via.

I've always been more of a night owl than a morning person. Getting up early for me is borderline torturous — there's nothing more painful than leaving a warm, snuggly bed before sunrise. One of the worst jobs I had, even though it paid good money and was easy, was nannying my senior year, because I had to get up before the sun.

But I will admit that the few times I've gotten up early (or stayed up really late) and watched the sunrise, it was amazing. Unless I'm out with friends having a late night, there's just not much to do once it gets dark, but there are hours in the morning that are totally wasted because I'm asleep. I want to start going to bed a little earlier and reclaim those morning hours. I want time to make coffee and eggs, enjoy it on the porch, walk my dog, and spend time with Todd (if I can get him out of bed) — all before even going to work.

Do you think it's possible to become a morning person if you're not one at all?

on not being lazy.

Today I worked out for the first time since before our wedding. Which was in November. I had such great motivation for so long that I didn't quite know what to do once I lost it, so I just stopped.

I lost about ten pounds for the wedding, and I've since gained it all back. I'm amazed I haven't gained more. It's been a fun life, eating and drinking whatever I please, plopping down on the couch whenever I get home. But it has to stop.

Something I realized when I was losing the weight is that it's really not that hard not to overindulge, to move around a bit every now and then. It actually feels pretty good. Better, in fact, than the opposite.

So here's to Jillian Michael's yoga workout DVD, running with my dog, walking the bridge, and riding my bike. I hope I'll be seeing a lot more of all of these things.

How do you stay motivated?

roots.

Some stories are just so much fun to write it doesn't even feel like work. For my article on Roots Ice Cream, a brand new Charleston company, I got to sample ice cream flavors like sweet tea, beet, hushpuppy brulee, strawberry cilantro, and "Coffee and Cigarettes" (coffee and tobacco).

If you're in Charleston, keep your eye out for them at local farmers markets and try the weirdest thing on the menu — and you won't be disappointed.

sangria.

 

Anybody know a good sangria recipe? Or just a good summery drink that can be made in bulk? We're planning a little cookout for tomorrow and I want to offer something tasty to drink. This prosecco sangria from Martha looks pretty amazing.

I also want mason jars and cute straws ... where can I get them? 

P.S. I just discovered that Design Sponge is a great resource for cocktail recipes, like the blood orange mojito and "Magic Juice."

goal-setting.

My goals for this weekend are quite attainable, I think.

• Show up early for the first Farmer's Market of the season. Sample ice cream for a story I'm working on.
• Long days lying on the beach. Pasty legs in dire need.
• Cocktails al fresco.
• Macarons. Lots of them.
• Make dinner for someone(s).

nerding out: jelly bellies.

Earlier this week, my newspaper helped put on an event at the S.C. Aquarium to raise money for relief efforts in Japan. There was plenty of food, drinks, and entertainment, but I was probably most mesmerized by these jellyfish. I pretty much had to tear myself away from their tank.

san diego.

Last year around this time, Todd and I made a semi-impromptu trip to San Diego. Tickets were only $150 — how could we pass that up?

It was my first time on the West Coast and I was blown away by the unfamiliar landscapes. We crammed as much as we could into four days, visiting Old Town, Del Mar, Coronado, La Jolla, Point Loma, and downtown, including a Padres game and a fun dinner in Little Italy. We even drove to the Mexican border, but weren't allowed to cross in our rental car.

We ate a lot, walked a lot, and fell in love with the town. It's a big city but it feels very friendly and approachable, and it's growing in an exciting way. Honestly, I liked San Francisco a bit more, but I can actually see myself living in San Diego. Is that weird?

I need another big trip in my life, and soon.

weekend/monday.

Things that made my weekend/Monday:

• Making spaghetti carbonara for girlfriends. And enjoying lots of leftovers. (I've consumed little besides cheese, cream, and pasta in the past 48 hours.) 
• Also, arugula. I can't get enough of it with olive oil, vinegar, and salt.
• Getting my hands dirty potting basil, mint, cilantro, banana peppers, and sweet little succulents.
• Almost staying under my $20 goal. The New York Times put me $3 over, but it was definitely worth it.
• Relaxing on the deck in the sun with the aforementioned paper and my lazy dog.
• Lots and lots of the Avett Brothers. Emotionalism, specifically.
• Learning to make cold-pressed coffee. (This may actually fit in the making my life category.)
• Long walks on the beach filled with plan-making followed by hotdogs.

I think I want to start a habit of making sure Mondays don't suck. Monday Funday, anyone?

blog love: kendi everyday.

I've given up on a lot of style blogs lately. They're fun to look at, but they don't really apply to my life in any useful way. Kendi Everyday is different. The Texas-based blogger posts daily outfits that are totally approachable and inspirational. Using pieces that I often already have in my closet, she builds outfits that I wouldn't have thought of on my own. And, like me, she's all about the bargains — she shops at Target, Gap, and Forever 21, proving that you don't have to spend a lot of money to look like a million bucks. 

charleston: the magic hour.

I've lived in Charleston nearly four years now, but I still regularly get the urge to stop in the middle of the street, pull out my camera, and snap pictures like a bright-eyed tourist. Traipsing around town on the French Quarter Art Walk last night, the light was just too perfect to resist, so I snapped away.

The Art Walk, like I said yesterday, is a free semi-monthly celebration of art in downtown Charleston. Galleries open their doors, lay out snacks, and pour glasses of wine or specialty cocktails inspired by the show. Some highlights yesterday were artisanal meatballs, Mississippi vodka, a fanciful collaborative show, a culinary bookstore opening, and lifesaver-flavored cocktails at a nostalgia-inspired show.

And for the record, I spent just over $6 last night on a small dinner at Jim 'n' Nick's Ba-B-Q. $14 to go.

dolla bills.

I'm not allowed to spend more than $20 this weekend. Seriously. I'm depositing my check, taking out a $20 bill, and sticking to it.

Todd and I aren't much for budgeting, but a recent look at our bank account suggested that maybe we should be. We (and by that I actually mean I) spend way too much on shopping and eating and drinking out. And the weekends are the worst.

Luckily, there's plenty of free stuff going on this weekend, like the Art Walk — a solid three hours of free art, wine, and food in downtown Charleston. Bike riding and beach walking don't cost a thing, last time I checked. And I have a kitchen full of food and drinks to keep me fed. I'm looking forward to the challenge, I'll just have to avoid a few places. Sorry, Target, we're on a break.

How much money do you spend on a typical weekend?