The Decatur Daily, Tues. March 18th

On the Fashion Radar with Kate Cole

March 18th: Layering Necklaces

Toss out that old saying that "less is more." This spring, more is more!

Layering necklaces is the season’s hottest trend in jewelry. Designers like Rebecca Lankford have tailored their collections so several pieces can be worn together, as well as easily mixed with other lines.

While the idea of wearing multiple necklaces is bohemian inspired, when worn correctly this look is as equally appropriate with a business suit as it is with a t-shirt and jeans.

As with all things fashion related, there are a few guidelines but they’re easy to follow and hard to forget. Follow these five simple rules and you’ll master this trend without looking like you tried.

1. Stick with odd numbers. Interior designers will advise this when decorating your home. The same goes when decorating yourself. Choose three, five or even seven necklaces. For some reason, the unbalance seems to balance your look.
2. Go for multiple lengths. If every necklace is the same length the only thing you’ve created is a big mess. A variety of lengths allows each piece to be displayed and shows there’s a little method behind the madness.
3. Choose delicate pieces that complement rather than compete. Several understated necklaces say chic and polished, but lots of oversize, loud garb will make you look like a gypsy with Attention Deficit Disorder. It’s okay if one necklace makes a stronger statement than the rest, but your jewelry shouldn’t fight for attention.
4. Mix various textures, metals and styles. Pair gold with silver, pearls with leather cords, turquoise with diamonds and casual with formal.
5. Wear pieces that are meaningful or personal to you. Of course you want to appreciate each necklace on an aesthetic level, but if asked about a particular piece it’s nice to have a story or memory to share. Lankford’s collection of crosses are so simple, yet they symbolize so much.

Find Rebecca Lankford Designs and many other collections of necklaces perfect for layering at Carriage House, 115 Johnston St. S.E. in downtown Decatur.

Until April,

Kate

A much needed Saturday night out

We've been M.I.A. recently in the blogger world because there hasn't really been anything exciting to blog about. Work, bills, clogged bathtub drain, work, yada, yada. Things have been pretty boring. So last night we decided to have a night on the town with friends Liz and Bo Brown and Cookie and Allen Stoner.

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We started with drinks at the Browns', who happen to be our next door neighbors. Then we headed off to Simp McGhee's restaurant for a late dinner. As always, it was divine! We even broke our diets and splurged on dessert. Finally, we wrapped up the evening with a little rock-n-roll at The Brick. It was a fun and much needed night out. Oh, and we were so excited to get out and about that we marked the occasion with a photo shoot. Following are a few shots from our fun evening.

Above: Liz, Cookie & me at the Browns' home before dinner

From left: Bo, Liz, Carl, Kate, Cookie & Allen at Simp McGhee's restaurant

Liz, me & Cookie enjoy dessert

me & the hubby after dinner at The Brick


In other exciting news, our dear friend Meredith Leach got engaged this weekend. We are so happy for her and can't wait to see her over the Easter weekend so we can celebrate.

Luce Goes Skydiving

Yesterday I received several pictures from one of my dearest friends, Lucy House. She and her boyfriend, John David, recently went skydiving and the photos she sent documented her adventure. Since you'll never find me jumping out of an airplane I'll live vicariously through her. Luce, you're a braver chick than I. These photos are of Lucy and the skydiving expert.

Team Central

I'm so proud of Carl and the other members of Central United Methodist's basketball team. Thursday night they were named city champ runners-up.


In the final game they challenged St. Paul's Lutheran Church, a very stacked team, and held their own until the final seconds of the game. If I'm not mistaken, I believe one of St. Paul's players was actually picked up by the Nuggets, an NBA team, mid season. Now, I'm not positive of the legitimacy of this story but it's the word on the church basketball circuit and makes for a good story so we're going with it.

I'm also proud to report that no technical fouls were called on anyone from either team. It was much more satisfying spending our $10 on a post-game margarita rather than on a technical fine.

Now I think the guys are getting geared up for softball season.


And to be a bit more braggadocios...the following photos are of my hubby during his days at Sardis High School. Carl received an array of awards and still holds a record or two that has yet to be broken.



And in separate but related news...Moms have to be great multi-taskers. During Central's game I watched in amazement as moms Ashley Collins and Marsha Taylor effortlessly 1) cheered on their husbands, 2) snapped photos of the game, 3) distributed healthy snacks to their two-year-olds, Abby and Dawson, 4) intercepted all snacks dropped on the gym floor before their tots could consume them, 5) entertained said tots with various toys and shiny objects, 6) wrangled them back to their seats each time they rushed the court attempting to join the team and help their dads, and 7) carried on an adult conversation...ALL AT THE SAME TIME! I was very impressed. I can barely apply mascara and drive at the same time.

Our backyard - where trash sits and grass dies

Some of you may know that Carl and I have been working on our 104 year old house for about a year. Well it came to my attention this morning, when I ventured into our backyard for the first time in, oh, I don't know, 7 months, that the entirety of our work has been confined to the interior of our home.

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Now, this was our choice. We felt we should work from the inside out, but I didn't quite realize the devastation factor of our backyard. Thank goodness our neighbors can't see. Well, they might be able to catch a glimpse if they peer out their second floor windows...and for this view we afflict upon them, I apologize.

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I did actually take a few photos with the intention of posting them on our blog. However, I am far too embarrassed. If a landscape architect were to draw inspiration from our backyard, he or she might describe the style as "frat house meets crack shack." Everything that was once living is now dead. The formerly beautiful bricked patio is now a storage space for trash and other home rejects on which there is something disgusting currently growing. I'm too scared to touch it, so there it sits. And keeping with the tradition of white trash backyards, there is a keg. The only thing missing is an inoperable pickup truck on cement blocks.

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So, my mission is clear. I vow to have a luscious, green backyard by spring (summer if the situation is far worse than I think). It will be conducive to outdoor activities like grilling, and will be free of rusted paint cans, molded beer capsules and the unidentifiable mass I fear might spawn into some toxic creature that feasts on the neighbor's cats. I will plant flowers, trim hedges, buy a sprinkler and do whatever you do in a backyard.

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After our project is complete we'll post photos, pre and post. Only when the "before" shots are no longer our reality can I muster the nerve to put them online.

So with that, does anyone have ideas on how to create an HGTV comparable backyard on a budget of zero dollars? Tips and advice are welcomed and encouraged.