Cath and Troy just left Edinburgh yesterday and I am totally heartbroken. Two weeks with Cath just wasn’t nearly enough. It might be another year before we see each other again and the thought of that makes me just want to sob over my labtop keys. So enough of that! I’ll distract myself (and you!) with some photos of when we were together… in Pareeee!!!

On Cath: Maison Scotch sweater/jumper • Blank black cords • black boots from Nordstorm Rack

We stayed in a flat in the less fashionable and touristy, but oh so wonderful 19th arrondisement. You will see gobs about the flat in upcoming posts because we loved it so, but here’s just a preview. Above: Cath sitting outside, making our patio look warm (it wasn’t) and lovely (it was!).

On Lar: Cath’s cardi • Saint James top • Madewell skinnies • Calvin Klein leg warmers • Hunter Verbier lace-up wedged

This was my uniform in Paris. I only packed a carry-on for seven days, so I wore these wedge Hunters every single day: so comfortable and perfect for Parisian puddle jumping.

And a requisite shot of our AsianCajuns necklace on Cath:

We hope you guys have had a lovely holiday. Happy happy New Year!!!

I’ll be back with more snippets of our trip soon!

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Dear Kitcath,

I sobbed like a big fat baby when you and Troy pulled away in the cab. I don’t think we can go one whole year apart. The longest has been this three month stretch and that was too long.

Miss you sooooo much!

Love,

Lar

Ladies and gentlemen, I am a lucky lady. Not only do I get to go to Paris tomorrow and meet up with my twin sister/bestie, I had the chance to attend a party full of Atlanta fashion bloggers tonight and got a free pair of shoes from Sole Society.

The party and free shoes are all thanks to Eboni of The Fashionista Next Door. That’s her with me in the photo below.

You know what’s so great about being around other fashion bloggers? No one gives you a weird look when you whip out your camera and start taking pictures of everything or get super excited over everyone’s outfit.

The party was at Sunny’s Hair and Wig shop, which I’ve been wanting to check out forever. I’m desperate for some clip-in extensions so I can have long hair again – whenever I feel like it. I got a little too distracted tonight by the good company, free wine and gorgeous shoes to really take a good look at the extensions, so I’ll be back after my trip.

Just want to do a quick shout out to all the amazing ladies I met tonight – and will be adding them to our blogroll once I find some place with wi-fi in Paris:

Lily Kai, Fashion Without Guilt, Makeup By Ren, Imperfect Concepts, Oh! Nikka, Curls Coils and Kinks, Charee Lenee, and Shandart Productions.

Speaking of local bloggers, Erica of Erica + Rice, asked me to spread the word about a great holiday donation program her high school is hosting:

Erica made the poster herself and she’s only in high school!

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Dearest Larbar,

I get to see you in 24 hours!!! I missed you more than ever tonight at the blogger get together and can’t wait to tell you all about it. I’m so buzzed that I’m supposed to wake up in 5 hours and don’t even feel sleepy! Although I also feel a little loopy and might have multiple spelling/grammatical errors on this post. Please feel free to edit while I’m flying over the Atlantic tomorrow.

See you in Paris!

love, cath

I’m trying really hard not too get too excited about my upcoming trip until I’m done with my final exam next Monday, but I can feel the excitement bubbling up. I also can’t help but get excited this time of year. I love the whole hype that comes with the holidays – even the dreaded gift giving/buying part. I blame my giddiness on my mom. She knows how to do Christmas decor right and would decorate our house top to bottom every year.

She’s toned down the decor a bit since Lar and I have moved out, but she still does makes the house look amazing every year. Here’s just a taste of some of our mom’s holiday decor this year:

See what I mean about her decorating skills? Who wouldn’t love the holidays with a mom like that?!

I spent the weekend finishing a paper, making holiday gifts and going on the Decatur Candlelight Home Tour – it was no Edinburgh Castle tour, but it was fun! And of course Troy and I stopped by Ale Yeah for some beer on Sunday, because, you know, we can.

Outfit details: Sweater from Lila in Inman Park, Alternative tank, Blank cords, Mango boots and Asos purse.

________

Dear Larbar,

I love seeing photos of you at the Castle! I definitely visited it when we were studying there, but I can’t remember if we went together. I love the little chapel that’s there – the oldest building in the city. It’s so cool to step out from the chapel and see the whole city.

Only a week and a half left!

love, cath

Woohoo! It’s now legal to sell alcohol on Sundays in Decatur! That’s me below picking up some Sam Smith Winter Warmer on a SUNDAY!!!

For those of you who live in states with more, er, progressive alcohol sale laws, this might not sound like a big deal. But imagine getting invited to a Sunday brunch and offering to bring mimosas then waking up on Sunday and realizing you haven’t bought any champagne. Yep, you’re S.O.L. Or how about you make a delicious penne alla arrabiata on a Sunday evening and you realize you don’t have an equally delicious red wine to pair with it. Oh well! Or what if your bf invites friends over every Sunday for some marathon NFL watching and you realize you have absolutely no beer in the fridge – only an old pitcher of pink lemonade Crystal Light. Curses!

