Silky Does It

I'm wearing another great find from Mint By Sandpiper today. I bought this beautiful silk Rebecca Taylor floral dress, which retails for $350, for just $45! What a steal!

Sure, the dress is a few years old... but that's fine by me! Kelly Ripa even wore the dress on her show (back when she had long hair).

Dress: Rebecca Taylor Hawaii Print Floral Silk Dress (no longer available)

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik BB 105 Metallic-Striped Leather Pumps

It's in the 50s here in Atlanta today, but apparently the temperature is supposed to drop tonight. We may even get some snow! I guess we shall see...

November Floral Trend

I thought I would continue this week's floral trend by wearing this sweet dress from the Erin Fetherston brand. I'm in love with all the beautiful hues of blue, pink and green, and since the flowers are so small, I find the print overall so flattering. (A larger print design can sometimes be less flattering on a curvy figure.) The weather has been so mild in Atlanta the past few days -- I'm enjoying it while I can.

What made this dress a little more difficult to wear is the back, which has criss-crossing straps that will show a typical bra. I'm using a bra strap holder for the first time to help hide them, and it is doing its job -- for the most part. You can still see my bra at certain angles. Oh well!

Outfit Details

Dress: Erin by Erin Fetherston Floral Fit and Flare Devon Dress

The dress is for sale on Amazon, but also available to rent on Rent the Runway.

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik BB 105 Metallic-Striped Leather Pumps (no longer available)

Designer Doesn't Always Mean Quality

I have to admit: I was very disappointed when I put on this Diane von Furstenberg dress. It's a beautiful dress, and I love the blue and green colorblocking elements, but the dress just isn't well made. I honestly felt a little swindled. The dress doesn't fit well, and isn't lined. The material is thin and cheap. I expect more from designers like Diane von Furstenberg!

Dress: Diane von Furstenberg Sleeveless Tailored Colorblock Sheath Dress

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik BB 105 Metallic-Striped Leather Pumps (no longer available)

This week is going to be a busy one for me, so I'm glad I had a restful weekend that included taking my parents out for a special Italian dinner (I definitely recommend Colletta if you're in the Alpharetta/Johns Creek area) and finally watching the movie where Chapin and I make a brief appearance (Keeping Up with the Joneses). It was weird and surreal to see myself on screen, even if it was only for a few seconds. The movie is streaming now on HBO, and the scene where we appear takes place about 15 minutes in.

I also baked some cookies so I could give my father a sweet treat for his birthday. (I blame him entirely for my sweet tooth.) I tried a new recipe for the first time, and just modified it a little, adding semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter and substituting gluten-free flour for regular flour.

I also shared the cookies with some friends, neighbors and my staff. So far, I am hearing good things, so I'll probably make them again. If you like peanut butter, you will definitely like these Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cookies.

Weekend Celebrating 39

Since my birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, I decided to celebrate with my family the following weekend. Saturday, Chapin and I had dinner out at one of our favorite restaurants, Better Half. The restaurant isn't too far from where we live, and the food is genuinely unique and delicious, with dishes that combine ingredients you'd never think go together. For example, I had a scallops appetizer with a mango sherbet! The restaurant is also one of the more accommodating restaurants when it comes to gluten sensitivities or Celiac disease. The chefs do everything they can to make any dish gluten-free just for me.

Here is what we tried Saturday night:

For me:

• Appetizer: scallop crudo, marinated cucumber, blood orange, whipped coconut
• Entree: sauteed striped bass, oyster mushroom, split pea falafel mushroom veloute, wild mint

For Chapin:

• Appetizer: grilled lamb mortadella, asher blue, pepper lavosh, pistachio puree, castelvetrano olive
• Entree: silk handkerchief pasta, wild mushrooms, tomato marmalade, porcini cream

Sunday, my mom and I celebrated Mother's Day and my birthday together with homemade Italian food and gluten-free cupcakes. My parents are watching my sister's dog, Jake, so we brought Norman and Wally over to play with him. I think the three of them had a lot of fun together!

Here are a few photos from our Sunday afternoon in Alpharetta:

Dad with Jake (and Norman)

From left to right: Jake, Mom, Norman, me and Wally

I picked out today's dress on a recent shopping excursion at Belk with my parents. (The dress is a birthday gift, one of four dresses I received from my family this year.) You can't buy it at Belk.com anymore, but you can try looking for the dress (on the clearance rack) in select Belk stores. The Phipps store has a great selection of sale items throughout the year.

Outfit Details

Dress: BCBGMaxAzria Chelsey Triangle Print Dress

The dress is made of a thin polyester-spandex hybrid, so it's great for warmer months. (It's going to be in the high 80s today in Atlanta.) I would say the dress looks more expensive in photos, but the print is beautiful in person, with a variety of colors exploding in each triangle shape.

You can still buy the dress at just a few online retailers, including Amazon, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor.

If you like the print, it also comes in a wrap dress version that you can buy at Amazon.

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik BB 105 Metallic-Striped Leather Pumps

Friday Fun Dress

It's finally Friday! I'm in a more casual dress for this casual day of the week.

Dress: Shoshanna Trish Woven Stripe Dress

I found this dress at a wonderful little shop near my nail salon in Inman Park: Mint by Sandpiper. They sell a mix of consignment items and new dresses like this one above... and usually the items are heavily reduced. If you're in the area, definitely check it out.

Here's the dress at Saks Fifth Avenue in the same woven stripe pattern - it almost looks like fringed bows to me - but in a short sleeve silhouette. It's also available at Amazon and Lord and Taylor.

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik BB 105 Metallic-Striped Leather Pumps

Speaking of fringe, I've been binge watching the TV show, Fringe, for the last month or so, and am completely hooked. I just started the last season, and it takes place in the year 2036. I needed something in the sci-fi vein after falling for Stranger Things, so I've been really enjoying the series. I have to watch something engaging while I run on the treadmill, so if you have any suggestions, let me know. I don't have too many Fringe episodes left.

Have a great weekend!