Hello....is it me you're looking for?

...yup...I've been super absent from my blog. But I refuse to feel guilty about it. If I'm feeling motivated, inspired, froggy... I'll post...

...otherwise...you may be left wondering if I fell off the face of the earth for a week or two. :)

If you haven't checked out ShopRuche.com yet, please do... check out these two lovely dresses I recently got - and for great prices too!

The PERFECT Clemson dress! {via}

Mini-sailboats. Yes please! {via}

Recently, I got a Living Social deal to try out three classes for only $25 at a new fitness studio right off of Ben Sawyer Blvd. (right before the Sullivan's Island bridge) called Perfectly Fit Wellness.

I tried out my first class on Monday called Beam Fit. You do Pilates-like moves and stretches, but on a beam. It's not a solid beam, but 'squishy' so it forces you to work your muscles harder to balance.

We didn't do a whole lot of different or difficult moves in this class, but there was a lot of focus on positions and form. Also, because the class is really, really small (4 people max, only 2 people including me in my class), you get a lot of one-on-one instruction.

The teacher spent at least 5 minutes with me working on my plank form. Evidently, unbeknownst to me, I put a lot of pressure on my lower back with my plank. So she worked with me to show me how to relax my lower body and use my stomach more when holding my form.

Needless to say, I wasn't doing a lot of movement, but I was sweating my arse off and today my abs are super sore.

Tomorrow I'm trying another one of their classes, TRX. It's a suspended cable strength class. I've always wanted to try one of these classes, but I'm nervous because I've heard they are super hard.

Have you tried TRX? Any advice for my first class?

This weekend I'm throwing my older sister a Sprinkle for her and my future nephew! Yup, a Sprinkle...not a shower. It's the new thing for mommies-to-be having their second or third baby...and typically if the new baby is a different gender from their first. It's an informal get together for her close friends where they can 'sprinkle' her with small gifts like diapers, wipes, onesies and boy-specific baby stuff she doesn't have.

I'll try to do a post on all the details next week - but the theme is MONKEYS. :) We're going to try and make these for the Sprinkle... this might end up being a Pinterest fail...we shall see!

Is it really only Tuesday? Hope everyone is having a great week so far.

A Lilly Pulitzer Problem

Hello, my name is Christy, and I am a Lillyaholic. (Oooh, that should be a blog title if it isn't already).

If you had told me five years ago how much Lilly Pulitzer 'stuff' I would own, I would have laughed. I had no interest in Lilly then whatsoever.

I don't know what has happened since...the move to Charleston...getting my first Lilly shift at a steal of a price from Rue La La...finding out they have so many cute prints...the fact that their sizes run big, so my size is smaller than in other brands (makes you feel skinnier than you are!)...realizing the quality...loving the fit of the dresses...better income so I can afford it....

...or perhaps just a combination of all of the above...

...but it's safe to say that now I am a full blown Lilly Pulitzer addict. Everytime my mom sees me in a dress, she usually says, "Let me guess...is that a new Lilly Pulitzer??"

Even my husband knows all about Lilly now. I swear if I hadn't already bought my (love!) Electra peacock beach cruiser, I swear I would own the stuffed shells Lilly Pulitzer beach cruiser.

My obsession is mainly with the clothes, and I now have a separate clothing rack in my guest room just for my Lilly Pulitzer dresses...which just got this new shift added to the rack. I love, love, love this new print...and I tried to resist it...but I was in Belks and it was right by the Clinique counter, just staring at me...whispering to me that it needed a home (told you I have a problem)...it looked so sad on the rack...with no one to wear it... so I walked over and thought "well, maybe my size won't be there...I'll just take a look..." And of course my size was there! And only one left. And somehow it popped off the rack and into my arms and to the register and finally to my Lilly Pulitzer rack at home. Sigh.

And today at work, I paused looked around and thought, "OMG...this is embarassing...."

I'm wearing a Lilly Pulitzer dress...Lilly Pulitzer sandals...

...a Lilly Putitzer watch...

Nail polish is 'Watermelon" by Essie.

...And in my Lilly Pulitzer stuffed shells (FAVE pattern) purse, I have five...yes five...Lilly Pulitzer items. From a Kindle cover (made for a Nook, but fits my Kindle!), to a pen, a koozie, a (very dirty) camera case and sunglasses....geez.

All of this was not intentional at all...it just happened, and now I'm that girl that dresses head to toe in Lilly Pulitzer. I'm like a bonafide Charleston Girl now I guess...geez. And it only took three years of me living here.

