A couple of happy coincidences about this winner: 1.) She's a friend that we've actually met in person (as opposed to all our blog friends who we also love) because she lives right by us. 2.) As noted in her comment, she has the same EXACT birthday as us (day, month and year). So it is quite possible that she is our long lost triplet.
Thank you to everyone who entered. We had so much fun reading all of your dream birthdays and aren't a bit surprised that our readers are so imaginative. And don't forget, through tomorrow you can still get 10% off at June's Etsy shop if you left a comment in the original contest post.
We made it to Charleston yesterday afternoon to hang with our dearest friend Nate.
While I decided to take a nap, Lar and Nate took a quick trip over to Nature Island. Charleston is made up of a number of islands and places called islands that aren't really islands. It's all very confusing, but beautiful.
Lar doing a little dance under some palm frawns.
Nate at home in the wild.
Greetings from Nature Island!
More Charleston photos on the way. . . we're heading off to the beach today.
Cath and I are taking a long weekend up to Charleston, and we're bringing you with us! We'll both bring our mac babies and set them up on the beach and blog from under a palm tree. See you on the other side of our five hour car ride- woohoo!
Happy Friday!
xoxo,
Cath and Lar (aka The AsianCajuns)
p.s. We'll be back Sunday and post the June Shin contest winner. We've loved reading all your birthday wishes.
p.p.s. Locals, make it out to Eviva this weekend for the closing sale if you can. Cath just got a pair of Seychelles for $60, and I got a pair of Frye's (ooo lalalaaaa) for $109 (over 50% off). Go, make good.
For Father's Day, Cath and I took our dad to see The Jersey Boys. I had no idea who they were. I assumed it was an old musical group from the days of yore that my dad had enjoyed. Turns out (pardon my ignorance on current popular musicals) The Jersey Boys is a musical based on the lives of a band from the days when my dad was a swinging bachelor.
Me (in a dress from Walmart- the devil, I know) and my very dapper dad.
The Four Seasons (Frankie Valli and his falsetto voice singing "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk like a Man," and "Oh What a Night" should ring a bell- for me it was a very distant, quiet bell- more of a tinkle), Jersey Boys was a full on biopic of all the music my mom avoided when she was a swinging bachelorette. Whilst my dad listened to Frankie Valli and Olivia Newton John, my mom dated jazz musicians and liked George Harrison.
I have to say, using my parents' musical inclinations as an indication, I'm much more my mother's daughter. That said, I would probably swoon just a little bit (okay, a lot bit) if a man sang "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"- even in a falsetto. But then again, that would be easily trounced by "Lay Lady Lay" in any sort of voice- and neither of my parents liked Dylan. Yeah, I know.
George from Salon.com and Franki from Entertainment Weekly.
What song would make you weak-kneed if your significant other could croon?
LL
*Has there ever been a less masculine sounding song? Didn't help that the Jersey Boys did a feminine little hop while singing the song. According to my dad, the real Four Seasons would never have done that.
Our favorite shoe store, Eviva, is closing its doors this weekend. Lar and I have both bought our favorite pair of shoes there:
Lauren's Frye boots and my Dolce Vita heels.
We're bummed, but we wanted to make sure our local readers knew about Eviva's closeout sale starting tomorrow and ending on Saturday. All merchandise including display tables, shelves and props will be for sale. We'll be stopping by for a last Jeffrey Campbell/Frye/Dolce Vita hurrah. Hope to see you there!
Our loyal readers will know that we're big fans of Moxsie.com - and that's not just because they sent us some fantastic items. The site is a great source for undiscovered independent designers and it's constantly being updated. Litter is one of the newer jewelry brands on Moxsie that Lar and I just fell in love with. The line has a number of Erin Wasson-worthy body chains and bracelets, but my absolute favorite are the shoe jewelry pieces:
I'm desperately wanting a pair! Just imagine all the different types of shoes you can add these to. Mary Janes, pumps, boots, some strapy heels... Bah! Payday cannot not come any sooner.
Or maybe I should be fiscally responsible and do some diy-ing a la Lauren style. Remember how she added chains to her boots? They looked fantastic and cost about an eighth of Litter version.
But then again, isn't it important to support independent designers?
So the other day I rode on the back of my bf's bike for the first time. I thought I was doing good with my pleather jacket and cut off shorts and clunky boots. Said clunky boots hit about mid calf. I burned the *&^% out of the back of my leg. To hell with the cut-offs and boots. I need to get these (in my dream world where I can afford Rick Owen boots).
