FREAK OUT!!!!

Holy moly people!! This very evening I was going about my normal act of stalking all of my favorite clothing sites and on Forever21 I found this PERFECT little black dress for.... $10.50!!!!!!

Yeah! I couldn't believe it either! I ordered myself one so fast that I made my own head spin! My heart was beating, and my mouth was getting dry for fear of getting a dreaded message that the dress was sold out... thankfully it wasn't! Another huge plus of this wonderful little find is that the dress comes in several different colors, so if you feel the need to order it in every color, have at it!

Everyone who is anyone needs a cute and essential little black dress. Speaking of essentials, I'll be posting about what I think are the essential pieces to every wardrobe. Stay tuned!!

Oprah Alert!

Heidi loves her some Oprah! Other than Martha Stewart, Oprah has been a huge influence on my style and life. Just yesterday she had an awesome show about living life while knowing death is eminent. It was really refreshing and I appreciated it very much. Even though yesterday’s show was awesome, my most favorite shows are the type she’s going to have today which is all about being a star at work and home. Who wouldn’t want to be that? Oprah will have the stylist who dressers her for every magazine cover on talking about dressing for success and going for your dreams with all your might! Yes, there will be makeovers happening, and even more than Oprah, Heidi loves her some makeovers!!!

The dramatic before and after:

I hope y’all will join me in enjoying today’s Oprah!

Martha Came, Martha Saw, Martha Conquered.

I don't know about you, but I love Martha Stewart. I always have. I can still recall the first time I laid eyes on her show and how it immediately had my undivided attention and loyal following. I was just 10 or 11 but I was hooked from the start. I really can’t say if it was the simplistic beauty of her set, or her eye for the details, or that she strived for perfection in all things she undertook but I was drawn to her like a bee is to honey and I watched her show religiously growing up. I would often buy her magazines so I could study the interior design of her houses when they were featured in an article and I even subscribed to her catalog of home décor and kitchen goods. Yes, I was even faithful to Martha through her “tribulation” back in 2005. I count Martha as a huge influence on my own interior design style and I respect her out the wazoo for what she has accomplished over the years. It is my deepest, darkest secret to one day achieve even just a fraction of what she’s achieved. I admire her determination and work ethic and I try to model myself after her in that way…

Now, onto what I really wanted to talk about: Martha’s new line at Macy’s. I saw a commercial for Martha’s new line a few days ago and I must say, I actually cried out with joy!

Let me explain why: First of all, Martha’s original catalog for home décor and kitchen goods was long ago discontinued and I have ever since longed for her products. Secondly, Martha does have a line of home stuff at Kmart but sadly, there are no Kmart’s in Central Texas and I have therefore been further deprived of my Martha goods. Thirdly, there are tons and tons of Macy’s all over Central Texas which means I am now and forever cured of being deprived of Martha Stewart’s wonderful creations. The sun shines a little bit brighter for Heidi ladies and gentlemen, and my, is she ever glad! (ignore that I randomly went into third person right there.)

And so, I thought that because this is my blog and because I love all things beautiful, and because I believe everything Martha creates is beautiful, I am going to feature a few pictures from her new line at Macy’s. It should be noted that like my habit of “sourcing” ideas for outfits, I also haunt sites like Macy’s and IKEA for inspiration on how to decorate my house… not to mention the two or three home décor magazine subscriptions I have and my watching Martha Stewart (her live show) everyday.

Enjoy:

One day soon: I will have this look in my kitchen!

Martha gets it that there is so much beauty in simplicity. These dishes could be paired with any other dish or stand alone, not to mention that they are timeless... always an excellent quality!


Could you die? I could, and I wouldn't mind if this were my death bed either!;-)

ConKerr Cancer Rocks!

Well, as I said, this blog isn't just about fashion and design, but about beauty and life also and I think that the organization ConKerr Cancer is truly something beautiful that has come about as a result of life. Cindy Kerr son’s was diagnosed with cancer when he was just 12 and as a result, he began to undergo chemotherapy. Out of a need to make her son more comfortable while he stayed in the hospital, Cindy made him a colorful pillow case to comfort him. This idea took off and grew and now Cindy and her friends have made and donated more that 18,000 pillow cases to children who suffer from cancer.

