Most Stylish TV Characters

Lucky Magazine's website currently has a feature on their editor's picks for the most stylish tv characters. Here is the list:

- Betty Draper in Mad Men
- Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl
- Mary Tyler Moore in Mary Tyler Moore
- Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City
- Kelly, Jill, and Sabrina in Charlie's Angels
- Angela Chase in My So-Called Life
- Amanda Tanen in Ugly Betty
- Denise Huxtable in The Cosby Show
- Addison Montgomery in Private Practice
- Laurie Partridge in The Partridge Family
- Ally McBeal in Ally McBeal
- Ann Marie in That Girl

Who would make your list? I definitely think Blair and Serena on Gossip Girl are equally stylish, so I would have included Blair on my list.

DIY Wednesday: Beach Towel Bag

I saw this super easy beach towel bag on MarthaStewart.com. All you need is a beach towel, two 12-inch lengths of grosgrain ribbon, and a sewing machine. Seems very simple, even for the sewing-challenged like me! Click here for the instructions.

A Spring in My Step

I've been looking for reasonably comfortable gold shoes to wear with my bridesmaid dress for a friend's June wedding. As we'll be taking wedding photos in the Public Garden in Boston (and thus walking on the dirt and grass), I didn't want to break the bank on super pricey shoes. And I'm hoping they'll do double duty and I can wear them with a navy blue dress to another friend's wedding in Tennessee in August which I'm hoping to be able to attend.

Luckily, I found this pair at Nine West. Given the number of straps, they are surprisingly comfortable as the straps can be adjusted a little to fit your foot.


I was also considering this pair from J Crew. Although now I'm glad I didn't buy them because they were still $99 in the store and they're $69.99 online. I also think I like the more subtle gold color of the Nine West shoes.

Early Riser

Well, this morning I was woken up at 6:45 by my dog deciding to throw up on the bottom of my bed! What a great start to the day, right? As I was up early, I decided to take advantage and stop by an estate sale at a neighbor's where I picked up a set of 7 original Nancy Drew books. I have a moderate size collection of vintage children's books and am always scouting for new ones to add.

On the agenda for today is switching out my winter duvet for my summer bedding. I'm also on a search for a new "party top" to wear to a friend's bachelorette in New York City in a couple of weeks. I looked in quite a few stores in Boston last night after work without luck.

Hope you enjoy your Saturday!

Fashion on the Patio

I meant to write this post last night as a Design/DIY Wednesday post, but I was working on writing letters to newly admitted students of my college. I volunteer every year to write alum letters and every year I always forget how long it takes to write a nice, meaningful note that might help the student decide whether to attend. I try not to just write - "Congrats! It's a great school, you'll love it. Hope you attend." And, in this age of emails and texts, I also always forget how long it takes to handwrite something! After finishing the notes and watching the Real Housewives of NYC, before I knew it I had fallen asleep on the couch in front of the American Idol results show (I guess the nutty Housewives succeeded in keeping me awake more than the double elimination on Idol. I will miss Anoop though - the preppy grad student was kind of a unique contestant.)

I would love to be lying in the sun on a chaise lounge like this right now:

Trina Turk's line of indoor/outdoor fabric for Schumacher is inspired by her fashion. In some cases the fabrics are nearly identical to some of her clothes like these pink shorts and the below green fabric:

I think these two are my favorite fabrics from the line:

Do you like the fabrics? Are some of them too bold for furniture or are they just right for a sunny poolside look? Click here to see the full line.

Pacifica

I've kind of set a personal goal of slowly eliminating, or atleast reducing, beauty products with harsh chemicals and other stuff that's not-so-great for the environment from my daily routine. Given my sensitive skin and obsession with protecting my skin from aging, I'm not sure my goal is entirely realistic as to be honest it seems like a lot of the strongest anti-aging products are at the opposite end of the spectrum from natural, eco-friendly beauty products. But I'm hoping to switch up products where I can.
So, I was very excited when my mom got me this cute little gift set from Pacifica at Sephora for a little belated Easter gift. For only $14, the set comes with solid perfume, body butter, and a soy candle. I especially love the solid perfume, it's perfect for keeping in my purse to quickly freshen up and for traveling. And what's even better is that all Pacifica products are made with natural ingredients and are free of parabens, propylene glycol, and phthalates (all those sound kinda bad don't they?). Plus, they are vegan and not tested on animals or made with ingredients currently tested on animals.

Do you use any so-called "natural" products? Any favorites?

