Ailee Petrovic

Fashion January 25, 2013

Priya Purse + Bangle Giveaway

Joy Kennedy and I have been friends for years and years – I remember us cheering together when we were in junior high, and I have some embarrassing pictures of us in leopard crop tops to prove it. When I moved back to Houston from Austin, we began to meet up regularly for coffee, mimosas, and dinner, and she told me about her new business idea – Priya, which is a fashion line built on the desire to help empower women in India who have been rescued from sex trafficking. Priya partners with a program called Destiny Reflection, which employs more than 15 women full time and 30 part time, for most of its items. Another program, Silence, employs workers who are deaf and mute – these women make the stunning silk bangles for the line.

The bags and jewelry are absolutely gorgeous (not surprising, as Joy is stylish to boot). I have the fold over clutch in cerulean, and I love it. I’m so proud of Joy for how far she’s come in such a short period of time. To celebrate her success, I’m doing a giveaway. If you ‘like’ or comment (for non-Wordpress users) on this post and do the same for the Priya Facebook page, you’ll be entered into a raffle for a free pb clutch and a silk bangle in your choice of color. You have until 11:59 PST. I’ll post the winner’s name on the blog Monday. It’s that easy!

For more about Priya, click on the links below:

Fashion blogger Salt and Pepper’s Priya post: Concrete Catwalk
Veronika’s Blushing post: The Bag That Looks Good and Does Good
Modern Luxury article: Joy to the World
Houston Chronicle article: Clothing line, born in slums
University of St. Thomas video: Priya and article: Priya Empowers Rescued Indian Women
Absolutely Katy article: Dream Job
Your Houston News article: Taylor Graduate Starts Clothing Line
You can also follow Priya on Twitter and Instagram

*Photo of Joy courtesy of Atessa Nicole

Wedding January 24, 2013

Big, Loose, Lovely Curls

As expressed here, I’m a pretty simple hair gal (which translates into: I cannot even braid my own hair!). In fact, while I have never made New Year resolutions in the past, I decided that this year, I would make it a point to be able to style me own hair – and with thanks to The Beauty Department (Lauren Conrad’s amazing team), I’m going to learn how to do this. I’ve been looking at different hair styles for the wedding day, but everything seems too frou-frou for me. I finally found a few pictures on Taylor Lord and Ryan Ray‘s wedding portfolios and love them. Loose curls, unique braids – nothing say summer Napa nuptials better!

PS The image is pulled from my wedding look book that I made… I’ll share piece by piece, but don’t want to ruin the big day! It’s a pretty massive document.

Featured image via Ryan Ray (my wedding photographer – so excited!)

Fashion January 23, 2013

Kendra Scott Spring 2013

I went to the Kendra Scott Citycentre opening party last Wednesday to see the gorgeous new store and catch-up with two of my even more gorgeous darlings – Danay and Sophee – who work at the corporate office in Austin (and yes, I covet their jobs!). I got to see some of the spring collection pieces, and I am literally dying for it to be sold. A preview was recently posted on the Kendra Scott blog – my favorite pieces are below. Aren’t they incredible? I am in love with the saffron (but really, all of them).

Photos <via>

Décor January 22, 2013

A Work in Progress: The Manor

There has been a lot of action taking place at The Manor recently. The front wall was taken down; the exterior, painted; the bathrooms, retiled with new cabinets; the living room, new lights and fireplace. A new bar was built, new granite and tile put into the kitchen, a new closet built for the master, and new shelves in the laundry room. There’s a lot of work left though, like the wood floors being installed, the TV being mounted above the fireplace, kitchen cabinets painted (along with the entire interior), mirrors and blinds installed, and the ice machine and wine cooler plugged into the bar. Then there’s decorating! We’ve got the couches and an idea for the entryway, but there’s a lot of design decisions to be made. Progress pictures here and original demolition pictures here. Stay tuned for more to come!

Wanderlust January 21, 2013

Wedding Checklist Weekend in the Bay Area

Leaving San Francisco always makes me so sad (and reminds me of this Walter Cronkite quote + pictures). I was in the Bay Area from Thursday through Sunday – first in Palo Alto, then Mountain View, Oakland, San Francisco, and finally Napa + Sonoma. A lot of wedding tasks were accomplished during this time – tasted our vegan cupcakes, (re)visited the venue, met our florist, and assessed various rehearsal dinner wineries (see list below). We ate delicious food (Oren’s Hummus in Palo Alto, Google cafes in Mountain View, Hopmonk in Sonoma, and DOSA and The Plant in San Francisco). We drank amazing wine + champagne at Artesa Winery (amazing 360 views on site), Gundlach Bundschu, Nicholson Ranch Winery, and Domaine Carneros. It was tough to board my flight yesterday – cannot wait until we go back for the menu tasting in a few months! See highlights below.