Wednesday Recap
Woah, I just realized I haven’t posted sincelast Friday!! This past weekend was fairly hectic, those who follow me on Instagram were treated to various adventuring snaps.
Saturday my oldest son and I spent the day in Los Angeles (downtown). I did some serious shopping for my new business venture (oooo, I’m still so excited about it!), a little thrifting, found a homeless gentlemen to feed, and saw a play at The Pantages. Oh and had terrible food at the Cheesecake Factory!!! I honestly don’t know if I will ever eat there again!
Some shots from LA:
I wore my hot pink Kate Spade Jillian dress and my Montana strass Louboutins. The last shot is my son with the actor/singer Anthony Grant. He was in the band Az Yet back in the 90’s, and these days does alot of theatre. His voice is flat out amazing. My son loved the attention from all the performers, we got to meet everyone and had amazing seats. I didn’t take as many photos as I thought! Oops!
Here is my haul:
Sunday I worked on a custom commission:
And then Monday I wore this, a dress I snagged in LA at a goodwill shop:
Dress: H&M, thrifted $8 (more than I would normally pay, but I loved it!)
Belt: Old Navy
Shoes: Siam AB strass
I didn’t snap a photo yesterday, but I repeated an outfit from a week and a half ago, a white t-shirt and navy pencil skirt. Nothing exciting, just appropriate for a morning thrifting, and it transitioned into afternoon for some business. And I didn’t flash anyone, as we are having horrid winds in the afternoons. 30-40mph gusts. It’s awful!! I normally have a lovely view of the valley from my bedroom, but it’s like a giant dust curtain. I do hope it passes soon. My allergies are making me miserable.
Today I wore my black target dress from last week, but changed into this for an afternoon meeting at school:
Cardigan & Blouse: Target
Skirt: I.N.C., thrifted $2.50
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
So, for now, there you go. I’m super swamped with events right now, so my posting may be erratic. I do post alot on Instagram, follow me on there! Katespadegirlblog.
Have a wonderful rest of the week! I’m excited to share next week what I’m working on for this weekend!!
Until next time,
Jules
Navy & White + Purple Sparkle
Happy Friday! *twirls with glee* (yes I do this, and often!)
It’s a beautiful sunny morning, and it’s shaping up to be an amazon weekend. For you Disneyland fans, today is “Monsterous Summer”, in which Disney parks stay open for 24 hours. Ohhhh how I longed to go! But then I saw photographs friends of mine started posting at 6am (it’s 6am-6am!!), and realized it was a very good thing I have a packed day close to home!! Perhaps I will convince my crew to hit the parks on Monday morning.
Anyway, just had to mention that. I still secretly wish I was there.
My outfit today (I have some casual meetings)
Top: Kohls
Skirt: Kate Spade
Shoes: Nina, painted and Strassed by me
Handbag: Coach
I’m super excited for tomorrow! I’m taking my oldest child with me to shop in LA and see a play tomorrow. I’m also going to try and hunt down some food trucks. 14-yr old boys, they love to eat! Might as well enjoy some good food, right? And hit some of my favorite little treasure spots for various things.
Any big plans this weekend?
Until next time,
Jules
Seeing Spots
Good morning! I’m more on the ball this morning than usual, as my daughter had a field trip and needed to be at school by 7am.
I have meetings today, so I dressed for the occasion. Our weather is a touch chilly (not complaining, I’m thrilled!!), so I threw on a blazer this morning. I feel a little overdressed, but secretly love it.
Jacket: Target
Brooch: Vintage, off eBay
Blouse: Lauren Conrad for Kohls
Skirt: Kate Spade
Belt: thrifted
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Watch: Vintage Omega
I’ll probably drag my Birkin around today, merely because she is already out, and I’m feeling a tad lazy. I need to figure out easier handbag storage, it’s such a pain as it is right now, and it’s why I don’t switch bags too often.
So, I’m off and running this morning. Have a wonderful Thursday! Excited for the 3-day weekend, lots of fun stuff planned, the highlight is a trip to Downtown LA on Saturday to do shopping and see a theatre production with my oldest son. Should be interesting, spending the day with a 14-yr old!! I have already started praying for us(me).
Until next time,
Jules
Mid-week Musings
Yesterday was interesting. I spent the day doing some serious retail therapy. Now, let me preface this with, while I spent hours shopping, I did not spend a ton of money. Target, Kohl’s and Bath & Body Works is not exactly serious shopping, if you know what I mean!
