pack your summer travel bags - a shabby apple give-away

For years, my best friend Cassie and I have called packing for a vacation Paper Dolling (that's what I named my fashion board on Pinterest, too!). Half the fun of anticipating a trip for me is deciding who I want to be when I'm escaping my reality of daily commutes, deadlines, and what's-for-dinnering. Clothes can set the tone for a glamorous getaway. 

Just in time for summer travel,  Shabby Apple is offering one I Do Declare reader a $50 gift card to shop its online vintage boutique. Let's get to packing....

A Long Weekend with Girlfriends:
Right now, I'm on a long weekend with a mix of friends from high school, college, and D.C.  We'll be seeing a concert, touring a winery, relaxing at a day spa, and dining at our resort. I will regret not putting this Lemon Drop skirt in my suitcase. With flats by day, it's perfect for shopping or lunch. At night, it's easily glammed up with jewelry, heels, and a clutch.

Fourth of July at the Beach:
I spend most Independence Days in Virginia Beach. No matter where you are on the 4th of July, you'll be the star in this striped Catalina one-piece.  It's made in the U.S.A, so Lee Greenwood approves!

Destination Wedding:
How nice of you to plan your vacation around your friend's special day. The fact that cake comes with sand and sun can hardly be beat! One of my all-time favorite destination weddings was to Maine to see our friends Megan + Eric say I Do. In this pretty Tie the Knot frock you'll stop just short of upstaging the bride. 

You can buy one of these dresses, the swimsuit, or choose from so many more styles (Shabby Apple offers maternity and children's clothing, too) with the $50 gift card you can win by: 

1. Giving Shabby Apple a thumbs-up on Facebook if you don't already "Like" them
2. Leaving a comment below telling me what Shabby Apple dress is your favorite

I will name a winner on Friday, June 7. Good luck!

blow outs - he vs. she

He thinks it's silly to pay someone to wash and dry your hair. She (and her naturally frizzy mop) believe that a blow-out is the most practical form of pampering one can buy.

She thinks it makes no sense to blow out the leaves in advance of the 60mph winds forecasted during Frankenstorm. He believes the threat of wet leaf stains on patio stones should be the first warning issued during inclement weather alerts.

So, this happend on Saturday.

This will happen on Friday. 

q+a with hilary phelps

Her brother, Michael, may have some gold medals under his belt Speedo, but can he whip up sweet potatoes and recommend the best moisturizer for the changing season?  Hilary Phelps can, and does...then blogs about it with a true Genuine Joy! I shared some Q+A with this D.C. Lifestyle blogger. Find out where Hilary would take the First Lady to dinner in today's Social Studies column over at FedScoop!

The Hard Habit of Soft Rock and Other Empty Thoughts

1.

I can't get enough of the Comcast cable Soft Rock station. I want it playing at dinner, when I cook, as background music for cleaning or if nothing else is worth watching on television. 

"You know how listens to Soft Rock?" Dan asked me, then followed before I could answer with, "Old people."

Please.

2.

Speaking of age...The former small town medal head that is now my husband would love to see Guns and (or is it -N-; I should know this) Roses when the band (save for Slash - tragic) plays near D.C. this month. So, I looked into it. The show is on a Thursday night and it starts at 10pm. TEN! I don't think either of us have the Patience to wait that late for a concert to start. Hee. Doesn't GNR know its core audience isn't Sweet Children anymore?

3.

Smash on NBC  - I am captivated!!! It debuts Monday, but the first two epidodes are available now On Demand for Comcast customers, and also on iTunes. I watched it this week. LOVE - and I'm not even a Gleek. Also, because we're cheesey, my friend Patrick and I now and will henceforth refer to Katharine McPhee as Introducting Katharine McPhee.

Mature.

4.

Last Spring, I raved about how much I loved face wipes for a quick make-up removal, since I'm terrible at washing off my make-up before bed. I still love them, but I feel like I should offer this disclaimer now: they aren't so great for your skin. My friend's dermatoligist said wipes are terrible for drying out one's face (especially around the eyes - do not use to remove eye make-up!) and should be used ONLY as a last resort (ie, when you're camping). Sadly, I've retired the wipes, and brought back old fashion face-washing.  

5.

In advance of boot camp, I spent last weekend on a bit of a cooking bender. I made a pasta dish so good I ate it the next day for breakfast,  shirmp and grits (that weren't my best work), and the apple cobbler in this month's Southern Living. I didn't have cherries, but used peaches instead, and also cheated with Trader Joe's canned biscuits instead of rolling my own dough. Still, it was SO delish, and very easy. Here is the recipe if you want to make it.

