Letters and Inspiration

So I’m sorry for the hiatus. Again. I really need to get my act together and stop apologizing. Ok, I’m not sorry I took 3 weeks off blogging. I needed a break and something to inspire me. Yes, I believe in Muses, but thankfully they don’t rollerskate or wear shredded jersey dresses like Olivia Newton John in Xanadu.

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But I did find a new movie to add to my favorites list (The Princess Bride, all 3 Pirates of the Caribbean, Chris Pine’s Star Trek, Keira Knightly’s Pride and Prejudice, The Holiday, seeing a trend?): Letters to Juliet. Amanda Seyfried is not one of my favorite actresses. I thought Mamma Mia! was horrible (sorry Meryl). But Seyfried delivers as a wanna-be journalist searching the Italian countryside in hopes of rekindling a 50-years-dormant romance. Molto romantico.

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I respect two things about Seyfried’s character: first she is a fact checker for the New York Times. She is awesome enough to work for that hallowed publication, but I can totally relate to the misery of verifying other people’s work while secretly dreaming of something bigger. Secondly, she follows her own advice. I won’t spoil the movie for you, but it’s always refreshing to see someone live how they preach.

It also doesn’t hurt this film that Christopher Egan (cold, emotionless Brit Charlie) is a total fox:

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I wonder what my Shakespeare professor would say about such an iconic character like Juliet taking on a completely modern occupation, even if it is through her secretaries. If you have doubts, just grab the girls, some cheap red wine and enjoy!

Cheers,

Jenna Kate

Wow

I wanted to share a few fun links today from across the web. The first is an interesting event blog called The Pink Toast. You can read about Danielle’s Bat Mitzvah in 5 installments, but here’s a sneak peak:

I can only imagine what this 13-year-old will grow up thinking about her wedding. I wish there was a way to check back in 10 or 15 yaers from now…

On to our next link, The Knotty Bride posted up a brief article on lingerie which was mildly inspiring. Alison led me to a great new online shop asos from the UK. They have dresses from £15 to £250 (about $30 – $500) I did find this cute jersey dress I’d love to have for the holidays:

and at £26, it’s not at a bad price either. And along with this great jumpsuit (which doesn’t look like a jumpsuit at all):

at £50, I’d sure make my British friends proud for at least stepping away from my pearls and cardis.

And of course, last night’s Emmy Awards has people talking fashion. This Oscar de la Renta on Lea Michele from GLEE made me a little giddy and Emily Blunt’s flowing Christian Dior one-shoulder dress wished I had my other half around to float around in a bedsheet pretending to be a Grecian goddess. InStyle of course has a great gallery up of photos from the red carpet.

Hopefully this has give you a bit of inspiration for a happy Monday!

Cheers,

Jenna Kate

Bembo’s Zoo

The other day, I stumbled across this great little site: Bembo’s Zoo.

As you can see from this image, the creator builds animals on your screen from the letters in their name. I love E elephant and U unicorn the best. Check it out and stretch your imagination. What would you build out of the letters in your own name?

Cheers,

Jenna Kate

 

DIY At Home Spa Day

I thought it would be a nice, mid-week break to put together some easy DIY spa treatments. Pull out your kitchen cabinet, a DVD of Pride and Prejudice (I just got the Kiera Knightly version in the mail!) and relax. Maybe you can even get your guy to join in! Here are my top 5 at-home spa treatments.

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1. Soft Hands: TV-Friendly Hand Salve : Combine a few spoonfuls of cold cream, 2 drops of tea tree oil, 5 drops of lavender oil, a spoonful of olive oil and a banana (for a fruity smell) in a blender. When the consistency is smooth, slather liberally all over hands and cuticles. Then slip hands into a pair of yellow rubber gloves—yes, the kind you use to scrub the tub with. For the softest hands ever, I like to sit down and watch TV with my lotioned and gloved hands underneath a heating pad so that the heat will help my homemade salve penetrate my skin that much more. India-Jewel Jackson, GlamBlush, Posted on Glamour.com

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2. Silky Hair: Olive Oil Mask: Summer time means salt water and sun combine to make frizzy, unmanageable hair. To combat this, comb through your hair a couple of tablespoons of good olive oil and then cover with plastic wrap or a shower cap. Leave for fifteen minutes then wash clean.  Anya Merryfield, NZ Girl

