Image via The Passing Static

Please excuse me for the recent not-so-brief interruption in blogging. Kate Miller Events has taken off and I have just been SWAMPED. I've been discovering firsthand what it's like to be a workaholic - thankfully, I will get a break (and hopefully, a vacation) come October. Enough about me, this is about music.

My friend Miguel started DJing as soon as I was out of the scene. I used to head out to the bars 5 to 7 days a week and shake my booty while enjoying many a vodka tonic (or dirty martini). I lived off of the hot dog cart outside of The Press Club - owner Isaac and I were good friends and often I would eat free chili pepperjack cheese dogs. Somehow I was still at my thinnest - must have been all the dancing. Those days have come and gone, but let's just say that I wish I had more time to do so now!

Back to Migs - he's been running this weekly Indie dancefest at a local bar, The Golden Bear, and has recently moved to my previous mainstay, The Press Club. This is not just exciting because of the additional dancing space - but it also happens to be the birthday of one of my other good friends, Sam Sascha (samijam), who will be spinning a special birthday guest set. Come out on September 1st if you can make it!

For those of you who do not live in the Sacramento area, you're welcome to enjoy this recent mix Miguel made in commemoration of their upcoming move. It makes me want to shake it - and it really made the  recently daunting stationery printing process a lot more enjoyable.

Image via The Passing Static

Sex & Weight - Lovesick

01. Love Grenades - Young Lovers (Sam Sparro Remix)
02. Miami Horror - Make You Mine (Cassian Remix)
03. Friendly Fires ft. Au Revoir Simone - Paris (Aeroplane remix - Computer Club edit)
04. The Black Ghosts - Any Way You Choose To Give It
05. The Rapture – I Need Your Love (Ewan..s Stay In School Mix)
06. The Presets - This Boy’s In Love (Lifelike Remix)
07. Metronomy - Heartbreaker (Discodeine Remix)
08. Friendly Fires - Skeleton Boy (Grum Remix)
09. Pony Pony Run Run - Hey You (DJ Vanish Remix)
10. Florence and The Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (The Lionheart Mix)
11. Frightened Rabbit - The Twist (DJ Die Young Edit)
12. Annie - Heartbeat (Alan Braxe Mix)
13. Reverend & The Makers - Silence Is Talking (Alex Metric Remix)
14. Killer Kela - Everyday (Lifelike Remix)

If you like what you hear, you can follow along with Miguel at The Passing Static.

Most recently, I happened upon this gorgeous gable box made from laminated vintage cross stich tapestry. It would make the most amazing lunchbox, don't you think? Too bad it's so pricey!

Frederique Morrel Tapestry Lunchbox $75 via Kirk.

I've had my eye on several of these chic embroidered tops for months. They come in fabulous cuts and colors with unexpected salutations in delicate embroidery. Some are more crass than others, but I prefer the classy sounding French phrases that make you smirk once you hear their translation.

Casee - Toi Cherie "Get Lost - Darling" teal top $73 via Lochers.

A close up of the embroidery on the Boys top (with tick marks) on Sringtime Special for $49 via Locher's.

Hello Lucky puts their spin on a letterpress wedding invitation suite - amazing! I had the pleasure of seeing this in person and I can tell you that it's a textural delight for the senses. I love the cozy feeling it conveys to their wedding guests.

Cross Stitch Invitation Suite via Hello Lucky.

This vase is preferated to allow one to stitch their own pattern or phrase right around the outside. Obviously, you couldn't eat your morning cereal out of it, but place a smaller bowl of flowers in the middle and you have a fully-customizable vase. Imagine the sentiments you could convey with different thread colors for each Holiday!

Panier Percé $195 via Industreal.

Lastly, Johnathan Adler never fails to put the twist on the trivial with his housewares. These needlepoint pillows aren't the type you'd find in your G-Ma's sitting room. I love these two as a pair - they certainly make a conversation piece. Wouldn't they be hilariously perfect on the couch of a therapist's office?

Joy and Anger Needlepoint Pillows $165 each via Johnathan Adler.

Okay, I'll be the first to admit I'm not normally so keen on cross stitch, but this makes me want to bust out my embroidery thread and needles and go to town on everything I own!

