Fall

I've noticed a trend lately in the blogosphere. Many
people seem to have had it with the hot hazy dog days
of summer and are dreaming about fall. I too find myself
longing for that chill in the air and the turning of the
leaves, but most of all I'm longing for the clothes!!! Didn't
help when I popped over to Nordstrom.com today and
what did I find on the front page, one of my favorite
things in the entire world. BOOTS!!

Lovely rain boots...


Cool lace-up boots...


Comfy warm boots...




And a classic equestrian...



Then I spotted this look in a Talbots ad. Love the coat!


I always say I hate to wish away time, but I must admit,
I'm looking forward to fall and all the lovely things that
go with it.

Jackpot!

It was another tough week, so I decided I'd treat myself
to a little retail therapy last night. Even if I didn't find
anything, I figured it would be good to just get out of
the house. I'm happy to report I scored big!



About a month ago, I had spotted these adorable
canisters in Homegoods. I wasn't ready to commit
at first glance, but halfway through the store I realized
I WANTED THEM! I went back to pick them up, only
to find another customer placing them in her cart.
DRAT! Since then, I've popped into various other
stores like TJ Maxx hoping I'd run across another set.
No such luck. Until last night when I found them at
Marshalls. Score #1! I didn't waste a second grabbing
them this time around.

I continued the peruse the aisles and there it was, score
#2! Found this gorgeous lantern...


I got both pieces for less than 20 bucks! I do love a
good deal, and two is even better!

Random Favorites

Sorry for my lack of posting this week. Too much going
on, and I'm afraid everything else has taken precedence
over the blog. But I thought I'd take a moment to share
a few of my favorite spaces I've run across lately.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Nothing special really about this room. I just love how
it's bathed in such a warm golden glow...


Pretty sure this pic from House Beautiful has been on
many blogs, but it really is a perfect outdoor space, No?



What more can I say, what a view...




I just love this living room/kitchen space. It just looks so
homey...


And finally a hallway. I seem to have a thing for entryways...


Have a great Wednesday!

Virtual Vacation - Los Angeles

This week's virtual vacation is in honor of the small
earthquake that quite literally shook me awake at 5am
this morning here in Virginia.




I bet LA would not be on most people's list of vacation
spots, but I confess it's on mine. Probably partly due to
my fascination with the glitz and glamour. But much
like Chicago, I grew up watching TV shows and movies
which depicted the city as such a cool place to be.
I've visited a few times for work, and even got to stroll
around the Warner Bros. lot and see "Stars Hollow"
and "Luke's Diner" from Gilmore Girls, but the city
and surrounding areas have eluded me.
So let's get going!

The Itinerary...

Day 1 - Catch an early flight out
~Arrival and check-in at the hotel
~Stroll down Rodeo Drive
~Coffee and a bite @ Urth Cafe
~Back to the hotel for some lounging at
the fabulous rooftop pool



Day 2
~Breakfast @ Joan's on Third
~Griffith Park


~Swing by the hotel and change
~Head for Malibu on the PCH
~Stroll through the Getty Villa and enjoy the sunset


~Dinner @ Geoffreys Malibu

Day 3
~Brunch @ Tart
~Off to Venice to visit the canals and do a little
shopping around Abbot Kinney


~Off to the airport to catch a flight home

I'm so ready to get outta town! How about you?
Have a wonderful weekend!

Seaside Prints, Good For Any Season

I popped over to the Ideal Home magazine website
this morning to see if by chance they had the preview
for August's issue posted yet. No such luck, but I did
run across an article about these adorable prints from
artist Caroline McGrath's Seaside collection. I found
them so cute, I thought I'd share...



I have some friends who live in Maryland and love crabs,
and would probably get a kick out of this one...




I would love to have an all white, or at least
mostly white kitchen, and these prints with their
fun pops of color would fit so perfectly into my vision.

I'm definitely bookmarking her site!

All images from http://carolinemcgrath.co.uk

Dreaming of A Craft Room...

I love to craft. I'm always looking for new projects to
try. I usually just work on the floor in front of the TV.
But how cool would it be to have a space like one of
these where you could create...

All images from Scrapbook.com

Pretty and functional!

Be sure you stop by Open Hands Full Heart for
some great ideas in Julia's Christmas In July series.
You can check out my guest post from Monday.

Happy Tuesday!

Cup-Cakelove

As you may be able to tell from my Blog Roll, I am a
fan of the cupcake craze. One of my many grand
schemes for a business is opening a cupcake bakery
in my area. My friends and I had the chance to visit
Cakelove this weekend. It's the brainchild of Warren
Brown who left his law career in 2002 to start his
bakery empire. He's been featured on Oprah, the
Today Show, and even had his own show on the
Food Network awhile back. He offers up quite
a tasty cupcake. I tried a few (we did share, I didn't
eat them all by myself :-)

There was the Raspberry Buttercream...

Homemade raspberry puree flavors this Cakelove
classic, fluffy raspberry buttercream.




Then the "44" ...

Designed for our 44th President; each vanilla cupcake
is topped with vanilla buttercream, scratch made
caramel and a light sprinkle of sea salt.



And finally Cynthia's Sin...

Chocolate cupcakes dipped in decadent chocolate
ganache, topped with peanut butter buttercream,
accented with chocolate, caramel, and sprinkled
with candied peanuts.


