Style Lush

Project Inspiration: Jones Design Company

by Christina

I think it's time I share my favorite source for project awesomeness. Emily has a gift for taking the latest trends and recreating them herself and she then shares how she does it so we can, too. It's fantastic. Stuff you never knew you always wanted to make, like  flowers out of buttons or a wreath out of felt or a sweater pillow or, or, or.

She has a blog and shop named Jones Design Co, and she is a print artist and her work is available through her blog. It is all beautiful and affordable, as you can see here. 

Please check it out. Trust me, I'd not share something this great with you if it wasn't something that heats my ham. (Hot Ham!) If you've got an itch that only making something with your own two hands can scratch, this is the site to bookmark.

Jones Design Company. Sometimes a secret is best when shared.

{Photo credit:  jonesdesigncompany.com}

Blog Stalking: Jeana Sohn's Closet Visit

by Natalie

I'm the first to admit that when it comes to clothing, I am one of those who has a "Tuesday afternoon" lifestyle, rather than a "Saturday night" lifestyle (TM Susan Wagner.) My wardrobe consists of mostly casual clothing like jeans, t-shirts and cotton skirts and dresses, because those are all appropriate things to wear while chasing small people at playgrounds and wiping up spills from every surface in my house.

But in my dreams? I LOVE fashion. I'm a fashion blog-a-holic. I love the idea of dressing up for no reason other than because I feel like it, but I'm just not at a point in my life where that makes sense. To that end, lately I'm really loving artist Jeana Sohn's new site, Closet Visit, where she interviews people and takes photos of their closets and what's inside.

 
{photo of designer Clare Viver in her home taken by Jeana Sohn}

I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to seeing what people have in their closets; I think it has something to do with the fact that Jeana mostly interviews people who are in creative fields, and none of them seem to care one bit what others think of how they dress. They all dress eclectically for themselves and seem to view fashion as almost a hobby, which I love. I mean, it's not always terribly PRACTICAL, but who cares? I certainly enjoy the vicarious thrill at seeing what these creative women wear in their everyday lives.

Do you have a favorite fashion blog? Please share!

 

 

Blogs That Helped Me Get The Look

by Blythe

I am barely able to dress myself.  I mean, I can tie my own shoes and button my own jeans, but putting together an outfit (or, in Heidi Klum-speak: A Look) is a challenge for me. Until just a few years ago, I lived in a uniform of black pants/skirts and button-down shirts in the office or jeans and a long-sleeved neutral t-shirt on weekends.

I got hooked on a fashion blog or two and after participating in one of those take-a-photo-of-your-outfit-every-day challenges, I realized that it wouldn't hurt to pay closer attention to my clothing.  My closet was full of stuff I didn't really like but had found on sale, or that I'd been wearing for ten years and should probably be incinerated.  I started actually trying on clothing in a dressing room versus just grabbing the size medium in the darkest color available and fleeing the store. I bought a few tops in (gasp!) bright colors.

While I can't say the following blogs changed my life, they've definitely affected my wardrobe, and I probably wouldn't be writing here without them:

You Look Fab is written by Angie Cox, a Seattleite who appreciates interesting colors and comfortable shoes. I like her advice because she's open to quirky ideas but she's practical and classic. She also lives in a climate similar to mine, which is important if you're reading a blogger who uses her own wardrobe as inspiration.  Sundresses are cute but not when you live in a place where you don't actually see the sun six months of the year.

I was thrilled to stumble upon What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear? because I love Glee and I've coveted Emma's wardrobe since episode one. There's plenty of shopping inspiration here, and it's also interesting to see where the TV wardrobe people shop (hint: lots of J. Crew and Kate Spade).

Nerd Boyfriend was recently mentioned by Jason Kottke and as a big fan of nerd-dom and nerdy fashion, I'm loving it. Although I must quibble with the inclusion of Stef from Pretty in Pink. Not a nerd in my book.

The blog that started it all for me was Susan Wagner's The Working Closet at Work it, Mom! The Flickr pool was a great support system, full of funny, friendly people who were willing to tactfully critique one another's outfits in the best positive spirit.

While I am certainly not on the cutting edge of fashion, I feel like I've come a long way thanks to some good internet advice. I now own a bright green rain coat and I've had a couple of pairs of my pants tailored. Next stop: Fashion Week! (Or, well, some jeggings if I'm feeling brave.)

What (beside your all-time fave Style Lush, of course) are your favorite fashion blogs?

Currently Coveting: EmersonMade Clothing and Accessories

by Maura

Clothing, clutches, flower pins, OH MY. I stumbled across the blog and shop of designer EmersonMade today on Kaleigha's blog, KrameyMartin (one of our Bloggers with Style and blog designer!). And MAN, I am totally smitten. First of all, HOW CUTE IS SHE?! Second, and equally important, is that her designs are impeccable. Each one is simple but beautiful. I adore everything in her shop.