Some of you reading this are thinking "wow, that's really sad" and others are thinking "that is awesome...Lilly lovers unite!".

At least I acknowledge I have a problem, I mean...the first step is acceptance, right?? Although, I don't have plans to go to the next step just yet. Especially since this gorgeous dress is on my wish list right now...but it's a little bit pricey for me, especially since I splurged on that other dress. So...this will be on the top of my birthday list this year. :)

I am, however, learning to sew and have taken a stab at my first shift with a gorgeous cotton fabric. I'm still finishing it up and it's definitely a 'rough draft'...but I'm hoping that with practice I'll get good enough at sewing that I can just buy great fabrics and make my own Lilly dresses...although I know they will never, ever, ever compare to the real thing.

Any other Lillyaholics out there like me? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?..................

Seeing Double...Part IV

Paper Birch Cutout Dress - ShopRuche.com, $42.99

Cut Out Dress in Orange - GoJane.com, $36.80

Seeing Double....Part III

ModCloth crazy price jacking strikes again...see Part I here and Part II here.

I'm always amazed ModCloth gets away with this as much as they do, especially with how price sensitive people are these days...I always hesitate to buy from ModCloth because I'm so afraid I'll see the same item on another site for way cheaper and kick myself for not shopping around.

See this cute sea green dress from ModCloth - a whopping $84.99...

ModCloth.com - $84.99

Or...save a chunk of change and get it for only $68 from Lulus.com... that's a significant price difference. What gives ModCloth?

Lulus.com - $68

OOTN (Outfit of the Night)

Sushi Friday by CharlestonGirlBlog featuring lacquer jewelry

One shoulder, navy sequins... yes please!

Love, love, love this Rachel Zoe dress. All I need is $295 - sigh... anyone have some spare change they could lend me? :) This dress would be PERFECT for my Vegas Bachelorette trip... maybe I'll add this to my birthday list and just see what happens.

{via}

My current Anthro wish list...

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F21 does Lilly P

What is everyone wearing on Easter? I can't wait to see all of your blog posts with photos of your Easter outfits.

I've got a new Lilly dress packed...not one of the ones I just got off of Rue La La (they still need to be shortened, etc.)...but one I found randomly on a sale rack in the local Belk for only $40! Even the lady who checked me out at Belk said, "Wow...I've never seen a Lilly Pulitzer dress that cheap!"

I don't know the 'name' of the dress, so I don't have pictures...but I'll post some after this weekend. You'd rather see me in it anyways, right? :) Lol...

I just picked it up this week from my alterations place (along with about four other dresses). I'm always in there with more dresses to be hemmed and taken in around the chest and the waist. The owner gave me 10% off this time..and I said, "Oooh, thanks! Guess I am in here a lot aren't I?" And she said, "Yes! Nothing ever fits you!"

Ha... I guess that's what you get when you're short, big hipped and flat chested. Sigh.

On a random note, I was browsing Forever21's dresses recently and came across this dress...

I'm no Lilly expert or anything, but it instantly reminded me of a Lilly Pulitzer dress -- the style and the pretty floral fabric. I'm not sure it could compare to an actual Lilly dress, but for only $22.80 it's definitely a more affordable Lilly-esque option. Ok, who are we kidding, a LOT more affordable compared to Lilly's prices.

The pattern is a pretty, pastel floral.


I think I immediately thought this looked like a Lilly dress because one of my friends wore a Lilly dress on Sunday that was in this same cut/style.

What do you think? Lilly knock off or not even close?

What to wear: New Years 2011 - Option 1

Let's not even mention the fact that A) we have yet to make plans for New Years Eve this year and B) this dress is on its way and I have no idea if it will fit {fingers crossed}.

And... I don't actually have the jewelry or the clutch...but I have very similar pieces I'd pair with this dress.

Makeup: Smokey eyes (thinking of getting appointment at MAC makeup counter) and tossled, somewhat curled, "bed head" hair...I'll need to do a few trial runs.

Happy New Years 2011 - Outfit option 1 by CharlestonGirlBlog featuring an opaque hosiery

If you're a Charleston resident...what is the top place for New Years this year?? We're thinking of either doing the party at the Hippodrome downtown or the Aquarium party...we've done the Shriner's party at Patriot's Point, Club Trio, and Red's in the past...all of these gave us a "meh" reaction, meaning they were just OK...nothing we want to really repeat.

