After a long, rough week at work I spent most of my weekend recovering, cleaning the house, hanging out with friends, and relaxing. The only obligation I had was an one-hour rain barrel workshop. It was at 10 a.m., which is early for me on a Saturday. I rolled out of bed and was about to put on shorts and a t-shirt, but reached for this sundress instead. Dresses are a little more forgiving on the ol’ waist (no muffin top, woot, woot!). The dress is a little low cut for Saturday morning, so I added the shirt at the last minute.

Turns out getting up for a rain barrel class early on a Saturday is completely worth it. I’ve been wanting a rain barrel for some time, but didn’t really realize how great they are until I attended the workshop. Did you know that rain barrels help catch the initial, most polluted inch of rain from your roof? Instead of running off into the stream, the water collects in the barrel and can be used to water plants and then filter through the soil. Plus, the barrels are originally used to transport olives. Drill a few holes in the sides and you’ve got yourself a recycled rain barrel. Mother nature FTW!

Outfit details: Sunglasses and shirt from U.O., dress from a local boutique, AsianCajuns name necklace, and my Birkinstocks.

My shirt kept stretching out throughout the day, so I had to re-knot it twice. Nevertheless, I’m still a fan of summer layering and will probably wear this outfit again before the summer is over.

It took forever to get Wheatie to look at the camera. Dogs aren’t great models – not enough focus. Wheatie is sporting his summer shave, which isn’t as cute as his full fur coat, but at least he’s cool in the never ending Atlanta heat.

I start my first graduate class a week from today. According to my calculations, if I take one class a semester, I’ll get my masters in public administration in about 10 years – ha! I might up it to two classes a semester if I can afford it in the spring.

Hope you all had a great start to the week! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this week will be better than last week. I know for a fact that next week will be great. How can I be so sure? Because next Thursday, Lar and I are attending this:

That’s right, the talented Current Elliott designers and the creative director of Kate Spade will be at the Lenox Bloomies Thursday, Aug. 25 from 5 to 8 p.m. Current Elliott and Kate Spade have joined forces to create Westward. I hope some of you locals can make it and hang out with us. Don’t forget to RSVP. Westward ho!

Cath mentioned this in the last post, but we’ve been trying to maximize our sister time before I move to Scotland next month. Even though I’m a West Ender now, we both work in Decatur, just about a 5 minute walk apart – yippee! So we try to meet up for lunch at least once a week.

These pics are from last week’s meet-up at Sushi Avenue – nom nom nom. I’m actually a sushi wuss. I only eat uber-americanized pieces like California rolls and crispy shrimp rolls. Cath has much more sophisticated tastes and goes for the raw fish pieces.

Hope you, lovelies, are having a wonderful week! Let us know what you’re up to. My brain has been a bit fuzzy with all this upcoming move stress, so I’m sorry if this is a short babbly post. Any tips for mid-week de-stressing? Happy hump day!

On Cath: thrifted Longchamp bag • H&M tee • Gap skirt and flats • necklace from clothing swap • bracelets from local artisans • Agnes Scott ring

On Lar: Dress worn as top from Creatures of Comfort • Citizens of Humanity skirt • necklace from Spotlight Boutique • sandals from Squash Blossom boutique

One of the things I’ll miss the most when Lar moves to Scotland is being able to meet her for a couple of minutes after work or for a quick lunch. In the summer, our meet ups usually involve New Orleans Sno Balls or mixed drinks at Leon’s or frozen yogurt from Yogurt Tap. Maybe we’ll figure out a system where she can go to a yogurt shop in Scotland and I’ll go to Yogurt Tap and we’ll Skype each other. Has the frozen yogurt craze hit Scotland or is it too cold there for that to happen?

Lar’s outfit details: second hand shirt, H&M tank, H&M shorts, Target belt, and Unleashed espadrilles.

Our AsianCajuns necklaces are perfect for layering. The top necklace is from Squash Blossom Boutique. It’s three different colored threads wrapped around a cord.

Pink summery toes! Hey Lar, if for some reason you think you won’t be wearing those espadrilles much in Scotland, you could always leave them with your beloved sis in Atlanta for safe keeping *cough, cough*.

Ahem. Moving on.

Outfit details: Forever 21 shirt and pants, Madewell shoes and second hand Longchamp bag.

This is probably not my most flattering outfit. The shirt is cut wide and the pants tapper so it makes my middle section look all blehhhh. Ah well, it’s one of my most comfortable work outfits and I just tell myself that it looks better in person than in photos.

