F-A-L-L

Something about the fall just makes me want to make and bake things and decorate . . . right now my eye is on Paper Source's mums wreath kit to adorn the wall in my office.



You may remember my Martha Stewart Halloween wreath project from last year; paper projects like these are alot of fun. They come with everything you need and you can sit down in one afternoon and end up with a completed decoration.

Happy Fall!

Royal England

"Royal England" was one of my favorite parts of my trip. I can never see too many castles and palaces! Alas, I did not meet my prince charming (or even a duke or lord for that matter) - but I still had a lot of fun!

Outside Buckingham Palace:

During the Queen's annual holiday in Scotland, the state rooms are open to visitors. Truly amazing! Room after room is filled with gold and gilt and priceless artwork. No photos allowed, but I can assure you well worth timing your visit between late July and September when they are open.

The back of the palace:The tour ends in this beautiful garden area. In the photo you can see the very elaborate, but temporary tents, set up to house an outdoor cafe and gift shop during the months the palace is open for tours.

The gold state coach at the Royal Mews:

The gold state coach is used for coronations. Queen Elizabeth last rode in it for her Golden Jubilee in 2002. It weighs 4 tons!

Changing of the guards:

Windsor Castle:

Windsor Castle is a lovely 50-minute train ride outside London. The castle is surrounded very closely on two sides by the town of Windsor. It is very odd to look to your right and see Starbucks and look to your left and see a 900-year-old castle. In addition to the regular tour of the castle, we took the behind-the-scenes kitchen tour which was very interesting. The kitchen tour focused on the castle's modern "life" and how state functions are run. From the tour we had an amazing view from the state entrance of the Long Walk, a 2.64 mile long expanse of green bordered by trees stretching from the castle entrance down a hill to a park.

Changing of the guards at Windsor:

(Thanks to Shannon, who recommended seeing the changing of the guards at Windsor, as you get a much better view than at Buckingham Palace.)

Still to come, my shopping and museum adventures . . .

Très Bien!!

There are many things in life that do not live up to all that they are hyped up to be, Ladurée macaroons are not one them. While in London, I enjoyed afternoon tea and an assortment of mini-croissants at the Ladurée in Harrods and bought a box of 6 macaroons to enjoy the rest of the trip. They were delicious. At the recommendations of Kappa Prep and Beantown Prepster I tried the caramel and coconut . . . as well as the pistachio and chocolate. I don't know if I can pick a favorite! All I do know, is that if you are ever in London or Paris--you must go!

p.s. I promise lots of London posts this week. Last week kind of got away from me - with having a terrible cold and trying to catch up with things at work, I was ready to drop by the time I got home each evening. To top it off, my mother and I had our first craft fair of the season yesterday. Today I am finally catching up with everything.

Back to Reality

I'm back from a wonderful week in London! I just uploaded all my photos - 250 in total - wow! Especially considering that a lot of places I went you couldn't even take photos. I promise not to post all of them, but to start, here are some of our lovely hotel: 51 Buckingham Gate. Located just over a block from Buckingham Palace, the location couldn't be beat. It shares a beautiful courtyard with the Crowne Plaza (both are owned by the Taj hotel chain) and is all suites spread out amongst three interconnected townhouses. The service was fabulous and from afternoon tea to evening cocktails and a butler and concierge that seemed to work 24/7, my parents and I felt quite indulged the entire week!

The welcome hamper in our suite upon arrival (it was from Whole Foods):

The hotel's main entrance was off the street in a courtyard:

Elephants "guarding" the entrance gate:

The first two days of the trip were fairly warm, so we enjoyed afternoon tea outside:
The courtyard facing the Crowne Plaza:
More to come later this week . . .

Perfectly Pink Powder Room

This soft pink looks very sophisticated paired with this elegant mirror and marble countertop. It actually strikes me as not as "girly" as some pink rooms - what do you think?

L-O-V-E Ruffles

LOVE this sweater! I tried it on at J Crew last week when exchanging the rimini cardigan I had purchased earlier for a different size and it is super cute. The ruffles wind around the back too - I always love a top that looks good coming and going! I haven't gotten it yet, but it is definitely on my list!

Traversa Cardigan in orchid shadow

On Holiday

I'm hopping across the pond tomorrow to England for a week's vacation. I hope to see lots of great sights - castles, museums, cathedrals, and palaces . . . I am also leaving plenty of room in my suitcase for shopping purchases! The question is, will I come home with a pair of these?



I will be tweeting throughout the week (assuming Verizon switches my plan automatically as it's supposed to do!) - @pinkmaple. I also have a couple scheduled post, so please keep reading!

Oxfords

Recently, I ordered Bass Bellingham Oxfords from Zappos. I had been searching everywhere for a nice, comfortable pair of oxfords. Despite the fact that oxfords seem to be a big fall shoe trend, I actually haven't been seeing them in many stores. Bloomingdales had a few on clearance (including one style that ran so large I think it may have walked over from the men's department!) and DSW has been carrying some overpriced Steve Madden ones, but other than that I haven't seen too many in the under $100 range.


I love Zappos because anything I order seems to arrive the next day day - talk about fast shipping! However, as soon as I slipped on my Bass pair and went to tie them, the shoe's tongue pulled right off! It seemed as though it has just been glued into the shoe; very poor manufacturing! Needless to say I returned them right away . . . I think I have given up on the oxford trend temporarily. I actually have a pair of high-heeled oxfords from two falls ago, so I guess they will have to suffice as my nod to 2010's fall shoes trends!

Perfectly Pink (Hotel) Room

As I'm going on vacation at the end of this week, I guess hotels are on the brain. So this perfectly pink room feature takes us to a hotel room at the Hotel Oceana in Santa Barbara, California. I find the bold pink stripe across the walls very striking. It's definitely something that could be incorporated into a bedroom at home for an easy makeover (as long as you are good with laying out painter's tape straight!).

I have been a guest at this hotel's two sister properties, the Hotel Oceana in Santa Barbara which is all suites and the Hotel Roger Williams in New York City. All 3 hotels incorporate bright colors that really make them stand out from the seemingly ubiquitous classic style hotel rooms (think muted golds and forest greens) and bare modern hotel rooms (think white and gray).

New Friends

Last week on a boiling hot Boston evening, I met a trio of Boston-area bloggers: Beantown Prepster, Black Labs and Lilly, and KAG. We enjoyed cocktails, good conversation, and plenty of laughter! It was so fun to meet and turn a few "blog world friends" into "real world" friends!

Me on left, Black Labs and Lilly on right

KAG on the left, Beantown Prepster on the right

Thumbs Up . . . Or Down?

Double rings seem to be popping up all over the place lately. I think they're kind of cool and interesting, but at the same time they don't seem, well, practical. I tried one on recently and my fingers felt all constricted! I also had the odd feeling that I was wearing brass knuckles, as though I'd step around the corner and into a 1920's gangster movie!

What do you think . . . thumbs up or down for this trend?

Erica Anenberg Pebble Twosome Ring, at Nordstrom

Elizabeth and James Double Ring, at Saks