twinkle toes

I went bowling last night for the first time in a loooong time and I had forgotten how fun it can be. Also, I was reminded how much I've always wanted to steal a pair of those bowling shoes.

matchbook magazine

If you haven't checked out Matchbook Magazine yet, I strongly suggest you do. Matchbook is a new monthly online mag that covers everything from clothes, to travel, make up and food. It's such a fun and well designed publication to read!

have a wonderfully marvelous weekend!

Oh Liza.

valentine's day ideas {for him}

Sometimes it can be difficult shopping for our male counterparts, however, I have devised a list that should meet any man's approval. If he's adventurous The Rare Beer Club would be a great way to go. I personally like getting sentimental gifts like the Rob Ryan lasercut, but one can never go wrong with a video game or a book of his interest. Happy shopping!

1.Can We Shall We Valentines Lasercut; 2. Diesel Watch; 3. The Rare Beer Club; 4. Sovereign Beck Pinstripe Plaid Cotton Neck Tie; 5. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood; 6. Men's Aviator Ray-Ban; 7. valentines balloon card; 8. shaving sets; 9. slaughterhouse-five tee; 10. The Complete book of Butchering, SMoking, Curing, and Sausage Making ; 11. The Brewmasters Table ; 12. cannabis santal; 13. Handsewn Slippers; 14. Classic leather wallet

valentines day ideas {for her}

Ah, Valentine's Day. I don't get overly excited for this holiday, but I have noticed quite a few cute V-Day items floating around out there. While I don't believe huge gifts are necessary, there's definitely a few on this list that I wouldn't be opposed to receiving. And don't worry ladies, I'll have a ideas for him tomorrow.

1.St. Germain Elderflower liqueur; 2. Textured Trim Snood; 3.ban.do heart headband; 4. Strawberry Stripes Bar; 5. Candy Heart Dish; 6. pride and prejudice tee; 7. heart soap; 8. viktor & rolf flowerbomb; 9. floral heart print; 10. brass & glass necklace; 11. Vintage Peony Candle; 12. come to bed red nail polish; 13. Stella Mccartney romper; 14. I love Macarons

rainy day delights

There's nothing like a good movie and some mint tea to brighten up the rainiest of days. Now we may not have discussed this here yet but I could probably survive on a diet of period films and english literature, particularly of the Jane Austen persuasion. There's really nothing like delving into one of these sweeping love stories, and a rainy day really brings the cravings out.

Pride and Prejudice is probably my all time favorite. What girl could possibly read that book and not long for their own personal Mr. Darcy? When it comes to the movie version I have trouble deciding between the eye candy of the hollywood version with Keira Knightly and the six hour, painfully accurate BBC version. Both are wonderful, but the BBC version has one definite plus and that is most certainly Colin Firth. Oh yes, ladies, I believe you know what I'm talking about.

Sense and Sensibility is another favorite of mine. Every time I watch it I want to immediately move to an English country cottage, read Shakespeare's sonnets and wear large feathered hats. If only...

ban.do

I am so in love with ban.do's accessories. Their colors and styles are so fun for any girly occasion, but I'm particularly excited for their Valentine's Day inspired collection. How cute are those heart shoe clip ons? Sometimes Valentine's Day can really bring out the girly side in me, hearts, sequins, tule, pink, I simply can't help it.

jane eyre

One of my favorite books ever. So excited!

iron and wine

Iron & Wine's new album, Kiss Each Other Clean, comes out tomorrow and it seems quite different from their previous quiet albums. The awesome album art is done by The Heads of Sate. They're coming to the Trustees in April and I just bought tickets, so i'm pretty excited.

the double knot

So I heard about this cool "double knot" hair style a while ago and have tried to recreate it numerous times, each with no avail. I found a tutorial for it on This is Glamorous today and I'm going to try it later, we'll see if it works this time.

kristen stewart in vogue

Ok, I can't decide whether I really like Kristen Stewart's attitude and aversion to fame or if I find it completely obnoxious. It's definitely refreshing to see some of "young hollywood" that's not going to rehab every other week, I just wish she were a little more pleasant in interviews. That's not so hard to ask right?

