crave…or save: colorblock dress
CRAVE: Jason Wu Colorblock Halter Sheath Dress – $1,675
SAVE: Banana Republic Colorblock Ponte Dress – $120
spotlight on: rudy francisco + some happy things
This last week, I had the opportunity to attend an amazing event – the Lawyers Club of San Diego Annual Dinner – to support the advancement of women in the legal community (and across all industries too). I left feeling overwhelmingly inspired and grateful. Inspired to make a difference like so many of the women honored at the event. Grateful for the opportunities I’ve been blessed with – and the hard work of so many women to achieve gender equality for all.
One of the highlights of the event to me was a “Spoken Word” artist, Rudy Francisco. He presented two poems, in a way that reminded me of slam poetry back in high school, but obiously on a much higher level, and one of them left the audience speechless.
In honor of Mother’s Day month, here is “For those who remind me of my mother.”
other happy things
A 30% off sale at Banana Republic - one of my favorite stores for work clothes – not to be missed! ENDS TODAY!
Walks down a country trail…roses galore.
My dogs’ first day at my condo downtown…yes, Riley is sleeping on a “Hello Gorgeous” pillow.
l.a. weekend
Every once in a while, it is so nice to get out of town – even if for 24 hours. It’s amazing how a quick drive up north can completely refresh someone! All it took was some yummy food, window shopping, a good driving partner, and a carefully planned itinerary, and I felt relaxed. It almost made me forget that I’ve spent the past several weekends cleaning, scrubbing, organizing, and putting some serious sweat equity into my condo. It was time for a break!
twenty-four hours in l.a.
4:30pm Finally making our way up north! We brought these Table Topics – which I happen to love – and it made for the fastest 3 hour drive ever. I know a lot of people might find them dorky, but to nerds like me, it is a BLAST talking about your favorite era in history, your dreams and goals, and who you most admire. Highly recommend these.
7:30pm Arrive in L.A.! We stayed at SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills – which is VERY trendy (almost a bit too trendy for me!) but beautiful, modern, and in an amazing location. I felt very “cool”. “Cool” enough to wear my new Fashion Star dress out to dinner!
8:30pm An even “cooler” dinner at CUT Beverly Hills. Wow, is this place expensive! Be prepared for a slightly outrageously expensive menu…but if you’re in the mood to splurge, it is delicious. The restaurant itself was beautiful, and it was definitely a treat.
And it’s the Fashion Star dress in action!
10:00pm Time for bed. This girl can’t stay up past ten – even on vacation! No rowdy nights for me!
10:00am After checking out of the hotel early the next morning, we headed to the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It was the quintessential L.A. brunch! We loved the pink walls with the green and white striped awnings.
11:30am And the home shopping begins. Pom Pom Interiors, here we come! For those of you that like the rustic, French country style homes, this is your dream. Every inch of the store is immaculate, so romantic, and a treasure chest of amazing antiques – it was hard to leave with only two items (a night stand and a big vase – pictures to come!).
12:00pm Time for a break for my boy. The poor guy can only stand so much shopping at one time! Our next stop was Griffith Observatory. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to spend overlooking Los Angeles at one of the prettiest city views I’ve seen. The perfect addition to our time at Griffith? A big bowl of frozen yogurt. Delish.
1:00pm Time to add a little culture to the mix! One of the neatest places I’ve been in L.A. is Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. It’s such a great concept from a commercial real estate perspective – a group of industrial buildings turned high-end art galleries. It has an amazing vibe.
I loved this “Cartoon” art. It’s so fun!
It is only in such a creative place as Bergamot that you find flower arrangements in the traffic cones. This made me happy!
2:00pm The last stop of this fun weekend was visiting my favorite store in the world, Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture, in Santa Monica. It’s ultra feminine, ultra country, and ultra romantic. The best way to end a long weekend in L.A.!
4:30pm Back home to beautiful San Diego. Just in time for Mother’s Day!
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mom
My mom.
