28 January 2013

Day Trip to Chattanooga, TN

Troy and I have been itching to travel, but we currently don’t have the time or money for a full blown trip. Our solution? A day trip two hours north of Atlanta to Chattanooga! I put off my school work, Troy put off cleaning the kitchen, we dropped the dogs off at my parent’s house (thanks mom and dad!), texted our friends for some Chattanooga tips (thanks Greg and Alison!) and we headed north on I-75.

I’ve been to Chattanooga a couple of times – I’ve even stayed at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo twice! But it’s been a while since I’ve explored the city.

Chattanooga is divided by a river and there’s an amazing pedestrian bridge that connects the two sides. I love how many people were walking with their dogs even on a relatively gray day.

Speaking of dogs, Troy and I were tempted to stop into Good Dog – a local hot dog place. It was written up in a couple of the local papers, but we had just eaten lunch. I’ve already made a mental note to stop by here next time we come up for a visit.

Chattanooga has a vibrant art scene and great public art. Troy and I couldn’t pass up taking cheesy photos with this guy (anyone else noticing a dog theme? Hmm.):

Look! It’s Harold and his purple crayon! Lar and I loved that book when we were little:

For the most part Troy and I spent the day walking around, taking breaks at coffee shops and eating (it’s what we do best). Here are a few places that we stopped in:

The sales woman at Bone Appetit was probably one of the nicest people we met today. She has ten dogs at home so she knows her stuff. She even gave us some samples of her new grain-free, meat-free treats for our golden doodle who seems to be allergic to almost everything.

Rembrandt’s Coffee House is right by the art museum and the perfect pit stop for an afternoon break. It’s located on the bottom floor of what looks like an old 1930s apartment building and has a European vibe to it. We also stopped into the New Moon Tea Room on the north side of town. I got a cup of vanilla and citris rooibos that was delicious.

We finished our day off at Easy Bistro & Bar, which ended up being such a treat. The bartender, Sarah, was super friendly and the drinks were delicious. Housemade cucumber gin? Don’t mind if I do!

All in all, it was a great mini road trip. My biggest Chattanooga tip: don’t go on a Sunday. A lot of the restaurants and shops either closed early or were closed for the whole day. We lucked out that places like Easy Bistro & Bar were open.

To finish off this post, here’s Troy showing off the only items we purchased the whole day (we spent most of our money on food and drinks):

_________

Dearest Lar,

Do you remember when we went to Chattanooga a few years ago with mom and dad? It’s built up a little more since then. The antique mall is still there (located on the north side near the Whole Foods). Troy and I went in there looking for a mid century end table for our living, but didn’t have any luck. In fact, apart from a dining set, there was no mid century furniture to be found! I’m determined to find the perfect piece, so the hunt continues!

Love and miss you as always,

Cath

Category: Cath's Style, Experiences

10 Comments

24 January 2013

TGIF Link Love

Lar

Image via Visit Scotland

• Aren’t those wee shetland ponies so sweet?! If I were an animal, that’s what I would want to be: you can’t run fast or fly, but boy can you rock a sweater and stumpy legs. They are dressed up in their fancy cardies to celebrate The Year of Natural Scotland.

• Want to know what Google street views looked like 100 years ago?

• Kohl’s is collaborating with Derek Lam (YIPPEEE!) this spring. Want a cherry to put on top of that good-news sundae? Use promo code TENFORBLOG to get 10% off your Kohl’s purchases through March 9. Sweet!

• A delicious food blog written by siblings who live far apart, but blog together (sound familiar?)

• A heartwarming story about American Girl Doll Kirsten. Did you guys have an AGD growing up? Cath had Kirsten and I had Samantha.

• Have you seen Before Sunrise and Before Sunset? How can this movie not be wonderful?

• A twist on the denim button-up.

• What girl doesn’t want a pair of Valentino studded pumps? Too bad they’re so expensive! Now you can make your own!

Category: TGIF Link Love

5 Comments

24 January 2013

Deelicious Brazilian Food in Edinburgh

Lar

Here’s a fun fact (that I made up): Edinburgh’s answer to the food truck is an old police box (the latter recognizable to Dr. Who fans around the world). If you are a long-time reader of AsianCajuns you’ve heard me wax lyrical about my friend’s Indian food police box: the Bollywood Coffee Box. But it doesn’t stop with mouth-watering curries and spicy chili pakoras. All around Edinburgh (and probably other British cities too), entrepreneurial souls are selling hot drinks, ooey gooey chocolate-filled crepes and aromatic soups from a space no larger than a small American walk-in closet.

