John Hughes.

I was just catching up on some blog reading and I was urged to read this post:

http://wellknowwhenwegetthere.blogspot.com/2009/08/sincerely-john-hughes.html

Wow! I'm always amazed to hear about all these great relationships and life experiences. This one is so very amazing that it seems like a movie in and of itself. Please read it. :)

Baubles Galore

Yesterday I received an e-mail from J.Crew. I shouldn't have opened it... it was pure torture as always! I believe this particular condition is known as too pretty, too pricey.

The items are all so beautiful but I don't have the money to buy them!! My favorite? The second picture - the tiered crystal necklace. The teardrop necklace is a very close 2nd. Swoon!

Living Room Love

No, not my living room. Lately I've been really annoyed by my apartment. My main annoyance is our living room space. We have a combined living room/dining room. Unfortunately B was very insistent on having his desk (a giant, wood lament piece that he proudly bought at Staples) in the living area. We each have a laptop so there is no need for such a massive piece of furniture. However, I digress. I dream of the day when our small space will be warm, streamlined and inviting. I'm in the process of making some small updates which include new artwork, pictures and hopefully a new slipcover for the couch. In the meantime my inspiration folder keeps growing. I just came across this picture:

Beautiful!!! I can't stop staring at this. This photograph is from Kishani Perera's portfolio.

Another favorite is this Candice Olsen design, as shown on HGTV's Divine Design.

This photo is actually from a basement makeover but I love the mix of hard and soft elements. I love the mirrored surfaces, nailhead trim and chic banquette.

(He's) Leaving on a Jetplane

Sigh. I found out yesterday that the boy will be leaving soon for 6 months of training. Bummer. We expected training to be in February, not September. Also, we expected it to be local and not across the country. It looks like most of fall, as well as all of winter and spring will be spent alone. I'm taking my time with this one, trying not to freak out. This isn't the first time we've spent apart but it still hurts.

For now I'm trying to take it day by day and find some time for us to be alone before he leaves. With a crazy and often unpredictable work schedule this is no easy task.

Image via fffound, and flickr

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!




How yummy do these look? If I’m lucky maybe I can snag some of the above at the BBQ today!

But cupcakes or no cupcakes the best part are always the fireworks! They are calling for rain tonight so I’m hoping the firework viewing will still be clear.

Photos from Country Living Magazine, me and Kristin of Meringe Bake Shop

Cozy Candles

OK, so the candles themselves aren't cozy. I love the vibe a room gets from the flicker of a candle. One candle, five candles, fifty candles... they are all fabulous. Today I'm loving this photo:

All those candles make the room seem so cozy! It makes me want to sit and stay a while. I've decided that I want tons and tons of candles at my wedding reception. No idea when or where it will be as that is the one and only decision I've made so far. (On that note-- if you know of a pretty bit of land in DC/MD I can use, for little $, I will be eternally grateful!)

I found this dining room picture on another blog but there was no photo credit. If you know who or where it was from originally please let me know. I hate not giving credit where it's due. Thanks!

I See Zig-Zags

The Internet is a wonderful thing. A few days ago I entered a giveaway on one of my favorite blogs, Elements of Style, and lo and behold - I won!!

I am the proud owner of not one but two new Twinkle zig-zag pillows from All Modern! Hooray!! I am one of those people that never seems to win anything. But I suppose I can't say that anymore since I did win! I live in a bland rental unit with many of the lovely (read: old, falling apart) original details from the 70's and some updates from the 80's (scratched wood parquet floors anyone?).

I have been wanting some new throw pillows for the living room lately to help brighten the room up. I hadn't found any in my price range which wasn't a complete surprise. Unfortunately with only one income right now we're in super saver mode right now. Thanks to Erin and the lovely folks at Modern Living I now have some great new pillows for free. Yes! Thank you!!

Happy Monday everyone. I wish you all some great luck!

Hello Vera!

