18th Century dream.

I'm kind of in love with all things 18th century.

In my ideal world, I'd relax in Marie Antoinette's daytime salon, as seen above. 

 And my house would be filled with elaborate gold chandeliers.

And I would eat cupcakes like these.  If they're going to be full of calories...they better look as good as they taste, right?

I love this rococo-inspired phone! 

And 18th century films are my favorite.  So much eye candy in Marie Antoinette!

I watched The Affair of the Necklace recently...finally.  It took awhile to bring myself to actually watch it, mostly because I don't care for the film's presentation of Marie Antoinette.  They show her as overly cold and rude, when she was actually known to be warm and friendly, even if she was a bit naive.

The film was about the famed "Diamond Necklace Affair" that ruined Marie Antoinette's reputation and pushed France to revolution.  It was actually a great film, and highly recommended.  

Oh yeah, and Simon Baker is in it. Looking sexy and rocking the ponytail.  It works for him. 

To add some Marie into my life...I think I'm going to purchase THIS pillow:

isn't it cute?!

Ah, I love rococo! 

xx, Alaura

Free RayBans!

The lovely Kaelah is hosting a RayBan giveaway over at her blog!  Isn't that nice?!

That's right, she partnered up with SmartBuyGlasses to give a lucky commenter one of the four pairs above!  (Photo taken from www.kaelahbee.com)

Make sure you head over ASAP to Kaelah's blog to get your entry in before the contest is over!

xx, Alaura

Parties and Cars

I looked out my window the other day...

And saw a mini car show in my own front yard!  My dad invited over some of his "cobra friends" for a party.

The cars are all Shelby Cobra kit cars.  My dad's friends drove in from as far as CANADA for the annual London Cobra Show.  Conveniently, my dad didn't have to drive that far, as London, Ohio is only 45 minutes(ish) from our house.

It was really funny to see people stop to take pictures.  But, can you blame them?  The cars are quite gorgeous:)

Then, I went to a party at a new vintage store in Dublin called The Alley.  They carry a wide range of vintage clothing, from the 1900s onward.  They even have a pretty impressive selection of steampunk items!

I went to high school with Lauren (left) and Erica (right), but they're a couple years younger than I am. Aren't they the cutest?!  I love dreaming up vintage outfits for them because they can wear all those pretty 24-25 inch circle skirts that I can only drool over.  Not that I can't find circle skirts in my size, because I can, but it just seems that the cutest items are always so tiny!  Sigh. 

Oh, and note the Victorian-clad gentleman behind them!

The corset mannequin and rack.  They had SO MANY CORSETS!  

So, of course, I didn't object when the owner asked if I would like to try one on. And then they put a pink petticoat on me.  And then a polka dot one on top of that.  I felt like a frilly cupcake...not that I really minded.

Because.....as The Alley says.....

"You're Never Too Old To Play Dress Up!"

xx, Alaura

A few things...

Phew!  It's been a minute.  The past few weeks have been a complete zoo.  

I graduated high school! (ignore the cheesy "hell yes, I'm done" smile and cap hair)  Oh, and the other two with me are my lovely little sister and my mother.

I had my graduation party.  My godmother/favorite aunt got me these amazing Burberry rainboots.  These will be PERFECT in the wet Evanston/Chicago weather.  I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'll be attending Northwestern University next year! Yay!  

I've been coaching synchronized swimming non-stop, it seems.  Nationals are this weekend (AH! Can it really be this close?)  and everyone is stressed out, trying to get the routines ready.  I'm quite excited to see how the girls do, as two of the girls in our 11-12 age group are on the 11-12 National Team.  Plus, this is only the 2nd year of our team's existence, and we're already one of the strongest teams in the Nation.  Check out www.ohiosynchro.org if you're in the Columbus, Ohio area and are interested in synchronized swimming (ages 5-19)!

And I've been getting crafty.

I painted the soles of an old pair of black lace heels  blue with nailpolish!  Two coats of white nail polish, two coats of light blue, and this is the result!  I think they turned out nicely.  I may clean up the edges with a Q-tip in nail polish remover later, though.

