What I'm Reading Now

Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston

I found this book at a local bargain bookstore for $3 and I've been really enjoying it so far. The book is a sequel of sorts to Pride and Prejudice and follows the five daughters of Darcy and Elizabeth who are living with Darcy's cousin in London while their parents go on a diplomatic mission to Constantinople. I must confess--I have never read Pride and Prejudice! For English class in high school we were assigned to read a Jane Austen novel of our choice one summer so I chose Emma because I loved the movie, Clueless, at the time. I've been meaning to sit down one day and actually read Pride and Prejudice but haven't gotten around to it. I've seen the movie version so that's been sufficient (so far atleast) to follow Mr. Darcy's Daughters. If you're a Jane Austen fan I highly recommend it!

p.s. Has anyone started watching the new Emma miniseries on PBS? It's saved on my DVR to watch this weekend.

Looking Towards Spring

I received a small gift card to LL Bean with my Christmas slippers, so last night I headed over there to take a peek at their winter sale items. I was left uninspired by their winter to sale, but the Coastal Rain Skimmers caught my eye and I had to buy a pair to save for spring. I love this non-traditional take on the classic duck boot. They're waterproof and will be perfect to commute to work on rainy days in the spring and summer.


I chose the black, but I also really like them in navy and pink:

Movie Time

I recently saw It's Complicated and I have to say it was one of the funniest romantic comedies I've seen in a very long time! One element of the movie that I particularly loved was the setting, the home and bakery/cafe of Meryl Streep's character were simply gorgeous--so sunny, warm, and inviting. I particularly loved her kitchen, pictured above. After reading on Brunch at Saks' blog that the same producer made The Holiday and Father of the Bride, I was not at all surprised why I loved the sets so much as those were two other movies which a part of the reason I like them so much is the beautiful setting!

One thing I love the most about movies is their escapism. Some movies truly have the power to transport you to another place with their beautiful settings. I love curling up on the couch on a cold or rainy afternoon and popping in a DVD of a movie set in a beautiful location. Some of my favorites for this, in addition to the movies above, are Under the Tuscan Sun (I just love the scenes where Diane Lane's character takes the bus tour through rolling hills filled with sunflowers and when she rides on a Vespa through the streets of Positano), To Catch a Thief (the beach in Cannes . . . and Cary Grant's beautiful home in the countryside . . . ), Only You (a 1990's movie with Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey, Jr. set in Italy in case you haven't heard of it), and Mamma Mia (that gorgeous Grecian blue sea . . . .).



What are your favorites movies that transport you?

Summery Accessories Fix

As evidenced by this picture with my mom and I and some Disney characters at the Animal Kingdom, the weather was very unFlorida-like the week I was there! The gorgeous sun and crystal clear blue sky could not be beat, but I would have preferred to have left my scarf at home in New England!

So, when a display of bright and beautiful Lilly Pulitzer items arrived in my hotel gift shop in the middle of the week, I decided I needed a summer fashion fix.

The small Originals tote is the perfect size for an everyday handbag. I love that it zippers and it has sturdy sides so if I put in a bottle of water or umbrella, they stay standing up and don't fall over. Unfortunately, I won't be able to use it for a while as there's still a few feet of snow on the ground around here - but it will sit patiently in my closet waiting for spring! I had actually been thinking of buying it to use on my trip, but hadn't made it over to In the Pink on Newbury Street in Boston to check it out in-person. So it was definitely a stroke of luck that it appeared at my hotel!

Christmas in January

Christmas may have passed, but hopefully it's not too late for you to enjoy some photos of the decorations in Disney World from my trip! If you love Christmas lights and decorations, I highly recommend taking a trip to Disney in Florida around the holidays - it's never too early to start planning! You don't even need to step foot in the parks - all you need to do is visit the different hotels and check out their beautiful Christmas trees and gingerbread creations and you will be filled with the holiday spirit!

