Bag Lady

One of the more annoying speech habits is when someone asks themselves a question, and then answers it. For example, would I like a new handbag for fall? Yes I would.

Do I really need a new handbag for fall? No I do not.

But if I did buy one would it be under $100? Why yes it would.

I always see bags I love and then find out its like a $500 Marc Jacobs bag or something. So I've gotten used to shopping for bags that don't cost that much, but still look like they do. 

Like these!.....

Bags under 100 by katnat featuring yellow handbags

Steve Madden cross body handbag / Melie Bianco cross body handbag / Shoulder handbag / Cross body handbag / Striped tote bag / Yellow handbag / Mint to Be Envelope Clutch - Francesca's Collections

Here are some of my go-to affordable online sources:

Francesca's Collections (my fave) - great assortment of totes and cross body bags, nothing over $100

Piperlime - you can search by price, and stylish people like Rachel Zoe and Rachel Bilson have their "picks" to make for easier shopping

DSW - seems to be better selection of bags online than they do in the store

Urban Outfitters-  hipster bags for a fraction of the price

Linking up on

Steak Anyone?

I'm just going to say it...I love steak. One of my favorite cuts is flank. I love it so much...like I want to ride on a tandem bicycle with it and go shopping to a montage of Walking on Sunshine with it. It's that good....if you do it right. It also helps if your husband knows how to grill it just right on the charcoal. 

The only drawback is that flank can be kind of pricey if its not on sale,
so this is kind of a splurge for us. 

The good news is that you can easily feed 4 people with 2 lbs of flank.

I'm sharing this bomb marinade with you by way of Grandma Barbie by way of her friend Troy, who doesn't mess around, she has the good stuff. (by the way in case you are picturing Grandma Barbie as some little 'ol lady, she is in fact my husband's mom, and is still a quite young and beautiful grandma, wink wink)

Flank Steak Marinade
1-2 lbs flank steak
1 small bottle of soy sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp dry ginger
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced

Put this all in a ziploc bag and let it sit overnight. BBQ it, slice it up into strips, and enjoy!

I call this shot....."Glory at Dusk".....or maybe "Sunset Glory", I don't know, it's a working title...

P.S. I Love You

I've still been dreaming of Palm Springs style, especially inspired by the two hotels we visited....the Parker and the Viceroy. The Parker was like stepping into the 70's, and while I wouldn't personally go that literal in my own home, I was inspired by retro modern feel and the colors, like the orange door, the orange booths and light blue glasses in the patio, and the colorful pottery.

The Viceroy is a totally glamorous Hollywood regency style, with lots of black and white, and yellow. I especially loved the pool area with its yellow and white striped lounge chairs, white chairs with black cushions, cabanas with starburst mirrors, and lights hanging from the trees. It was pretty much my dream backyard...of course I did not have my camera with me. 

Sorry it was just not working with my outfit that night!

I found this pic of the Viceroy pool here, click on the link for even more images of this lovely joint!

the patio at the Parker

Here's a board I created with some affordable items to get you a 'lil P.S. style....
Those hanging lanterns are on sale at Z. Gallerie for only 10 bucks each!

• Yellow/White Fabric, fabric.com
• Outdoor Chairs, Ikea Hogsten
• Gold Votives, Z Gallerie Mira Collection
• Hanging Candle Lanterns, Z Gallerie Parker Lantern
• Ceramic Ball Planters, bkbceramics
• Orange Lacquered Tray, Z Gallerie Gelato Tray
• Blue Glasses, Pier 1 Hammered Drinkware
• Round Mirror, Z Gallerie Devon

Palm Springs Getaway

I haven't been updating the blog as much as I would like. Going on a long family vacation and then a weekend girls trip has kept me busy. Not that I am complaining, its been great!  But I do have hopes for my little blog, that include improving my time management skills and actually putting all the ideas in my head into action. I sat down this afternoon to do this post and within 5 minutes, my dining room table was pushed against the wall, baby Charlie was running around naked and Carys was spraying the hose all over the backyard. They are busy little buggers! Oh but I love them! So I shelved it and waited for them to go to sleep.  By the way, here is a picture of them. 

See sometimes they are calm...

Anyway, on with the post! I went on a girls trip to Palm Springs for a couple days. I just absolutely love it there! Despite the 115 degree temperatures and pool that felt like a warm bath, I was still happy to be there. Good company, beautiful views and retro modern design and architecture around every corner. 

Also got the chance to practice more with my trusty camera.

