I have been admiring these playful silhouette illustrations by Charmaine Olivia. You can also find her on Etsy. I really enjoy the dynamic range of her work - it varies from interesting patterns, cute woodland creatures, and ladies with little to hide.

Top // Earrings // Sweater // Necklace // Ballet Flats (these are super cute too!) // Bra & Undies // Skirt // Eyeshadow

I first discovered the very cool geometric jewelry of Rebekah Vinyard while shopping at Sanctuary, a cute gift boutique in Austin (where, it turns out, Rebekah is based out of). Want to nab some of this jewelry for yourself? I can't blame you....you can shop the collection on Etsy. I definitely want to add one of her designs to my collection too, just can't decide which one I like best! Eeenie meenie miney mo.....

1. Grab some baking soda and some water.
2. Keeping a 3:1 ratio in mind (ex: 3 tablespoons baking soda and 1 tablespoon water), mix the baking soda and water into a toothpaste-like consistency.  
3. Avoiding your eye area, gently rub the paste onto your face in small circular motions for about 1-2 minutes. The goal is to buff, not scratch the heck out of your epidermis.
4. Rinse the mixture off your face, being careful to avoid your eye area.
5. Apply a rich moisturizer. Marvel at your super soft and glowy skin, but don’t debut your new look to the outside world without slathering on sunscreen first. Really.

Yep...so that's it. I'll be accepting tips all week long in case you want to thank me. ;)

You know any home with a name - such as this historic Georgian one in the English countryside dubbed 'Dinder House'- has got to be grand. London designer Ilse Crawford renovated this 23-acre estate, hailing from the 1800s, with over 39 rooms for a family of 6. The expansive and sparsely decorated home embodies modern elements with old world touches (like no dryers in the laundry rooms...just wooden racks). Complete with a lego room for the owners' sons, this mansion pretty much has a room for anything you can imagine.  Yea, you know....just a little place in the country to relax and get away from the buzz of the city.

Sandra Dieckmann is a London-based illustrator whose folky drawings had an instant spot on my home decor wish list. Do yourself a favor and check out her portfolio. She's definitely going on my "one to watch" radar.

Gretchen Jones F/W 2011 collection at Steven Alan. I am majorly crushing on each and every single piece...and my dreams of wearing them are all crushing, because I can't afford any of them. Wahhh.

I am smitten with red hair lately. No, no, no....let me clarify. I have been super keen on some versions of red hair lately. The perfect shade of strawberry blonde, a soft red, and rich auburn. Not "I've just been temporarily blinded" bright red or "Home Depot" orange that, more often than not, comes from a DIY box of horror. Anyways, word has it that the hue looks smashing on natural blondes, so chances are I could pull it off. The upkeep? That's a whole other issue that I'd rather blissfully keep in the 'coat check' of my mind. Shoot...if I wasn't so darn lazy when it comes to getting my hair done (took me 8 months to get a simple cut!), I would 100% embrace the ginge.

red door // orange door

yellow door // dark green door

light green door // dark blue door

light blue door // purple door

dark pink door // light pink door

 


You know that friend or coworker that completely embodies the personality (or even looks) of another animal? For example, John is always calling me a camel, giraffe, or a walrus (I am still trying to forgive him for that last one). I, in turn, proclaim that he is a moose, frog, or water buffalo. Come to think of it, in between our two families, we actually cover most of the animal kingdom. We have prarie dogs, manatees, koala bears, dogs, horses, monkies, whales, flamingoes....the list keeps going on and on. Perhaps that is why I was so taken with the beautifully illustrated portraits of feathered, four legged, and aquatic species by Unitedthread.

UPDATE: After getting a hilarious text from my sis-in-law, I am going to go ahead and state that the whale is NOT either one of my preggo sis-in-laws....hear that CG and AS?!

 Umm....I am kind of obsessed with the amazing Beverly Hills compound that Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi call home.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to my amazing readers over this past year....it's been such a blast sharing my thoughts with you all, reading your comments, checking out your blogs, getting to know you, and even meeting some of you! Cheers to the past, present, and future of this little blog of mine. Hoorah!