The Parlour

117 Market St., Durham, NC

This past weekend I was in North Carolina briefly for a friend’s graduation party. After being sent out to run errands the heat drove my friend and I to get a summertime treat, ice cream!!! We love ice cream so I used Yelp to find a nearby shop and Parlour looked like a winner so that’s where we went. Parlour was founded in Durham, NC in 2011 and what once used to be just a food truck is now a cute little shop featuring handcrafted batches of ice cream, sorbet and shakes. The shops dedication to using fresh and local ingredients only adds to the personal touch and friendly service you get upon entering the store. There is no limit on how many flavors you can taste and you’ll definitely want to try a few.

After trying green tea, lemon ginger sorbet, one other flavor I don’t remember, and malted cinnamon, I decided to go with my last pick. They were all very tasty but malted cinnamon tasted like my favorite cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch! A single scoop on a chocolate waffle cone was exactly what the doctor prescribed for a quick walk through the Juneteenth Celebration taking place just outside the front door of the shop. Were there groceries in the car that should probably be back at the house? Sure, but who can resist a mini excursion when you’re out of town Summer festivals should always be attended, especially when they are free!

There was handmade jewelry, art work, plenty of italian ice and snowball stands to go around.  I saw was a performance by Models Against Domestic Violence (M.A.D.V.) a non-profit organization made up of young people who desire to take a stand on the issue.  A song about domestic abuse played while they acted out scenes for the audience. At the end each member spoke out on the issue. It’s always nice to see young people standing up for causes they believe in.

After a walking around and taking a look at everything Vanessa and I made it back to the house with big smiles thanks to Parlour. For more information about Parlour check out their website, here or follow them on Twitter  to find out where their food truck will be if you’re in the area. I could have sworn the bubbly attendant that helped us told us that they closed at 6 during the week but according to their site, their shop hours are Sun 12pm–10pm, Mon Closed, Tue–Thu 12pm–10pm, and Fri–Sat 12pm–11 pm.

DIY FAIL

Yesterday was Day 3 of the June photo-a-day challenge on Instagram. The theme was on my table and by the time I was finished with my table a blog post seemed fitting. For a while I had two stamps, an eighth note and beamed note from Hobby Lobby, an ink pad, and this old white button- down shirt set aside for what I envisioned would become the cutest print on a shirt! I’m sick of polka dots, birds, tigers, bears, and lion prints on tops (sometimes because my size is never available).

Asos

I wanted my own somewhat original top that I defined as chic using my own two hands and so, on this day, (yesterday) I decided to tackle what was to be a rather simple project. Against my better judgment I bought the stamps knowing that making my own out of rubber erasers would result in a cleaner look but I went against it.

Forever 21
They are doves? Sure looks like some sort of origami bird to me but I wouldn’t say dove. Then again, they remind me of the ink blots that therapists use.

Take the stamp, ink it up and press… yeaaaa well… FAIL. As you can see the outline of the backing on the stamp ended up on my shirt and as old as it is (never been worn, Aeropostale long sleeve, button down, circa 2000 maybe, I don’t know) I did not want it to look like this. Just wanted to share so that you know every project doesn’t have to be a success. I should have cut erasers that way there would be nothing interfering with how the ink transfered onto the shirt. After I ruined it, I pouted til I dozed off thinking of a master plan that would correct the awful wrong I commited against a perfectly good shirt.

Instagram June Photo-a-day challenge.
Day 3: On my table… a diy gone wrong.

Just wait until you see what I came up with! Cross your fingers that it works better than this one and yes I plan to do this one again too.

Impromptu

You wouldn’t believe how tired I was but I figured I should take a few pics since it’s been awhile. Anyone have a cure for expression  lines? lol My forehead wrinkles are getting out of control and I don’t know how to stop making faces :-/

 

Haute Hair: Cult Gaia

The weather has been awfully fickle but Summer is still around the corner somewhere! While we wait, we can embrace spring with cute hair accessories. These retro-inspired  headwraps, flower crowns and turbans are right in line with trends I’ve been spotting. Can’t say I’ll personally be grabbing anything from the line below BUT a DIY is definitely in store. I have a similar wire headwrap that’s red with white polka dots from Forever 21 but I want one with the African batik print!

Pieces from Cult Gaia below:

 

ALISSA TURBAND – MULTICOLOR

BOURBON CROWN

 

 

 

Tortoise Accessories

Tortoise shell appears every year and most of the time it’s in the form of sunglasses. These days it’s seen everywhere from belts to bags. It’s not as classic as a pair of pearls but classic nonetheless. It goes with just about anything and can be worn dressed up or down with several colors. It looks super sophisticated with black or white and although I love wearing colors I’d prefer that look when it comes tortoise accessories.

Top Left: CWonder Belt Buckle                  Top Right: Tory Burch Studs

Bottom Left: MK Magnetic Bracelet        Bottom Right: Tortoise Glasses

If you are looking for more options as far as earrings go I’d suggest looking on Etsy. I purchased these door knockers from that site and wanted another look but someone bought them before I could checkout The ones you see below are clip-ons and I’ll be doing another post on how to switch clip-ons to regular posts another day using these.

Lastly, I was looking for a way to add tortoise to my shoe game and decided to do a DIY so head to The Womanly Curve for a how-to on my wire wrapped sandals with tortoise beads.

When you’re finished looking come on back and enter for a chance to win these Urban Outfitters Catmaster Tortoise Readers!! That’s right, the first ever giveaway on DEFINEchic

 click the link to enter —> Urban Outfitter Readers Giveaway

A Spring In My Step

“…now it may be cold on the East Coast but on the other side of town, it never raaaaains” Well it is definitely raining and slightly chilly today on the East Coast so I wanted to bring you a few pictures of happier and sunshiner (not a word) days.

Basic black blazer from H&M, basic black top & chunky chain necklace from Forever 21.

I just knew Spring was on the rise and I finally purchased a floral print! Flowers are not my thing but if I find a print with colors I like then I try to make it work for me.

The pants are from Forever 21 and if you can get a pair of your own or a different pair and style of pant if your size is available. Click the links under the picture below.

  

             Left                                                       Middle                                        Right

Can you see my sheer black cap toe wedges? Asos. Most of the time I stay away from trends but I have two trends in one here. The shoes up top are from Forever 21 and they sold out quickly but I bought a pair and they’ll be upgraded in a future DIY so #staytuned!

DIY: Fringed Capelet & The Womanly Curve (TWC)

Good Morning! I have something pretty exciting to share with you today. I am a style contributor over at a new and upcoming women’s online magazine called “The Womanly Curve.” This is where I will most likely be seen sharing my love of DIY projects and inspiring women to DEFINE CHIC for themselves with their own one-of-a-kind creations.

The Womanly Curve’s mission is to bring together women of various backgrounds in order to educate, connect with and impact our communities. You’ll find plenty of other treasures on the site as well and it will keep you in the know about events that you’re more than welcome to attend with the rest of us!

My first contribution is a DIY I had to make happen after I saw this capelet in Sass and Bide’s collection last year. Took me forever to get started but now that I’ve completed it, I’m sharing! Click here to see the post and don’t forget to leave a comment to let me know what you think! Be sure to like The Womanly Curve on Facebook and follow us on Twitter too!  Thanks in advance

Sass & Bide Fringed Capelet