Happy {Top Notch} Weekend

Did I say top notch? I meant to say top knot! If there's one thing I learned at Alt Summit is that the top knot is where it's at, yo.

The darling Liz compiled a great round-up of all the bun-tasticness that dotted every Alt Summit breakout room.

And as luck would have it, my girl Anna is featured in a stellar top knot tutorial over on Real Simple today!

Tulip Louise Tutorial from jade Howard on Vimeo.

I just might have to attempt the look this weekend. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!

But I do jest a bit. Of course, there was much more to learn from Alt than the latest hair tricks and stunning roundups have popped up across the interwebs all week. I love hearing other people's takes on the experience as each individual walks away with something so different!

Here is just a small sampling of my faves:

~ Grace lifted the veil of mystery about book writing
~ Victoria rocked her panel and a great Ban.do
~ If you like business cards, Alt Summit is your mecca. Proof is here, here, and here.
~ Cassandra is ready to get down to biz
~ Have you ever thought about what makes you happy?
~ Erin is movin' and shakin'
~ The Blog Brunch girls summed up each panel
~ If you want more blogging pointers and tips
~ And Meg compiled a list of every single person who attended - what the what?!

The other rockin' side benefit of meeting 600 bloggers - discovering new blogs! So here is the lastest list of Noteworthy Newbies. Run, don't walk, to check them out!

Noteworthy Newbies
Amperstand Design Studio
Cooking After Five
M Stetson
Buckets and Bunches
Nat the Fat Rat


Till Monday luvies,

 

photography by justin hackworth

Get Artsy With It

Art can be an intimidating thing. How do you know what good art is?  How much should you pay for it? While I'm sure we can start a strong debate on this subject, with 20ft, nearly blank walls in the loft, I've gotta get on it. Just without shelling out thousands of dollars....

That's why I was intrigued when I spied this painting {in the home of Kelly Wearstler no less}. I find it striking. I find it appealing. And it leaves me thinking a line across a canvas - I can do that!

So I'm turning to you luvies, for your brilliant opinions. What say you of homemade art? Have you tried it? Have you had good experiences with it?

Or do you have yet to be discovered artists that you love? The sea of Etsy can get a tad overwhelming sometimes so if you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

And should I pick up a brush {scary thought!} I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!

image by jamie beck

A Wedding Dress for a Modern Woman

Though not its intended purpose, when I spied this Phillip Lim gown I immediately thought wedding.

It even has your something blue built right in!

Now all you need is a sea cliff. Or maybe a beach. Or a stunning city hall setting {this one is my fave}, groom/partner optional!!

dress at la garconne via my new favorite wedding invitation designer rosebrook meyer nyc

4:00 PM Fashion Fix {Our Little Secret}

Who doesn't love a good secret? It's always fun to have a juicy little tidbit that you're dying to share, but can't. That's how I was feeling about the Australian fashion line I recently discovered called Secret Squirrel.

That is until I realized this secret was just too good to keep down under. I'm sure they won't mind if I tell you...





Color blocking, pretty prints and easy-breezy silhouettes? This secret is almost too good to be true, don't you think?!

The only question left is where can I get this line in the U.S.?

images c/o secret squirrel

Tasty Tuesday {With the Gluten-Free Entertainer}

A few weeks ago, my dear friend Lisa came over to the loft to put on a little cooking demonstration: how to create the perfect cocktail party without losing your mind. Exactly what I needed! It just so happens the entire menu was gluten free, but your guests wouldn't even have to know.

We had a ball in the kitchen that day and luckily Michelle Drewes caught the whole thing on tape. Check it out! 

With Style and Grace_Cocktail Party from Lisa Thiele on Vimeo.

Today I have an extra special treat to for you ~ Lisa is giving you exclusive access to one of the recipes featured in our video!





I'm drooling already! And the very best part? This is only the beginning - many more delicious recipes and equally yummy videos from Lisa are to come! I just hope this has whet your appetite.

Bon appetit luives,

images by lisa thiele, video shot and directed by michelle drewes, produced by me! 

Monday Morning Musings

Pardon the interruption from our usual Monday Work Wear, but this past week was anything but usual and attention must be paid.