The EmersonMade story is also really cool. Emerson and her husband moved from NYC to a farm and run their business together. How dreamy (the farm and the husband!)! I'm thinking my Christmas list is going to have some EmersonMade love.

1. 1960's Jacket -- the Tweed, $238.
2. The Silk Ribbons Blouse, $188.
3. The Pockets Skirt -- Goldie, $158.
4. EM Old School Straight Legs, $178. She makes jeans! The talent!
5. The Poppy, $54.
6. Beautiful Blue Wild Rose, $54.
7. Leather and Brass Post Belt, $98.
8. Emerson Clutch Tiny Dots, $138.
9. School Bloom and Lucky Clutch, $74.

What is your favorite?

Fashion Bloggers and Why we Love Them

By Rachel

I don't know many women who don't love a good fashion magazine or show (America's Next Top Model might not be an award-winning show, but it's entertaining!) so it's not hard to understand why fashion blogging is really popular. If I had more style (and a bigger budget) I would love to have a fashion website like any of these gorgeous, ultra-fashionable women:

Jessica from What I Wore

My favourite looks:

Kendi from Kendi Everyday

My favourite looks:

Kim from Eat.Sleep.Wear

My favourite looks:

Who are some of your fashion icons and favourite fashion bloggers?
 

Meal Planning and Recipes on the Go

by Maura

I stink at meal planning. I have great intentions of sitting down and making up a weekly meal plan and shopping list from my outrageous collection of cookbooks and food magazines. I even found (through the lovely Kate) this adorable meal plan chart, a free download from The Project Girl. Each week goes by, though, and I have found something better to do with my time. Ok, not better, just different (catching up on old seasons of Lost).

[Image credit: the Project Girl]

Without planning out my meals each week, I end up surfing the net or using an iPhone App (more on that in a minute) to find something to cook EACH DAY. Can we say stressful? Which means I'm pretty much thinking about cooking -- or stressing out about cooking -- most of the day. And holy drain on the pocketbook, Batman! It's still less than eating out every day, but daily grocery shopping is a pain in the you-know-where and expensive.

I would love to challenge myself like Mike did on his blog, Made by Mike, to make one recipe each week using the cookbooks I OWN rather than web surfing. Mike is making one recipe a week from his impressive collection of Everyday Food Magazines. Instead, most days I email myself a recipe that seems quick and tasty and shop from the recipe on my iPhone on my way home from work. On days I didn't email myself a recipe or am no longer in the mood for whatever I emailed, I use the iPhone App from Epicurious.

[Image credit: Epicurious]

It is pretty simple to use and it wasn't expensive ($1.99, I think). I find it helpful that you can bookmark or save a recipe as your favorite and with a touch of a button you can create a grocery shopping list. My chief complaint? Well, they are Epicurious recipes. Sometimes there are THIRTY-FIVE ingredients for spaghetti. Maybe I exaggerate, but I'd like some 5-ingredient stunners once in a while.

What are your tips and tricks for meal planning?

Writer Round-up: Our Favorite Food Blogs

By Jennie

The ladies at Style Lush like to eat. We like burgers and pizza and French fries and cupcakes and thinking about what our last meals would be, too. We also (obviously) like blogging. Combine the two and we're pretty happy.

So, here are our favorite food blogs. Add them to your feed reader, and we promise you'll thank us later.

1. Manda says "Right now I'm working my way through the archives of A Year of Slow Cooking and rediscovering the joys of throwing dinner in the pot at breakfast time and having nothing to cook come dinnertime!"

 

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2. Amy, Elizabeth and Kerri Anne are all Orangette devotees.

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3. Jess says "I'll have to go with Kayotic Kitchen. Her recipes have an international flair (being in Gouda and all) which I really enjoy, her photographs are gorgeous and I have had success with everything I have attempted."

"For straight food porn, I love TasteSpotting. I have never gone there and not found something I immediately wanted to eat or cook."

4. Christina is a classic Pioneer Woman fan.

 

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5. Leah says, "I like to stick with easy recipes that I know a normal person with kids and a busy life (instead of a pro food blogger) has pulled off successfully. So although it's not strictly a food blog, my
favorite place to go for recipes and ideas is helenjane.com."

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6. Katie loves "Annie's Eats. Great food, great photos and I love the printable recipes! Most of her recipes are adaptions but I like that because that's exactly the way I cook and bake too."

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7. Elisabeth enjoys Confections of a Foodie Bride.

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8. Jonna's "very favorite food blog is Smitten Kitchen. Deb is also one of my favorite people on the Internet, too. She's funny, smart, down to earth and has an adorable little boy, to boot."

Maggie said, "I know there are a million awesome food blogs, but the only one in my feed reader is Smitten Kitchen. Those are some amazing desserts!"

(Natalie and Maura also voted for Deb!)

