The fabric of our lives...

In the SDP household, we have a new washer and dryer. What we need now is to create a designed space in which to do laundry. Maybe it will make this chore, something I avoid at all costs, more enjoyable. Who knows? It might even be (gasp!) fun!

Check out these five tips for improving your laundry room over at Country Living.
Of the three photos here, I think I like the third one...

What to wear?

Mr. SDP and I have been invited to a pre-wedding celebration for some friends who are getting married tomorrow. {The wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner were held last night...since we're not in the wedding and we're in-town guests, we were not involved.}

Tonight's celebration - I'm guessing - will include all wedding guests. I love this idea, don't you? I think the bride and groom will enjoy being with their guests two nights in a row.

Anyway, the invitation looks like this:

The theme is a "bluegrass supper" and I expect there will be bluegrass music and southern cuisine. So, what to wear???

Here are a few options from my closet...

I wore this dress to my best friend's bridesmaid luncheon - it has a very Tory Burch feel to it with the color scheme and pattern. I don't think it's the most figure flattering dress I've ever worn, but I received a lot of compliments on it.

Secondly, there's this Fumblin' Foe dress...it doesn't really scream southern, bluegrass, or anything like that, but it's really cute. I've only worn it once and it was to the Caty's rehearsal dinner a few weeks ago. {I wear it sans belt!}I'm probably most leaning towards this dress, from Liz Claiborne, that I wore to the Summer Soiree earlier in the month. I think it is the most stunning and with August upon us, there probably aren't many more opportunities to wear it. One important thing to note about all of these options is the fact that tonight's crowd is totally different from any of the crowds where I've worn the other dresses. (Women know how important this is!!!)

Lauren Nicole Gifts Giveaway!

I am in love with this. What a great example of a signature piece?!?!



Thanks to Lauren Nicole Gifts, this necklace could be yours! That's right - she's giving a custom wax seal and silver necklace to one lucky gal! Click here to register!

Giveaway over at Monogram Chick

I'm a huge fan of my morning coffee...

In the SDP household, our coffee is brewed in our Keurig single cup brewer. It. Changed. My. Life. No seriously, the coffee that comes from this magic coffee machine is truly wonderful and helps me start my day off right!

My favorite flavor is Donut Shop Coffee from Coffee People. {They have a wide variety of blends, from Green Mountain, Newman's Own, Caribou, etc...}

Wouldn't it be lovely to brew a cup of Donut Shop coffee in one of these preppy travel mugs?
Over at Monogram Chick, one of these mugs is up for grabs!

More than just wood, metal and vibrating air

Check out these photos!!! Thanks to Coco+Kelley for showcasing this eclectic house in Venice, CA in her room of the week series.

What I love more than anything is that piano!!! It makes me want to get on Craigslist, find an old piano, roll up my sleeves and paint one myself! What about a Tiffany blue one!?!

"I like my money right where I can see it...

...hanging in my closet!" - Carrie Bradshaw


I just love that quote! It's what I repeat to myself when shopping. I didn't need to recite said mantra yesterday when our new Forever 21 opened up! I was able to shop my heart out without any guilt!

Here are just a few things that found their way into my bright little yellow bag!

This owl ring for just under $6!!!
This white stone necklace for less than $14!!! (It looks much better against tan skin, than the white background in the photograph...very J.Crew-esque.)

And finally, this ribbon beaded neclace for less than $7!!! I'm wearing it today with a black and white striped boatneck tee with three quarter-length sleeves. I feel somewhat like a gondalier, especially because I'm wearing little red patent leather flats with black pants, but I'm working it! I twisted the bow around to the top right. Who knew $7 could bring an outfit together???

Happy shopping!

Don't you just love a sale???

After my score at KateSpade.com last week {kiawah kei tote in orange}, you think my luck would have run out! "Not so," says Tory Burch.

Not to be out done, Ms. Burch sent me this lovely email today:
There are some really great items, but many are "out of stock." Happy shopping!

I need a pedicure...

