Style

Lifesaver

by KT on July 13, 2012

In 2006 R & I had been dating for about 1.5 years when we were invited to a wedding for a friend of R’s. The friend & his fiance were registered at a lovely gift shop here in Charlotte. One that I happened to love window shopping in. So, when R mentioned he wanted me to pick out their wedding gift I jumped at the opportunity. It was during this particular trip to the gift shop that I was introduced to “possibly the most beautiful tableware in the world”, Juliska.

I knew right then and there that THIS was the place setting that I wanted to have when I got married. So, a year later when we were engaged I registered for the Berry & Thread pattern in white wash & pistachio. I also registered for the Graham mouth blown stemware.

I have LOVED these pieces. I love how simple, but beautiful they are. I love how since each piece is handmade they are all just a tad bit different. I love how they aren’t the run of the mill department/mall store brand. I love that they are easy enough for everyday, but still beautiful to serve on to company. I also love that two years later my cousin’s future wife (who has immaculate taste) unknowingly chose the same patterns. I love the family joke that subsequently followed.

What haven’t I loved?

Well….my silverware was leaving unsightly gray markings on all my pretty Juliska. After changing dish washing detergents, washing by hand, etc. I called Juliska to tell them about the problem. They said that I could turn all my pieces into the store where they were bought & get new pieces (pretty awesome customer service) or I could try a product called, Bar Keepers Friend.

Well….fast forward from 2009 to last Saturday when I finally decided to try this stuff out. You see, I knew it would be a project & I knew I needed a time when I was alone in the house to just ‘deal’ with scrubbing all 12 of our place settings & accessories. Then I wanted to switch out our everyday silverware with the nicer stuff that my mom got us for our wedding. I also knew after scrubbing I’d want to run them through the dishwasher. And…I knew R would HATE this project. So, while he went out to dinner with a client & then to get drinks with the guys on Saturday I hunkered down & got to work.

Did it work?

YOU BET IT DID!!! I cannot tell you how happy it made me to see my beautiful plates & bowls again. I had seriously forgotten how pretty my Juliska really is.

I know this stuff can be used for a whole host of other things so lovers of Bar Keepers Friend let me hear what you use it for! I can’t wait to try it in other areas around the house.

Also, if you’re getting married in the future I would HIGHLY recommend Juliska. It can be found at specialty stores, high end department stores like, Neimans & Bloomingdales, and online.

PS – I wasn’t compensated for this post by either Juliska or Bar Keeper’s Friend…I just LOVE both brands.

{ 13 comments }

Refreshing Weekend

by KT on April 23, 2012

I almost left town on Friday after work to go see my nephew, but I decided I needed to stay in town & get a few things done. I ended up having such a nice weekend. While I’m sad that I didn’t get some QT with my favorite little guy I think my body is glad I stayed in town.

Friday night REF & I went to watch The Bobcats play the Memphis Grizzles. We used my company’s corporate tickets and parking pass. The seats and service are great, but The Bobcats are working hard on becoming the worst NBA team in HISTORY! Our seats are directly behind the bench (where the owner, Michael Jordan, sits) & so we could hear everything the players and coaches were saying. It was hard to watch them trying so hard, but still come out losers. It still was a fun night & I recommend going to a game if you’re in town.

On Saturday morning I went to meet a group of blog/twitter friends. Christian was in town from Memphis & so we all decided to meet up at Pewter Rose to welcome her to Charlotte! In the picture above… From L to R you have Lauren, Adelaide, Christian, April, me & Annie. We were surrounded on both sides by bridal parties which was pretty fun!

Thanks for putting this together, April! It was so nice to brunch with you ladies!

After brunch I headed out to do some shopping for the weekend. REF & I are heading out in a couple days to Kiawah Island, SC for my college roomie’s wedding. We’ll be staying here at the Cassique Club Cottages with other members of the The cottages come with bikes & porches. I’m looking forward to early morning rides & afternoon cocktails on the porch! REF’s going to do a little golfing while I’m doing bridesmaids stuff so I think we’ll both be happy campers by the end of the weekend!