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9. Kerri Anne has "been experimenting as of late, trying to incorporate as many vegetarian and vegan dishes into my daily routine as I can, and thus far my favorite site for vegan recipes is Vegan Yum-Yum."

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10. Maura loves "to feast my eyes on Food Porn Daily."

11. Jennie (that'd be me!) loves many of the above but also My Kitchen Cafe and Ezra Poundcake.

***

What is YOUR favorite food blog?

Writer Round-up: Our Favorite Style & Design Blogs

By Jennie

Since we're a style blog, we like giving love to those other sites that inspire us. Here's a round-up of just some of our favorite style and design blogs. Check them all out immediately.  

1. Because I can never pick just one of anything (except husbands, thankfully), my picks are: A Cup of Jo, Design*Sponge (Natalie's also a fan) and Bright and Blithe.  -- Jennie

2. Creature Comforts -- Maggie  

3. The Brick House -- Elizabeth

4. "For really cool, off-the-wall stuff I ALWAYS want, I love Anna Viele's Commodity Fetishism section on ABDPBT." -- Jonna 

5. "Kyla Roma never fails to inspire me with her design-fashion-craftiness." -- Amy

6. Apartment Therapy -- Maura 

7. I Suwannee -- Natalie

8. New Dress a Day -- Leah (fyi, this is a great site we featured in our sidebar a few months back)

9. Chez Larsson -- Kristie

10. Design is Mine; Oh, Hello Friend; and Oh Happy Day -- Kerri Anne

11. "Karey Mackin of MackinInk is a curator and a Kirtsy editor who makes everything look and sound even more beautiful than it already is" and "for fashion it's always Friday Playdate, Susan Wagner. She helped me convert to a dress-wearer for everyday, which has been a lot of fun." -- Laurie

12. "Brooklyn Limestone. I just love Stephanie's home and style -- plus she throws amazing parties and travels like crazy so the eye candy is never ending." -- Christina 

13. Young House Love -- Jess

***

Tell us, what's your favorite design or style blog?

Creative Ways to Announce Your Pregnancy

By Katie

When my husband and I found out we were expecting our first baby, we couldn't wait to come up with a clever way to share the news with our families. We consider our chihuahua, Lola, to be our first-born child so we (okay, I) decided she would be the perfect messenger for our good news.

(Photo Credit: Me)

I ordered a custom shirt from miascloset on Etsy (I can't say enough good things about her) and Lola trotted out in plain view for my parents to see. It took a little while for them to get it ("You guys are getting a puppy?"), but eventually they did and were so excited to hear that their beloved granddog was going to be a big sister!

Some of my favorite bloggers have also come up with creative ways to share their wonderful "We're pregnant!" news. If you're not familiar with Janssen of Everyday Reading, you should know that she's a librarian in order to fully appreciate the ingenuity of her Date Due card. I love it!

 (Photo Credit: Janssen)

 

Another of my favorite bloggers (and fellow Marylander!), Katie, of From Magerks to I Dos, shared her very special news by wearing Mommy and Daddy 2010 tee-shirts. Imagine the reaction from family and loved ones when you walk in wearing those tee-shirts!

(Photo Credit: Katie)

How did you share your big pregnancy news? Could you keep the secret long enough to plan a big announcement or were you like us this time around and just blurted it out? Do share!

Friday round-up: Giveaways, perfume and a sponsor!

By Jennie

This was a crazy week for me, was it for you, too? But we had (per usual!) some great things going on at Style Lush. In the midst of snow and stress, this site makes me infinitely happy. I hope it does the same for you.

1. Maura knows the key to looking fantastic: the wrap dress. Seriously, I can weigh the equivalent of a beluga whale, and I'll still look presentable in a great wrap dress. 

2. There's still time to help Elizabeth decide what to do with her bathroom.

3. Writer round-up: favorite fragrance! (Why is it that I instantly feel prettier when wearing perfume? That's odd logic, right there.)

4. Maggie taught me what wealth corners are and asked for YOUR help in decorating hers. (So, go on, help her!)

5. A must-have: The Chicco Caddy Hook-on Chair. When a mom recommends a product like this, I usually go straight to Amazon, no questions asked. (Thanks, Jonna!)

6. Stylish camera bags!

7. There's still time (a few more hours!) to comment to win a cool ring from AutumnKind Jewelry. 

8. We have our first sponsor and I couldn't be more thrilled with who it is!

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Also, check out our Etsy Find of the Week (it's Celebrate the Boy month after all) and here are a few additional links you really should check out: 

- How to recycle old crayons (@kotoridesign)

- An awesome (and quick!) guide to many kitchen spices and herbs

- Valentine's may be behind us, but bookmark this easy and creative how-to for next year (@melissasummers)

- It's never too late for chocolate

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Tell us, what sites, posts or ideas are you loving this week?