Of course, with our tight budet, the first place I decided to look for my desk was an antique store. There are a few in Sacramento that I love - and I've discovered a new swoon-worthy storefront: Fringe. They house the holy trinity of shopping - fashion, decor and vintage antiques - all in one location.

The lovely Fringe boutique on 21st and X Street in Sacramento.

I spent a few minutes perusing the fashion and decor pieces before getting down to business, literally. I wanted a desk with character, but that also functioned well for my laptop driven workflow. Now, take a quick peek at that photo above and look at the lovely on the left, underneath all the beautifully packaged lotions. Not to wide, not too deep, with drawers, a built-in filing cabinet and sooo very shiny! My heart skipped a beat.

A closer look at a beautifully polished Aluminum Military WWII Folding Campaign Desk from Mantiques Modern. Call for price.

I asked the friendly sales lady, Audrey, what it was called - and she waxed poetically over the Aluminum Campaign Desk while showing me it's secret charms. It was built in WWII for Army nurses so that it could easily be moved from camp to camp. As it's made from aluminum, it's rather light - and get this - it FOLDS DOWN! Laurie had previously used it, folded-down, under a sheath of glass, as a coffee table.

The same lovely Aluminum Military WWII Folding Campaign Desk from Mantiques Modern, folded down into it's compact form. Call for price.

I loved this idea! The KME offices will be housed in our spare bedroom slash guest bedroom - so on occasion we will have guests and I love the idea that I could easily break this down into a smaller piece of furniture and pop it in the corner or garage. I began to research and found a plethora of other similar campaign desks.

The same WWII Campaign Desk in the traditional army green via eBay. Buy it Now Price $750.

A beautifully restored authentic Campaign Desk via Orange at 1stdibs, but for WAY more than my entire office decor budget! $3,800.

Pre-WWII they had been made of wood and housed on sawhorse-like legs that could easily be folded and carried. Popular in mid-century households, I've found them in finished wood pieces as well as colored lacquers. I'm still partial to my aluminum knight in shining armor, but some of these others are gorgeous as well!

A hunter green painted 1960's- 1970's Campaign desk by Morris via PCH Modern. Sold.

Milo Baughman's take on the classic Campaign Desk in white lacquer via 1stdibs. Sold.

A burlwood take on the same Milo desk via 1stdibs. Sold.

Bamboo Campaign Desk via Flair Home at 1stdibs. $2,100.

Most are beyond my inital budget (I've searched aimlessly on eBay as well), therefore I will be saving my pennies while shopping around to find one for the best price. So far, this Etsy "original in box" desk would be a fantastic deal and I could get the bottom re-finished to the shining glow at a later date.

Vintage Aluminum Folding Desk via fusionfurniture on Etsy. $720.

I'll probably hold out until I find a REALLY good bargain!

The best part of being sick is getting to induldge in treats. You know, the treats that will somehow manage to get some calories in your aching system while still tasting good. Even fro-yo has it's nutritional benefits if the most you've digested in 48 hours was an A to Zinc Lemonade flavored VitaminWater or two.

Since my mom decided to forego our normal Mother's Day festivities due to my contracting of the chicken pox, Hubs offered to grab me something to eat at Jamba Juice. Easy to digest, yet still nutritious - it was a fabulous option. I seized the opportunity to request one of my favorite off-the-menu flavors: the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry.

This particular flavor was wiped from the menu several years ago - and I still cannot figure out why. It's dependant on the seasonal blueberry, but they've still yet to bring it back come springtime. Sure, with the Chocolate Moo'd in it, it's not the most low in sugar - but it's totally delicious (and high in protein)!

Good news! You can still order it - you just have to know what's in it. If you want to try out the Chocolate-Covered Strawberry, this is the way I like it:

Jamba Juice Chocolate-Covered Strawberry

1. Order a Chocolate Moo'd in the size of your choice (I chose a 16oz today).
2. Add Raspberry Sorbet.
3. Add Strawberries.
4. Add Blueberries.
5. Add the Boost of your choice (I chose both the Vitamin and Immunity Boosts today).

Enjoy!

This wedding came with many challenges, namely a Recessionista Budget and a 3.5 month Timeline for planning. At first I thought it was four months - but really, we started this endeavor at the beginning of January 2009. 3.5 months it is! Of course, that didn't halt Airen and I from pulling out all the stops.

