The passing of Etta James was a sad day for the world of music. There was something so honest and vulnerable about her voice that makes you feel every single note. It’s quite a contrast from the typical auto-tuned 20-something female singer we are accustomed to today. But, leave it to Christina Aguilera to show the world that this generation still has some talent! Watch her tribute of “At Last” at Etta James’ funeral:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aviEAI_NgYc]
I always search for some unique, fun recipes to try out since I know I’ll have more time on my hands than I do during the week. I came across this recipe which I think I will have to try, particularly on the heels of National Peanut Butter Day!
Check out the recipe here.
Me: Gosh, I really can’t wait to see (insert movie name here)! It comes out next week!
countless months later…
Me: Gosh, I can’t believe I missed (insert movie name here) in theaters! It will be forever until it comes out on DVD, Netflix, On Demand, etc.
Well, I recently took a trip to West End Cinema and now I have a solution for catching popular flicks that have outlived their moments in popular theaters, but aren’t quite ready to come to a TV set near you. West End Cinema is a small movie theater that was established by some DC movie lovers. West End Cinema, or WEC, “shows independent, foreign, and documentary films, especially ones that we feel offer new intellectual and cultural perspectives to our audience.”
WEC itself is tiny, and each individual theater only has around 50 seats (let’s call it intimate), but you get the feel of a good old-fashioned theater, popcorn and all, along with the added bonus of a full bar, gourmet sandwiches and other treats. Plus, you get to see films that are stuck in movie purgatory!
This week you can catch:
Oka!
My Week with Marilyn
Young Adult
Norwegian Wood
Le Havre
Melancholia
West End’s site offers previews for each of the movies – check them out here. I for one can’t wait to see My Week with Marilyn and Norwegian Wood!
What? There is such a thing? I have to admit, I have never heard of it but was intrigued when I found that today was National Peanut Butter Day, National Compliment Day and National Belly Laugh Day. This is quite the trifecta. My mind is already teeming with interesting combinations for participating in these three “holidays”! I am an avid peanut butter lover and can’t resist a good, gut-wrenching, tear-inducing belly laugh, but I am most interested in making today National Compliment Day.
While I’d like to make the point that every day should be a day of complimenting, I also realize that life can sometimes get in the way of people being nice. Perhaps we are too focused on that morning meeting to notice that Sally in HR got a haircut. We could just be too busy to notice that our significant other whipped up a culinary treat that even Gordon Ramsay couldn’t be upset at.
However, I also believe that sometimes our attitude and our own demons can prevent us from making others feel good about themselves. Maybe we are too self conscious about our own weight to mention to our sister that she looks fantastic sans that 10 pounds she’s been working so hard to lose. Jealousy can rear its ugly head and render us speechless when we see our best friend rocking that expensive pair of shoes we wish we could afford.
I am sure women everywhere can relate. For some reason, women often feel the need to take each other down just as quickly as we can build each other up. As a disclaimer, please understand I know this is a generalization, but it is not unfounded. Just watch Mean Girls if you don’t believe me.
So, in honor of this new holiday discovery (and the fact that I haven’t really set up too many New Year’s Resolutions for myself), I am going to set out to make every day a little smidge of a compliment day. You never know what a large impact a simple compliment can make on someone’s day, so why not test it out! By the way, did I tell you that you look just fabulous today? 🙂
The weather outside is positively, downright dreary and borderline depressing. While spring will come soon, we still have a month or so left of potentially hazardous weather. Want to make sure your feet stay cozy and warm? Check out a pair of Hunter boots! They come in an array of colors, heights, styles and you can even add on extra layers of warmth with a variety of “welly socks.”
I am loving the bright green color! Tell me a pair of these babies wouldn’t cheer you up on a day like today?
I’m on a bit of a wedding kick after yesterday’s post, so I thought what better way to let the wedding wisdom flow than to review some of the vendors from my own wedding day! During the next few weeks, I’ll discuss each of my vendors, my experience with them and some lessons I learned (some the hard way!) during my bride-to-be experience.
One of the most important, and also fun, decisions to make is the one about your “beauty team.” When I was going through the process of choosing a hair and makeup team, I can’t deny that I felt a bit egotistical doing so much research and putting so much effort into my appearance. However, after seeing pictures, ladies you have full license to be a diva. This is your Oscars; your Grammys; your fifteen minutes of fame! Go for it – spare NO expense to feel good and look perfect.