Swoon! I've admired these cute little Kate Spade shoes for quite a while now. Practicality got the best of me and I never ordered them. I re-found them earlier this week but I was still on the fence. It was then that I had the bright idea to ask the boy. His response?

"No. I don't like them. It looks like someone pulled a bow off a gift and stuck it on the front."

haha. Love the honesty but it wasn't the response I wanted to hear. However, I took his comments to heart and waited.... another two days. Finally this morning I gave in. I am happy to report that I will soon receive some awesome new shoes:


While I used to live in flip-flops all summer long I've realized that I have done major damage to my feet. I've carefully been considering my summer shoe options. I want something for weekends that will be fun and summery without being frumpy, uncomfortable or a sneaker. (I already have several pairs of driving shoes/loafers or whatever you choose to call them.) Don't worry I will still wear flip-flops but their use will be limited. I think these shoes will work nicely with chino shorts or cropped pants. Wish me luck!

4th and Bleeker

Found out about an awesome new blog today: 4thandbleeker




How gorgeous is this girl? And it's official, we could be best friends because the first post I've ever read is about russell hammond, penny lane and it's all happening. love love love.

Domino Numero Dos

I found out about this from the lovely Joanna...

Domino sale. This weekend. Hamptons area.

Saturday, June 13th, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 75 Main Street, Amagansett (on Rt 27, across from La Fondita); cash only; haggling welcome.

Ugh. Another thing I miss! If you are in the area please stop by and let me know how it goes. Super bonus too.... the local shopping, beaches and food are all fabulous! So even if you leave the sale empty handed it will still make for a great day!

photo by the awesome Martin Rusch

Real Living

Today I'm absolutely loving Real Living magazine. I tried to get a subscription today but after finding the cost for US delivery I think that will have to wait. However, my future brother-in-law is an Aussie so I'm hoping he can pick one up when he is back home on business. Fingers crossed!

Anyway... how did I get on this rant about Real Living? Featured in the current issue is Michelle's (of the blog M.A. Belle and the company Rubie Green) awesome apartment. Check out one of the gorgeous pictures:

My apologies but for some reason I couldn't get more pictures to show up. Visit Michelle's blog and Real Living for more pictures!

photo from Real Living

My So Called Life

Way back when I LOVED the show My So Called Life. It was an amazing and real show. But the one thing I remember and loved the most were the quotes. The dialogue was fantastic. Kudos to the writers for capturing all the angst, confusion, awe, fun, puppy love and ambivalence of being a teenager.

One of my all time favorite quotes is: "Sometimes it seems like we're all living in some kind of prison. And the crime is how much we hate ourselves. It's good to get really dressed up once in a while. And admit the truth: that when you really look closely? People are so strange and so complicated that they're actually... beautiful. Possibly even me."

So what made me think of the show? A great blog post on Hello Lolla. Please go visit her site and scroll down to the My So Called Life post. I couldn't link directly to the post but it's great.

Rain Rain

Tonight the skies opened up and it rained as I was on my way to my first softball game. I've never played the game. 2 years ago I hadn't ever watched one. Now, I've decided to give in to some colleagues and play on the office team. What have I gotten myself into? Anyway... tonight the skies opened up and I checked with the ballfield rain-out number for the umpteen time. At 5pm they updated the message -- all games cancelled! I turned back around, as I was en-route at the time, and went home. It was drizzling when I arrive home but nothing too major. I had enough time to make it through the lobby and into my apartment when it started to downpour. It hardly ever rains like that here so it was quite a sight to see. The weather phenom was complete with crazy wind and rain blowing sideways. Eeeks!

