KimberlyMichelle » fancy

the b-day present from Mr. M: 31st edition

Kim — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 20:11:43 +0000

I don’t blog a lot about presents and usually keep the gifting gab to myself around birthdays and Christmas. But this time, I’m going to brag… because Mr. M’s b-day present was so thoughtful and awesome, I just have to share.

Mr. M would love to buy me jewelry or clothes for special occasions. Sadly, I don’t wear necklaces or earrings (FMS neck/head pain kicks in from even the lightest little things), and buying clothes in any physical store is usually a lost bet due to my tall sizing issues. So gifting becomes a challenge for him… and the frustrations are always voiced after the celebrations are over.

But this year, he went against the cardinal rules and bought me clothes. In a store.

But here’s the catch: the clothes are from a designer in town… and she works off of the samples from the line to customize the clothing for you! Yes… how amazing is that? He said he wanted me to have a “Project Runway” model fitting moment. (and yes… he’s amazing for sitting through season after season of Heidi and Tim with me)

So what did he pick out? Why this lovely suit:

Caren Templet – 2011 Spring/Summer Runway Show

(Do you see the awesome dark fabric in the slit? So awesome!)

While Mr. M told me about my present at the beginning of April, the samples for the suit hadn’t arrived until last week. So I went in for my “fitting” on Saturday and just had the most wonderful time chatting with Caren and checking out the rest of her wonderful store!

And guess what? My jacket (sized as an 8 with her) needs to be 1.5” longer, the waist cinch needs to be dropped 2” and the sleeves need an extra 2” as well! This is why I don’t buy jackets that aren’t made of sweat material EVER in a store!

I promise I’ll be back with photos of it in real life after it’s finished and finally in my closet. In the meantime… Mr. M gets another round of BIG HUGE Thank You’s from me for being so thoughtful and sweet!

(p.s. AND he surprised me for dinner last night with Miss L. He pretended like he was going to play softball/Ultimate and told me to take the day and enjoy it for myself… but our friend CM called and invited me out to a birthday cocktail. And guess who was already sitting down outside when we took our drinks out to get dinner? Yuppers… how sweet!)

an adult version of letter days?

Kim — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:40:32 +0000

I was a “sorority girl” for 60% of my college life (insert a chorus of I love the crescent moon…shining in the sky here). You know, I lived in one of those pretty 11,000 sq ft. mansions with 48 other girls while calling an additional 60 more my sisters, sang silly songs and participated in “ancient” rituals.

And as a sorority member, I had many pieces of clothing emblazoned with our three Greek letters. You pretty much made a t-shirt for every event, and every event you participated in had a t-shirt, so you were never short of gym clothes when you needed them.

That said, we had specific “letter days” as well, which were days when you were asked to wear your house’s letters prominently. I’m not sure if it was our campus PanHellenic council that determined the day (which meant all 11 houses were sharing the spirit on the same day), and I’m not even sure if I can remember if it was Tuesday or Wednesday at this point. The point was that on those days, you were reminded to take time to look your best when you wore your letters. You know, represent your sisters well and not with bedhead and flaky mascara?

Now I know some of you may have gone to colleges where dressing up was expected daily. But on our Southern CA campus, everyday was a flip-flop or UGGs kind of day. You may call it Malibu/surfer chic, but seriously, it was casual. And our house wasn’t as trendy or “formal” as others… so the reminder was one we took to heart.

Now as an adult, I work in a semi-formal campus setting and those “letter days” come when there are meetings at work. Or a dinner date after work. So they’re not consistent or routine, but just come when I sort of feel like it.

When I was getting dressed today, and partially sick with another awesome kiddie cold, I wanted to throw on a sweatshirt and call it a day. But, I actually managed to pull out some of the hipper pieces of my wardrobe, put on my makeup, and went off to work a bit more polished than I intended. And while doing it, I thought about those encouraged spruce up days. I guess it falls along the lines of loving date nights or adult parties where you have an excuse to peruse the dress section of your closet and break out the heels.

Anyone else yearn for the excuse to make sure you’re looking your best? A random day of the week where you pledge to make sure you look your best? If Mr. M were guessing… he’d probably suggest I pick every Tuesday… cause it seems to be my new holiday…

pinning pretty pictures

Kim — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:13:00 +0000

[screenshot of my pinterest account]

If you haven’t heard about pinterest yet… let me share a secretive pretty place with you. Think of all those wonderful images that you bookmark away… or that you hope to stumble upon again when the right time comes. Now imagine that you can stow those images (and the link back to the content goes right with it) into file folders and categories of your choosing with tags and all the details you want. Now go a step further, and know that you can share these clipping files with others instantly… and have access to others amazing pinboards too!

Am I making sense here? If I’m not, head here for a better description.

And if I’m making sense, and you’d like an invitation, just comment below and I’ll send one your way! Remember, I can see your email address, so just ask and you’ll receive!

party in a box

Kim — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:57:00 +0000

Want to throw an awesome indie-decorated party that looks so dang crafty, but have none of the time to DIY create it all yourself?
.

Then, my friends, I think I’ve found your solution with ACME Party Box Company.
.

They have custom sets ready to go with centerpieces, individual settings, bunting, flags, and more all in little sets. Pretty nice for a party on the fly! And even if you’re not interested in buying… it’s a great place for inspiration for your next fete!

i’ve got a thing for pink and turtles right now

Kim — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

24 cards for $15.95 Turtle letterpress cards $17.95
.

Could you deny the presence of spring with these awesome Lilly Pulitzer stationary around?

making my indoors the tropics

Kim — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:30:00 +0000

I have a confession. I walked into a Tommy Bahama store this afternoon… and I was immediately intoxicated by the smell in the store. It was the perfect blend of happy and tropical… and it contrasted greatly against the heavy spices in every other store. I was hooked…. and sold instantly on it. And I brought it home with me tonight.

I can only hope my “Pinapple Paradise” diffuser lasts 5-6 months and I can still enjoy it in June…

easiest paper flowers ever

Kim — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:30:00 +0000

I’m quite certain that lisa leonard’s paper flower tutorial is the easiest one out there… and just might be the prettiest as well!

the bangles

Kim — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:30:00 +0000

If I needed to be cheered up today, I’d order myself a super cute and cheerful bangle bracelet for $29 and ignore the fact that summer ended this week.

if you don’t have a pool, really enjoy your shower

Kim — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:58:00 +0000

With summer here, showers suddenly serve two purposes: clean ups and cool downs. And since we don’t have a place to splash in the backyard, I thought I’d restock the shower essentials to make that experience a bit more special.

Philosophy has another sale on its shower gels… 3 for $33… so why not indulge as well? Just enter summer3for33 or summer 2for25 to get the discount!

night owl sale

Kim — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:15:00 +0000

If you’re looking for some wonderful gifts for the spring, or perhaps just in need of a stationary refill, Night Owl Paper Goods is having a sale this week where all of their boxed letterpress cards are $10 (instead of $14).

Check out their sale section for some crazy bargains as well, like these “printer ready” letterpresss invitations:

At $1 each (instead of $5), I’d throw a formal garden party in a second!

Or these formal correspondence cards for only $5 for a pack of 8!