Summer Soiree

The other day I came across this picture on pinterest and instantly wished it was mine.  I daydreamed about all the details from the decor, to the food, to the bar.  Since I don’t currently have the budget to throw together this beautiful shindig, I just posted it on here instead….

 

 

I would serve…

Grilled Chicken Caprese…

Fried Green Tomatoes – A MUST

Sauteed Summer Vegetables

Too cute – Mini berry shortcakes

No party is compelte without a fully stocked bar…

and of course…

a bubbly bar (I love champagne bars – big fan of add ons to champagne)

Throw in the perfect party dress and you have yourself the ideal summer evening…

I Hope you enjoyed a little view into my daydreams – hopefully I will be hosting you at this party real soon 😉

xoxo

TLD

The Rule of Tens

While I’d love to be ranting about Miley Cyrus’ performance last night, I am going to refrain…..but wait seriously….what was up with those teddy bears and THAT TONGUE??? WHOA GIRLFRANNN……

Anyways……..

On this Monday I’m gonna keep it short and sweet and talk about the “Rule of Tens”

Whenever I’m feeling stressed or anxious about something more than likely I will call, text, or shoot my mom some smoke signals indicating HOLY HELL, I’M SWEATIN’ BULLETS……sorry, Bon.  Her response is more often than not “NO WAY!!!!”

Which means……”My beautiful daughter, who I am incredibly jealous of, what do you have to be stressed or anxious about?”

JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!

What she really says is “10-10-10”…..which means….”Emma Connors Jellen, whatever you’re stressed about….what is the time frame that your problem will ACTUALLY matter?  Is it 10 minutes – 10 months – 10 years?”  To which I will always overreact and say ABSOLUTELY, in 10 years my bangs that they cut too short will ABSOLUTELY be an issue!!!!!  NOBODY PHOTOGRAPH ME FOR AT LEAST A MONTH!!!!!!!!!

I’ve been thinking a lot about perspective and I guess what they say is true – Don’t sweat the small stuff…..so, for all of you out there SWEATIN’, I’m here to say 10-10-10…… Whether it’s your job, your love life, or Syria (LIKE WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OVER THERE!!!!!!????) – take a deep breath and put things in perspective.

Here are some images from my weekend that helped me de-stress and unwind!

My parent’s house in Old Town Alexandria….It’s true – Home is where the heart is!  Or at least it’s where you can get a free meal and some time with good ol Bonzo!

Yes, that is a dog in a buggy…..

Is there anything better than fresh flowers from the farmers market?  I don’t think so!

 

Just what I needed to see……no explanation necessary!

That’s all from me – everyone try and get through this Monday without any scrapes and bruises, PLEASE!  Also…..if anyone’s actually interested in learning about what’s going on in Syria, I suggest you sign up to follow the ladies of THE SKIMM – http://www.theskimm.com/?r=1YYZF  – Every morning they send out an email with the days newsworthy events….just the gist, definitely enough to keep you in the conversation!

xoxo,

Em

Mail Myself To You

I adore stationery.  I think this comes from the fact that I absolutely love mail.  I love getting it, sending it, I love everything about it.  To me there is nothing more exciting than walking up to your mailbox and pulling out a pretty colored envelope that you know is not a bill (that is the kind of mail I do not like).  I love the unique colors, shapes and textures and covet anything with a cute saying or fun design.

In the digital age we have completely taken for granted the power of a hand written note.  A lovely letter written in Arial font, size 11 on a white computer screen does not do the same thing for me as someone’s carefully considered stationery and handwritten message, it is just so much more personal.  It shows that you took just a bit of an extra step to say show you care.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Oh So Beautiful Paper

Sugar Paper

Nico and Lala

 

Inslee

Boatman Geller

Haute Box

Haute Papier, a fine paper goods company based out of DC, has a service called the Haute Box.  It is basically Birchbox for the stationery lover.  I do not have a subscription though for $20 a quarter I feel like this is something I would love.