I ordered this Elizabeth McKay dress from Rue La La in spicy orange on April 12. I thought that I would wear it to the rehearsal dinner. Unfortunately, it STILL hasn’t shipped. So, I’m on to plan B. What is plan B? Well, I haven’t figured that out yet. I searched high & low this weekend to find a suitable dress that fulfills my requirements of being a classic design with a little fun, having both sleeves & structure, and is long enough that I can sit down & not be worried that I’m showing too much leg. Everything I tried on was too slinky or too short.

Hopefully I can find something by Wednesday. If not, I’ll be shopping my closet!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

{ 5 comments }

Get in Shape, Girl!

by KT on February 29, 2012

Thanks for all your sweet words, emails, etc. about my post yesterday. I really appreciate it.

Do y’all remember one of the best 80′s girl toys of all time, Get in Shape, Girl?

From Google Images

Basically, it was a series of exercise tapes. Now that I think about it they probably caused some self esteem problems in young girls. I on the other hand LOVED this toy. My parents used to have to get me a present on my sister’s birthday, because I was brat about her getting attention. Sheesh. My sister and I are hazy on who had what, but we are pretty sure between the two of us we had the boombox, ribbon (for ribbon dancing, oh yea), weights & possibly the balance beam. This was basically the best thing ever for my spastic self.

In case you need a memory jog on what this amazing toy is I found this YouTube video of a commerical:

Get in Shape, Girl commerical

So, what does this little trip down memory lane have to do with today’s post? Well, I have exactly two months to get in shape for this bridesmaid’s dress.

From: www.jessicamcclintock.com

The actual dress is in black, but for some reason the website doesn’t have a picture of black dress. Anyhow, I don’t typically wear strapless. In fact, it is save to say that I never wear strapless. I once owned a strapless top that I wore a total of 3 times back in 2004, but other then that – nada. This dress, however, is actually quite flattering. It isn’t so chesty. I will definitely need a spray tan, but the main thing that I want to work on are my FLABBY arms. My arms just really aren’t the most flattering part of my body. Normally I’m not that worried about what I look like, but this bride has some of the most beautiful friends you’ve ever seen so I don’t want to look like a troll up there.

So, I’ve decided on push-ups, tricep presses and putting in some time with my 2 pound weights. I think this combined with some yoga & power walking/running will help make some improvements to my arms in the next two months. Side note: I think I realized this weekend that there are yoga videos on Netflix. I am going to investigate this asap. If this is true my evenings just got a little more zen.

Any other suggestions that any of you lovely readers (all 3 of you) have?

I could really use the ribbon wand from Get in Shape, Girl though.

{ 9 comments }

I can see clearly now…

by KT on February 9, 2012

…Or at least I hope I will be able to soon.

When I was in 3rd grade I got glasses. I had been telling my parents that I couldn’t see the blackboard for several months, but I’m a bit of a hypochondriac so they took their time taking me to the eye doctor. I think my mom was a little shocked when I did indeed need glasses. I found out that I am nearsighted & have an astigmatism. I was a somewhat stubborn child & when I picked out enormous red frames (a la Sally Jessy Raphael) there was no stopping me from getting them.

Picture from Google Images

It should be mentioned that I have a REALLY small head and face. Like, abnormally small so it goes without saying that these looked AMAZING on me. I’ll need to dig up some pictures…

As I got older my eyes got progressively worse and in 6th grade my parents allowed me to get contacts. I was THRILLED. I was a pretty awkward kid and I could use all the help I could get. The day I got contacts was pretty much the last day I wore glasses for any extended period of time. Unless I am sleeping, very sick or very tired I have my contacts in. Having an astigmatism and wearing contacts means that you never truly see “20/20″, but I really don’t mind. I am so “blind” (-5.50 in my right eye and -6.75 in my left eye) that any vision correction is good for me.