The tree in my hotel's lobby with huge sailboat ornaments, perfectly befitting of the Yacht Club's theme:

The tree at the Yacht Club's sister property - the Beach Club - is below. The trees at the Beach Club and Yacht Club were truly beautiful, but they pale in comparison to the trees at the resorts with multi-story lobbies. I've stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Wilderness Lodge during the holiday season and the trees there are truly breathtaking. The Grand Floridian's tree and life-size gingerbread house are said to take the cake when it comes to the most impressive hotel decorations, but unfortunately, I only visited that hotel for brunch on the last day of my trip when all the Christmas decorations were already gone!

A closeup of all the ocean-themed ornaments on the Beach Club tree:

The chocolate and gingerbread carousel at the Beach Club made with, among other ingredients, 96 pounds of flour, 50 pounds of chocolate, and 100 pounds of icing! (For pics of all the Disney resorts' gingerbread creations, check out the Disney Food Blog.)

If you do visit the parks, the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios is a must-see! All the buildings in the park's New York and San Francisco street sets are covered from head-to-toe with Christmas lights that "dance" to the music with "snow" falling from the sky. This was my second time seeing the lights "dance" and the show was as impressive as ever.

Finally, Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom. The lights give the impression that the castle is literally dripping with icicles that subtly change color every so often from soft purple to pink and blue.

A Quick Hello

My trip to Florida was lots of fun - overall it was filled with many UPS (beautiful sunshine, delicious meals, amazing Christmas decorations, seeing my aunt, uncle, and cousins) and DOWNS (taxi cab accident on the way to the airport after our towncar was a no-show, cooler weather than I would have liked). After returning last Sunday and heading right back to work on Monday I came down with a horrible cold and fever. The timing couldn't have been worse as I had lots of things to catch up on at work after my week off, I had to cancel a belated birthday celebration I had planned with two close friends, and missed one of those friend's sendoff the next day before her move to the west coast. Today I am feeling a bit more energized and finally emptied out my suitcase, sorted out souvenirs, and put away some Christmas decorations. Thank goodness for long weekends, as I still have lots to catch up on. I promise to post some vacation photos soon.

DIY Wednesday is back!

For a while I was pretty good at posting a design or DIY post once a week, but I'm afraid that hasn't happened in quite a while! I don't have something new, but with the many Christmas cards that are probably lying somewhere in a basket or adorning a doorway I thought it appropriate to re-post this project from last year:

Never know what to do with all the Christmas cards you receive each year? Turn them into tags for your packages.


Supplies Needed:
Holiday Cards
Fancy scissors
Hole Punch
Ribbon

Simply choose a pretty design or expression on a card. Use fancy scissors to cut out a circle or square. Write "TO" and "FROM" on the reverse in a red Sharpie or gold pen. Punch a hole in the corner and tie it onto your package or gift bag with a ribbon!

Feel glamorous while you cook?

One lovely gift I received for my birthday (on Christmas) was a fun and pretty apron handmade by my friend L. She makes a number of different styles and sells them on her recently launched website Marimode.com (please check it out!) My gift was for a custom apron of any style: I chose this cupcake apron with black and white polka dots. And funnily enough I have already worn it while making cupcakes!

Florida Here I Come!

I'm off to enjoy some Florida sunshine!

I'll be staying here:

Disney's Yacht Club Resort (photo from allears.net)

Expect a full photo recap in a week. In the meantime, I have a few posts pre-scheduled so keep reading and I'll be updating Twitter too!

p.s. Lousy weather is expected today in Massachusetts, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my flights gets off on time!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010! Time flies when you're having fun so get out your new agenda and start planning for a fantastic year! I'm counting on the bright colors and fun layout of my new Lilly Pulitzer agenda to keep me organized in the new year. I like an old-fashioned paper planner (despite the fact that I have a Blackberry) because, in the spirit of new years resolutions, I try to write down not just important dates and appointments in my planner, but also to-do lists and weekly goals. I also think it's intensely satisfying to physically check off or cross off something once it's done, don't you?