I have to say, I'm semi particular about my frosting,
and Cakelove's buttercream was really good. So light
and fluffy, I actually didn't even recognize it as buttercream.

If you're ever in the DC metro area, I recommend you
give them a try. They have several locations.

Happy Monday!

Virtual Vacation - Chicago

Happy Sunday Morning! Sorry I've been MIA
most of the week. The day job has yet again
taken up most of my waking (and some of my
resting) hours. But we have another virtual
vacation to get to, so let's not waste another
minute.

This week we're headed for Chicago!

Buckingham Memorial Fountain

I've always wanted to go to Chicago. I think
it's because I've seen it in so many movies and
TV shows, it just looks like a cool place.

The Itinerary...

Day One - Arrive in time for happy hour
Check in at the hotel
Cocktails & light dinner at Roof on the Wit
Enjoy the view

Rooftop On the Wit

Day Two
Architectural River Cruise


A little Shopping...
Paperdoll
RR#1
P.O.S.H
Back to the hotel
Dinner @ The Gage
(The Whiskey Flights are calling my name)

Day Three
Brunch @ Flatwater



One last stroll around town
Catch a flight home

So where would you virtually escape to for
a weekend? NYC? Paris? A little "stay-cation"
in your own backyard?

I Scream, You Scream...

Yes, you know the rest. With temps hovering around
100 for the past 3 days, I know I'm screaming for some
ice cream. I happened to catch this show on the new
Cooking channel the other day and they featured an
"artisanal" ice cream truck in NYC. I Googled them and
actually found quite a few of these master craftsmen of
ice cream.

Some of my favorites...

Barts Homemade (you gotta love them just for the names)

Black Tiger - Black Russian ice cream with fresh brewed
coffee and chocolate chunks.

Three Geeks and a Red Head: Coconut ice cream, coconut
flakes, semisweet chocolate chunks, fudge brownies, with
a red raspberry swirl.


Dr. Bobs

Scharffen Berger "The Works" - Dark Chocolate ice cream with
bittersweet and semisweet chocolate chunks and roasted
cocoa nibs.


Silver Moon (ok technically these are sorbet, but they still
sound yummy)

Lavender Limoncello - Lavender infused lemon sorbet
with Limoncello liqueur

Pomegranate Martini - Mediterranean Pomegranate
sorbet infused with pomengranate liqueur and vodka

These all sound unique and delicious don't they?
But you know, on a hot summer day, you could
give me a few scoops of vanilla and some rainbow
sprinkles, and I'd be quite happy.

Cocktails Anyone?

I ran across this little DIY video on Shelterpop this
weekend and it renewed my interest in creating my
own little tabletop bar. I had put a fairly simple
one together several months back, but I'd like to
add a little extra kick to it.


I'm thinking a little something like this. But
maybe with some more casual glasses. And perhaps
I'll expand my alcohol selection...


Sounds like the perfect excuse for a trip to Homegoods.
And hey, the liquor store is right next door. How
convenient.

Hope everyone enjoyed their "4th"!

Virtual Vacation - San Francisco

I've been thinking a lot about getting away for a long
weekend here and there this summer. However,
it's not exactly in the budget. At least not the spots
I'd like to visit. But how about a little virtual weekend
getaway? Even better, how about a whole series of
them for July!

First up, one of, if not my all time favorite
city in the US... San Francisco

I've had people ask me what is it about this city
that I like so much, and my first response is always,
(and it may sound weird) the light is different there.
The sky is SO blue (when the fog isn't covering it ;-),
and everything seems to be bathed in a more golden
tone. A co-worker told me that artists have come to
the Bay area to paint as it does have a unique quality
of light. Ha, so I'm not completely nuts.

The Itinerary...

Day 1 - arrive early

* Drop off my bags at the hotel
* Head for the Ferry Building
* Pick up a White Chocolate Mocha from Peets
* Peruse the shops for a bit

Next up, a little pampering after that long
plane ride. Perhaps a facial at Flourish, or
how about the Blossoming Lotus Ayurvedic
Ritual at SenSpa.

Back to the hotel for a quiet dinner and
adjusting to the time change.

Day 2



* Golden Gate Park and the Japanese Tea Gardens
* Hello Lucky for some fabulous cards
* Lunch at The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen
(I'm going with the Piglet)
* Stroll around the city
* Ice cream treat at Bi-Rite Creamery
* Tea at Crown & Crumpet
* Cocktails at The Parlor (a Spring Mountain please)

Day 3


* Walk off yesterday's food and drink in Sausalito
* Check out and to the airport for a late flight home

I'm ready to pack my bags right now. Who's with me?

Have a wonderful weekend and a very Happy 4th!

Amazon Therapy

Another long week at the office. Definitely looking forward
to the 3-Day weekend! I am sure I should be doing some
work right now, but it's late, and I needed a break.
So I decided to do a little window shopping on Amazon.

It started off simple enough with some random books.

I have this one on my list...



And this one as well...


And hey, a girls gotta include a little cheesy romance...


Then I moved on to accessories. And spotted these
bags. Not exactly in season now, but perfect this fall...



And this Hepburn Satchel... I think I'm in love...


And finally, electronics. Wondering if I stepped up
to a fancy digital SLR, my photos would improve.
(Secretly I know it's likely not my little point
and shoot, but it's photographer at fault).
But still, this is quite a snazzy little number...

I went ahead and dropped these items into my save
for later cart. Don't you just love the Save For Later
option?

back to work...