If I could be even half the woman she is today, I’d be the luckiest girl in the world.
Happy Mother’s Day!
XO Star
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working girl problem: comfy flats
So, I know this isn’t a real working girl problem. But for women that walk as much as I do for my job (touring clients through office space) – and for those of us that live/work in cities (though San Diego is more of a big town) – comfortable shoes are a must.
Now I love heels as much as the next girl…though I’m much less talented at walking in them than the average girl. Unfortunately, they’re just not realistic for walking the streets of downtown San Diego. So I’ve learned to adapt.
It’s taken many, many tries at finding the most comfortable flats on the market, and here are my top picks. I hope you find them helpful!
1. Patricia Green
I bought these shoes because I was drawn to the bright pink color…but realized that these are truly the most comfortable flats I have ever put on my foot. I feel like I am floating in slippers when wearing them. The squishy sole and soft material makes it heaven for tired feet. The best part? She sells them in every color. I also have these in red. When you find a good one, stock up!
2. Elie Tahari
These Elie Tahari shoes are again a shoe worth buying twice. I have these flats in black and orange! They are incredibly comfortable, flexible, and don’t constrict the foot like most patent leather flats do.
3. Coach
I originally bought these Coach flats for their color – they seemed like the perfect flats for spring and summer! Not to mention that the inside print is amazing…I love the contrast of the leopard and blue. Coach has mastered the flat with this shoe. I’ve tried several of their flats but always ended up with blistered feet and painful walking tours. These were different – and for that reason are in my top comfy flat picks!
4.Via Spiga
These Via Spiga aren’t as fun as the first three…but they make up for it in comfort! I wanted some navy, slightly more professional flats…and the femininity of these shoes put me over the edge! These too are like walking on air…and after walking miles and miles, I have yet to have a blister.
5. Marc by Marc Jacobs
These are the prettiest red shoes I’ve ever seen – and I feel like Dorothy every time I wear them! The black bow adds the perfect amount of class, and the shape of the shoe fits my foot perfectly. No heels sliding out. No pinched toes. This is a great investment to liven up the office!
songs of the summer, part 1
For those of you that know me, I have a very eclectic taste in music…mostly country, but I like my fair share of pop, Enya, and even some 50 Cent!
Here are a few of my favorite songs for the summer…more to come!!
1. Pirate Flag, Kenny Chesney
The best song of the summer, by far. The perfect song to blast by the pool with some chips and guacamole on hand!
2. Get Your Shine On, Florida-Georgia Line
This is one of the happiest, most uplifting songs of the summer. I can’t wait to drive around with my windows down and this song blasting out the windows.
3. American Beautiful, The Henningsens
Love this song and love this group. This is the first song I’ve heard of theirs – and it makes me feel like I’m Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama everytime I hear it.
4. Springsteen, Eric Church
This song is a little bit old – but is such a perfect summer country song. I can’t get enough. There’s something about the beat, Eric Church’s amazing voice, and the lyrics about looking back on past memories that makes me happy!
5. 22, Taylor Swift
I am going to take advantage of this song for the next few months before I turn 23! What a fun, lively, happy song.
the honorary non-country song of the summer?
6. Come and Get It, Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez! I love her – she’s beautiful, talented, smart and has the cutest clothes! Her new song is a hit. A fun, flirty tune for the summer.
a day in d.c.
Despite years and years of international travel, as of 6 months ago I still had not visited our nation’s capital. This last December – just days before Christmas – I finally had that chance.
The moment that we landed in D.C. for the first time, and began the winding drive from Dulles Airport to the heart of D.C., I realized what I had been missing all of those years.
We are so lucky to have what I believe is one of the world’s most beautiful capitals. The luscious green parks. The gorgeous, historic buildings. The clean streets and sidewalks. Monuments galore. There is so much character, class, and beauty in this city, and needless to say, it more than exceeded my expectations.