xoxo,

TLD

You’re Not Old……Until You’re Dead

And that is exactly what I told my lovely Barista the other day when she told me she was turning 35 soon.  I could NOT believe how intelligent I sounded as soon as the words escaped my mouth……I also couldn’t believe how hypocritical I was being as I, myself, was turning 25 in just 4 short days and was DRAGGING MY FEET all the way to the finish line.  I got in the car and started on my short drive from that Georgetown Starbucks to my nearby office all the way thinking to myself, WOW, twenty five – is that a milestone?  Should I be excited?  What do twenty five year olds do?  What do they eat?  What should I have accomplished in my 24^th year, and SHIT, is 4 days enough time to get everything checked off?

Then…….. I got a haircut……. CHECK CHECK CHECK – 24 COMPLETE!  I’m talkin BRAND NEW WOMAN….Seriously, the right cut and color can change your life!

So, my birthday has come and gone (Monday) – and with the help of my very best friends I rang in my mid-twenties with a bang!  I took the day off – which may or may not have been a mistake as I had all too much time to sit and think (yuck, being introspective, who does that?).  I thought about where I was a year ago – all the roadblocks I’ve hit in those 365 days – and how, in actuality, I’m grateful for every single nail that has popped my proverbial tire.  And what I realized, several thousand text messages to some of my gal pals later, is that with every year comes a new blank slate….how YOU choose to fill it in is what makes each year of your life new and exciting….and more importantly don’t look at your neighbor’s slate because the only person you’d be cheating is yourself.

So, at the beginning of my twenty fifth year, I have decided a few things……

1. NO EXPECTATIONS
2. I will always feel how I feel WHEN I feel it
3. Life is like a poker game –you gotta know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em
4. A bruised ego is like a bruised ass……get up off it and you’ll feel better (Thanks, Aunt Alex)
5. My hair will always be my best feature

As I was getting ready to blow out my candle – I thought to myself as I do every year, “what’s your wish, Emma?”  I thought long and hard (roughly .5 seconds) – I closed my eyes and blew out that little flame.  Here’s hoping (and wishing) that my wish is granted by the Universe, but if it’s not…..there’s always 26!

Cheers!

Em

The Most Magical Place On Earth

In less than two weeks I will be traveling to Dewey Beach USA with a group of my closest friends for Labor Day Weekend.  I am so excited and can think of no better way to end my summer.  Don’t get me wrong I would pick pristine sand, clear blue water and frozen daiquiris any day of the week but there is something special about Dewey that makes me so happy.  The best way to describe it is a Spring Break destination for the young professional.  During the summer Dewey is a ghost town Monday – Thursday afternoon but come Thursday night it is a non-stop party.  Literally everywhere you go you are surrounded by fun.  The bars are full of live music, lots of dancing (love) and my favorite – an Orange Crush (for whatever reason Dewey seems to embrace the OC more than anywhere I have ever been – lucky for me I love them).

It may not be the prettiest place in the world and it does draw quite a diverse crowd (I kid you not I have no idea where some of these people find their clothes I honestly did not realize people actually wore spandex looking leopard print tube tops as a dress until Dewey.  Where does one buy something like that?) but if you are looking for fun Dewey always delivers.  I am so excited to spend my afternoons on the beach, head to North Beach for some late afternoon cocktails and then Rusty Rudder or Bottle and Cork for live music and plenty of dancing.  And that ladies and gentleman is why I love Dewey Beach.

Some parts can be pretty!

Sorry for the poor picture quality!

You never know what sort of characters you will meet on the beach – it’s part of the adventure

Happy Tuesday!

TLD

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA

 

via

Souls Sold for Style

First of all HAPPY FRIDAY!  It felt like this week was severely dragging, but we made it to the finish line!  We hope everyone has spectacular weekend plans,  the girls of twenty have a birthday to celebrate as Emma BEGRUDGINGLY turns the big 2-5 on Monday!

