Thursday, June 30, 2011

Hitting the Road...

...in a few hours, I will be headed towards our destination for a long weekend! I have never been to Interlochen, MI before, but I googled it and if it looks anything like this (see below), I am very excited!


We'll be staying at a family friend's lake house with friends and my Bf's family, so I think it will be lots of fun. We don't get back until Tuesday, so I am signing off for the weekend now. (I know- tough job- but somebody's got to do it!) I hope everyone has a great 4th of July holiday!!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Oh, The Sartorialist...

Scott always manages to post a photo that completely embodies what I am feeling, at least fashion-wise. I am feeling ethereal and boho these days, but with more of an elegant twist than the typical 70's vibe. Needless to say, I was excited to see this photo when I checked his blog today:
I love her stance, too. Kinda makes me want to go to American Apparel and buy 12 different colors of their sheer skirts....

Friday, June 24, 2011

In it to Pin it!

Although I am (precariously) settled now in my new city, I have been slow to pick up on blogging regularly. A lot of it has to do with exploring the city (aka, trying to find food) and the hours it takes to refinish furniture and get my house into liveable shape. Some of it also has to do with Pinterest. I have been obsessed with pinning pictures I love onto my boards so I don't "lose" the inspiration I find on the web. And looking at other people's boards has taken up another huge chunk of precious free time (like, hours, people. Hours)...

Anyway, here are little snapshots of my two most developed boards:

Fashion and Style Inspiration is self-explanatory. I have blog and streetstyle pictures mixed with a lot of online shopping finds on this board.

Places and Spaces is a collection of gorgeous destination photos, textiles I want to use in my house, and various rooms and themes. Lots of color and pattern and a few Etsy finds in there, too.

Click on the name of the board to see the full collection if you are interested and let me know what you think! Do you have Pinterest boards? If you don't and want an invite, just leave your email in the comment box and I will send you one :)
Happy Weekend!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Green with Envy

I never had anything against Houston. To be honest, I haven't given Houston much thought before, but now-- extreme feelings of jealousy for that city! Why? Because the first BHLDN store is opening there in August, that's why. I love the creative installations in Anthropologie and can only imagine what an Anthropologie-type store that caters to fantasy and dream-fulfillment will look like. (big sigh). Hats off to you, Houston, you just got way more awesome!
Are you near Houston and excited as all get out or are you over the Urban Outfitter's franchises?

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Little Reasons to Love Anthro

I love Anthropologie, but more often than not, I have to restrain myself when I shop there because if I bought everything I wanted...well, I would probably have to sell a kidney on the black market to make back the $$. I am a big believer in using accessories to make an impact, especially when wearing a basic outfit that needs some spice, and Anthro is bursting at the seams with fun pieces that can make a big statement for less $.

Statement collar necklaces are fantastic with basic crewneck t-shirts:


I love peachy pinks and gray together:


LOVE the saturated blue color:


A Dave Matthew's song comes to mind... can you guess?


Bright, fun and on sale!

Do you love Anthro as much as I do? When shopping, are you looking for whole outfits or little accessories?

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Creamsicle Clothing!

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I have been seeing a lot of bright coral/orange clothing on folks recently and a lot of neutral, specifically white, clothing. Two opposites, but both make a visual statement and both scream summer. Kinda like how we scream for ice cream.... Creamsicle ice cream...

...OK, reign it in, lady. Anyway, here are a few of the orange and/or white looks I have noticed lately:

Rachel McAdams makes white look sassy:

Doutzen Kroes has the height and frame to pull-off the bold orange:

This white dress makes Rachel Bilson look even more sweet and petite:
And, zinger!, Zoe Saldana makes a bold statement in a creamsicle gown:

How do you feel about the color combination? Which color do you gravitate towards in the summer?

