mellow yellow

ostrich-embossed leather wallet

lemon screen print

J. Crew S/S 11

Ikat wallpaper

Currently, we're experiencing a bout of a wintry mix in the mid-west, which has me craving a warm weather vacation asap (but that would require me to work out in preparation so I'm torn).  Hence, my inspiration for the post today.  These citrusy yellows provide a refreshing shock of color to any ensemble especially since Spring neutrals are de rigueur.  Along with adding this color into my wardrobe mix I'm also toying with the idea of adding hints of it into our apartment.  I love this cheeky little etsy screen print and am thinking about purchasing it to hang in our kitchen since it's basically my motto in life.

New York, New York

I was completely under siege last week at work and threw posting to the wayside, but now that there's a moment to breathe I intend to get back into it full force.  This weekend I'm headed to New York to celebrate one of my best friend's birthdays and of course a fabulous soiree is part of the celebration.  I would be an absolute liar if I didn't admit that I meticulously plot out my outfits for any event such as this and quite possibly do dry runs around my apartment in full-on dress (forget I wrote that).  Granted, it's only Monday so I very well could change my mind, but at the moment I will be donning my h&m frock from last Spring's Garden Collection along with my Pour la Victoire wedges (a fantastic Home Goods score).  For a little bit (or a lot) of bling I'm throwing on my House of Harlow and Kate Spade bangles.  Although only 4 are pictured here I might just see how many more I can get away with.

office space

Mary McDonald

Jenna Lyon's Office

Cupcakes and Cashmere

Kate Spade London Pop-up Shop

With the onslaught of the new year and the several resolutions I have every intention of keeping (not really) I thought I might as well make a go of at least one of them, which is revamping my little home office space.  With the goals of wanting to make it both aesthetically pleasing as well as organized (Jenna Lyon's office does not apply to the latter) I've been looking at the spaces above for inspiration.  A photo of my finished project to come soon!   

 

holiday gift guide under $50

Tray for the hostess

coasters for the neat freak

2011 desk calender for your anal retentive friend

 

whiskey stones for your favorite lush

Mugs for the caffeine-obsessed

Glass piggy bank for the financially conscious - or not so financially conscious which is why they're receiving a piggy bank 

OK, so I have to be honest - I dislike Christmas.  I mean don't get me wrong, I like the whole idea of Christmas, but this whole gift-giving thing puts me on edge.  Maybe that's why I like Halloween so much because there are basically 2 clearly defined objectives: number 1 is buying candy for kids that you don't know and number 2 is either making or purchasing a costume that either reflects our society at the time (i.e. Snooki) or being a sexy (insert occupation or animal here).  With Christmas there are just way too many variables that exist.  For example, how can I buy my mom an unbelievable and truly original gift in order to surpass my sister's gift to her, and at the same time buy my sister a gift that puts her gift to me to shame while executing this all under a reasonable budget.  It's so exhausting.  So with that being said, I've scoped out a few presents that all fall within the $50 price range.  Of course, this is the tip of the iceberg, but my whole new approach to Christmas shopping is to buy a ridiculous amount of presents for cheap that way you can afford to give people multiple gifts and they're bound to eventually like something you give them!  I think this makes perfect sense.  Happy holiday hunting!