Loving . . .

It may not be fall yet, but there are a few fall items at J Crew that I'd love to add to my closet right now . . .

Rimini cardigan - I love the funky sidezip. Shown in paradise blue, which is very pretty, but I think I'd get it in a basic black so it could serve as a nice twist on a classic cardi.

Exhibitor pouchette - I really like how versatile this little handbag is. You can wear the strap as shown for a small foldover look or attach it on top for a more roomy bag.

Coddington suede platform pumps - these are a little edgy without being too much for work.

Sutton Leather midheel boots - the heel height is perfect and I love how it is just plain, gorgeous leather. I'm not a big fan of boots with lots of gold or silver hardware, it makes it hard to pair them with certain outfits.

Perfectly(?) Hot Pink Kitchen

What do you think of this very striking pink kitchen? It is definitely a strong and bold pink! I do like the contrast of the bright pink cabinetry against the sleek black countertop.

(Image from Google Images, original website link expired.)

Good Luck!

I sent my first Cocodot e-card yesterday! I made this card for my good friend who moved to the west coast earlier this year and is taking the bar exam there this week. People claim that once you've successfully taken one bar exam (we both took the MA one together), it becomes easier but still . . . the bar is no fun no matter what way you look at it!

I was really impressed with how much I could customize the card--change the font style, size, and color, as well as the location of the message. Very fun!

DIY Time--Initial It!

I decided I was overdue for a little DIY fun so this weekend I finally worked on a decoupage project I had been planning to do for a long time. I used Lilly Pulitzer napkins on this paper mache "A" I purchased at JoAnn Fabrics in the spring. It was super easy!

Materials
Paper Mache or Wood Initial
Mod Podge (or other shiny, waterbased sealer)
Flat Foam Paintbrush
About 4 Paper Napkins

First remove one of the napkin's plies - Lilly napkins are 3-ply and they're a bit too thick for decoupage, so just carefully peel off the back layer. Then rip pieces of the napkin. I concentrated on ripping around the elephants in the napkin design.

Next apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the initial itself. Carefully lay down the napkin piece and use your finger too smooth it out. Then apply a thin layer of Mod Podge over the napkin piece. Continue until you've covered the entire initial.

Let dry for a few hours until it's no longer sticky to the touch. It was very humid on Saturday when I was working on the project so I placed mine near the air conditioner vent to dry, which worked quite well.

Things that Brighten My Day

It's the simple things that brighten my day, here are a few of the things that have brightened my week.

A good book. Thanks to Seersucker Scrapper for posting about this book on her blog. I happened to see it in the library the very next day and I love it!

Dinner with friends. Last night I enjoyed dinner with friends at one of my favorite Boston restaurants, Parish Cafe. It has a laid back vibe that's perfect for an evening of girl chat and good food.

Starbuck's iced tea. The perfect morning pick-me-up.

A magazine. Must catch up on the latest styles!

A little sale shopping (J Crew bracelet similar to this style in purple and gunmetal silver - $14 originally $70!)

Reality TV and Cupcakes

I've started watching yet another reality show, DC Cupcakes on TLC. The show just premiered last week and follows the sisters/owners of Georgetown Cupcake. It doesn't seem like it will be one of those cat-fight, constant drama reality shows, which is a good thing because one can only take so much of the screaming that occurs on virtually every episode of You're Cut Off and The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The episode I watched centered around Valentine's Day and the craziness that ensued from baking something like 20,000 cupcakes instead of their usual 5,000 per day (even 5,000 per day sounds like a HUGE number of cupcakes to me!).

I love their monogrammed aprons, don't you?

On the subject of cupcakes and cakes, it seems that everywhere I turn I hear about red velvet - they were baking red velvet cupcakes on DC Cupcakes and Cupcake Wars, Bethenny was intent on the perfect flavor of red velvet for her wedding cake on Bethenny Getting Married, etc., etc.... Well, believe it or not I've never had red velvet cake. So, today when I stopped into the supermarket I got a red velvet cake mix to try! I am not a from-scratch cake baker so the mix will have to do!

p.s. Today is my wonderful parents' wedding anniversary! They are celebrating 35 years together! Cheers to them!

