Let's Hear It For New York

My love for New York runs deep, an opinion that I know many of you share. For those of us that can't seem to shed that "empire state of mind", Etsy has a huge collection of designers creating all kinds of goodies in honor of the Big Apple, N.Y.C, Empire City, The Melting Pot, and who could forget... The City That Never Sleeps.






Translucent Map by MarKhed
Chelsea Hotel Shirt by zenthreads
Brooklyn Pendant by MarKhed
I Heart NY, I Heart LA Charm Necklace by TenThings
Mad Men Cuff Links by sherrytruitt

Oh, Etsy. I adore you.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Come Thursday, I will be far more fetching to the eye. I'll have a new 'do, and some bangs that might give these beautiful ladies a run for their money. Still undecided if I'll go with side-swept or full-on bangs, but a girl's got a prerogative to change her mind in the days to come.

New 'Do. New Decade. :) Who else is with me?

Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas with your loved ones. I'm a little bummed that it's over. It came and went way too fast.

image via flickr

We had a quiet Christmas at home just watching movies and avoiding all that traditional holiday cooking. Our Thanksgiving turkey was enough for us. We headed out for some Chinese food, very much like A Christmas Story, and I think we've just started a new holiday tradition. Well, at least when we aren't able to fly back home. Apparently, a lot of people had the same thing in mind. I've never seen a restaurant so packed.

Oh Christmas, I'll miss you!

A Twenty Something's Stocking

Christmas stockings have always been one of my favorite parts of this special holiday. There's something exciting about finding all kinds of goodies stuffed to the brim on that morning. As a kid, my stocking consisted mostly of candy, beanie babies, and glitter nail polish, but here's what I hope to find in this year's stocking.

Nail Polishes by Sephora from OPI
500 Days of Summer DVD
Sour Gummy Worms
Accordian Wallet
Lipglass set by MAC
Takeout and Cupcake Ornament

Holiday Details

The days until Christmas are ticking down, and it's easy to get lost in the shuffle of to-do lists and shopping trips. So, remember to take in all the excitement of this time of year, even if it's just the small things.

festive lights

image by wolfsavard


hot apple cider
image by elana's pantry


baking...
image by tidymom


...and all the licking that comes with it.
image by Shopping Diva

Have a wonderful weekend, especially all you new followers. :)

*If you haven't had the chance, be sure to watch my first video blog here.

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful Crystal Renn

The stunning Crystal Renn gracing the pages of Elle Canada for their upcoming January Issue. It's a perfect fashion spread to prepare us for the upcoming new year, and, at the very least, to get us thinking about outfit options to wear during that countdown to 2010. Diamonds? Feathers? A tiara? She makes it look so easy.

Be sure to head over to Frances' blog Corpulent for some additional photos. You know you want to!

Deal or No Deal

What you are about to read may evoke a twinge of jealousy, but I could not keep this from you. The other day I purchased this Marc Jacobs Peet shoulder bag in grey.

Here's where the amazing part comes in. I paid $118 dollars for it! Down from the original price of $1,150. In full disclosure, the price reflects my Bloomingdale's employee discount, but it was 75% luck for being in the right place, at the right time.

If this doesn't go to show that you should never buy at full price, I don't know what will!

What's the best deal you've ever bought?

Video Blog: Chilly Day in Suburbia

Plaid Shirt Dress: Juicy Couture
Leggings: Juicy Couture
Coat: Zara
Black Slouch Boot: Cathy Jean
Watch: Thrift find

Have a wonderful Monday. Only 11 days until Christmas!

Talk to the Moose

Is anyone else loving this Gap ad as much as me? The lyrics get stuck in my head for hours. I sing-along.

I love my comfy sweater, I love my comfy sweater.
How cute are these boots? How cute are these boots?!

I'd dance too, but these girls have better moves than me. I'm patiently waiting for more spoofs like this to start hitting YouTube.

Oh, Gap. You've got me. That ad alone will prompt me to buy all of this my next visit.

What Girly Handwriting You Have, Santa

I'll admit, I was a bit older than the average kid when I realized Santa didn't really exist. My mom kept up the shenanigans year after year without incident. My doubts began when she started to get all fancy with calligraphy written Santa response letters. Months before Christmas she took up the hobby, buying fancy pens and stationary. So imagine my dismay when Santa just so happened to write me back (wait for it)...in her fancy calligraphy handwriting and that same special paper.

