SAG Awards Red Carpet

I am a little slow on my fashion post this week! I watched the SAG Awards at home, rather than at my in-laws, and sadly, I had to watch it streaming online. That was totally not up to par with my standard viewing experiences and I completely missed out on the E! Red Carpet... so sad, but there was an ice storm and believe it or not, I value my life more than a red carpet. :)
First off, let me proudly award Most Improved to Jessica Chastain!
Let's revisit her Globes disaster:

And, the vast improvement for the SAGs:

Definitely one of the best dressed of the night in Alexander McQueen

And other beauties who got it right and are my "Best Dressed" are....

Amanda Seyfried (One of my aging buddies!) - What a stunner - from that hair to that navy dress and the unexpected long necklace... swoon. Gorg.

Helen Hunt. She looks like she is wearing liquid platinum. Perfection from head to toe. (And omg - she's 49 years old, how amazing is that?)

From one precious metal to another - We have Jennifer Garner looking radiant in gold!

Mayim Bailik. I think this is my favorite look on her ever! The color is absolute perfection with her skin and hair, plus the fit is amazing. This is modesty done right folks.

Marian Cotillard. This is just perfection.

Nina Dobrev. I think she is stunning and love that she went bold with the hot pink. It's subltly sexy with the little peek-a-boo panel on the side without being in-your-face.

Tina Fey - hot mama! Love the old Hollywood hair and simple glamor.

And here's a couple who I couldn't quite say were the worst of the night, but something is just off...

Ariel Winter. Something just looks weird here, someone tell me what it is...

JLaw - and this is how we still look stunning while sick with pneumonia.

Kaley Cuoco. Love the dress... something weird is happening with her hair. It's a little "helmet head" for me.

Julia Stiles... you are only 32 - why do you look so old? Love the dress, but the styling of this really, really aged her beautiful face.

And now.... drum roll please.... The Worst looks of the SAGs:

I adore Anne H athaway. I hate this dress. She can do so much better!

Claire D anes... ok now I believe you have a 6 week old. This dress looks half-hearted, plus that dark makeup makes her look exhausted (and hey - that's ok! who wouldn't be with a newborn?)

Edie Falco. This reminds me of the giant spiderweb that Frodo gets caught in in LOTR.

January Jones. blech. I think if she had left the bouffant hair and Victorian neckline and orange lipstick at home this would've worked better.

Julie Bowen. A leather dress? No.

Rose Byrne - reminds me of a sea slug (see below)

Sea slug - apparently the inspiration for Rose's dress.

Sofia Vegara. Usually I love this va-va-voom beauty, but I just think it looks like that sea-sail dress Ariel whips together on the beach before she meets Eric. (See below)

Morena Baccarin - gorgeous woman. What the heck is happening with this dress. It's like pond scum is flowing out of her hips - it is just so strange!

And the #1 worst offender : Julianne Moore. You don't let your girls sag at the SAGs! It's just so easy. And applique flowers? honestly...

Who do you think is best/worst of the night? Agree with my picks?

Can't wait for the Oscars! :)

Gallery Wall Reveal

I am finally finished with a nearly month-long project: The Gallery Wall.

I had decided at Christmas this year that I would use my Christmas money to put together a new gallery wall. I don't really have a before photo, this one is the closest I can find. I had moved all of these photos from over the couch on to the hallway wall.

 It's kind of a sad little grouping isn't it?

Well, here is the new and improved gallery wall - for less than $100!

I got several of the frames in a multi-pack from HomeGoods - which cost around $40, I purchased the shadowbox on clearance from Target for $12, added 2 frames from Hobby Lobby for $14, plus materials for the 2 canvas projects and the hanging vase which added to about $10, the "dog rules" art at $7, plus the printing of some photos for roughly $8 puts the entire thing at about $90!

I will go through and show you what is in all of the frames! I had so much fun choosing what photos to keep and what new ones to add!

The frame on the left is a photo of a doorway in Crete that Brandon too, the ribbon board holds a photo from Ephesus which Brandon also took.

