Rent the Runway

Whenever I was in college, I had an entire corner of my closet dedicated to cocktail dresses. Between Greek dances, Homecoming, and other formal events, I always felt justified buying a cute outfit whenever I found a good deal. Since graduating, I have found that my “fancy” events are now few and far between. Suddenly that corner of my closet has become empty, with a few remaining stragglers that I keep thinking maybe I’ll find a reason to wear again one day. With that being said, anytime one of those rare events comes up, I’m faced with the classic question, “But what will I wear?

This is where Rent the Runway comes in. I’ve known about Rent the Runway for a little over a year, but I never had a reason to try it. A few weeks ago, my sorority chapter celebrated their 50^th anniversary on WKU’s campus. Knowing that this would be the perfect opportunity to reunite with a few friends I haven’t seen in a while, I decided to go. Attire on the invitation was listed as cocktail or better. Cue Rent the Runway.

If you aren’t familiar with Rent the Runway, it is a company where you have your pick from literally thousands of designer clothes, shoes, and accessories. Rather than purchasing, you are able to rent them for 4-8 days for a fraction of the cost. Since their store locations are extremely limited, Rent the Runway does an awesome job helping you make the right choice through their online store. Each piece comes with a detailed sizing guide, stylist recommendations, and customer reviews complete with body descriptions and pictures. Once you decide to rent, you get to choose your delivery date, get a free backup size, and return everything for no charge in a cute garment bag that doubles as a shoulder bag for easy transport.

Knowing that attire was “cocktail or better,” I looked through both the floor and cocktail length dresses over the span of a few days. I finally decided on an ML Monique Lhuillier frock that was a classic take on the trendy high-low style dresses. Perfect—cocktail in the front and formal in the back.

Dress

My experience could not have been better. Not only did my dress arrive exactly on the date expected and in great quality, but I also received probably more compliments on this dress than any other piece of clothing I’ve worn. I paired it with fun pearl necklace and some great Sam Edelman nude sling backs with a touch of bling on the toes that I snagged from the Dillards semi-annual sale. Best yet, my dress, which would have been $615 off the rack, only cost me $95 + a 20% off promo code for a 4 day rental.

With the holidays quickly coming up, this is the perfect time to try Rent the Runway for one of the many parties and family get-togethers that will inevitably be filling your calendar. They have put together an awesome Holiday Party Guide, but check below for a couple of my holiday picks. Who knows? Maybe I’ll end up rocking one of these for New Years Eve.

Christmas Eve

This Kate Spade dress just feels wintery to me. The navy is classic, but it’s the jeweled neckline that really sets it off. Put on your best nude heels, and this dress is perfect for a formal Christmas party or a special Christmas Eve dinner. Plus, it’s a major steal at only $35.

Holiday Work Party

The pretty but also modest cut of this A-line dress makes it your perfect pick for an office holiday party. Throw in the tiny bow detail at the neck and swoon. Swipe on a Christmas red lip, and you’ll be looking much more expensive than the $65 price tag.

New Years Eve

A girl can only own so many fully sequined dresses. This makes renting the perfect option for New Years Eve. While my own NYE plans are still TBD, this dress has made the short list for potential outfits I might wear. I’m thinking black tights and booties and maybe even a leather jacket for extra warmth, and this dress has a total New Years party vibe.

What’s in your closet for the holidays?

Cheers!

Sarah

Friday Favorites

Laura and I may have still been in turkey comas yesterday, so enjoy our Friday Saturday Favorites post a day late. We are officially in the holiday season!

1. Wit and Wonder

Nordstrom is easily one of my favorite department stores. Although we don’t have a Nordstrom in Kentucky, I love to shop at nordstrom.com. Check out their Wit and Wonder gift shop to find an extensive selection of unique, quirky gifts that would make the best stocking stuffers. My personal picks include this antler bottle opener, the folding selfie stick (judge me), and a cute ice cream pint huggy. -Sarah

2. How to Buy Art in Your Twenties

I have so much blank wall space in my house because I want to make sure I have just the right pieces picked out for each spot. My favorite tip in this montage is,“Don’t overthink it” because I definitely do. Sometimes it’s okay to pull the trigger. -Laura