Take this guy, for instance:

Awesome, obviously. (He posed like this for the photo — I didn’t just mistakenly catch a fleeting smirk). This guy makes incredible brazilian food from his police box called Tipiniquim. Most days he whips up gluten-free crepes that he fills with your choosing of sweet or savory delights, but on Saturday, oh boy, you are in for a treat. If you haven’t been introduced already, let me tell you about Brazilian bean stew, or feijoada (pronounce fay-jah-dah):

It’s like this: black beans cooked down with sausage and ribs for hours with delicious spices. Serve over a bed of fluffy white rice, ground cassava root (adds a lovely texture and a very light nutty flavor), perfectly tender steamed greens, and a squeeze of orange. Shovel into mouth. Fall into blissed-out food coma.

Apparently feijoada is usually made on Saturdays in Brazil, kind of like red beans and rice Mondays in Louisiana. Have you guys ever had feijoada before? I seriously think Matt and I will be haunting Tipiniquim every Saturday afternoon (stew’s usually ready after 12:30 pm). Apart from the delicious food, standing by the vividly painted police box with tropical fruit hanging in baskets temporary transports me to some place that gets sun more than two days a year. Some people take vitamin D, we’ll just take our weekly dose of Brazilian bean stew.

I love small, independent food movements like these and really am curious what the different manifestations are around the world. Any food trucks or police-box-turned-cafes in your cities?

—-

Dear Cath,

Definitely on the list for when you next visit. And we’ll get gluten-free nutella crepes for dessert. Have you guys been food trucking lately? Not living in the States anymore I was wondering if that was just a trend or if they are still going strong. Matt and I will have to scope out the other police boxes in the center of town. I think most of them are sort of coffee and soup places — I feel completely spoiled by the Bollywood Box and Tupiniquim.

Miss you so very, very much!

Brazilian Bean Stewly Yours,

Lar

Category: Edinburgh

8 Comments

21 January 2013

Same Blazer, Two Different Takes

Cath

A few months ago my friend Mere and I snatched up these brightly-colored Mossimo blazers from Target and they’ve become staples of our workwear outfits ever since. The ponte material is super soft and stretchy (although mine has started to pill a bit under the arms) and each color has its own fun, matching patterned lining (see my cuff below).

Since we didn’t have work today (did I mention that Mere and I work together? – I’m so lucky that I get to work with my friends!), we both dressed down our blazers. No pencil skirts and tights today – woohoo!

I decided to wear my blazer with skinny ankle jeans. It was almost warm enough outside for exposed ankles. (After taking these photos, I immediately went home and changed into a fleece and boots. #bloggercheating #canttakethecold)

Blazer • Target | shirt • thrifted | necklace from a little shop in Florence | jeans • J.Crew Outlet | pumps • BCBG via TJ Maxx

I love Mere’s patterned top. It looks like it was made to go with her blazer:

Blazer • Target | blouse • Target | jeans • Gap | heels • Kohl’s | watch • Nixon

I’ve actually seen a number of girls wearing this same blazer so we must not be the only ones who love it. If this is the first time you’ve seen this blazer and you’re dying to have it, it’s still available at Target.com here.

After taking these photos today Mere and I realized that we actually have a lot of the same clothes, so you’ll be seeing her in future AsianCajuns posts. Thanks for playing along, Mere!

Here’s to a four day work week!

___________

Dear Lar,

As I was writing this post my mind kept turning to a very important question: how the hell do you live without Target?! I can’t believe not one single Target has opened up in the U.K. I suppose there’s no Marks and Spencers here, but that’s not really the same. I wouldn’t trade a Tarjay for a Marks and Sparks no matter how many Percy the Pig items they sell!

Did it feel strange to be in a foreign country on Martin Luther King, Jr. day and Obama’s second inauguration? That’s like a double wammy of American-ness. You couldn’t turn on the radio or TV today without hearing Beyonce sing the national anthem – it got old fast. Everyone is saying that Obama’s speech was better this time around, but nothing can beat the feeling of us being there live four years ago watching him on the jumbotrons in D.C. Remember our inauguration post four years ago?

At least Robert Burns night is coming up for you. I wish I could go to a pub and eat a wee bit of haggis with you to honor the occasion!

xoxo, Cath

Category: Cath's Style

11 Comments

18 January 2013

Twin Take: Our Vanities

Cath

Happy Friday, lovelies! Lar and I decided to mix things up a bit and instead of a Friday Link Love, we’re doing a Friday Twin Take. Yeah, that’s right, we like aliteration. And we like sharing our sameness and different.ness. First up! Vanities!

Lar and I are relatively low maintenance when it comes to makeup. Don’t get me wrong, we love our trips to Sephora as much as the next girl, but we both keep our makeup routines under five minutes. Efficiency? Yes. Laziness? Most definitely.

