Art by Ariel

12.06.2012



A friend of mine sent me a link this morning to an AMAZING artist based out of Ohio.  Art by Ariel's etsy store features giclee paintings of young, natural hair girls, in every shade of brown.  I'm not an art critic by a long shot, so I won't try to explain analyze her work in "art speak", all I can say is her work is just absolutely jaw dropping.

As if I needed another reason, the images of these little girls surely tugged at my womb.  She also has another series featuring the Obama family that is equally impressive.  Enough talking from me...Enjoy her work below and head over to her etsy store and make a purchase.  I know I am.

P.S. She also does custom orders.












Obama Series


Restoration Hardware

12.05.2012



My best friend was in town for the weekend and wanted to experience some Houston shopping.  We walked into Restoration Hardware and "accidentally" walked in through their child and baby section. OH MY GOD!!  My inner princess and maternal instincts both jumped out of me.  I wanted just as many things for myself, as for my unborn babies (lucky kiddos).  The bedding, the chandeliers, the make up tables, oh my...I had to wipe the drool off a few times.  If you are lucky enough to have a store in your city, I suggest you go in and take a look.  If not, here are a few of my favorite rooms from their online catalog.









My Weekend

12.03.2012



My bestie visited me this weekend to celebrate her birthday.  Lots of laughter, horseplay, lazy mornings and sweet treats.  

We also put on our favorite lipstick and dancing shoes and hit the town.

I love that girl.

Thanksgiving Table Settings

11.20.2012



In just a couple of days, most of us will gather with family and friends around the dinner table to give thanks. While I do love Thanksgiving, what I do not LOVE are the turkey themed decor I frequently come across.  I want turkey on my plate not necessarily printed on it.  This Thanksgiving, I wanted to share with you some stylish table settings sans the turkey print.





 Sources: one | two | three | four

Game Day Style Board | Kansas St. Vs Baylor

11.15.2012



This week's style board features the newly minted #1 team in the BCS, Kansas State and Baylor in a Big 12 match up.  Last week saw a major shake up in the standings with Alabama's loss to the Aggies, so it will be interesting to see of K State remains  #1 after this weekend.

Hope you like this week's edition of Game Day Style Board.




Links

Fashion Files | The Trench Coat



The  mercury has definitely dipped here in Houston.  For some of you, that happened months ago, but this is one of the perks of living in Texas for me.  One of the few things I like about these cooler temperatures, is that I get to break out my trench coat.  There's something so classy and sexy about a woman in a trench coat and pumps. 

Sidebar
Last fall, I unintentionally caused a bit of a stir in the lobby of my office building.  I walked out of my building to go to lunch wearing my trench coat over a dress with some black pumps.  I noticed a group of suits talking in the lobby, I'm guessing they were senior management.  They literally stopped their conversation and stared at me as I walked pass.  Confused by what just happened, I stopped by a male co-workers desk on my way back to get his insight.  He took a look at me and said "It's the trench coat".  He went on to explain that men are visual and since they couldn't really see what was underneath (my coat was longer than my dress), their imaginations were most likely running a muck.  Hmmm...Interesting
Back to regularly scheduled programming.

Did you know this iconic piece was actually invented for soldiers?  Or that there is a debate on who actually invented the trench coat?   Burberry and Aquascutum both claim to have “invented” the trench coat, Burberry’s first trench was in 1901, whereas Aquascutum’s design dates back to 1850.  I'm not going to pick sides on this debate, but what we do know is that  Thomas Burberry invented gabardine in 1880, the fabric used to construct most trench coats. Soldiers wore trench coats, made by both by Burberry and Acquascutum, over their uniforms in World War I.  It is said that the shoulder straps were for insignia and that the D rings were used to attach hand grenades.   It wasn’t until after the war that the trench coat began being worn by civilians.




The trench coat has come a long way.  Here a few images of some amazing coats with a modern twist.  My favorite is the "cape like" rendition worn by Victoria Beckham.  Which one do you LOVE?






Image Sources: one | two | three | four | five

Etsy Round Up | Artwork

11.13.2012



Buy Here
one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight

Chalkboard Walls



If I were brave enough, I'd love to paint a wall in my house with chalkboard paint and get in on this craze.  Since my house is less than 6 months old, I feel a little funny about doing anything dramatic to it.  Hopefully in a couple of years, once the newness wears off, chalkboard walls will still be cool and I'll pick up a paintbrush and go crazy with it.  Until then, I'll just drool over these pretty pictures.

P.S. Did you know you could make your own chalkboard paint in ANY color?  Neither did I.  Great tutorials here and here.









Sources: one|two|three|four|five

Hold Tight

11.12.2012



I'll be back tomorrow.  My Monday felt a little bit like this...


Game Day style Board: Oregon vs California

11.09.2012

For this weeks Game Day Style Board, lets head to the PAC-10 with Saturday's game featuring #2 Oregon Ducks and the California Bears.  Full disclosure - I'm not a fan of the ducks, the sole reason being that we (Wisconsin Badgers) lost to them in the Rose Bowl last year....Lost BAD.  Despite my feelings about the team, I tried to be fair with their picks.  I hope I succeeded.