I'm not a big fan of paying like $100 or so dollars for an 'open bar' party - I've done them before and I always feel like I never drink nearly enough to make back my money and the food is never all that great either. However, I have heard that the party at the Aquarium is fun and worth the money...so we'll see.

I'd be content with a house party with friends...but I've got too many single friends who want to "meet people" and mingle... so I guess boring old, not single me will have to suck it up and hit the parties. :)

What are you doing for New Years this year??

Two for Tuesday

I'm a sucker for Rue La La, and today was no exception with their BCBG MAXAZRIA sale...the deals were too good to pass up.

I bought this contrasting patterned, wrap dress - I love the patterns together and I think it will look great paired with black tights and black booties or black knee high boots as it gets colder.

I wasn't going to buy anything else, but I talked myself into this navy wrapped cardigan - only because navy is my fave color for clothes lately and it's all I've been wearing. I needed a nice navy cardigan and I haven't found one I really liked that was a true navy - until I spotted this one. Perfect for pairing with my gray work pants or Anthro dresses this Fall/Winter.

Did anyone else luck out in the Rue La La sale today?

My Birthday Weekend in Photos

Great new Anthro sale items!

It's like Christmas when Anthropologie moves new items to their Sale section. I get sucked in every time. Today though, they've got some really adorable new sale items that are definitely worth the price.

I snagged up...This will be so cute paired with navy shorts and my Old Navy wedges.

I love this dress, especially with my recent nautical obsession. I'm just hoping the horizontal stripes don't make me look more horizontal - especially in the back!

At first glance, I wasn't crazy about this dress - but after reading the reviews and staring at it, I concluded that it's very pretty and very me. Hoping I still think that when I try it on in person.

Hooray for Anthro sales - and I got free shipping because I signed up for the Anthro club through this link off of one of my fave Anthro blogs, Effortless Anthropologie.

Did you score any recent Anthro sale finds?

I want, I want, I want!!

I have not typically been a Lily Pulitzer fan - mainly because of the prices. I love the Lily prints, but I sometimes feel like they are way overpriced... but I think being in Charleston is having a Lily affect on me. I'm tempted more and more to get some Lily lovelies. This year I bought two Lily dresses and a bag on RueLaLa.

But now I'm really in love... I first saw this dress when The Company She Keeps posted a photo on her blog (she owns it...jealous!). I love the colors, the beachiness, and I could so see myself wearing this all around Charleston... I mean, it's calling to me...

...but $178 for one dress. Ugg...I just can't. I found a size 4 on Ebay for $158...but that's still pretty high for me for just one dress. If I had a special occasion to wear it to (and if I didn't already own 5 billion dresses that a quarter of still have tags on them) then maybe...just maybe... I'd take the financial plunge... but I just can't justify this one. Sigh...

I guess I need to get on that lottery hobby I've been meaning to take up.

Smoky Oak Taproom Review

Went to happy hour with the crew of friends tonight, and we decided to try out a new place -- Smoky Oak Taproom. It's a locally owned BBQ restaurant and bar. It's located off of Camp Road on James Island here in Charleston.

They serve a wide variety of beers - which makes the guys happy. I tried to order a fancy beer off of their menu, but I know nothing about specialty beers. The beer with 'chocolate and meat roast flavor' sounded interesting, but I wasn't brave enough. So I settled for Yuengling because I knew it would be good (and my sister is the Marketing rep for Yuengling in Atlanta, so she would be happy to hear that's what I drank).

Maybe it was their Web site, but I had somewhat high expectations for this place...but it wasn't what I expected. It was located really far down Camp Road off of Folly Rd. on James Island, and was in the back of a strip mall. The inside wasn't anything like we thought it would be from the Web site photos - it was more of a local burger joint that happened to have a bar inside, and it wasn't very big.

There wasn't much of any AC inside either - granted it was very humid here tonight, so I guess I can't fault them too bad. But I do fault them for putting the long table we sat at right below the AC piping - which I'm guessing due to the humidity, dripped water on all of us the entire time. We actually turned it into a drinking game...when the water dripped on the table, if you were the last person to touch your nose, you had to drink....lol.

The service was somewhat lacking as well - I was there about thirty minutes before my drink order got taken... and when the waitress did get my order, there was only five minutes left of the happy hour prices. As it got later, the service picked up...