A new obsession, wallflowers:
I went to Bath & Body Works twice yesterday! Oh but my house and car smells so so so yummy today. I had a gift card and some coupons, so I got a good deal. And then used more coupons to order a few more items online today. Hey, I have 3 boys in my house, one IS a teenager and one is a pre-teen, so odor control is extremely important!!!
I mainly bought clothing for the kids (hey, jeans @ $10/pair?! Yes please!! And sweaters for next fall/winter @ $6?), as they are required to wear uniforms, and I do try to find deals being that they grow so fast. The Children’s Place and Kohl’s had some fabulous deals! I spent under $100 on the kids and ended up with quite a bit. But I did score a few things for moi.
First this Target dress. I’ve been stalking this dress for a year now. It was an online return to our local store, and I fell in love with the colour. Just not $35 love. So when I spotted it for $6.18, I grabbed it and looked around for dress thieves!!! Okay, well, kind of. I’m super excited about it!
And then these two tops at Kohl’s:
I am loving polka dots this year! And the mint green, well, it’s easy to explain. I also grabbed some fresh white t-shirts while at Kohl’s, and the navy one I wore today.
Today’s ensemble:
Top: Kohl’s, $7.99 + 30% off
Skirt: Kate Spade, off eBay
Shoes: Kate Spade, off eBay
I did nothing more than take kids to school and drop them back off today. It’s super windy and our weather is up/down, which messes with my sinuses. Other than playing catch up on laundry, I sat on my bed with the window open, enjoyed the delicate scent of my “spring” wallflower, read a book and occasionally looked up to enjoy my view.
Now back to my book and to plan tomorrows adventure. I have an appointment with a client who is also a dear friend to finalize her wedding plans! I’m SO excited!
Until next time,
Jules
Oklahoma
This morning I wanted to take a moment to say a prayer and send my condolences to all those affected in Oklahoma.
Last night I got sucked into a project and fell into bed too tired to check the news. We don’t have television (other than amazon streaming), so I typically check in the morning and before bed, just in case anything major happens.
Not last night. Oops. This morning I was greeted with the images of devastation and reports of heavy casualties from yesterday’s 2-mile wide tornado.
My heart skipped a beat. I lived in north Texas for 10 years, so even the thought of a tornado or a siren still makes me stop and jump a little. I’ve never been directly hit by a tornado, but have been within a 1/2 mile, and the sound is like nothing I have ever experienced in my life. The lack of control is unnerving. There is nothing, and I mean nothing you can do, except take shelter, pray, and wait it out. The winds whipping, the sirens blaring, it’s wretched. To this day I hate tiny bathrooms! (Our ground was too unstable for cellars, most houses had a reinforced room, ours was the tiny half bath under the staircase) My youngest two still talk about tornados, and it’s been 4 years, they were super tiny then, yet those memories linger. It’s an experience unlike any other. Not even the big earthquakes of the 90’s out here in California can compare. (And we lived close to the epicenter of the 29 Palms & Big Bear quakes, the two big ones on the same day)
To all those affected by this tragedy (and it’s already shaping up to be a wicked tornado season out there!!), my thoughts and prayers go out to you and your loved ones. May those who were taken be welcomed into the gates of heaven. Those left behind, may you find comfort in the difficult days ahead.
Loss is never easy. Please stop and hug your loved ones today, just because you never know what the day may bring.
With a heavy heart,
Jules
Monday “Not so Fun day”
It’s Monday, normally a day I enjoy. But yesterday our trip to Disneyland really did a number on me! I only went on three rides, but the race through Radiator Springs did my neck IN. Combine it with the trip up the Cajon Pass.
Yeah. It’s been a wonky day. More so than usual! Last night I was dizzy and it was if I was on a boat. It is better today, I just need rest and relaxation. Something that is NOT easy for me!!! However for self preservation, I kept it simple today.
My outfit:
Notice I have two different belts?? I wore the braided colourful one this morning and switched after I got home from taking the kids to school (okay, and a target trip, I scored something totally amazing too!!)
Dress: Target, $13.98 (it has pockets!!!!)