We’ve chosen to make today’s post a group effort – we swear we won’t do it again any time soon!  It might be a little long, but trust us YOU’RE GONNA LOVE IT.  Each of us have chosen our style icon (for the moment at least) to share – so, grab a bib and get ready to drool over these stylish ladies.

EMMA

Today – I’m totally girl crushing on this stylish SMOKESHOW – Ladies and GentlemAn (thanks for reading, Danny)……Chrissy Teigen

Not only can this lady rock a swimsuit during her 9-5 gig with Sports Illustrated, but she can SHOW UP….and I mean SHOW UP on the red carpet looking like no less than a million bucks.  That’s 100,000,000 pretty pennies, my friends…..and yes, I had to use a calculator for that.  If her outfits alone didn’t showcase her IMPECCABLE taste, I’m pretty sure her arm candy of a fiancé, the swoon worthy John Legend, broadcasts the message LOUD AND CLEAR.

For me fashion isn’t necessarily about the clothes – in fact, I would say a lady’s best accessory is her sense of humor….or maybe I just tell myself that to feel better?  In any case, Chrissy embraces all that is woman in every outfit she adorns….the girl can rock a slit to her pit (AMEN and Hallelujah) and still be crackin jokes!

So yeah BLAH BLAH BLAH I love her style….. I love her clothes……. I love her man

BUT

As anyone who knows me can attest to, I’M ALL ABOUT THE HAIR ,  and honey does she have the most LUSCIOUS LOCKS!  BOLD IT, UNDERLINE IT, I’M TALKING SERIOUSLY LUSCIOUS hair.  It’s the flow down your back, have a man run his hands through it, looks good after a roll around with said man, LUSCIOUSLY LUSCIOUS kind of hair.

SO YEAH, I LOVE CHRISSY TEIGEN.

Also, I was not joking about her sense of humor – follow this girl at @chrissyteigen on twitter – the girl’s got sass and she’ll turn your shit day into a shit day where at least you’ve laughed out loud at your desk more than once.

Xoxo,

Em

(Bon, my apologies for the sexual innuendo in this post – you raised me better – I just chose not to listen…..)

TRACEY

Thanks to Instagram and ESPN College Gameday, I have developed a huge girl crush on Samantha Ponder (formerly Steele until she married Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder).  She is gorgeous, knows her football, fall down funny and has a closet that I would kill for.  Originally she had one Instagram account where she posted primarily on all things sports, but after a huge female following and plenty of questions that were aimed at her cute shoes instead of the massive guy she was interviewing, she started an account that is all about the pretty things in life.  Homegirl literally looks like a knock out in every single thing she puts on and makes it all seem incredibly easy.  I have found myself way more interested in Game Day since she came on the scene so she is definitely doing something right.

Between her shiny blowouts and bright clothes I envy everything about Samantha Ponder’s style.  She is so incredibly relateable and as creepy as it sounds I feel like I know her and we would be best friends.

Side note – My younger brother also has a crush on Sam Ponder, but I don’t think it’s for her cute clothes and shiny locks.  Lucky guy got to meet her last year at the Tech vs. Florida State Game – that’s him creeping next to her when he should have been paying attention…. Even in the arctic Blacksburg winters she still looks adorable!

The pictures used in this post come from Samantha Ponder’s Instagram accounts “prothirtyone” and “samsteeleponder”

– TLD

Laura will be along shortly with her pick…..stay tuned.

As always, I’m few minutes late to the party…

I had been thinking of starting a dating blog but quickly realized that 1. you have to go on dates to have a dating blog and 2. the few dates I go on are so uninteresting that I don’t even want to write about them so I am positive that no one wants to read about them.  SO here I am, jumping on this blog bandwagon started by girls that I consider two of my greatest friends (aww).  There’s no bigger motivator to find a new activity/hobby than August in DC, so here we go…

I’m Laura

I fall into the category of twenty-something gamecock, living/working in the city who is trying to understand the word “budget.”  I am a policy-nerd (courtesy of my job in government relations) as well as a shoe & bag nutzo (courtesy of my weekend gig in retail).  I have a terrible memory, the ability to misplace just about anything and love the people-watching opportunities that is provided by public transportation.