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Lela Rose Resort 2012

My sister sent me this link (here) with the phrase, "I want to redo my entire closet".....
I was curious, so I clicked on the link...and then understood her completely-- Lela Rose killed it for her Resort 2012 collection! My sister is super chic (her home blog full of DIY here), but her tastes are usually more tailored and neutral, so this was a pleasant surprise for me to see ;)

Check out some of my favorite looks:






I never thought I would need neon pants....but I do now! Does the collection make you want to redo your closet? What collections have you been in love with lately?

Monday, June 13, 2011

Lazy Girl DIY

With two new pieces of furniture to refinish (my post on flea market scores here), I don't have a lot of time for other DIY projects, but let's be honest-- I am picky. I have previously described myself as having Neiman's taste on an Old Navy budget, but I don't think my budget restrictions are insurmountable. A little creativity can tailor anything off the rack to your specifications, from clothing to home decor, and that's what today's post is all about:

I was shopping for the home with the Bf last week and spotted this gray lamp with a base that looks like tree branches. We had to get it because if his rustic, traditional taste and my modern, organic taste can agree on something, it's a keeper. The only problem? The heather gray shade is pretty shoddy. Not very fresh-looking and it does nothing to bring out the cool lamp base.


Where does the DIY come in? I found a white, horizontally pleated lampshade on clearance and swapped it for the dull, gray one:

It's not a brand new lamp, but it does freshen the look quite a bit. Just wait until I repaint the end table it's on, too! (Well, when I get to it--eek!) Gotta get back to the garage and continue stripping paint and re-painting, hope everyone is having a great Monday!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

I Don't Know Why, But I Want It....Item of the Week

Like the title suggests, I don't know why I want it, but I do:
This J.Crew collection shibori tie-dye jacket and skirt are totally what I am into right now aesthetically-speaking. Somewhat reminiscent of the skirt I liked on Monday, yes? The pattern is graphic, but not colorful (because that would just give me a headache) and I love how it was styled in the lookbook (check it out here) and I would actually wear the look from head-to-toe instead of breaking it up. Well, it looks like I just need to find $550 in my couch cushions and I'll be set!

Is it too much? Am I crazy? Anything you are pining for this week?

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Old People Stuff

Flea markets. You're either all about them or want nothing to do with them. I have seen some adorable furniture and accessories in friend's homes and found out the items were salvaged from a flea market, but on the other hand- used stuff? Do you really know what you are getting into?

Well, I decided to check out the flea market scene this past weekend at the Royal Oak Farmer's Market and was pleasantly surprised. There was a lot of junk, which is to be expected, but there was just as much, if not more, fun and vintage items. I exercised a phenomenal amount of self-control and steered myself away from the costume jewelry cases towards furniture (we are still in need of a lot of furniture since the move, but I am just not into the same-sameness of the big chain stores).

In about 15 minutes, I swooped in on my first two purchases: a coffee table and a metal seat, and then hemmed and hawed about the lamp for a bit before purchasing it (which turned out to be a good thing, which I will explain later).


The coffee table is the perfect size for the living room because although our couch is big (to accommodate lanky limbs) the coffee table will be at a strategic junction of the room-- right in the main pathway connecting the dining area to the hallway to the bedrooms. The coffee table I found is perfect because it is a good length, but a pretty narrow width, so it won't obstruct the pathway. I am pretty sure the coffee table was a bench in its former life, but I think it will work well for our space and I love that the top opens for storage! I am going to refinish it because the shabby chic finish it has now isn't quite my thing, but I will decide what color after I get a living room rug and a few other things...


The metal seat will be perfect for me as perch for putting on my shoes (it will go in the extra bedroom, which has begun to formalize as my dressing room/shoe closet/awesome-jewelry-making-sewing-random-craft-room). I am going to reupholster the seat (natch) and paint the metal a pewter color... or maybe go for rose gold, I can't decide yet ;)


Lastly, the lamp! I couldn't decide if it was cool or odd-looking, but the turquoise glass is a color I was already thinking about for the living room... if I don't steal it for one of the bedrooms. As I mentioned, I couldn't commit to the purchase, so I made my other purchases, loaded them in the car and then went back in to look at other items... which was the perfect amount of time because the vendor marked everything on his tables (including my lamp-to-be) 50% off! Yippee!