You see? Life without Sunday sales in Georgia has been rough.

Look at Troy (below), happy as a clam with a box full of craft beer from Ale Yeah – our neighborhood craft beer market that’s within walking distance from our house. For those of you who are curious, we picked up a Sierra Celebration, Skullsplitter from Orkney Brewery, Bridgeport Kingpin Double Red and Unibroue Ephemere.

Am I starting to sound like a lush? My apologies, I’m just so excited by this change that will make my life a little bit easier. I know, I know first world problems.

Now on to some equally important stuff. . . my new sweater! I got it for Paris – it looks tres chic, no? I figure you can’t go wrong with black and white stripes in France.

Outfit details: Free People sweater, Blank cords, Asos boots (from Lar).

______

Dearest Lar,

Come to think of it, you can’t buy alcohol on Sundays in Edinburgh, right? I just vaguely remember the beer and wine aisle at Tesco being blocked off on Sundays. Maybe I’m just making that up.

I can’t wait until we’re shopping at Merci together – in our unfashionable winter coats! Less than three weeks from now!

Love, cath

I had all these plans to take great outfit/blog photos this weekend, but instead have spent the last three days in oversized t-shirts and stretchy pants nursing a cold/flu/sinus infection. And what makes matters worse is that I don’t have any backlogged outfit photos that I can post.

I’ve been so busy the past few weeks that the only photos I have are from the Decatur Wine Festival. I usually try to dress decently for the wine fest (i.e. boots, nice jeans, a tailored jacket), but not this year! I ended up helping out/working for most of the day. This is what I wore:

That’s my dad on the left! He doesn’t even drink wine, but the free food enticed him. You can’t really see my whole boring outfit, so here’s a little collage of what I wore:

It doesn’t get much more blah than a fleece jacket, jeans and boots. The only little bit of style I had was the gloves I had just purchased from Vivid Boutique ($10!). They’re the kind of gloves that can be worn as mittens or finger-less gloves, which come in handy when you’re trying to text on your iphone/droid.

I use to have a pair just like these when I was young and have been looking for a similar pair ever since. I have a feeling I’ll get a lot of use out of them this winter.

Glove happiness aside, I am a little concerned about my cold-weather sartorial choices. Like Lar, I end up going for warmth over fashion once it gets below 35 degrees. I know, I’m a wuss, but I blame it on Atlanta’s temperate winters. Nevertheless, I’ll be spending a whole week in Paris in December and am super worried I’ll end up looking like this:

When I so desperately want to look like this:

Yeah, it’s a total pipe dream, but I’m holding on to it! I’m packing a mid-length winter coat and hoping some cute winter accessories like this Eugenia Kim turban headband and a brightly colored snood like this one might help things out. I’ll keep you all posted. I’m sure Lar and I will take so many photos in Paris you’ll be sick of seeing us wrapped up in our (hopefully stylish) winter garb.

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Dearest Lar,

What are your Paris outfit plans? I know you don’t have many clothes over there in Scotland, but you have that really cute J.Crew puffer and super cute scarves and hats. Plus, now you have those gorgeous new boots from that store with the weird name. I want to go to there!

I’m not as concerned about what I’ll wear in Scotland. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d love to go all Brigadoon:

But something tells me that’s not so practical Plus Edinburgh isn’t as much of a fashion capital as Paris. I wouldn’t feel guilty about wearing fleece in Scotland.

Love you!

Cath

I’m so glad it got a little chilly in Atlanta today. Earlier this week it felt like summer and that’s just not right when Thanksgiving is just a week away. I know I’ll be cursing myself next month when I’m freezing my butt off in Paris, but right now I can’t wait for the colder, holiday weather.

I ran into Cameron of Atlanta Street Fashion the other day and he was sweet enough to take this photo:

Outfit details: New York and Company sweater, secondhand jacket from Lar, Blank cords and Frye boots.

Last weekend Troy and I went out with some friends to Murphy’s for brunch. The company was awesome and the food was delicious.

Now you might ask why my friend Chloe has a piece of food over her face in the photo below. Well, she’s an uber talented food blogger that likes to stay anonymous, but I wanted to include this photo because I love her outfit.

And just because Lar hinted for me to include photos of my place, here’s a sneak peak. I’ll take some more photos later – once I’ve cleaned up a bit

———-

Dear Lar,

I can’t believe Christmas/fairy lights are so expensive over in Scotland! But don’t worry about decorating for us. I already love what you’ve done with your place and can’t wait for the next blog installment.

I made Chess Squares tonight for a holiday party at work and they remind me so much of you. Let’s make them when we’re in Scotland together. I would say that we should make them in Paris, but I think we’ll have plenty of pastries to eat there!

