to toms or not to toms

to TOMS .....or not to TOMS

that is the question

whether it is nobler in fashion to suffer the pangs of stilettos

or to take arms(and feets) against a wave of foot discomfort

i have mixed feelings about toms shoes.

i love the cause, love that the company was founded by a texas guy, and love the comfort factor. the style of them on the foot(or at least my foot) not so much.

every time i try them on- it looks like a band aid gauze type thing- wrapped around my foot. i also am short and tend to look stubby(is that even a word) in flat shoes- plus my feet are small- sometimes that whole combo turns me into a oompaloopa from willy wonka. yes i have issues. i love the feel of comfortable shoes but not necessarily the way they look. and of course i love heels but hate the way they feel on. such a fashion dilemma!

so when i saw the toms new wedges- i was thrilled- comfort and fashionable- now this i can get with!

how do you TOM?

are they your fashion must or fashion bust?

finds

i heart hats, headbands and especially flowers in the hair- so bohemian, so chic

always been a flower child, always will be...

le blog de betty

ali macgraw- the only woman to this day that made me ever wish i was a brunette.

(sorry brownies- blondes do have MORE fun)

why are you so classic, stunning and enchanting-what is your secret alli? do tell!

vogue archive collection

little dailys' beautiful pic

i would love to hang this photograph in my house

my favorite toast

introducing

TOAST

this uk based clothing and home accessories company never hesitates to take my breath away. their gorgeous photography and natural laid back clothing has such an easy vibe. it makes me want to run across lush green lands in ireland.....or at least take a bike ride to white rock and have a picnic by the lake:) their catalogs are beautiful- sign up online for one- i promise you won't be dissapointed.

take a look at some of my fall toast favorites...beauties i tell you...beauties

how do you like your toast?

weekend tid bits

this weekend was busy but filled with friends and fun!

a couple of random weekend revelations.......

when it's raining, still dark outside, and your alarm goes off for your 8am yoga class on saturday morning sometimes sleeping in is completely necessary

visiting grandma at caruth haven is more fun than you expected! hello afternoon bingo

when you've gone a week without dairy -the bob armstrong dip at matts' ranchero in lakewood tastes like the richest dessert ever. i could barely eat my normal chip to dip ratio...important stuff folks...mas importante

when grocery shopping at central market and they ring the bell for fresh guac- run! tay and i had the fight off the masses to get our one(ok make that two) samples

sometimes the message at church hits home and is exactly what you needed to hear-this particular message involved my favorite verse

^{Isaiah 40:31}

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

on sunday-sitting on swings next to my husband,at the park down the street, basking in the beautiful weather was the most innocent fun i've had in a long time(most of my fun involves illegal activities;)

even though you are exhausted and made a promise to one another to go to bed early....mad men is always worth staying up that extra hour

believe

if you are a worrier like me- sometimes no matter how much goodness is overflowing around you- you doubt, or loose sleep over the what ifs which 99.9 percent of the time NEVER happen. this simple post it message inspired me. check out operationbeautiful.com- very powerful!

have a great weekend ladies and gents!

punch of color friday!

PURPLE

is a general term used in English for the range of hues of color occurring between red and blue

In human color psychology, PURPLE is also associated with royalty and nobility

(stemming from classical antiquitywhen Tyrian Purple was only affordable to the elites)

i thought you might need a pop of color to get you going this friday! is it me or does anyone else seem to suffer from end-of-the-week-tired-itis syndrome? i know i'm suppose to be excited that it's friday- TGIF yall BUT i'm usually just tuckered out. good thing i believe in color therapy, feng shui, bikram yoga, and overall good design. nothing get's me going like a hotter than HE-double hockey sticks yoga class or a beautifully designed and functional space. i always tell my husband (he doesn't really understand why i obsess about visual details) when i walk into a room at home and it's tidy and clean -INSTANT fresh oxygen to my being. i can let out a breath of fresh air~as if everything is right with the world. these rooms below- with the lovely addition of pops of purple take my breath away.

i adore the simplicity of this room

can offices be sexy?

ones will don draper and can- that's what she said

well this one rocks my world!

deep plum relaxes me

if i had a second home(one can dream),

a cabin escape to nature if you will-my bedroom would look like this

the combo of gray and purple is splendid and posh

the purple ceiling elevates the dining experience

want to see how spot on your color is?

explore your colorstrology with pantone

pretty spot on! how accurate is yours?

i think purple is a brave color. you have to have style to pull it off.

whether you wear it or design with it. this quote illustrates it best-

“Fashions fade, style is eternal.”

