It's a Wrap

When in New York City, I tried on a gorgeous bracelet like this one by Vita Fede at Henri Bendel.  Made from sterling, rose gold, and Italian leather--I immediately fell in love with these sophisticated wrap bracelets.  The leather is so soft and it wraps perfectly flush against your wrist and closes with a small sterling clasp.  Out of my budget (everything I bought at Lilly the next day was pretty much the price of one bracelet), but OH SO tempting!  The way Bendel's displays their jewelry encourages you to try on pieces and thereby greatly increases the torture of just browsing!

Also in the category of "torturing me with gorgeousness," are these Chanel sunglasses featured in the New York Times Style section on Sunday. Quilted sides and a flip-top mirror?  Perfect.

Finally getting around to it...

Today I finally completed a little framing project.  I purchased 2 handkerchiefs at Liberty of London back in September as all their gorgeous printed fabrics were just too pretty to resist.  When I returned from vacation, I had the idea to frame them and immediately went to Michael's to pick up a pair of float frames.  Everything then sat in a shopping bag through the busy fall and holiday season.  But today I decided I was sick of the empty wall above my bed and voila, a little quick and colorful wall decor!

I also bought some cute fabric covered buttons at Liberty, we shall see how long it takes me to find the perfect cardigan to add them to and then complete that project!

The Suite Life

When my mom and I checked into the Omni Berkshire Place in New York City Saturday just before noon, the person at the front desk informed us that "We have taken the liberty of upgrading you to a suite."   How "suite" it was!

A gigantic living room:

And gigantic coffee table books:

Of course, any stay in a suite would not be complete without room service!

Not sure if I can go back to regular size hotel rooms again!!

A Sunny and Cold NYC Sunday

Sunday in New York City my mother and I started the day with room service breakfast of tea and H&H bagels then we headed to the Upper East Side to the Whitney Museum.  We arrived at the museum about 15 minutes or so before opening and, as we weren't about to wait outside in the freezing cold, we stopped into a nearby pharmacy (Zitomer) for a browse.  It was probably the chicest pharmacy I've ever in been in!  You could buy fur earmuffs, an Hervé Chapelier bag, a leather headband, and stock up on Kiehl's and Molton Brown products all while waiting for a prescription!  I got a travel-size of Kiehl's new Argan Conditioner to try.

It was my first time at the Whitney.  Modern art isn't really my favorite, but they had a special exhibit on Edward Hopper that I liked a lot.  And although some of the more unusual installation pieces weren't exactly my cup of tea, both my mom and I agreed that they were quite interesting and thought-provoking.

After the Whitney, we stopped for a quick lunch at Viand (my mom has a thing for traditional NYC diners...)--which was all importantly, directly across from Lilly Pulitzer.  They had a great sale going on, so we did quite a bit of shopping!

 Sabine Shirtdress

 Twyla Dress

 Small and Large Originals Totes

(one for my mom and one for me, only $19 and $29!!)

In addition to what's pictured, I also got the Keisha top in Bright Navy Curves and a Murfee scarf in Show Me Some Skin.

We then headed next door to Le Maison du Chocolat to bring home a box of French macarons.  I'm eating one as I write this and though they aren't Ladurée they are very good for not having travel across the Atlantic to get them!

With more treats to bring home on our brains, we walked back down Madison to Crumbs Bake Shop right near our hotel and bought some very delicious cupcakes.  Back at the hotel, we picked the car up from the valet, made a quick stop at H&H Midtown Bagels for a dozen to take home and hit the road back to Boston.

We were upgraded to a gorgeous suite at our hotel, pics coming tomorrow...

Off to NYC!

Saturday morning I'll be up early for a quick weekend trip to New York City with my mom (one of her surprise Christmas gifts from me).  We plan to shop, shop, shop!

One of my must-stops on every trip to New York is Henri Bendel.  The store's accessory area and makeup areas are my favorites.  I love all their fun Bendel-themed items, aren't these travel accessories cute?

My Winter Best Friend

So, let's be frank--Massachusetts weather has been AWFUL lately.  One day we're dumped with 18 inches of the snow, the next day it's bitterly cold, the next it's warmer so we get a mix of slushly snow and rain, then the next day it all freezes and everything is a sheet of ice!  What article of clothing has been my best friend in all this frigid fun? 

LL Bean fitness fleece

I have one in a dark berry color from last winter and received a black one this year for Christmas.  I wear it everyday under my down coat for an extra layer of warmth.  I love it because it's super thin and adds no weight, but adds so much warmth.

Do you have a go-to winter accessory?

For the girl who has everything...

