in a clutch…

03 Thursday Apr 2014

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What’s a belle to do when she needs to pare down that fabulous (but rather bulky) day bag? …Or she is traveling and needs to make the day-to night transition “in a clutch”? Why she grabs one of these little goodies! 20140322-123221.jpg (Left to right: neutral snakeskin from GiGi, hand-tooled camel leather from Satchel, classic black from K. Slademade…available at http://www.giginewyork.com, http://www.shopsatchel.com, http://www.kslademade.com and local shops like Muse and Gage’s in Greenville, SC) Many come with a removable strap for extra versatility (Satchel and k. Slademade) but it’s hardly a deal-breaker without! Toss one in your day bag or carry-on to hold the essentials (think lipstick, credit card, phone…). When you would rather not have the kitchen sink on your shoulder, grab the clutch and go! They are also perfect for small packables in luggage (jewelry, special scarf…). Then when it’s time to dress for dinner, you have some stylish options available!

Some other favorites:

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(Claire Vivier striped fold-over and leopard hair fold-over…and lots of other colors and options – available at http://www.shopstyle.com)

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(Top to bottom: B Brian Atwood Lana rhinestone-studded clutch, Comme des Garçons medium clover-stamped zip pouch – available at http://www.saksfifthavenue.com)

ready, set, clutch-n-go!!

a&a

CHANEL… take me away…your friday friend-1-1

28 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by in what's ringin' our belle

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Ladies, we are here to tell you that we have also jumped on the oil bandwagon. Face oil, body oil, hair oil, cleansing oil, moisturizing oil, bath oil, body oil. They clean, plump, soften, blur, de puff, de-wrinkle, shine, silken and perform and infinite number of miracles.

Now we are doing a little experimenting to see how we like them in real life. We will be sure to let you know what we think soon enough. Yes, we are judgy. No, we don’t think that’s a word, but we like it and use it ALL the time.

We dipped our toes in the oil vat fairly timidly, starting with bath and shower oil. Two winners!!
One most luxurious, and the other luxe for less.

First up:

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The packaging alone made us a little weak in the knees. Duh. And then there’s inside the box.

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We have fallen head over heels and we haven’t even opened the bottle yet!! Okay, we admit , we have a weakness for great packaging. But when you do open this little treasure , the innards won’t disappoint. Just a capful, and the ylang ylang and almond leaves will take your bath to another level, leaving your skin soft and supple. Your soul won’t suffer any from the soak either.

Belles love a find that won’t leave our piggy banks weeping and we do believe we have found a great one. Our oil of choice number two:

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Now even though this is labeled a shower oil, we tried it in the bath with much success. It has a very expensive scent, delivers a silky feel to your skin and leaves you feeling like you treated yourself.

Oh, and if y’all wanted to recycle that chanel bottle (although it does last a long time) and pour another bath oil in there, we would be most impressed with your efforts to reduce your carbon footprint…all while keeping your vanity / bathroom looking tres chic. Multitasking belles at their best (skin care, belle time, home decor and being ” green”) !!!

So go on and treat yourselves to a little luxury downtime. Y’all deserve it.

a&a

kale, yea!

27 Thursday Mar 2014

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We see so much of kale lately! There’s a kale-this or a kale-that on almost every menu…but finding the perfect recipe for at-home prep is a bit of a challenge. “Cooking it down” as greens have been subjected to in the South since the discovery of the collard green just doesn’t seem to cut it. (“they” say it destroys all of the good stuff in it) Most salads we have tried are a bit overwhelmingly “green” – if you catch my drift. Enter our good friend and gastronome, Cathy, with the Perfect Kale Salad!! Dilemma solved…and belles ringing!!