3. 3-Wick Candles

My first job I ever had was at Bath & Body Works. Although I’ve never been much into lotions or body sprays, the one B&BW product that I will always swear by are their 3-wick candles. B&BW shares the same parent company as White Barn, which is known for their awesome candles. I almost always have a candle burning whenever I’m home at my apartment, and although I’ve tried several different varieties, I seem to always come back to my tried and true 3-wicks. Their burn time maxes out at about 45 hours, and I can usually still smell the scent even a day later. While my all-time favorite scent is in the fall collection (Leaves), there are some great options for winter (I suggest ‘Tis the Season). Best of all, they are on sale for $12 right now making this the perfect time to stock up! -Sarah

4. Christmas Cookies

As my friends and family know, I love cookies and I love to bake, so naturally, I love cookie exchanges during the holidays. My first cookie exchange is coming up next weekend, and I’m already giddy about sampling everyone’s cookies. I tend to keep my cookies pretty simple, and my go-to recipe is a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. However, I stumbled upon this list recently, and I’m thinking I may try something new. If you have a favorite cookie recipe, please send it my way! -Laura

5. Kindly Kentucky Facebook

After nearly a month of building content, we are gearing up to take social media by storm. We are so excited to start sharing our voice with more people, and a first step in this is creating a Facebook. Follow the link to check out our page. We will be sharing updates, blog posts, and other fun tidbits through this platform. We can’t wait to meet you there!

Cheers!

Laura & Sarah

My Old Kentucky Home Renovations: Dining Room

Our dining room is probably my favorite room in our house. We typically host a few parties as well as several family holiday meals each year, so its larger size is great for our needs. It required relatively little work to update it since it had great bones to start with. I love the white fireplace flanked by two extra-long windows. You may remember this picture from the ultimate before post last week, and while Jay changed some of the aesthetic details, I didn’t really care for his changes. Luckily, we didn’t have to do much more than paint the walls and change out the furniture and accessories.

Because the room is so large and bright, I went with a darker greige wall color. I think it makes the room feel more intimate, and since it is in the middle of the house, the color serves as a neutral base for the surrounding rooms.

We changed out the dining room table and chairs for a larger option. The scale of the table and chairs fits the space better, and it can be expanded to comfortably seat 8-10 guests, which is perfect for family meals or Jay’s poker games.

Jay has an extensive bourbon and Kentucky Derby glass collection, so they are displayed on an antique washstand that was obtained from an estate sale in Lexington. I collected his rogue bottles of bourbon that were scattered around the house and put them in a side cupboard with his extra derby glasses because we couldn’t come close to fitting everything on top of our makeshift bar. As a quirky twist, we added the Kentucky for Kentucky “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved” print modeled after Hunter S. Thompson’s iconic short story, which was a gift from Jay’s brother.

Additionally, we recently inherited a couple of pieces of furniture that we’ve added to the space. One is an antique sideboard that matches the dining room table surprisingly well and provides much needed storage for some of our serving dishes. We also inherited Jay’s grandmother’s recipe box, which is a special touch. Whenever Jay says, “That tastes just like my grandmother’s (insert food here),” I know I’ve done something right.

Our second inherited item is a beaten biscuit brake. Beaten biscuits are little hard biscuits usually enjoyed with country ham that used to be popular in Kentucky and across the South. As in, your grandma’s grandma probably ate them. I’ve never made them, but I hear you have to crank that sucker for AT LEAST AN HOUR to get the biscuits just right. However, Jay is insistent that we make them for Christmas, so you may get to read a post on that later this season. Anyways, I’m not really sure how to style the table because the cranking mechanism gets in the way. I tried a vase, but it didn’t seem quite right. Currently, it serves as real estate for an iHome.

I consider this room “in progress.” It really just needs some more accessories to complete it, but I’m waiting to find the perfect ones. The dining room opens into our living room, which has shades of olive, teal, and coral red, so I carried the red and teal into the dining room with the fabric on the chairs and the area rug. I’m currently on the hunt for some larger scale artwork with those colors as well as window treatments and a few accessories to polish off the room.

Cheers!