6.

That's a Thin Mint cupcake. So that bootcamp won't prove to be entirely for naught, I only had one bite of it yesterday when the Girl Scouts celebrated its 100th birthday on Capitol Hill! I'll be writing more about that next week for DC Ladies because the Girl Scouts began down South! What I won't mention there (but I will tell you!) is that Hill staffers LOSE their mind over free things and there was a silly little showdown when someone refused to follow the take-just-one rule for lifting a box of cookies. Obviously, that person was never a Scout...

7.

Rotten.

Let's Call Them...Habit Changes

January 9th, long since passed, is the day on which most people who made new year's resolutions have already broken them. This year, I've been kind of slow to get my affairs in order, and since I'm a tad tardy on setting resolutions anyway, I'll just call my own intentions for 2012 Habit Changes!

I plan to attack these changes on a quarterly basis (January- March; April-June; July-August; Septmeber-December) as if I'm Donald Trump running a businsess. I just thought to write CEO of My Own Life, but then hated myself a little for even having such cheese mold around in my brain.

I think starring down changes in the short term might serve me better than the both grandiose and general goals of yesteryear, so....for Q1 I'm getting more specific:

Moderate Home Make-Over:
In our time as roomies, Dan + I have failed to truly make our house a home. This is in part mostly because we know we aren't going to live there forever, and also because we've spent all extra funds on travel. I love to entertain and not having a space I enjoy sharing with guests is weighing hard on me, plus...I don't want to look back on our first place together in total disgust. While there won't be extreme overhaul and redecorating, I am going to try put my best lipstick-on-a-pig efforts into sprucing up what we do have, purchasing each month something classic to tie our hybrid mix of Shabby Chic Single Girl and Big Screen Bachelor furnishings into something a bit more cozy. Just this week I found this on Craigs List for a steal:

Steal My Youth:
Back in the day I could sleep in make up and wake up with plump, zit-free cheeks. Now when this happens, which sadly, is often, I just wake up looking....older and more time-stamped. It's time for some serious skin management. Any money that used to be spent on manis and pedis now goes exclusively towards facials. In addition, nightly face washing and sleeping in thick creme.

Operation Austerity:
I am so terrible at both saving and managing money. For a year I've had a personal budget each month which I think I adhered to MAYBE twice. For Q1, I want to stay on budget every month with a goal of helping Dan + I bank a certain amount by the end of Q1. I started by canceling a $40 montly Weight Watchers membership, which I joined in August but havent used since.....August.

Weight Watching:
Last year I lost nearly 30 pounds...but I hit a wall in the fall and indulged through the holidays. I don't want to quit, though, or fall back into my evil eating ways. By my 35th birthday in March, I want to have shed 15-20 more pounds.

How are you doing on your goals/resolutions/habit changes?

For Our Age...

When I was home last week, I spent a day in Chattanooga with my friends Whitney and Carrie. Whitney and I hadn't been in the car for five mintues, in route to our lunch spot, before I mentioned to her that in six years we'll be 40. She was aware.


Carrie showed up not half an hour later, and before the waiter had even brought her wine she looked at me and said, "You realize we're in our mid-thirties." I told her I had just informed Whitney.


We spent the lunch talking about how young we feel (28-30) versues our legal age, or the age we would have held on to for a little longer if life worked that way (30).   It is just a number, afterall, but, whether it's your weight on a scale or the year on your drivers license, numbers can be daunting, especially when math reveals Whitney and Carrie have children closer to college-age than we are.

After lunch, we took a picture. Whitney sent it to her mom, LaRue, who has known Carrie + I since we were at UT.

"Y'all look great," she texted back, "...for your age."

Whitney's mom was just joking us, but it's true that from start to finish of our visit, the three of us kept coming back to our age. We're only 34. I know that's still young, but it's not 18 or 20 or even 25, the ages we all were when we came to know each other, respectively, many years ago. So we went and did what woman concerned about the march of time should do:

We stayed hydrated...

and we got manicures and pedicures.

Because salon time, even at cheap nail places, is always good for camuflauging a few years...or a missing toe nail.  

And...if you're pampering alongside some of your favorite friends, for a while...time will stand still....even for ladies our age.

