BOO

Have fun carving your online Jack-o-Lantern here. Practice makes perfect. Happy Halloween!

You Got It, Dude!

Adding to their billion-dollar Dualstar Entertainment empire, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have launched another new fashion label, Elizabeth and James. Named after their siblings and inspired by their own vintage collection, Mary-Kate and Ashley have joined forces with L’Koral Industries [owners of LaRok and Seven] to create a contemporary sportswear line released Fall 2007. Elizabeth and James comes just after the debut of The Row, the Olsens’ high-end line personally owned, funded and designed by the twins.


The collection is a juxtaposition of both masculinity and femininity, including oversized sweaters [go figure], shrunken tees, pencil skirts, sequin dresses, leather jackets, and an abundance of blazers. What I do like about the collection is the lack of overly trendy pieces. I love that the line has an overall structural feel and a flannel shirt I would actually wear outside the house.


For its first season, Elizabeth and James can be found at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Intermix.

Lorena Barrezueta

Lorena Barrezueta is a 27-year-old Brooklyn based artist who earned a BFA in Product Design from Parsons School of Design. She is best known for casting foil take-out containers in porcelain, which make the most beautiful and quirky serving pieces. I adore the Classic Gourmet collection in ivory with 24k gold gilded edges.


Visit Barrezueta’s Etsy shop for samples, seconds, and surprises. You can also find her work online at Rose and Radish, The Curiosity Shoppe, and ReForm School. I just want a million of these pretties.

Bag Lady

I never invest in nice bags, which is something I should change. Nothing makes me happier than saving my pennies for a really nice item. I've always been more of a shoe girl, but I get major bag envy when I see someone with a luxe supple leather purse. I'm loving these bags from Anthropologie.

My favorite: the Bessemer Messenger Bag. It's currently on sale and I don't own any bags of this shape.
The Arbequina Carryall from Hayden-Harnett.
The Until Tomorrow Bag.
I saw these Goldenbleu bags at Neiman Marcus and my jaw dropped. They are so stunning in person and the clutch is incredibly roomy. Patent leather is everywhere right now.

The Luella day bag. Available in amethyst, black, carbon, red, and pond patent.

The Emerson clutch. Available in amethyst, black, carbon, and red patent. I also saw it on Zappos in a sweet yellow.

Love Thy Neighbor?

If I’d only known about this website when I lived in New York, I would have been aware that my downstairs neighbor lived with 17 roommates [all sleeping on cots in the den] and my upstairs neighbor would walk around in heels [on hardwoods] from 5-8AM, all the while blasting Fem Lib music and singing “I Touch Myself” at the top of her lungs.

Rotten Neighbor is the first real estate search engine that helps locate pesky neighbors before you move. All comments remain anonymous, so you won’t be known as the subdivision snitch, and the red houses on the Google map pinpoint the offenders. The site even has a blog that gives advice on how to handle the troublemaker and uncomfortable neighbor situations.

Neighborhood Watch: Houston is the 4th most active city listed. I bet this is something your real estate agent wouldn’t share with you.



[photos courtesy of Flikr members ska2tra12 and B&M Photography]

So Fresh and So Clean

Yossi Faigenblatt is a world-renowned chef working in top restaurants and for high profile celebrity clients in Los Angeles, CA. He spent four years developing products that would heal common kitchen accidents like burns and cuts, as well as eliminate odors such as garlic and fish. With ingredients like Triclosan and Tea Tree oil, the hand soap has an anti-microbial formula that keeps you safe from E.coli and salmonella by killing kitchen born pathogens. The real perk: the amazing scent doesn’t just mask odors. It actually changes the molecular size of odors so they cannot be detected.

I was given this soap as a house-warming gift and continue to reorder it as we run low. Chef Yossi products are perfect for anyone who loves to cook…or for your verminophobe friend.

Cruisin' the Streets

This weekend was ideal weather for bike riding – sunny, windy and cool with the perfect amount of crisp to the air. Sunday morning, J and I rode to a local café for breakfast. I have a major love-affair with Dutch-style city bikes and for my birthday, I was given an Electra Amsterdam. I absolutely love my bike and it actually excites me to cruise around on this:


instead of this:

The Electra Amsterdam comes in both a male and female version. It has a Nexus internal 3-speed hub [making it super easy for peddling inclines], coaster brake, fully-enclosed metal chainguard [your pants will thank you], coat/skirt guards [your skirt will thank you], full fenders with mud flap [your pretty shoes will thank you], rear luggage rack, generator headlight and most importantly, the bell [which gets a lot of unnecessary use when I ride]. The Amsterdam comes in a range of colors such as Black, White, Cape Cod Blue, Buttercream, Red, and Green. I am in the process of having a custom basket made for my rear luggage rack so I can get more use of my bicycle around town.

One day when I luckily find $1,000 graciously gifted to me, I will upgrade to the Pashley Delibike. Pashley bikes are handmade in England using the same process since 1926. No mass maufacturing for this company!

Although I would need to do some serious shopping on the Delibike to justify that beauty, I may be able to fit my dog in the basket.

Pretty in Pink

I want to attend a really fabulous party so I can wear this dress. How can you not have a good time in this frock by Mint Jodi Arnold?
Silk-taffeta dress available in raspberry or black from Shopbop.