Laura

Dried Herbs

For my birthday earlier this year, my dad built me a raised herb garden made of cedar wood. During the summer and fall, I love to use lots of herbs when I cook, so it was a great gift. Besides the dill that I may have pruned too much, all of the herbs took off, and most thrived until the late fall. With temperatures in Kentucky dropping well under freezing over the weekend, I decided it was time to harvest what was left.

I’ve been known to make huge batches of pesto to make use of overgrown basil and freeze herbs in ice trays before, but I’ve never dried them. This year we had so many that I didn’t want to waste, so I decided to dry them. If everything turns out well, I may put them in cute packages and use them as stocking-stuffers for friends and family who enjoy cooking.

After researching the best methods to dry them, I decided to go with the classic air-drying method. Some guides I read suggested drying the herbs in the oven, but I didn’t want to risk the chance of burning them. While the air drying method may take a couple weeks, it’s much harder to ruin the herbs.

All I did was gather the herbs in bunches. You can use rubber bands or wire. I went with rubber bands because as the herbs dry, they shrink and can fall out of the wrapped wire.

Then I cut slits around the corners of paper bags to allow for a little bit of airflow before bunching the paper bags around the bunches of herbs. Again, I used rubber bands to secure the paper bags.

The placemats are Pomegranate – one of my favorite Lexington brands. A similar pattern is linked here.

I hung the herb bundles from rafters in the attic where we have a dehumidifier. Ideally, you should hang the herbs in a cool, dry area for a couple of weeks.

I’m excited to begin using the finished product in some new recipes!

Do you have any good winter recipes that call for dried herbs?

Cheers!
Laura

Weekend Roundup: Wicked

One type of outing that I consider to be a special treat is going to see a Broadway show. I’m lucky that Louisville is home to the Kentucky Performing Arts Center and hosts a yearly Broadway series. This past weekend, Ryan and I went to see Wicked! This was actually my second time seeing the show. My first time attending was during my one instance of playing hooky in high school for my best friend’s birthday. However, this was Ryan’s first time. Knowing what to expect myself, half the fun was watching his reactions to all the jokes and big moments. Because of that, I think this time was my favorite!

If you aren’t familiar with the concept of Wicked, it is the backstory to the Wizard of Oz focusing on the witches. I loved the Wizard of Oz as a child and even went through a phase where I watched the movie almost everyday. As you can imagine, I was Glenda the Good Witch for Halloween that year. Wicked is such a fun, “adult” way to relive one of my childhood favorites.

I originally bought tickets for the show a couple of months ago, but due to some scheduling mishaps, we ended up not being able to use them. After being seriously bummed out and trying to woo the ticket office into letting me exchange them for a different time, we ultimately decided on trying our luck with the ticket lottery. KyPAC has this really cool program where you can enter your name into a lottery 2.5 hours before showtime for the chance to win up to 2 front row seats. And guess what–Ryan and I won!

If you’re a music nerd like me, then you know that front row seats technically aren’t the best for a musical. The acoustics in most performance halls tend to be better towards the middle/back of the orchestra level. However, this did not stop the experience from being completely awesome. There’s something really special about being close enough to be able to watch the pit and even see the details on the performers’ faces.

While the attire at most Broadway shows is mixed, I think that dressing up is a fun way to make the night a little more exciting. Since Wicked is a quirky show, I dressed accordingly in a black and grey leopard print dress (similar below), wine colored tights, and black booties. 

Loft Leopard Dress (on sale)

Do you have any favorite Broadway shows?

Cheers!

Sarah

Friday Favorites

Can you believe that we are already 2/3 of the way through November? Fall is flying by, but here are a few things that we’ve made time for over the past week.

1. Brie Recipe

It was my turn to host Bible study this week, and this recipe looked like the perfect appetizer I could quickly put together after a long day at work. I mean, what group of women doesn’t love brie? I thought the fresh thyme, roasted almonds, and balsamic vinegar might kick it up a notch from just a regular warmed brie offering. I was right about those things, but as I was rushing around the sweep the floor and set up other food and drink items, the brie melted a little too much in the oven. If you make this recipe, I advise lowering the temperature (I already lowered my oven to about 325) and only leaving it in the oven for 10ish minutes. Also, check it regularly, which is what I should have done. Instead of serving a pretty brie wheel, I served a delicious brie dip. And guess what…it was the first thing to go! -Laura

