Miami Heat – 2012 NBA Champions

Posted on June 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

And with that, your (my) Miami Heat are the 2012 NBA Champions!  Enjoy the off-season and celebrate tonight, Miami.

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Japanese Themed 90th Birthday Party

Posted on June 21, 2012 | 1 Comment

This past weekend my family threw a party for my poppy’s 90th birthday.  It was one of the most special nights that I have spent with my family.

We were dressed in our finest. The house was decorated beautifully, and thoughtful touches could be spotted in every corner.  In the end, we were stuffed (I mean soooo full), so happy, and so well loved.

Here are some great photos from our fabulous party.  Special thanks to my Aunt Stacey and Uncle Mark for hosting, my cousin Cori for brilliantly hiring a photographer, and my entire family for planning and celebrating in such a special way.

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Posted in Family, Personal, Her Weddings + Events, Her Inspiration

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Summer Sale – BCBG

Posted on June 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

I stumbled across (or rather specifically sought out) the sale at BCBG.  And wouldn’t you know I assembled quite the little wish list.

Here are my favorites – in shades of black and blue they’d work for summer and beyond.  And, while I like them all, I am particularly (completely and totally) smitten with the sparkly tuxedo tunic on the right.

Shop: Daytime/Dusk/Night Time/All the Time

Are you a sale shopper?  Maybe you’re more willing to try certain trends when you can get them for less?

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Posted in Budget, Her Closet, Shopping

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Family Weekend

Posted on June 18, 2012 | 1 Comment

This was one of the most special weekends I have had in a very long time. This weekend we went home for Father’s Day and for one of my poppy’s (grandpa’s) 90th birthday.

On Friday we had dinner with my dad’s parents, on Saturday we had a full theme party – more pictures to come later in the week! – and on Sunday we had father’s day lunch with my mom’s parents.

During lunch my nanny told me that everyday she goes on her iPad and comes to this blog.  It just about made my day.

I am so lucky that my supportive friends and family (and even some strangers) come to this small corner of the Internet everyday, but I feel extra special (and loved) that Nanny comes too.  If that isn’t a reason to post more often, I don’t know what is.

Thank you all for visiting – it means more to me than you’ll ever know.

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Posted in Family, Her Inspiration

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Blueberry + Lime: A Summer Color Story

Posted on June 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

Colorblocking remains a hot trend for summer but one color combination has me especially intrigued.  Taking a cue from your favorite spa drinks, bright blue(berry) and vivid lime pair up for a splashy combination that is refreshingly smart and summer-ready tart.

In this case the blue is the neutral.  It is pops with a hint (or a shout) of lime.  By mixing in accessories, it is a great way to add this colorful trend without overhauling your wardrobe.  The clutch with a staple skinny and tee; the colorblock dress with a glimmering gold sandal?  All perfect execution of this fruitful trend.

What do you say, will you mix the lime with the blueberry this season?

Shop: prim/proper/pop/envelope clutch/box clutch/sandal/sandal

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Posted in Fashion Inspiration, Her Closet, Shopping

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New Old Apartment – The Vanity

Posted on June 12, 2012 | 1 Comment

Part of the apartment updating included the bathroom vanity.  It needed some freshening up and we were in hot pursuit of a look that 1 part sleek, 1 park chic and 2 parts “ohm”.

We went to Restoration Hardware and fell for the Spritz.  It was fabulous for sure, but when I got it home and saw how big the piece were and considered the prices I was more OMG than Ohm…

faucet/mirror/bar/toilet paper/hook

I am a bargain shopper, and it turns out not just for shoes and t-shirts.  I scoured the Internet and found a vanity set that was so similar you’d almost think they were related.

sconce/faucet/hook/toilet paper/bar/mirror

I found all of the pieces, except the mirror which is the only RH item I kept, at Lowe’s – they were a better fit for the space size wise and the savings – though not huge – is something I feel good about.