Belts: vintage & old navy
Shoes: Siam AB strass Nina jellies (done by me)
Handbag: Coach clutch
Hat: Vintage, garage sale find
Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren
Of course I did bake last night, and took these lovelies into my sons classroom this afternoon:
I do have to admit, it’s rather nice for the ego when an entire classroom of 1st graders exclaim how awesome of a baker you are. Granted this is the second time in two weeks I’ve sent cupcakes in for them. These are my “Black & White” cupcakes. A double chocolate cake with a fluffy white chocolate icing. If it’s for an actual order, I have filled them with a dark chocolate ganache, which is truly amazing. However, at the request of the teacher, I skipped the ganache to limit the mess.
To share some of my weekend, I had a last minute wedding this weekend, and threw these flower together for the wedding party, and was able to re-purpose the arrangements from the princess party last Thursday for the wedding Saturday!
Flowers:
I also sent the same table linens as I used Thursday, and while I haven’t seen photographs yet, I hear it turned out lovely! I love weddings like this, easy simple, and oh-so-fun for me. I’m very much a “give me a budget, colours and your Pinterest boards” and let me work my magic type event designer. I work because I truly love it, which is nice. I have been selective this year with events, merely because I did TOO many last year. I do love to stay busy though, there is simply something exciting about running 24/7!! I’ve been exploring other creative outlets this year, as well as the kids seem to have more than ever going on at school.
*sigh* sometimes I wish the day had more hours!
Hope your week is fabulous!! *twirls* The kids have just a few weeks left of school and then it’s time for summer fun!! I’m excited for our summer, I have some fun things planned.
Until next time,
Jules
50’s
As the rest of my crew stands in a line at Disneyland for a water ride, I’ve found myself a shaded area to do a little blog catch up!
Some recaps from this past week, I spent two days channeling the 50’s, which was fun I suppose. I’m trying to wear more of my wardrobe, and wear some things I’ve not worn yet!!
This was last Wednesday:
Top: Target
Skirt: Vintage, from It’s a Wrap in Hollywood
Belt: Old Navy
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Necklace: Forever 21
This was Friday, I thought it would be fun to “make an entrance” at a meeting I had that morning. It’s amazing how the right clothing really can give you confidence, and in this case, the bit of intimidation I was going for. Normally I don’t go for intimidation, but it was helpful and well, relevant in this instance!!
Cardigan: Target
Blouse: Target (it’s just a black t-shirt)
Skirt: Vintage (thrift find)
Belt: thrifted
Shoes: Christian Louboutin black Decolette
Jewelery: Banana Republic (earrings, necklace & bracelet), Omega watch
I also carried my Birkin bag and wore my big black hat.
Lets just say I got the reaction I was hoping for.
Of course, that was not practical for the rest of my day, as I had flowers to prep and linens to pull for a wedding. So, I changed into this:
Dress: Target, $13.98
Belt: Old Navy
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Well, my crew should be off their ride soon, so I shall re-engage into the Disneyland experience and recap the rest of my Friday into Saturday tomorrow.
Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon, I know I may be sitting out the rides today, but the weather is gorgeous and I’m enjoying the experience!
Until next time,
Jules
Princess Party
Happy Saturday!! As I posted a few days ago, it’s been wretched around here. I have emails piled up to respond, clients who are so patient, children who must love me, as I’ve been crazy mad woman all week, and a very supporting husband who saved my backside several times this past week!
And now, it’s over. Whew. Well, the cleanup begins, and tomorrow is my baby’s birthday (although at 7, he isn’t really a baby any longer), which means more baking after we hit my favorite place in Southern California, Disneyland!
But, to recap my big event this past week! Every year out bible study has a party for all the leadership (as we have over 150 ladies who attend, our leadership is super vital!!). This year the theme was “Princess of God”. Which I adored. Pink? Yes! Sparkle? Yes! Flowers? Yes! French Macarons? Yes yes yes!!!
So I’ve spent far too much time on this, but it truly was a labor of love, and I’m thrilled with the results.
The dessert table: (note, I did not make the tulle tutu, but isn’t is a cute idea? It needed tons if hairspray to tame it!)
For dessert we served:
French Macarons (raspberry, chocolate & mint)
Angel Food Cake
Strawberries
Raspberry Thumbprints
Chocolate-Raspberry Cake
Neapolitan Cake
Note that the last 3 on this list above were not made by me, nor did we collaborate! How brilliant is it that the other lady who was also making dessert/cookies happened to make complimentary things? God truly works in mysterious ways!
