I want to wear this dress on a romantic dinner date at a little creperie in Paris. Hope you're reading this, Jon! Isn't it lovely? (Image courtesy of simplicityisbliss.etsy.com) Continue reading

Jon was in Atlanta Monday through Friday of last week for a class and back there again this week so it's just been us girls around the house. Of course, Jon has had this class scheduled for months, but wouldn't... Continue reading

It's me! A blast from the past! Didn't think you would ever hear from me again, did you? :) Let's just skip all of the excuses and apologies about why I haven't posted since January. My god, it's been almost... Continue reading

by Katie Target has always been my go to store for bathing suit cover-ups. They have such a great selection of lightweight sundresses that are comfortable enough to throw over your bathing suit, but are still cute enough to walk around in. This season is no exception. I've fallen in love with the sweet and sultry Mossimo Off the Shoulder Dress. You won't have to contend with any additional tan lines since the dress falls off your shoulders and the ruffles on top and on the hemline make it oh-so-sexy. It's a total bargain at $18 and you have the... Continue reading

By Katie My husband and I got married in September 2006 and even now, over four years later, I would still keep my same wedding colors. We chose raspberry and tangerine with lime green accents (doesn't every color sound fancier when named after a fruit?) and had so much fun incorporating the bright and bold hues into our wedding. The bridesmaid's bouquets (with my favorite Gerbera daisies!) I also love yellow and lime green as a color combination. Wouldn't vases full of lemons and limes make a beautiful (and afforable!) centerpiece? Then there's the gorgeous colors of a peacock feather.... Continue reading

by Katie Before I owned a L.L. Bean tote, I used to buy a new beach bag every year. I was just never happy with the beach bags I found at The Gap or Old Navy or Target. They weren't large enough or sturdy enough and every time spring rolled around, I found myself looking for a new bag for the upcoming beach season. My searching stopped the year I purchased my L.L. Bean tote. I bought the large version and that thing can seriously carry a lot of stuff ... two oversized beach towels, multiple bottles of sunscreen, two... Continue reading

by Katie My 3½ month old has been teething for about a month now. (I know, that's early, right?!) I haven't seen any little tooth nubs yet, but everything she can grab goes right into her mouth to chew on. I've been on the hunt for some really good teethers and wouldn't you know, my local paper recently featured an Annapolis mom who was inspired by her kids to invent a clean and safe alternative to the one thing all kids love to chew on: their parent's keys! Kleynimals are made from food grade stainless steel and look just like... Continue reading

Maybe I'm biased, but is my girl gorgeous or what? That smile gets me every time! Continue reading

by Katie My husband and I have never been that into Valentine's Day. We recognize it with cards and a nice homemade dinner and sometimes we'll use it as an excuse to buy something that the other person wants, but we never go crazy with it. It's not going to be any different this year, especially because our daughter will be getting her four month check-up that day which means we will have one cranky baby girl on our hands. (You can bet we'll probably be enjoying a bottle of wine to get through that!) I know someone out there... Continue reading

by Katie I am hard on a laptop. When not in use, mine can often be found standing in for a coaster or sitting on the hardwood floor. I can't remember the last time it actually sat on a desk when not in use. I have a laptop bag but to be perfectly honest, the last time I used it was when I traveled to BlogHer 2008. I purchased that particular bag because it was big and could hold a lot of stuff as a carry on, but clearly it's not working for me now. I need a laptop sleeve... Continue reading

by Katie We have quite a few (dare I say all?) cupcake loving writers on the Style Lush staff. Jennie even opted to serve cupcakes rather than cake at her wedding! As for me, I whole-heartedly believe that the frosting-to-cake ratio is much higher on a cupcake which is what does it for me. I also happen to love finger foods and cupcakes are the ultimate finger food, don't you think? I think we can all agree that cupcakes are pretty enough on their own, but I've discovered a way to make them even prettier. Forget a tiered cupcake stand,... Continue reading

by Katie It seems the zipper trend isn't going away anytime soon as I'm noticing more and more zippers popping up on clothing and accessories lately. Admittedly, I thought the trend was pretty stupid at first, but it's really starting to grow on me. Who knew you could do so much with zippers? Here are some of my favorites: Double-wrap Zipper Bracelet from J.Crew Leave it to J.Crew to put a femine touch on zippers. MB Vontricia Zipper Flat from Target I bought these recently and can tell you that they're even cuter in person. Vintage Zipper Flower Brooch or... Continue reading