OK, to wrap up this lengthy tale, I got the coffee table for $20 (splurge of the day) , the metal seat for only $5, and the lamp at half price for $14-- not bad. I think flea markets might be part of my weekend plans every now and again because there is a lot of history and quite a few unique items to be found if you are willing to look. I will have to put a little money into painting and refinishing, but the prices were so good, I think I can deal ;)

What about you? Are you a flea market junkee or do you steer clear of anything involving the word "flea"?? Also, any unconventional places you love to shop for furniture?

Monday, June 6, 2011

Gooood Morning!

Monday mornings aren't usually a favorite, but this morning is surprisingly delightful for surprisingly simple reasons:

1- Fresh blueberries. The perfect size and ripeness sprinkled over a bowl of Kashi Crunch cereal makes me feel like one of those people who practices yoga on their balcony over-looking the Caribbean... well, you get the idea.

2- I have the Food Network on while I am "doing online research" (code for procrastinating getting ready for work) and those Neely's are a little over the top, but today they made an amazing-looking spinach artichoke dip and it was definitely something I could make myself...and I will!

3- Part of my online research has involved looking for shorts and skirts that I will love enough to wear (lately the shorts I own that are too short have just sat in a drawer...part of the aging process, I am told, hehe) and although I haven't found any shorts, I am excited that I found this skirt:
Circlets and Stones striped maxi skirt. Funky and fun without being scary, this can definitely be dressed up or down and I think it would transition into fall pretty well, too!

I hope everyone else is having a great (or at least decent) Monday!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Sunny Disposition

It's summer here (so they tell me) and although the sun's rays are not as harsh here as in AZ, my 60 year-old future self wants me to use sunscreen. I always have a small amount of SPF in my moisturizer year round, but I kick it up a notch when the temperature rises. Every summer I start out strong, my good intentions to protect my skin beaming stronger than the roasting waves of the sun, but then my resolve wavers-- Can you blame me? The sliding make-up, clogged pores, and looking like a grease factory has exploded on my face become too much and I start cheating... I wear it just when I am going outside or just mix a little in with my moisturizer until --phew-- September arrives and I don't feel guilty for my lack of diligence anymore....

Since insanity is commonly defined as, "doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results," I think I need to change my approach. This summer will be the sunscreen hunt that (hopefully) yields a winning product I actually end up using consistently. Instead of buying first Neutrogena product I come across at CVS, I will investigate products more thoroughly. I think it would also be worthwhile to make a trip or two to Sephora or a department store to test some samples for a while before making the big commitment.

I better get a move on since it is already June, so here's my preliminary list of sunscreens that have caught my eye:

DERMAdoctor 'Ain't Misbehavin'™' Skin Clarifying & Mattifying Sunscreen SPF 30 PA +++. This one claims to prevent the aforementioned grease-explosion-effect and contains ingredients to soothe my finicky skin.... sounds promising.


3LAB 'Perfect' Sunscreen SPF 55 PA+++. No oil, PABA, or fragrance and SPF 55-- the reviewer loves it and is in my age bracket, which also makes it interesting. (You know, cuz 65 yr olds typically have different skin needs than spring chickens).


Peter Thomas Roth 'Uber-Dry™' Sunscreen SPF 30. This one also claims to absorb quickly and without greasy after-effects. The reviewer from hot, humid Florida likes it and I am interested in the vague promises of anti-oxidant properties as well.


LANCER™ Skincare Vitamin C Antioxidant Sunscreen SPF 30. I am a fan of everything Vitamin C does to my face and I like that is one contains both physical and chemical blockers, but the reviews
are not winning me over...

Am I the only one militant about wearing sunscreen these days? Sometimes I feel like I am the pale nerd sitting in doors while the cool kids bake themselves ;) Any sunscreens you love or that might be worth a try?