Some shots of the table centerpieces (all items were pulled from my house, and the white vases moonlight as containers in my bathroom!). Note the photo frames, all those extra touches! (I made the sparkly ones)
And the last thing I did for this was the “thank you” gifts. I was given the idea and merely executed the vision of someone else. It was perfect! Chocolate roses + one Hershey kids rose:
And for the lady who makes the whole party rock, I took one of the poems and made her a very special frame:
Now my only regret was not wearing my princess ballgown, as one gal actually wore hers! But I had setup & tear down, so I kept my outfit practical ( but pink!!)
Cardigan: Target
Dress: Kate Spade
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Montana Strass (done by me! I love love love these heels! Obviously, I’ve been wearing them a ton lately)
Handbag: Kate Spade
I also wore my sapphire earrings & necklace, to keep with the pink & navy theme I decided upon. What can I say? I take a theme and go full throttle!
Do you follow me on Instagram? Katespadegirlblog. I post more frequently there when I’m busier than usual. I also have several other outfits to recap from this past week. I really embraced the 50’s theme, and threw together some new outfits! I also scored some deals while out shopping yesterday, I’ve been either sick or so busy, I really haven’t been shopping shopping in weeks. I hit my favorite thrift spots and got lucky this past week though.
Now to take a mid-morning nap. I had a last minute wedding this weekend, and the flowers were picked up at 6:30am. That’s another fun post to share!
Until next time,
Jules
Busy Busy Busy!!!
Well, it’s Tuesday. And this evening is a lovely evening, the weather has cooled down! I’m thrilled, as I had to run errands today and it was hot hot hot!
Anyway, I snapped some photos of my outfit yesterday (it was SO cute!!), but I waited until it was late last night and the natural light was gone. So I apologize in advance for the bad photography:
Hat: Vintage
Necklace: pearls (I have several strands in various mm & length)
Blouse: Nanette Lepore
Skirt: Kate Spade
Shoes: Jimmy Choo Siam Strass
And today I wore this:
The cardigan has been on/off all day, I picked up flowers for an event, so my car was rather chilly!!
Cardigan: Target
Dress: Kate Spade
Belt: Kate Spade
Petticoat: Kate Spade
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Montana strass (done by me)
I also had my black hat today, as the summer sun it quite bright and it really does make a difference having a hat. Thankfully it’s simply adorable!!
The next few days are fairly wretched for me, but I’ll try to remember to snap outfit photos to do a recap post at some point. But some shots of the flowers I bought today:
Of course what kind of crazy busy week would it be without these:
Mmmmm, French Macarons, something I never tire of. I made a little over 200 yesterday, and tonight it’s some molded chocolates. Fun fun!!
Have a lovely week!
Until next time,
Jules
Happy Mother’s Day!
I didn’t take outfit shots today, simply because I fear I’ve been a bit of a serial outfit repeater as of late. I suppose life has been fairly hectic as of late and my imagination for clothing has suffered. It’s also an awkward season, chilly in the mornings, hot by noon. Today however, it has just been hot!!! As in, my air conditioning is running.
But, anyway. Today is Mother’s Day. To all the mothers out there, I hope you had a simply fabulous day. Mine was filled with many things, but the best was this:
In which my adorable nearly 7-yr old son (no longer than itsy bitsy 5lb preemie!!!) wrote the following:
“I love my mommy best because she hugs be and she is lovely”.
Heart melter right there!!!! Along with him preferring me in dresses (to which he made me a rather shocking pink dress in his picture!!) and our morning Starbucks runs.
I’m sad to see him go into second grade next year, no more morning Starbucks!!
I got lovely notes from the other 3, specifically a touching letter from my dear teenager who is going through a very difficult time at school. Yes the flowers are pretty, the appliances are wonderful (I’m a bit of a practical gift recipient. I truly love appliances as gifts!!), but those handmade and hand written notes are the best.
Oh an not cooking or cleaning for a day!!
So, it was a lovely day. A bit hot perhaps, but lovely.
Happy Mother’s Day!!
Until next time,
Jules
A Country Fair
So this past Thursday was the end of a very long journey at my ladies bible study. We tackled some hard subjects the past 9 months! While I’m happy I got through it, I’m also sad it’s over. But alas, summer is coming and the school year is nearly over.
That said, the theme (who doesn’t love a theme?!) for our end of year party (hey, we church girls sure know how to throw a party!!), it was “blue ribbon living”, and we had a mock “table judging” contest. Now I admit I had quite a few months notice for this one, so the theme I picked was in the works for a while. I used my table leaders daughters wedding as our inspiration. (Which was rather awesome!!)