LL
ps- Don't forget to enter the June Shin contest below. We'll draw the names Wednesday.
Seasoned readers will know that we've been June Shin fans for a long time, so we are super excited to offer you all a chance to win this gorgeous, delicate necklace (valued at $52) from her Etsy site.
How to do I enter? Just leave a comment and tell us what your ideal birthday party would be and leave us some way to get in contact with you. And you're entered! Just like that.
What if I don't win? June has currently marked down all items by 35% until June 21st. But if you can't shop over the weekend, you still get 10% all of June's gorgeous wares at her Etsy shop from June 22-30 just by leaving us a comment. Everyone's a winner! Hop to it, shoppers!! I realllllly want that necklace. What else can I do? Join June's Facebook Fan page and you will be entered twice into the drawing! Schnazzy, right? And who isn't a fan of these beautiful baubles?
When do I find out if I've won?
Cath and I will close the contest on Wednesday, June 24 in the evening, and announce the winner on Thursday, June 25.
Below is a photo of the lovely Cath and the generous June (Happy Birthday, June)!
The red flower necklace is what's up for grabs for the contest, but we are equally smitten with nearly everything in June's store. Here are two more of our choices below:
Good luck, everyone! (Gents, don't feel left out. We guarantee your lady friends will love this stuff- you can't go wrong with anything any the store).
We hope you all have fantastic weekends! Summer is here!
So in about two weeks or so there's this fantastic holiday called Canada Day. We think our northern neighbors are delightful, but we celebrate it for much more selfish reasons. Stuffing our faces with ice cream cake is usually a part of it... and leaving subtle hints about things we really, really like is another.
ps- Speaking of fabulous jewelry...check back this afternoon and all weekend for an awesome June Shin give-away contest we'll have on our blog ;) A little Happy Weekend/TGIF/Birthday Love gift to our awesome readers!
Do you guys remember this rad bag? I've been carrying it around everywhere this spring/summer. And now it's 15% off at Mingei! Go get yourself one- you won't be sorry!
For those of you in the Atlanta area, head on over to Mingei World Arts and Taste in Decatur for some sweet discounts this weekend. Here are the details:
Through the close of business on Sunday, the right password will get you 15% off on your purchase at Mingei World Arts and/or Taste on Church Street. Need to finish your Father’s Day shopping? Have a wedding gift to buy? Come visit one of these two businesses and give us the secret Asian Cajun password as you check out. Your password is “Lee Squared”. We are contacting other bloggers with other passwords, so show your Asian Cajun spirit and let the Lee sisters help you save a little over the next few days. It will be interesting to see which blog readers come in!
Fellow local bloggers at Decatur Metro and In Decatur are also participating in this. We hope you join in on the fun!
Cath and I are identical twins, but on most days we are absolutely convinced we look nothing a like. She has bangs and wears her hair straight, I let mine go wavy (ie I don't wake up early enough in the morning) and bangs lasted three minutes on me before I decided I had to pin them back. Our noses are different, she has more Chinese, I have more Cajun. Cath also works for our local city government, so her work wear is a bit more grown-up and elegant than mine.
Despite these "notable" differences, people still often confuse us. We really don't mind at all. Our baffled looks are a result of us forgetting we look alike to people.
Because Cath has a more public job than I do, I often have to tell disappointed retailers that "I'm not the City twin" and I have little sway with the upper branches of government. Crestfallen that their grievances were wasted on a powerless twin, I try to assuage them with graphic design babble. It's difficult to distract people with a game of "What's Your Favorite Font?!"
All of this twin blather is to say, I absolutely love Cath's entire look in these photos: the wrap/grecian dress, nude pumps from Eviva, and her dainty jewelry. It's what I want to look like when I grow up.
I can't even remember how I found Toddland. I think it was linked on some blog that was linked on a shop site that was mentioned on Daily Candy. . . or something. Anyways, how I found Toddland is not important. I'm just glad I found it because it. is. brilliant.
Toddland is a clothing site, but its hilarious writing, vintage photos and overall style keeps me coming back to it. Unfortunately they only sell menswear, but I'm seriously thinking about purchasing the conchord worksuit and getting it altered to fit. Here are a few other items Toddland has to offer:
And here's example of the writing that made me laugh out loud when I first read it:
Seriously, if you like this site even half as much as I do, then you're my kind of person.
A few weeks ago, Cath and I won a contest on Wanderlust's Anywhere But Here (she of the enviable closet and vacation spots). The prize? This awesome 4-studded belt from Asos.com.