So, where do you begin your search for the team of beauty geniuses that are going to make you rival Heidi Klum? First, make a few decisions:
Once you know what you want from your hair and makeup services, you can begin deciding where you should look. Start with what you know:
Due to my desire to have hair and makeup on-site, I immediately eliminated a majority of the vendors because they required brides to come to the salon for services. I further limited my choices given that my venue, Rosemont Manor, was more than an hour outside of the DC-Metro area in Berryville, VA. I finally decided, after hours upon hours of researching options, to check out my venue’s recommendation, The Special Event Salon at the Cottage in Stephenson, VA. Looking back, I should have saved myself the headache and trusted my venue, not my hopes of finding a hidden gem! The Special Event Salon was my hidden gem. After meeting with their salon manager to address my questions, as well as pricing, I scheduled the all important hair and makeup trial – which is an entirely different topic and post related to choosing your hair and makeup vendor, and arguably the most important aspect.
However, you can’t get to the trial without narrowing your choices, so start out by exploring the questions above!
During wedding planning, my favorite magazine was always Washingtonian Bride & Groom. The editorial style allowed my imagination to dream up new ideas and concepts while the “Real Weddings” section helped me believe I could pull off the same class and elegance of my fellow DC brides. Of course, I can’t overlook the novelty that came with viewing all things wedding featured solely in the DC Metro area.
Naturally, I have to shamelessly plug the Washingtonian Bridge & Groom Unveiled wedding showcase on Sunday. The magazine’s unfaltering understanding of class, elegance and whimsy makes them the perfect choice to host an event for a bride-to-be.
Every wedding planning “event” promises a one stop shop for everything you need for your special day. However, very few deliver successfully. Most leave you for target practice, trudging past booth after booth, sales pitch after sales pitch, many from vendors who are not the top in their industry.
Washingtonian’s upcoming event is at the Mandarin Oriental, one of DC’s top hotel venues and hosts some of the DC area’s top vendors – no, really, they are the cream of the crop! My favorite highlight, a fashion show and appearance from designer Reem Acra – absolutely gorgeous! Here are the details:
Sunday, January 22nd from 11:30 am – 3:30 pm
at the
Mandarin Oriental Hotel 1330 Maryland Avenue Southwest Washington DC, District of Columbia 20024 (202) 554 8588
Tickets are $65.00
Wedding Show Tip: Don’t overdo the bridal showcases and don’t steer away from one because of the price tag. I went to one that was just $10, which allowed me to cover the costs for my bridesmaids who were attending to provide me their support. I ended up just wasting $60 because the show was so low quality that I didn’t get any value out of it. I’d have been much better off forking over the money for my own ticket to a higher quality show and using it to find some key vendors.
I relish in any opportunity for a boombox throwback. Apparently, so do brothers Ryan and Hays Holladay, also known as Bluebrain (and The Epochs). This pop-rock due returned to DC a few years ago from Brooklyn, where they had earned notoriety for their unique tracks, which you can check out here.
Why are they so interesting, you ask? Sure, rocking out to some sweet tunes is always cause for notice, but these guys are even more attention-worthy because the founders of the DC Boombox Walk. And…what exactly is that? Well, the concept is simple; the Holladay brothers compose an original track and ask 50 of their loyal followers to show up with a boombox at a predetermined location, at which point all 50 participants play the track on their boomboxes at the same time. The REALLY cool part? Everyone’s track is a different instrument; some are drums, some are vocals, some are guitar, you get the idea.
On Saturday, January 14th, Bluebrain is holding their third and final Boombox walk at the United States Botanical Garden (100 Maryland Ave, Washington, DC SW). This walk will be a bit different being that it is indoors and Bluebrain is requesting all types of musical devices, CDs, MP3s, cassette, whatever you have! If you want to participate, just shoot an email to bluebrainmusic@gmail.com.
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We arrived at the steps of the Library just in time to catch some street performers….
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| A Joe’s Jeans skinny fit dark wash option |
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| Colored Legging-Jeans from Gap |
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| Leave it to Kimmy K to make the wide-leg jean look chic |
Leather, pleather, skinny, wide-leg, printed, colored -whatever it may be. Keep a secret weapon in your closet to punch up your wardrobe whenever you need a fashion boost. If you’re preppy, purchase some liquid leggings. If you’re a rocker chic, go for something unexpected in a color other than black.
Addition: The LBP
The Little Black Pant is just as essential to a woman’s wardrobe as the LBD. You can wear them to work, to play, to party, to church – wherever and whenever. Go for a flattering fit that is long enough to work with flats or heels so they are universally workable.