A Place for Everything & Everything in Its Place

I recently got these two hanging jewelry organizers at TJ Maxx and I have to say - I love them! Two Christmases ago I received a lovely wood jewelry box, but (given that I make jewelry and am constantly buying interesting costume jewelry) my collection has quickly outgrown the confines of the box. Now with the jewelry organizers, I keep all my earrings and rings perfectly spaced out in the jewelry box, and have designated one hanging organizer for necklaces and one for bracelets. There are still some empty slots in both so hopefully my collection won't eclipse the new space too soon!

TJ Maxx had some jewelry organizers with just pockets, but I'm glad I chose these ones with zippers enclosing each compartment, as everything stays dust-free. I also love that the organizers are on hangers. I recently replaced my old bureau with a white 3-door wardrobe that you can see a bit of in the bottom photo. The wardrobe has greatly helped in keeping my clothes organized as I keep ironed outfits for the week in the wardrobe and nonironed clothes in my closet. The one drawback? No bureau-top space for things like jewelry boxes, so hanging storage is the perfect solution. Now I can see my necklaces right next to my clothes for the week and have no excuse for not accessorizing perfectly!!

Perfectly Pink: A Tiny Kitchen

The California beach house featured in this month's House Beautiful and designed by Krista Ewart drew me in with its bright and cheery color palette. A beach house is the perfect place to indulge in bright colors and whimsical patterns that would be too much in a year-round home.


Not surprisingly, one of my favorite rooms is the small and super cute pink kitchen! The pink retro fridge and pink Keep Calm and Carry On print strike just the right note of fun.

Click here to see the entire photo gallery.

Skirt Bargains - Again?

I seem to continue to be on a roll (see my May 19th and May 23rd with great buys on skirts. Here are the two most recent additions to my skirt collection:

First a Vineyard Vines skirt I found at Filene's Basement marked down to about $17. I love the A-line style and moderate length. Because of the length I was able to pull it off for work on Monday with a black 3/4 sleeve top and black peeptoe flats.


J Crew ink blossom skirt - what I liked about this skirt is that I can wear it into the fall with a pink cardigan and black tights.

There are just so many summer clearance sales happening now, it's difficult to resist! Have you been finding any great bargains?

Favorite Daily Reads?

I need to update both my blogroll and my Google Reader - so inquiring minds want to know, what are your favorite daily reads? Don't be hesitant to toot your own horn too, if I'm not yet following your blog, let me know!

Sucked into Yet Another Reality Show

I have gotten sucked into yet another reality show, You're Cut Off, on VH1. The show centers around nine spoiled rich girls, who I would guess to be in the 20's but considering how much Botox, lip injections, and nose jobs they all look they've had it's kind of hard to tell! They signed onto the show thinking they would be showcasing their rich lifestyle, but instead the parents, husbands, and grandmothers that have been providing them with oodles of money have cut them off!

So each week they have to complete a "lesson" provided by their life coach - things normal people do everyday like clean, cook, and work! The show is hilarious. Some of the girls seem to be treating it somewhat seriously as they probably realize that if they don't cooperate they'll never get their money back! But others . . . well they act like loonies. One girl, Chrissy, seems to refuse to do everything and comes across as completely rude and idiotic. Another girl, Gia, claims to never have changed her daughter's diaper - that's just sad!

It's definitely a train wreck, but I invite you to watch anyway and you'll be hooked, just like me! New episodes air on Mondays.

Am I nuts?

I love my Lilly Pulitzer travel mug - it's bright and cheery and keeps my tea hot for a long time so that I can sip it throughout the morning at work without continually going to the hot water/coffee machine for a refill. BUT it drives me nuts that no cute stainless steel travel mugs are dishwasher-safe! Same thing applies to the oh-so-cute and earth-friendly stainless steel water bottles. Of course there's the convenience issue of being able to toss something into the dishwasher, but I am also a bit of a clean freak when it comes to dishware and handwashing never seems to remove the tea stains that develop on the stainless steel completely.

