Seaside, Destin, Jewelry

Our whirlwind weekend in Destin was quick but wonderful. The weather was mostly humid (no surprise) and rainy, but the rain held on Saturday for the beach wedding and the reception afterwards, though we were dying at the rooftop reception from the exceptionally humid air. We did manage to eat, drink, and dance our way through it however.  :)

I wore this skirt on Friday night to the rehearsal dinner (it was a small wedding, and the bride and groom invited everyone to the rehearsal dinner) and also most of the day Saturday for shopping:

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I bought it from Macy's earlier this year and this was its first outing. (Sold out,, unfortunately). It's a bit more blue / cool-hued than the photo shows, and Friday night I wore it with a coral tank and my leopard flips. For Saturday, I wore a black tank and rhinestone flips. It's 100% rayon so I was a little worried about wrinkling, but really had no trouble. And it was perfect for a very humid Saturday - lightweight and with the slits up the sides to just above the knee, it was breezy and comfortable. One of my favorite summer purchases so far.

Seaside, where we went on Saturday, was about 30 minutes from our hotel in Destin, and well worth the visit. Cute, charming, not too crowded (even though we got there around noon on Saturday during the summer season), easy parking and shopping and dining. We wandered around all sorts of fun shops - note, though, that Seaside is not for the inexpensive shopper, necessarily - and fell in love with a few. And one in particular, the Fusion Art Glass gallery.

When you enter, be prepared to be knocked over by the beauty of not only the items for sale, but the gallery itself. It was by far my favorite of the retailers we visited. And I'm not necessarily a glass girl (though my husband loves art glass). The owner himself is a glass blower, and carries items from artisans at the top of their game, and they are LOVELY. Affordable? Depends on your budget. But it's easy to lose yourself in all the gorgeous colors, shapes, vessels, etc in this glorious shop.

We did come away with these:

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That I wore to the wedding that night. And on the drive home.  :)  They're by Patricia Locke, whose work I really enjoy. I showed you the only other piece of hers that I own, this necklace. It's a much older design, and the metal treatment is different, but I wouldn't wear them together anyway. The necklace is more subtle and the earrings are good-fun bling.  :)

We bought nothing else, but truly enjoyed ourselves just wandering around the main shopping district (right off of 30-A; their main drag). It's a tiny town:

of not quite 1300 people. But jam-packed with beauty and charm.

Also, there was this:

Which is unaltered, from my iphone. Such a gorgeous sunset! From the night before the wedding.

And this:

Part of the row of (I can only assume) multimilliondollarhomes right on the beach. All with rooftop decks and balconies on every floor. We didn't stay on the beach, but the bride and groom did, and let me tell you - that house had everything. Movie screening room. Hot tub. Beautifully appointed kitchen with every indulgence you can imagine. Sumptuous bed- and bathrooms...it was amazing.

Here's the only shot I (sort of) got of the house where we partied:

The furthest to the right. Just to the right of the photo (unseen) is the deck/path to the beach where the bride and groom walked out for the ceremony. We were all barefoot with the fabulous white sand between our toes and the surf gently crashing...it was a very quick getaway but well worth the effort!

Wedding Weekend in Destin

Brett and I are heading to Destin, FL today for a wedding. And I'm bringing all the color a girl can stand - it's the beach, after all. What better time for happy colors?  :)

Clothing:

Two skirts in a very similar color pattern (the one on the right is a long maxi; on the left, an a-line. Plus a coral tank top in the upper left corner).

Jewelry:

The lavender bracelet is to wear with the maxi skirt. The shell bracelet is for the other skirt. And the blue beaded necklace is for today, with a chocolate tank top and my denim mini.

And shoes:

For the non-beachy part of the beach. They'll work with both skirts and with the dress for the wedding (which is black; sometimes tradition beats color) if I wanted...though I do have rhinestone flips for the actual wedding. But I suspect I'll be mostly barefoot this weekend. I'll gladly forego footwear for poking my toes into the sand. :)

We're leaving in about half an hour...can't wait!! Have a great weekend, world.  :)

Vintage Shopping, Lakewood

My mother came to visit recently, and we did a little shopping. It's what we do...and we do it well. :)

We went to the Lakewood Antiques Market, just a few miles north of home, and spent several hours hunting for vintage goodies.