Per the guests' feedback, it truly was magical! The emotional ceremony, romantic candlelight, the pops of gold, cream, taupe, and mustard yellow, the food and the dancing - it was all fabulous and I feel honored to have played a part in this very special wedding day.

I have a few small sneak peeks - some non-pro photos taken by guests during various times of the day:

Whirly Globes filled with tealights and fresh flowers, ready to glow above the Capitol Building come nightfall.

Father of the Bride and Stevie travel down the aisle in style - check out that fabulous mustard velvet bouquet-wrap, complete with black & white beaded cameo garnish!

A menu sits afront one of the candlelight centerpieces, surrounded by a sprinkling of mustard yellow pom pons and Stevie and Blake's custom-made Photo Cards.

The wedding was held on the 7th Floor Terrace of the The Citizen Hotel, a boutique Joie de Vivre hotel amidst the tree-lined streets of midtown Sacramento, CA. As soon as I get the official professional photos from Sarah Maren Photography, I will be blogging it up. Until then, I think I may just finish my own wedding recaps. I'm so glad we've completed our first big event - now I'm just looking forward to the next!

Anyone need a wedding coordinator? *wink wink*

However, it does make me a teensy bit self-concious when taking full body shots of myself to post on the internet. Most of my favorite fashion bloggers, like Tiffany and Diabolina, are skinny little lovelies who look adorable in their shoots. This just goes to show that we are our worst critics!

With that said, I took one anyway - and no I am not preggers, this top just makes it seem so. Either way, I felt pretty cute in this outfit. I tend to stick to greys and blacks, so this was a nice easy introduction of color to my work and after-work wardrobe (I wore this with black skinny trousers to work and changed into the jeans pre-dinner).

Outfit:

• Martin & Osa Blazer (on sale for 80% off)
• Thakoon for Target Top (on sale for 80% off)
• Rich & Skinny Jeans (Gilt Groupe purchase)
  

Accessories:

• Olivia Harris Black Top-grain Leather Satchel (Gilt Groupe purchase)
• Kate Spade Camellia Black Patent Croc-stamped Leather d'Orsay Heels (Gilt Groupe purchase)
• Marc by Marc Jacobs Gold Zipper Earrings (on sale for 40% off)
• Gold Baby Necklace
• Gold Necklace with Amethyst Cross and Heart Charms (purchased when working at JCP)

Please excuze the blotchy chest - I get like that after a glass of wine. I choped my head out of the first photo as I was giving the Hubs my best, "you are taking my picture wrong," face. He was, actually, taking my picture right - but with lots of sarcastic comments like, "Work it, girl! Give me that sexy face!" Geez.

I was chaneling Fall/Winter 2008 (and a little bit of F/W 2009) with that color combo - mostly because I had snagged that Thakoon top on MAY-JAH clearance early this week. I hadn't really paid attention to the collection until I realized that this cute top was only $7. SEVEN DOLLARS PEOPLE! A deal - and I like those.

Runway Inspiration (left to right, top to bottom): F/W '08 Aquascutum, F/W '08 Chloe, F/W '08 Colette Dinnigan, F/W '08 Emilio Pucci, F/W '08 Iceberg, F/W '08 Just Cavalli, F/W '08 Lela Rose, F/W '08 Luisa Beccaria, F/W '08 Michael Kors, F/W '09 Thakoon, F/W '09 Tibi, F/W '09 Tracy Reese.

Speaking of Designer Collaborations for Target - Alexander McQueen was a disappointment. Luckily, I just heard word of a Tracy Feith collab this morning by way of FabSugar - with a sneak peek at the collection itself. This jacket is a must have, as is the skirt. I love the prints - but I hope they are well-constructed. Crossing my fingers!

Tracy Feith for Target

Aren't they lovely? Such pretty versatile colors and in some great cuts too. They should hit stores later this year in May. Prints are here to stay, baby!

Have you found any fabulous prints lately?

But seriously, if you're in Sacramento or passing through, stop into the Beach Hut Deli on J Street to support our local Ballet. The Nutcracker is an annual tradition that should not cease to exist!