The map on the left is a map of Middle Earth (we are nerds, what can I say?) The silver frame is Brandon and his siblings on our wedding day (one of the few photos that made the cut and got to stay on the wall), and the white frame underneath that is a recent family photo of my cousins

The "Dog Rules" - except I could do without the "Respect the cat" line ;)

The top photos were from our trip to Hawaii - it is hard to see, but the 2nd photo in that frame is of a bench that says "Enjoy the moment"

I painted the words to our first dance song onto a canvas (Norah Jones' version of Love me Tender). Brandon read it and said "Oh, is that a song or poem or something?" #facepalm

The bottom right is my favorite photo of Brandon, it is my desktop at work too. It's a photo of him with a Dominican child. This picture was actually Brandon's facebook photo when we started dating, maybe that's why I have such fond feelings towards it :) This was another one that made the cut from the last group :)

The "Derry" sign was a wedding gift - we were actually lucky enough to get two! We have one, and gave the other one to my in-laws and it hangs on their gallery wall too! The two photos in the rectangle frames are from our honeymoon in Sedona. The center one is one of our engagement photos. I had both of these rectangle frames up before, but a different photo on the left, plus the "Derry" sign made it on the wall again... I actually don't think I took it down.

The shadowbox! I wrapped the backing in burlap, added some twine, and then attached two little map-charms my little sister in law made me for Christmas. They are supposed to be for jewelry, but I liked them too much to not put them on display. The maps are of Crete and Sedona.

The black and white photo is a photo of my mom and dad at my dad's senior prom in 1982. I framed the thermostat so it blended in. I had to actually break the glass out of that frame because it was GLUED in! It was the first time I had ever seen that!

Above the thermostat is a family photo (minus a brother) in London. We we only there one night and had to get in a whirlwind tour!

I had the mirror for quite some time and had never gotten around to hanging it up. The frame under the mirror is another shot from Ephesus by Brandon. On the right is us on our wedding day (another one that got to stay on the wall). I painted that bronze and white chevron pattern and am still not quite finished with that canvas, but it will have to do for now. :) On the bottom is my most challenging project. It probably deserves its own blog post.

This photo was taken in Rome by my little sister in law. She edited it too. I am in love with it.

Here is another photo by Anna taken in Italy - this one and the one above make it my favorite corner of the gallery!

This dang hanging jar was much trouble to make I almost scrapped it. I used 3 different types of glue, pliers, wire snips, 2 different jars, and a screw to get this thing together. It still isn't quite how I had pictured it in my head!

 So, what do you think? I love my new wall. I actually just stand there and look at it sometimes, just to admire it. I love looking at all of the photos from all of the amazing places we have been blessed enough to visit. I am in awe of it all.
Except that little vase. :)

Age Yardstick

I follow a blog of a lovely Englishwoman who turned 40 this year (http://notdressedaslamb.blogspot.com/). One of the ways she celebrated was to choose some of her favorite celebrity women who were born the same year as her as fashion inspirations. Well, I turned 26 last year, which may seem quite young to many, is making me feel old. I decided that I liked her idea so much that I would do the same and track my aging yardsticks through time and do features on them every so often on the ol' blog.
But how to choose?!
I basically did a google search to see who else was born the same year as me and some surprised me...

Lady Gaga
Florence Welch- she seems older no?
Armie Hammer - love him.
All of the Glee girls - not so suprised
The Olsen Twins
Megan Fox
Amanda Bynes and Lindsay Lohan - so sad
Emmy Rossum
Lena Dunham
Leighton Meester 
Emma Snow
Gemma Arterton
Shia LaBeouf 
Camilla Belle
Heidi Montag - ugh really?
Robert Pattinson
James and Oliver Phelps (The Weasley Twins!!!)
JWOWW - oh gosh no.

I chose my "yardsticks" really just based on personal preference, style interest, and who I think will be around for awhile (aka. not LiLo). So my five "aging yardsticks" are:

1. Florence Welch - she is amazing. Her style is retro and funky, plus her talent is phenomenal and I love her music. She's not going anywhere.