Regardless of our brief daily makeup routine, Lar and I both appreciate having a place to apply our makeup. There’s something so luxurious about having a dedicated spot to primp and Lar and I have both done it on the cheap. Take a look:

Lar’s vanity is located right by her bedroom window. Of course natural light is the best light to apply makeup. Too bad Lar lives in a country where it’s only sunny about 10 percent of the time (sorry Lar, had to make that dig).

My vanity is a five year old Ikea desk. I used my phone to take photos so you can’t see the scratches in the paint. Otherwise, it’s perfect!

Let’s take a closer look at each set up:

I love how girly Lar’s vanity looks – although I guess there’s no such thing as a manly vanity. Matt bought her that bottle of Lancome perfume for Christmas and the pink bottle is from her super fancy Harrod’s hamper. Do you see all of her makeup brushes? Lar is the one who made me realize that makeup is so much easier to apply with brushes than with the weird foam tools that come with drug store makeup and q-tips.

Lar stores the bulk of her makeup in a biscuits (that’s “cookie’s” in British speak) tin.

Instead of cluttering up her vanity with hair tools and products, she keeps them stored in a box nearby. Do you see how she has a GHD straightener? So jealous!

My vanity is a bit more cluttered:

I purchased the chevron tray and little cupcake stand at two local shops in Decatur. The full size cake stand was made by a local potter. I like to think these items make my table top look a little more pulled together.

Lar and I both like organizing things cups (see my white tea cup and Lar’s turquoise mug). I have two tubes of Rimmel concealor because they’re now only available in the UK. Lar brings them home for me and I hoard them.

I keep my AsianCajuns name necklace within easy reach because I wear it almost every day. The little bowl is a gift from a friend who went to China and the A to Z emery boards are from Lar.

I think Lar and I get our love of vanities from our mom. She’s not big into makeup either, but for as long as I can remember she’s always had a vanity. It’s a a weird combination I suppose – like having a big closet but not really being interested in clothes. Go figure. Are we alone here? For our female readers out there, do you have a vanity? Any organizing tips? Do you keep your makeup in a cookie tin?

So many questions to think about while heading into the weekend!

P.S.: Friday Link Love isn’t gone forever. It’ll be back every other Friday.

__________________

Dearest Lar,

It’s MLK Jr. weekend and you know what that means?! Volunteering on Saturday! This will be the second year in a row where we won’t be volunteering together, sniffle ,sniffle. I hate losing traditions like that, but we can start new traditions, like Twin Take Fridays, woohoo!

Skype date Sunday?

xoxo, Cath

Category: Twin Take

27 Comments

16 January 2013

I’m Finally A Warby Parker Glasses Wearer

Lar

Cath and I have been Warby Parker fans for years (p.s. the gushiness is not due to sponsorship — Warby Parker have yet to hear about the AsianCajuns — shocking!). Cath and Matt have sported their hipster frames for years, but I stuck by my over-priced, barely-there specs and contacts for reasons unknown.

Warby Parker have lovely frames (especially for those of you who like your glasses to say “LOOK AT ME! I’M A PAIR OF GLASSES” — my old wishy-wishy pair said “Errr, this girl would so rather be wearing her contacts instead of us. Harumph.”) and every pair they sell, they donate a pair to someone in need. Ethical specs?! A dream come true! So I bit the bullet and went big and tortoise-shell-y.

Here is a close-up of my new frames in all their stylized glory (with, you know, some silverware, a mint julep cup, straw hat, rocks, and brown paper-covered books to keep them company):

Cath and I love Warby Parker so much we even went to a party they threw in Atlanta over the holidays. To be honest, apart from getting to be with Cath, it was kind of a let-down. When I went to try on glasses in their party school bus, the Warby Parker attendant was kinda rude to us. Maybe my jetlagged swagger was mistaken for public drunkenness — not to trusted around delicate hipsterware. Anywhoodles, we did manage this snap before we skedaddled:

——-

Dear Cath,

My frames are so heavy because of my coke-bottle lenses that I’ve sent away for these ~~nerdy~~ awesome accessories so they don’t slip down my nose constantly. I’ll let you know if they actually work once I get them. I hear-tell that you can headbang, grapple, and run on a treadmill once you get these on. I’m going to try all three things at once.

Miss you ever so much!

Love and lenses,

Lar

Category: Lar's Style

12 Comments

13 January 2013

Hotlanta in January

Cath

It reached 70 degrees this weekend in Atlanta. Pretty ridiculous. I had planned to wear this outfit with a black turtleneck and boots before I realized how warm it was outside.

I recently purchased this Madewell top on sale on Shopbop. It’s no longer on the site, but there are still some great sale items available. What pattern do you think this is? I figure it’s like a mix between a giraffe and cheetah print. Or maybe Flintstones inspired? Either way, I love the top because it’s stretchy and roomy. I’m going to wear it to work with a pencil skirt and belted around the waist at some point.

