Today was rainy and a little on the cool side, but it was also a Sunday followed by a holiday Monday – woohoo! At least those of us who work for the government get tomorrow (that’s President’s Day for you non-United States-ian readers) off. So tomorrow I’ll be thanking the presidents for an extra day of studying for my midterm on Wednesday and the chance to get to sleep in just a wee bit.

Sunday was also great because my friends invited Troy and me over for lunch. We had vegan tacos, fried plantains and coconut rice. It was so delicious. Usually I end up wearing jeans and a t-shirt on Sundays after a week of blouses and pencil skirts, but I thought I’d step it up a bit this weekend:

Outfit details: Norma Kamali for Walmart shirt, J.Crew sweater (from 10 years ago), Blank corduroys, and H&M shoes.

I twisted together a curtain pull and black knotted necklace I got at a secondhand jewelry sale. I just recently cleaned my AsianCajuns name necklace, so I threw that on for a little sparkle.

Troy wore his trustworthy Chuck Ts. Sometimes we end up wearing our Chucks on the same day and I worry that we’ve become one of those lookalike couples. Good thing he isn’t part Chinese and part Cajun too!

Along with the Mexican/Cuban/Panamanian food, my friend also made this awesome fruit salad: watermelon, mango, pineapple, cucumber and jicama. Anyone else out there a Fiestaware fan?

After lunch, I went home and finished my reading for book club (we’re reading this book and I love it) and then ended the evening by watching Drive for the first time, which made me want to wear tight-fitting jackets, drive a vintage car, and chew on a toothpick. I’m always a little thrown off when I’m more inspired by the guy’s style in the movie than the girl’s. Why does Carey Mulligan’s character wear so many damn long, flowy skirts?!?

Happy President’s Day!

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Dearest Lar,

Look at the card that Alison had on her kitchen counter when I came over for lunch today:

Do you remember when we danced at the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange for two summers in a row? Well, apparently Alison’s friend is the artistic director of the company! Such a small world.

She also has this on her kitchen wall, which reminded me of the blue version you had/have in your Atlanta house:

I love RLand’s work and want to get the Pray for CATL version at some point – maybe when I’m not desperately trying to save money to come visit you in August!

So glad we finally got to Skype each other today!

Miss you, as always,

- Cath xoxo

Hello Lovelies and Happy Valentine’s Day! Thank you so much for entering our Shabby Apple dress contest. I’ll announce the winner later on this week, so stay tuned.

Valentine’s Day came early this year. Over the weekend my parents hosted a brunch to thank everyone that helped us out while we were in Europe for the holidays (dog sitting, house checks, drives to the airport, more dog sitting etc.). And because my mom is basically Martha Stewart (just nicer and much less egotistical), she had the house done up with Valentine’s Day flair.

Exhibit 1:

Exbit B: The brunch menu. I think my mom gets bonus points for making half the menu vegan and/or vegetarian-friendly.

Drinks included coffee, tea and mimosas. Cuppa anyone?

Exhibit D: Mimosa extras. Orange zest, maraschino cherries and lemon slices.

Since this is suppose to be somewhat of a fashion blog, I’m including a picture of what I wore to brunch. Not the most elegant outfit for such a splendid meal, but super comfy for the weekend.

Outfit details: H&M sweater, Gap tank, Muji watch, scarf from Swish in Edinburgh, Blank cords and Feiyue sneakers.

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Dearest Lar,

Do you and Matt have anything fun planned for Valentine’s Day? Is it as commercialized in the U.K. as it is here? It’s supposed to be cold and rainy tomorrow night, so Troy and I have planned a cozy night in. We’re ordering the special Valentine’s Day menu from Oakhurst Market and plan on sharing at least one bottle of wine. At least!

We’ll also be taking Toby to his last obedience class – so romantic, no?! He’s been doing so well. If he gets a diploma, I’m totally framing it and hanging it up somewhere – maybe over his dog bowl – ha!

Speaking of dogs, here’s a pic of Boo Radley on Sunday:

And one of your Toby:

I’ll be wearing one of my hot pink tops to work tomorrow in honor of the holiday. Will you be wearing your pink sweatpants at home? I kid, I kid.

