Sole-Searching: Blue Suede Shoes

Between the vibrant-color-hold-over from summer and the color-blocking trend that has been prominently featured in magazine fall trend previews (though are they really previews at this point? Isn't it already fall?), cobalt blue currently has a big place in color real estate of the fashion world. I was just browsing through the shoe section of the Accessories archive on style.com (don't go there unless you want to inexplicably lose 3 hrs of your day!) for fall wardrobe inspiration and couldn't help but be drawn to the bold color on so many styles of shoes. Here are a few of my favorites:

Pierre Hardy. I feel like I see this heel everywhere and yet I can't help but notice something new about it every time I see it! It's like the shoe of a chic superhero!

 

Christian Louboutin. The man of the red sole can do no wrong. I love that it is nonchalantly super-stylish and my ankles thank him for the generous cut-out...well, they would if I could buy these ;) 

 

Pollini. The emphasized stitches, over-sized tassel (love!) and brick-of-a-heel make this an unforgettable shoe even if the color was boring instead of this bright hue. I spotted this in last month's Harper's Bazaar and stared for a while, which sparked the search.

Don't want to take out a second mortgage to satisfy your cobalt craving? No worries-- I found this adorable cut-out shootie at Payless! That's right, $59 for this Lela Rose for Payless pair of adorableness!

Will you be wearing cobalt kicks this fall? Or will you be wearing bright blue in your clothing or saving it for smaller accessories instead?

Solange Azagury-Partridge Helps Me Procrastinate....

My days off from work are usually dictated by a to-do list that never seems to get any closer to being done, (do you know how much new rugs shed?! I could stuff a pillow with all the fluff I am vacuuming!), and by long-term projects that always involve more effort than I anticipate, (like the antique door I am refinishing to make into the top of my office work table...there are approximately 7,349 layers of paint to get through and only 24 hrs in a day!). So sue me if I want to take a break from menial labor and sit on my lazy bum with a mug of chai and look at awesome things on the internet. A few minutes of playtime (or an hour, but an hour is comprised of minutes, so there) keeps my brain from going into zombie-mode and gives me great ideas for new projects...which is where refinishing that door to become a desk idea came from... which has created more work for me...wait, this pattern is not good!

Anyway, today's procrastination is scoping out the new website launch for Solange Azagury-Partridge jewelry. The website is dandy and all that, but let's cut to the jewels: SAP does not design adornments for the faint of heart, which, since I am in a statement-necklace-and-cocktail-ring phase, is just fine with me. Some of her pieces are a bit too late 80's/early 90's for my taste, but she has such a variety of styles, (14 collections on the website!), that the phrase "something for everyone" comes to mind....

Here are a few of my fav's:

All SAP images from her website

 

I also liked this SAP "Triangle" necklace (left) and then realized how similar it looks to this Elizabeth and James "Wishbone" necklace (right):
 

Which one is your favorite? And I can't be the only lazy procrastinator out there, right?

Sharks in Velour Tracksuits: Missoni (for Target) Madness

For all of your west-coasters, if you want anything from the Missoni for Target collection please:
A) line-up before the store opening and
B)- bring your roller-derby team to help defend your cart.

I am joking, but that is actually the best advice I can give you.

After dropping off my friend at the airport early this morning, (miss you already, Alexis!!), I went to Target with the intention of picking up a throw blanket. I know, it's not that exciting, but since I love chevron designs right now and the blanket has neutral and turquoise tones that would blend seamlessly with my current bedroom decor while adding a little pizzazz, it seemed like a good idea. I rolled up to my local Target at 8:15am and the parking lot contained a bunch of minivans and Landrovers, so that should have been my clue to hit the road, but it was early and my brain wasn't working. Inside, there were dozens of suburbanite moms racing around with shopping carts full of Missoni products, yelling to one another about sizes and prices and trying to zoom past the other moms for the last pair of striped galoshes.