A close up of the shirt. I don’t usually buy patterned shirts, but I loved the colors on this one.

I hope you all had a great weekend. I’ve spent the past two days at home trying not to spend money, doing work around the house and wearing some very unfashionable outfits. Needless to say, you won’t be seeing photos of me from this weekend!

That’s my “Hey there, Sailor Friday” look. Okay maybe I need to work on it a little as to not scare Friday away, but regardless you get the “I’m excited!” memo.

Cath and I started the weekend early: Thursday for lunch to be exact. We invited our good friend and fellow blogger Eli to come down and try the new No. 246 restaurant in Decatur.

Doesn’t Cath look like she dressed for 246? She looks perfect!

On Cath: Freebie sunnies • Squash Blossom top • Limited skirt • Dolce Vita shoes • thrifted Longchamp bag 

 On Lar/moi: thrifted blouse (love the fans on it) • Zara skirt • Ashley Watson recycled leather bag • Hunter boots

Hello lovely readers! Cath here. It’s been a while. Lar has been wonderfully blogging away while I’ve been painting and reorganizing my house. Well, the painting is done in the living room and kitchen, but I’m afraid the organizing will take a while. The good news is I think I can juggle blogging and organizing much better than blogging and painting.

This weekend has been a busy one. Those of you that follow us on Twitter know that Lar styled a shoot with her wedding photographer, Aharon Hill. I came along as Lar’s assistant/intern/lackey. It was hard work and Lar is definitely much more cut out for the work than I am, but at the end of the day we had so much fun turning a green patch of grass into a romantic African safari. We promise to link you over to Aharon’s site once the first few shots are up. I can’t wait to see them.

The photos in this post are actually from last weekend when we sweated a whole lot less than we did today. The weather last week almost felt like spring so I took a break from painting/organizing and met up with Lar – and Boo Radley – at Duck’s Cosmic Kitchen.

Lar wore her Walgreen’s straw fedora, her new dress from Squash Blossom and Jeffrey Campbell boots. (Sorry for the blurriness. We used my phone to take photos and the camera lense never stays clean in my purse).

I wore my AsianCajuns necklace, Madwell top, UO denim shorts, Target belt and faux-Ray Bans that I got for free years ago at some event.

There are so many great dog-friendly places in Atlanta. The owners of Duck’s love dogs and always bring out a bowl of water and a biscuit for our pups.

Look how happy Boo Radley is after a morning at Ducks:

I hope you all are enjoying your weekends and staying cool with plenty of pool parties, iced tea, and lots of lounging around on shaded patios.

(Had to throw in this last photo of Boo. Lar caught him looking up at her as she was munching on her brunch).

Hi Lovelies!

So it turns out getting the wifis in our retro condo by the sea was a lot harder than we thought. Right now we are at a hotel just outside of D.C. (happy belated birthday, country!) getting ready to meet our Maryland  fam for dim sum. One more night on the road and we’ll be back in the ATL.

For me this vacay started out pretty miserably (sick for the first 2 days or so – even on our birthday, bah), but there have been some major highlights once I managed to drag myself out of the condo: boardwalk funnel cake, doughnuts, sunny beach days, putt-putt golf!

We’ll “see” you guys back in Atlanta soon! Hope you’re having a wonderful week – let us know what you’ve been up to!

Hello all! Look at what Lar wore around her head the other day when we took our parents out for dim sum – a schnazzy headband! What you can’t tell from the photo is that Lar’s headband is homemade. Impressed? I was too. She bought some stretchy neon fabric at Hancock Fabrics, made a few cuts, did a few twists and tucks and voila! I’m in love with it.

Yum, yum, dim sum! Our favorite isn’t even pictured here. Anyone else out there love steamed cha siu baos – also know as steamed bbq pork buns?

Lar’s outfit details: homemade headband, Gap tank (word on the street is that this tank sold out super fast in stores and there’s only XL sizes left online), FCUK for Sears skirt and Jeffrey Campbell shoes.

My outfit details: H&M sweater worn over a dress from Rockit Boutique, Vivid Boutique bag and Nine West sandals. I would normally not advise anyone to wear a sweater during the summer in Atlanta, but a lightweight sweater is perfect for the indoor AC temps.

The photo above is a kind of behind the blog scenes view. Although we consider AsianCajuns to be a lifestyle/fashion blog, we spend a good portion of our picture-taking focusing on food. I also like how the photo shows off the, uh, inviting ambiance of Oriental Pearl with bright red walls, a pretty clear view into the kitchen and one of the many LCD TVs hanging all around the restaurant allowing you to stay up to date on your Asian news or soap operas while you eat.

