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Tag Archive for 'Fashion'

Fall Must-Haves

I meant to do this post 2 weeks ago (whoops) – and considered just shelving it since we’re now *cough* 5 days away from Thanksgiving (how is that possible?), BUT there are so many goods on here to take you into next week and thru the Winter, if you wanna nab em.  Behold, my favorite staples – for the home, for suppa, and for you!

1. Black Elk Peak Candle from Ethics Supply Co, $38: this is the most delightful thing I have in my house right now.  SO GOOD for Fall!  Ethics Supply Co is running 15% off right now if you sign up for their newsletter.

2. B(air) Denim Ankle Skinny Jeans from 7 for All Mankind, $99: On sale from $199, or they have a 30% off with code VIP30 on these Best Sellers and of those, these with velvet stripes are killer… plus free shipping & returns. I have these in a classic fade and also in black and I live in them.  These jeans have just enough shape to hold all the things in and just enough stretch to be forgiving if you wanna slam some mashed potatoes. They’re also higher waisted which I love.

3. Nublado Throw from the Citizenry, $395: My sweet grandmother just rolled over in her grave because I put a $400 blanket on my blog, but HOLY TESTICLE TUESDAY LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL & CHUNKY & DELICIOUS IT IS! Also doubles as a work of art anywhere it’s sitting. If you’re like my family, we don’t throw blankets away until they actually disintegrate: I still sleep with the one I was swaddled in as a baby, and all the afghans we had in my house as a kid are still in a basket beside the couch at my mom’s house. Just sayin… #investmentpiece

4. Tapered Beeswax Candles in Black, $48 for set of 8: I love how unexpected the black is (and so moody!) – though any of the jewel tones would be gorgeous. I think they’re sold out of navy, but also love Forest.  Top image via 100 Layer Cake.

5. This velvet pillow as the crown jewel on your bed. We didn’t have enough pillows in the house (that’s a big fat lie), so I had this one made recently and have an extra. The fabric is a Suzani / vintage textile print on velvet, and it retails for (hold onto your shorts) $350 mother-loving dollars per yard. I wanted something really cozy that brought some color into an otherwise neutral palette (Chris made the wood bed, and those Carolina Irving Patmos Stripe euros are a killer staple, but they needed a friend with some pop).  Sham (no insert) is 31.5″W x 17″H, $150.  Face is this velvet, back is solid linen. I can have a custom-sized insert ordered for whoever gets this gem (prob another $50ish). UPDATE 11/17/18 at 3pm: SOLD! But DM me on Insta or email me at stephanie.m.ballard@gmail.com if you still want one – I had at least 15 people inquire so we can always make more!

6. Goē Oil, $49: This stuff SAVES MY BACON (hands) when it gets cold and dry outside, which is about 8 months of the year where we live. Vaseline Intensive imposter has NOTHING on this goo. Available via Goop or also at Anthropologie.

PS: Did you know women in Colorado age (something horrifying like) 40% faster than women in more humid parts of the country because it’s dry as a damn bone in these parts? Eek. So you better believe I slather this stuff on my hands a few times a day (little goes a long way, and it does soak in quickly). Thanks to one of my fave people & rad clients, Jamie, for turning me onto it! Had she not, pretty sure this would’ve been me in a year:


7. Mulling Spice from Trader Joe’s: I haven’t tried this myself but have heard people RAVING about it and being like: “You will never need to try to make mulled wine from scratch at home ever again.” And thank the goodnesses, because Chris & I tried to mull some wine a few weeks ago, and lemme tell you that it smelled glorious on the stove but tasted very much what I imagine a moldy foot tastes like. All the cinnamon sticks in the world couldn’t help me. Lesson learned.

8. Classic Nubby Sweaters. Sweaters are tough, man! Gone are the days when I can see something that looks cute online and then have it not look like a potato sack on me when it comes in the mail. They’re often either too frumpy or too scratchy or too boxy (*COUGH* Madewell, I’m pointing at you). Or worst of all, they have those giant bell sleeves, perfect for dipping in your soup – I would like to give a good slap to whosever idea those were.  So I don’t buy sweaters often – only when I REALLY love em… (this is me, setting you up for some-of-these-are-stupid-expensive-but-so-amazing-they’re-worth-the-splurge):

Heartloom Elsie Sweater, $68: I just bought this and it’s super cute and cozy. Runs large so size down (I got a small).

Forte Forte Round Neck Giada Sweater, $730: I know, get out of town…I can’t get on board with spending $700-odd dollars on a sweater, but I can get on board with sitting in my H&M sweatpants & dreaming about it, then putting it in my eBay “Saved Search” list and nabbing it when it comes up on supa-sale.

Joie Minava Sweater, $349 – I tried this on at Nordy last weekend and never wanted to take it off. The pic on the model scarcely does it justice – SO CUTE WITH HIGH WAISTED JEANS AND A TOPKNOT. Or a lob, if you have one.

St. Roche Sissy Sweater, $375 because the 80’s remain the best decade ever, and this one has just enough cute details with the perky shoulders and the neck detail and the ribbing at the waist.

9. Creamy Rigatoni with Broccolini & Sausage from What’s Gaby Cooking: I’m foaming at the mouth and can’t wait to make this. Nomnomnomnom.

10. Melbourne Patchwork OTK Boot from Sole Society, $149.95 less 15% off today: These are Karrie’s pick! So rad, good price for what they are, come in a few colors and have great reviews.

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,

2014, in all its glory.

Big Sur

2014 was a PRETTY big year.  So before we cheers to 2015 tonight (clink!), we wanted to take a look back at some of the best posts of 2014, and all things bitter and sweet that shaped us…  for the betta.

1. ON LOVE:  Karrie’s really real talk on marriage and everything learned – so far – on the subject.  We will ALWAYS try and be truthful, honest, and sometimes – to the chagrin of those closest to us (schorray, Teem!) – pretty darn candid.  Which brings us to…

Karrie & Tim | Covet Living

2. ON LOSS:  Steph’s raw and heartbreaking post – penned in the throes of a painful split – left our readers in a puddle.  The love that had joyfully radiated through the internet and the subsequent loss of it were equally palpable.  But how ‘bout that silver lining?!!  …the shift to a more fulfilling career in a warmer place, the goodness of so many loved ones and strangers, and the profound lessons learned… and learned a-gain at the end of 2014, just for good measure.  Many of which can be summed up by Mark Manson’s Love is not enough.  No regrets though – not a one.

I Loved, I Lost | Covet Living

3.  CALIFORNIA DREAMIN:  Once bi-coastal bloggers & besties, Steph’s cross-country move put us just down the street from each other (Santa Monica à San Diego)…  which means regular trips to the Rose Bowl Flea Market (stay tuned for the before & after of Karrie’s breakfast nook we’re currently revamping!), a lot of hilarity, and a lot of trips to Casa Machado.

Karrie and Steph, Encinitas | Covet Living

Southern Cali | Covet Living

It also means Tim wants to punch himself in the face on a regular basis.

Teem | Covet Living

4. ALL IN THE FAMILY:  Our hearts literally broke this Spring when we said goodbye to Steph’s beloved Grandpa, Bud…  a man who once said: “I never understood the point of fake boobs.  Anything you can’t fit in your mouth is a waste of time.”  What a stud.

BUD collage

Then they burst at the seams later in 2014 with the addition of one of the cutest, most angelic things to grace us with her presence – Karrie’s niece, Willow – a cooing little nugget we wanna eat up!  (Look at that FACE!)

Willow | Covet Living

Rounding out the fam-jam:  Steph moved into a bachelor pad with Karrie’s he-cousin + another young lad.  She affectionately refers to it as “El Frat House” and some days, wakes up to the sounds of thighs slapping and the sights of a sea of empty beer cans.  LAWD.  But to their credit, those 2 hooligans make for protective pseudo brothers, and the whole shenanigan makes for some amazing stories.

5. FASHION ROUND-UPS:  Look no further than our fashion round-ups {2014 Oscars | 2014 SAG Awards} to get a sense of the evil texts we volley to each other during awards shows (in sweatpants).  Who do we think we are – Anna Wintour + OP?  Nah…  just two hens cluckin’ about all things fashion related.  And when we’re not weighing in on stars’ fashion triumphs & mishaps, posts like this inspire us to keep our wardrobes effortlessly cool.  And fearless.

Camilla and Matthew | Covet Living

Jason Bateman | Covet Living

6. BACHELOR(ETTE) ROUND-UPS:  Speaking of being perched up in the judge’s chair…  Most Tuesday mornings, Steph shares her candid, kooky and controversial belly-laughing commentary from Monday night’s Bachelor episodes.

Cody and Mad Libs | Covet Living Bachelorette Commentary

Opera Singer on Bachelorette | Covet Living

Operation Doctor candidate | Covet Living And we can’t WAIT for Farmer Ted’s season – otherwise known here on Covet Living as the “Panty Dropper” – to start on January 5th!

Chris Soules Farmer Ted | Covet Living 7. ON TV:  Someday, we’ll tell you about the time Steph was in a close overtime thriller to be one of gals vying for Farmer Ted’s heart.  As for Karrie (a reality TV producer by day), this year we toasted not one but two of her MAJOR hit shows!  The pint-sized drama on Little Women: LA left our jaws on the floor, and the modern-day arranged marriage / social experiment that is Married at First Sight  had everyone from the ladies on The View to the check-out ladies at your local grocery store talking about it.  Look for even crazier TV shows to come from Karrie in 2015.

MAFS | Covet Living

8. GLOBETROTTING:  With girls’ trips to Palm Springs and Malibu, weddings in Big Sur, wine country getaways and jaunts across the pond to the South of France, we took in some of the most gorgeous places in the world.

Travel | Covet Living

9. HEALTHY BODY:  We both embraced dropping gluten and picking up yoga in a major way, and we feel a MILLION times better for it. And big props to Amy P at Corepower Yoga in San Diego for kicking our ever-loving butts in the happiest and most Namaste of ways.

Post-Corepower Yoga | Covet Living

Check out über healthy & delicious recipes for zoodles + meatballs, autumn ingredient salads, and lazy weekend brunches if you missed ‘em… and this post for our workout playlist.

Autumn Ingredient Salad | Covet Living

10. HEALTHY MIND: Though most of us love to read, we’re often so busy that we (whoops) forget.  And then when we remember, we don’t know what’s out there worth reading.  Well.  Leave it to Karrie to dole out good suggestions, always.

Books to Read, Covet Living

11. HEALTHY SPIRIT:  Many-a-Mondays, we shared words of wisdom like this & that… and maybe the most notable of all this year, THIS’UN.  Because if there is ONE thing we do our best to practice, it’s finding the joy (and hilarity) in everything, every. *single*. day… and being kind to people… and taking the leaps that scare you to death (“…because one day, there won’t be any more time to do the things you want to do.  Do them now.”)  Finding the good in all things – even the things that absolutely suck.  The entire reason we started this blog almost 5 years ago was to share with you guys that spirit for life and for all the things we love.  We love you to the moon and back for staying with us all this time.  And if you’re new – wassup!  Sit down.  Have a cocktail.  Stick arrooouuund.

Take-The-Leap-Covet-Living

Happy 2015 to you all!!!  And yo…don’t forget to take an Uber.

xoxo,

Steph & Karrie