Think: the Indy 500 meets a shark feeding-frenzy sprinkled with velour tracksuits.

Not surprisingly, I did not get my throw blanket. It looks like this:


But the shelf it was supposed to be on looked like this:

 
(Empty). I would have taken other photos of the empty racks of clothes, but there were women loitering about like inmates in a prison yard waiting for employees to put back the rejected items from previous shoppers. I was afraid of getting shanked, so I backed away slowly...

I did, however, get a consolation prize: bobby pins! They are pretty cheap, but the chevron pattern made it a no-brainer and I am growing out my bangs, so I told myself that I need them. Those babies and the new Elle Decor magazine and I was in the check-out line.

The lady in front of me in line to check out spent over $1,200 on her cart-o-Missoni, which is great for her, but I think people need to remind themselves that it is not "real" Missoni. It's a fun collection, but polyester is not worth dying for, people!

Targets opens in my area at 8am, so everything happened in the 15 minutes before I got there! Anyone who missed out on their wishlist should check out eBay, as that is where one mom was talking about posting the stuff she didn't when she got home...yup, sharks in velour tracksuits.

Etsy Finds!

Sometimes I need to close the laptop and walk away. I could probably spend days on end browsing Pinterest and Etsy if given time off work and a bag of giant marshmallows for sustenance...not saying this specific scenario happened -ahem- recently; it was more of a hypothetical situation....

Yeah, let's just look at a few of my finds:
1. I love organization that is as attractive as it is useful, so this box of drawers is awesome.
2. Twig Branch Bobby Pins are so cute and so perfect for fall!
3. I have already mentioned how much I love onegarnetgirl's creations--look at these raw diamond studs and tell me you don't love her, too!4. Hand dyed scarf in a bright, cheery hue? Yes, please!

Does anyone else loose countless hours on Etsy? What items do you love to search for?

Fall Trend: Color-blocking with a Twist

As much as I want to live in summer forever; surrounded by green grass, blossoming flowers and warm breezes, a recent work meeting has me thinking about fall. I had to pick a fall trend, create an outfit and then wear it during the meeting as part of a presentation--I know, life is SO hard when you have to play dress-up at work! I chose the color-blocking trend that I am enthusiastically anticipating for fall and gave it a slight 70's twist:

Sweater- Rag and Bone; Tank- Rag and Bone; Jeans- JBrand; Booties- Vince Camuto; Oxfords- Rag and Bone

The outfit could have gone a little too 70's when I pared the red flares and geometric sweater together, but the bright blue seemed to happily modernize the sweater's neutral stripes and the rust color of the jeans. The asymmetrical hem of the silky tank peeking out from under the sweater kept the ensemble from being too boxy and block-y and provided more visual interest than the sweater and jeans alone. A manager picked the chunky boot for me to wear with the outfit, but I usually don't wear a platform or heel with flares unless the bottom hem of the jean still grazes the floor...but I liked the color and decided to be nice, so the boots finished my ensemble. If I chose the shoes for myself in my everyday life, these leather oxfords would have been a no-brainer. They are SO buttery and soft and are pretty dapper kicks, I might add ;)

This outfit made me think about the possibilities fall brings to my wardrobe, so maybe cooler weather won't be so bad after all...maybe.

Are you excited to color-block/are already color-blocking? What other fall trends are you excited to rock?

Old People Stuff...For A New Generation!

My bf relayed the information that, according to his coworker, I have taken too long to post the pictures of my furniture-refinishing projects (Yes, Dana, I am talking about you! Thanks for reading!) from my highly successful trip to the local flea market (read the post here). I was waiting to get all of the rooms in which these pieces live complete before taking photos, but at the rate I am going, the house won't be finished until the year 2020, so now is as good a time as any to share my results:

The lamp just needed a good cleaning, so I didn't take any additional pictures, but the bench/coffee table and the seat both needed a complete overhaul:

The seat escapade was surprisingly easy. After removing the seat from its base, I realized that the shabby velour had been hastily stapled over another layer of fabric that covered a vinyl cushion. I was relieved that I didn't have to purchase foam and start from scratch (I would have if the seat hadn't been vinyl just to make sure I wasn't bringing anything yucky into the house). With a little (ahem, A LOT 0f) help from my mom (yes, I put my parents to work when they visited recently, I am a terrible child), the seat was reupholstered with a brightly patterned fabric. The gold paint on the metal base was chipping off, but had two layers of paint underneath, so I sanded it and painted it a subdued pewter.


