Ring-a-ding-ding!

Mel's Antique Jewelry... I stumbled across this wonderful site today...and literally spent 1.5 hours browsing (aka drooling over) this stunning collection of antique jewelry. The selection of art deco, edwardian and art nouveau rings are to die for. These are some of my favs.

So fabulous....check out the collection at http://www.melsantiquejewelry.com/. Oh yeah, and there's an ebay store, too: http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Mels-Antique-Jewelry

The First Lady of Fashion

ooohh, MRS. O! I am absolutely loving the blog I just discovered...Mrs-O.org. It tracks Michelle Obama's style and gives you info about what she's wearing and tells you where to get it. I read about it this morning in the New York Times Art & Style section. I think the concept is really intresting because I'm obsessed with learning how companies are using blogs and social networking to market their products. If you are interested in blogging and viral marketing...definitely, read the article.

As a tribute to MrsO.org, here are some classic looks from the campaign trail...



This is my favorite!

A refeshing alternative to the traditional pantsuit

Sporting a trendy, sex-and-the-city-esque, ensamble
for the "daps" heard 'round the world!

Fashionista's in training...

Sarah Palin, eat your heart out!
Red carpet ready...you betcha!


See...smart CAN be sexy!

ahhh...Florida

Greetings from the Sunshine State!
Even though our move took place during the tail-end of hurricane season, we were fortunate to have avoided any major storms. So far the weather has been heavenly! The evenings are cool and dip into the high 30s, low 40s...and during the days it's been mostly sunny, mid-60s, low 70s.

A gorgeous, gorgeous day...

enjoying the beach in October:

Jacksonville Skyline:

The Jacksonville Landing Downtown:

Downtown St. Augustine:

WORK, WORK, WORK!

I just started my new job as Editorial Assistant for MASSAGE Magazine in Ponte Vedra Beach and I sure am glad to be back in the world of magazine publishing. (http://www.massagemag.com/)

Phil is working his tail off at A1A Aleworks (http://www.a1aaleworks.com/).

We both are low on funds but high in spirits as we continue to find our place in our new home.
I get homesick often, especially for my friends, but thanks to gmail and facebook and unlimited text messaging I am kept in the loop as much as possible.

My New Year's Resolution is to get back to blogging...things have been stressful and busy, but I'm dying to start again. Hope you enjoyed the pictures of our new hometown and the surrounding area. Cheers! xoxo

In Need of Some Hairapy?

I'll admit that I am in a HUGE rut style-wise. I think the fact that I’ve been living on my friend’s couch for the past 4 weeks has something to do with it. I am always quick to get ready in the morning. I have it down to a science, and the whole routine takes me under 40 minutes. But, lately I’ve been waking up and walking out the door in less than 30 minutes, and it’s definitely showing in my lackluster appearance.

Normally getting ready in the morning is something I love. So, I blame my newfound dullness on the fact that I’m moving soon, all my stuff is in storage, and I only have about 10 outfits to work with, and a very limited number of beauty products at my disposal. Top it all of with the fact that it’s not “my bathroom” and I am therefore "out of my comfort zone." Excuses, excuses…I know!

So, last night I went to the drug store to pick up a prescription and a few other things. While I was browsing, I decided to grab a bottle of Sunsilk Waves of Envy Sea Mist spray. It’s supposed to give your hair a “just back from the beach” look. I’d read about it in inStyle and Lucky Magazine, and because I'm moving to N. Florida in a few days, I felt inspired to see if a "beach" look would work for my hair. Plus, it was under $5, about all the makeover I can afford right now.

For the record, I have the world’s WORST hair. It’s dry, limp, pin straight up top, and wavy at the ends—plus it’s been died so many times, I have no idea what my natural color is. Dark brown, maybe?
Anyway, this morning was my first time using the Sea Mist spray. Here are the results:

I blow dried my hair until it was about 75% dry, and then sprayed it all over. It smelled really good—like sea salt and summer. It defined waves perfectly and gave my limp locks some volume. Sort of a tossled, I-don’t-care-I’ve-been-surfing-all-day, low-maintenance look. It says you can use it one wet, damp, or dry hair—I’m not sure how clean, dry hair would work. I can imagine it would be sticky.

By the time it dried completely, it was a little stiff, but looked pretty good. Not the sexy Jessica Alba-esque, Giselle-style waves I was hoping for, but pretty good for under $5!

If you have wavy or stubborn hair that requires a lot of maintenance, give the curling iron/straightener a break and pick up a bottle!

In case you are wondering, this is the look I was going for.

How much I look like these two women is yet to be determined...

So, It's Been Awhile...

Well the summer is unofficially over…and I still can’t believe it. I was trying to figure out how time had passed so quickly, and the reasons are pretty obvious. I’ll give you a quick recap in order to explain my sudden Blogging absence:

• I spent the beginning of July preparing for my big 2-week European Vacation. My boyfriend Phil’s sister lives in England and got married on July 18th. The wedding was at a gorgeous castle in Newcastle upon Tyne. The trip was incredible…
• We got back to the states on July 24th and I got very sick for about 3 days.
• On approximately July 27th Phil and I decided we were ready for change. Inspired by our amazing trip to Europe, we felt determined to “get more out of life,” and decided to move to Florida with no apartment, no jobs, no plan.
• On August 1st we put half our stuff in storage
• At noon on August 2nd, Phil left Baltimore with the other half of our stuff in a u-haul. Later that night I moved in with my friend Lauren, who graciously agreed to put me up for a few weeks.
• At 3pm on August 3rd, Phil arrived in St. Augustine, Florida. My mom’s best friend was nice enough to let him stay in their spare bedroom until he found an apartment.
• On September 5th, Phil got the keys to our new apartment in Jacksonville, Fl.
• September 12th is my last day of work. Phil is driving back up to Baltimore that day to help me take down the rest of our stuff. We plan to be back in Jacksonville on the 14th.

So, that is my hectic, chaotic life. To take my mind off the mayhem, I decided to share some pictures from my trip. A few for now, but there will be more to come. Enjoy!