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3. Tight Pores: Indian Tomato Tightener: This simple recipe only has 2 ingredients: 1 small or medium unripe tomato (the greener, the better) and 1 tsp. honey.  In a blender, puree tomato and honey to a thick pulp. Cleanse your face well and exfoliate with your favorite product or washcloth to ensure pores are open. Using two fingers, gently massage the pulp into your face. Let it sit for 20 minutes and then rinse off with cold water. Put leftovers in Tupperware and place in the fridge; they’ll last for up to a month. This mask benefits skin by tightening pores and removing excess oil (tomato) and naturally moisturizing (honey).  Shobha SoHo in New York City, Posted on TheNest.com

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4. Smooth Feet: Bedtime Piña Colada Callous Treatment: Even if rough feet aren’t a big problem for you, this foot soak sure sounds yummy. In a foot bath or large, clean bucket, pour in 2-3 cups pineapple juice. Add in ½ cup coconut milk and stir well. Soak for feet for 8-10 minutes and rinse well with warm water. Gently rub a natural pumice stone across any rough areas. Towel dry and apply your favorite moisturizer while feet are still damp. For extra softness, pull on a pair of cotton socks to wake up in the morning  Barbara Feiner, Organic Authority

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5. Touchable Skin: Sweetheart’s Chocolate-Honey Scrub: In a rubber mixing bowl, combine 2 cups honey (100% pure is best) and ½ cup grape seed oil. Stir in 6 Tbl. grated unsweetened chocolate (or dry cocoa powder) and 2 cups kosher salt, mixing completely. Consistency should be grainy and thick. Apply scrub to your skin and gently massage all over your body. Remove with warm, damp towels or rinse off in shower. Makes two treatments. The National Honey Board and Christopher Watt Esthetics in West Hollywood, California, Posted on TheNest.com

Have any other DIY at home spa recipes to share? Post them in the comments! Happy DIY spa day, and have a happy Hump Day!

Cheers,

Jenna Kate

Love is in the Air?

This summer has definitely been a big one for romance. In June, a classmate of mine Andrea got married in Greensboro, and yesterday Southern Weddings posted photos of her wedding shot by Abigail Seymour. I love the classic monogram:

and these adorable Elon cupcakes:

and who could resist these traditional North Carolina favors: Krispy Kreme doughnuts in adorable boxes reading “Glazed and delicious from the new Mr. & Mrs.” So precious!

Next to their cute favor boxes, I just had to leave this great photo of Andrea throwing her bouquet. Check out more photos in the Southern Weddings post and on Abigail Seymour’s blog. Congratulations! I can’t wait to borrow some of your fabulous ideas!

In July, Adam and I went to Jake & Kim’s wedding down in Durham. You saw a photo peek here, and here’s a snapshot of me and Adam all dressed to the nines:

and I snagged this adorable photo of the happy couple off Facebook (all my pictures were blurry thanks to the ambient low lighting and my point & shoot camera) thanks to Brian Mullins Photography:

There are some amazing shots up on Brian’s blog! I love how you can see the reflection of Kim and Jake in the piano. So classic! And to top it all off, the next day, Adam proposed in the Duke Gardens!

Then in the last two weeks, I had two sorority sisters get engaged as well. Congratulation Lisa and Alison! You can read Alison’s adorable engagement story here. And to top it off, The Wedding Chicks are giving away customized DIY wedding invitations with this classic bicycle built for two design:

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Just enter in your info, pick your colors, and each file will be emailed to your address. Get your invitations here.

So all this romance has to make a girl wonder, is there more in the summer air than just humidity?

Cheers,

Jenna Kate

Back From the Nap…

So I wanted to apologize for my hiatus the last few days. I’ve been in a blogging nap, both from lack of inspiration and from being busy in real life (sort of). Here is a mini life-update:

Friday, we took our usual office outing to Murphy’s Irish Pub, where I of course followed along with The Unicorn Song, doing all the hand motions. I even went to bed at a sensible hour.

Saturday, I attempted to bleach my hair with good old-fashioned lemon juice

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but alas the sun was not cooperating on the project. I also successfully organized my scrapbooking stuff, which I will begin to work on tonight. Then we had an office-sponsored Washington Nationals versus the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game.