Tiffany & Co. coin purse in Tiffany Blue patent leather

Skinnygirl Night Out

Thursday night I went to see the Bethenny Frankel's first event on her Skinnygirl Night Out Tour. [Warning: if you're not a Housewives/Bravo reality tv watcher--you may have no clue who I'm talking about and may think I'm slightly nuts--so stop reading now!!] She spoke about her two current books (Naturally Thin and Skinnygirl Dish) and her upcoming book, A Places of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want out of Life, along with fun chat about being on the Real Housewives and her own show. She was as funny and real as she is on tv (but probably a bit more R-rated!).

(*please excuse my horrible photos, I really need a new camera*)

Not to sound cheesy, but her new book very motivational. She went through the 10 rules she discusses in the book and they're kind of right on the money. One thing she talked about was always giving things your all, no matter what type of job you're at because you never know who might notice. She told a story about a coat check girl who worked an event she was managing (back before she was on tv). The coat check girl was just someone hired for the day, but she checked coats like she was working for the president. Bethenny kept in touch with her and the coat check girl now plans events for Bill Gates!

There was, of course, plenty of time for a bit of gossip:
-She doesn't speak to Jill anymore.
-She keeps in touch with Ramona and Alex.
-NO, she does not think Simon likes men.
-She really thinks Kelly is nuts (a few not so PG-rated things were said that I shall not repeat!)
-She decided not to go back on Housewives because she hates that the stars are essentially rewarded for bad behavior. The more you yell and fight with the other women, the more attention you get.
-The Housewives are not as rich as they appear (EXCEPT for the Beverly Hills wives!).

All in all a fun night, except for a few rather odd audience members during the Q&A and the obnoxious girls seated behind my mom and I who talked the entire time and were dressed like they were going clubbing. (Hello, it's mid-winter in New England and there is 2+ feet of the snow on the ground. Who in their right mind wears platform ankle boots with hooker size heels??)

Bethenny Getting Married returns as Bethenny Ever After next month, will you be watching?

Mouth-watering in all European Languages

I was going through some of my magazine clippings and came across a note on this mouth-watering book in a Condé Nast Traveler from last year

Tea & Crumpets by Margaret Johnson (on Amazon)

It's described as a virtual tour of Europe's top tea rooms with recipes for yummy treats like Claridge's scones and Pierre Hermé's macarons. Of course, there's no substitute for the real thing, but wouldn't it be fun to try to recreate a perfect vacation memory on a cold winter's day by trying one of the book's recipes? I'm going to have to look for this book on my next lunchtime Borders Books browse . . .

LOVE!

LOVE these shoes! Of course, given that it's mid-winter in New England and it's freezing I don't really have much use for boat shoes . . . but I like to think positively and look toward the warm weather ahead (and my trip to Florida in March!).

Sperry Top-Sider Original Boat Shoe in Platinum Gold

Simple Kind of Girl

I've never been one for big, fancy birthdays. Here is how I celebrated mine belatedly last week:

Dinner with my parents: pizza and wine at California Pizza Kitchen = casual perfection!

Dinner with some of my best friends from law school at the Parish Cafe: delicious sandwiches and wine + good conversation = great fun!

Shopping, at my favorite store of course: extra 40% of sale items = one very happy girl

Lovely, if melty, ice sculptures = a perfect way to say farewell to 2010!

New Goals for the New Year

I prefer to call my new year's resolutions goals rather than resolutions because I tend to think of them as more aspirational things rather than firm resolutions to do or not do something. One goal I have for 2011 is to read all of Jane Austen's novels, plus her short stories. I read quite alot, but the books I tend to read aren't all that highbrow--I prefer my daily reading to be escapist and not to be depressing doom and gloom (i.e. murders, families struck by disease and cheating husbands, etc.). Thus, I don't read alot of the typical NY Times bestsellers. Probably the 2 books touching on more serious topics that I read in 2010 were The Help and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Most books on my 2010 reading list were more of the Sophie Kinsella / Twilight variety. But I love the classics and have lately realized that although I love Jane Austen, I've only read 2 of her books: Emma back in high school and Pride and Prejudice last year. So, now that I've got my brand-new Kindle (my favorite Christmas present by the way!) and classics that are no longer copyright-protected are FREE I've decided 2011 will be my year to read the rest:

4 more novels:

Sense and Sensibility

Northanger Abbey

Mansfield Park

Persuasian

+ short stories

+ movie adaptations (of course)

+ a biography of Jane Austen

Will 2011 be my year of Jane Austen?

I'm hoping this goal will be complete early in the year so I can move on to discovering other classics . . .