Totally torn....

{ the boho in me is in love with this image... those pants are divine, and soooo comfy } 

{ but this look is tres chic, but still in a fun casual way.... totally works for me } 

{ my inner boarding school girl just can't resist this little ensemb! }

{ and then there's this "I just threw it on and look how perfectly casual I look" look. One of my personal faves }

{ I'm pleased to say that this officially proves that trackies are capable of being chic }

I had a funny thought about myself today... I realised when it comes to my style (and I think this applies to both fashion and my home) I am totally torn between a relaxed boho vibe with lots of colour and playfulness but I am also a complete lover of a more refined, sophisticated preppy kind of look. I oscillate between the two - pretty much on a daily basis. It's like being Carrie with a big dose of Charlotte thrown in for good measure. Is it possible for Carrie and Charlotte to merge?  Well, apparently it is, and it's me!!

Something to think about....

"I don't know what good it is to know so much and be smart as whips if it doesn't make you happy" JD Salinger  Franny and Zooey

I was wondering what to blog about today and then I came across this quote whilst perusing the world wide web this morning (found it here). These words strike a chord with me. Sometimes it feels like there's a real price to pay for progress. I'm often torn between wanting to keep things simple and yet my mind wants to complicate and over-analyse certain things. If only we could strip back all the layers and really keep things simple and just be happy. Easy as that.

These are a few of my favourite pins!

{ this lady (CZ Guest), is as good as the Kennedys as far as I'm concerned. Love this image of her. }

{ cutest couple award this week goes to ellen and portia. loving the outfits chicks. }

{ call it random but this picture makes me feel like a glass of ice cold champagne. now. }

{ fiddle dee dee, i love vivien leigh as scarlet o'hara in gone with the wind. }

 { I originally pinned this because I loved the door but actually I think it love everything about it. Don't you just want to step inside? }

Still going with the sound of music theme.... (see post title if you're confused). Today I thought I'd share some of the favourite things I've "pinned" of late. Seems my board on The Kennedys is getting quite a few followers. Turns out I'm not the only one obsessed with the first family. If you're keen, check it out here. 

I've had to carefully curate this selection... when you're a pinterest addict (as I happily admit I am) we could be here all day if I showed you everything I've pinned in the last week so instead I'm sharing my true favourites, totally random.... only took me a couple of hours to wittle these down!!

Mothers know best!

{ if you visit me one day I hope to be showing you a garden that looks just like this! }

I love shopping with my Mum. But she does make me chuckle! When I was a little girl my Mum and I would go clothes shopping and I'd have my eye on all sorts of fabulous outfits, some ridiculously expensive, and my Mum's response would be either "but there's not even a metre of material!" or..... "oh Sarah, I could make that". 


Well, fast forward a few years and we're still shopping together but this time for plants. Last week I set off with Mum to really hit the nurseries for some plants for our new garden. We must have visited about 5 or 6 of them and I was on a mission to purchase. However, any time I'd find something I'd hear this voice saying "No, don't buy that. I can give you some of that from my garden". 

History repeats itself. Turns out the little voice won MOST of the time but sometimes it's nice to have something that's a bit established in the garden rather than a cutting here or a transplanted (and often sick looking) something there. But it also made me realise how much money I was saving having Mum with me. And rest assured, with a Mother like mine I will have a beautiful garden (I'm channeling the one in the picture above). My Mother is super talented and has a bit of a green thumb. With her help, and lots of plants from her garden (I'm currently visiting it on almost a daily basis) I plan to have a cottage garden in our backyard in no time!!

Golf

I'm not usually one to blog about sport but today I'm making an exception. Why? Because Adam Scott was just the first Australian to win the US Masters. It was nail biting stuff and with 3 Aussies in the top 5 we had a good chance.... and then it went to a play off (the other 2 Aussies didn't make it). Tensions were running high.. and then Adam took it out with a killer putt. Now, if you're really not into golf (although I kinda am) you possibly won't be that excited. But, let me just fill you in on an important detail I have missed so far - Adam Scott is super cute to boot, and I'm not being biased - just ask Burberry, they think he's pretty cute too although I don't believe he's with them anymore (shame on you Burbs - bet you're kicking yourselves today!). Anyhoo, it's a great day to celebrate Australian sport and Australian hotness and that's worth blogging about.

Crisp

{ white perfection... check out more fashion inspiration here }

Just as everyone has a little black dress, I personally think the little white dress is equally as important. In summer, when you  have a little bit of glow (fake or otherwise) there is nothing better than slipping on something crisp and white to make you feel tres chic and tres fresh. I recently found this one (yes, on pinterest) and my heart skipped a beat. I would love something like this to make its way to my closet in time for next summer.

Kate calls in the decorators

{ the pictures that led to this shocking discovery, you can find more here }

Yesterday on pinterest I stumbled across Kate & Andy Spade's Hamptons house (of course they have a hamptons house!) and was completely shocked (read = disappointed) when I read that it was decorated by steven sclaroff. Not because I have any clue who steven sclaroff is, my shock was that Kate & Andy Spade get the decorators in. What the? Now, maybe I'm completely naive but I would have thought that between them Kate & Andy would have been able to decorate their house with their eyes closed (so to speak...). Don't get me wrong, I know that neither Andy or Kate are interior designers/decorators as such but I just assumed that their incredible style would translate across to their home effortlessly. I thought wrong... and might I say that I'm slightly devastated. Kate has just taken a step down from her pedestal.

Make a Wish

{ and if Tiffany & Co. says birthdays are important then they are.  full stop. }

Yesterday was my birthday..... and although I have a pang of uncomfortableness about adding another number to my age I have learnt in this past year to be very grateful for every number you are fortunate enough to clock up. And.... that it's important to celebrate. Yes, it's just another day.... but it's not. It's a day that feels different and it should be celebrated with the ones you love. I had a great day and I got to spend it with my favourite people and had phone calls and texts from all my other favourites. And the pressies I got this year really knocked it out of the ballpark.  Wow! I was seriously spoilt and I loved every minute of it!!!!

Fabulous Lilly

 { a young lilly in what I believe was her first shop in Palm Beach, Florida }

{ jackie sporting one of Lilly's dresses....  jackie was a fan -  need i say more } 

{ a lilly changeroom on the left and a cute shot on the right }

Well, yesterday the doyenne of preppy style passed away. Not being American it took me a little while to discover Lilly Pulitzer but when I did I felt a certain kinship with this woman. She was all about bright prints, shift dresses and was a lover of the classic preppy combo of pink & green (you know, hot pink & kelly green). One of my favourite bloggers (based in Boston) wrote a great blog post on her with her own very cute personal story. It's worth a read and can be found here.

One of my favourite Lilly quotes is this:

“Style isn’t just about what you wear, it’s about how you live.”

The whole package

I have no idea who this chick is but I am seriously loving the whole vibe. Her hair, the make-up, and hello, her body is amazeballs! Not to mention her bone structure. Loving. The. Whole. Look. 

Actually, on second look at this pic it is really her hair that I am totally jealous about right at this minute. So natural and cool in a casual way equals total perfection in my book. I've recently been to the hairdresser for my colour and decided to try something a little different. Bad idea. Bring back my old colour (minus the greys), or better still just make my hair look like hers! 

Read it and weep....

{ the person who came up with his title is sheer genius. trace it back here }

One of my biggest pet peeves (i have a few) is when people use 'your' when it should be 'you're'..... really. irritates. me. So, you can imagine my delight when I came across this book... Any book that uses 'your' and 'you're' to make a point and includes the word 'sh*t' along the way gets my vote big time.