And I made a chalkboard with a hunk of wood and chalkboard paint for my roommate and I!  Can't wait to start decorating the dorm.  I've been going crazy on pinterest looking for dorm ideas!

But this morning was a lazy morning.  My boss/friend/former coach came over with her daughter to use our pool for a private lesson, and brought her 7 month old daughter with her.  So, I had to be on baby duty!  Not that I minded....:)  I love babies.  Especially this baby.  She can be so snuggly.  So I watched "Randy to the Rescue" (basically "Say Yes to the Dress" with only Randy) with a sleeping baby on me.  It was so peaceful.

And I recently visited a local vintage store for a party!  I played dress up:)  But more on that later!

xx, Alaura

A Day Off

I didn't have school today.  Such a blessing.  

With graduation and prom (still single, blech) around the corner, my stress level is pretty high.  So a day off to do nothing was a lovely little present.

Today, I....

Re-drew my fake "tattoo" that I've been sporting for the past couple of days.  I would like to make it permanent eventually, but for now pen will have to suffice.

Painted my nails.  Of course, my cuticles are a wreck.  And the colors don't photograph very well.  But it's a dove gray with silvery-gold stripes down the middle.  And a pudgy scottish terrier sleeping in the background:)

Cuddled with my other scottie, Murphy.  What. A. Prince.

Made cute silhouette Easter eggs.  Partly to be different, partly to be crafty, mostly because I really didn't feel like getting egg dye all over my hands.

Played Draw Something with Sarah!

I figured it would be nice to get some relaxed downtime...as I will be constantly paranoid starting next Tuesday.  Senior shootout is starting!  A lot of high schools do this, but basically it's an intense nerf war against everyone else in the senior class, where everyone is divided into teams. Our school takes it very seriously....kids have gotten arrested before for the sake of shootout!  And, of course, if you're naked, you're immune from getting shot.  But I don't plan on getting naked.  I guess I'll have to rely on my hunter-like instincts.  But anyways, the winning team gets $500 a person.  Not bad for a game, eh?

And yes, I plan on wearing a braid and pretending I'm Katniss from the Hunger Games.  If I only had a Peeta!!!

Disney Disney Disney!

Up until this past week, I had never been to Disney World. Crazy, I know. Well finally all of that changed! Here are a few random pictures from my trip!

DIY Home Pampering:)

I love makeup.  I spend a LOT of money on makeup.  Probably too much.  But do you know what I don't spend money on?  Face and bath products.  Why spend money on something that you can make yourself, with ingredients you already have at home?

Here are some of my favorite at-home recipes:

1. Lip scrub.

My lips get SO dry in the winter, which is a problem when I wear red lipstick (red flakes, yuck!)

This recipe exfoliates my lips, and keeps them super-moisturized.  

Mix equal parts extra-virgin olive oil and granulated sugar, and add a touch of vaseline.  Rub it all over your lips and scrub, scrub, scrub!  Rinse off and voila!

2. Lavender bath

I LOVE LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL.  LOVE IT.  I put drops on my pillow to help me sleep, and I put some in my bath for aroma therapy and muscle relaxation.  I add extra-virgin olive oil to my bath, too, to moisturize my skin.

Add 8 drops of lavender essential oil in a capful of milk (milk disperses the oil) and then add in a few drops of the olive oil (it won't blend, that's okay)  Toss under a running faucet and enjoy!

3. Sugar face scrub

This is similar to the lip scrub, but for the face.  Mix equal parts extra-virgin olive oil, honey, and sugar.  Mix 'er up and you're set!

4. Rice water toner

Rice water is really good for purifying the skin!  Put a cup or so of rice in a bowl, and pour water in the bowl until the water is covering the rice a little less than an inch.  Mix the rice and water, making sure the water becomes cloudy.  Strain the water into a jar.  There's your toner!  Put some on a cotton pad and use it like normal toner.

5. De-puffing spoons.

This one is really easy!  To combat puffy eyes in the morning, put a spoon in the freezer.  When it's really cold, press the backside of the spoon against your eyes and wait for a few minutes (or until it's not cold anymore).  

Try them out!  Super cheap and very effective! :)

~Alaura