So, when my contact ripped while I was out of town visiting my sister a few weeks ago I sort of panicked. I had my glasses with me, but they haven’t been updated to my RX in a few years. They would work in a pinch, but I knew I didn’t have any spare contacts at home. I went straight to my sister’s computer & ordered replacements contacts online. I even ponied up for express shipping. They would be at my doorstep the following Monday afternoon. Phew, crisis averted.

On Monday morning I got a phone call from the contact company saying that I had not been to see the eye doctor in over a year and therefore they could not fulfill my order. Ugh. I made and appointment with my eye doctor for the following Friday. That would mean almost a full week plus in glasses.

Well, today marks my 19th day in glasses, because I decided to take the plunge and make an appointment to see if I’m a candidate for Lasik eye surgery. In the past I haven’t been a candidate due to that pesky astigmatism & due to the fact that my RX kept changing. I’ve had a steady RX for several years and the technology has changed that some patients with astigmatism are now candidates. I decided I’d see what the doctor had to say. The only catch is that in order to be evaluated correctly by my doctor I have to be contact free for at least 3 weeks.

My appointment is Monday at 2:45pm. I’m both super nervous and super excited. Wish me luck!

{ 10 comments }

Heavy Topic…

by KT on December 12, 2011

Mascara

I have fairly big eyes and I tend to show my feelings through them. I also have very long, straight and blond eyelashes. This always poses a mystery for both myself, a novice make up ~~artist~~ user, & for real professional make up artists.

So, I’m constantly looking for mascara that doesn’t make me look like a fool.

This summer on Twitter there was some buzz about Benefits’ They’re Real mascara. I decided to pick it up. I ended up LOVING it. I had never bought any mascara other then drugstore stuff, so I was a little irritated spending the extra money, but it was well worth it. I thought it worked well to both curl and define my lashes without making me look too ridiculous. The one problem for me with this stuff was that it was incredibly hard to remove. I had to use eye make up remover, cold cream and face soap to get it off & I still felt like there was some left.

Photo from Benefit Cosmetics Website

Since I was SO pleased with this purchase I decided I would try the CULT mascara, Dior Show. My friends have been telling me to try this for years, but I was a bit nervous it would overpower my eyes. Since my first fancy mascara experience went so well I figured this mascara that folks had raved about for years must be the real deal.

Photo From Dior Website

How did it work? Well, it’s pretty good, but I have to say that the Benefit product wins this battle. While the Dior is easier to remove I don’t feel that it defined my lashes at all. I also found that my lashes stuck together which was a major bummer. Now, of course I’m using this stuff until it is 100% gone, because at $24.50 I have to, but I think my new favorite is going to be Benefits, They’re Real.

Now, just for fun here are some more big and expressive eye pictures for you…

What’s your favorite mascara & why?

I was not compensated for this post.  The opinions are mine & mine alone.

{ 1 comment }

Ahoy! It’s A Boy!

by KT on September 26, 2011

Disclaimer: This might be the longest post I’ve ever done. Also, it has A LOT of pictures.

Sunday I helped host a baby shower for my childhood best friend, MK. She and her husband met at Lehigh University her freshman year. They lived the city life in Manhattan for 6 years and after a quick time in Annapolis, MD they moved to Charlotte! I could not be more happy that they are close by.

Since they lived in Annapolis and picked up so many great nautical pieces while there they decided to do a nautical theme for their nursery. So, we followed their lead with our Ahoy! It’s a Boy! theme.

I used the awesome Willow House beverage dispensers that I got from Callie. She was right when she said I would want more then one! I wish I had gotten three, but luckily my mom had one we could use for the middle dispenser. I borrowed the mason jars from my friend, Kelly, and got the striped straws at Paper Source.

We got six cupcakes made at a cupcake shop and then the mother to be’s sister made a dozen more. I swear the homemade ones were better. The soon to be grandmother also made MK’s favorite dessert, but I didn’t get a picture of that before the guests gobbled them up!

We had croissants, chicken salad, tuna salad, a fruit platter, spinach salad with strawberries and pasta salad to eat. Then we had lemonade, tea, water and mimosa’s to drink! The food was wonderful! The little blue boxes above had chocolates inside and nautical theme stickers on them. They were a last minute addition, but ended up being super cute.