Suddenly, Christmas wasn't as magical as it had always been, and that's exactly what she was trying to prevent. Here's to all our parents that spent every Christmas eating those cookies we left out, drinking that milk, and staying up late to put all of Santa's presents under the tree.

What lengths did your parents go to make your Christmas special? I'd love to hear some stories. :)

image from flickr

Neons, Turquoise and Bears, Oh My!

There's something undeniably fashionable when you use a burst of color to accessorize. Whether it be a bag or a piece of jewelry, a pop of color is a quick way to bring attention to any ensemble even if it's just a white tee and jeans. Colder weather brings options like scarves and gloves to warm you up and brighten your look. Use it as an opportunity to try new colors you wouldn't normally be drawn to!

Passion Fruit Crossbody by Rebecca Minkoff @ $295
Turquoise Ring by Kenneth Jay Lane @ $150
Neon Mini Satchel by Rebecca Minkoff @ $250
Leather Glove @ $34
Chainlink Scarf by Yokoo @ $34

Santa Are You Listening?

Every year I plan on making a Christmas list but procrastination gets the best of me and I just accept my gift cards with a smile. This year, with the help of my handy dandy blog, I thought I would throw out into the blogosphere gifts I would love to receive. Some of them might be wishful thinking, but how else is Santa going to know if I don't tell!

Crossbody+Bright Blue+Marc= Needs To Be Mine.

Mr. Claus I'll make it easy for you. You can find it here.

Baby It's Cold Outside

There was something about finding a winter coat this year that got me all excited. No trip to Colorado is on my horizon, no snow in the L.A forecast, but for this Florida girl below 60 is just as unbearable as below freezing. Yes, I'm a cold weather wimp.

So besides the need for it to keep me warm, it also needed to be within my budget. It seemed pretty ridiculous to spend hundreds of dollars on a coat that, for the majority of the year, would be tucked in a closet.

Here's some options for those of you still on the hunt. Be careful which one you fall for, 3 of them are under $200, while one of them is a bit of a splurge. Can you spot it?

1. Navy Military Coat by Silence & Noise @ 138.00

2. Grey Exposed Zipper by Silence & Noise @ 138.00
3. Toggle Coat by Guess @ 198.00 or here @ 178.00
4. Light Grey Pea Coat by Juicy Couture @ 448.oo

Lessons Learned: Thanksgiving Edition

Turkey Day is coming to a close and my stomach couldn't be more thankful. It most definitely cannot hold any more carbs! Drew (that would be the boyfriend) and I had our first official Thanksgiving on our own.

We got off to a rough start when we awoke to a still frozen turkey and a bit of a freak-out moment on my part. Google got a lot of searches from us as we discovered there are ways to cook frozen turkeys. Thank you God. Add that to things I'm thankful for.

After two hours of cooking in the oven, it still took all his strength to get the giblet bag out. Probably the funniest moment of the day.

Hours later we sat down to a beautiful meal and cherished our 12 pound turkey even more.

Here's to the memories we won't soon forget and the leftovers I can't wait to get into.

What are some of the memories you have of your first Thanksgiving cooking in the kitchen?

You Can Stand Under My Umbrella

Yesterday's rainy weather here in L.A brought puddles, chilly weather, and a smile to my face. Oh, and a free, much needed car wash. Thanks Mother Nature! There's something so comforting about waking up to the sound of rain when all you want to do is stay in and watch movies under your fluffy down comforter.

For those of us who didn't have the pleasure of staying in, these umbrellas would have been the perfect accessory to fight against the unpredictable rain.

Clear & Blue @ $18
Blue Skies @ $38
Marc by Marc @ $48
Rihanna Umbrella.ella.ella @ $25

Absence Averted

It's been quite a while since my last post, and for anyone that follows/enjoys my blog I give you the most sincere apology. But c'mon, life went on just fine without me and there's plenty of other bloggers that entertained you while I was gone...But seriously, I know you missed me...terribly...borderline separation anxiety. Well I'm back, so disaster averted.

Not sure if I mentioned this prior to my little departure, but the boyfriend and I are moving. We've spent the past couple weeks trying to find a place in our price range (not easy in this town) and pleasing to the eye (you won't believe the shi-- cruddy places out there). When we came upon our new apartment I think I heard angels singing. I kid I kid, but we did get butterflies when we were deciding to fill out the application, right after the pros/cons list determined the cons were few and far between. We are ecstatic about it, and can't wait to make it official tomorrow when we sign the lease. :)

Perhaps we got a little ahead of ourselves, but we've picked out a couch and paint colors. Most of our excitement revolves around decorating and making this place feel like a true home, unlike the current roommate infested living quarters we currently find ourselves in. Too bad money doesn't grow on trees, because my list of needs versus wants is starting to blur.