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the best of etsy
The past few weeks have been extremely busy work-wise (including some very exciting creative office space projects – for a quick snapshot, click here!), so no cooking or crafts posts just yet!
In my little bit of free time, I’ve been finishing up the last bit of online shopping for my house…some of my favorite purchases include:
This girly bathmat from Anthropologie. Stay tuned for pictures of my pink, ultra-feminine bathroom. It’s just about finished!
This bright brownie dish, also from Anthropologie.
These fake coral peonies. I LOVE flowers – and after seeing these in person, these don’t even look fake!
I’ve also had some success with those not-so-exciting purchases, like storage baskets, shower curtains, etc. It will all come together in time!
I’ve also enjoyed scouring Etsy (after rediscovering that I had made an account years ago). Here are my favorite Etsy finds of the week:
This pink and gray iPad case.
This mirrored vintage tray. I can’t wait to get this for my bathroom!
These pretty, bright stud earrings, perfect for my Kate Spade/JCrew-inspired work looks!
This turquoise vintage print. I love the colors.
Love. Such a cool design!
video: how to graduate college in two years
As some of you who have read my blog consistently might know, I graduated college in two years at age 19. My younger brother did too. It doesn’t make us any smarter than the next person – but it does require a lot of planning ahead, which we discuss in this video. For any parents that didn’t know this was an option for their kids, or any kids interested in fast tracking their success and their lives, I hope you enjoy the video below! I thought it was timely given that graduations are just around the corner!
Taking the Fast Track with Star and Tucker Hughes from Hughes Marino on Vimeo.
good clean living
Something that is pretty unique about me is that I don’t drink. At all. In fact, I’ve never had a sip of alcohol in my life. Growing up, I was asked often why I don’t drink – and I think it’s important for other young people to feel confident enough to make the same decision. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made – and one of the qualities that I am most proud of.
1. it’s not healthy
I’m a chocolate girl. Not that chocolate is all that healthy (I LOVE the recent studies that show dark chocolate is in fact healthy though!), but it doesn’t cause car accidents, impact the chemical make-up of your brain, or impair your judgment. It’s all about substitution – and if there are other drinks that you enjoy, that are healthy, then it’s a simple substitution. Going to happy hour with clients? Try a hot chocolate. It’s my go-to. Going dancing with friends? Order an Arnold Palmer. It’s better for your body, and you won’t wake up the next day hurting (or doing something that you might regret).
2. stay in control
I’ve always been a bit of a control freak, and I like knowing that my future is 100% in my own hands. To act without fully understanding the consequences, due to an impairment of judgment, is one of the scariest things in the world to me. Your reputation is everything – and to act irresponsibly, unknowingly, could damage your reputation for life.
3. focus on the good stuff
What is “the good stuff?” I think it’s different to every person – but to me, it’s my family, my boyfriend, my dogs, and my job. These are what make me truly happy – and I want to spend all of my free time either with those that I love or at a job that I love. There’s no room in my life for alcohol, and there would be no benefit in my life by the presence of alcohol. If anything, each of these aspects of my life – the MOST important things to me – would be harmed by drinking. Life is short – and flies by so quickly. I can’t imagine wasting my time on something that doesn’t enhance who I really am.
4. confidence comes from within
Growing up, when my peers would ask why I chose not to drink, I would ask them what their reasoning was FOR drinking. The general consensus was that alcohol is a social lubricant. It gives people a false sense of confidence that makes them act differently than they would normally (when they are thinking clearly). I used to care what others thought of me (and I still do when it comes to my reputation) – but I’ve slowly become more and more comfortable sharing my very nerdy, very quirky side with others. It’s who I am – and I’ve embraced it. Confidence in oneself is everything – and once you are confident in your quirks and embrace yourself, you will have no need for a social lubricant.
It’s not to say that I’m right in my views – and that those who enjoy alcohol are wrong. That is not my intention at all. It’s a decision that I am very proud of – and I can only hope that other young people who feel the same know they are not alone. Hooray for good clean living!
XO Star