by Katie Dear Readers, I need a winter hat. I just returned back to work after eight weeks of maternity leave and have found that blow drying my hair with a nine week old in the house is an absolute luxury (and impossibility). I've been leaving the house with wet hair and while that's not so terrible in the summer, it's just plain stupid in the winter. I alternate between three different winter coats: a long black coat, a mid-length fuschia coat and an ivory peacoat so I'm looking for a hat that's fairly neutral in both color and style... Continue reading

by Katie What better way to commemorate the birth of a baby than with a gorgeous print that includes the name and birth stats of the new little one? The 11x14 Personalized Birth Print from Modern Lola features whimsical graphics and fun colors that can be customized to match the color scheme of the nursery. I especially love that many of the graphics are not the expected alphabet graphics like an apple for A or a cat for C. My personal favorite is, of course, the island for I, just perfect for my baby girl Isla who is named for... Continue reading

by Katie Do you need a stocking stuffer for the tech geek in your life? Look no further; the App Magnets from ThinkGeek are the perfect little unexpected gift to stick under the tree, in a stocking or even for the office white elephant exchange. Each set comes with 18 magnets that look just like real iPhone apps and is just $12.99. Since I'm not allowed to bring my phone into the office, I suffer serious iPhone withdrawal during the work day. I would love a set of these to stick on my cube! (Photo Credit: thinkgeek.com) Continue reading

So, uh yeah, it's been awhile hasn't it? I think it goes without explaining that I've been very busy with an important little someone who likes to be held every waking hour (I'm currently typing this one-handed!), but on those... Continue reading

by Katie My husband and I were recently invited to a friend's house for dinner and while the meal was delicious, I was most impressed that she filled our water glasses from a pitcher. It was like we were at a restaurant! I already own a margarita pitcher and a beer pitcher (the important beverages, you know), but I'd never thought to invest in a nice water pitcher. Even though it wasn't a pretentious dinner in the slightest, the water pitcher just fancied up the whole meal and now I'm determined to find my own. I really love the shape... Continue reading

by Katie Our new baby girl has been quite spoiled since her arrival last month and out of the many wonderful gifts she's received, one of our favorites is her wonderful Name Puzzle Flip Stool from StorkGifts.com. It doubles as both a step stool and a bench seat, perfect for tiny tushes to sit upon. That's not the best part, though. The stool can be personalized with your little one's name in a puzzle, ideal for helping them learning to spell their name and recognize their colors. The stool comes in either white or a natural wood finish and the... Continue reading

by Katie Your fireplace screen doesn't have to be an ugly piece of metal shielding your carpet and/or hardwood floors from rogue sparks and embers. It can be something much more; something decorative and complimentary to your home and furnishings. With a chill already in the air and nights of sitting in front of a warm, blazing fire quickly approaching, here are a few of my favorite screens to accent your fireplace. They're a quick and easy way to dress up your hearth! The Marin Fireplace Screen from JCPenney The Cercis Fireplace Screen from Pier 1 Imports The Alton Pewter... Continue reading

For the Before photos, click here. Isla's nursery was so much fun to put together. We picked out her bedding first and built the nursery color scheme around it. I absolutely fell in love with the Coco Dot Nursery Bedding... Continue reading

In case you've forgotten (since I haven't complained about it all that much since getting pregnant), we completely renovated the house we bought in the final days of last December. The renovation started January 1st and we didn't move into... Continue reading

ISLA SLOAN I first came across the name Isla when the actress Isla Fisher became popular with the release of Wedding Crashers several years ago. I'll be the first to admit that I mispronounced it and said "Ee-slah" (Spanish pronunciation)... Continue reading

by Katie I'm a sucker for just about anything monogrammed. Apparently that extends to wreaths, based on how quickly I fell in love with Ballard Designs' Spruce and Cedar Alphabet Wreaths. Maybe it's because I finally have a house with a fireplace and mantle over which to hang a wreath or maybe it's our new bundle of joy that's making me feel even more connected to our surname, but whatever it is, I'm pretty certain my holiday decorating won't be complete without one. The spruce wreath is great because it looks like real spruce boughs but it's actually completely fake... Continue reading