Some pictures:
I spent hours ripping and tying fabric to make the “bunting” (which looked awesome), and I made a sign for the back of each chair with names painted on them, which the ladies took home as part of their “party favor”. It was fun, we had a blast, and while I AM partial to my table design, we had 15 other brilliant tables in that room. It was just awesome.
I also assembled props for the photo booth, and made bunting and a sign for it:
A good time was truly had by all!!
I wore this, in keeping with the “theme”:
Dress: Lanz (vintage)
Belt: Kate Spade
Shoes: Montana Strass Christian Louboutin (my “blue ribbon” shoes!)
In hindsight I should have added this hat:
Also a vintage find, I always forget about hats!
Oh well. The day was a success and I’m already off and preparing for our princess themed leadership party next Thursday. I’m super excited about that, sparkle and pink everywhere!! I’m bringing in my fabulous assistants for that party though.
To all the mothers out there, I hope you have a fabulous Mother’s Day tomorrow! I don’t have plans, although my wonderful kids are granting a wish today, which is a late spring clean of the house. Mmmmm. Clean house! Best present ever in my book.
Until next time,
Jules
A Recap of Sorts
It’s been another hectic month around here, and to top it off my phone has been acting up, and hence, I have not blogged in over a week. Lets hope my update last night to the iOS helps.
Anyway, some outfit recaps:
Blouse: Ann Taylor
Skirt: Kate Spade
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Montana Strass
Handbag: Kate Spade
The above was worn to Disneyland this past Sunday. The last photo is my shoes vs The Husbands shoes. *giggle*
Cardigan: Target
Dress: Trina Turk
Belt: Thrifted
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Cardigan: Banana Republic
Skirt: Kate Spade
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Montana Strass
Handbag: Kate Spade
For lack of imagination, I did wear my St John skirt two days in a row this week. I’ve been quite busy with various things, not to mention exhausted, and sometimes it’s just easier to resort to an old standby! Plus it was chilly!
Cardigan: Target
Skirt: St John
Shoes: Jimmy Choo
Handbag: Kate Spade
And day 2…..
Cardigan: Ross
Skirt: St John
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Handbag: Kate Spade
And today we have a “theme” at our bible study, “Blue Ribbon Living”. Kind of a country fair theme. So of course I’m wearing vintage AND my blue sparkle heels, but I’ll post that probably tomorrow. I’m in charge of decorating our table (of course!), so I want to put it all together into one post. I’m super excited though!!! It’s one of the projects I’ve been crafting for the past week.
One small teaser, the “blue ribbons” for our pie “contest”:
Oh and the photo booth is going to be awesome. I have two huge totes of props!! Fun fun fun!!
Happy Thursday!
Until next time,
Jules
Happy May Day!
Happy May 1st! It’s a bright sunshine-y day here in Southern California. It’s been unseasonably warm, which I have mixed thoughts about. However, weather is something I cannot control, so I adjust wardrobe choices accordingly!
I know I have been absent lately. I had a wicked case of laryngitis the past week or so, and have been laying pretty low. Add in all the school activities, an by the time I crawl into bed I realize I hadn’t taken an outfit photo. Oops!
But here’s a recap of a few that I remembered:
Dress: Banana Republic
Brooch: Vintage
Hat: Vintage
Shoes: Jimmy Choo Jonquil Strass flats
Handbag:(not pictured) Yellow Kate Spade Maryann
And yesterday:
Blouse: Banana Republic
Belt: Kate Spade
Skirt: Escada
Shoes: Montana Sapphire Christian Louboutin (more below on these!)
Handbag: Kate Spade Maryann
My shoes. In my week of couch surfing, I realized by Saturday I needed a project. And so, I finally tackled a pair of heels I bought a few months ago with some paint and crystals. I loved them as the plain green heels, but holy cow, I adore them strassed!!!! They are just incredible!!
Some photographs:
So, there you go. Another gorgeous pair of sparkly shoes to add to my collection. I have another pair of heels I want to do, I just haven’t been able to decide on which crystals to use. I really should use up the massive amounts I’ve acquired recently. I have crystal AB, green tourmaline, light sapphire, and lots of jet black. But for now, I think I’ll give my neck a rest. I did get a new tool, a crystal katana, and it was the best $30 I’ve spent in a long time! It made the process so much easier!!
Today it’s back to the kitchen for hundreds of cookies and miniature cupcakes. Fun fun! Follow me on Instagram for the most updates: katespadegirlblog
Until next time,
Jules
KateSpadeGirl 