Big News...Big Moves!!!

It was a big summer and we are sad to see it go.

But with the end of this season comes the beginning of a very exciting fall all of us.  

First up...As of today, my blog has officially moved to a new home.  

Please come visit us at:

www.kileydurham.com/blog

I am super excited to share my new website and blog with you...please stop by and have a look. And as always, thank you so much for all of your continued love and support as I have chattered away in this little corner of cyberspace for the past several years.  I know there is even more fun in store for all of us!
Can't wait to see you there!!!

xo...
ki

soaking up the sun...

Back in January, as the snow fell down around our apartment in New York for what felt like an eternity, life was seeming a bit sad and grey.  

        Literally. 

                       Grey.  

Grey skies, grey snow (City snow is white for about thirty seconds)--there was lots and lots of sad grey snow--and grey people everywhere.  How on earth were we going to make it thru this depressing and oppressive season???

"We need a plan," declared the hubs.  "Something to look forward to...what would be completely awesome?"

I was barely listening as I've heard this speech before and was too deep into seasonal depression to be wowed by a pep talk not rooted in reality.  

"I've got it!" He leaves the room, returns with his iPad, and begins furiously typing but says nothing...

Still barely listening...the snow was eating away at my will to function at this point.

Well, I think you know how the rest played out.  My husband is that "something completely awesome" that we needed.  We are staying in the very house he found that very day in January.  It has been a special month filled with surprises everyday and memories that will be hard to forget.  I'm sad to see the month already winding down and reality calling me back to the City.  I tried to share a video with you last week but it never worked out, so here is a little peek at our photo album from our big East Hampton adventure.

Enjoy and let me know: where did you venture to this summer?  Send a picture and a note.  I want to see!   

xo...

ki

We walk to Main Beach in East Hampton each morning for a little play time.

Our front porch--a first--and living among green things (even more novel than the porch)

Hither Hills, Montauk and soft shell crab at Clam Bar, my most favorite seafood stop on the East End.

Swans and boats in Sag Harbor

My love, my heart...happy memories everyday

summer in the city...

Happy Summer Y'all!

It has been a crazy super fast year...I fell off the grid for a little bit but motherhood, work and life needed me a little too much.  You know how it goes...
I'm so happy to finally be in the thick of summer--mosquitos, humidity, sun burns and all!  It is the best part of the year for me.  Almost all of my happiest childhood memories take place outside on hot summer nights--chasing fireflies, eating ice cream, and playing in the sprinklers until we had flooded the back yard.  And now, watching my little Moose (the baby formally know as Monsieur l'Pea) make a few of the same memories, plus a few very unique ones of his own, has been a pure joy.  I told my mom the other day that I didn't know how much of these early summers he would remember but I would never forget a single moment.  It has truly been an all consuming happiness watching this boy live life to the fullest.
For the month of August, the Moose, D and I have relocated out of the big city and into a little house in East Hampton, NY.  Watching this boy take on the Hamptons and run around in his first ever back yard have really topped my list of favorite summer memories.  I put together a little video from our first week in East Hampton, starring my two favorite men.  After two weeks of attempts it just will not work on the blog.  Boo!  I am going to post it to Facebook, so look for a little video there.  In the meantime, you can take a look at my Instagram page for a little peak at our lazy and hazy summer days on the East End...

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Lots of love...
ki

wedding belles...

This past summer, I was very honored when one of my nearest and dearest friends in the whole wide world asked me to not only be a bridesmaid in her upcoming wedding but also make jewelry for the bridesmaids.  Emily is the sort of friend everybody should have...she's the coolest girl you'll ever meet, quite possibly the smartest, and without a doubt the most fun.  She is the best kind of friend...one of those rare people with whom you can always be yourself and pick up right where you left off the last time you saw each other.  I am so flattered that she has kept me as a friend despite the distance between Birmingham, Alabama and New York City. (And I have learned over the past eleven years that sometimes that distance is enough to make even a great friendship fade.)

As I mentioned before, Emily is just a cool chica, so it is inevitable that she would plan a cool wedding shindig.  Case in point: she wanted each bridesmaid to feel as comfortable as possible on the big day.  None of that typical fussy wedding stuff for this bride...we got to choose our dresses; wear the shoes of our choice; and even pick our own hair-do's.  No wedding nazi with a side of bridezilla here.  Just fun and friends and love.  Like I said: one cool chica. 

Since the bride had decided to let each of us customize our bridesmaid dresses, I decided to customize the bridesmaid jewelry as well.  Seven pairs of custom earrings were made for the bridesmaids, plus one more pair for the bride. 

The earrings, all related but each one a unique design, were made from rose quartz, freshwater pearls, agate and crystals, making the perfect complement to the second half of the gift, a stack of pearl bracelets.   

A mix of freshwater pearls with pink and peach agate created the perfect complement to the barely there pinks and mix of whites in the bridesmaids' bouquets.  Sterling silver and gold vermeil accents in the jewelry mirrored the metallic touches found throughout the wedding reception, and flax colored linen made rustic yet sophisticated pouches for gifting the jewelry.  Left over linen was torn into strips and the bracelets were bundled with a simple bow for safe keeping until we walked down the aisle.    

Linen pouches
Freshwater pearl bracelet sets
22kt gold plated earrings

And one cool wedding shindig it was.  Everyone ate, drank, danced and laughed the night away.  I think it is safe to speak on every guest's behalf and say it was the best time.  I mean, how can you not have fun with seven different flavors of wedding cake?!  (Not kidding.)  But more importantly, we all knew we were in the presence of the real deal.  It was in every way a happily ever after in the making.
Congratulations to one of the best girls I could ever know!  I couldn't be happier for you guys.  Thanks so much for including me in your big beautiful day.  I love you so much!!!

xo...
ki

couture crush...

Happy Friday y'all!

It's no secret that I have a love affair with Couture.  Even before I knew what Couture was I knew I loved it.  I don't know...maybe it's the Scarlet O'Hara in me, but I've always loved a big beautiful dress!
There were, frankly, too many gorgeous styles to choose from this season, but here is a tiny sampling of the beautiful looks that have been marching down the Parisian runways over the past week.

I am particularly obsessed with Giambattista Valli's collection this season.  In my humble opinion, it is perfection in every way...which is why he gets to have two pictures :)  One day when D and I retire back to the South, I plan to spend my days sipping mint juleps on the veranda of our plantation home while wearing one of his gowns...

Just saying...

Have a happy weekend! 

xo...

ki

photos via instyle.com