Anyway, there's no denying that she's gorgeous, I mean look at her in February's Vogue. She looks amazing and I love the Proenza Schouler wardrobe. Especially that floral dress, so flattering and chic.

zunzi's {nom nom}

It's common knowledge that Zunzi's is one of the best {if not the best} lunch establishment in all of Savannah. Owned and run by a husband and wife team {she is Italian and he's South African}, it offers an eclectic menu of food from lasagna to shepherd's pie to the most amazing chicken sandwich ever : the conquistador. It's also home to my favorite hummus and sweet tea {or african sweet tea, as it's called}. If you live in Savannah and you've never been, you're crazy and you need to go now. If you're visiting, this is probably one of the best meals you'll have while here.

PS. When they ask you if you would like the special sauce on top of your sandwich, the answer is always YES. Trust me.

{photo via taylor takes a taste}

ashley meaders

Ashley Meaders is a graphic designer/event planner/crafter who has styled some of my favorite weddings and photo shoots. Her DIY style makes everything so personal and whimsical.

{check out some of her shoots for design*sponge 1,2,3}

new decemberists album! yay!

The King is Dead came out yesterday and it's another awesome album from The Decemberists, who can pretty much do no wrong in my book.

she & him - don't look back video

She & Him - Don't Look Back from Merge Records on Vimeo.

I'm a HUGE She & Him fan and, this goes without saying, a HUGE Zooey D. fan. So when I saw this video on D*sponge today I was super excited. The mid-century interior is so fitting for their style. Plus how cute is the dancing? LOVE.

ready for summer

Ok, maybe not totally ready for a bikini but I could probably get away with some of these amazing one piece suites from Anthropologie. They're so flattering and sexy, I mean look at the back on the second one! Luckily beach weather is a mere 3 months away here in Savannah.

can we talk?

About Olivia Wilde's Christian Louboutin gold studded booties? GOOD GOD they were amazing. When I first saw her in that dress I thought it was beautiful but a little "promish" and then she lifted it up and I just about died. WANT doesn't even begin to describe it.

And Anne Hathaway in this Armani dress. Amazing. I mean I knew glitz and shoulders were going to be in for this awards season, but this really blew me away. So gorgeous.

j.crew spring 2011

Mother of pearl.

I know it's still only January, but lately I find myself longing for spring. These looks from the J.Crew Spring look book really aren't helping at all. LOVE doesn't begin to describe my feeling for these looks. I'm really excited about the neutrals and pale pinks and peaches. They're so lovely and feminine. Also I'm crazy about how laid back they are while keeping their signature classic look. Sigh. I can't wait, hurry up and get here spring!

zodiac change

So apparently there's been a change in the Zodiac signs. They've added a new sign for people born after 2009, Ophiuchus, which has basically messed up all the other signs. Their reasoning? A change in he Earth's alignment, causing a shift in the horoscope which has been around for 3,000 years. Now I am not a huge follower of astrological signs. I have a couple of books on the subject, but I've never memorized all the traits of signs or anything like that. However, I have grown accustomed to my sign, Virgo, and I have come to understand and relate to some of the "Virgo traits." Upon hearing that my sign is supposedly now Leo, I felt an unexpected sense of disappointment. I'm aware that this doesn't actually change anything about me, but it's strange nonetheless. I think I might just ignore this change and continue to identify with Virgo, Leo just doesn't feel right.

{photos via Tim Gutt for Vogue UK}

2010 pillow talk

Just incase you needed a reminder of all the pop culture phenoms of 2010.

pho realz

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been feeling a little under the weather lately, on top of that it's been pretty cold here in Savannah. These are the contributing factors to my current craving for Pho. For those of you that are unfamiliar it's a Vietnamese noodle/beef soup. Mmmm. Throw in a heaping load of cilantro and sprouts, a few drops of sriracha and it's one of the most delicious things EVER. Perfect for a cold day and for clearing out your sinuses.

pantone color of the year 2011

Honeysuckle. I like this. Yes, I like this a lot. It's actually quite similar to the color of my bedroom as a teenager {does that make me ahead of the curve?}. I will admit that when I heard the name "honeysuckle" I was expecting something yellow or creamy, not bright pink, but that doesn't really deter my affection for it. I must admit that lately I've been leaning towards understated colors, neutrals and muted tones. Blush, peach and cream have been all over my designs lately, but this may be inspiration i needed to go a little more vibrant in the coming months.