However, the downsides were overshadowed by the food. I had the spinach and artichoke dip which came with warm pita bread. Mmm. And I was going to stop at that, but I saw a patron at a neighboring table get an order of Mac & Cheese...it looked so good, so of course I ordered a bowl of my own. It was delicious!

I'm glad we decided to try somewhere new tonight - but I'm not sure I'll be going back to Smoky Oak anytime soon. I think they are still fairly new and are still working out the kinks - but there's potential there. I hope they can figure it out since it's locally owned...

We went by King St. Grill on James Island on the way (not really on the way) back to Mt. Pleasant to have one more drink - but they were celebrating their one year anniversary with an all you can drink for $15 special...which would have been great if we had started there, but it was already 9:30pm and I was tired and only wanted one more drink... not ten.

This isn't the best picture (my hair is a victim of humidity), but here's the outfit I wore tonight. New dress from Forever21 - somewhat of a nautical feel. The shapes in the pattern remind me of the triangle nautical flags. And my go to summer shoes - my Old Navy wedges. Love these... they make my legs look so long and they were only $30!

Tomorrow night my old roommates and I are throwing a 'housecooling' cookout/party at our house I just moved out of (they move out of it in two weeks) - we're holding a raffle ($1 a ticket) for 'gently used' items we don't want anymore...lol. We're hoping we'll make some money to pay for the cookout food and the keg. I donated a handful of old picture frames, some never worn stripper heels (purchased for a Halloween costume - I swear!), a George Foreman grill and a fake plant... I'm sure my friends will be scrambling to buy tickets to win those items, lol. :)

I just bought...

...this adorable Anthro dress that was on sale. I love the colors and the navy piping on the top -- navy is my fave fashion color this summer. I'm buying a lot of navy and outfits with navy accents.

All the reviews were glowing. I think Anthropologie is super smart to let people rate and review their products - I can name several instances where the reviews gave me that extra convincing I needed to make the purchase.

They only had a size small left, so fingers crossed it fits - the elastic at the waist gives me hope. :)

If this fits like I hope, this may be my August go to dress!

Ok ladies...what shoes would you pair with this lovely?

Seeing Double

Ok...is it me or are these two dresses EXACTLY the same? The first one is from ModCloth and the second is from Lulus... ModCloth's version is about $20 more than the Lulus version? Why?
ModCloth version - $94.99


Lulus version - $76.00
I love ModCloth. I'm a frequent shopper on their site and I have heard that their Marketing top guy is a Clemson alum... but I often see clothes on their site that I've seen on some of my other fave online retailers, but ModCloth's versions always have a jacked up price by at least $20.

I know they need to make a profit, but I can't help but feel a little taken advantage of when I see the same outfit on another online site for much less. Come on ModCloth...what gives??

Fashion Maturity

If I had to choose one store to describe my style I would pick Anthropologie hands down. I like trendy, but girlie - I love ruffles and vintage looking pieces. I didn't really discover Anthropologie until Fall of last year. I knew of Anthropologie, but I think because the prices are so high I've always avoided it.

I'm a Forever21 type of girl. I like trendy and I hate wearing the same outfit over and over, so it's easier for me to spend at places like Forever21 (Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, etc.), wear the piece several times, then say goodbye to it when I clean out my closet each year. I feel less guilty if I only spent say $20 on it.

But as I quickly approach the big 3-0 and with my recent move to Charleston creating more grown up social outings - my taste in clothes has matured a little. Sure I still get suckered into the Target purchases or I still find great pieces at Forever21, but I've found a new appreciation for quality and fit. I've also decided that since I'm getting older, I need to try and dress more age appropriate. The fact that I like trendy and girlie sometimes makes me dress a lot younger than I am - which is fine - but I look 16 already, so if I dress 16 I'll never be taken seriously.

And with this new 'maturity', I've given myself a little more room as far as how much I'm willing to spend on a dress if I know the quality and fit will be well worth it. While I'm still not brave enough to drop the amount of some of the Anthro clothes - I'm OK with buying them once they go on sale - even though they are still in my opinion, pricey... but I know it will be worth it.

So with that note...I will be stalking this dress until it goes on sale on Anthropologie's site. I love that this dress is very 20's inspired.

But at $188, I do not like it that much... do you know how many clothes I can get at Forever21 for $188? :)


The picture of the model in the dress makes me think of Cornelia Vanderbilt, lounging in one of the ornate drawing rooms of the Biltmore House, admiring the fantastic view.