2.  Tumbles Gets a Wheelchair

I am a major sucker for cute puppy videos, and this might just be the best one in a while. I have to admit, I found this video while scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed. It seems like Facebook has been extra negative lately, but finding this video about Tumbles and his new wheelchair made this particular social media binge worth it. If you ever feel like you need a simultaneous laugh and good cry, check this video out. -Sarah

3.  #OptOutside

It’s one week away from Black Friday. Such a divisive day! I have some friends who are first to bust through the doors of the mall as it is scheduled to open and others who absolutely refuse to take part in the consumer culture. My mom, sister, and I trypically go shopping on Black Friday, but we wait until mid-morning to hit the stores and find that most of the crazed shoppers who started running through the mall at midnight have gone home or are slumped on a bench drinking an Orange Julius. It’s actually a really pleasant experience. Since we live a couple of hours apart from each other, it is a great excuse to go shopping together and get started on our Christmas shopping.

REI is closing its doors to customers and paying its employees to #OptOutside, which I think is a really refreshing idea. What do you think? Will you be at the mall? -Laura

4.  Monogrammed Scarf

It seems like I’ve been seeing this scarf everywhere lately, and in my opinion, it would make a perfect Christmas gift. With the recent trend of plaid blanket scarves, this is a more classic option that is available for both males and females and that would definitely please multiple people on your Christmas list–I’m thinking moms, in-laws, co-workers, anyone really! My personal pick is the blackwatch option, and I think it would look great under a winter coat or even paired with a black turtleneck for a classic winter look. Throw a monogram on this puppy, and you’ve got yourself the perfect personalized Christmas gift for under $30, whether for yourself or for someone else! -Sarah

5.  Friendsgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. With the exception of the Black Friday craziness that seems to be cutting more and more into Thursday night, Thanksgiving remains one of the least commercialized holidays that I think still focuses on all good things–friends, family, and lots of great food. In college, I was in an organization that always had an annual Thanksgiving dinner potluck. A Friendsgiving, if you will. This past weekend, several of my co-workers and past classmates also hosted a Friendsgiving. Although I was unable to attend because of some last minute obligations, I still love the idea and think it’s an extra fun way to celebrate the holiday before everyone travels to be with family. There’s still a week left before Thanksgiving, so if you haven’t already, grab a group of your friends and help show them how thankful you are for their presence in your life! -Sarah

Cheers!

Laura & Sarah

Weekend Roundup: 24 Hours in Nashville

This past weekend, Jay and I headed to Nashville for a quick 24 hour trip. While we planned the trip around the afternoon Vanderbilt vs Kentucky football game, we managed to pack a ton of other activities into our schedule. We’ve both spent considerable amounts of time in the city and certainly have our favorites that we like to hit when we’re in town. Because Nashville is booming right now, it’s always a tough to decide whether to check out a new hot spot or stick with our favorite hangouts. Since we were in the city for such a short amount of time, we decided it would be easier to revisit some of our well-loved establishments.

Eats:

Mas Tacos: Mas Tacos is in the revitalized East Nashville neighborhood, and there are LOTS of great dining options nearby. Mas Tacos is in an unassuming building across from Pharmacy Burger (another favorite), and it was the perfect place for us to stop for a quick lunch on our way into the city. The hours are somewhat limited, so I recommend making sure they’re open before you get there. The chicken tortilla soup is a MUST!

Rotier’s: Rotier’s  is restaurant we like to visit near Vanderbilt’s campus. It is a hole in the wall, and you’re only going to see locals and a few college kids here. We were really hungry after the game, so we stopped by for their French bread burgers, which is what they’re known for, sweet potato fries, and a chocolate milk shake. If you’re looking for comfort food and a reprieve from Nashville’s trendy scene, this is the place to stop.

Puffy Muffin: Popular with Brentwood and Franklin’s older ladies-who-lunch on the weekdays and families on the weekends, the Puffy Muffin has a terrific lunch and brunch menu as well as outstanding baked goods. We popped in for a couple of cookies to enjoy as an afternoon snack. The worst thing about this place is trying to pick just one baked good.

