business as usual

It's all business with me these days. By business, I'm referring to the fact that I am now an intern for the The Times, a local newspaper. Look, mama, I'm a bona fide journalist! College is paying off! It's an exciting time for me.

What's even more exciting are all of the prospects for office style. Blazers, button ups, heels, oh my! There's a chance that I will be overdressing, but what better reason could I have to? Another staple of office wear is a good, sturdy bag that'll hold your all of your soon-to-be-busy life.

Cue the Kate Spade surprise sale e-mail. I won't tell you how long I was stuck to my computer screen deciding what to buy (way too long) but I will say this: I bought two. Which I justified by referring back to my success of becoming intern. I deserved two Kate Spade purses. So now I have two drool-worthy purses and an internship. Look at me! There's no stopping this gal.

 

 

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It wasn't an easy decision but I went with The Southport Avenue Linda & Carmen. 

Both are sold out on the Kate Spade site, unfortunately, but you can still find them online. 

neon & on

  

As I am to understand, Memorial Day's passing means one thing: the unofficial start of summer. What better way to celebrate the hottest months of the year than with the brightest colors I own. I'm talkin' highlighter bright.

Between working and the fact that, without close family, I don't have any functions to attend, this was a low-key holiday weekend for me. Instead of being down about it (which is easy when you see everyone else's festivities on IG) I got as dolled up as was feasible and went out and had dinner with my boy. 

For me dolled up means sparkly jewels, gold heels, a luxe bowler purse (that was only $13 at Old Navy's weekend sale, BTW) and a fun circle skirt. Oh, and the hardest thing to miss, the I-can-see-you-from-space neon tee from J.Crew. It's a great neon top that just won't stop. And really, I don't think I want it to. 

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#instalove

I've been having a lot of fun on Instagram lately and thought I'd share my snaps. I'm looking for new IG's to follow, so feel free to share yours or some of your favorite accounts below. See more of my 'grams here: @lululinden. 

(above) new faves: 1. j.crew necklace, dior addict lipstick 2. kate spade studs, anthro mug 3. kate spade purse

in bloom: 1. a day on the square 2. lilies on my desk 3. knock out roses on the sidewalks

 look at my food: 1. lunch date at Folk Art in ATL 2. a simple breakfast 3. the best hawaiian pizza 

nailstagram: 1: kerfuffle - butter & set in stones - essie 2. bikini so teeny - essie 3. lavender - F21 & set in stones - essie

 life's a party: 1. cupcakes from sprinkles 2. balloons at work 3. ice cream sandwich from my farmer's market

some more faves: 1. easter selfie 2. my favorite perfume 3. gladiator heels

look down: 1. an impromptu park date 2. coffee break in between classes 3. pre-blog post snaps

distressed but well dressed

Not gonna toot my own horn, but toot-toot. I've successfully made my first pair of distressed denim cut-off and they are currently my second skin. They are a quintessential summer item and, most of all, easy to wear.

Which has been pretty good for me these days 'cause life hasn't been so easy. I'm talkin' emotional roller coaster, squirrel friends. Don't you wish that you could just put your feelings on reserve some days and go through life in a beautiful oblivion? Imagine how productive we'd be without being bogged down by down by those pesky little things called "emotions." Or is that just me?

But back to the topic at hand: these shorts. They once were baggy mom jeans and are now a relaxed pair of distressed cutoffs and I couldn't be happier. If you want to make a pair, this is my favorite how-to by a pair & a spare. Here's to happy distressing -- your jeans, not your life.

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late girl's guide | date night dinner

If there's one golden nugget of mom advice I've gotten regarding food that I stick to, it's this: if you love to eat, you'd better know how to cook. And trust me, I love to eat. That said, the older I've gotten the more excited I am about cooking (especially now that I have someone to cook for. If it were just for me I'd just survive off of whatever was in the pantry.)

The one thing that gets in the way of that these days is time, or the lack thereof. Eating at restaurants are more convenient but it'll leave you thinking, "did I spend that much on eating out this week alone? Good lord." To save money and use the little time I have wisely, I've been experimenting with faster recipes like this flavorful one for lemon pepper tilapia.

Once you've got all of your ingredients, you're set.

1. Season the tilapia according to your taste.
2. Butter the baking dish and put dabs of butter on the fish. 
3. Squeeze some lemon juice over the tilapia.
4. bake at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes if fresh or 15-20 if frozen. 
Lemon pepper tilapia is light, fresh and flavorful. It goes well with just a salad, mixed veggies or rice pilaf (from a box to save time, obviously). 

the denim equation

In my recent efforts to get comfortable in jeans after years of avoidance, I've cooked up a kind of crazy idea. Hear me out, okay? Pull those denim bottoms out of your closet, dust them off, and then throw on a denim top. Life changing, I say. Also, to be completely honest, I didn't entirely come up with this idea. 

Pinterest did it. I saw this combo and was immediately smitten. I'd never thought that wearing matching denim-on-denim could work. It almost doesn't. But the blazer, a thrifted one I should mention, is the glue that holds this all together. It is what really makes this work. 

And with it being such a vital part of the denim squared equation, why not make it a bright bubblegum pink? And then, why not add striped heels and a structured purse to really tell the world, "hey, I know this is a Texas Tuxedo, but look, I can make it fancy!"

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out of season

 

I'm a city girl at heart. I have New York running through my veins. Whenever I get nostalgic about city living I try to make a day of going to Atlanta. A lunch date to catch up with a friend is usually the first stop and then, of course a little shopping. 

This week's trip consisted of fried chicken sandwiches, new gold rings and a summer-perfect little white dress from Rag-o-Rama that I can't wait to wear. On the topic of things I can't wait to wear, this breezy boho dress was another one I'd been itching to pull out this summer. 

I bought this dress last year at H&M for half the original price, a great deal, because they were cleaning out summer styles for their new fall items. Aside from the sticker price, the drop-waist silhouette is what made the dress for me. I'd wanted one for a long while, but it was tricky finding just the right one. 

So even though it was out of season, I bought it anyway. It was too good to leave behind. What can I say? I live life on the edge. I basically waited a whole year to wear this dress, and it was completely worth it you guys.  

Photos: IG @cookayemonster 

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short fuse

This past weekend it was brought to my attention that I function best when angry. Naturally, I was incredibly shocked, offended...and then a little angry. "Me? Angry? Never! "

It all began to click the more I looked at it. I am astrologically an Aries, a fire sign, born under the sign for the Greek god of war. I can also be very argumentative. For me, trying to contain anger feels like subduing a raging fire with a thimble of water. 

I've accepted that anger can motivate me (I can clean my entire house when I'm good and riled up) and that I have a short fuse. I've also accepted that with these constant 80 degree days it was about time for me to let my legs breath and start fusing with a pair of new shorts. Yeah, I know. The wordplay was a stretch. Wanna fight about it? 

But really. I found these lacy shorts at H&M and I loved them instantly. I'd been wanting a pair like this since last summer, and these were so perfect I bought them in black too. So while awful wordplay, it is still a fact: I am and will be pretty much fused to these shorts all summer long. 

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