FLASH TATTOOS

When I think about temporary tattoos, I'm not thinking of anything cool or chic. In my mind, tattoos are something kids wear that come out of a Cracker Jack box or from a parade. So imagine my amazement when I stumbled across Flash Tattoos - jewelry in temporary tattoo form.

 I will never get a permanent tattoo, but this temporary bracelet tattoos are definitely something I can get behind. If I wasn't in awe already, a woman in my Barre3 class had a few bracelet tattoos on and it looked so. cool. I love the simplicity of the bracelets and rings, and the necklaces are totally unexpected. I didn't go to any music festivals this summer, and I don't have any plans to, but this would be the perfect accessory - you don't have to worry about losing jewelry while still looking like you're wearing it! My favorites are the Lena and Josephine, but there are plenty of other options to choose from as well.

Have you tried Flash Tattoos? What did you think? I'm excited to test them out... I think the Lena is going to be my first pick.

NASHVILLE SPOTLIGHT: THE FLIPSIDE

First of all - thank you to the Southern Blog Society for featuring me and Love This Life in yesterday's MEET post. It was a lovely surprise to wake up to, and definitely made my Monday great. I think that SBS totally nailed what I want this blog to evolve into - a combination of my personal style and all the amazing things Nashville has to offer. In the next few months I'm going to start sharing way more about Nashville - everyone knows about the honky tonks down on Broadway, but the little hidden gems are, in my opinion, what makes this city such a great place to live. I've got some goals and visions, and I'm excited to see them come to life.

For today's Nashville Spotlight, let's talk about the newest restaurant in 12South (my neighborhood!) 12South has grown like crazy in the last year, and I love all the fun and delicious new restaurants popping up. The Flipside is the newest and everyone I've talked to has loved it - myself included! I thought it was going to be a burger place the entire time it was being built, but to my surprise and delight, it's all chicken!

It's got a cool, retro vibe to it, with TVs in the bar playing old shows like I Love Lucy. There's games on the table (I had Pick-Up Sticks on mine). And the name "Flipside" references the B-side of an album, so 50s and 60s tunes dominate the music playing. Completely different from any other restaurant in the 12South area, and I love that.

The food is awesome too. There's 16 different chicken sandwiches to choose from, and they all looked amazing. I went for lunch and chose the Greenway, which has arugula, avocado, and red wine vinaigrette. So. good. The milkshakes also looked yummy, but by the time I ate half of my sandwich (!!!!) I was stuffed.

The Flipside is open from 11-Late (love that), Monday-Sunday. If you've been, let me know what you think! If not, add it to the bucket list, and then report back.

images via

A HAPPY WEEKEND

Hello Monday, you have come way too soon once again! 

I had a great weekend and I hope you all did too! I made a very last minute decision on Friday afternoon to drive home. My sister is home before making an official move to NYC (!!!!!!!) and any excuse I have to see her is a good one. Plus my dad and brothers are hiking somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains, so it was a total girls weekend. So perfect! 

We spent Saturday morning at the Farmers Market and got delicious gourmet donuts (blueberry lemon, chocolate crumble, carrot cake, and birthday cake, YUM). My mom stocked up on fresh produce and my sister and I admired the flowers. That afternoon we met a good friend for birthday drinks and the went to see the movie Begin Again. So good y'all!!! I'm listening to the soundtrack nonstop and if you haven't seen it - make it a priority. I think I smiled through the whole thing. Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo are charming, and Adam Levine's voice is, well, beautiful.

On Sunday we went to church and then had lunch and got good sunshine at the pool - a typical Sunday when I'm home in the summer. It was so relaxing and fun to be with my mom and sister and now it's so rare that it's ever just us three, so that was an extra special treat! 

What did you all do this weekend? Anything new or exciting?

J.CREW NEW ARRIVALS: THE SILK SLEEVELESS DRESS

 

J.Crew just released new arrivals for early fall, and I'll more than likely be doing a post on J.Crew's fall collection, but it's still summer, so let's think about summer things, okay?! With the exception of this dress, that is... because it can totally function for late summer, early fall, and it's everything I want in a dress.

Okay, maybe not everything, but I really love it. It comes in five different colors and I want pretty much all of them. It's so versatile - you can wear it now with sandals or in the fall with boots and a jacket.

Now I'll just patiently wait for J.Crew to offer 30% off full price items and snatch it up!


Shop: J.Crew Silk Sleeveless Dress

SAVE OR SPLURGE: OLD NAVY MINI

Old Navy, you've done it again. My sister bought this Madewell silk mini last year and I'm pretty sure it sold out super quickly in stores and online - at least before I could snag it. Not a big deal though, because Old Navy has pretty much an identical version for a quarter of the price. The biggest difference is that the Madewell version is silk, and Old Navy's is rayon, but let's be honest, when it's this cheap, does it matter?! Mine is in the mail to me and I can't wait to get some good wear out of it through September. 

Shop: Old Navy Dolphin Skirt in Polar Bear

WEEKEND IS HERE

It's been a rough week for posting - as in, I haven't. I'm moving out of my current apartment in 27 days (and counting), and I don't have anywhere to move into in 27 days. Talk about a huge stressor. While I love Nashville and all the fun things to do, I do not love Nashville and it's absurdly difficult and expensive rental market. And I'm slightly panicking. That panic has pretty much left me a little preoccupied and not giving this blog some love. But I'm going to spend this weekend creating some lovely little posts for next week, and all will be well. And hopefully I will have a place to live in the very, very near future. Or I might have a full on panic attack.

