Happy!

It seems the only thing harder than getting going on a Monday morning, is getting going on a Tuesday morning after a long weekend.  Waking up was a bit rough this morning.  Luckily, I have a new fix for the scaries, and it comes from the one and only Pharrell Williams.

I have been a fan of Mr. Williams since his N.E.R.D. days--probably even before that, and didn't even know the music I loved was created by him.  He is incredibly talented, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE his new song "Happy".  First of all, it was created for the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack--how adorable is that?  Also, the song (and the man with it) has been nominated for an Academy Award.  I hope he wins. 

Anyway, just thought I'd share my new favorite song with you on this tougher-than-usual start to the work week.  I hope it makes you "Happy".  Doesn't it just make you want to get up and start dancing?  If nothing else, it definitely puts a smile on your face.

A Little Sunshine on a Dreary Day

Politico photo

Just a few things that have put a smile on my face and a pep in my step lately...

Going to see this incredibly talented man once again in a little over a week! Obsessed. 

Um, how amazing is this resort in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua?  And the price...pennies.  Booking my room asap.

I have watched this skit now at least a dozen times...still cracks me up!

This post featuring Giorgio Armani Privé collections running from 2005 to present day...ah-mazing!  To wear one of those gowns...a girl can dream!

Sometimes, it's the little things...

Augustines at the 9:30 Club

9:30 Club

Last night I went out to celebrate the belated birthday of one of my besties, and if you know the two of us, you know that the perfect venue for this birthday celebration was the 9:30 Club.  Arguably the best small music venue in America, the 9:30 Club is famous for bringing in big names for an intimate setting, and I've been lucky enough to see some of my favorite bands there over the years.

We actually went last night specifically for the opening band, Augustines (formally known as We Are Augustines).  They are so good, and even better live, and I'm surprised that they haven't caught on and made it big yet.  Here's a sampling of their songs from their first album, and they have a new one coming out soon.



They opened for Frightened Rabbit, a really fun band from Glasgow, and although we didn't know them well, ended up staying and rocking out to them for the rest of the night!  Sad that we missed the DC Drag Races this year, but happy to have stayed and listened to Frightened Rabbit--always love finding a new great band.

If you're ever in the DC area, make sure to look up 9:30 Club and check out a show there.  But be warned--tickets always sell out fast, so you have to always keep an eye out for your favorites of you'll miss them.

Rocker Chic DIY

Lately I've been in a bit of a wardrobe funk, especially with my casual, run-errands-around-town clothes I typically wear on days off and during the weekend.  My typical gym clothes as casual clothes should not be my everyday wear, but I want something comfortable, functional yet fun too for whatever it is I need to do away from work.  So when I saw these awesome men's graphic t-shirts from Target, I knew I had a new DIY project to tackle:  DIY off-the-shoulder t-shirts.

I picked a men's shirt for two reasons: 1) I like my t-shirts to be a bit longer and 2) they have a bit more room in the arms.  Honestly, they also tend to be less cheesy than the women's options out there...sad but true.  Make sure not to buy a men's t-shirt that is too large for you.  I wear a men's size Medium in these t-shirts, but make sure to try it on prior to cutting into it.  I personally want the t-shirt to fit comfortably and to skim the body, but not be too snug, to fit properly.

I did two today...the Guns 'N Roses shirt above, and the Grateful Dead shirt below that I used as the tutorial.  Disclosure:  I love the Grateful Dead, thought I was a hippie in junior high/high school, and even saw them in concert a few months before Jerry Garcia died in 1995.  And that bohemian girl still lives in me a bit today.  So here we go:

Step 1:  Measure your collarbone area.  You want to measure from the outside of your neck, across your chest to just below the opposite shoulder.  The measurement doesn't have to be exact, and I typically round down to the nearest even number.  My number is around 16 inches.

Step 2:  Fold your t-shirt in half, like so: 

Divide the measurement you just took in half (mine is now around 8 inches), and measure that out from below the collar to the shoulder area.  Mark just before both points with a pen (don't worry, you'll cut that part off).