But enough talk about food! Lar, Matt, Troy and I are heading up to Ocean City, Maryland tomorrow for a much needed vacation. Why are we going to a beach all the way up in Maryland – especially one that could compete with the Jersey Shore in tackiness? Because our extended family owns a condo up there and we get to stay for free! Plus, the condo’s retro decor alone is worth the 12 hour drive:

To see more photos of the condo, check out the photos that Troy took of the place last year here.

We’ll be bringing our laptops with us and have every intention of blogging. However, if you don’t hear from us for a week, just know that we’re thinking fondly of all of you as we sit on the beach, sipping margaritas.

The good this week: shooting that TBS pilot at Sugar Coated Radical. The bad: Matt has been away in LA for a conference all week – boo. The ugly: I’ve had bronchitis for a week and a half and sound like a 4-pack a day smoker).

Luckily Friday evening redeemed the bad and the ugly for Cath and I. We met up with a bunch of friends at (where else) Miso Izakaya – yum yum yum yummmmehhh!

On moi/Lar: Tee from Kohl’s • Old H&M cargo skirt • Vest is FCUK for Sears (for Sears! Can you believe it?) • Mango shoes • Deux Lux purse

On Cath: F21 dress • swap meet necklace • Madewell shoes • Tennessee-made bracelet (local artisan) • Frank Gehry for Tiffany’s ring

Ooo and look what I had for dessert at Miso (below)! It’s not usually on the menu but because we know people in high places (thanks, Chloe!), the sous chef, who happens to be a trained pastry chef, whipped this beauty up! Belgian waffle, topped with Georgia Pearson Farm Peaches, a generous dollop of hand-whipped cream, topped with lemon mint – heavenly!!!

When I get really excited by dessert (which is often/every day), I’m a really, really bad sharer. I barely let Cath take a bite and shielded it from my friends. Nice, right? I didn’t even know Cath was taking a picture (hence the blurry, self/dessert-absorbed movement):

Cath is much more refined than me and looks like this when waiting for food:

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead! We’re heading out to dry the new arepas food truck at Duck’s Cosmic Kitchen!

Lar and I don’t consider ourselves competitive types – we’ve never competed against each other. But once in a while, a little competition isn’t bad – especially if it involves getting to wear a beautiful dress for a few minutes. Enter: WARdrobe.

Our friend, Mr. B3rtrand of 2econdFloor, invited us and two other fashionistas to style a little black dress by Atlanta designer Lake. That’s the stylish Mr. B3rtrand pictured below.

Check out the full post here to see how the other ladies styled their LBDs.

Lar and I both tried to go the non-Audrey Hepburn black dress route (no typical pumps or pearls) – and boy did we ever! Lar outfitted herself with a BCBG straw hat (yes, that’s black fringe on the circumference), mesh gloves, a red/pink ribbon around the waist, a vintage straw bag and her pair of ruby slippers from Burlington Coat Factory.

I wore my Sam Eldman booties, BCBG blazer and a stack of bracelets to go for a kind of downtown/uptown/working girl thing. . . look. It ended up being more of a hobbit look, but I can honestly say I was at least headed in the direction of what I pictured it to look like in my head. You follow? No matter!

At the end of the day, the lovely Charee won the contest and we had a lot of fun playing dress-up. I only wish I could have kept the dress!

A big thank you to Mr. B3rtrand for including us his WARdrobe series and letting me steal these photos for the post.

Cath and I have decided that enough is enough with our long hair. We’re hopping on the Alexa Chung bandwagon and clipping our hair just above our shoulders. The last time we had hair that short was 10+ years ago, and I don’t think we’ve had matching hair styles since this photo:

We’re going for the slightly longer disheveled bob (with long bangs). We might do the ombre highlights once we’ve mustered the courage to do the cut (our appointment is this Saturday afternoon). We’re going together for moral support, and hitting up my most favoritist hair stylist in all of Atlanta, Robin at Dada. She cuts hair like a dream. (Marcus at Soge is our man for color).

We’re hoping to look like this post-cut (including the extra 5 inches Alexa has on us- and those lovely eyes):

p.s. Alexa also happens to be our mix (dad is Chinese and her mom is Caucasian). So not exactly an AsianCajun, but an AsianBritain (?)
p.p.s. Speaking of British people/things… I have some news to share that has to do with my move and Britain (I unintentionally mislead you with that whole “I’m moving to the West Coast!” thing)… more to come in the next post…