Fall 2013: Taupe and Blush

One of my favorite trends toward this season is fashion that leans toward a pretty, muted color palette of taupe and blush.  These items are extremely flexible because they work like neutrals in your closet, combining effortlessly with the brown, cranberry, hot pink, gray, cognac, and black pieces that are this season's staples.  Here are a few ladylike pieces for fall:

View this set on Polyvore

1. Old Navy embellished colorblock sweater  2. LOFT necklace tee
3. Pim + Larkin marquise earrings from Piperlime  4. The Limited ombre beaded necklace
5. Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polish in "Thank You"  6. Zoya nail polish in "Shay"
7. Dior Vernis nail lacquer in "Destin" from Sephora  8. Apt. 9 embellished neckline sweater from Kohl's
9. The Limited bird print blouse  10. Elie Saabeau de parfum from Beauty Boutique
11. The Limited boyfriend watch  12. GAP ballet flats

clicks of note: got to get you into my life

get your week off to a colorful start...

LISTEN.

• Paul McCartney's new album comes out this week!  Here's one of my favorite performances of a Beatles classic, "Got to Get You Into My Life."  Have you seen the Glee version?  So adorable.

SWOON.

Clayton Austin via Style Me Pretty

• Beautiful inspiration for a farm to table dinner party at Style Me Pretty.
• A party in pink and navy - one of my favorite color schemes - from Celebrations at Home.
• Loving this colorful fall home tour from Four Generations Under One Roof.
• Once Wed features a simple, romantic vow renewal in Norway.

SMILE.

• ABC Family kicks off 13 Nights of Halloween this Saturday.
• The Gloss rounds up orange and black wardrobe pieces - some totally work appropriate!
• Verily Magazine is committed to being photoshop-free and offering wearable fashion ideas - LOVE it.
• Wes Anderson fans: set photos from The Royal Tenenbaums from Luke and Owen Wilson's mother.

REFLECT.

• J. Dana Trent writes about how she and her husband keep their interfaith marriage strong.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I shared my favorite navy and orange wardrobe ideas for fall, rounded up my favorite photos of wedding cake pops from around the web, shared my photos from High Point Furniture Market as well as a what-to-wear guide, and put together a musical alphabet.
• Two years ago I rounded up some fun fall centerpiece ideas and shared photos from my first trip to High Point Market and a recipe for crock pot baked apples.

sunday simplicity: taste and tenderness

Elizabeth Anne Designs

“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn--that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness--that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.”

― Jane Austen, Persuasion

Linen, Lace & Love

clicks of note: contact high

get your week off to a colorful start...

LISTEN.

• I heard Allen Stone's "Contact High" on my local indie station last week and fell in love - something about autumn calls for blue-eyed soul in my world.  Here's a video of Allen performing the song live.

SWOON.

Lang Photographers via Ruffled

• Ruffled features a precious vintage-style elopement - can I borrow that Swiss dot dress?
• Check out this rustic burlap and lace wedding featured at Bonfires and Wine
• I adore this fall home tour from Jones Design Company - such unique and cozy modern style.
• Amazing romantic bridal hairstyle alert over at Style Me Pretty.

SMILE.

• The Busy Girl Nails Fall Nail Art Challenge starts today with antique gold as the theme.
• Need more game day fashion ideas? Here's Allison's blinged-out team shirt featured at Nellie Bellie.
• StyleCraze rounds up 10 berry lipsticks for fall.
• Obsessed with this Hello Autumn Playlist from West Elm's blog.

FLASHBACK.

• Last year I shared honey yellow and camel wardrobe ideas for fall, rounded up ponytails that are pretty enough to be wedding hairstyles, and recapped the #Septemberstories Instagram readers' challenge.
• Two years ago, I shared our indoor wedding party portraits, a peek at our cocktail hour, our outdoor wedding party portraits and couple portraits.

sunday simplicity.

Katie Stoops via Snippet and Ink

Casual Neutrals for Fall [high school reunion tailgate outfits]

In a few hours, I'll be heading back to my old high school football stadium stomping grounds to kick off my ten year reunion weekend with my classmates.  It's also the 50th anniversary of my high school, so alumni from throughout the school's history as well as retired teachers will be in attendance.  I had been brainstorming cute fall outfit ideas for a while and came up with four layered looks I was loving - and then Virginia decided to be 80 degrees in September.  So while I'll probably be rocking a t-shirt, jeans, and flats tonight, here's what I'd rather be wearing!

