Hurricane Party:

Will You Be Awesome?

I can't really answer that question myself, but hopefully we can all wind up with photos of ourselves on a blog like "My Parents Were Awesome" one day. It celebrates the "coolness" of parents before they were parents through pictures sent in by adult children. Here are some faves:

So, Spats?

OK. They're not quite stockings, not exactly socks, not really leg warmers - but the fashion industry believes in the functionality of the new spats. The idea is that they allow you to continue wearing your favorite warm weather shoes into the winter because they keep your ankles cozy or even add warmth to your boots. Now by my estimation, we've had about a year to snuggle up to the throwback trend that turns your little brother's marching band spats into those cuddly creations. So, how is that going? Are you ready to dip your toe into this season's oceans of knit, crochet, or brocade spats?

Ribbed Knit Spats by KnitLush

Cashmere Spats by Inhabit

Leather and Herringbone Spats by Ashes & Empires

Three Button Spats by MonjioCreations

I call these "ultra spats" but the designer calls them Bootilegs

Victorian Steampunk Spats by PoppysWickedGarden

Top left picture by the brilliant AntiCraft

Worst Wedding Songs. Ever.

I personally love the song "Spend a Lifetime" by Jamiroquai and even considered adding it to my playlist back when I was planning my nuptials. But take a quick listen to the lyrics and what you'll hear is not a wedding song, but a tune about unrequited love. Lots of songs are like that. The title and the melody are saying one thing, while the lyrics are saying something else. (Boyz II Men's "On Bended Knee" or Jagged Edge's "Let's Get Married", anyone?)

We've talked before about the best wedding songs and even the most popular wedding songs. But, believe it or not, there are wedding songs that are SO WRONG for tying the knot that bands and deejays are blown away by how often they're suggested. The list of these songs is now so solid that many brides-to-be are using the songs to create a "do NOT playlist".

Now when we say a song is one of the worst, there are always exceptions. For example, maybe a couple had a rocky road to the alter and... well. Nah, we still can't see it. Find out more by checking out the songs found HERE, HERE and HERE.

The Slow Death of Bulk Unfollow

It's getting more and more difficult to unfollow people on Twitter. Have you noticed that? Months ago, the site itself did away with any of the doohickeys that would have let you easily see all of the people who follow you (or don't) and how long it's been since they last tweeted. But that didn't stop social media celebs from bragging about using outside forces to unfollow thousands of Twitterers when their streams got too heavy. That was last year.
Today one of our members was in the middle of a "bulk unfollow" on Twitter Karma when a pop-up message announced that "On January 15th... " Twitter informed Twitter Karma that the bulk unfollow function violated their terms of service. Minutes later, the owners of Twitter Karma tweeted that Twitter had told them to take the button down. The guys who run TweetLater saw this coming last July.
Does anyone remember Qwitter? For a while, it was the hottest thing going for Tweeters who didn't want to follow anyone who didn't follow them back in return. Now don't be mislead- Qwitter was never stable or reliable. It was a lover who called when he wanted to. You wouldn't hear from Qwitter for weeks, and then it would dump an avalanche of "quits" in your inbox. But at least Qwitter was on the case until sometime last year when, for no reason at all, Qwitter stopped calling. The creators who live in Ireland keep the page up, but don't bother. It isn't working. Neither is Twitoria. Whether those sites got the same warning as Twitter Karma or whether staying "free" just didn't pay the bills, many Twitter users are having a harder time managing their accounts than they used to.
There are still some other bulk management tools out there. But many of them aren't able to handle the demand and have stopped accepting new sign-ups. There are options, though, for people who use various Twitter clients like Tweetdeck and the like. But today we want your opinions. Does not being able to mass prune your lists affect the way you use Twitter? What Twitter tools do you use to manage your Twitter stream?

First Maxwell, Now Sade!

Fans of soul and neo-soul have something else to be thankful for this holiday season. Singer Sade is preparing to release a long-anticipated album, called Soldier of Love, in the new year. Take a look at the album cover.

The record is set to drop on February 8th, 2010. (See more information on her new website).
In the meantime, enjoy the full length version of Sade's classic song and video, "Smooth Operator":

CC.Elaine

I chatted with designer CC.Elaine recently about her new line of bridal gowns. The collection is called Femme Luxe and includes sizes 12-32. In addition to being made with sumptuous fabrics and details, each gown also has a corset-style body shaper built right into the foundation. The entire collection will be available just after the new year. But take a look sneak peak at what's in store from this Chicago-based designer.

Cozy Knits from Anna Scholz

UK designers are doing fab things with cozy fabrics this season. Check out some awesome pieces from Anna Scholz

Cotton Cashmere Cardi

Pacman 50s Coat

Striped Top

Heart Sleeve Jumper

Jersey Flared Trousers

Yikes! Vampadelic Nails

From MAC's Style Black collection, comes a dark reddish-purple nail lacquer with gold flecks. Who's in?

Pics courtesy of MAC and VampyVarnish

I Look Like a Woman, but I...

The following video by The Dead Weather is all kinds of awesome. But does this song remind anyone else of Go-Go, or have I been living in the DC uhr-rea far too long?

"I Cut Like A Buffalo"
The Dead Weather

Rebirth of Cool

Courtesy of Kari and Carlton Mackey
VISION Photography
Atlanta, Georgia
www.mytruevision.com

The Obama Dress: Yea or Nay?

It's been a couple of weeks now, but it seems some people are still harping about the dress actress Victoria Rowell (The Young and the Restless, etc.) wore to this year's Emmys. It was definitely a DIFFERENT kind of frock. But what do you think about this style? Over-the-top Obama lurve? Yea or nay?

Fall Kicks for the Tikes: See Kai Run

Just in time for Fall, See Kai Run is rolling out several new styles for babies, older kids and everyone in between. For the first two years of his life, my little one wore almost nothing but SKRs because we liked the sturdiness and the craftmanship. Here's just a sampling of what See Kai Run is offering this season in butter soft leather and suede: