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the look for less {scalloped shorts}

if you're loving the look of see by chloé's scalloped shorts ($295), i've got great news for you! a recent perusal at urban outfitters yielded the following lookalikes:
now they're not available in white (yet?) but i think they're adorable in black and capture the scalloped detail that has made the see by chloé option so popular. style your lookalikes with a crisp black button-down:
j.crew slim stretch shirt, $49.50 (originally $59.50)
cinch a bow around your waist:
and finish the look with a fresh take on the classic gladiator sandal:
...for a look that screams classic chic for day and night. top it off with a black blazer for chilly nights:
...and you're good to go! what do you think?

more blog love

just when i thought awards season was over, it seems in the blogworld it's still going strong. big hugs to amy of tastes like red, who gave me the beautiful blogger award a little while back! i am to rattle off seven (hopefully) unknown facts about myself and pass along the title to seven other lovely bloggers. after tuesday's post, you might know everything about me by week's end!

1. i go to bucknell university in lewisburg, pennsylvania. i am majoring in french language & literature and minoring in art history. i have loved studying abroad in france and admire many things about the french way of life... from the beautiful language to the famed fashion (not to mention a national obsession with bread and cheese), i'm hooked.

2. for my senior year at bucknell, i will be moving into an off-campus house with my seven best friends. decorating my bedroom will be my first design project since choosing paint colors and bed linens for my bedroom at home circa age twelve and i couldn't be more excited. while i have loved most everything about my semester abroad, i can't wait to get home and get decorating! the room is currently big and boring... but i prefer the term "blank canvas."

3. my family and i are obsessed with the office. i also watch grey's anatomy, gossip girl, and anything on bravo (flipping out and the rachel zoe project are particular favorites) but the office is my all-time favorite.

4. i am a boston red sox fan. i remember staying up with my dad to watch the american league championship series against the yankees in 2004 like it was yesterday. after the red sox went on to beat the cardinals in four games, he was quick to remind me how lucky i was to only have had to wait fifteen years before seeing them win the world series, as that year marked the end of their 86 year curse. my grandfather, an equally diehard fan, exclaimed that he now could die happy having seen them won.

5. i was a competitive gymnast for most of my childhood. this was not a hobby or a pastime but a way of life — and i have the leotards, trophies, and video footage to prove it. after a collegiate stint with cheerleading ended following my freshman year, i really need to find an exercise regime that i can stick to!

6. i love elephants. my sister painted me an elephant that hangs above my dresser in my bedroom at home and it rocks. i wish i had a picture to share!

7. i desperately wish i were artistic. my dad can draw and my sister can paint and i would love to be able to do either one.

as for the seven bloggers to whom i'd like to pass on this award, i'd like to focus on fellow fledgeling bloggers — ladies like myself who are newish to the blogworld (within the past year or so) and already making their voices heard!

marija of holding court
debby lee of inspired design
roxy of my cup of te
catherine of the shiny pebble

another thank you goes out to the adorable ashley at sweet southern prep for giving me the honest scrap award. go check out her blog if you haven't already! she is the sweetest. for fear of boring you all, i'll simply redirect you to my previous post of ten things i love rather than delving into ten new facts about myself. thank you all for thinking of me and for stopping by each day — you all are the best!

sculpture at home

everyone loves a piece of attractive artwork, don't they? a personal photograph or a larger-than-life painting can make the room. an often overlooked form of artwork for the home is sculpture. i can't think of a single example of sculpture in our own home but, judging by these spaces, that might be something to reconsider. what's your take?
a stately bust gives a colorful space regal flair.
unconventional art in the form of two interlocking tusks forms a focal point in this graphic living room.
how do we feel about a horse in the home?
this sculpture might be a little much but i love the painted floors, stacked books, and photographs on the floor.