The entrance to the amazing Parker Palm Springs Hotel...this is a must stop if you visit this city! The whole place is designed by Jonathan Adler, and its just awesome. Click here for more info.

One of the lounges at the Parker

OK I didn't take this. That's me in the chair! My talented friend Andi took it while trying to explain over-exposure to me.

Colorful glassware

@Norma's in the Parker w/Cara

Palm Springs signage

the sky is so beautiful here...the Del Marco Hotel

there is a massive 26 foot statue of Marilyn downtown, its oddly realistic and human like for such a large structure.


Such a fun trip!

Easy Being Green

We are taking family photos in a couple weeks and it's fun, yet stressful finding outfits for everyone to wear. I've got to dress the husband, the two girls, and myself, and it all has to coordinate?! I've had it in my mind that I wanted to wear a hunter green dress so I have been on the lookout. I found the one in the below set at Modcloth and its on its way, I am just hoping it will look good on me. But if I wear green then what color does husband wear? White? Black? Brown?? Stay tuned, I'm sure the suspense is killing you. 

I've been seeing a lot of green around, and I like it especially with black skinnies and these nude shoes, mmhmm.

Hunter Green by katnat featuring draped tops

Jack BB Dakota green dress / J.Crew knit sweater / Madewell draped top / Skinny jeans / J.Crew bandeau bikini / J.Crew bikini swimwear / Sam Edelman high heels / Kate Spade handbag / Illamasqua nail polish

Crafty Attempts

One of my personal goals for this blog is to become more crafty...more DIY'y (I just made up that word).
A friend told me once, yeah I like Pinterest but who actually does any of those things. Well I am going to be one of those people! Or at least try to be.
(As I type this I am fighting off a little baby who wants to climb on the table and pound on my laptop. She's like a cat who wants to come and sit on your board game, just wants to be where the action is I guess!)

Crafty Attempt #1:  Mason Jar Brush Holder
We are re-doing our little master bathroom...its almost done, stay tuned....but in the meantime I wanted to make my own make-up brush holder. Because I am always digging through my make-up to find those little suckers! Now I know where they are all the time! It's the little things....

So basically I picked up some decorative sand from Michael's, Looking Glass spray paint, and a mason jar that I already had. Looking glass spray paint is quite popular in the blogosphere. Basically if you play you're cards right, you can make any piece of glass have that mercury, distressed look.

 What the spray does is achieve a mirror like effect on the glass. Follow the directions on the can by spraying the inside of whatever piece you are working on. There are different ways to do the distressing that you can Google....I chose to use a solution of equal parts water and vinegar, dipped a paint brush in it and (after the paint dried for about 5 minutes), dot the surface with the brush, kind of randomly stripping the paint. Here is a picture of the jar before I stripped it.

The jar on the left is non-stripped, and the one on the right is. Can you see the difference? Not really?
Yeah, I didn't get a very good shot of this...

Here is the finished product in my almost finished bathroom. (OK I'm working on my photog skills, I'm telling you this jar did not want to cooperate with me!) My brushes are short so that's why I used the sand to make them easy to grab. I suppose you could also just grab any mason jar, not even paint it, and fill it with whatever color sand you like, if you want to get crazy with it!

Crafty Attempt #2:  Custom Ribbon:
Alright so anyone with a glue gun can pull this one off. I helped a little with decorating my brother's baby shower last week. The colors were navy and pink which are so cute together. I couldn't find any ribbon with that combo at Joann's though, so I just got some pink grosgrain and some satin navy ribbon, laid out the length I needed, and then glued those bad boys together. Turned out great!

The chevron table runner is from Etsy shop, Four Bugs in a Rug. 

They have a bunch of great patterns to choose from.

She used the nail polish favor idea, can't wait to use mine!

Fall is Coming

It is still about 90 degrees here but I am thinking about Fall. And by Fall I mean, jeans, light sweaters and sandals. Who am I kidding, we don't really have seasons here. 

I usually find these things on Pinterest or wherever but this is the first "mood board" I created myself. 

I expect to get a little better at this hopefully! 

At first I thought of mint green and brown, because I am that obsessed with mint chip ice cream. But found this turquoise top from Modcloth that looks lovely with caramel brown too. So here is my first fall inspiration...caramel, mint, turquoise....and a gold watch of course!

Fall - Brown, Blue, Green by katnat featuring leather shoes

Banana Republic sweater / Sheer top / Old Navy skinny fit jeans / Neon jeans / Gianvito Rossi leather shoes / Old Navy flat t strap sandals / Nixon chunky jewelry