Satirically Stylish OOTD

My tongue in check version of your weekly fashion/style blog post: it's your OOTD but with a twist. Of Diet Coke.

Told to meet in the woods for an afternoon nature walk, she arrives at her destination to find what she thought was the forest is really a mural.

What's a girl to do?

Crack open a Diet Coke, have a good laugh, and enjoy the view.

Sweater: Tory Burch Simone Cardigan

Tank: White House/Black Market seamless tank

Pants: RiffRaff via Facebook

Necklace: RiffRaff via Facebook

Belt: Jcrew skinny leather belt

Sunglasses: Tom Ford "Raquel" sunglasses

Shoes (not pictured) Tory Burch Kendrick Haircalf driver

Location: NYC Delancey/Essex St Subway Stop

Additional copy provided by Ryan of WikiFakeAnswers.

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Sweet Bacon DIY

I'm linking up on Kappa Prep's DIY Holiday Gift Link Up.

photo credit

Now...bacon is not your typical gift. But when you have a boyfriend who loves food and his family loves food, bacon is a gift!

I made this delicious treat for his family for Thanksgiving and they LOVED IT. I paired it with cheese grits and they were in Southern Heaven. I'm really thinking of a way to ship this already prepared on ice for them for Christmas.

*Preheat the oven to 350

It's best to use thick cuts of bacon. Either through your butcher or just a pack of it. The recipe calls for just one pound but I used two because R's family are bacon eaters!

Next take 1 Cup of packed brown sugar (I prefer Light), 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and mix it all together by hand in a bowl. Take your bacon and give it a good ole fashion sugar bath!

This next step is VERY IMPORTANT. I've made this mistake plenty of times. Take your two cookie sheets and foil wrap them like crazy! Not just the bottom, but the entire pan. Otherwise you will not be able to get this sticky, baked on concoction off.

One you have bathed all your bacon in delicious sugar, they like to be admired before they go in the oven.....

.....you're so pretty.

Then pop them in the oven for 15-20 minutes. The time is determined by your bacon crispy level preference. I usually end up doing about 18 minutes for a little crispy on the edges.

And there you have it! Sweet bacon!!

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C Wonder Look of the Week

I'm heading to C Wonder today to pick out some items I got monogrammed. Wanted to go ahead and post one of my FAVORITE outfits.

The trench coat is $125 and the print on the inside lining is fantastic. Any of their classic collared shirts go perfect with it. The orange chain necklace is only $24!!!

Love C Wonder!! I'll be picking out another outfit of the week later today.

Thanksgiving OOTD

My Thanksgiving outfit was all purchased via Facebook from RiffRaff. You should like them on Facebook! They make it too easy to shop.

Dress-Riffraff in Fayetteville, AR via Facebook

Necklace & Earrings- Riffraff in Fayetteville, AR via Facebook

Shoes-ShoeDazzle. Check it out here!

I think ShoeDazzle is a great deal! $39.99 a month for great quality shoes and handbags. It's basically a shoe/bag/accessory of the month club. Sometimes the options for that months aren't stellar and you credit for that month just rolls over. A great way to build up your shoe wardrobe for not a lot of money!

Did you see the Diet Coke in the corner of the picture? It's a staple in my life. Luckily when I got to the hotel, R had the sink full of Diet Cokes on ice and a box of Corn Pops. I love him....

(This is not a sponsored post from RiffRaff. I just love em and want to share it with the blog world)

Ocean Prints and Frames project

Last week I posted about these fantastic framed prints I purchased at the Brooklyn Flea Market. I loved the ocean theme and purchased many of them!

I wish they had more of the blue frames but I didn't like the prints inside them. I decided that I was going to paint two additional prints to match my favorite turquoise and crab print combo. I also wanted to paint the two sharks for R so they would pop against his very beige walls.

After taking the frame to the paint supply store, he matched the paint perfectly. My color was #653 Seagrove. And R's color was #1663 New Borns Eyes.

Luckily R was out of town that day so I could take over the entire apartment with my project.

I loved how they turned out!

An Ode to "My Boys" & pretty paper

(I'll also throw in an OOTD because I loved the outfit.)

R went to Massachusetts a day earlier to go to the Patriots game with his brother, nephew and father. Being a Dallas Cowboys fan, I had no interest in going. Plus they didn't have an extra ticket. Whatever. Tom Brady's hair looks like a middle aged woman's.

-Top from Impressions (which they just posted a version in red and purple)

-Always Skinny Jeans from Gap

-(Not pictured) Boots purchased from Steve Madden.

-Necklace from Pieces Clothing Boutique

With R out of town I had my first day in NYC alone. I decided to walk around Soho and just window shop. I took some presents to be wrapped at a place called Kate's Paperie.

Side Note: The top three things I can't do are:

1) My hair. Which is why I have a membership DryBar

2) Fold a fitted sheet.

3) Wrap presents in any way that is deemed pretty. Which is why there are places

you can pay someone to wrap your presents for you. Also known as a huge waist of money.

At least I acknowledge it.