Quick Note

In an effort to clear some of my jewelry out of my Etsy shop, most jewelry items have been reduced by 20 to 25%. Regular shipping is only $2-3 for jewelry too! Please take a look!

The Award Goes to . . .

. . . J Crew's French Terry Cardigan. Remember this post? The sweatshirt-like cardigan I purchased a few weeks ago is currently my favorite item of clothing, so much so that I bought 2 more in different colors while shopping over the weekend. I've worn the off-white cardigan to work with black pants that have off-white stitching up the front seam, black top, Tory Burch Revas, and gold accessories. It is super comfy and feels like you're wearing a sweatshirt, but it dresses up too and becomes perfectly business casual. So, if you're near a J Crew I definitely recommend stopping in and checking out these cardigans (although I suggest going one size smaller than your usual size, for a more fitted look - these run big).

Fenway in Photos

Well, the Red Sox game on Friday night didn't start off so well. After the starting pitcher let in 7 runs in the 2nd inning (including a grand slam), I figured I was in for a loooong night. Luckily, they came back quickly and won the game!

A view of the Boston skyline from my seat:

Overall, our seats were great - we were at the front of our section and there were no disturbances from people standing and walking around - so I could just sit back, enjoy my Fenway Frank (for you Boston readers: the supposed new hot dog recipe takes just about the same to me), and watch the game. My parents purchased a 4-pack of Friday night games with the same seats so I'll be enjoying this same view again:


Sweeping the infield between innings; the workers have such a specific pattern that they walk in to clean everything perfectly, it's fun to watch:

Good Things

1. After a week of crisp and rather windy temperatures in the 50's, it is supposed to hit 70 degrees today in the Boston area!

2. I am going to my first Red Sox game of the season tonight (and the warm temps mean I won't have to freeze!).

3. I'm getting my first pedicure of the spring on Sunday!

To steal the words of Martha, those are all very good things!

Recycled Glass Countertops

Has anybody else caught the reality show, Living with Ed, on Planet Green? The show centers around the actor Ed Begley, Jr. (probably most famous for his role on St Elsewhere) - Ed is a diehard environmentalist and the show is a comedic take on his various efforts to live a "green" life and how he drives his wife crazy in the process.

In one recent episode that I saw Ed's wife finally convinced him to remodel their kitchen and they chose recycled glass countertops. I was intigued by the idea, so I did a little googling and found the company Vetrazzo. Here's a little info from their website:

"All of the glass used in Vetrazzo is recycled, and it makes up about 85% of the final material by weight. The largest proportion of glass comes from curbside recycling programs. Other glass comes from post industrial usage, windows, dinnerware, stemware, automotive windshields, stained glass, laboratory glass, reclaimed glass from building demolition, and other unusual sources such as decommissioned traffic lights."

Alehouse Amber - from beer bottles:
Cobalt Skyy - from Skyy vodka bottles:

Palladian Gray - from the Esprit building in San Francisco:

Cubist Clear from tempered glass windshields and shower doors:

Used as a top to create a coffee table with its very own story? Your cocktail party conversation would never be dull!

Now and Then

I just noticed that Google has a huge archive of historic images from LIFE magazine.

Check out this photo of spring fashion taken in Paris in 1951 at the Christian Dior spring fashion show. How elegant and proper the models look. I've definitely seen large flowers on some dresses for spring this year like J Crew's Sascha wedding gown. I guess what is old truly is new again??

Stepping Back in Time

One of the funnest things about going to the theater for me is the feeling of stepping back in time when you walk into a beautiful, old theater plush with red carpet and gilding. The Opera House in Boston was meticulously restored in 2004 after being closed for a number of years, bringing the theater's period details back to their full luster.

Grand staircase in the theater's lobby:

The theater's beautiful ceiling and interior:

Dirty Dancing was a great show. The production really took advantage of technology to re-create scenes from the movie in a creative way - the scene where Johnny teaches Baby how to do lifts in the water actually appeared as though the actors were really swimming through the magic of special effects (the actors were behind a screen they put in front of the stage that created a water effect). Although to be honest, if they had simply made the audience stare at an empty stage for an hour and half before the famous last scene I think the audience would still have gone home happy! As soon as the Johnny walked briskly through the aisle, hopped on stage, and famously said "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," the crowd went absolutely WILD!

Happy Weekend

Dirty Dancing last night was great - recap to come this week!