The little extra shopping around was worth it for me.  I love the look and it’s one more new feature in the new old apartment that I am loving.  What do you think?

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Posted in Decor, Her Home

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New Old Apartment – The Closets

Posted on June 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

One great thing about our apartment is the storage.  In fact, our 1-bedroom apartment has more thoughtful storage for clothes and more then our entire house.

Upon moving back we knew that our closets would get an upgrade too.  Off to the Container Store we went, the purveyor of all things efficient, to design our new closet system.

40 minutes with Maureen (our helpful Container Store associate) and a few hours of Mark doing all of the heavy lifting we have new closets!

The closets are sliding door closets.  Mark’s has mirrored doors and mine now have beautiful grasscloth wallpaper – another impressive DIY project! The closets have sliding shelves for all my shoes; baskets for tops and sweaters; hanging spaces for jackets and jeans (yes, I hang my jeans); and an amazing caddy for my jewelry.

No more clunky dresser and fabulously chic organization.  This is pretty close to heaven!  Thanks to Mark for DIY-ing for this awesome wardrobe upgrade!

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Posted in Decor, Her Closet, Her Home

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New Old Apartment – Paint and Color

Posted on June 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

When we lived in our old new apartment the first time the walls were a standard white.  White on the ceiling, white on the walls, white on the baseboard. 

Around year 1 we got antsy and painted our vanity a shocking tomato red and the entry and dusty maize.

In year 3 we realized the error of our ways and painted the vanity creative a light morning blue and our kitchen a faint seagreen.

When we rented, our apartment was painted again.  This time the bedroom dark chocolate brown and pale avocado green.  The kitchen a roasted almond butter and the living room a saturated indigo. 

This was a LOT of color…

We repainted the entire apartment in neutral tones.  If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that’s what I favor in design.  We chose Behr Ultra Paints in Creamy Mushroom for the bedroom and living room, and Powdered Snow in the kitchen and bathroom.

I am loving this new palate.  It plays well with real color.  It is solid.  It is a touch romantic.

Which colors were your favorite?

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New Old Kitchen

Posted on June 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

I am sorry I have been a little quiet these past few days, maybe even weeks, but we have been very busy in our house.  In fact, in the past month we cleaned, staged and sold our house.  Last week we packed it all up and moved.

Where to begin… Two years ago we moved from our condo to a rowhouse in central DC.  It was big and spacious but in the end we realized, for us, it was too big and too spacious.

Exhibit A.

My Old Kitchen

We have since moved back to our old condo, more on that later.  When you leave a kitchen this large you have to think thoughtfully about what you need, not just want in your new space.

Here are my space saving kitchen must-haves:

Shop: Bowls, Pot, Utensils, Cutting Boards, Knives

Where space is a premium you have to be smart.  Bowls and dishes should be multifunctional and stackable, gone are the canisters and jars of utensils, no longer are we cluttered by a big knife block when we only use two knives anyway.

We thought long and hard about and have right-sized our supplies to fit our needs and space.

Do you have a big kitchen or a small kitchen?

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Posted in Decor, Her Home, Her Kitchen

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Calvin Klein’s Francisco Costa – For Less

Posted on May 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

This weekend when I was running around Macy’s looking for bedding – which I did not find – I found something even better.  A capsule collection from Calvin Klein’s Francisco Costa!

Over the last few years, Costa has been the go-to for Hollywood’s top ingenues who are turning heads in simple sheaths and sophisticated silhouettes.  Emma Stone and Claire Danes both wore Calvin Klein in sherbet hues to the Golden Globes and Jennifer Lawrence took a stunning turn in Calvin Klein at the Academy Awards.

Jennifer, Emma, Claire in Calvin Klein

The collection for Macy’s is in pared down neutrals but is similarly chic in its simplicity.

These are my favorites – all retailing for under $185.  What do you think?

Shop: Macy’s

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Posted in Budget, Fashion Inspiration, Her Closet

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