Love, Cath

Every year one of Decatur’s elementary schools hosts a fundraiser called Junktique. It’s pretty much a community yard sale with live music, some crafts for sale and food. It’s local events like this that make me love living in Decatur. It makes me feel like I’m living in an episode of Gilmore Girls. I know, so not cool to like that show, but I do!

My friends had better luck than me at Junktique, but I still had fun walking around and stopping by Oakhurst Market for some organic chocolate milk. It also gave me a chance to show of my new neon laces that I got at Target a few months ago:

I originally bought the laces to put on my oxfords – and I might still do that – but last Saturday I felt like updating my 7 year old Chuck T’s.

Not the most groundbreaking fashion change, but it put a little pep in my step.

This weekend is Steinbeck’s chili cook-off. I can’t wait to stuff myself with chili while drinking cheap beer and hanging out with friends. Any of you locals going?

———-

Dearest Lar,

I wish you could come to the chili cook-off with me! Your new outdoorsy-ish way of dressing would be perfect for an event like that.

You want to know what else is perfect? This tea combo that Lena introduced me to. I think I mentioned it last time we chatted on Skype: raspberry tea + a sprig of mint + honey. It’s delicious!

And the best part is you can make it for yourself in Scotland!

Just one month until I’m in Paris with you!

Love, Cath

It might feel like winter in Edinburgh, but it barely feels like fall in Atlanta. Usually it’s a little colder this time of year. I haven’t even needed a jacket in the past few days.

Outfit details: Cardigan from Lar, Forever 21 top, Alexander McQueen for Target pants, Missoni for Target pumps.

Some of you local Decaturites might recognize where I am in the photo above – just outside Brick Store Pub. Troy and I love Brick Store and have been on a huge Flemish beer kick. We shared a bottle of Girardin Gueuze the other night and it was delicious.

Love the script on the glasses that the Gueuze comes in.

——

Dearest Lar,

Do you miss the Brick Store? Is there anything similar in Edinburgh? You might have cafes on boats, but Decatur still has its own Belgian beer bar.

I can’t believe I’ll only be in Edinburgh for five days. I definitely want to go to all the amazing places that you’ve been discovering. I’d love to climb Arthur’s Seat, but it might be a bit nippy in December! And most of all, I just want to spend some sister time drinking tea and maybe doing a little bit of shopping on Princes Street

xoxoxo,

Cath

This post is a little late – whoops! Trick-or-treating has ended and Halloween will officially be over in less than an hour. Maybe I should title this post Happy Belated Halloween.

I really wanted to go as a matador this year, but I’ve been so busy with school work that I didn’t get a chance to put together my costume. *Sigh* It would have been so fun wearing leggings with pink tights and carrying around a stuffed animal bull. Maybe next year!

I took this photo on my phone so I could show Lar my new Missoni for Target shoes (thanks Eli!). I’ll get a better photo of them later this week.

Outfit details: H&M sweater and skirt, Missoni for Target pumps

__

Dear Lar,

Did you have any trick-or-treaters at your flat? We had one – a teenage who wasn’t even wearing a costume and just held out his bag without saying anything.

Ah well, at least mom’s table top decor got me in the Halloween spirit:

And so did Alison’s pumpkin carving party where I made this monocled, mustache guy:

What are your plans for Guy Fawkes Night? I want to see photos!

xoxo,

Cath

While Lar has been having adventures in sometimes-sunny Scotland, I’ve been going to work, reading for class, and cleaning my house in sunny Decatur. It’s a glamorous life.

I’m trying to get serious about saving for my trip to Europe in December, which means no new clothes – gah!

Did I mention that my parents, Troy and I are meeting up with Matt and Lar in Paris before Christmas? No? Well, we are! Paris for six days and then a week in Edinburgh. It’ll be cold, but amazing and I just bought my plane tickets so its official. Too bad that now means I have absolutely no money to buy new clothes.

I’ve been trying to get creative and wear items in my closet that I don’t get a lot of use out of. For example? This striped Maison Scotch dress:

Outfit details: Banana Republic blazer, Maison Scotch dress and necklace, and AE boots.

I bought this dress in the summer and loved it so much that I only wore it once. I know, I know, it makes no sense, but I sometimes treat my favorite items too preciously and wait so long for the perfect moment to wear them that I never end up wearing them. Makes no sense, but there you have it.

So I decided to shake things up a bit and wear my Maison Scotch dress on a regular work day last week.

I love the subtle ruffles (runching?) on the sleeves:

The dress came with this sweet necklace:

Dearest Lar,

Look! In honor of your move, Lucky Magazine had a Scotland-inspired editorial in the November issue:

I imagine that instead of your hiking boots and rain coat, you spend most of your time in Edinburgh wearing flow-y plaid skirts, weird fluffy scarves/hoods without a jacket, and heels like this:

Is that you leaving your flat estate in Edinburgh?! You didn’t tell me your garden was so lovely!

In all seriousness, I’m finding it increasingly hard not having you here in Atlanta. At least we’ll be together in Paris in less than two months. The countdown is on!

Love, cath