As always, thanks for stopping by :)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

 

Oh wheeeee it is FRIDAY! I'm heading to Atlanta very soon for the Southern Blog Society Annual Conference. This is my FIRST blogger conference and I am excited and nervous all at the same idea. I don't know too many bloggers going and I've never been to anything like this, but I'm so excited for all the inspiration and fun to be had. Make sure to follow along as I'll be posting on Instagram - @rblack2761 - and for more conference fun, follow the hashtag #SBScon.

A few little gems for your purusing:

1. Can Apple do anything wrong when it comes to advertising? I tear up everytime I see this commercial, and now they are back with this one. So, so sweet.

2. This bikini is a recent find. And it's under $40. Talk about a steal!

3. This new app from Food.com is awesome and it's free in the app store. Go download.

Happy weekend!

NASHVILLE'S NEWEST: ADELE'S

Anyone who knows me is fully aware of the fact that I love being in the know, specifically when it comes to the city I'm living in. And I really love food and eating delicious things. So when you pair those things together, it shouldn't be surprising that I've been stalking Adele's, Nashville's newest restaurant, ever since I heard about it.

So. Adele's. NYC chef Jonathan Waxman heard Nashville was the hottest thing since Bolton's hot chicken (I actually don't know that, I made that up), so he came into town and converted an old auto shop in the Gulch into this beautiful, delicious place.

Adele's is just cool. It's got all the elements of the old auto shop, but it's clean, it's airy, it's bright, it's fresh.... I could go on. And let's talk about those blue bar stools against the white tile and wood counter... I die.

And even more important than the aesthetic (although I would argue that ambiance is 50% of restaurant success), the food was incredible. We got meatballs to start - and y'all they had bits of Benton's bacon in them. If you are a Nashville native you understand this... I was in HEAVEN. Then we feasted on gnocchi and pork ribs for our entrees and it was incredible. I was definitely guilty of staring at the pastries in the corner of the above picture the entire time we dined. And so I caved and ordered a brownie sundae. I think I went into a food coma after. Or heaven. :)

If you are traveling through Nashville or from the area, I highly recommend Adele's. It's good for groups, you can make reservations, there's an adorable outdoor patio, and the bar area seems super fun for cocktails with friends. I have a sneaky feeling this will become a Nashville staple for many years to come, and I'm pretty happy about it.

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images via Nashville Guru

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Happy 4th of July weekend to you all! I'm heading home today and couldn't be happier to spend the weekend enjoying the sunshine, friends and family, and the wonderful USA! Hope you all have equally happy weekends. 

See you all Monday.


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WHAT I WORE WEDNESDAY: fashionABLE

top // pants (old, similar) // scarf // necklace

Summer just makes me so happy. The days are longer, the nights are hotter, and the beer tastes better. This is one of my go-to outfits for going out for drinks/dinner with friends or for date night. The palazzo pants are so deceiving - they look fancy but actually, they are like wearing pajamas. 

While I love summer for it's warm temps, I feel like restaurants and bars think that's a go-ahead to blast the AC. Inevitably, I'm always a little bit cold while inside. Enter this gorgeous scarf from fashionABLE. It's perfect because it's lightweight for the warm summer months, but also keeps me warm. Even better? The mission behind fashionABLE. 

The company was started by Barrett Ward, a local to Nashville, after he visited Ethiopia and saw the lack of resources and opportunity for women in the region. Because of the lack of opportunity, many women are forced into the sex trafficking industry or prostitution to make a living. This prompted Barrett to take action. He works with the women to hep them start small business cooperatives, and then partners and requires manufacturers to employ the women with fair wages and fair hiring practices. Now these women create gorgeous scarves, leather goods, and home accessories for fashionABLE, creating a more sustainable business and positive future. 

I strongly encourage you to take a look at the products - it's such a great mission and each purchase helps a woman provide for herself and her family in a positive, healthy, and productive way. I'm loving this blanket, this scarf, and these bracelets. Now this is a shopping spree you can feel good about. :)

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this post was sponsored by fashionABLE. All opinions are my own.

BARRE3

One of my goals of 2014 is to get more fit. I think this year has been a little bit of an awakening that actually, I can't eat Chipotle, truffle mac & cheese, BBQ, and more Chipotle over the course of a week because my pants will not fit. So I joined the YMCA in April and quickly realized that I actually do enjoy working out! What a concept! My problem is that I like group workouts. I'm terrible at making my own workouts because I get bored easily and have a hard time finding motivation to go. I found a couple that I like at the Y, but they are only offered once a week, so it's hard to get a regular schedule and really see results in my body (ie being toned).

Luckily for me, one of my former co-workers opened Barre3 a couple weeks ago, and I am loving it. Like so many other barre classes, you do use the ballet barre, but you also incorporate pilates and yoga into the workouts. Each teacher does something a little different each class, so it's not super repetitive, which is good for me. You also have to sign up and can only cancel an hour before class. This is great because it holds me responsible for going. I don't want to pay an extra $15 just because at the last minute I "didn't feel like working out"! I've been to 4 classes so far, and I feel like I'm already seeing results (although maybe I'm just being super optimistic). I'm excited to see what changes just a couple of months will bring! I highly recommend joining Barre3 if it's in your area, and if not, I'm sure there are other great options.

Have you all ever tried a barre class? What did you think?