Easy Breezy

August 5, 2013

Santa Monica, CA

Oh hey- it’s Monday!

After a relaxing and or restlessly exciting summer weekend, I certainly know that it can be challenging to get back to the daily grind.  It’s the day of the week that poolside happy hour is abruptly replaced with early morning coffee, traffic, and a computer screen with 15 windows open at once. BLAH!

All that being said, I must admit…I kind of like Mondays. 

Whoa! Now, before you let your imagination run wild, I have to let you know that I’m certainly not a “morning person” or an “eager beaver” type.  I tend to think of people who like Mondays as being like that Rachel Berry character on Glee.   You know the type:  the girl who wakes up with a smile, makes herself a full breakfast, paints her nails, and still eagerly arrives 20 minutes early for work?  I am the polar opposite of that type.  Arriving to work even 5 minutes early, with enough time to zap that instant oatmeal or smear peanut butter on a bagel is a major victory over here.  So what’s my trick for getting going on Mondays?   I remind myself (some weeks more often than others) that Monday is the START of a something new.  It’s a day full of opportunity to start fresh, get back on that crazy diet, make those dolla dolla bills, and accomplish the world!

Now if that whole mentality sounds like a bunch of malarkey (HA! I love that word), then I find it always helps to reminisce about how great your weekend was and remind yourself that in just a few short days, you’ll be weekending all over again!

I spent most of my weekend down in Santa Monica in this perfectly summery Ruche maxi dress. It’s an effortlessly adorable piece that works for just about everything a casual beach weekend entails.  We brunched at a new local organic spot on Montana, caught up with friends and family over a delicious steak dinner near the ocean, ate chocolate chip cookies, relaxed by the pool, and found a new piece for my kitchen from the local flea-market on Melrose.  

Yup! The reminiscing thing totally works! 

So go ahead, tell your boss how fantastic your weekend was, mark the countdown on your desktop calendar till Friday, or simply remind yourself of each great thing you want to achieve this week.  Whatever it is that temporarily gives you that Rachel-Berry-on-Monday-morning enthusiasm…do it!

Dress: Ruche

Sandals: Some shop on Melrose

Ring: H&M (Similar)

Social Butterflies

August 2, 2013

Greystone Mansion & Park, Beverly Hills, CA

Owned by the city of Beverly Hills, this historic landmark, rich with history, and now widely used as a backdrop for a whole bunch of highly recognizable films and TV shows, it’s likely that you’ve seen this property (in some shape or form) before. That being said, though I am certain I have passed by this area almost daily, for the past 2 years, I never even knew it existed! I think it’s kept as a bit of a secret gem around this town, but it’s definitely well worth exploring. 

 With gorgeous views of the entire city, turtle ponds, beautiful gardens, and fountains, the landscape alone, is breathtaking.  The mansion, which we were unable to explore today, must be something entirely stunning of its own.  It’s honestly bizarre for me to imagine that this property was built for a single family of four in the twenties.  All I can say, is that those kids must’ve had some pretty amazing games of hide and seek.  I guess that’s what being an oil and gold tycoon will get ya!

Next time you’re in the Beverly Hills area, take a little detour, and check out this fascinating place. I’m oh so glad that my girlfriends and I decided to do just that on our way to lunch on this warm summer afternoon!

I am so excited that my beautiful pal, Sheena Graves, was able to join me today on the blog.  She is a dear friend and MODEL so I figured I would bribe her into posing with me on the way to lunch.  Almost all of the clothing and handmade jewelry that we have on today is by Michelle Roy of Social Butterflies.  If you haven’t heard of this company before, you should definitely check it out! I love her classically girly pieces (featured here) but she definitely has some edgier/trendy pieces as well.    

Kelly's Look: 

Dress & Necklace: c/o Social Butterflies

Heels: Forever21

Sheena's Look: 

Top: c/o Social Butterflies

Pants: Forever21 (Similar) 

All photos today were taken by the very lovely and talented Jennifer Biswas. 

Oh yeah, and HAPPY FRIDAY!! 

My Dream Concert!

July 29, 2013

Irvine, CA

When I heard that John Mayer was finally resurfacing to go on tour, I was elated!  It’s pretty wild that ONE person is responsible for so many of my favorite songs.  His work stems back to my early high school days and my affinity for his music hasn’t lessened a bit over the years.  That being said, up until this weekend, I had never been to one of his shows before.  I know, it’s kind of loco, but it’s the truth.  So when Eric surprised me with tickets to this past weekend’s show at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, I was PSYCHED!  Oh, and to top it off, Phillip Phillips, who I grew to love on American Idol last season, was opening the show.  What could be better? For me- not a whole lot.

Since the concert was a bit of a drive away, we decided to make a weekend of it. Taking a day to hang by the hotel pool, and getting out of the city for a full 24 hours, is rejuvenating in oh so many ways. 

The show proved to exceed all of my (incredibly high) expectations.  The performances bested any recorded versions I’d previously heard, which for me (someone who can not sing AT ALL) is fascinating!  The venue is perfect for a warm summer night.  We drank cold beverages, ate tacos, and sang as loud as we wanted from our cozy lawn seats.  To paint a picture, it’s like a big nighttime picnic with fantastic music- I’ll take it! Making for a glorious Saturday night all around, it was truly a wonderful show- one that won’t soon be forgotten.  Thanks for coming back Mr. Mayer- I hope you stick around for a long while!

For the show, I wanted to have some fun with my outfit and wear some bright colors.  Ya never know, John Mayer might really appreciate a good pair of bright peach flats and next thing ya know, I’m backstage, BAM! (You know that I like to dream big;) Anyways, these colorful flats and the shorts are from Forever21 and they are both comfy and fun- perfect for a night outdoors on the lawn.  I feel it is also necessary to note that I found this lace top at H&M for $2.50 last weekend (what!?). You can’t beat their sales.

Hope you are having a lovely Monday.  Go ahead and have a little fun with your outfits this week, you never know who they might impress!

Shorts: Forever21 (Similar) 

Top: H&M (Similar)

Earrings, Shades,&Flats: Forever21 

Bracelet: JewelMint