Hope you all are in festive spirits! What are your plans for tomorrow's fiesta? I will be sipping one of these fancy margaritas from my Camille Styles round-up, and my guacamole intake will be much higher than average. I'm very much looking forward to an excuse to eat and drink some of my favorite things with the girls. How are you celebrating?!
WHAT I WORE :: Gardenia Dress from BHLDN
WHAT JESSI WORE :: Shined Lace Shift from BHLDN
photo for camille styles bhldn shoot
Welcome to a new look. A fresh approach. A pure aesthetic. I have been dying to share my new redesign and (much easier to remember) URL with all of you. It's been in the works for months, and I am thrilled with the final product. I sought to create a site that metaphorically serves as your breath of fresh air in the morning -- clean lines, fluid formatting, and easy-to-follow facets.
I encourage you to explore, but here are a few little details I don't want you to miss...
So. . .what do you think?! I'd love your thoughts!
featured image by cannelle et vanille
**image via redbox magazine
Here I am, back in Austin after a 25-hour journey, across the world, from my new favorite place of Cambodia. I will be honest with you. While my father’s involvement in Harpswell, a college women’s dormitory and leadership center of the top 100 female students across Phnom Penh’s universities, had always impressed me, I was not expecting much more awe than from the brilliant girls whom I met.
But I was wrong (clearly). I left Cambodia feeling rejuvenated from its beauty and serenity, overwhelmed by a five-day whirlwind of jam-packed sightseeing, and motivated to do more.
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| Sali, head of Red Dirt Road |
I spent one day in a village whose people’s smiles transcended any need for verbal communication. I witnessed the village’s newest initiative, entitled Red Dirt Road, an internal sewing business that prevents these sweet women from joining thousands of garment sweatshop workers (receiving only $80 per month). I listened to an inspiring panel of speakers—a Buddhist monk, Scottish-turned-Hong Kongan life coach, the President of UN Women in Cambodia, the Harpswell founder/leading MIT professor, and my father—who encouraged college women to be the change and leadership Cambodia needs as the country stiffly heals from its genocide only 35 years ago. I sang words of hope to the Harpswell women (with a jam session of Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift afterward, of course). I ate fantastic dishes prepared by chefs and waiters who were once street youth and now lead the culinary scene in Phnom Penh. I laughed and danced at a concert with author and female business leader Utara, whose involvement in Cambodia’s economic growth is distinctly admirable.
I don’t mean to distract from the primary purpose of my blog—you all know that I can’t wait to share my cooking class stories and restaurant favorites—but I hope this reflection arouses a desire to visit, or at the least, learn about a new culture beyond the food. Make it a New Years resolution. Form a connection and realize the similarities between those across the world and us. The impact is profound!
And please, please add Cambodia to your bucket list. I promise you won’t be sorry. Plus, you will be going with plenty of restaurant recommendations to get your itinerary started! You’re welcome.
What better way to ring in the new year than with 18 of your high school girlfriends? From first grade through twelfth, I attended an all-girls school with approximately 50 of the same gals the whole way through. You would've thought we'd get sick of each other, but our little gathering last week proved the opposite! We sipped wine and munched, reminisced the good 'ole St. Mary's days, and shared stories of our post-college plans. I couldn't have been happier to host these ladies!
Below are a few highlights of my set-up for the evening. I have provided lists of must-have decor and food in order to turn your dining room or den into party central. Of course, I could not have pulled off all the little details without my event planning extraordinaire mother of Shindigs by Sheril!
Cheers to 2014 and hosting your own wine party in the near future...
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| kate stafford photography |
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| kate stafford photography |
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| kate stafford photography |