Enjoy!



Oregon: Scarf | Sweater | Gap Oxford Shirt | Jeans | Boots

California: J Crew Blazer | T-Shirt | Jeans | Converse Shoes

Let's Toast

11.07.2012

Months of campaigning reached an electrifying end last night with the re-election of President Barack Obama. Whether you voted Red or Blue, the voters spoke last night. It is now time for us all to come together and work to move this country forward.

In honor of the President's re-election, let us toast to the countless volunteers who worked tirelessly on both sides, the democratic system that gives voices to its people, the candidates and their families who have sacrificed so much and to you the voter, for making it to the polls against all odds.

What better way to toast, than with a cocktail iconic to the south side of Chicago, where the President's political career all started.  So fix yourself a drink, pat yourself on the back and let's get ready to WORK!


Ingredients
2 oz. vodka, gin, or white rum
The juice of one lemon
2 tsp. of granulated sugar

Method
Place ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously to bruise the mint leaves
Strain into a chilled collins glass filled with ice


Enjoy 

This election...

11.06.2012


Inspiring Work Spaces

11.03.2012



Happy Monday People! As we all get ready for the work week, I wanted to leave you with these pretty images of these inspiring work spaces.  I'd take any one of these rooms and I have no doubt they will greatly improve my productivity.  In reality, my office space is more like a 6' by 6' grey box, but a girl can dream, can't she? 

Enjoy!












Image Sources: one | two | three | four | five

Game Day Style Board: Alabama & LSU

11.02.2012



People that know me know that I'm a college football fanatic. One of the series I'll have on this blog is "Game Day Style Board", where I'll pick a college game and create a style board for the two teams. What better way to get things started than to highlight the "game of the year". The rematch of the BCS National Championship game this Saturday between Alabama and LSU is poised to be have football fans across the country glued to their screens or cheering at the top of their lungs in “death valley”. 

I enlisted the help of another die hard college football fan, my stylish friend and co-worker, Sarah, to create this first edition of the Game Day Style Board.  Whether you’ll be chanting “Roll Tide,” “Geaux Tigers” or still trying to wrap your mind around a “first down”, we can all agree that she picked some winning looks.

 Enjoy!


Shopping links

Alabama Look 1: White Bitton Down Shirt | Crimson Sweater | Jeans | Nail Polish | Bracelet | Earrings | Loafers

Alabama Look 2: Moto Jacket | White T-Shirt | Jeans | Houndstooth Scarf | Earrings | Flats

LSU Look 1: Purple Blazer | White T-Shirt | Jeans | Necklace | Watch | Flats

LSU Look 2: Dress | Belt | Scarf | Watch | Flats

November Wish List

11.01.2012



I cannot believe it's already November. This year has just flown by. This post is the first of a monthly series, where I share somethings I'm just dying to have.  This is by no means a complete list and sadly ninety percent of them will remain a "wish".  I hope you are inspired.




1. J Crew Trench
2. Alexander McQueen Skull Bracelet
3. Red Scarf
4. Diane von Furstenberg Booties
5. J Crew Flats
6. Marc by Marc Jacobs Mini Shopper 
7. Gap Metallic Jeans
8. Iman Sultana Lattic Fabric
9. Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
10. Reiko Kaneko Lip Tease Mug
11.West Elm Chandelier
12. Vintage Wood Hand
 

Fashionistas, Meet STYLESAINT

10.31.2012


StyleSaint is the brainchild of  Allison Beal and Brian Garrett.  It is like the Pinterest for fashion and in my opinion takes social media to new heights.  Users can sign in with their facebook or twitter accounts and once logged in, can tear from over 55,000 images from which they can create their own stylebooks.  You can even create stylebooks from images you find online, once you apply to be part of the StyleSaint Creative Collective, the group of passionate editors that scours the web looking for, linking to and tagging stunning, fashion-related images.  Once you curate your fab stylebook, the platform then gives you the ability to share it on other social media platforms.

I love how they describe their target audience.
The StyleSaint girl is fiercely independent yet charmingly feminine, unapologetically sexy yet saccharine sweet. She is the quintessentially nonchalant IT girl with a twist, the epitome of rebellious cool.
It's still a new site, but it is quickly becoming one of my favorites.  I could lost in the "tear sheets" for hours.  I'll soon "apply" to be a style editor and add my voice to the mix.  Head over to StyleSaint and indulge in some eye candy.



My New Crush: Cobalt Blue

10.26.2012

 It seems like I've been seeing this color everywhere lately.  I'm not exactly sure if it's a real design trend or if I'm subconsciously seeking it out.  Either way, I'm in LOVE and I'm going to deck my whole house in this bad boy.  It's so calming, yet vibrant at the same time. To me, it gives any space a touch of luxury in the right doses.  If this is a trend, I really hopes it stays around for a while because mi casa is gonna be decked out in this hue.





 

Sources: 1/2/3/4


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Lola's Loft All rights reserved © Blog Milk Powered by Blogger