September 2012 | girl avant garde

Life Lately

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Courtney Starr

minx mani, butter london wallis, butter london, pearl manicure, nail polish

Minx manicure party nail and Butter London “Wallis” manicure

September is flying by and I’ve absolutely had the best few weeks. Everyone has been asking me how I’ve found the time to manage school and my internship and blogging. The days and nights are packed, but if you love something enough, you make time for it, right? Between classes and studying, I’ve filled my time with all the girly things I love (a teeny, tiny bit of shopping, manicures, and farmers market trips). Evenings are mostly spent cuddling with Josh in our apartment and indulging in the Fall season premieres of our favorite shows like Modern Family (and a night out with friends here and there).

No class next Monday = 3 day weekend, and I’ll miss Josh over the next few days while I enjoy time with my family in New Jersey. Josh must get some work done, but just like Lucy did Ricky, I’ll drive him crazy in the process. So I’ll be on the other side of the river, sleeping late, apple picking, dog walking, and dining with my family (oh, and studying!).

Happy weekend to you all!

home decor, pretty bowls, fish candelabra, anthropology

Admiring Anthropologie’s home goods…again

beaded jewelry box, beaded box, girly beaded

Cute jewelry box at Anthropologie

A floor made entirely of pennies at The Standard Hotel

A little reading – Lucky Magazine’s Ultimate Style Guide

Happy Heels

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Courtney Starr

Have you ever taken one of those quizzes defining you as an inanimate object like, “What kind of shoe are you?” Well, those quizzes are totally silly for two reasons: (1) I am not a shoe, and (2) I already know the answer: a heel, over 3 inches. I’m that girl – the only person who wears heels to school. Okay…so people will stare. Once, I got over it and pretended I didn’t care, I realized I like how heels make my day a little more glamorous. If Carrie Bradshaw could wear a tutu walking the streets of NYC, I can wear heels on a daily basis.

In the spirit of shoe love, check out MyHotShoes.com and use the code AVNTGRD to receive 20% off your purchase. The quality is amazing for such an inexpensive price. Happy heels!

DIY – Glitter and Striped Nail Polished Keys

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Courtney Starr

Fact – I’ve never finished up a bottle of nail polish. Not that I don’t have never fail colors I choose over and over again, but I have such a huge collection, with one manicure a week, it’s impossible. But there are tons of clever uses for nail polish: stop panty hose runs, prevent costume jewelery from tarnishing, and beautifying your keys. And I felt my keys needed a makeover. For my key makeover, I chose 3 very different, very bright colors, so that I never get my keys confused again.

diy polish key, striped key chain, striped key, polished key, painted key

Choose one color for each key

Paint the top of the key, 2-3 coats

Let dry for a few hours

Optional – Paint a design on key. I chose stripes, sparkles and glitter. Then paint with top coat and let dry

Fasten to cute key chain and voila! (Key chain c/o Blair Ritchey)

Dress Like a Lady

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Courtney Starr

Surprise, surprise. I’ve started to love having to get dressed up for my internship! Last week I mentioned I’ve found it difficult trying to lean on the conservative side while still dressing like my 24 year-old self (who would really prefer to dress like a 10 year-old in tutus.) But then I found a quote from Marilyn Monroe, “Your clothes should be tight enough to show you’re a woman but loose enough to show you’re a lady.” I couldn’t have said it better myself, nor could I have found a more perfect or flattering dress to do it justice.

Caramel & Apple Pie Apples

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Courtney Starr

You’re going to see a ton of apple photos on GirlAvantGarde in the next few weeks. They’re one of my favorite parts of Fall! So what better way to start the apple parade than with ones covered in caramel, cinnamon, and chocolate? They remind me of my childhood – running around in my sketchers, frizzy hair, and missing teeth, I couldn’t have been happier with a caramel apple (sticky hands and all). So now, all grown up, I decided to make them on my own, using this recipe for most, and replacing chocolate chips instead of cinnamon sugar for some.