I had some Birthday, Christmas and baby shower gifts to wrap. And I figured that I wanted them to look pretty. The store had some amazing things in there. Beautiful cards, wrapping paper, gifts, ect. Here are my favorite two Christmas papers.

After waisting some time (and money) at Kate's, stopped at Balthazar's to eat. I'd walked by it many times before and it was always packed. They were able to seat me in a very tiny table in the corner. Perfect for people watching. I sat in the corner and the table next to me had a man and woman in their mid 60's. I figured they were a couple. I started chatting with them about the food, being from the South, ect.

They told me that they had been friends for 30 years and have lunch there every few months to catch up. I almost got emotional over my pommel frites. It made me think of my guy friends and how special our relationship is. I've been friends with these guys since college, almost 10 years now.

I was told many times in my past relationship that my friendship with them was wrong. That it meant that I was holding on college and that I needed to "grow up. Move on." As if it was impossible for us to have a meaningful friendship.

This picture is from Brian's wedding to his fabulous, now, wife Jessica. I love this picture and planned to get it framed.

I immediately tweeted my best friend Patrick and told him about the people at the table next to me. I told him I hoped that would be all of us in 30 years. He said "You know it will be."

Love you guys!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm thankful for:

-My health, even though I have the back of a 89 year old.

-My family.

-My friend who are so supportive and make me laugh.

-Love. And believing that I deserve a man like R in my life. (Saved by the Bell "Ahhhhhhh")

-And Diet Coke....

Adventures from the Fluff and Fold

This is the first of what will be a weekly segment while I'm in NYC.

I've found that after weeks of dropping off the laundry, that there is no consistent formula for how much it cost. Before I go into detail, let me explain how it works. (I had no clue before R showed me.)

1) You take your laundry bag to the laundromat.

2) They weigh it.

3) They select a pink ticket based on the weight. There are two copies. One they safety pin to your bag, the other you keep. The price is written on the ticket.

4) You pick it up in a couple of hours. Start to panic when you don't see your bag. Then give a sigh of relief when you see your yellow laundry bag. Wait, that isn't everyone? Just me? Oh yeah, I have anxiety.

After watching this process a few times, I started realizing that there is no system. R and I would take in two bags of laundry. His would be 14lbs and would be $7.50. I'd bring in one at 8lbs and it would be $6.50. Then the next time I'd bring one at 12lbs and it would be $6.75. And one time R's was 22lbs and $14.00. MADNESS!!!

I think they take into account inflation, or the euro or the stock market earnings of Tide. Something.

So I bring you today's ticket. I dropped off two bags.

Mine was 8lbs

R's was 13lbs

Don't bring out your calculators folks...that's 21lbs

My total was $15.50 and my laundry was ready in three hours.

Let the guessing games begin when I bring in the next load.

(Note: This is not a negative review of Sun Kwong Laudromat. They offer a fantastic service and do it great! Predicting the cost is just something I find comical.)

Milly Inspired Coat...from a flea market!

While I was at the Brooklyn Flea Market last weekend I wasn't really looking for any clothing. It's so hard for me to find vintage pieces that fit! Apparently people in the past didn't have boobs.

Unfortunately I usually just have to stick to accessories. Then I saw this beauty hanging in the back of a vendors booth.

Now hold on! I know what you're thinking.

I can assure you this jacket is awesome!!!

1) It's wool, not polyester &

2) (the best part) It SCREAMS Milly NY Spring/Summer 2011 Line. For real! Check it out:

The best part of all, it was only $56!!!!

I'm loving all the 70's inspired fashion right now, so this will fit perfectly into my wardrobe.

Brooklyn Flea Market: Food & Decor

On Sunday R and I ventured into Brooklyn for the much hyped Brooklyn Flea Market. I'd heard amazing things about the flea markets there and it lived up to the hype!!

I suited up in my "Flea Market Chic", here is my OOTD:

-Jcrew leopard warm weather hat

-C Wonder pink puffy vest

-UNIQLO grey thermal top

-Seven jeans purchased via Impressions

-Tory Burch Kendrick hair calf driver

-Tory Burch leopard messenger bag

I was hoping to find a few accent pieces, art and any clothing. I think I succeeded.

I LOVED these. They were so worn and just amazing. The price? Not so much. He wanted $900.....HAHAHA. No really, what is the price? Oh....you're serious?

I thought this would fabulous for my brothers new house. It's a wooden mold that they cast pipes for ships. I'd never seen anything like it. It was only $55 but it was VERY heavy. Heavy + subway + long walk = not good.

I stumbled upon this adorable stand called Foxy & Winston. They had the cutest baby items! I picked up two onesies for my good friends baby that's on the way.

Then I stumbled upon this place....And I got a little excited......

The vendor was so nice, he was just cracking up at all the items I was loving. Here is everything I ended up purchasing.

The last three are for R's place. Sharks and Rhinos don't really go with starfish :)

I loved how worn the frames were and the costal themed prints. I couldn't decide so I just bought them all. They were $39/each and when you purchased five you got 30% off. Since I got 9, he gave me an even better deal. I had been eyeing these candlesticks too.