My current favorite things are:

I mentioned the nerd thing right…

I want this in my closet yesterday

why can’t these be zero calories?!

is it August 29th yet!

no explanation needed

and figuring out how to get this baby in my life

Hello, Gorgeous!

Hello, Gorgeous!  It’s tough to say if this blog has been a long time coming or if it was truly spur of the moment – for now we’ll say we’re toeing the line between the two.  Whatever the case may be – HERE WE ARE – raring to go!  We’re just a couple of gals living in and around the District – trying to experience our 20s to the fullest on a VERY limited budget.  We’ve got big ideas (the jury’s still out on whether or not they’re any good) and we’re ready to share them with the world wide web……and by world wide web we obviously mean our three friends who will actually read this and of course our mothers (the obligatory readers).  So please, KEEP CALM (or don’t…..) and ENJOY!

Hello!  I’m Tracey and I am beyond excited to start this blog.  I religiously read a select list of blogs and they have inspired me to write my own.  Even if no one reads this, I figure at least I will be able to remember what was going on at different times in my life and this seems like the perfect way to achieve that!

I’ll start by telling you a bit about myself:  I am a 20 something living in Washington, DC, I consider myself to be a passionate person with a love for my family, friends, fashion, travel, food, and design.  I am a graduate of the University of South Carolina – GO GAMECOCKS – and have a big place in my heart for the South.  I am a lover of love and try to be a glass half full kind of person.

I love the beach, chips and salsa, running (sometimes this is a hate), new stationery, and Christmas.  One of my favorite things is a fresh manicure (done by anyone but me – I apparently do not have a steady hand and cannot keep it on the nail bed to save my life).

Here are a few of the things I’m currently lusting after….

Kendra Scott Harlow Statement Necklace

Those who know me best know that I am a pretty simple dresser and a fan of the classics – my go to is statement jewelry to keep things exciting.

Brooklyn Thread Stone Coasters

For some reason I have a recent obsession with these – though functional I typically think coasters aren’t the prettiest thing but I would gladly put my water glass on these.

Alice & Trixie Ireland Strapless Maxi Dress

Alice & Trixie might be one of my all time favorites – I love the colors, the patterns, and the cuts.

Marco Island, Florida

This view – you could honestly drop me off here any time and I will be a very happy girl

Cava Sangria – Southern Living

A good sangria is one of my favorite summer time drinks – ever since I came across this recipe I have been dying to try it

My name is Emma (hold your applause) – I currently reside JUST OUTSIDE DC (with all the peasants) and work in the city at a nonprofit where I make aaaabbbouuuttttt 10 cents an hour – nobody’s struck gold helping others……unless of course you’re Mother Teresa….she had a book deal, right?  (seriously, just kidding)  I’m a lover of all things hair care,  make up,  and shoes.  I HATE velvet and pleather.  Generally speaking, people who can pull off a middle part are MY IDOL.  I refuse to call a sweet potato a yam – reality TV freaks me out – I believe all people who choose Pepsi over Coke are delusional, and who says mermaids and unicorns aren’t real?   I’ve never been accused of being subtle or sweet – my thoughts and humor are my own…..unless of course I took them from my mother.

Oh yeah and……. GO TIGERS!

anddddddd here are some of my favorite things RIGHT NOW!

I can honestly say I check thought catalog on an hourly basis

When I’m looking to gain some insight on my suns and moons, which is pretty much every day, I check out my horoscope here

Want it – Need it – Gotta have THIS arrowhead necklace

This peony candle is consistently ablaze on my bedside table

Can you say lifesaver?  This charcoal mask by Origins is a twice a week ritual!

Well, that’s a wrap!  We’re absolutely tickled that you made it to our little welcome party!  Please bear with us as we get the hang of this whole blogging business – we’d eventually like to be as regular as Jamie Lee Curtis on Activia, but until then…….

xoxo,

Le gals of twenty