...like Michael Jackson needs a final resting place. My feet are still sore from the wedding festivities that took place last weekend. Everything went very well; the weather was gorgeous! My bridesmaid dress was altered to perfection, but the shoes! Actually, I can't blame the shoes...

They're very well-made Ralph Lauren 3'' heels - it was just all of that standing and kneeling, standing and kneeling that I had to do during the Catholic ceremony. The floor was a beautiful marble, but not all that forgiving, if you know what I mean.

I did keep my high heels on through my toast at the wedding reception, before quietly slipping on my much lower sandals. Several other bridesmaids did the same thing, so I didn't feel so guilty.

All in all, the wedding was a stunning event! And yes, I had to give a toast at the reception as the matron of honor. That was a first for me. I've always given toasts at the rehearsal dinner. In fact, I'm somewhat known for them. I still gave a toast at the rehearsal, but it was more personal. At the reception, I kept it short and succinct, recited a little George Eliot, but it was heartfelt. If you have to do a toast, I highly recommend this book...

Giveaway: Shore Aesthetic!

Are these ice buckets not the cutest things EVER? Thanks to the classic prepster, Stacilyn, over at Shore Aesthetic for posting this giveaway!

She's accepting registrations through tomorrow (7/17)!

You had me at "Sale"!

Kate Spade has been a popular topic on Sweet Dreams Preppy lately - from "the" Liz Claiborne dress to the vase that's currently holding my matsumoto asters - I've got KS on the brain and in my inbox. Just received this notice:

Take this necklace for instance...It was originally $155, on sale for $116, plus (or should I say minus) the 40% off discount! I'm in PR, so I can't verify that my math is correct, but I think that brings the cost down to $69.60. Not bad!

This handbag is really adorable and what a steal! Retail $295. On sale for $119, and once you apply the 40% off discount, this bag {kiawah kei - love the name!} is a more than reasonable $71.40!

Happy Shopping!

Gilty or not?

Over at Gilt.com, pieces by Kenneth Jay Lane are available until midnight Friday (7/17).

I just love his stuff. A close friend gave me this bracelet as a birthday gift last year and I have received countless compliments on it since! (Mine is actually is turquoise, but you get the idea.)

I'm drooling over a coral cuff at Gilt.com...

Must. Refrain. Too. Many. Bracelets.

In bloom!

I am loving these new flowers I found at our local Fresh Market. They are just so intricate! There's so much depth there. The pink isn't coming through on this photo taken on my camera phone...

There were plenty of white ones left over to place in smaller vases in the guest bathroom and bedroom. Here's a view from above:

The flower is a matsumoto aster. I did some research and they are available June through September. The vase life is 5 - 10 days. They're also available in purple, violet, yellow, red, rose, and orange.

Oh, and the vase! Kate Spade for Lenox. It was a wedding gift from my parents' best friends. We didn't register for it, but it's been one of our most used gifts, right along with the everyday china!

4-Day Work Week

I just realized that this will the fourth week in a row that I've had a 4-day work week. I have to say, it's been pretty nice.

There was Austin, and then 4th of July; I worked from home one day last week, which technically counts as a work day because I was in fact working, but at least I was in my pajamas. Then I'm off on Friday because of the big wedding this weekend.

Not bad!

I wonder if I could swing this all of the time!

Signed, sealed, purchased, I'm yours!

I can't believe I was ever undecided about this dress:

I bought it on Friday after work and wore it less than 24 hours later. It was perfect!!! I added a wide gold leather weave belt and wore gold wedges. The belt really completed the look.

The party was a Summer Soiree on a rooftop pool. It was a great backdrop for this dress and complimented the decor. (Leave it to me to match the party! I planned it, so that's okay, right?)

Now only if this margarita headache would go away...

Undecided.

What do you think of this dress? I can't seem to make up my mind. I've tried it on and it's flattering. It really is. What I'm concerned with is the fact that it's "a whole lotta look" if you know what I mean.

Would you believe it's Liz Claiborne? I know, I know, it's not the same Liz Claiborne you've come to know and despise over the years. It's a new LC. An LC that's received some TLC from none other than Isaac Mizrahi.

