Let me tell you about a problem I have on the regular: I’ll have an upcoming wedding, party, meeting, or…I don’t know…Tuesday and somehow I have dreamed up an outfit in my head that doesn’t exist in my closet.  I then unsuccessfully scour every inch of Atlanta (and the internet) looking for it.  Do you ever have that problem?

Oh yeah? You know who else did?   Designer Chris Adkins.

Working as a professional poker player in Vegas (and all over the world), Chris tells me that the tourneys were as much about the clothes as they were about the cards and nothing he found seemed fit his unique personal style: extremely edgy yet EXTREMELY luxe.   (Think: Prada opening a tattoo parlor.)  But the difference between Chris and yours truly is that homeboy decided to take matters into his own hands and design his own clothes.  His own accessories.  His own shoes!  (Needless to say, I love this man.)  

Luckily for us, Chris decided to ditch the chips for a while and start his own line of jewelry right here in Atlanta, Thirteen Crowns.  

It is AMAZING.  Made with high-end materials and gemstones, every piece is hand made by darling Chris.  Check out some of his pieces:

(For more styles, please visit his website HERE)

You can also visit Polished and Primped (If you haven’t been to P+P – you must.  It’s on the bottom floor of the Plaza Midtown building and it’s SO cute) where Chris has a 13 Crowns shop-in-shop.  

Newsflash: Chris will also do custom orders for you.  He tells me “If you can dream it, I can make it.”  This got the wheels turning in my head a little bit…could he be the answer to my aforementioned problem?

Also a marvelous idea: BRIDESMAIDS or HOSTESS gifts.  How cool would it be to have custom jewelry created for the lovely ladies (or gentlemen!) in your life?  Chris will work with you to ensure your vision is realized in the most beautiful way possible.  

I really and truly love his pieces – I was interested in meeting him before I knew how amazing he is personally, I think his work speaks for itself.  But I must tell you, I absolutely ADORED Chris.

For me, the best part of all of this is that when you talk to Chris, you can tell that this is his art and it MEANS something to him.  I don’t want to get too touchy-feely on you guys, but I get the sense that each piece of jewelry comes with some pretty awesome energy as well.  

So, get crowned with Thirteen Crowns A-SNAP, ladies.  (It’s only fitting – you’re princesses, after all, right?)

xx, L

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Ok, so I’m not Oprah. (ssssigh.) but I did make it home to Birmingham over the weekend where I did some SHOPPING at Gus Mayer….so have a few recent Favorite Things to share with you!

Without further ado, here are the loves of my life right now:

Brightly Twisted Scarves

Check out these gorgeous one of a kind hand tie-dyed summer scarves:

I am obsessed. Gus has an amazing supply, but you can get also these darlings at Intermix or Tootsie’s here in Atlanta.

Oribe Hair Products

Ok I have blogged about the Anti-Humidity spray before (check it) and I still swear by it… I just picked up some “beautiful color” shampoo and conditioner and it’s amazing.

My color looks great, my hair feels super healthy and This. Stuff. Smells. Incredible.

Shoes!: I am the proud new owner of a couple of pairs of fantastic wedges for summer!

First, to continue the tie dye trend – I scooped a pair of these bad boys by Bacio 61:

Bacoli Tie Dye Wedge in Lily Purple

I happened to wear a pair of white pants and a black top Saturday when I spotted these and they complimented my outfit so much – I asked Katie to box up my Torys so I could wear them out! Who (past the age of 6) does that?

I also scored super cute pair of black and raffia Franco Sartos I plan to LIVE in this summer:

Trish Beauty Booster Cream with SPF15

I’ve officially replaced my regular SPF15 moisturizer with this marvelous “Anti-Fatigue” cream, which acts as a moisturizer and primer while brightening and firming… and protecting you from the sun’s harmful rays. Talk about a bang for your buck!

(Helpful hint for Alabamians: All of the above can be found at Gus Mayer at the Summit in Birmingham!)

Other recent MVPs:

The gorgeous and perfectly neutral Kendra Scott earrings I wore with my watercolor Halston Heritage dress to Camp Dance:

(Scored them at Nordy's)

My new Laura Mercier lipstick/gloss combo:

Hibiscus Bloom Gel Lip Color/ Bellini Lip Glace

and the Triple Oxygen facial at Bliss Spa.

I’ve blogged about it before, and I’ll blog about it again. Go to the midtown location inside the W Hotel.  Ask for Anila. Tell her I sent you.  You can thank me later.

And that, as they say, is that!

Enjoy!

xx, L

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Allow me to introduce you to one of my new favorite Texans, Kendra Scott.

She’s an Austin-based jewelry designer + retailer who I’ve recently become obsessed with.  Please see how gorgeous her designs are… 

She specializes in colorful cuff bracelets, cocktail rings, bib necklaces, chandelier earrings + bridal jewelry.