Apartment Therapy and Discover: Interior Design have become my new best friends, as much as a blog can be a buddy.

I've always wanted a gray-blue room, and images like these inspire me to follow through. Still undecided whether its going to be the living room or bedroom, but I'll keep you up to date once final decisions are made. Who knew there were so many grays to choose from, and so many paint chips to sort through? I'm drowning in paint chipppppssssssssss.

(image found here via Domino)

What's your go-to blog for all decorating inspiration? I'd love to hear!

Chanel in the Air

Jean-Pierre Jeunet, one of my favorite directors, and the beautiful Audrey Tautou team up for the latest Chanel film for the classic fragrance. You might have already seen the condensed television commercial, which I noticed for the first time yesterday.

If this doesn't make you want to buy some perfume, I don't know if anything will. How do you say perfection in french?...Oh yeah, le perfection. Add language educator to my list of blog duties. I know, I know. Your welcome.



Chanel advertising campaigns must be working because the company estimates that a bottle of Chanel No. 5 is purchased every 30 seconds across the world.

Red Carpet Beauties

There's nothing better than sitting in my comfy bed and watching beautiful gowns and stars strut the red carpet. Combine that with one of my other faves television, and Emmy's you've got me hook line and sinker. After sifting through the mediocre looks and the sea of taffeta, there's something special about picking a group of women who look stunning and hit the top of your best dressed list.

These are the ladies who did no wrong in my fashion book.

Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette in Monique Lhuillier
Kate Walsh in J.Mendel
January Jones of Mad Men in Versace.

Makin' A Comeback

Look familiar? It certainly does to me. It's the same Baby-G watch I adored several years as a teen, and now the colorful trend line from Casio is back. I've gotta admit, I'm kicking myself for not hanging on to my baby blue, constantly-beeping watch because, as we all know, what goes around comes around.

Call it maturity or change of style, but these new and improved styles are a much better fit into my accessory collection for a twenty something in 2009. Let's just pray the tamagotchi and furby stays forgotten and ignored by the general public!

The Hills to Bryant Park

Whitney Port wouldn't be the first name I would associate with fashion week, but I'll give the girl props. Her spring line for Whitney Eve debuted Thursday with a whimsical and flirty vibe that isn't afraid to show a little leg. Something that can come in handy here in the Valley, where it's always ten degrees hotter. With typical spring pastels, the line showcases pieces I would love to have in my closet several months down the road. Hey! I've gotta get through fall first.

(photos via coutorture)

Not too shabby, right? I'm happy that the most grounded and mature girl of that show(at least that's my opinion) has created a name for herself outside reality television. She could have easily joined the group of fame whores like that blonde married couple I shall not even name.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Can't Have One Without the Other

Last night's after work festivities consisted of a mango margarita accompanied with some chips, salsa and good company. It got me thinking what other combinations can compete in a list where margaritas, alongside chips and salsa, rank pretty high on my list of favorites. Here's what my food loving self came up with.

Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwiches

(image via webecoist)

Rootbeer Float

(image via bigY)

Popcorn & Peanut m&m's

(image via awynhaus)

I think any 10 year old would agree with my list. Lucky for me, I can choose to have these any time I want without a begrudging reply from an elder. Oh, the joys of being an adult. What food combos do you adore?

Cry Baby

Goodbyes are hard. Harder the second time around. I'll be counting down the days til this shoot for the boyfriend is over. The past two days with him were great, and now I'm left a bit blue from his departure and the reality that I've got to go back to work tomorrow (as does he). Ugh. Can't money grow on trees? Pardon the lackluster, melancholy tone today. I'm not one to fake it, and I'm in a mood to pout!

I was tear-free until I started playing the new Imogen Heap album. Let's just say the first song entitled "First Train Home" doesn't sit well with my fragile state. A good cry never hurt anyone, and great music accompanying it makes me feel like I'm in a scene from a movie. Dramatic?...just a little.

I'm off to watch babies laugh or cute puppies on YouTube. I'll be better tomorrow, promise!

Photo credit: Don't Cry by ~photoImpact on deviantART