View this set on Polyvore

Tomboy:  Striped sweater (similar from J. Crew), bar necklace (similar from Piperlime), Nordstrom pave stud earrings, GAP destructed jeans, Merona riding boots from Target

Preppy: Madewell cableknit sweater (similar from Mango), J. Crew Factory herringbone excursion vest (similar from Need Supply Co.), pearl earrings (similar from ShopBop), mustard crossbody purse (similar from Macy's), Old Navy embroidered loafters

Edgy: Moto jacket (similar from Forever 21), House of Harlow 1960 button earrings from Piperlime, flared jeans (similar from Pink Mascara)

Diva: Old Navy t-shirt, Yumi glitter thread cardigan from House of Fraser (UK), Tory Burch stud earrings from Nordstrom, Fossil satchel, GAP leopard print flats

Which of these looks is your favorite?

my favorite high school TV shows [10 year reunion]

This weekend I'll be attending my ten year high school reunion.  I've been on the planning committee and the behind the scenes work has sometimes been frustrating, but I'm looking forward to reminiscing with my classmates.  As I've been thinking about my high school years (and especially high school Friday nights!), I've realized how much I miss my favorite TV shows from my teenage years!

1. Boy Meets World - Who didn't love TGIF?  I loved this show that followed Cory Matthews and his friends from middle school all the way through college.  My elementary school principal moved to the middle school with us, but unfortunately did not come to the high school or become the dean of my University.

2.  That 70's Show - I was a little young to appreciate the humor of this show when it first came on, but started watching it in syndication in high school and got hooked.  My favorite characters were the parents, Red and Kitty, because my friends pointed out that they pretty much were my parents - the sweet, nurturing but sassy mom and the sarcastic yet protective dad.  My other favorite character was Hyde, played by Danny Masterson.

3.  Alias - Special Agent Sydney Bristow became my idol and introduced me to the mind of J.J. Abrams.  When I was doing Tae-Bo in P.E. class, I would be pretending I was Sydney in my head.

4.  Buffy, the Vampire Slayer - Another show that I missed the first time around and caught on syndication.  We didn't have the WB, so I was excited when FOX picked this one up and I could finally see what everyone was talking about.  Before watching, I'd had no idea that Buffy had just as much humor as it did action and romance.  I've loved Joss Whedon's writing ever since.  And in case you're wondering, I totally shipped Buffy and Spike.

5. Dark Angel - I remember seeing the previews for this and how science fiction-y and cool they looked - Jessica Alba with a barcode on her neck, genetic engineering - it just looked awesome.  And it was.  This show got taken off the air way too fast, but on the up side, it gave us Michael Weatherly.

6.  E.R. and Chicago Hope - I was all about the medical dramas in the late 90's and early 2000's.  Dr. John Carter from E.R. was pretty much my favorite fictional character and the episode where he and Kellie Martin's characters got stabbed pretty much devastated me.  Isn't it amazing that there were two shows set in Chicago emergency rooms and both of them were crazy successful?

7.  The Guardian - this fairly short-lived show introduced Simon Baker as Nick Fallin, a Pittsburgh lawyer sentenced to community service at Legal Services for a drug conviction.  Between John Carter and Nick Fallin, it seems I loved stories about troubled young men when I was in high school.

8.  Survivor - I was really into Survivor for its first three seasons or so.  Survivor: Australia was my favorite and I got to meet "Mad Dog" Marilyn when she was randomly staying in a hotel where I was participating in a dance competition.  She told me to get over my crush on Colby Donaldson... but I occasionally flip over to that gun show he currently hosts.  Since I don't even like camping, I was kind of mystified by the idea that people would volunteer to fight for survival in the wilderness.

9.  American Idol and Making the Band  - I went to see From Justin to Kelly, and I owned an O-Town CD.  I think that's probably enough said.

10.  Even Stevens, Pepper Ann, and Lizzie McGuire - I was that weirdo who still watched the Disney/ABC Saturday Morning lineup in high school.  And loved it.  Breeze and I went to see the Lizzie McGuire movie.  We took her little sister as an excuse.  And come on, people, Pepper Ann had a character named Dieter Liederhosen.

What were your TV guilty pleasures in high school?

entertaining: a low-country boil on the lake

In my small town community, the annual wine festival at the lake is the official transition from summer to fall.  For the past two years, Mr. Q and I have been lucky to be invited to a lovely lake home in the evening after the festival for a low-country boil. One of Mr. Q's coworkers in the home decor industry handles the decorations for the party, and I love seeing how she is able to execute beautiful seasonal decor in different ways depending on the setting.  She's the mastermind behind the beautifully decorated showroom the company she and Mr. Q work for will present at High Point Market in a few weeks, and she used simple elements to create tablescapes for the party that blended a nautical theme with autumn traditions.

How clever is this centerpiece built around stacked flower pots and hurricane candleholders?  

Donna used real and ceramic pumpkins, silk sunflowers and leaves, artificial berries, and tulle and print ribbon along with orange fairy lights to make a garland for the buffet table.

The hostess, Vickie, created this centerpiece with real flowers and floating candles - it was so bright and colorful in person and looked amazing with the candles lit!

I can't think of a better place to welcome fall than at the lake!

Linking Up:
The Inspiration Exchange at Clean and Scentsible
The Scoop at Confessions of a Plate Addict
That DIY Party at DIY Show Off
Twirl and Take a Bow at House on the Way
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style