This elastic/metal belt put me in mind of Lady GaGa's costumes- well, Lady GaGa "lite" (really, really lite). I skipped the high-cut leotard and bleached hair, and made the belt work-appropriate with the skirt, tank and Jeffrey Campbell shoes.
The geisha-lipstick was added just for the photos. I wish I could say I got away with it at work, but I'm not nearly meticulous enough with my lips. Lipstick-wearers in general, you impress me.
We live in the bible belt. It's a strange place to be after growing up in agnostic, politically correct Washington D.C. Nearly every corner has a church of some denomination or other. And we're aren't just limited to Christianity. We are home to nearly as many mosques, synagogues, meeting houses and temples (the largest Hindu temple in the States is right down the road from us).
This afternoon we happened upon a neglected Baptist church just down the road from our 'rents new place. We stopped to take some pictures and to get upbraided by a passerby for not going to church on Sunday. I guess our outfits gave us away. Next time we'll wear hats.
No hat, but Cath's gladiators (Nine West) are pretty sweet.
To church, I inappropriately wore a pink bandeau and tank from American Apparel, some cutoffs and work boots from Target.
Edit: don't worry, dear readers, that is no cigarette in my hand- just my El Bar key chain turned sideways (therefore, no cancer, but my liver might have to worry).
We wanted to leave you all with a little eye candy for the weekend (for both the ladies and gents by the way. We think Mr. Newman is well worthy of a man crush).
We discovered this delightful photo via Nerd Boyfriend, "a shopping guide and style blog for the fashionably nerdy male." There are photos of the likes of Lucien Freud, Bill Cosby, Sir Ian Mckellan - all in their very youthful and dapper days- with subtle suggestions of how to mimic their style. It makes me wish I looked better in menswear.
And aren't nerd boyfriends better than the non-nerd variety? I have one myself and consider him quite the catch. They have the male version of je ne sais quoi.
Not convinced? Take a gander at Nerd Boyfriend and get back to us.
This past weekend, in between packing and moving (and moving and packing), Cath, the bf and I went to TINY bistro, owned by the Figs and Honey catering company in the Westside. It came highly recommended by the Blissful Glutton via Creative Loafing (read her blog if you want to know where to eat in Atlanta, or if you just like food and eating it- yum!).
The lovely people behind TINY are still mainly focused on the catering side of things, but are wonderful generous if you stumble in off the street for lunch or a snack. Cath got the delicious, mustardy egg salad sandwich, the bf got melty cuban, and I chose their roast beef and cheddar sandwich-- all was washed down with a lemon San Pellegrino.
On top of the sandwich goodness, the generous ladies behind the county let us sample some delicious toffee AND (p.s. I'm a sweet tooth) gave us a huge slice from their brownie tray for free. Dreamy, dreamy, dreaminess (see photo at the top of the post for the reason for the excessive use of the word "dreamy")!
The dining area in TINY is indeed just that, but they took advantage of the spacious walls with a magenta mural- complimented our lazy summer outfits perfectly.
Thanks TINY co.! You guys are grand in all ways but your name!
One of my favorite things about our new place is that my bedroom has access to the balcony. And a balcony is as close as I'll get to a Southern porch for the time being. Perfect for sipping an ice cold beer, reading a novel, chewing the fat, and taking outfit photos.
Earrings (my absolute favorite pair from a stall in Murcia, Spain $2), scarf from H&M (last one, swiped off the mannequin sitting on the shelf. Thanks, fellow scarf swiper Pam!), tank from AA, bubble skirt from Target a few years back, boots from A&E (5 yrs old).
Sweater from Target, tunic/dress (yes... it is a weeee bit on the sort side, I'm channeling my inner Jane Birkin) from Kaleidoscope, belt and boots thrifted.
Happy hump day (gurge)! Almost on the downside to the weekend!
The other night Cath and I went to Ecco in midtown to a cocktail soiree (ooo lalaaaa) put on by Caren West and Citi Search. We gobbled down some delicious appetizers and some faincy schmaincy cocktails, including this fella, Karlssons gold potato vodka, vermouth, a cornichon and a slice of salami (meat and potatoes in a martini glass):
After three more delectable drinks, Cath and I thought it wise to take outfit photos in one of Ecco's chic looking restrooms. Yes, tres classy.