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The Nats lost 2-9. And later that night, I attempted diplomacy with my fiance’s friends. I also learned that ‘tear-away jorts’ are in fact my biggest fear.

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Sunday, I came into the office for a few hours to jumpstart some work for this week. My massive allergy attack that ensued prompted me to pop a Benadryl when I got home. I woke up several hours later with my best friend banging on my apartment door coming to borrow a dress for a wedding San Francisco this weekend.

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So now we are back at Monday. I have successfully tapped my beauty-product-obsessed sister for skin care advice, and will try to persuade her to write a few guest posts to share her knowledge with you. I have also scheduled a job interview for a position in Colorado starting in January, which means I don’t have to feel guilty going to Monument with Adam or about spending two months with him in China at the end of this year.

I have also decided to put John Frieda to the test. I’ve been unhappy with my hair color for a while now, and I’ve never dyed it (that’s right, 100% natural blonde here folks). So I’ll be testing out some of the JF products to see if they do in fact improve my blonde from a brassy corn field color back to a more champaign beach blonde shade. So keep posted for that project.

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Anything exciting happen yet on your Monday?

Cheers,

Jenna Kate

Features: Novels and Photos

Thanks to TrèsSugar, I have two really fun features to share with you.

The first is their Summer Reading List: 20 Smart Chick-Lit Novels. I’ve read several of these titles including Lipstick Jungle, The Devil Wears Prada, and The Pact, and have had others on my must-read list for a while: Something Borrowed and Something Blue.

The great this about this list is the inclusion of less-well-known authors like Melissa Bank, Rita Ciresi, and Dixie Cash, so there are some new faces to befriend these last few days of summer.

TrèsSugar has also blessed us with this fantastic spread of film inspired Engagement Photo Shoots. Granted, two of my top five favorite movies of all time are included in this list: timeless romance from The Notebook, and tragic desire from Atonement.  Here are my favorite photos from the shoots as posted on TrèsSugar:

Atonement:

Up:

Breakfast at Tiffany’s:

The Notebook:

and Alice in Wonderland:

Have you seen other movie-inspired photo shoots? What other films do you think would make a great inspiration for engagement photos like these? Happy photo hunting!

Cheers,

Jenna Kate

The Anthropologist

I love artistic collaboration, and Anthropology creating an online art gallery is a natural project for the eclectic company. Called The Anthropologist, the site started out with an incredible work by Jim Denevan. Jim works are transient, completely subjected to the whims of nature. They are, after all, natural art. In this video, you can get a glimpse of Jim’s latest work on Siberia’s Lake Baikal. Listening to the ice crack under his clamp-ons is just incredible.

Read Elle’s post about this new artistic venue here, and check through the archives for other artists The Anthropologist has featured like Derek Henderson and Dona DeMari.

Any other great online art venues you’ve come across?

Cheers,

Jenna Kate

If It Comes In Pink

Photo source: Lil Bit Old Lil Bit New

My friend Chelsea just unknowingly introduced me to my new favorite website: Make Mine Pink. This is a great little place full of online vendors whose wares are, of course, pink! Be careful wandering around the marketplace, the system for searching these stores is pretty basic. But if you’re looking for something particular, it’s a great place to start.

Some things I found that I love include these great Fleur-de-Lis bookends ($19.99) from Vintage to Vogue:

Photo source: Vintage to Vogue

this Alice in Wonderland style teacup bird feeder ($18) from Forget Me Not Dreams:

Photo source: Forget Me Not Dreams

and even these fun rose rings ($12) from CarolineAlexander:

Photo source: CarolineAlexander

These boutiques are a great place to find vintage and hand-crafted items of all sorts and at reasonable prices. There are even vendors for furniture! I’m sure Adam will love that. Happy pink hunting!

Cheers,

Jenna Kate

Vogue Heritage Must-Haves

Last week, Vogue issued a list of ‘heritage brand must-haves,’ and I have to say I’m a fan. Jenna Lyons (my idol), the new president of J. Crew, sorted through some classics that have been around for quite a while. She put together a few looks using the J. Crew couture line. So if nothing else, you get to peruse through some exclusive, expensive items. Take a peek here:

And flip through the modern look-book of some of fashion’s oldest brands including Timex, Baracuta, Barbour, and Saint James: Vogue Heritage Must-Haves.  Anything you felt should have been on this list?

Cheers, Kate