I think Isaac is doing a fantastic job at his new gig. {It doesn't seem to be helping the stock price any...check out this dismal report.}

Maybe I should buy the dress since it would help the economy. Yeah, that's it. It's the right thing to do for the economy...

Oh, and if your nose is still turned up at Liz Claiborne, what if I told you that LC owns Kate Spade. That's right! Our dear Kate sold her company to Liz back in 2006 for a cool $125 million.

Sephora gets me

June was a busy month...we had our week at the beach, Highballs and Hydrangeas, and last but not least, a girls weekend in Austin!

It's understandable then, why I couldn't make it to Sephora to receive my birthday present, right? The girl at the Sephora agreed. Nine days into July, she wished me a happy belated birthday and slipped a 3-pack of Sephora's summer lip glosses. Gotta love that!

I was there to purchase some new NARS eye shadow. {Kalahari and Alhambra} I highly recommend!!!

MOB Meltdown

One week from tomorrow, the wedding festivities for my dear friend Caty will begin!

As the MOH, I'm finishing up last little details. Oh, you know - putting photos together to display at the rehearsal dinner, preparing the itineraries for the bridesmaids, and booking the organist and cantor. That's right. Our dear Caty didn't have an organist or cantor booked to play her traditional Catholic wedding mass.

When the MOB found out about this on Monday, she had a meltdown. MOH to the rescue! There was enough finger-pointing going on; I just had to step in. Caty had booked (and by booked I mean: asked her wedding planner to do it) a string quartet and she thought that was sufficient. She's not the one who works for the Catholic church. That's the MOB, hence the meltdown. In her defense, she lives several states away so she's not in the loop 100%.

It's all good. I was able to get the musical director at the church in touch with the MOB and they worked it out. PHEW! Crisis averted.

By the way, if she makes me wear a shirt like the one in the photo above, I'll have a meltdown!

A Must See

Am I the last one who hasn't seen "Valentino: The Last Emporer"?

I worked from home today which means I caught a rare episode of Oprah. It was a look inside Buckingham Palace, behind the scenes at American Idol and last but certainly not least, an interview with Valentino himself about his documentary.

I must see this!!! For the trailer will hold me over...but from all accounts, it is a must-see.

Thank goodness for YouTube

Remember the GAP commercials from the late 90's? I started thinking about those commercials tonight while watching So You Think You Can Dance. In my opinion, they were little pieces of art dropped in between Seinfeld and Ally McBeal. Take for instance, the one to the tune of "Dress You Up In My Love".

A fellow blogger just posted other memorable ones...can't tell if he/she likes them as much as me!

There was one commercial that used the song "Baby Give It Up." Haven't located that one just yet...if GAP had a suggestion box, I would suggest they have their own YouTube channel and have an archive of these commercials!

Decisions. Decisions.

I received a wonderful birthday present from wonderful friends a few weeks back: a gift certificate for my own customized pair of Stephen Bonanno Sandals. I'm thrilled! I've always loved these adorable shoes, but never had a pair for myself! (Hard to believe, having grown up in Florida! I know!)

I've yet to place the order because I'm having trouble deciding what color combination to choose...there are so many!

Do I play it safe and do something like this? Definitely practical, but I might regret not going for something more fun!

I could wear this next pair with a lot of things, but I already have several pairs of gold flip flops and silver slides. These would of course put any other shoe to shame!
Hmmmm...not sure what I should do! For whatever reason, I'm feeling the color yellow right now. Can you picture it...bright yellow, white stiching on tan feet???

My kindred spirit

From biscuit holes to poetry, what can I say? Sweet Dreams Preppy is your source for all things random.

No seriously, I was reading the work of one of my favorite poets the other day and would like to share the last stanza of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem, Renasnence.

The world stands out on either side
No wider than the heart is wide;
Above the world is stretched the sky,
--No higher than the soul is high.
The heart can push the sea and land
Farther away on either hand;
The soul can split the sky in two,
And let the face of God shine through.
But East and West will pinch the heart
That can not keep them pushed apart;
And he whose soul is flat -- the sky
Will cave in on him by and by.

What a strong message, reminding us of our own power to limit ourselves.