Perfect Kale Salad

6 c. kale chiffonade

kale in process

1/4 c. panko, toasted

parmesan

3 cloves garlic, pressed

garlic

1/4 c plus 2 T parmesan, grated

parmesan (not panko)

4 T evoo

olive oil

juice of 1 lemon (and we like to add some zest!)

lemon juice:zest

3/4 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, and 1/4 t red pepper flakes

salt pepper red pepper

Place garlic, 1/4 c parmesan, evoo, lemon juice, salt and pepper into blender. Blend. Toss with kale. Just before serving, toss in panko and remaining parmesan.

Delicious perfection! Ring-a-ling!!

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a&a

dog shaming…or not…your friday friend-1-1

21 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by in friday friend 1-1

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We both absolutely adore our furry family members! In fact, we hesitate to refer to them as dogs (gasp) because they don’t realize that they are not human! They pretty much have the run of the place, and no matter how naughty they might be at times, we can’t help but think that they are perfect! (we have been accused of loving them more than our human babies…and come to think of it, they don’t talk back or procrastinate on homework 😉 …

Lily and her sister, Belle

Lily and her sister, Belle

But…every now and then, one of them might push us a bit over the edge. Take for instance, Lily, a precious 8-month-old golden retriever baby. Lily is a counter surfer, waste basket scavenger, and treasure hunter inside and out. Leave her alone for 10 minutes, and you might have a very messy surprise on your hands!

One such surprise happened just last night. We had picked up a couple of copies of the hilarious “Dog Shaming” book…one to be given as a gift to friends.

dog shaming

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0385349343/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=27178302483&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14732069711107625481&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_3o4bryrvkz_b

All wrapped and ready, the book sat on the kitchen counter, waiting to be delivered today. Well, guess again!!

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I ate the Dog Shaming book. Love, Lily

We see not an ounce of guilt on that face! She actually looks quite proud! Oh, well…thank goodness we can order another copy.
Amazon, take me away!
a&a

aquatali-ah ha!

20 Thursday Mar 2014

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Boots…we have become a bit obsessed with finding just the right ones! Probably just like you! There are just so many things for a belle to consider…color, heel height, boot height, circumference, material, brand…the choices can make a head spin. Now, mind you, we see the need for at least a handful of options in every girl’s closet (a black, a brown, a heel, a flat, warm, waterproof, a casual cowboy, a sleek city boot…). A belle needs choices!

However, if you must choose just one, we think we might have found it! That’s right…we have had a boot “ah-ha” moment! Enter Aquatali-ahhhhh!

aquatalia diane

Aquatalia by Marvin K. – Diane (from Zappos)

http://www.zappos.com/aquatalia-by-marvin-k-diane-black-calf-suede-combo

Aquatalia upswing

Aquatalia by Marvin K. – Upswing (from Zappos)

http://www.zappos.com/aquatalia-by-marvin-k-upswing-black-calf

While preparing for our recent jaunt to Paris, leaving husbands behind and with the baby belles in tow, we had some very specific boot requirements. First, Paris in March can be quite cold and rainy…but a true belle would never clunk around such a chic city in not-so-chic galoshes or snow boots! We needed something that would be warm and at least semi-waterproof, yet stylish enough to impress the fashionistas. And, speaking of style, the fit on the calf is, to us, quite important. Who wants to have boots that stand away from the leg…making a belle resemble a conquistador? Not us! Then there is the comfort issue. Mind you, we tend to sacrifice comfort for beauty on a regular basis, but these were special circumstances! We wanted to expose the baby belles to as much of our favorite city as possible, and this would mean a lot of walking…day after day, morning til night…we mean Fitbit steps on steroids!

Our Aquatalia boots were très magnifique! Warm without being fleece-lined foot saunas, weather-ready (feet were dry even after a half-hour walk to the Eiffel Tower in a torrential downpour), perfectly slim fitting…even on slim calves, and amazingly comfortable from the first step to the last, day after day, how could a belle ask for more than these little beauties offered?

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the boots in action on the streets of Paris

Bonus…several styles are on sale now at http://www.zappos.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.shopstyle.com, and more! Order now, at the end of boot season, and belles will be ringing when you pull them out next fall!

You’re welcome…again 😉
a&a