Step 3:  With a sharp pair of scissors, make a small cut through the mark at the shoulder seam.

Step 4:  Put your scissors through the FRONT part of the shirt only and cut to the opposite point.  I tend to cut a bit rounded, but it doesn't not have to be exact.

Step 5:  Go back to the shoulder slit, and cut in the middle of the seam from that point all the way through the collar.

Step 6:  Fold the flap over to the other side, and repeat the cutting steps, with the folded part as the template.  Finish the front cutout by repeating the cut on the shoulder seam until the front piece is all the way off.

Step 7:  Now to the back of the shirt--simply cut from shoulder slit to shoulder slit, along the main shoulder seam of t-shirt.  This is important--if you cut the back in as large of a section as the front, the hole will be way too large and the shirt will completely fall off of you.

This is what the top will look like after the cuts are finished.  Don't worry about jagged edges or looking uneven...once stretched and on it will look so much better!

Step 8:  Next, I like to cut both sleeves and the bottom of the t-shirt, just above the stitched seams.  I tend to like my t-shirts long, but if you have a shorter torso, or want to dare to bare a midriff t-shirt, cut away much higher ladies!

Step 9:  Finally, gently tug on all the cut parts to stretch the shirt out a bit.  This gives the new seams a nice roll to them, and evens them out a bit.

And you're done!

I think this is a fun new way to wear old t-shirts, or to rock out your wardrobe just a bit more.  So comfy, but in my opinion way more stylish than wearing a guy's regular t-shirt.  Try it and let me know what you think!

Weekend Wrap-up

What a great weekend!  My old roommate, Helen, and her husband Chris came in town to visit, and we had three days of non-stop fun!  I'm exhausted today, but so happy to have had them come play!  I love visitors but rarely get them, so when I do, I go a little crazy planning so many fun things to do and great places to eat.

First stop was to Baltimore for the Jay Z and Justin Timberlake concert.  After a four hour drive from DC to Baltimore (and a mildly episode of road rage and an erratic pity-party) we made it to the concert an hour late.  Luckily, they still played for almost two more hours, so we got to hear some of our favorite songs.  The rain didn't stop us from getting down to "Sexy Back".

Traffic jam getting off the exit...drove 0.5 miles in 1 1/2 hours.  Insanity.

Justin Timberlake and Jay Z at Ravens Stadium

The next day, Helen and I did a little shopping and walking in Georgetown. 

Only in Washington, DC...

Helen is about four months pregnant, so we had to pop in to a few baby boutiques.  How adorable are these little onesies that we had to go ahead and buy for the baby?!?!

Since I had visitors, I had to take a paleo break...and boy did I break it!  For lunch, we had iced coffee and split a Red Velvet Cakecup, and a chocolate ice cream and peanut butter cookie sandwich from Baked & Wired...my favorite dessert shop in DC!

Then we took a stroll around the Georgetown canal and the waterfront before heading to dinner at Zaytinya (one of my all-time favorites).  Perfect day for a walk around the neighborhood!

Georgetown canal

The next day we had brunch with friends at Belga Cafe, a delicious Belgium restaurant on 8th Street SE.  Next we headed to the National Gallery of Art to see a few exhibits that were about to close...the Edvard Munch exhibit (which closes today) and Ballet Russes exhibit, which was very interesting.  It closes October 6th, and I highly recommend going to see it before then.  Then we were off to an early dinner at BlackSalt, for the best crab cake sandwiches in DC.  So worth the price.

Finally, we finished our weekend with an evening at Nats Park.

Cold beer and baseball

We had great seats, and although we were down 4-0 in the first half of the game, the Nationals came back to beat the Phillies 8-5!

Great seats at Nats Park!

And best of all, we watched history be made...Jayson Werth hit a home run for his 1,000th career run!  It was an awesome moment for a Nationals fan!

Congrats on your 1,000th hit Jayson Werth! What a hit!

Needless to say, after a great weekend and making a 4:30 AM airport run, I am exhausted!  Such a fun weekend, and sad to see my friends go back home.  Now, who wants to come visit next?  As you can see, I make one helluva fun-filled hostess!