Yves Saint Laurent

overwhelmed

do you ever feel extremely overwhelmed by things out of your control? do you put so much into a project and then when something doesn't go your way or the way you envisioned it you want th throw in the towel? to give up? i have been extremely frustrated lately with a certain BIG project (can't reveal the details yet) that i'm working on for my design company avdesign. not only has it set me back weeks- i've been set back months!?! i'm trying to remain calm, use my yoga breathing, be patient but honestly i want to hit my head against the wall like a crazy person! i'm already a control freak, perfectionist and massive worrier- just one more thing to add to my list -right?! well i could see a bit of the forrest from the trees when i ran across this awesome message in the blog world. i hope it gives you some much needed peace and perspective- i know i needed it.

i heart alternative apparel

i heart alternative apparel for so many reasons....

first

i adore the lux look to their oh so comfortable glamorized tees

second

their style and glamour goes beyond just tees- their beautiful collections also include skirts, pants, hats, and accessories! oh and even eco friendly YOGA pants?!! hello-right up my alley!

third

their colors are FAB! not just your basic white and black

but also lush greens and deep hues for fall and winter

fourth

hello this cowl neck sweater is reason enough to curl up at a cozy coffee shop and get to reading...

which happens to be one of my favorite chilly weather activities

speaking of coffee- have you been to pearl cup yet? run as fast as you can-it's delish!

and last but not least

so if i haven't convinced you yet- you have to check out alternative apparel.

this is coming from a die hard american apparel girl~i may have just made the switch!

new rug, warm home

yesterday evening taylor and i came home exhausted from crossfit and we found a large package(insert pervert laugh here) on the porch. suddenly i wasn't tired anymore- i felt my designer instinct kick in, my second wind if you will, because i knew that our new FLORA / MALACHITE ANGELA ADAMS RUG had arrived!! it warms up the space of the den so much- it just makes it that much cozier. today especially-i am so grateful to have a space to call my own- a home for my family- me, tay (the handsome husband) and our baby lee lou. i love how adding one element of design breathes fresh air into the space. it comforts me- i don't mean to get all sappy but i just adore good design- it puts the breath in my lungs and fire in my pants...wait that doesn't sound right- but you know what i mean. because i was on a kick- i also did some rearranging of the guest room. taylor helped me hang pics and patiently put up a new shelf. i was on a serious design high last night and although it embarrasses me to admit it i was so excited post house make overs i couldn't sleep. i love my day job as a graphic designer but incorporating interior design into my repertoire is something i could seriously get use to!

lee lou loves the new rug!

sorry so blurry- iphone pic

from left to right- a pic from santa monica beach(fish eye lens cam) when we lived in la, fun shots we took on our honeymoon on our balcony,a vintage brownie camera a friend gave me as a thoughtful bday gift,

a pic from college i took in my first photography class

i loved this hand dyed scarf so much i had it framed

found at western otter

hand made by an extremely talented artist r.landoll(sp?)

lovely lunch

i usually don't have time to take pics of my food my less whip up a pretty salad such as todays but when i do- i've decided it should be celebrated. heres' to not eating over the counter with the fridge door open post workout in all my sweaty glory. hey it happens. this lovely salads' ingredients were simple to throw together- spinach, balsamic dressing, celery, 1/2 green apple, crushed pistachios, 3 dried cherries chopped into tiny goodies, 1 turkish fig sliced thin, red onions- the baby ones not the bigger sharper tasting ones- that's it! easy- peasy- beautiful cover girl salad:)

happy 8 months luke!

this little guy changed our lives when he was born in january and hasn't stopped fascinating us since. happy 8 months of life to you mister!!! your aunt alli loves you!