SO he gave them to me for $4!!! He was so kind. He wrapped them up in this very easy to carry bundle.

The Flea Market also had a ton of AMAZING food stands. R and I tried almost all of them. When we listed off everything to the print/frame vendor he replies with "...all today?? Wait I didn't mean it like that.."

I just started laughing. He meant it like that and it's fine! We eat!

I had to break this post up into Food & Decor and fashion/accessories. There was just too much to post!

A Lazy Sunday

Yesterday was a great lazy day in NYC. A warm front came in and the weather was just amazing! It was the lower 60's and probably one of the last days that I won't have to be lugging a huge winter coat and gloves.

My OOTD:

(Sorry for the crappy photo. R's apt doesn't have a good full length mirror. Plus I always feel weird asking him to take a picture of me for my blog.)

Top: Multi colored top from Pieces

Sweater: Tory Burch brown sweater

Jeans: Tory Burch trouser jeans (not them exactly, but very cute!)

Necklace: Purchase via Facebook from Riffraff

We decided to just walk around the city and find something for brunch. Doing that has become something I love. I use to need a plan and couldn't just go with the flow. It absolutely comes from being with someone who I can just be comfortable with. No plan needed.

We ended up going to a favorites of R's. Spitzers:

It was a tasty brunch! They only had huge benches to eat at and the decor was very welcoming. And best of all, they opened the windows.

After that we just walked and explored our neighborhood. I walked by Steve Madden and decided that I needed a pair of brown boots. I only brought my Uggs and my love/hate relationship with them was in full force. They are so comfortable, perfect for the crazy amount of walking. But they just look sloppy and they're not the best when raining.

All the sale signs didn't hurt either.

Picking a pair of shoes in NYC has become a challenge. The amount of walking you really do never seems to occur to me until I get home and my feet are in pain. I love high heels. I love that when I wear them I'm a towering 6'3" glamazon. You know what doesn't love high heels? The streets of NYC. The streets take the heels, make them incredibly uncomfortable and give you crazy blisters.

Damn streets...

I found this pair of tan/brownish boots that have just a little wedge.

They were also 20% of $99, deal!!

I'm working on a HUGE post about the Brooklyn Flea Market we went to on Saturday. It was so cool!! Here is a sneak peak of the booth that I went crazy at:

A Touch of Leopard

I got his email from Tory Burch in my inbox this morning:

Yep. I love it all!!! The iPad case is pretty amazing. I immediately sent this to my mother with the subject Christmas Presents Ideas . So we'll see if that works.

I have this bag from TB, the Leopard City Messenger Bag and it's become my go-to NYC bag.

As much as I love me some leopard print, I have a pretty hard time wearing it as clothing. I just recently got this top from my favorite boutique in Dallas called Pieces.

My good friend and her sister own it and they have such amazing style. Like them on Facebook! I'm pushing for them to do the Facebook shopping that my two Arkansas boutiques do. Impressions and Riffraff post their items on Facebook, they have your payment info on file. You comment under the items with "Run and Ship me a " and they mail it to you. It's WAY too easy to shop. I'm addicted. I just commented under this top from Impressions.

I'm excited to try out this new trend with cloths. Now let's hope I don't go overboard and end up looking like this:

Or even worse off, this:

Ugh!!! Yeah, we can't let that happen.

C Wonder in NYC

(Note: This is not a paid or sponsored post. I was told about this store by a girlfriend. Plus they are running ads in every taxi tv in the city. Yes, the cabs have tv's in them now. That's new.)

My friend Amy told me about this store that was the concept, colors, quality and look of Tory Burch but it's 1/3 the price. I was thrilled! I love Tory Burch but sometimes it's a little much. This amazing store is called C Wonder.

I walked in and was BLOWN away!!! It's a beautiful store that takes you out of New York and puts you into some Fashion Willie-Wonka Chocolate Room Paradise. The back story: Founded by Christopher Burch (sound familiar, I believe he was married to someone named Tory?).

So this store looks beautiful, has great products that I'd normally buy for a fraction of the cost. Could it get better???

THEY HAVE A HOME DECOR SECTION?!?!?!

And it's crazy affordable!

Everything is great quality, looks so chic and modern and did I mention it's cheap?? The staff also does all transactions on iPhones, which is pretty cool. I did almost start crying in the store because they had a whole collection of items with bulldogs on it. And they all happen to look like my old bulldog, Yankee. Sigh.....

I won't get into that now because I'll probably go straight to McDonald's to eat my feelings.

Anyway! This place is fantastic, to top it off with the fabulous products, they offer IN HOUSE monogramming for $10.

Examples of the fonts, they have so many!

All of the clothing and accessories can be monogrammed. I'm picking up my first round of items next week. (Hurray quick turn around time!!!) They don't have an online store yet so if you see anything you want me to purchase for ya, let me know!! I'm here for another three weeks. It's great stuff at an even better price point!