Today, I am headed to lunch for a friend's birthday and then to the bead store with another friend to look at beads to start planning the jewelry for her bridesmaids! The dresses are pink and the bride's initial idea is for jewelry in a pink and white color palette as she is leaning towards white flowers. I’m bringing some samples of other necklaces I’ve made so she can see all the different style possibilities.

Whether you are celebrating Easter, or Passover, or just enjoying spring - I wish you a great weekend!

(Photo from marthastewart.com: botanical eggs - click here for the instructions.)

A note to Boston area readers

For any readers in the Boston area: shoe and accessory store Moxie is opening a new store in Wellesley (side note: why do all the good stores open somewhere once I no longer live there??). To celebrate, they are offering 15% off any one item in their Wellesley location or their original store on Charles Street in Beacon Hill. Some new Tory Burch or Jack Rogers sandals for the summer at 15% off? – who can say no? Just mention you received their promotional email about the new store opening (I can forward it, just email me).

Dirty Dancing

I'm seeing "Dirty Dancing" at the Opera House in Boston tonight! My mom and I have dress circle seats, which I love because they are not as squashed together as the other seats. I've heard the show is really good, so I'm looking forward to it!

DIY Wednesday: Easter!

I love this flower idea from marthastewart.com. These petite flower arrangements made from hollowed-out eggshells would look so pretty interspersed throughout an Easter brunch buffet. For a whimsical look, you could use these egg holders from Williams Sonoma:

Spring is here . . . really!

Yesterday was a wash-out and today was windy and cold, but this afternoon at 4pm when team legend Johnny Pesky (still wearing a Red Sox uniform at age 89) yelled "Play Ball!" spring officially arrived in Boston . . . and not a moment too soon! I'm going to my first game of the season next Friday and I can't wait!

Tea and J Crew

Have you received the 25% off J Crew discount card? It is always hard to resist a little shopping splurge when you have a coupon - but when that coupon is to my favorite store and can be used again and again for a whole month I know I am in trouble!

Last week I stopped into J Crew to return one belt and get a price adjustment for the 25% off the other. I also couldn't resist buying this:

French Terry Cardigan

I was also looking for a particular skirt - a pencil skirt in turquoise with a bow (it's not online to show you a picture, unfortunately). But they didn't have my size. That turned out to be a very good thing, however, because I would have worn it to my friend's bridal shower yesterday. And the bride-to-be wore the skirt; definitely wouldn't want to have been in the same outfit! :)

The shower favor yesterday was a little tin of tea sachets from Harney & Sons tied with organza ribbon. I thought it was such a great idea. Everyone can use tea, even if you're not a tea drinker, it's nice to have some on hand for guests.

Staying Motivated

This morning I set my alarm clock 10 minutes later to 6:10AM rather than 6:00 in the hopes that I could trick myself into believing that 10 more minutes of precious sleep would make all the difference in my day. (Despite the fact that it's Friday, I'll be up again early tomorrow to set-up at a craft fair at a nearby high school with my mother and then I'll be off to my friend's bridal shower. I signed up to display my jewelry and headbands and my mom's crocheted accessories before I knew that the shower was the same date - that type of "everything at once" seems to happen to me all the time!)

It's funny the games and mind-tricks that we play with ourselves to keep ourselves going and motivated. For me, it's my morning cup of tea and a quick glance at the frontpage of each section of the newspaper that gets me energized and calm for the day ahead.

What are your tricks for staying motivated and energized?

The Countess No Longer

Have you heard? Real Housewives of New York star, the title-obsessed Countess LuAnn de Lesseps is reportedly divorcing her husband. So, what about her new book coming out next month: "Class with the Countess? - will it have to be "Class with the Ex-Countess"? (See the E Online story here.)

I just watched this week's episode tonight and got to see the Bethanny-Kelly confrontation: whose side are you on? I think Kelly wins over Bethanny on the crazy scale. Kelly definitely thinks VERY highly of herself.

p.s. This week has been a busy one for me (I'm adjusting to waking up at 6am for work and thus have been plopping myself down in front of the tv at night.) So I have not had too much time to read others' blogs and comment. I can't wait to catch up this weekend!

Design Wednesday: Crisp White Linens

I would love to transform my bed for spring in the style of this inspiring bedroom:

Crisp, white monogrammed duvet and sheets with a pop of pink makes for a clean and calm, yet sophisticated, bedroom. I'd like to step right into this photo and take an afternoon nap, wouldn't you? :)

Photo from Domino magazine, Apr. 2007