Bright naked

Naked light bulbs always contribute this sort of vintagey feel to a room. I like the contrast between the light, delicate bulb and the industrial fixtures they hang from. 

Here are some of my favorite uses of naked light bulbs found on pinterest...

 I'm off to do P90X yoga DVD and watch Giada cook amazingess simultaneously.

 Everything in Balance. 

Plus Tony Horton's voice makes me wanna hurl myself out the window.

It's good, no? xoxo

(All images via Pinterest)

Halloween Chic.

Halloween Chic. by marihelen featuring a fold over clutch

Knit top
£75 - houseoffraser.co.uk

Acne leather jacket
$1,230 - lagarconne.com

J Crew cropped pants
$80 - jcrew.com

Tory burch wedge
$295 - saksfifthavenue.com

ASOS fold over clutch
$52 - asos.com

Marc by Marc Jacobs bracelets bangle
$138 - nordstrom.com

Jennifer Meyer stud earrings
$675 - barneys.com

Compromise.

Remember when I attempted to turn my blank hall into a beeeautiful gallery wall?

Pathetic Attempt

It was not so good. I thought about getting a ruler and carefully positioning the frames, but I frankly did not like any of the frames and I felt like the hallways was too long and sparse to sustain a random mosaic of frames.

Fast forward a couple of months, I waited in line for and hour and a half one saturday morning to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the MET museum "Savage Beauty". 

It was incredible, beautiful and haunting.

 You can visit the Met Blog and watch the video tour, it is just as amazing as being there and minus the huge crowd. 

After I forced myself to not walk through the exhibit a third time, I purchased a poster from the gift shop: 

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 Awe inspiring. McQueen was amazingly creative. He was inspired by historic eras and traditions as well as politics and used his platform to make bold statements. He was also an amazing tailor; his clothes were perfectly constructed. 


I wanted to have a piece of the exhibit I could have in my home and that would always inspire me.

At a local frame shop and fell in love with this:

But a sterling silver frame was a BIT out of my budget.

I settled.

It looks fine, but it does not have that je-ne-sais-quoi. I told the framing consultant I would be back some day for that gorgeous, sterling silver frame. He said he would wait for me...Romantic. 

A friend of mine also ran into this problem recently, wanting some expensive throw pillows for her apartment. The WANT builds up to NEED until we talk ourselves down and settle for something a bit more reasonable and in our price range. It can be frustrating when you know the difference that detail could make. 

Have you ever had to settle on something design related or other because you just absolutely cannot justify the price tag?

It's HUMID. That's why.

I am not a "summer person".

 I dislike the heat and sweating and *glistening* and humidity and all that is associated with this. I do like the spring warmth and the fall chill and I like being cozy inside when its freezing and snowing outside. 

Hair issues are big for me in the summer because my hair does not naturally dry straight or curly, but instead a weird semi-curly, wavy, straight on the top, frizz. It's AWESOME. 

I am also trying to grow some pesky side bangs out. FUN.

My friend told me she was going out to dinner and was worried about her hair frizzing due to the humidity.   So, I put together a tutorial for her on how to do my easy-peasy summer hair style.

Step 1: Take a section of hair at part line and start braid

Step 2: Add one section of hair from hair line to braid after one round of braiding

Step 3: Continue braiding and pin with a bobby pin above ear or just past it.

Ya done!

 I slept on my hair wet and I looked like I had brushed out a terrible perm, so I opted to throw it in a bun. That's basically the best part though, it looks good up or down, so versiiitile. 

Happy Weekend! Tell me what you do to deal with heat!

It's good no? xx

Running with jewels.

This is going to be a bit all over the place.

I ran my FIRST race (a couple of wknds ago), a 5K, in NYC for Hope for the Warriors, a non-profit that supports families of soldiers injured or fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was awesome, I loved every minute of  racing and I totally surprised myself by finishing in 26:05 minutes!! Up until the race I had been running 10 minute miles, but during the race I ran an average of 8.60 minutes per mile. Joy.

I think I am totally addicted, I cant wait to do another and have been thinking more seriously about doing a Marathon once I build up to that kind of distance. I definitely have my ups and downs with running, some days I feel super accomplished and others my legs are just draaaagging. 

Now for the pretty:

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Elva Fields makes these stunning necklaces along with a collection of earrings. She also does bridal work and her images of brides with these pretty pretty necklaces on are so gorgeous. I love a good statement necklace.

Its good, no? xx

P.S. Dont forget to watch Million Dollar Decorators tonight on Bravo. I adore Mary Mcdonald:

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I mean look at this room...

