thankful

i'm thankful for family. and friends so dear they might as well be family. i'm thankful for my health. i'm thankful for safe travels. i'm thankful for God's blessings in my life. and also my hardships. without them i would not grow. i'm thankful for you, dear readers.

and now, i'm thankful that it's finally CHRISTMAS!

happy birthday, sister!

Brass Junkie: Shine

Okay, I didn't include a note in my last Brass Junkie post - but I'm on a brass bonanza right now. I love it. So, in honor of my quest to scour every estate sale in the city of Dallas, I bring you...the Brass Junkie series.

Brass Junkie: let your light shine by alongcamesplendor on polyvore.com

Arabesque Pendant Brass by Motif Designs
1STDIBS.COM - Full House - Unknown - Curtis Jere Style Brass Owl Lamp...
Anejo Distressed Gold Mercury Gls/Vintg Brass Lamp by Arteriors, $1,000
justmorocco. Kora brass table lamp, $180
1STDIBS.COM - John Gregory Studios - Italian brass and glass...
Solid brass and marble desk lamp, $598

Dreamy DIY (Y? Because it's amazing & apparently I'm crazy)

All I want for Christmas is time. More specifically...a little extra time to devote to outrageously insane DIY projects like Two Thirty-Five Designs fish scale wall art. At first glance I would have never thought this was a do-it-yourself project. It looks lavish. And expensive. Not so, my friends. Unless you attach dollar signs to blood, sweat and tears. From what I've read, this is a tedious task. Am I bat street crazy for thinking I have the time (and ability to concentrate) on such an endeavor? It's too late to back out now. It was love at first sight. I saw it - it saw me seeing it - and now I'm being pulled in by it's tractor beams. Read all about it. Here.

Brass Junkie: Mirror Mirror on the wall...

Brass Junkie: Mirror Mirror on the wall... by alongcamesplendor on polyvore.com

Friday's Fancies

1.  Lilly Pulitzer Cassie Dress Slub

2.  Alexander McQueen Leather Knuckle Clutch

3.  3.1 Phillip Lim Absinthe Green Regine Braided Evening Sandal

4.  Charlotte Olympia Priscilla Striped Pump

5.  Lilly Pulitzer Upscale Bangles

6. Necklaces by Ileana Makri and Aurora Lopez

7. House of Harlow 1960 Gold Sun Cocktail Ring

Is it even possible that Fridays could get more fun? Yes. It is. Thanks to {av} at Long Distance Loving. Her weekly series, Friday's Fancies, gives glam loving gals everywhere a chance to leave budget woes behind and become that stylist we've always secretly wanted to be. Here's more from {av} herself...

 I am partnering with Lilly Pulitzer to provide a little distraction from the colder temperatures through their Jungle Glam Resort collection. Whether you're a regular Lilly lover or not, everyone is sure to find a piece which suits their fancy {pardon the pun!}. Each week for Friday's Fancies, you pick items you would love to have in your closet and forget about the pricetag. This week, some of those items could actually end up in your closet!! {Click here to find out more!}

Yes, you read that right. 

In conjunction with the launch of their Resort 2011 collection, this is a giveaway of epic proportions! A dress, a pair of shoes, and a few gorgeous accessories will glam up the wardrobes of a few very lucky {long distance loving} readers. If you're doing the math, that's over $750 of Lilly loot up for grabs! 

This giveaway gets better. If today has you running around like crazy with no time to play, don't fret. You can still enter to win! Head on over to Long Distance Loving and check out the fine print...


Good Luck!!

trending tribal

trending tribal by alongcamesplendor 

Don't get me wrong. I love being a boy mom. I love that our house is littered with miniature golf clubs, plastic trucks and evidence of backyard explorations. I love that I know how to get sidewalk chalk and mud out of hair, ears, eyes...and teeth, for that matter. I love that life with Mr. and Little Mister is far less feminine than my single years. 

But every now and then I miss my girlier days...and by every now and then, I mean those times when I'm on the edge of losing it after trying on 5 different outfits - all of which I hate, scurrying around in mismatched shoes deciding which one is best, sweating and wondering how it suddenly got so hot in the bathroom, running 45 minutes late to an event that my husband wasn't all that thrilled to go to in the first place and now he's found some game on ESPN12 between teams no one's heard of but it beats making small talk with strangers so now he really doesn't want to go and neither do I, given I'm in a robe, skivvies, two different heels an oversized necklace I just had to have but can't figure out what to wear it with...oy vey...please just humor me and say you can relate. Living with girls is like having a full time staff of stylists on call 24/7. No problem (or wardrobe crisis) is too big for my fashionable friends. 

So what's a boy mom to do? Turn to her new bestie, Polyvore, and put that outfit in question on paper. Or urgent email to previously mentioned stylists. Or...on your blog. Boom. We're back in business, ladies. 

Stylish and chic and mother of two (boys), Anna of A Newfound Treasure has one treasure, in particular, that's been in her closet for weeks. Now judging by her fabulous blog and eye for all things fashionable, I doubt she has the same kind of wardrobe dilemmas that seems to come fairly regularly for me. Hey, I just like confirmation that I either look smashing or so scary that you wouldn't be seen with me at CVS. But I get the feeling Anna simply wants to pose a fun challenge and see what of finery her readers impressively find.

Our mission? Match her tribal treasure with your own personal sense of (unbeatable) style. Email it to Anna at anewfoundtreasure {at} hotmail {dot} com. Oh and comment below with a link to your Polyvore perfection so I can see what you talented lovlies put together!

sincere thanks + street style

And now for some Sartorialist inspiration...from the stylish streets abroad. All this street style gets me thinking I should retire my usual "grocery store, post office, Walgreens" uniform of sweats and t-shirts. I may not have glamourous errands to run, but it wouldn't hurt to feel glamourous while scoping out the best sale on toothpaste every now and then, would it? 

smoke-break style on the streets of london

mother & daughter perfection in paris

a serpentine silhouette in milan

ladylike lovely in paris

Maybe high heels and hats are a bit much for a trip to Target, but I could at least put on something that doesn't have an elastic waste band. 

And now in unrelated news, I have a HUGE SINCERE THANK YOU to announce...

Thank you, thank you, thank you to the fabulous ladies over at reFINEstyle. ACS was just recently featured on their blog, The Style Book! Their musings, moments and must haves will be your new "must have" morning read...enjoy!

our recent(ly) giveaway!

Congratulations to Amber at Simple Dwellings! She won a $20 credit to ACS's Etsy store AND a free customized holiday card. If you love all things interiors, then you'll love her blog - make sure you check it out! She's also the next in line to be featured in ACS's Blogger Spotlight series, so check back soon to learn more about Amber, her dwellings...and Simple Dwellings!

And thank you, again, to Emily at Recently for being our gracious giveaway host! Clearly, I'm a fan of this talented dear friend of mine...and her blog! At the risk of repeating myself - hop on over to Recently and get a dose of goodness.