Fascinating Skin Care Article

I have a birthday quick approaching....and with that, I admit, comes my heightened interest in skin care (read: reversing the aging process). That, and my obsession with how in the world Jennifer Lopez's skin looks so plump + glowy!


This article from this month's Marie Claire was really intersting to me.


Though I can't afford to have them as often as I'd like, I swear by a good facial to give my skin a refresher. I fall in and out of good skin habits. I'm great with wearing sunscreen daily, but horrible about washing my face each night.


What's your skin care secret? I'm in the market for new moisturizer and face wash....

Fashion Week? In Baltimore???

Fashion Hotspots:  New York, Milan, Paris....and Balmer, Hon!

Baltimore hosts a Fashion Week...a {kind of} real one! Who knew??? I certainly didn't...until reading about it in the January Southern Living last night. Turns out, there's also Fashion Week in Charleston, Austin and a few other cities below the Mason-Dixon!  

I'm thinking this should be an outing for the Maryland Wives Club, no? Since I failed at organizing a December activity for us, perhaps I can redeem myself with this discovery? No need to Rent the Runway - it's coming to us!

While I'm pretty certain we won't spy Anna Wintour roaming around Fed Hill, I still think this could be an amusing experience....

Have you been to Fashion Week in your town*?

*a town that isn't New York, Paris or Milan

Spa Week

Does your town offer Spa Week?  During the week of April 13 - 19 you can can treat yourself to full service spa treatments (think hair color, facials, massages...even Botox!) for just $50! A ton of great salons in the DC/Baltimore/NOVA area are particpating, but Spa Week is happening all over the US!

Click here to find a spa near you.....and book your appointments now.  Happy Pampering!

Beauty Tips {Show Us Your Life}

This week's Show Us Your Life topic is beauty tips...and next to gossip, it's the most fun thing to share amongst girls!  I am hardly an expert in beauty, but I did learn a few tricks in my TV days, and I've always had farely healthy skin and hair. Here are a a few products that I think will enhance your face and tame your frizzies!

Fake Eye Lashes

As long as your smile isn't fake, it's ok if your lashes are.

I started wearing fake lashes when I worked in television, but added them back into my primping rotation (for special occasions - not daily to work!) just last year. Check out the picture above - you can tell a HUGE difference in the fake lashed eye, can't you? You can find natural looking ones at a drug store, but MAC makes really good ones that last for several wears if cared for properly (and by properly I mean digging them out of your handbag after ripping them off in the car following a night on the town, washing them the next morning and putting them back in the case). When you buy them, have the make-up artist at the counter cut them to fit your eyes. If I have a big event, I always try to go by a make-up counter and get my eyes done (if you live in the DC-area, Regina at the Pentagon City Nordstrom is amazing!! ). However, with a little practice, putting on your lashes by yourself will become as easy as texting and driving....(I kid!!).

Mary Kay Skin Care

If Reese Witherspoon has an Avon Lady, then you can have a Mary Kay Consultant. I adore mine!

I've used a lot of expensive deparment store brands, but my all-time favorite cleanser, moisturizer, mask and night-cream comes from Mary Kay. It may not be the most trendy brand, but I love the way it works for me. Back in the day, I could use the night cream a few times in a row and not even need to wear make-up it made my skin so plump and glowly. It takes a bit more maintenance(and concealer, and wishes for low lighting) now that I'm in my 30's, but still...I heart it more than anything else I've ever used.

Teeth Bleach

You can spend a ton of money on professoinal bleaching, and even on whitening strips at a drug store. I've done both... What works just as well (especially if you have your own bleaching tray) is Plus White, which I buy at Wal-Mart for less than $5. It doesn't make my gums burn or my teeth sensitive as some bleaches can do. It never fails...I can go weeks without using it, and then when I do, someone alwyas says, You have the whitest teeth!

Purelogy Nanoworks Shampoo & Conditioner

If you buy your teeth bleach at Wal-mart, you can then afford this shampoo at a salon. You just might not be able to afford groceries.  Pureology is not cheap, but it is SO worth the splurge. I had been a Pantene girl for as long as I can recall til my mom bought (and still buys) me Purelogy. I used it, and I've never gone back...I can absolutely tell a difference in my hair if I use another kind of shampoo - it's more frizzy, has less body, and makes my highlights fade (you know..the natural ones I get from the sun...).

The blogs are alll a buzz with women sharing beauty tips this week. It's like we all think we're going to get a last minute invite to the Oscars or something....?  I'd love to hear yours!