For reference, we have two big antique markets in Georgia, Lakewood and the Scott Antique Market. Lakewood is a smaller, a bit more rustic, and a lot less busy (also less expensive...usually). I tend to go looking for furniture at Scott's, though it's often out of budget (I may have mentioned that I don't typically have inexpensive taste...). Lakewood is more about "smalls", for me. And that's pretty much what we came home with:

Vintage yellow ware bowl. In a great size, about 18 inches across I think:

The color is a little yellow-er than the photos show. Offered at a great price - $ 39, and it's marked for Hull. Usually when I see bowls this size they're selling for *not quite* double the price. My husband is a foodie and we use a lot of larger bowls in the kitchen. This one will be a welcome addition.

Also:

Two mid-century teak lamp bases (bonus shot of Brett horsing around). These are inlaid with some sort of porcelain or tile...not sure exactly what, but they're gorgous. They're going in the living room, to replace a couple of our Target-modern lamps.  :)   I also bought some teak cream for these, as well as for our credenza, and we cleaned them all up this weekend. Mom spotted these; she has been antiquing for years and years and has a great eye. They also need replacement plugs and some shades, but those are easy fixes.

And finally:

I've been wanting to collect some tin toys for quite a while. For a girl who loves color so much, they're just happy. We bought this from a seller who has great, great vintage toys, going all the way back to the turn of the century. Brett and I have bought from her before, and her stall is always a "must see" when we visit the Lakewood show.

The crank on the side turns and the 4 figures on the ferris wheel actually rotate. It's so adorable. And it assuages my sadness at missing out on a buy in San Francisco last month. Brett and I were in a funky little store, and they had an awesome carousel tin toy. A salesperson asked if I needed help, and I held it up and said, "Yes! I want this". And she said, "I'm so sorry...that belongs to the owner and it's not for sale". SO disappointing..but this makes me feel a little better. And now, of course, I've started stalking tin toys on eBay...

The toy shown above is a newer toy, made in China. Not especially expensive, but so sweet. And I found the one I liked from San Fran:

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This one happens to be on eBay for $150. Not a great photo but I promise, having seen it in person, that it is just charming and would bring a smile to anyone's face.  :)

Happy (early) Birthday to Me...

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Sam Edelman Alina.

My birthday isn't for a month, but sometimes presents come early.  :)

The above are what greeted me a few days ago when I was where I was not supposed to be...taking a partial "wellness" day from work...which was not originally including shoe shopping.They're HOT. They are NOT exceptionally walkable - they're not unwearable, but that heel and the way it's placed more toward the center of the shoe than toward the back...they're more of a sit-down shoe. This is why I struggle with buying practical shoes. Because I saw these when I walked in the door and they just knew they'd find a happy place in my closet. I scheduled a dinner date with my husband so they could have their first outing.  :)

Several other shoes I tried that day:

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Sam Edelman Okala. Nice, buuuuuuut....I have four pair of animal print shoes already. And I thought these might be different enough to warrant purchasing, but honestly I am struggling to get behind the bondage ankle strap that is festooning shoes this season. I don't mind an ankle strap but I am not liking one that is so "tied-to-the-bed" looking. Pass.

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These Michael Kors (Yvonne) were fun for about .03 seconds. Be forewarned: you'll need time to get your foot into these. It's a bit of work. Which isn't a terrible thing...but they were just too much for me. The glitter is about 100 times brighter in real life, so that's a lot of sparkly straps on one foot. Pass.

However...

 

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The Michael Kors Yvonne (same name, different style) were amazingly beautiful. Less straps = more refinement (at least in my book). The bottom of the platform is shiny, shiny silver, but somehow it just works with the glitter on the straps. I seriously debated about them, but since I already own (and LOVE) these:

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It seems like I don't really need two pairs so similar...(of course not every girl needs even one pair, but I am a bona fide magpie). Though I *may* reconsider if the MK pair goes on sale. But for now...Pass.

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Enzo Angiolini Caswell, Nordstrom exclusive. I looked at, but didn't try on. But they might be more moi than the Sam Edelmans above. And I still have a Nordstrom GC from Christmas...so, Pass. For today.  :) 

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Best photo I could find - Dillard's and their tiny shots. Antonio Melani Irina. I wanted to love these but sadly (because they're on sale for about $60!) did not. The sparkle was canceled out by the suede (I know you can't tell from the photo, but that's a suede shoe) and they hit me a little wrong on the ankle bone. Pass.

I've been semi-lusting after these:

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But just can't convince myself. I know they're a Prada knockoff, and I love Prada, but they're just a little too high. I'm a bit over the "allheelsmustbeatleastfiveinches" craze and am looking for shoes in the 3-4 inch heel range. So these are just a bit too much (though I did try them on again today, just to be sure). Pass. 

So far this year's purchases have included white strappy beaded sandals, purple peacock wedges,
leopard print flip flops, and wood-platform mules...can't wait to see what shows up next!