Cath: tank from Meringue, necklace from Moxsie, jeans from AA
Lar: tee and skirt from H&M (skirt from their organic line- probably overpriced but I love all the teenytiny studs all over), clutch from asos.com, shoes from Jeffrey Cambell
We wanted to give a shout out to all the sweet ladies who awarded us blogs last week. What with the packing and moving and unpacking, Cath and I didn't get a chance to say a proper thank you to: Hippie FrouFrou Mel at Wrecked Stellar Savvy Mode
You ladies made our week (and that was a pretty stressful one)and keep us inspired always, so thank you, thank you for the lovely award:
Each of these blogs is a regular read for us. Not all are fashion related, but they expand our knowledge in every which way. Thanks ladies and gent (we know the award looks a little girlie, GJs), for keeping us inspired!
On top of packing and moving and then unpacking, I've spent the past 5 days in bed sick and feeling sorry for myself. Fortunately with the help of steroids, Tylenol and horse-pill-sized antibiotics I believe I'm on the mend!
You would think staying home from work and spending hours on the couch would provide me with plenty of time to do some blogging. But blogging requires thinking and thinking requires energy and I was spending all of that energy trying to ignore some nasty throat pain.
I did, however, have plenty of time to rediscover the joys of YouTube. Here are my top three videos that helped me get through my sickness:
This one (from the British Office) has been in my YouTube favorites for a while. I don't know why, but it gets me every the time. Classic David Brent:
Sal (creator of the brilliant blog Already Pretty) got me hooked on Eddie Izzard a couple of weeks ago, but it was my boyfriend who introduced me to this brilliant Izzard/Lego clip:
I can't remember how I stumbled upon Lockdown projects, but these two snowboarding/video producing Brits are hilarious. Everything from the 80s clothes to the birdwatching just does it for me:
I promise the next post will be more fashion-oriented, but after spending 5 days of eating soup, searching YouTube and reading/sleeping/watching movies in my pjs, this was really the best post subject I could think of.
Hotlanta is living up to its name. We had a respite of cooler weather this spring, but the humidity has finally sprung its murky head, and our days won't dip bellow the 85 degree mark until late September. But that's okay, really. I love hot, hot heat and the slothful way we have to move around here in the south.
What I don't like? The damn summer outfits. Heat makes you a bit listless, so pulling out whatever old dress you have in the closet closest to your limp finger tips (other hand waving a large paper fan) seems the only option. So the downside to the fanning, and the sipping of mint juleps and the rocking on the front porch/balcony, it doesn't make for great outfit posts.
We promise we'll work on it, but for now we want to keep it simple. At least my Guatemalan bag keeps me from looking too much like I just stepped of an AA store and Cath's Cassius sunnies from Moxsie add a little bit of dreaminess to her simple, chic attire.
What do you guys and girls do when the best option seems to sweat it out in a boring old tank and shorts? Do you give in or fight the summer attire malaise?
At an event a few weeks ago, photographer T.W.Meyer asked to take a photo of my Jeffrey Campbell shoes. I was stoked and felt like a French Vogue editor being shot by Jak and Jill (from the ankles down, minus the expensive footwear, and perfectly limp hair). I struck a pose and my personal stylist (i.e. artistic mom) placed my cosmo by my feet before Mr. Meyer snapped away.
I'm predicting that Mr. Meyer will become Decatur/Atlanta's Sartorialist. We need one soon, or everyone outside of the ATL will remain convinced that we all aspire to dress like the Real Housewives of Atlanta- gulp. What do you say, Tom? You will have Atlanta fashionistas/os swooning at your feet.
p.s. Thank you all for the comments on our move! We are still living in a jungle of boxes, but promise some great interior shots once we look less like we live in a Kroger stock room. And we promise to return all your lovely comments once we get consistent wifi - currently we are piggypacking off an unknowingly generous neighbor (Thanks Tally St.1234!).
It looks scary and a little industrial in this photo, but we promise it's nice! We're growing up a bit and moving out of our entirely-furnished-by-Ikea apartment- Yippeee!
Cath and I are also super excited because we'll finally be walking distance to work and some of our favorite Decatur shops (like the heavenly, heavenly Cookie Studio- droooool).
We'll be MIA just a few days while we haul our stuff over to our new apartment and pray that comcast doesn't screw us over too badly.
See you on the other side of this mountain of boxes (that's where I'm perched at the moment). Happy (moving) Monday!
We're twins. Part Chinese, part French Cajun (and a mix of a few other things thrown in). We have a love of style, art, music, fashion, literature, and food. We're originally from a suburb of D.C. (the Maryland side), but now consider Decatur/Atlanta our home. We love our new city and hope to highlight some of the greatness of ATL that is often overlooked by the rest of the country.
Enjoy!
*Profile photograph by Wes Sumner