Drinks:

Tavern: Tavern is a gastropub that has a lunch, dinner, late night, and brunch menu. I think their food is decent, but with so many other great restaurants in the city, it isn’t my first choice for a meal. When we come to Nashville, we typically spend at least part of our trip in the West End near Vanderbilt’s campus, so we frequently stop at Tavern for a drink before a Vandy football or basketball game or to grab late night snack after a fun night out. The vibe here is casual, so I didn’t feel like too much of a schlump wearing my game day attire when we stopped for a pre-game beer.

The Patterson House: The Patterson House is in Midtown, and it is the place to stop if you are looking for a quality craft cocktail. Their offering are extensive, and truth be told, I’m not sophisticated enough to recognize many of them. The crowd at The Patterson House is definitely not who you’re going to see dancing the night away at a honkytonk on Broadway. It is set up like a speakeasy with a very intimate setting. My favorite seat is at the bar because it is fascinating to watch the bartenders assemble the intricate drinks. Be prepared to wait for a little while if you come after dinner, but it is definitely worth the wait. This was our last and favorite stop on Saturday night, and the boys both ordered bourbon drinks. You can take the boys out of Kentucky…

Shopping:

My mom, sister, and I frequently make trips to Nashville specifically to shop. Opry Mills is an indoor outlet mall next to the Opry Land Hotel, and we like to go to the Green Hills area if we are looking for slightly more upscale stores that we don’t have in Kentucky, like Nordstrom or Restoration Hardware. We didn’t do much shopping on this trip, but I convinced Jay to stop by Draper James, the new flagship store for Reese Witherspoon’s new apparel line. The first detail I noticed upon entering was the smell of magnolia blossoms. Jay was escorted to the “porch” area and read basketball blogs on his iPhone while I swooned at the clothing and accessories. The store is crisp and fresh, so the clothing really stands out. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Outdoors:

We finished out trip with Sunday morning at Radnor Lake. After griping about my feet during a strenuous 10 mile hike in Pisgah National Forest on our one year anniversary trip last month, Jay made me purchase a pair of real hiking shoes. Not pictured because they are NOT CUTE. I tried them out on our morning hike at Radnor Lake State Park, which is a really amazing oasis just south of the city. We saw lots of deer and wild turkeys, and there were still some trees with leaves turning before the winter. Take Granny White Pike to get there from the city. You’ll have major house envy, and you may get a glimpse of a country music star walking to their mailbox.

Where are your favorite places to visit when you’re in the Music City?

Cheers!

Laura

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! This week was a doozey, and we’re really glad it’s the weekend! Here are a few tidbits that helped to pull us through the week.

1. Share a Drink at Starbucks

My coffee is usually homebrewed, so Starbucks is a rare treat for me. Although I don’t hop on the PSL bandwagon, I’m definitely looking forward to the first peppermint mocha latte of the season. Say what you will about the red cups, I’m planning to have a coffee date with my mom tomorrow. There is a buy one holiday drink get one free deal from 2-5 PM each day this weekend. It would be a great time to catch up with a friend or family member! – Laura

2. Ted Talk: The Career Advice You Probably Didn’t Get

Ted Talks are one of my favorite things to watch whenever I have some time to kill. Recently I’ve been on a kick of reading/watching anything career related, especially when it applies to females in the workplace. This particular Ted Talk was shared with me by my mentor. As a female in a corporate environment, some of the career advice I receive can be menial—avoid upspeak, wear your hair pulled back, don’t say “like,” be more confident…While some of those things are important (maybe not the hair one, in my opinion), I love this Ted Talk because it brings it back to the basics. Our greatest assets in the workplace, man or woman, are our minds. – Sarah

3. Whine About It

Anytime I need a quick laugh, Matt Bellassai from Buzzfeed is my go-to guy. Matt’s best known for his weekly video series, Whine About It, where he basically drinks wine at his desk and says every inappropriate complaint that has ever gone through my head. He just started season two of Whine About It, so now is the perfect time to start watching if you’ve never seen his videos before. My favorite quote from his latest video, Types of Food that are the Worst, is that “ramen is just a spaghetti noodle that went for a perm.” – Sarah