scared

i'm not gonna lie- the 10k i've decided to run is rapidly approaching and i'm scared. i've even thought about backing out BUT i've made a commitment and i'm going to stick to it even if that means crawling across the finish line. so i've run over 3 miles a couple of times weekly but i have yet to run the full 10k(6.2 miles). this is my next hurdle. taylor has promised to have COLD(that is a must - warm tastes nasty) coconut water for re-hydration on the sidelines. however- i don't even know if that is going to be an issue since it will be 7:30am and the temp outside will still be cool. i mean come on- i do bikram yoga daily- i can run 6 miles - right?! i just need some confidence. originally i was doing this run with a friend but she had something come up and had to back out:( so needless to say- i'm on my own on this one. even the hubby won't do it with me. oh well- i guess it will make me that much more committed. i was talking to an experienced runner friend(she does full marathons people) at yoga this morning and she said ' i always get wasted at that race' meaning after because apparently they have the best beer. who knew the after race drinks are such a motivation to runners?! well i'm more motivated by my after meal race- i'm not gonna lie but a frosty brew might inspire me too. really what i've been craving lately is kombucha but no dice on that one. they are temporarily out of stock. bummer!!! i miss it so much i think i'm addicted. let's keep our fingers crossed- that i make it across the finish line and kombucha gets back in stores asap! toodles for now~

found

hello and happy FRIDAY!

what do you love?

i love yoga, typography,estate sale finds, movie night with the hubby, design and BLOGS/BLOGGING! what do i love even more than blogging? reading other peoples' blogs. and what do i love more than reading other peoples' blogs? finding NEW blogs! here are the brightest and best from this week.

i hope you enjoy my new favs as much as i do!

meet

DESIGN LOVE FEST

where type and images totally make out

i love it

introducing jill of

JILL'S GOOD LIFE FOR LESS

the lovely and stylin' stay at home mom whose mission in blogging is to inspire women of all ages and walks of life to look and feel their best no matter how small your budget is

and last but not least

STERLING STYLE

a girl after my own heart.......highlighting her loves of fashion, fitness and food

probably the best trio ever-right?

scent of a woman

the scent of a woman is a very powerful thing. i remember at my first job out of college as an art director at an advertising agency, i had a major crush on this older creative director. i thought if my wit and charm didn't catch his attention my perfume would. i can't believe i'm admitting this but i would go to the bathroom with my travel size ed de perfum and practically showered in it, spraying it like it was my lifeline. then i would proceed to walk by his office and casually smile as i went by. it was as if the perfume gave me this new found confidence.

well times have changed! don't get me wrong-i still love perfume- i just choose different scents. i use to love musky, amber, sexy tones for day and night. at this point in my life i can't stand to wear anything heavy during the day. occasionally i will use wear stella at night if we are going out but now i prefer light fresh scents. i will leave you will some of my perfume history. my resume scents if you will. my portfolio is looking strong:)

whoo- ah!

quelques fleurs

i wore this in high school freshmen year of college

i actually met my best friend in college walking on campus

because she smelled it on me and asked what perfume i was wearing

we became besties and she convinced me jivago was a much better perfume than quelques fleurs because it was from neimans' and had flecks of 14k gold in it. duh. i made the switch immediately

tom ford, black orchid

skip to after graduation

i began to wear more womanly sexy musky scents.

these were my man hunting days. taylor had broke my heart and i was on the prowl. blame him- it was all his fault

my all time favorite- stella

(confession: this is what i used to catch the creative director :)

i still wear it when i go out

alien by thierry mugler

i got this perfume from my bestie for a christmas gift one year-thanks gabby! when i first saw it i remember thinking the bottle was so strange but the scent intrigued me

tocca- aqua profumata amalfi

enter present day- this is a light scent with hints of jasmine and violet. it makes me feel feminine &

clean- especially in this heat

pure by dkny

i love the bottle and i LOVE the smell! the packaging is organic, it's light and sweet

and it was made in collaboration with CARE.

CARE is a humanitarian organization fighting global poverty- all together it is pretty awesome!

gap grass body mist

i don't know why this last one embarrases me a bit but it does. maybe because in high school i wore the heaven scent and now i'm thirty and wear grass. but honestly i adore the smell. it is so clean i practically perk up when i smell it. added bonus- super affordable and i don't feel bad toting it around at the bottom of my purse. it also helps to get the 'i've been at a coffee shop all day long' expresso/coffee bean smell off you when you leave your second office. oh wait that's just me :)

what about you ladies and men- what is your go to scent?