2. Leighton Meester - I really love her style, plus she's a pale brunette, and that works for me!

3. Gemma Arterton - I am a little obsessed with all things British, and she's completely gorgeous, so why not? Better than Megan Fox, who just barely didn't make the cut. Perhaps I just have a thing for gorgeous brunettes. haha

4. The Glee Girls - Diana, Lea, and Amber. Yes, they count as 1!

5. Amanda Seyfried. I might be cheating a little bit on this one because she is older than me by 364 days, which means she wasn't born in the same year, but I don't care because I love her so much.

Just a disclaimer here - this is not meant to be an exercise in comparing myself to these women as far as body shape, size, etc. I am not going to beat myself up over those things, I just like to compare my own taste, clothing, style, and the like to people I know are my own age. I am very, very aware that these women have teams of people preparing them to step out the front door, so rest assured that I am under no disillusions about that!

How about you? Do you have people you know are the same age that you measure yourself up to?

Golden Globes Worst Dressed - Restyled

I enjoy watching the red carpets, Fashion Police, Project Runway, and all sorts of fashion-related shows. I often watch this with my mama-in-law who introduced me to Joan Rivers and her Joan Rangers. haha One of the things we often say, is how we'd love to be able to style celebrities and I mean, how hard could it be to be a stylist? Putting beautiful people in beautiful clothes? Puhleeese - sign me up!

(Granted, I probably wouldn't get a lot of long-term fulfillment out of that career, but it's fun to dream!)

So, in an effort to "put my money where my mouth is" I decided to re-style three of my "worst dressed" picks from the Golden Globes. ***Disclaimer - there is some shoddy cutting and pasting involved in my re-stylings, not a computer wizard here guys!****

 I chose Sienna Miller because I hated her outfit the most, Jessica Chastain because she committed the worst crime against her girls, and Rachel Weisz because she was so close to getting it right.

Let's take a look at the lovely Rachel Weisz first:

Rachel Weisz - What I should've worn - golden globes by ashb86 on Polyvore

What Rachel Wore: A LBD with sheer polka dotted skirt, complete with a little bow at the waist. My problem with this dress - 2 problems actually - is the sheer skirt just looks like an after thought AND it seems very childish with the cut, polka dots, and bow. I think this dress is more suited for an Elle Fanning or Hailey Steinfeld.

What I would've had her wear: I would've put her in the beautiful black and white Marchesa gown on the far left. I think it captures the feeling of whimsy that she was going for, but with a lot more sophistication and glamor. The other option I threw in is a vintage 1950's polka dotted dress in case she was just really feeling polka dots. 

Agree, disagree?? 

Next up, the lovely Sienna Miller:

Sienna Miller - What I should've worn, Golden Globes by ashb86 on Polyvore

What she wore: This very silly, mod-esque, two-piece outfit that looks a little like a craft project (CUSTOM designed by Erdem) She really loved it, but I do not. 

What I would've had her wear: This gorgeous dusty rose Chanel Couture 2012 gown.  I also would've had her style her hair a bit more glam. I think this dress still has a sense of fun to it, plus shows off her toned middle, similarly to the 2-piece mess she wore. I wouldn't have her go with the big arm hardware like in the photo, but something a little more delicate. 

What do you think? 

And finally, the beautiful Jessica Chastain. 

Jessica Chastain - What I should've worn to the Golden Globes by ashb86 on Polyvore

What she wore: That mess of a dress that gave her granny boobies by Calvin Klein. I just can't forgive crimes against the girls. Women, you are supposed to WORK your assets, not hide them in folds of fabric that makes it look like they sit at your waist. They will get there eventually, don't rush it! 

What I would've had her wear: Either one of these minty Ellie Saab 2012 Spring Couture gowns. The color is almost the same, which is very flattering to her skin tone and hair. I'd really like to see her in the higher neckline, but since it seemed she was committed to a low cut, I put her head on that one. 

What do you think? Better, worse? 

Should I not quit my day job? 

Either way, this was a lot of fun!