4. Ankle Bootie Tips

I’m slowly embracing the bootie trend. For the first couple of years, I thought they were too trendy for me to try to pull off, and then when I realized that they might fit into my wardrobe, I didn’t really know how to wear them with different outfits. This style guide has been my go-to! With the exception of the bare legs and socks look, I feel like I could wear each of these styles. I’m currently on the prowl for some neutral flat booties that I could wear with jeans on the weekends, and I’d love to see your favorites! – Laura

5. Yoga on the Go

Creative Yoga is a new hot yoga studio opening a mere block away from my house next week. I’m so excited! While perusing their website in anticipation of their opening, I found this nifty guide to yoga on the go. I’m no stranger to the quad stretch, and my colleagues frequently walk by my office and find me doing eagle arms while reading an email. You bet I’ll be trying out some of these other poses for a little refresher during the workday! – Laura

What’s been on your radar this week?

Cheers!

Laura & Sarah

My Old Kentucky Home Renovations: Before

This is the exterior of our home when Jay purchased it in 2009.

The past year and a half brought a lot of changes to my corner of world – engagement and marriage, a new job, the loss of a family member, adopting a dog, moving into a new (old) house, and renovating said house. I find disorderly spaces extremely stressful, so while they are definitely the most trivial things on the list, moving and home renovations were the most unnerving.

So here’s the backstory… Jay and I live in an 1880’s Victorian cottage near downtown Lexington, and we’re I’m trying to make it livable for a 21st century couple. My husband purchased the house several years before we met, and since I was renting during the time we were dating, it was the obvious choice to live in his house after we got married. Jay lived in the house for 5 years before before I moved in, which gave him 5 years to turn it into the ultimate bachelor pad i.e. fancy bottles of bourbon displayed in every room, newspaper cutouts of UK basketball players taped various places, a general lack of cohesiveness…You get the picture.

To give you an idea of what we’re working with, here are some great things about our house:

• Great location 
• Charm out the wazoo
• Large foyer, family room, and dining room
• Expansive brick patio in the fenced-in backyard

Here’s what it is lacking:

• Large (or even medium-sized) updated kitchen
• Storage
• Garage

Warning: What you are about to view is downright scary. These are the pictures of the house when Jay purchased it in 2009. It is the ultimate before.

Each week, I plan to share a different piece of the renovation story. In the past 12 months, we’ve eliminated a bedroom to add a master bathroom and closet, demolished a bathroom to create an office nook, enclosed our laundry/pantry/utility room, rebuilt our front porch, added a new roof, painted several rooms, and re-landscaped 75% of the yard. While I don’t plan to knock down more walls anytime soon, I do have a lot of home improvement and decorating projects that I’m planning to tackle. Stay tuned for some “after” pictures and in-progress updates.

Cheers!

Laura

Weekend Roundup: Winchester Wedding

I just got back from a wedding weekend in Winchester, KY for my close college friend, Logan, and her new husband, Spencer. Although I’m only 23, several of my close friends are married. Talk about a reality check! This was my fourth time being a bridesmaid, and my seventh time playing a role in a wedding in general. *cue Katherine Heigl from 27 Dresses*

All that aside, I can honestly say that this particular wedding was one of the prettiest I have attended. Logan was brave by having an outdoor wedding in November, but once I saw the venue, I immediately knew why. She was married on a bison ranch comprised of the tell-tale rolling hills of Central Kentucky. Being late fall, the trees were showing off their last few days of bright orange and yellow leaves. Of course I forgot to snap a pic of the breathtaking landscape (beginner blogger probs), but you can catch a glimpse below behind me and my forever wedding date/boyfriend, Ryan.

While I’m lucky that my friends have done a great job picking out bridesmaid dresses in the past, this can definitely be a point of stress as a bridesmaid. Let’s be real — there is no dress out there that can universally fit all body types, and I definitely don’t want to be wearing one that showcases the two bags of Halloween candy I bought on sale last week. One of the best parts about Logan’s wedding was that she let us buy any dress we wanted as long as it fit in the wedding scheme. Seriously — best decision ever.

I got my dress from Ann Taylor. Who knew that Ann Taylor carries a wedding collection?! It was the perfect floor length, blush colored dress for the occassion.

Dress

Where is your favorite place to look for formal dresses?

Cheers!

Sarah