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Absurd(ly awesome).

Obsessed: Emerson Made

Sporadic blogging at its finest. I promise this will make up for it.

 I was perusing my usual blogs that I check every morning when Coco + Kelley reminded me of this seriously FANTASTIC company called Emerson Made . (Thank you a million times, C+K.)

Check. It. Out. 

LBD Perfection. my #1 pick.

Little Swimmers. 

Great styling.

Red. French Cuff. Skinny Pant. I need.

I am a Leo..*hint hint*

The only time I have ever liked red and black together.

 Everything is so modern with a vintage twist, but streamlined and simple. 

Plus the quality looks impeccable. 

 I adore and if i had lots and lots of dollars I would own it all. 

(Plus how amazing is Emerson's hair color??)

It's Good, no? (yes very good)

Oh P.S. Coco + Kelley, hope you do not mind that I was inspired by your post, just wanted to share the goodness!!

Wknd Recap OR Reasons to Visit Me

Mark rowing us around the turtle pond in CP

Pointy views 

Romantic Bridges

Creepy Fountains

Pensive comedians

People who dislike the statue of liberty

Boat tours w/ views of nicer boats

Tall buildings

Green parks

My pale skin

Forced smiles in 90 degree heat

Lunching at Rockefeller Center (more appealing than ice skating)

it's good, no? xx

Four months later...

I received this...

Four month waiting list for a $35 canvas tote, UNHEARD OF. A cheeky one none the less, printed on all 4 sides with an image of a well-known crazy expensive bag that has a waiting list of at least a year. 

I'd give you the link, but there is another waiting list. Ok fine, if you have other bags and want to wait and not juggle your things on the subway everyday like I did for the past four months here you go:

 Thursday Friday

I kid, I OBV have, like, a MILLION bags. I really do like it though and it was worth the wait. I'm sure i'll use it, like, totes everyday.

Have a wonderful long weekend y'all. I'll be in NYC sweating my a$$ off. Oh in case you were wondering, eh not so much a summer person, but I do love the fall and that means were only one season away. 

its good, no? xx

Konfused.

I am so confused by this...

KOMBUCHA

It makes some pretty hefty claims:

So the reason why I am confused is, HOW DO PPL DRINK/ENJOY THIS??

It literally tasted like liquid garbage to me. I forced down about 4 gulps but I could not take anymore. I understand it is fermented and I should have expected the UNIQUE flavor, but really. How do people drink this all the time and willingly and say they like it. 

I am also trying not to be judgmental so if you drink Kombucha regularly, please tell me: 

Does it get better? Did I pick the wrong flavor? Do you honestly feel better after consuming?

Also, you might find this confusing...

I took this photo with my blackberry. For real. It came out really nice. Photos on my phone are really hit or miss, or the lighting has to be PERFECTION. 

The peonies are nice too!

xx its good, no?

Bringers of Joy.

Things that brought me joy this weekend:

Ottoman! So happy to have finally received the final piece of our living room furniture. We bought this at the end of February along with our new couch, but it had been back ordered FOREVER.

Our living room is starting to look a bit more like this:

After looking at this collage I made, I really am kind of wishing I had painted the end table my original gray and white stripe idea. Even though I do LOVE the orange, I think the stripes are lighter would probably match the rug better. Maybe I will re-paint that bad boy as my next home project. 

The ottoman is sooo comfy though pushed up against the couch. JOY. 

Joy Bringer #2:

Successful Avocado Fries!!

My last post will recount my major avocado fry fail. However, I did it right this time. I sliced up the 'cados, flour coated (garbanzo bean), egg wash, Ian's Whole Wheat Panko Crumbs. 20 Min in 375 degrees, flipping half way. Ta da! 

I think the bean flour and the whole wheat panko crumbs slightly over powered the avocado taste, but they were delish none the less. Mark enjoyed them, so, recipe approved. 

Joy Bringer #3:

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We saw Bridemaids last night as I really liked it. It actually wasn't as over the top as I thought it was going to be and the commercials on TV showed most of the funny parts, but I enjoyed it and found many of the characters to be really relatable. It was a good for a good laugh on a lazy sunday.

Lastly, Sunday afternoon Mark and I did the P90X Yoga dvd together and Billy joined for a bit (but was also going nutso for some catnip we bought him). I had not done yoga in awhile and it felt ah-mazing. Mark suggested we do Yoga every Sunday together and this also brought me a lot of joy. 

it's good, no? xx