The annual Alt Design Summit stormed Salt Lake City over the weekend with oodles of meeting, greeting, tweeting, inspiring and of course, sporting mad style. I'm still digesting the whirlwind 72 hours of which I think I slept only 10!

I do know that, just like last year, I left feeling as if I was walking on air with one very clear thought top of mind...

There are thousands of things to take away from the Alt experience, but the courage to take a leap into the unknown is what I treasure most.

I was also lucky enough to speak on a panel this year and was uber excited to join my fellow panelists to talk about "How to Make Yourself Press Ready."

The lovely Laura Mayes of Kirtsy, Dottie Van Every of Modern Kiddo, Jess Chamberlain of Sunset Magazine and I had a ball with our little talk. I'd planned to write up a recap for you until I discovered the amazing tool called Storify - it tracks all the tweets related to a particular subject and thanks to the abundant Alt Summit twitterings, I was able to pick out our key talking points, easy as pie. So cool.

You can see the entire summary of our presentation at Storify. But wait, before you go....!

...I had to share the real star of Alt Summit - the crazy go nuts fashion! People did it up right this year luvies. I was beyond impressed.

I was also a naughty blogger and who didn't bring her good camera, but thank goodness Alt had skilled photographers stationed everywhere. Below are just a handful of my favorite looks that they captured.

 

Top Alt trends included high buns, oversized glasses, faux fur, color, stripes and jumbo jewelry. {Speaking of which, I cannot wait to tell you about a new jewelry designer I discovered....But you'll just have to come back for that later this week!} 

I must say, the very best part of the entire Alt experience wasn't the parties or the networking or the fashion inspiration ~ it was the opportunity to connect with people I so greatly admirea and see friends, both old and new, face to face. It's easy to sit behind a computer screen spouting silly nothings off into the ether, but when you see the kindness and joy that embodies the bloggers you love, it all becomes wonderfully real.

And for that, I will be forever grateful to Alt Summit - it was a much needed reminder.

Here's to an inspirational week luvies!

 

top image via here, quote via here, Alt photos by b.a.d. photography, justin hackworth, and moss + isaac via altsummit flickr stream

Loft Life: Behind the Scenes

It's here. The moment has finally arrived. The wait to invite you into our loft is over!

I was beyond thrilled when Refinery 29 asked if I'd be willing to share a little tour of our space. While  fearful to invite Refinery (love!) into what is very much still a work in progress, I ended up having a ball playing dress up with the Refinery 29 team. And I loved that Chloe made her editorial debut!

The entire day was so fun that not everything could make the final cut. Here are a few outtakes from they day.

zara blouse, anthropologie necklace (similar here), club monaco ring (similar here)

In the whirlwind that has been the last five months, it's a wonderful feeling to be able to say that we've now found a home. Now that the foundation is laid, the real fun can begin!

Be sure to head over to Refinery 29 for the straight scoop on loft living. Who knows, you might pick up a few design tips and tricks!

images by jasmine gregory


PS - if you're having Alt envy be sure to follow tomorrow's Live Twitter Feed!

Over the Hills and Through the Woods

To Alt Summit we go!

As the Twitter rumblings have grown louder, I suspect you may have picked up that the Altitude Design Summit - the annual convergence of lifestyle and design bloggers that descend upon Salt Lake City for what I liken to the most intense 72 hour version of summer camp - is about to commence.

Seriously, the crowds up at Sundance have no idea what they're missing.

I'm beyond excited to reunite with so many of my favorite people that I hardly ever get to actually see, meet so many of you that I've only ever known online and get that the unbelievable infusion of energy that seems to be infused throughout the entire experience. You can catch all of my enthusiasm in the recaps from my first Alt here.

Sadly, I realize so many of you won't be there, for one reason or another. But you can be there both in spirit and virtually! The #altsummit hashtag will be in full effect and I suspect some serious Instagraming will be taking place as well.

I'll do my very best to keep you updated on all the goings on! Find me on Twitter and Facebook if you'd like to get the play by play.

So come on now, let's do this!

 

images by Freshly Picked, Daniel Staemmler, and Mode:lina via alt summit and bjones style tumblr edited by me