For me, it’s the brave people like Cindy and her son who make the world go ‘round, and anything I can do to promote this kind of beauty is truly my honor! You can visit Cindy’s site at www.conkerrcancer.org.

It's a twist... I think.

Last Thursday I made a quick run to Target, (one of my most frequented haunts), in search of a birthday present for a sis-in law when I came upon these: At first, my reaction was disgust; how could any respectable woman dare to don a pair of see-through jelly slippers? My judgement went on: these were obviously for some pre-teen with big feet or a 40 year old mother trying desperately to look younger by dressing like her 8 year old daughter... and then I put them on. Don't ask me why, I honestly think I was trying to prove to my imaginary friend with whom I go everywhere (yes it's true, I have an imaginary friend, but to everyone else it just looks like I have a bad habit of talking to myself all the time. This friend remains unnamed though, as to give the appearance of looking like I'm just talking to myself. ;-)). Anyway, back to my putting on this plastic slipper... So I slipped it on and lo, it was really quite cute. I was shocked, in disbelief and really beside myself with how something so hideous off of my foot could look so cute on it. Often, in the past, I have seen an item of clothing or even a piece of furniture and thought it hideous at first sight but later have witnessed the item in a different context and absolutely loved it. Come on ladies, you've had this happen to you before too, I'm sure!

I decided to carry them around with me while I finished shopping to think on it and in the end, I decided to get them. I later decided that they were a good purchase, albeit, an odd one for me as I normally stick to, how shall I say this, less see-through or pre-school type items of footwear, but got them because they are flats (which I LIVE in) and because they are my style but with a twist. And who doesn't love a twist in the ordinary every now and then? Certainly I do, and besides, I'm not still young enough to pull of such a bold option for footwear and I did get a complement on them the very next day... sure, she was a 3 year old girl but she liked my shoes nonetheless!

Call me a Poser... or call me a Genius, your call.

So, I don't know about anyone else, but when I feel like my style is getting a bit stale and my wardrobe needs some vamping up, I turn to some of my favorite online sources to get some ideas for how to make a new outfit. I'm sad to admit that I don't think I was born with that "natural style" that I sometimes think other people have. The story of my life has been that I try very hard to look like I wasn't trying very hard and rarely if ever do I come up with a cute outfit idea on my own. Often times, if I do happen upon something cute all by myself, it's more than likely an accident. I have spent many an hour flipping through the many fashion books, magazines, blogs, and sites I've collected to help myself with my style. I care a lot about it. As I've read through these sources, it's occurred to me that maybe some of the Fashion Icons I look up to did the very same thing... I wonder if Jakie O put so much brain power into her look, or if Audrey Hepburn had a stack of Vogue's taller than a 2 year old...

Anyway, all that to say, here are some pictures I've recently found that I think are amazing outfits. I've come upon most of these outfits by religiously reading one of my favorite fashion blogs. The blog is all about finding clothes and dressing on a budget which is also the story of my life.

I think it's important to also note that every outfit I "source out" I take as merely an idea and try to make it my own. Obviously, coping an outfit exactly isn't really having a style of one's own, so I strive to make whatever idea I take my own. I personally have a great love for the classic look, this is a look that works well with my body type, so I try to have a signature piece that I wear with most things, like my pearl necklace and earrings, or big rings. I'm young though, so I can still pull of a bolder look well enough... it would be dreadful to take the "classic look" and turn it into "the old woman look".

Enjoy:

Perfect for work.

I actually wore this very outfit to the doctor's office. I got a few compliments but best of all, I actually had a white dress and tailored jean jacket already, but just never though to put it together. Ta-da!

It rarely gets cold in Texas, but when it does , you'll see me sporting something similar to these two little numbers.

I L-O-V-E the idea of pairing an adorable black shirt dress with a long sleeved shirt and BRIGHT red shoes. Not only is the color scheme classic but edgy, this ensemble also pairs together something that I could wear in two different seasons: for the summer heat I could skip the long sleeved shirt underneath and wear the dress alone; and for the winter chill, I could work this number as is pictured. Gotta love clothes that are multi-faceted.