I’ve had this purse for years and it’s been languishing in the back of my closet. I love how proper and ladylike it is and I’ve made a mental note to use it more. Have you guys rediscovered any good accessories in your closet recently?

Here’s to a good and happy work week!

___________

Dear Lar,

I love getting to talk to you on Skype – it always puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day. Actually, my mood was almost ruined today after talking with you when the Falcons almost lost the game today, but they pulled through in the last 30 seconds. Woohoo!

School starts back up this week so I’ve been really trying to make the most of this last “free” weekend. In addition to making you a pom pom garland (I’ll be sending it off shortly), I made this tassel garland for my closet, ~~ran~~ walked a 5K, made a vegan shepards pie for lunch this week and went grocery shopping to get enough fruits and veg for my morning smoothies. If only I could be that productive everyday!

I wish you could have been in Atlanta this week for the weather. Here’s one last pic of the sunshine just in case you don’t get any this week in Scotland!

Love you! xoxo,

Cath

Category: Cath's Style

6 Comments

11 January 2013

TGIF Link Love

Cath

How many of you watched the season premiere of Downton Abbey last Sunday? Lar’s mask is from a friend who got to go see the premiere a few weeks ago in Atlanta – so jealous! For those you who are fans of the show, take a look at this awesomely brilliant Tumblr featuring Edith and her googly eyes: http://edithwithgooglyeyes.tumblr.com/

When not engrossed in the gloriousness that is Downton Abbey, here’s a few things that we’re loving this week:

• Wouldn’t it be so cool to drink in Britain’s oldest pub?! Now which one is it?

• Ethically made clothing up to 60% off!

• The best place to learn some photoshop magic for your blog.

• DIY antiqued mercury mirror glass tutorial.

• 52 vintage dresses. One for every Sunday of the year.

• Goat 4 Sale: best Doritos commercial ever!

• Breathtaking travel photographs.

• On the to do list for this weekend. . . I’ll be ~~running~~ walking with Toby.

• DIY VHS case clutch. Ingenious.

• Period costume dramas tour. Yes please.

Category: TGIF Link Love

8 Comments

9 January 2013

New Year, New Job, New Bag

Lar

Happy New Year, lovely readers!

So what’s new with you?

I’m back in Edinburgh (way too far away from Cath again) after a lovely two weeks back in the States. I have a new bag and a new (thrifted) skirt. And a new job! Yup that’s right. I no longer wear sweat pants 24/7. I’ve been so inspired by Cath’s workwear these past few years, and I’m trying to live up to her stylish ways.

Do ya see me with the tights, and the pencil skirt and the accessorizing?! I also have a lovely new Kate Spade bag with my name on it (or close to it) given to me by Cath and my mama for Christmas. I’m all professional and stuff!

p.s. Is it spring time yet? I have to admit that post-holiday winter is my least favorite time of the year. Resolutions schmesolutions — I miss the sparkle and warm fuzzies of December. Who’s with me?

—-

Dear Cath,

You are my work-wear guru. I’m still getting the hang of it, but I haven’t touched a pair of “yoga” pants since starting this job. Maybe you should make a special trip out here to show me how it’s done properly. You know, like tomorrow. Wonderful! See you then!

Love Your Deluded yet ever hopeful Twin,

Lar

Category: Lar's Style

25 Comments

7 January 2013

First Outfit Post of 2013

Cath

Hello all! Lar and I are back in the swing of the things and will be posting consistently from here on out. We just felt that we had to ease into the year, you know? And what better way to official start off the blogging year than an outfit post!?!

I just recently purchased this orange and raspberry striped Maison Scotch top. It was on sale on Shopbop and exactly what I was looking for to wear with my orange pencil skirt. This is going to be one of my go-to work outfits for the spring. (I took off my coat while taking these photos and was freezing – all in the name of a decent blog photo!)

Maison Scotch blouse | J.Crew pencil skirt | Claire Vivier clutch | BCBG pumps from TJ Maxx

Lar bought me the Claire Vivier clutch over a year ago and it’s still one of my favorite pieces in my closet. She also purchased the ring and the nail polish I’m wearing. Isn’t she the best sister ever?

Two things I really love about this blouse: it’s machine washable and it has this sweet little bow closure on the back at the top of the zipper.

Have you guys been taking advantage of the post-holiday sales? I’ve only bought a few things and stayed within my budget, which I’m determined to stick to this year!

_________________

Dearest Lar,

It already feels like you’ve been gone for weeks and I hate it! When are you coming back to visit – or better yet – to stay?

I hung up the awesome tea towel you got me and it makes me think of you every time I see it.

I hope you have a great work week and drink lots of tea!

xoxo, Cath

Category: Cath's Style

16 Comments