Glamorous Looks

{This is Glamorous} is one of my favorite blog spots to find inspiration in just about any area. It's truly brilliant over there! These images are all from those glamorously filled to the brim pages. First I wanted to share some gorgeous touch of fall looks, urging my longing for that fresh fall smell and briskly cool weather. Fall also ushers in many much loved family activities ... apple picking, pumpkin patches followed by crafty decorations, and eventually costumes! Such an exciting and adventuresome time of year.

A few elegant looks I'm loving right now. 

I couldn't resist sharing these romantic looks from the label Lover. They're not quite season appropriate, but they are perfectly on trend for those in the southern hemisphere who are approaching their very own long, hot summers.

{via This is Glamorous}

Fab Finds and Other Fun

  

My new silky bedspread

Hope you are having a fantastic start to your week! I thought I'd share a few more lovely gifts from the SA flea markets and plazas and also some random pieces I found curbside recently. I've never taken anything off of anyone's curb before, simply because I feel so stupid doing it. But after watching countless cars pull up to my sister's home and take things from her pile of discards at the curb, I realize that I should be braver if I find something really worthwhile. Still felt silly though.

Just having some fun

      

A few more locomotives for the boys

A fun light fixture

A floor length wrap skirt

And here are the freebies I scavenged, plus this sweet framed cross stitch from grandma's house. 

Tiny, Colorful, Heavenly Cakes

This is what I did last night...

I cut tiny slices off of my latest batch of Laduree macarons, sampling each one and enjoying the surprise of each, as those colors sure pack some flavor (and not all the most delish actually). My mom brought them home from Paris, as hoped, and they looked as bright and adorable as I imagined they would. I've had this little box since Monday and I've been waiting for an evening when I can get together with my mom and sisters and sample each, much like a box of chocolates. But last night I picked up the little package and read the side and had a horrified realization. It said that 1. they had to be refrigerated (ah!) and 2. they had to be eaten within 3 days. I was now on day 4! So I could not wait a moment longer as they were sure to be either moldy or smushy in the morning, or perhaps they would have lost 5o% of their flavor by day 5. (You never know). So I sighed an "okay, I'll eat them now" and began the surgery of cutting and tasting. It was delightful. Only a 3rd of each, mind you, so that the rest of the girls can still enjoy (albeit fresh-less).

"These small, round cakes, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle, are made every morning in Laduree's "laboratories"". The flavors - vanilla, chocolate, coffee, pistachio. lemon, caramel with salted butter, liquorice, roses, orange blossom, raspberry, violet blackcurrant, mint, green apple and a few more. 

I had quite a bit of fun taking picture after picture of them, as you can see. 

My favorites? You'd be surprised (if you knew my preferences), as I usually love the fruit flavored desserts. But this time I LOVED the chocolate which tasted as if it oozed actual chocolate mousse on the inside, and also the caramel with salted butter which sounds a bit disgusting really but was in actuality, supremely delicious. 

Chika took my mom shopping in SA and directed her to the more beautiful things. Thank you, my friend. This bag is handmade by a South African designer with recycled materials. It's incredible!  (Please excuse the mess in the background! We were playing outside.)

My new gorgeous purse

Last night's dinner. Can you guess what we ate?

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Runway Fashion - Nina Ricci

Ooh. You're going to love these pieces from Nina Ricci's Resort 2011 collection. They're just beautiful in every possible way. Layers of lace, bubble skirts in soft minty green, shocks of pink tailored into lovely dresses, perfect cool weather jackets to cover the ruffles, and madly gorgeous wedges. 

And my favorite shoe of the week. Sam Edelman's oxford boot with this stud detail I'm just crazy about right now. I guess it's that mix of feminine yet tough that's just so cool. 

A few more Sam Edelman knock outs. 

That stunning bead work!

So warm and cozy for winter

But perfect for all our snowy days

Wowza!

{style.com & samedelman.com}

Our Last Week of Summer

School starts on September 1st, so we're getting everything ready to go around here. Yesterday's art time was all about school. Have to talk it up a whole bunch and make sure that everyone is just bursting at the seams about it. Let's cross fingers that there are no tears. So Monty's art was all about the square shape and he turned his squares into lego towers. Parker chose to draw and color a snack time at school. That used to be his favorite part of the day, he said. (Let's hope that this year it is reading and arithmetic - yeah right).

Building towers out of squares

Letters spelling "square" all over the place!

Snack time at school is the best!

I found the cutest back packs for them. Parker picked out the Paul Frank astronaut rock band back pack from Target and Monty actually picked out Spiderman. But then he received this amazing hand painted monkey back pack from SA and went bananas! Yay. So much cuter.

Our cool back packs

"Monkey stealing bananas" 

I found these adorable lunch bags in Tulsa at a kid's boutique. They're made by Skip Hop.

Our lunch bags

My parents returned from SA last night and we all rushed over to meet them and their suitcases full of presents. This is Uncle Bob, who wanted to be called UB and which the kid's turned into Shoobee. He likes to gives the kid's "noogies" which they thoroughly dislike. This is Elliot's noogie, I suppose. It's okay Shoobs ... whatev.

Shoobee likes to bug us

I purchased these J. Crew shorts on sale and was so thrilled. They're the coolest ... distressed, soft rosy pink and with those little studs. Best shorts ever!

{blouse - Gap, necklace - Express, cuff - SA)

Good bye favorite summer shorts

And here are a few outfits the kids received. There are so many incredible things to show, just have to photograph it all. The cousins came over today after swim class and played outside (the mozzis are just AWFUL right now!).

Watch me dance!

Hand painted onesie in a size 6-12 months (for Adorlee's almost here sibling). Yes, she's that little but also, these clothes are that big! It says "lion daydreaming about his lunch". Cute.

Soccer shirts from the World Cup. Woohoo!

Go South Africa!

Inspiration is Everywhere!

It's nap time, so here I am. Ah!

I just wanted to say thank you to all that have commented over the past week. Things have really picked up around here and I have to tell you, getting a little feed back from you makes this so worth it and even more fun. It also had me realize that I too should comment more often when I visit your blogs. I tend to be the quiet reader. So along those lines, I'd really like to know how you've found yourself here at lovelies. I've had such a spike in readers, particularly yesterday, and I'm wondering why. I know it's possible to track these things but honestly, I can barely find the time to work on a post, never mind figure out RSS and tracking my stuff. So how did you stumble here? Please share. It's such a joy for me to do this and a massive relief that you like it. It's funny, cause I live in a city that has very little interest in fashion. Football, oh yes! But fashion ... na ah. In fact, I often get funny looks if I go out in my favorite wedge sandals. Now, of course I'm generalizing here as there are some fabulous boutiques around town and every once in a while I'll spot a little fashionista, but it's no LA. That's why this is so good for me. Gets my fashion crazies out.

And now for some pretty pictures.

A wonderfully quirky wall

A gorgeously mod nursery

A beautifully ruffled bride

A luxuriously peaceful nap 

A dreamy ice cream pink kitchen

A kid's space cozy enough for my own good read. 

 Super silhouettes galore!

Exotic simplicity with beautiful sunlight  

A stunning dress with to-die-for accessories

Pretty linens and artwork make it so special

Grannie, please knit one for us!

Where have you found inspiration today?

{ 1. inside the black apple 2. thelennoxx.com 3. twigsandhoney 4, 6, 8 & 10. design sponge 5. poppy talk  7. country living via from the right bank 9. decades inc 11. purl bee}