Love you,

Cath

This contest is now closed.

Two giveaways in (almost) as many weeks on AsianCajuns! Thanks to all of you who entered the Feiyue contest. For those you who didn’t win, why don’t you enter this Shabby Apple dress giveaway!?!

If you aren’t familiar with Shabby Apple, it’s a website that sells beautiful women’s dresses that you won’t find at the mall. For example, this dress I’m wearing:

My Shabby Apple outfit: F21 cloche, Shabby Apple Dressage dress, shoes c/o Sole Society from this fabulous party.

My outfit is every so slightly inspired by Downton Abbey. Anyone else obsessed with that show? I’ve finally caught up to the fourth episode of the second season and just love the clothes. The dresses are so feminine and elegant. It makes me wish I had more reasons to dress up.

The next time Troy and I go out to a fancy dinner (Valentines Day, perhaps *hint, hint, Troy*) or maybe a trip to the symphony (oh la la), I’ll wear this Shabby Apple dress. I know it’s called the Dressage dress, but 1.) I don’t see how anyone could wear this while riding a horse and 2.) the idea of riding a horse scares the hell out of me. So fancy dinner and a concert it is!

Look at the gorgeous pleats:

And a close-up of my not-so-dressage-friendly-shoes:

Contest info:

One lucky reader will win a dress of her choice. I’m loving the new Mad Hatter Collection for spring – just a thought .

How to enter:

1.) Like Shabby Apple on Facebook
2.) Leave me a comment letting me know you’ve done so and let me know where you’d wear your favorite Shabby Apple dress.
3.) The contest will end at 5 p.m. this Sunday.
4.) I’ll pick a winner at random on Monday.

Lagniappe (A little extra):

For a limited amount of time, AsianCajun readers can get 10% off of their order at www.shabbyapple.com by typing in “asiancajuns10off” at checkout

Best of luck!

As I write this post, I’m already planning on using this secret weapon tomorrow since I don’t feel like washing my hair tonight. I know that might sound gross, but I’m a firm believer in not washing your hair everyday – mostly because it allows me to be lazy.

So what is my secret weapon? My mesh hair donut!

Let me explain.

Ever since I got my hair chopped off last summer (Lar and I took the plunge together) I haven’t been able to wear my hair in a messy bun. At first my hair was too short to even pull back in a respectable ponytail and now it’s still too short to make a full size bun.

Enter the hair donut:

Look at that giant bun! I just loop my ponytail through the mesh donut (see image below), spread my hair around it and pin it with a few hair pins.

I bought it at Primark in Edinburgh when I was visiting Lar. It only cost £1, best cash I’ve ever spent. Even if you can’t make it to Scotland to purchase a mesh hair donut, you can pick one up at your local beauty supply store or just google it and purchase one online.

Hurray for bad hairs days (fixed with mesh donuts)!

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Dearest Lar,

Do you ever use that mesh bump it that you bought at Primark when I bought the donut? I think that one was trickier to use.

Even though I’m easing up on the diet a little bit, I’m still drinking my green juice every morning. I love it!

How many more days on your veggie cleanse? I had seafood the other day when we went to get dim sum and I felt guilty thinking of you eating nothing but fruits and veg.

xoxo, Cath

Hello dear readers! Thanks for entering our Feiyue contest.

The winner is Parker Cross! Here’s the proof:

Congratulations, ParkerCross! I’ll email you the details soon. I hope you enjoy your new pair of Feiyues!

To everyone else, don’t worry! We have another contest coming next week. Stay tuned.

This contest is now closed

I love reader giveaways, especially when I can show off the item we’re giving away – like these sneaks!  When Feiyue first got in touch with me I thought, “I’m not a sneakers girl, I’m an impractical heels girl!” Well, that was before I tried these babies on and they fit like a glove. Seriously, I feel like I’m walking on air with these on.

I picked out the vintage style Feiyues and one of you lucky readers has the chance to win a pair!