Getting back to my shopping story, I had hopped in to the antique store to search for a few things: cake plates for an upcoming client's wedding and hyacinth bulb vases. Long story short, I ended up with a new banana hammock instead - check it out! Wouldn't this be a gorgeous way to display a bridal bouquet on a head table?

Please excuse the following images - all were taken using my iPhone camera and are not of the best quality.

I talked her down to only $15 - these puppies are going for $30+ on Etsy!

I know this is not a "banana hammock," it's a banana stand. I just like to call it that because it reminds me of this Friends episode:

Oh yeah - Princess Consuela Banana Hammock!

I also found quite a few options for cake stands under $30. No milk glass stands - but there were plenty of beautiful cut-glass stands, some with covers and some without. Many of the cut-glass cake stands had gilded edges or ornate gold detailing - beautiful!

Four lovely cake stands - all under $30 (clockwise): Covered Cake Stand $22, Cut-glass Cake Stand $10, Glass Gilded-edge Cake Stand $5, Glass Cake Stand with Ornate Gold Detail $22.

There were a ton of really fun pieces that I can totally see being used at different events in expected ways. For instance, this Antique Cut-glass Mirror could transform a simple cake into vintage elegance if used as a cake platter.

Antique Cut-glass Mirror $25.

Or perhaps you'd like to work your centerpieces with off-beat vessels containing colorful flowers. This Glass Vintage Whiskey Bottle has a gorgeous gilded design and comes with a matching glass stopper. Can't you just imagine this filled with yellow and orange tulips that mimick the embossing on the front, with the stopper sitting next to it on a table? Adorable! The brightly colored Tin Salt Box would also look amazing with brightly colored wildflowers stuffed in it's top. Each are under $10!

Unexpected vessels (left to right): Glass Vintage Whiskey Bottle $8, Tin Salt Box $5.

Lastly, come two trendy ideas with a twist - like this Antique Birdcage with Wood Accents, which could be easily used as a card box. I love it's shape and it's carved wooden finial - much better quality than those you would purchase en masse at Michaels. The second, a Wrought Iron Fireplace Screen, would make a fabulous place to tuck escort cards, or as a beautiful guestbook display. Guests could write their wishes on little paper scraps and place them between the vines.

Trends with a twist (left to right): Antique Birdcage with Wood Accents $32, Wrought Iron Fireplace Screen $25.

Even if you're not in the Sacramento area, you can probably find antiques such as these in your local stores. The key is to look beyond the face value of an item - instead of considering what it's normally used for, ask yourself what CAN it be used for!

Have you found any chic decor on the cheap and used it in unexpected ways?

It's all good! I've got two blog posts (perhaps three, as one may turn into a two-parter) on the brinks. The first of which is a weekend update-y type affair that discusses our recent pantry organization. To which Martha subsequently managed to out-cute me (understandable, it's Martha). I mean, you spend hours working on something that was already difficult to feel inspired over, yet you still accomplish it - and then she does this:

Adorable Etched Glass Storage Jars at Martha Stewart.

That's just mean, Martha. Why you always gotta upstage a lady?

Anyways.

I'm rather excited about a new Gilt Groupe purchase that hasn't yet arrived. It's all about nude and taupe this spring - add nude snakeskin into the mix and it's magic! Therefore, I was on the hunt for a pair of nude faux-snakeskin flats. I found some on our V-day trip to San Francisco at H&M, but they are SO FAUX it's not even funny. Like snakeskin print off-placed on the sides leaving the tops all blank and weird. I'll still rock them, but they are not even blog worthy to photograph.

What I DID find on eBay were these A-mazing Prada REAL snakeskin mary janes. Sure, they've got a heel and long toe-bed that warrants an early 90's throwback to Working Girl, but I think they can be worked into my wardrobe!

Prada Python Mary Janes $58.69 (with shipping) on eBay (who KNOWS how much they originally cost!?!). They are nude, they are REAL python (yummy to the touch) and have barely been worn. They have a 3.5" heel and tortoise shell buckles. They fit perfectly - I've foung that Pradas and Miu Mius run a bit small, so I went up a half size to 38.5 and they were great!

The only problem? I need some form of matching accessories to truly pull off the nude look - namely, a handbag. With my failed attempt at recession-chic H&M flats, I knew I couldn't find a good lookin' faux snakeskin handbag. I turned to plain nude and taupe - and in turn, Gilt threw me a bone with their Tuesday Marc by Marc Jacobs Accessories sale. Check this puppy out!