Am I being cuckoo or does this bug you too? Does anyone have the secret to getting these mugs super clean?

(Lovely mug image from preppyprincess.com. My mug is in one of last fall's patterns, but if I could just figure out how to wash my mug better, I would buy this print too!)

Pesto Time

As you can see my basil has been growing well! With my first basil "harvest" I decided to try making pesto. I used a recipe from Bethenny Frankel's Skinnygirl Dish with a few variations:

2 cups fresh basil
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
1/3 extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup walnuts
salt and pepper

I enjoyed my pesto tonight for the perfect hot weather no-cook dinner: roasted turkey slices from Trader Joe's with light cheddar on toasted tuscan bread (also from TJ's) - low-fat olive oil mayo on one side and pesto on the other!

As you've probably noticed - no garlic! I'm not a big garlic fan so I decided to see how it would taste without it and I didn't really notice the difference. One factor may be that I used it as a sandwich spread and the roasted turkey from TJ's is quite flavorful on its own. Maybe if I had it over pasta I may have missed the garlic - perhaps I'll try that next . . .

Unexpected Finds & Online Personal Shoppers

Friday evening I had tickets to the Red Sox game, so after work I had some free time to shop! (As I work in the city, but live outside the city it doesn't make sense for me to go home for a half hour and then turn right back around to go in again for the game.) J Crew was offering an extra 20% off sale items so I couldn't resist adding a few items to my closet and jewelry box. I've been having a lot of luck recently at J Crew. Practically all winter I'd find nothing I liked, but the past month I've been finding lots I like (and at sale prices!).

ripstop cargo pant -

Cargo pants generally are not my style - at all, but they were marked down to $19.99 so I decided to try them on and was pleasantly surprised. They have a slim fit that keeps them from having a grungy feel. They'll be a perfect weekend substitute for traditional chinos.

sequin necklace tank (shown in a light gray, but I got it in a charcoal gray) -

I actually wore this tank on the 4th of July with red and white seersucker shorts. I had intended to wear a striped tee with a sequin anchor (VERY nautical!) that I bought this past week specifically for the 4th at Holiday in Beacon Hill, but it was simply too hot yesterday!!

twirled metal and crystal necklace -

pearl vine necklace -

Both necklaces were marked down to $19.99 in the store, plus 20% off! Online they are just 20% off full-price. I can never understand why prices seem to be vary from store to store and from online to the store.

I had also intended to ask a sales associate about swimsuit sizing for one-pieces, but the store was PACKED, so I postponed the swimsuit purchase until Saturday morning and used the personal shopper online chat service for the first time.

I've been wanting a new one-piece swimsuit for some time, as there are just certain occasions where it makes sense to be wearing a one-piece. But I have a long-torso and thus rarely can fit into one-pieces. I always see cute ones and try them on only to have them only make it 3/4 of the way up my body!

J Crew has one swimsuit style, the twist-front bandeau tank, that comes in long torso. But because I haven't bought a one-piece in ages and they come in number sizes (not small, medium, etc.) I had no clue as to what size would be best. So I logged onto the chat service (you just submit you name and email and you get an instant message stating that a personal shopper will be right with you). I told the personal shopper which swimsuit I was interested in and what size I usually wear in J Crew clothes. Within a minute she was able to tell me that the bandeau tank runs true to size, its waist measurement, and suggested which size would be best for me. Now I'll have to wait and see if her sizing advice was correct!

p.s. my jewelry clearance is still going on, please check it out and enter my giveaway if you are so inclined . . . through Thursday 7/8.

Happy 4th!

Sit back and relax today
and celebrate our nation's independence!
Happy 4th of July!!

(Image from-Pottery Barn: Chesapeake Steamer Chaise)