{also a delicious drink}

max wanger

I've been an admirer of Max Wanger's photography for some time now. His weddings are absolutely dreamy. After seeing some of his wedding photography, I knew I would never be able to settle for conventional nuptial photos. There's something so whimsical about his subject matter and color treatments, I just love them. Now he has a shop where you can purchase prints of his lovely images along with tee shirts and bags. I think maybe one {or both} should come home with me :).

day dreams {winter weather}

So they're saying we might get snow in Savannah tonight, for the second time this year. Does that not sound absolutely crazy to you? It hadn't snowed here since like the 80's as of last year and not only did we have some last winter, but now twice? CRAZY. After growing up in upstate NY a few snow flurries would never phase me, unlike southerners {you would think they had a blizzard coming their way.} If only it could look like this lovely photo of Paris during a storm. Dreamy, isn't it?

hominy grill {my happy place}

I've been pretty sick for the last couple of days and have spent much of my time on the couch watching football {or glee}, but when Jacob suggested we get out of Savannah and hit up Charleston, I quickly said "yes." You see, I know that a morning trip to Charleston means a visit to Hominy Grill, and I just can't pass that up no matter how bad I feel.

I try to convince someone to go to HG every couple of months. I start itching for their fried green tomatoes and shrimp and grits {above}. Now my love affair with grits was not an automatic thing when I moved to the south. At first I was indifferent, they were ok but I couldn't understand why people were so crazy about them. Then I had hominy's. It was an "aha!" moment for me. Suddenly it made sense. Now I order them as a side with breakfast all the time, but it all started here. The thing I love about this place is that it's so simple. The food, the decor, they're both warm and inviting, kind of like your grandmother's kitchen.

As for dessert, well I've mentioned their buttermilk pie in a previous post {because it's awesome}, but their chocolate pudding is also delicious. Next time you're in Charleston stop by this place, it's off the beaten path, but I promise you it's worth it.

music loves {jenny & johnny}

Lately I can't get enough of their album. It's one of those albums where you put it on and you have a hard time not smiling and singing along. :)

memorable moments of 2010 {the rest}

So clearly I didn't get my act together for these moments, next year I'll have to start sooner. Honestly, when I think of moments from the year that I want to remember the most, traveling is the first thing that comes to mind. Vacations seem to be the highlight, if I could travel all year long I would, I mean who wouldn't? If only I could have majored in "world traveler" in college.

Anyway, Jacob and I visited Asheville, NC for the first time this year and fell in love. I grew up around the Adirondacks so visiting mountain towns is kind of comforting. Aside from the geography, Asheville is an amazing place to visit if you're a lover of great food and beer, which, i needn't remind you, both of us are. Our vacations of late seem to turn into Jacob's quest for beer, which led us to Pisgah Brewery on Black Mountain, a great organic brewery. As for me, I'm happy wherever there's a lot of really great food, and Asheville certainly didn't disappoint. My favorites being Limones and the Thirsty Monk. Perhaps another visit in 2011?

One of my oldest and closest friends came to visit me this year which was definitely a highlight since we hadn't seen each other in 4 years! Ember lives in Phoenix so it's difficult to hang, but her visit was rad.

Next up: family vacation. This year for my mother's birthday {an undisclosed number} we went on a cruise to Mexico. I had never been on one and wasn't all that excited for it, but I was pleasantly surprised. The boat was beautiful, although I wouldn't really recommend Mexico as a destination. I had been there before and kind of thought it was not my fav and all my thought were confirmed on this trip. The problem with a cruise is they drop you off in the most touristy areas, there's no way to get a feel for the real culture or country, it seems like a waste. The best part of our stops in Mexico was when we asked our tour guide to take us to one of his favorite restaurants. He took us to an authentic place where we had tongue and pigs head soup which was delicious. Not sure I would choose to go on another cruise but it was still a vacation and so it still qualifies as a highlight.

After the cruise my family hung around in Cali. We went to San Diego where I was able to visit another one of my oldest friends, Aimee. We also got to go to the zoo {awesome}. Then we visited L.A. The traffic there is horrible, but it was cool to see all sorts of places I've seen in movies and on tv. We went to Beverly Hills at night and ate at Bouchon which was amazing. Plus Thomas Keller was there and Beck was at the table next to us, pretty cool.

The last trip of the year was D.C. We visited Jacob's family in Maryland for Thanksgiving and basically spent the whole week driving around the area. We went to D.C. twice, Baltimore and Alexandria. One of my favorite parts was going to the Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian, and that night we went to a Caps game. We also got to tour the White House which was pretty exciting.

So there you have it, 2010 in pictures. I can't wait to see what 2011 brings!