Marc by Marc Jacobs Plane Jane Sloane Tote $128 (originally $268) at Gilt Groupe. Small tote bag. Textural coated canvas. Polished gold metal hardware. 2 top rolled coated canvas handles. Logo patch on front reads: "Marc by Marc Jacobs. Golden accents outline seam. Top zip opening. Interior signature lining. Interior cell phone pocket, patch pocket, and canvas-trimmed pocket. Flat canvas base. 11.5"L x 8"W x 7.5"H. Drop handle, 8".

Sure, it's boxy, plain and only coated canvas - but it's plain enough for every day, structured enough to possibly work through a few seasons and just the right color taupe. I stalked it (my clicking finger got a workout, as it was initally "reserved" within 30 seconds of the sale start) and bought it. It should be here Friday and I'm on the edge of my office chair just thinking about it.

Has anyone encountered any fabulous finds recently? Do tell!

Chuck spoke on a variety of topics related to leadership - namely, credibility, influence and holding an effective meeting. What struck me the most during his presentation was his redefinition of my own perspective on credibility. While I do agree that this can best be defined as "making a difficult promise and keeping it," when asked which was more difficult - the promise or the keeping it - most of us adhered to the keeping instead of the promising.

While Chuck chuckled at our naivete, he clarified that making the difficult promise should be the more difficult one. Once you've done that, keeping it is pretty darn simple. It's so true! The reality is, for a long-term promise, you're making that decision each and every time you go to accomplish it (just like creating a marriage). We shouldn't ever promise things that we cannot possibly follow through on - but following through on difficult promises? That makes you a reliable hero in the eyes of those you service.

It's something that I adhere to in business and most recently, something I've been trying to accomplish personally, perhaps without even knowing it. You could say that my list of personal goals (my 101 in 1,001) is publically displayed to create more accountability within myself. That it is - and I've been not so great about blogging about it. For some reason, Chuck struck something in me last night that made me realize how EASY it is for me to follow through on my goal to blog about it, it was the promise of each item (and the compilation of the list) that was tough.

With that said, I could easily mark off #80 Create a financial plan with the Hubs, based on our hard work last week. However, I know that major tweaking and testing will need to be done before I feel that we have sufficiently completed that goal. That does not mean that I shouldn't blog about how we got started - as you know, this is usually the most difficult part!

Kate's Steps to Starting a Financial Plan
Now I know I am by no means a financial planner, therefore, should not be giving ANYone true financial advice (especially in this market) - BUT, I want to place in front of you the tools and tips that were essential in beginning this process, in hopes that it too, will help you.

1.  Write down EVERYTHING - your income, your expenses and your debts.
In our first meeting, I asked the Hubs to sit and go over every single piece of income, expense and estimated debt (from mortgage to credit card to unpaid current bills). When I say everything - I mean it! Include vacations, birthdays, travel, and the costs and life of regular long-term expenses like tires, computers and TVs. We created a Google Spreadsheet listing it all and made a date, two weeks from that day, to go over our itemized debt.

2. Get Minty!
Mint.com, has reporting tools, graphs, charts and many more features that help you estimate how much money you spend in certain areas of your life. You can easily chunk out how much you typically spend on food (yikes!!), shopping, gas - anything - and therefore make it easier to figure out what you have to work with. Setting up guidelines for certain areas (for example: shopping) is super quick and easy - and it'll even text message you when you've exceeded your budget or have a low account balance. I highly reccommend it!

3. Create an itemized plan.
Yeah okay, we're not going to get it 100% right the first time, right? Well you have to start somewhere! Get specific - even if you're wrong, you will learn from your mistakes. You think $1000 is WAY too much to spend on food? Once you see that you've spent TWICE that in previous months, it certainly makes you think twice about eating out as often as you do, once you see the bigger picture. I used this AMAZING spreadsheet template to create our inital budget.

4. Make sure to give yourself a buffer, especially when starting out.
As the spreadsheet mentioned in #3 recommends, I only work with about 95% of my income. The leftover 5% remains as a buffer in my bank account - you know, in the rare case of my *gasp* making a mistake (I kid)! Eventually, after we get to be seasoned budget veterans, I hope to roll over a portion of this buffer into our Emergency Fund.