See the canvases? I painted those for the baby’s room. Thanks to Classic Annie for helping me with the design.

I’m actually really proud of those, because I really don’t have the patience for crafts (I’m learning). I can’t wait to tell that baby how much I ALREADY loved him to paint for him.

MK got so many lovely gifts. Her mother in law traveled all the way from New Jersey for the shower, which was really special.

We had all the guests bring their favorite baby book along with a gift. MK’s mom got her The Giving Tree.

Above are MK’s sister’s who are twins. They are so funny and have been buying this baby clothes since they found out they were going to be aunts!

The quilt above was such a special gift. A good family friend made it for MK and she also made MK’s bridal veil. In the corner of this quilt she put a piece of MK’s bridal lace. It made my mom and me weepy.

Back in February when I found out that MK and my sister were pregnant I wanted to do something fun for each of them. Well, I decided I would make a onesie of the dad to be’s favorite NFL team. I love the expression on MK’s sister’s face.

I thought these bibs were too cute! They say “I love my Aunt” and MK’s 3 sister’s had them monogrammed with their names on them.

This MK with her mom on the left, her mother in law on the right and her Mammie. I loved that there were 4 generations in this picture!

Here are the sisters! They are such a close set of girls.

I had to include a picture of MK and me, because we’ve been friends 18 years and we probably have 5 total pictures that we BOTH like the way we look. Every time we take a picture we joke that it will probably be terrible. This one is pretty good.

It was a great afternoon and I CANNOT wait to meet this baby.

{ 4 comments }

Party Dress

by KT on September 16, 2011

I had to go into Anthropologie the other day and I happened to take a peek around. I’m not normally an Anthropologie girl. My speed is more Lands End Canvas, J.Crew, Kate Spade and basics from Target. So, I don’t go in that store too often, because I look like a fool in their clothes. ANYHOW…I spotted the dress above. The first thing that caught my eye was the color. I LOVE green. Seriously, I could wear some sort of green everyday and NEVER get tired of it. It’s always been my favorite color to wear and to decorate. The second thing that caught my eye was the fact that this is my favorite style of dress – a shirt dress (see my blue shirt dress in header above). I like my arms to be covered, I like my chest to be minimized and I like my stomach to be camouflaged. I’m slightly nervous about the pleated skirt, but luckily the waist is the correct proportion on me so the pleats are okay.

I snapped this dress in the dressing room and texted it to two of my friends. They both agreed it seemed like a “me” dress. I want to wear it this weekend to my birthday party bbq. What do you folks think? Is it too boring for a birthday party? I don’t really want to wear jeans. I also don’t want to wear heels. I want to make this dress less anthropologie and more KT! I was thinking I’d wear a chunky bracelet and cute earrings and put on my TB sparkly gold Revas. Thoughts?

Happy Weekend & Enjoy the cooler weather!

{ 7 comments }

Rachel Leigh Bracelets

by KT on August 4, 2011

Last Friday Ashely at Sweet Southern Prep had a little blog sale for several Rachel Leigh Audrey Bracelets that she had picked up a good price. I’ve been coveting these bracelets for quite some time, but really didn’t want to spend the $72.00 on them. Well, when I saw that Ashley was selling them first come first serve for $35.00 I decided to get two.

We chatted over email and I sent her a paypal payment. I knew Ashley lived in Charlotte, but we hadn’t discussed meeting for me to pick them or anything. I figured I might get them in the mail this week. Imagine my surprise last Friday when I was outside with Winston when a cute girl yelled out the window of her car and asked if I was Katie. Ashley realized that she lived pretty close to me and decided to just drive the bracelets over and leave them on my front porch. I got to meet her sweet girls and we realized that we know a bunch of the same people. People, Charlotte is truly a small town.

I got the white and the pink. I’ve been wearing them together, but I think they’d look great on their own too!

I absolutely love my bracelets! Thanks you, Ashley, for hand delivering them too!

What do you think?