If Kendra sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen her stuff featured in InStyle, Lucky, Real Simple, Allure, People, Martha Stewart Weddings or US Weekly – just to name of few of the publications she’s been in thanks to her celebrity clientele.  (I believe that I’ve also seen her on Gilt Groupe before…)

She has her only retail store on South Congress in Austin, and (fun fact), it was recently voted one of the “Top Ten Places to Work in Central Texas.”  When I was visiting Austin last weekend, I stopped by her boutique with my girlfriends to check it out.

Here’s a peek inside:

It’s a really energizing space + makes you want to spend lots of $$$.  (Go w/ your girls…)

Anyway, one of the coolest things about her store is that there’s a color bar for you to design your very own customized jewelry.  You can also do this online on her website, but I thought it was so much fun to do it live when you could actually hold the various settings + stones up to you.  After much consideration, I selected a pair of teardrop earring settings + iolite quartz stones for my creation.  Within ten minutes, one of the colorists put them together for me + I was able to wear them right out of the store! 

Soooooooo…what do you think?!

my customized earrings

If you have a classic solid color dress to wear but you still want to make a statement, check out Kendra Scott Jewelry online.  Her stuff is so amazing - I want it ALL.  (Just another reason to love Texas, if you ask me…)

xx, L

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I love shopping online. 

I sit in front of a computer all day – in prime shopping hours – and, well, let’s just say I excel at multitasking.  It’s never a problem for me to participate in a conference call while sending work and personal e-mails, reading Perez Hilton and paying for a pair of shoes I found online that I just can’t live without.  That being said, I do not enjoy waisting time surfing the Internet looking for good deals.  Instead, I rely almost completely on the most glorious website - Gilt Groupe (www.gilt.com).

If you aren’t already a Gilt member, you absolutely must sign up immediately.  It’s free – you just have to provide your first/ last name and e-mail address.  Each day at noon, Gilt Groupe sends out an e-mail to its members with the day’s incredible sales on luxury and designer goods for up to 70% off of retail from names like Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Cole Haan (my favorite!), Theory…the list goes on and on and on.   The sale alert e-mails are very user friendly.  And, unlike other similar websites, you don’t feel overwhelmed or bombarded with sale items – like you are at a massive online garage sale. 

Gilt Groupe Sale Example

Gilt Groupe’s sales are broken up into Gilt (women + home + children), Gilt Fuse (less expensive and funkier items), Gilt Man (for men…) and Jetsetter (Gilt’s incredible travel site).  You can sign up to get e-mails specifically from any of Gilt’s subgroups, if desired, but they are all accessible from the general home page. 

I don’t buy from the site all the time, but I look at the sales every day and use the function on the website to put reminders on my Outlook calendar for specific designer’s sales I am interested in throughout the week.  You have to act fast when the sales start at 12:00 p.m. each day because they only have a limited number of items and they tend to sell out fast. 

Also, you can e-mail a sign-up link to your friends from the Gilt Groupe website and when a friend signs up for the sale alert e-mails and makes his or her first purchase – you get a $25 credit to use on the website towards a future purchase.  That seems like a pretty sweet incentive to me!

I’m just saying – it’s worth a look.  Maybe you’ll be guilty, too…  Enjoy! 

xx, L

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Meet Erin (Marcus) Estell.

I met Erin my freshman year of college when we pledged the same sorority. Hailing from Chicago, IL, her adorable mid-western accent earned her the nickname “Pahms” as she would tell us about her high school cheerleading team.

Anyway. Pahms Erin has always had sensational style and a creative fashion sense. I’d whip out a few rush pictures circa 2000 where she managed to make a t-shirt and khaki shorts chic as evidence…but I promised I wouldn’t.

Erin has been creating jewelry for herself and her friends for the last 20 years and has now decided to share her work by creating her own line!

Introducing…Estell Designs!

I asked Erin what prompted her to start the line, and she gave me the Q+DD: “When I became engaged, I had a blast putting together the perfect ensemble: Badgley Mischka gown, Erin Cole veil, Stuart Weitzman shoes… but it was impossible to find appropriate and amazing wedding jewelry. It seemed like everything available was either insanely expensive or tacky. I could not believe that brides on a budget were being forced into wearing rhinestones and vermeil. I eventually made myself a pair of earrings using 14k white gold and a gazillion white topaz briolettes. Amazing.

Fast forward 2 years…I found myself virtually laid off from a job that was hit incredibly hard by the recession. My husband and I were laying on the beach in Phuket, Thailand and he said, “Why don’t you just try selling your jewelry?” in response to my professional conundrum. I really don’t know what was more romantic – the scenery or his unwavering support. I quit my job, bought tons of supplies, hired a web designer and the rest is history!”

Her pieces are so delicate and feminine and timeless. Witness:

Erin uses solid 14 karat gold wire, chain, and findings in all of her jewelry, but will make custom pieces using sterling silver and gold vermeil if you’d prefer. All the beads are genuine precious and semiprecious gemstones which she hand picks for each lovely piece.

Please visit her website here to view her entire gorgeous handcrafted collection.

Perfect for bridal or new moms…or any special occasion!

I have to wonder, though, Erin…were the gorgeous grape cluster pieces inspired by your pahm pahms?

xx (+LML), L

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