On the up side... I have more time before I have to face the softball field. I'm so nervous!

photo via ffffound

Beautiful Weekend

Hope you all had a lovely, long weekend! My weekend was incredibly long since I took a few extra days off. It was great but as I'm sure you can relate it is never enough. On the up side, I got to spend some time back home. Loveeeeeeeeeeeeee it:

Karl Lagerfeld

Fashion icon and the Man of Style himself. Read his musings... http://twitter.com/karl_lagerfeld

Photo courtesy of Francois Lafite (http://www.flickr.com/photos/francois_lafite/2514957076/)

I Love College

Thank you internet for today you have introduced me to Asher Roth. I must confess my love of this song. Don't be fooled - I am not an 18 year old frat boy and my college days were never this crazy. With all of that said... I want to go back to college and experience some craziness. hahaha.

Asher Roth - New Music - More Music Videos

Asher Roth's video, "I Love College" from MTV.com

Great Weekend

Today I've been super tired. Heck, it's Monday so that wasn't super surprising. I was recounting my weekend in an e-mail to an old friend when I realized how crazy it's been. Definitely unexpected too. Want the details? Here goes (huge inhale)...

Saturday morning = early wake-up to gray skies. Figure out if I will have a game today. Lots of phone calls and Internet checks. Confirm that game is on. Stretch. Head to football (co-ed and non-tackle!). It starts to rain... we begin our game. Wet, on muddy fields and I'm the only one in sneakers. I only slip once and I count my blessings. Hang out/grab lunch with 1/4 of my team afterwards. Head back to fields. Wait for word if I need to step in as an alternate on a friend's team. Finally hear back 10 minutes to their game time. Change into a dirty and smelly shirt. Less than 5 mins later I find out that they have someone else. Change out of shirt. Watch game. Head home. Shower, finally!!! Fall asleep on the couch in a towel. Wake up an hour later in a daze. Get ready. Grab ice-coffee on the way to the bar. (Actually finished it in the bar. Awesome/Classy, I know.) Met up with a friend who is moving out of state this week. Have drinks, watch sports on bar TV's and listen to reallllly bad DJ (who mixes Bob Marley, KrisKross and tons of 80's music?!) Friends leave. We stay. Decide I want to dance. Head to English pub around the corner. Get carded. Really young looking girl wearing a "just turned 21" sign is waiting to be let into bar. Feel old. Listen to more bad DJ music. Have no cash. Charge $18 on my credit card so I can get a beer. Beer was gross and the atmosphere was akin to a bad frat party. Went home. Hubs-to-be laughs at me throughout the night. I'm good comic relief.

Sunday... stomach hurts. Confirm that I don't like beer. Move slow, take long shower, etc. Attend a college graduation party. Eat wings = amazing! Chat with my future home loan officer and get his life story. Love hearing from people with multiple careers. Leave graduation party and head to Target on a Sunday evening. No carts and tons of people. Leave with a basket of random things.

Yeah... so that's pretty much it.

image is by James Roper, via ffffound

Domino Tag Sale

Saturday, May 9, 10a.m. to 5 p.m., at 13 West Ninth Street (Fifth Avenue), garden apartment; cash only

I first read about this on Elements of Style blog this morning. By now it's everywhere! You know what I'm talking about... Domino's tag sale! Not only are former staffers selling off their goods but some great designers are too. If I could I would definitely hit up this sale. Read the full article

Photo courtesy of the NY Times

Get Some.

I love the idea of buying local but sometimes big box retailers are so much easier. I can't deny that Target is my favorite place to buy everyday items (and tons of other "essentials" that I discover) and Harris Teeter is my favorite place to buy my groceries. I really appreciate the reminder from the 350 project to take the time to buy local and help out local retailers. These shop owners are members of our community and they need our support, particular in these difficult economic times. I haven't picked out my three places yet but I definitely have some ideas. My number one place is a posh home store that stocks yummy pieces of to-die-for furniture. Luckily they also have some home decor accessories that are more in my price range. Also on my mind is a little stationary shop that stocks fun party supplies and holiday garb. It's my "go to" shop for great cards and "flair" such as the shamrock beads I wore to a St. Patrick's Day party.

I covet

I don't know why... but I do. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. And the Sartioralist took the most breath-taking picture of someone wearing it. Will post that too!