Weekend Wrap-up

Robert Randolph & the Family Band at 9:30 Club

Have you figured out yet that I love live music?  Friday night I went to see one of my favorite live shows, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, at the 9:30 Club.  As always, he did not disappoint!  In fact, he didn't want to stop playing...after his second encore, the 9:30 managers had to make him get off the stage because they had a late night DJ coming in.  Boo!  But he was awesome, and thanks to my friend Chris, we got prime spots in the VIP booth to dance the night away.  Huge score!

I also hit up Paolo's this weekend, one of my very favorite spots in Georgetown.  My new favorite is their Seafood Salad...delicious, light and filling!  Probably should have eaten a bit more bread that night though, because one too many glasses of wine led me to George later on that night, which always ends in trouble!

I wore my new favorite Razorback Red dress that night...what do you think?  It's from Banana Republic and unfortunately no longer available, which is a shame because I love it so much I wanted to scoop it up in a few more colors.  It is super comfortable and the cut is perfect for me...exactly what buxom girls should look for in a dress.  It has a defined, natural waist line, room enough at the top for the girls, and the skirt floats nicely over the hips without making them look too wide.  And bonus, I don't have to wear my Spanx with it!

If you're from the South, then you know that football season is just around the corner, and this is the perfect game day dress!  Yes, in the South, we wear dresses to football games!  And a girl from Arkansas can never have too many Razorback Red ones hanging in her closet!  Sadly, I won't be making it home for any games this year, but be certain I'll be wearing this to a watch party or three this fall!

Hey Mrs. Carter!

Whew, this week has been busy!  Monday night I went to see the fabulous Beyonce, and even though my seats were a million miles away from the stage, still had an incredible time.  She might just be the most beautiful woman in the world.  Stunning!  And we all know she can belt it out like no one else, but the girl can break it down too.  Great show.  I got in touch with my inner diva for the week, for sure.

For me, dressing for concerts is one of the toughest things to do.  I want to be stylish, yet comfortable, since I'll be on my feet dancing for at least two hours.   And this wasn't just another outdoor show at Merriweather...sandals and a sundress just wasn't going to cut it for the Mrs. Carter Show.  Since I was in a hurry changing from work outfit to Beyonce outfit, I went with my favorite standby--a simple black cotton sheath that I can dress up or dress down.

 

Note: I've lost a bit of weight recently, so my clothes are all in need of a visit to my tailor!  Good news for a healthier me, bad news for my wallet.  Any suggestions for an affordable but good DC-area tailor are welcomed!

I ended up dressing this up with a rhinestone statement necklace and Tory Burch crossbody clutch.  Nothing too diva-ish for the night, but I thought just enough to celebrate Beyonce with the respect she deserves!  And the best part--I was comfortable dancing all night long.

Weekend Wrap-up

After a typical busy workweek, I left work Friday evening and headed to Merriweather Post Pavilion with friends to see The Lumineers.  One word pretty much sums them up: Incredible!  They sounded every bit as good live as on the radio...maybe even better.  The band's chemistry is so much fun--great energy, extremely talented, and they said over and over how our sold out show was the biggest crowd they had ever played, so they were pumped up the entire night.  Our seats were great too, an added bonus for such a fun show.  Highly recommend seeing The Lumineers if you ever get a chance!

After a long week and a very fun Friday night, I took Saturday to just relax and get a little TLC.

Decisions, Decisions...

Seeing that this will probably be the only time I'll have a hint of a tan all year, I went in really wanting an almost white shade for my nails, but after trying out a dozen different colors, all were too sheer, so I went for my one of two standby colors--red!  Any suggestions for an almost white nail color? Please let me know!

Felt like a Big Apple Red kind of day!

A long wait at Acquanails (the best nail salon in Georgetown) meant twice as long in the massage chair--no complaints there!  Then some grocery shopping, home to cook, and then publishing my first blog in over two years!  So excited to get this started again!  Today I will be finishing up some work and then hopefully finishing up a few long overdue home projects too.  Need to clear the way for a ridiculously busy upcoming week and then (hopefully) a relaxing August recess!