5. ING Direct Orange Savings accounts are your friends.
I have 5 of their orange savings accounts. They all serve different purposes based on our budget and are nicknamed appropriately. They are free to open and can be easily split to accomodate a new savings goal. Obviously, there are better yielding savings accounts out there, but these are great for things like vacation funds and long-term small purchases. They link directly to most checking accounts for easy, regular transfers.

6. Utilize Google Calendar alerts!
Once I figured out how much I'd be spending, from where and when - I added everything into a seperate Google Calendar. I've set it up to remind me of upcoming "events" 2 days prior and on the day of. I can check it anytime I'm thinking about buying something substantial to see what expenses are coming up.

So far so good - we'll be revisiting the budget in a month to see how we're doing. I know for a fact, some of our budget categories are off, but I'm not going to worry about it until our next meeting date. I'm totally encouraged - especially after looking at our budget spreadsheet and knowing when we will be 100% debt free and homeowners. Let's just say it's pretty darn soon! YAY!

How do you effectively manage your finances? Any tips?

Aside from the above, my work computer has been virus-ridden for a while now. Frustratingly so, as I am in the IT field and if I had security rights to my system this would have been handled weeks ago. It makes browsing anything via Firefox or IE completely excruciating. It certainly helps me focus on what I should be doing at work, but really, it's hurt my blogging quite a bit.

With that said, weekend update it is!

Image via Street Fighter.
Is it me, or did Chun-Li acquire some serious Man Legs since the last release!?1. Vino and Video Games
Friday proved to be a fun Friday date night for the Hubs and me. We headed to one of our favorite new Midtown joints, G.V. Hurley's, for a glass of wine alongside a mighty tasty dinner of our favored fish dishes (salmon and tuna respectively). Shortly thereafter, we headed out to our friend Sam's abode to join a few friends in a Street Fighter Tournament. This basically involved the majority of us making snide sarcastic comments while the two ridiculously talented Street Fighter champs battled it out. I enjoyed yet another glass of wine and indulged in the geek in me - it was fun!

Image via Rocket Jones.
This isn't my yard, nor does it even resemble my backyard. It's just a pretty yard. ;)2. Yardwork and Yawns
Saturday was full of fun for Sterling and the Hubs. After 4 hours of yard work in the beautiful sunshine Hubs was tired - but it was definitely worth the effort. Some of the fall leaves that had piled up in remote areas of the backyard had started to rot the grass out - so this was definitely necessary. Sterling enjoyed being the Hubs' shadow for the afternoon while I enjoyed some peace and quiet catching up on reading with Sebastian. I'm fighting off yet ANOTHER cough, so rest was crucial.

Image via Party Wirks.
I have to admit, while it's not the best score ever, I was pretty impressed by bowling down a 108.3. Beer and Bowling

Saturday night we met up with Misti, her son Kaden and her boyfriend Chris for a fab night of bowling. It'd been YEARS since I had been bowling and it just so happened that we were able to enjoy the best of all bowling events: Glow Bowl! Fortunately for me, the bumpers were stuck up on our lane and the staff was too busy to fix it. This ended up helping me in the end - I ranked third place, Woo!

Image via Ink Eats and Drinks at Sacramento.
Ask for the Old School Burrito - tell them you'll settle for the red salsa if they scoff about serving it. If enough of us ask for it, maybe they'll bring it back!!4. Mimosas and...
Sunday morning I awoke to my BFF Ceann's ring tone, inviting me to breakfast. I dragged Hubs out of bed to join us at Ink for mimosas and my super-secret favorite breakfast burrito that's no longer on the menu. I'm telling you Ink, you'd better bring that green salsa back - it totally makes the best thing on your menu! We chowed-down, socialized and giggled our way into the afternoon.

Image via Wowsudbury.
Loved the hip-hop slash Bollywood dance during the credits!5. ...Millionaires!
We decided that with the Oscars being that evening, we should at least try to catch one of the nominated films that afternoon. Slumdog Millionaire it was! All of us loved the movie - warm, endearing, raw and poignant as it was. I highly recommend it - the soundtrack is pretty awesome as well.

What did YOU do this weekend?