Style Parade: Snow Bunny edition

So I had this whole plan of bringing lots of furry hats, coats and other super cute winter wear on our snow bunny trip up to Tahoe. Then I realized how much space winter wear takes up in a suitcase and that my luggage would be 1 of 4 in the SUV. I had to make due with just the necessities, which meant 1 hat, 1 coat and lots of black leggings.

I did however upgrade my snow jacket this year and got an incredible deal on this Calvin Klein one. It has the most adorable fur trimmed hood and it's lined with plushy down. So warm.

Joining me on this edition of Style Parade is my friend and fellow snow bunny, Melinda. Aren't her pink wellies adorable?

It's been really dry in Tahoe this year. Can you believe they didn't get any snow this season? It was like arriving in Vermont in White Christmas. So Melinda & dusted off our blue fans and did the Sisters number and behold...Snow!

We took a ride up the mountain in the gondola out of Heavenly Village. The winds were really picking up at that point and it was kind of scary swaying back and forth.

We stopped off at the observation deck to snap a few photos then hiked through the snow for some boozy coffee drinks.

Jacket: Calvin Klein; $79 at TJ Maxx
Scarf: Forever 21 (I think)
Sweater: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Leggings: Kohl's
Snow boots: gift from Mom
Angora beret: Target
Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters; $10

He loves me, he loves me naut

Some nautical inspiration with a Valentine's Day twist for you all today. Posts have been a bit light this week. I'm still playing catch up from the long weekend in the snow. It was a fabulous time, by the way and I'm hoping to have some pics posted next week.

The mister & I are attending a wedding of a dear high school friend this weekend. Should be good times...yay for love!

tee

flats

basket

ring

short cuts.

I recently got a haircut. Nothing new, just the same old story. I was chatting with my stylist about drastic changes and how she sends a client home if they request a drastic change if that's not their m.o. I can only imagine what my stylist would do if I walked in next time with this photo of the ever-so-chic Katie Armour...

I've hated every short cut I've had in my life, but perhaps it's because it wasn't short enough, as in pixie cut.

I like Ginnifer Goodwin's version with bangs as well.

source

Like Michelle Williams, my face shape is pretty square. I probably can't pull any of these off but I'm going to ask my stylist her thoughts anyway the next time I see her.

snow. snow. SNOW!

click pics for links

Excuse the obsession, but you see for a southern California gal like myself, snow is a novelty - a delight one can only enjoy after a 2 hour minimum car ride. I'll be joining in on the annual snowboarding trip this year. The destination- Lake Tahoe.

But while the mister is swishing down ski runs with friends, I'll be warm + toasty in a nearby chalet, boozy coffee in-hand of course, with my best lady Melinda while we do our best snow bunny impressions. Essentially, looking glamorous in the snow without actually partaking in snow activities. We have some wine tasting planned, a bit of gambling at the nearby casinos and perhaps some ice skating if I can talk someone into it that is.

ta ta for now... be back monday.

A petition

Today I'm taking a break from my usual post topics to ask for your help. If you are presently reading this it means you use the internet and this affects you. Personal politics aside I think most of us would agree that freedom and liberty are good things and as American citizens it is those ideals that make this country different from others around the world. Censorship is bad m'kay.

from Google:
"Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late."


I signed the petition...If you feel the same, do so here.

High drama

Ruche + Modcloth

Loving the high drama of this blush colored floor length dress. The ruffles are so effortlessly girly!

As I was telling my friend the other day-

 I think regular society needs more days where it's perfectly appropriate to wear long glamorous gowns.

It's a nice thought, right?

guten morgen.

...and happy monday.

A purple accent wall

Behold! The muted purple accent wall to match the new office chair. The color is Valspar brand "Lilac Gray" 1003-9C. I'm really happy with how it turned out and I attribute that to three things I've learned about painting since I became a homeowner...

1. When considering paint swatches, tape them to a wall in the space and watch how the light affects the color over the duration of the day.

2. Choose your tape wisely. I've completed 2 projects with the Scotch Blue edge lock tape and I'm happy to report that there was virtually no bleeding behind the tape. It also helps to remove the tape before the paint fully dries. (An open letter: I swear 3M Scotch marketing peeps, if you spam me for this post because I name dropped your product I will hurt you)

3. Remove the baseboard caulking with a razor blade prior to painting. It's not fun watching the oil & water don't mix concept happening before your eyes on a freshly painted wall. I found this out the hard way when I painted the black bathroom.

And in case you were wondering...yes I painted around the Eiffel Tower decal. I used tape on the straight edges and free-handed the red. Paint also comes off vinyl pretty easily.

I also mixed up the wall art a bit. The typography prints are from The Love Shop and the illustrations are from The Nebulous Kingdom. I relocated the decorative plate (Home Goods) from the shelving unit to the wall. The vintage stamp print is from Ikea. My original idea was to add two Ribba picture ledges to this wall, but the wall had other plans...behind the drywall is solid metal or concrete. Either way, the drill wasn't going through it.

While I was at it I switched up the display on the top of the bookshelf. I removed the birdcage decal and relocated the books to the lower shelves. I'm loving the simplicity and glam factor of this new vignette.