What is Feiyue, you ask? How do you pronounce it? Well, I’m so glad you asked! Here’s a little story about Feiyue:

Outfit details: Feiyue shoes (of course!), secondhand Brooks Brothers shirt, Target belt, Forever 21 pants, Muji watch.

How to enter: Leave a comment on this post telling me how you’d wear these Feiyues and I’ll pick a winner at random. Unfortunately, if you reside in China or Japan, you can’t apply. Contest ends Sunday at 5 p.m.

Good luck!

Post Update:

Thanks to Lisa and Betsy for pointing out that my lovely sheep sweater is a remake of one Princess Di wore. It makes me love it that much more!

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One of my favorite purchases from my trip to Scotland. It’s not really my style (i.e. cutesy, not black, patterned, and not appropriate for work), but I fell in love with it when I saw it at a little shop in Edinburgh. Every time I wear it I think of Scotland and the cold, blustery day Lar and I went shopping. I can’t remember the name of the shop where I bought the sweater, but I remember the guy working behind the counter was super sweet. . . and dressed exactly like Captain Jack Sparrow – I kid you not!

I feel it’s unfair to name a post “Scottish Sheep,” without including a photo of the incredibly cute Blackface Highland:

photo

Gah! Look at their wittle faces! And there’s millions of them in the highlands – easily outnumbering the human population in Scotland.  See why I love Scotland so much? And why Lar moved there against my wishes? And why I can’t blame her for it?

Outfit details: sweater from a shop in Edinburgh, H&M black turtleneck, Blank cords, and H&M boots.

I’ve got to be honest that the two times I’ve worn this sweater out in public in the states I’ve gotten some stares. Apparently a 28 year old wearing an over-sized sweater with a sheep pattern isn’t typical. It felt so normal when I bought it in Scotland (they’re more into patterns there). Maybe I’ll try wearing it with this black mini to make it more grown up, less cutesy. Then again, maybe I should just embrace the cute factor. I mean, I did use baby talk in this post – eesh!

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Dearest Lar,

What was the name of that shop? I can’t believe I can’t remember it. All I can remember is that it had a name that made it sound teeny-boper-like. Have you been back since we went last month? Is Captain Jack Sparrow still working there?

I hate that you’re sick! Make sure you’re eating enough. Even if you have to skip the cleanse for a few days until you’re feeling better. Hell, go crazy and eat a cookie! Maybe it’ll make you feel better – as long as it’s gluten free

xoxo,

Cath

Warning: This post is not for those of you who have resolved to simplify your lives and buy less in 2012. It’s a pretty materialistic post filled with items that I’ve recently bought.

Now that you’ve been warned, let’s get started. I find that I miss Lar even more now that I’ve gone to visit her in her new home. How do I overcome my sadness? The healthy way. I buy things!

Well, this first item is actually one thing I didn’t buy: red embroidered tea container from a tea shop in Marais. We met up with my friend Celine who lives in Paris and who I haven’t seen in 7 years. It was so wonderful to see her and on top of that, she took us to her favorite tea shop and bought me this beautiful tea container.

Here’s what the tea container looks like open – so elegant! I bought some delicious loose-leaf, rooibos tea for it, which also happens to be something I can drink on my cleanse because it’s decaffeinated.

What are those lit-up white paper bags, you ask? Luminaries from Paris! They’re from a store called Merci to be exact.  I will tell you all about that great store in another post  – or maybe Lar will, she has all the photos on her camera

But I digress. Back to the luminaries. I wish I could take credit for discovering them, but it was really Mark, the super-sweet owner of the apartment in Paris we rented, who should get the credit. He had them lit on the dining table the first day we arrived and they seemed so magical. So when I saw them at Merci, I snatched them up.

One of my favorite purchases from Paris is this copy of Northanger Abbey I got at Shakespeare and Co. It’s not one of my favorite Austen novels, but look how it opens!

It’s a Flipback Book! I wish they sold these in the states. My whole library would be nothing but Flipbacks. The size is perfect for carrying around in my purse and reading on the metro.