The bench was a completely different ordeal. I liked the pale yellow color when I bought the bench, but the paint was chipping terribly and looked a little too shabby-chic/trendy (don't get me wrong, I like that style, but everything in moderation, people!) so it needed some work. My pops got me started with a sanding tutorial and all I can say is thank goodness for electric sanders! I spent numerous afternoons off in the garage sanding with my little Black and Decker, so I don't want to imagine how much time it would have taken to sand the whole bench by hand with sandpaper! After the bench was striped of layers of dirt and paint, I stained it a dark walnut (which is an endeavor in itself since each layer of stain gets rubbed with steel wool after it dries) and I think the sweaty afternoons in a muggy garage paid off:


The inside of the bench was not in great shape, so I decided to just repaint it with a bright turquoise. I love the contrast of the dark wood with the bright hue:

Now I can actually use my coffee table for storage and display! (The little things make me happy these days). I got a metal and wood tray and refinished the metal portion with the same pewter color as the seat. The tray holds a bowl of clementines, drinks and my latest flea market purchase, an antique metal cricket figurine.


Here is a close-up of the cricket:
I love it so much! (I'm a dork, I know)

It was great to refinish those pieces because although it was a lot of work, I smile to myself every time I pass the seat or bench in my house because I know what I am capable of and I feel like I have a good start on creating an inviting home of which I can be proud.

What do you think of the rehab job? Any suggestions for ways I could have done it more easily? And what should I name the cricket? Hehe

Seeing Chevrons

I openly admit that I am a shopaholic, but I rarely purchase anything online, much less make an impulse purchase online. But there it was, a black and white striped chevron rug staring at me from the Hautelook website. Its poor, woebegone self seemed to whimper, "Take me home with you"--- oh, wait, that was the price, nevermind! Even on a computer screen I can tell it isn't the quality of the Madeline Weinrib or West Elm chevron rug I have been pining for, but at $65 for a 5x8 rug, I couldn't pass up the deal and it will be perfect for my home office.

After (im)patiently refreshing the webpage until it came back in stock, (you have 15 min to purchase what you select for your shopping bag on Hautelook or it is removed from your bag and put back in stock--can you say "extreme sense of urgency""?), I snagged the size I want and purchased it, feeling triumphant. Until I realized I had purchased a black and white chevron rug... How on earth am I going to make that work with my decor of happy turquoises, organic wood accents and metallic odds and ends...? Panic set in, but then my sister (ever-so-chic and a pro decorator) told me to check Pinterest for inspiration.... Like I don't spend enough time on there to think of that myself! (But I didn't, it was panic time). Anyway, I was immediately relieved to see the awesome rooms people have created with chevron rugs and can't wait to get mine in the mail so I can start decorating my office!!! Here are some of the pictures I found:

I love the ornate style of the chair contrasted with the more modern, graphic rug. And the turquoise? Obviously a fav! I was relieved to see it incorporated with the black and white.


This rug looks to be about the size and scale of the one I purchased, and it doesn't make me cross-eyed, so I can stop hyperventilating ;)


I love this mix of print and color!


I found the picture of this home office last, and it will be of great inspiration to me-- I mean, it is simple, but who wouldn't want to work in a space like this?
Is anyone else out there an impulse shopper? Do you normally shop for home goods online or in 'brick and mortar' stores? Am I crazy for buying this rug?!?!?!?