Quote of the Day

 

Life is art. 

xoxo

I Need This: An Indoor Slide

After a week in Orlando with family, visiting theme parks and riding roller coasters, I realized I truly am still a kid at heart - and hope to always be. There is a time and a place for everything, of course, but its important to have fun in life and to find the joy and silliness in every day, ordinary things.

Like the way in which your home is designed, for example. When I was younger, a friend and I used to draw our dream houses that we would have when we grew up. Fantasy homes complete with underground tunnels, helicopter landing pads on the roof, walls made of candy, and anything else a child's mind can conceive of as a decorating plan. These plans always inevitably involved a slide - usually a twisty one - somewhere in the house - usually in place of stairs.

I had forgotten about my childhood dreams of having giant slides in my house until I started to run across actual homes designed with slides indoors...a completely brilliant idea if you ask me. Whether you have kids or not...

www.idale.co.za

Couldn't you imagine how delightful it would be to just slide down lazily on your bottom instead of trudging down the stairs wobbly and sleepy in the mornings? Or if you are in a hurry, getting out of the house, get a running start and shoot down the slide and out the door. 

www.ohdeedoh.com

That's what I'm talkin' about! This would bring some fun and excitement to your daily routine, no?

www.dornob.com

I love how this slide is accessed through a hole in the floor - what fun! Seriously, I wouldn't even need kids to get slides in my house, if I could. I would be an out and proud "sliding adult".

Macaron Love

I've got a crush....on a cookie. Not just any cookie, but a French cookie. The Macaron. These little darlings are as lovely as they are delicious, and I just can't get enough of them. They come in so many colors and shades, and are so pretty to look at, I almost (almost!) don't want to eat them. Enjoy this little collection of to-die-for macarons.

www.oneleague.co.za

www.blog.amyatlas.com

www.lauduree.fr

Source Unknown

www.canelle-vanille.blogspot.com

 

www.beaucoupbrooklyn.blogspot.com

www.etsy.com

www.thefoodieblog.co.uk

www.masak-masak.blogspot.com

Delightful, no?

xoxo

Quote of the Day

Sorry to have been so delinquent with my posts recently - I have been madly writing articles for www.NWSource.com before I head out of town tomorrow for hot and sunny Florida! 

xoxo

Alice and Olivia Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear Collection

I have been a long time fan of Stacey Bendet and her girly-with-an-edge collection, Alice and Olivia. She somehow manages to make glamorous party dresses that are sexy and a little rocker at the same time. Any of her dresses would look perfect topped with a leather jacket - let's just put it that way.

Her fall 2011 ready-to-wear collection showed at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC a couple weeks ago, and usual with her collections, I am completely smitten. There are plenty of sequins - my favorite - and chunky knits, a relatively new thing for an Alice and Olivia collection. Some of the dresses have a wonderful flapper-girl vibe, and there are some wild prints that would be fun to play with as well. Check out all of the gorgeous-ness, below...

All images courtesy of www.style.com

I am already imagining wearing that sequined silver long sleeved dress for Christmas Eve, and I love the juxtaposition of the ladylike Chanel-style tweed pencil skirt with a sexy little bustier top.

I love the way this lookbook was styled - I would never think to put those prints and textures together on the left - but they look fabulous as an ensemble. And the coat and boots? As Rachel Zoe would say, I DIE.

What a fun flouncy little skirt - a bit short for me, but love that its paired with a conservative look on top - a great little jacket and pearls. And speaking of pearls, check out that perfect flapper dress.

Yes, please to both of the above dresses. The gold sequin dress reminds me of an Oscar statue, definitely a winner. And the tulle overlay on the dress on the right is reminiscent of the ballet trend we've seen already this year. Sweet and lovely.

Great looking winter options - a chunky knit, a fun fur stole, and of course, more sequins. Oh Alice and Olivia, how I adore you.

xoxo

Pretty in Pink

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I don't care how uncool it might be - I am a grown lady and I love pink. All shades and tones of pink. It gets a bad rap, but it can be done tastefully and not make you look like a five-year old headed to a princess party. Recently, I fell in love with the pinks in two designer collections, and just had to share!

The first "pretty in pink" round-up comes from the British line, Asprey. They make more than fine jewelry - their accessories collection is to-die-for.

All images courtesy of www.asprey.com

I am especially in love with the Hepburn vanity case. How chic is that? I have always wanted a fancy vanity case to carry with me when I travel. Especially if I was going to be traveling by train. Also at the top of my list - the pink legal pads and mini Oxford dictionary. Perfect for the girly writer such as myself. 

The second round-up comes from Ms. Kate Spade, the Queen of classic ladylike style. I've long admired her fun chic costume jewelry, but there is also a good amount of pink - in the color of the moment, honeysuckle - in her new collection for spring.

All images courtesy of www.katespade.com

The necklace and bracelet are dreamy, as are the cute coin pouch and lovely little kitten-heels. Love, love, love it all! Now that I've proven pink is really quite fabulous (as if you needed more proof, with Honeysuckle being chosen as the color of spring) feel free to run out and get something in pink to brighten up your life.

xoxo

The Wellesbourne

While perusing my usual daily round-up of blogs, I stumbled across this little gem of a bar that recently opened in Los Angeles. If I had a dream bar, this would be it - perfectly cozy and a little nerdy. Ladies and gents, welcome to The Wellesbourne...

I love that is looks a little like an old library, a little bit like a study in some grand old manor house in the English countryside. In fact, it IS named after a small village near Stratford-Upon-Avon, in England, and features 19th century English styling complete with a stone fireplace, cottage-style windows, coffered ceilings, a library seating area and paintings of scenes like fox hunting and dinner parties.

Its like the ideal bar for an English or History major! Such as myself.

If I lived in L.A., I would definitely check this place out and grab a pint while catching up on an old-fashioned classic novel. Loves!

xoxo