Two of my favorite nail polishes right now: TopShop nail polish in Sketch (gift from Lar) and Essie’s Limo-Scene, yep, that’s its name.

Last, but not least, my zebra scarf from Swish in Edinburgh. It reminds of this wallpaper.

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Dear Lar,

Just got my copy of Crazy Sexy Diet in the mail today. I don’t think I’ll ever completely give up meat and dairy, but it’s already inspired me to be healthier.

I took Toby to his first obedience class and he was great! He did such an amazing job paying attention. I can’t wait to call you on Skype and show you what we learned.

Miss you like crazy!

love, cath

Lar and I are both trying to do a January cleanse. Don’t worry, it doesn’t involve apple cider vinegar or cayenne pepper. But the bad news is that it doesn’t involve meats, dairy or sugar either. So that means a lot of fruits, veggies and even more cravings.

I splurged a little bit the other day by eating “beef” with broccoli at Chinese Buddha in Midtown. They offer the real meat version too, but since I was trying to kind of stick to my cleanse (all the salt and sugar in the sauce is not on the diet), I got the tofu beef instead. What would you call it? Beefu? Tofeef?

Here I am with the happy Buddha, which I’m now realizing I totally forgot to rub his belly for good luck. That’s a thing, right? Or maybe it’s just something my mom would tell me when I was little.

Outfit details: Primark knitted scarf thing, New York and Co sweater, Madewell jeggings (I know, jeggings, but it was the weekend and I wanted an elastic waistband), socks c/o Falke, Jeffrey Campbell boots and tote from Shakespeare and Co.

Love this ring that Lar got me for Christmas. It makes me feel fancy even when I’m wearing jeggings.

The fuzziness of these Falke socks make me feel like I’m wearing cashmere on my feet.

Guess where I got my Shakespeare and Co. bag? That’s right! At Shakespeare and Co. in Paris. I’ve been wanting to go there for years and didn’t make it on my first trip seven years ago. It’s as magical as I imagined – books stacked all the way to the ceilings, little reading nooks and rickety old beds on the second floor for traveling writers. I think Lar was able to sneak in some photos even though you’re not suppose to take pictures inside. Maybe you’ll see those in a future post. . .

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Dearest Lar,

Do you realize we spent 2 hours today video skyping? It barely makes up for the fact that we can’t really chat too much during the week since you’re in bed by the time I get off of work. It does help that we’re doing this cleanse together. I actually look forward to drinking my kale/lettuce/celery/cucumber/pear green juice every morning. Do you? I think it’s pretty fantastic that we can encourage each other to get healthy even though we’re an ocean apart. Maybe by the time you move back to the states we’ll both be complete health nuts – although that’s hard to imagine considering that I’m still craving some Chick-Fil-A. Nom, nom, nom. At least that’s not something that can tempt you in Scotland.

Sweet dreams,

Cath

Ah, my winter trip to Europe. I had hopes that I’d be prancing around Paris and Edinburgh looking like Carrie Bradshaw in high heels and cute winter coats. Well, in reality, my outfits were more Michelin-man meets wannabe hipster:

I spent more time outside walking along the city streets, so this was pretty much my uniform: Eddie Bauer puffer, skinny jeans, boots and some sort of head covering. The puffer was a bit warm for Paris, but it was perfect for my day trip to the highlands.

These were my two hat options that I packed: a knitted Eugenia Kim turban and my faux-fur H&M hat that makes me look like I belong in the Russian army.

I’d like to give you a whole spiel about how great it was to pack so efficiently (I fit everything into a carry-on-sized suitcase and small backpack!), and it was to some extent, but next time I’m bringing a bigger suitcase, packing more than two pairs of shoes and switching my puffer out for a nice wool coat. Or maybe I’ll just take a page out of Lar’s book and pack a handful of great pieces – she looked so chic (see photo below) and only packed a backpack for Paris.

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Dear Larbar,

It’s true, you looked so chic in Paris with your Primark coat and Hunter wedges. It totally inspired me to try to dress better.

This is my all time favorite photo that Troy took of you and Dexin:

I’ve already started saving up for my next trip to come visit you!

love, cath