Target, you make my heart go BOOM BOOM

Um...Have you been to Target lately?

It's like they've been secretly stalking me for months to find out what would look fabulous in my kitchen.

There's other colors in the collection- turquoise and red I think, but you really can't go wrong with black & white. Modern, minimal and warm woods. Target, will you be my valentine?!

Are you growing tired of chevron prints yet? They've been popular for some time now but I really don't find myself bored with the trend. Usually once something hits such a wide market like say Target, it's over. I hope not...although since when I have I cared what design types think? 

Pretty much never.

......

P.S. The salad servers are from Crate & Barrel (in case you were wondering).

Oh Home Goods, you've been good to me

My local Home Goods is pretty well stocked, but look what I scored at a neighboring store - 5 fantastic finds; 2 of them being things I've been wanting for awhile.

I need more cups like I need a hole in my head, but aren't these fantastic?! Bold graphic quality in a black & white palette- there was no question that these were coming home with me. They had plates & bowls too but I fancied the coffee cups. Set of 4; $8.

Want: A posh bar tray. Check!
Doesn't it look amazing with the old-fashioned bar glasses? Also, Gary got me the silver Chisel decanter from Z Gallerie for Christmas to go with the wine aerator my baby bro gifted me. Tray; $14

I'm a girl who likes options...Say hello to next year's banister garland. Glittering rum raisin, copper & silver in leafy swirly goodness. 7 ft. for $14 after Christmas markdown.

I'm one of those guests that hates in when people hide the toilet paper and have been embarrassed on more than one occasion by our own guests having to ask for another roll. Patience paid off- a skinny vintage inspired wire basket. It fits perfectly next to the toilet in the guest bath. Basket; $9

And lastly, a new desk chair for my office that's so fabulous it inspired me to paint a matching accent wall.

As much as I tried to convince myself that I could get by without armrests it just wasn't meant to be with the last Home Goods chair find. I was heading to the checkout with my other items when the stock person put this baby on the floor. I snagged it, feeling very special as other ladies admired it saying "Great chair!"

Paint bug

It's not like I don't have tons of home projects on the to-do list already. But yet here I find myself plotting the next one. Although this project is gonna be a jerk and cut in line.

You see it all started when I found this ridiculously fabulous muted plum chair for my office (I'll be doing introductions a little later) but as I left the store 3 people complimented the color. Around the same time I pinned this Parisian-chic bathroom:

The style is very similar to my office. Clean modern lines with a hint of ornate vintage quality in a black & white palette. This brings me to the project at hand- I have a day off and a stack of purple paint swatches...stay tuned!

2011. In Review

Goals I achieved in 2011

Get hired  Switched gears and found myself Self-Employed

Open a shop on Etsy  Darling Loves Dapper, est. August 2011

Paint the banister
Have a fabulous 30th birthday party

Read The Great Gatsby

Personal Highlights
Being better at Scrabble than my husband (I don't win at games much, so this is huge!)
Traveling to NYC and meeting Bradley Cooper!
Spending more time with our nieces
Being my own boss
Making sales and being featured on Etsy's front page
Family trip to Disneyland
Celebrating 2 years of marriage
Celebrating with my oldest friend for her milestone birthday and her engagement!
Completing the 365 project (although I'm still behind on posting them on here)

Life-Changers
Turning 30
Becoming a - er, sort of housewife.

What I'd like to do in 2012
*Build up my client base for freelancing
*Read more books
*Cross a couple more project off of the official to-do list 
*Publish the 365 project in a book
*Make lots and lots of mistakes. Let me explain:

I came across this quote from author Neil Gaiman via A Brewing Mind and it really spoke to me. So much that I printed it out and pinned it to my wall.

NYE

We had a fantastic time at the party. The hosts, our friends Alicia & Rob, set up a festive photo booth and a resolution chalkboard.

I have to say that Alicia is quite the hostess. I love how she DIY'd her decorations. It was tinsel galore! Her 2012 banner was very similar to this pin from my NYE inspiration board. haha...we think so similarly- I love it!

It was fun mingling with new people. After we toasted at midnight everyone partook in a crazy dance party.

They had this cool iPad app that works like DJ turn tables. It was great because anyone could cue up a song and mix or "skip the record". So fun!

 Happy New Year Darling!

Style Parade 12.31.11

Happy 2012 everybody.

This is what I wore on New Years Eve. I told you this dress was scandalously short. I was tempted to play it safe and wear tights but I decided that there are only a handful of instances where I feel like I can get away with showing so much leg - Vegas and New Years Eve.

I became totally obsessed with the idea of wearing a black sparkly dress after seeing this video from Mina Tindle. So you can imagine how excited I was when I found this dress on sale at Asos, the last one in my size. It's kismet I tell you. I also love how my earrings look like tiny versions of the Times Square crystal ball.

I'll be posting some of the party pics tomorrow. Our hosts set-up a photo booth...so fun!

Dress: Angel Eye from Asos; $57
Blazer: Elizabeth and James, c/o Pop Sugar
Heels: Forever 21 (old)
Earrings: Jennifer Lopez for Kohl's; $16
Watch: Urban Outfitters; $34