Currently Loving Chloe Warner

I want to transport myself here. Forever. This house is darling! Designer Chloe Warner has a fantastic eye for mixing color, wallpapers, prints and patterns [Yeah for not playing it safe - and boring]. Not only is her house beautifully executed, but I love how sentimental so many of her objects are - it truly makes Chloe's house a home instead of a designer showroom.
You can see her apartment in more detail in the November issue of Domino magazine. And she lives in San Francisco. Sigh.

Embracing Downtown Elegance: Loeffler Randall

I have long been a fan of Loeffler Randall shoes. Years back when working for Hollywould, I met the lovely husband and wife duo at market while they were just pondering the idea of starting a business together. Lucky for us, they did. Jessie Randall and Brian Murphy are as sweet as their shoes are beautiful, which makes me love the brand even more. Not only are the shoes modern, understated, and unbelievably constructed [God Bless Made in Italy shoes], but I also love the wearability of each silhouette. Even their towering platforms are extremely comfortable and can be worn all day. Literally.

The most recent edition to my growing [more slowly than I would like] Loeffler Randall collection is the Isadora taupe suede platform pump. The shoe is stunning on the foot and looks fantastic when worn with contrasting tights.

Victoria’s Uptown in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana currently carry the Loeffler Randall Fall collection, and all shoes are on sale 40-50% off! How often do you have the chance to buy in-season shoes on sale and wear them for months before putting them away? Trust me when I say call NOW and order a few pairs at these fantastic prices. You will never second-guess yourself for spending money on this brand. Your feet will thank you.


Online, you can shop Loeffler Randall by visiting Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Shopbop, and La Garconne. In Houston, visit Tootsies and Nordstoms.

Shop Modi

A friend of mine with impeccable taste recently introduced me to Shop Modi. I found so many fantastic – and very amusing – must-haves on their website! These ABC [already been chewed] cookie cutters are fantastic. I can’t wait to make up batches and batches of these for holiday treats.
Aforementioned tasteful, in the know, stylish friend has this little guy in her bathroom. Every time I see it, I smile. What a charming way to store a generic toothbrush. If only they made one to fit my SoniCare…

Pretty as a Picture

I love this photo found by Unruly Things. I, too, want to recreate this picture. Great do-it-yourself art!




[photo courtesy of Flickr member Astrid]

Cig Harvey: Love at First Sight

We all have wish lists and dreams. One of mine is to own a piece of Cig Harvey’s photography [or several]. She is one of those artists whose work will forever remain in your mind. Cig has shot for Kate Spade, Bloomingdale’s and Ralph Lauren, and her photography is as much about fashion as getting the right shot. Surprisingly, almost all of her photographs are self-portraits, something that has always captivated me. Cig envisions the entire shot before she ever picks up a camera and, in many cases, hand makes specific outfits to get the exact outcome she visualized. Even in her black and white photos, a strong sense of color radiates from the image.


If you live in New York, you can check out her second solo show at Robin Rice Gallery now through November 4. For all Houstonians, Cig Harvey’s work is sold through Watermark Gallery.

I'm Lit

Loving these new lamps at Pieces. I especially love the custom square shades trimmed in contrasting fabric. They are a nice change to the vast round drum shades we’ve seen for a while now. Lee Kleinhelter, owner and designer extraordinaire, has a great eye for color and vintage finds. I visited her shop in April and can’t say enough wonderful things about her service and beautiful furniture and accessories. If you are passing through Atlanta, definitely stop in!




This one's a beauty. While I can see it looking sharp in any room, I would love to have it in my future child's bedroom. What a smart way to inject style and youth into your kid's room without being kitschy.

Happy Birthday Big Sis

Today is my sister's birthday. She teaches me so much about spontaneity and zest for life. She is creative, charismatic, and charming. Everywhere she goes she makes friends and people are drawn to her. She can dance, draw, create, write, make drinks like no one’s business, and add more puns into a conversation that anyone I’ve ever met. And I’m the lucky one because she’s MY sister. I’m so glad she was born and I’m so glad I was born 10 years later to have the honor of being a part of her life. Happy Birthday.

[photo courtesy of Flickr member signor bandito]

Mrs. John Hancock

With Christmas quickly approaching (I know - I'm as bad as big box stores talking about Christmas before Halloween), I have gift giving on the brain. I absolutely love finding the perfect gift and usually start my holiday shopping around this time. I hate the feeling of being rushed and having to buy something for the sake of giving.

I adore these personalized note card sets from Iomoi. Who wouldn’t love these complete with a monogram or name?

Don't Mess With Texas

The Bud Light Real Men of Genius radio commercials always have me hysterically laughing and reaching for my phone to ask everyone if they’ve heard the newest editions. This link posts all of the radio ads. Great afternoon laugh!

John Derian Company

The thought of decoupage may bring flashbacks of your aunt covering hat boxes with old scraps of patterned paper, but John Derian gives it a whole new life. I can't make a trip to NYC without spending at least a few hours in his lovely shop. My husband is also a fan, so it goes without saying we have a good bit of his work around our house. [so hard to find artists that he loves as much as I do]



His pieces can work with a myriad of design styles and between the decoupage, Hugo Guinness linoleum cut prints, and numerous oddities and found objects in his shop, there is something for every taste. My favorite of his pieces are the Relationship series and front and back Skeleton hangings. The numbered coasters make excellent wedding gifts – just pick the numbers that make up the anniversary date. Numbers 1 - 12 are sold individually by calling 212.677.3917.

All Bets Were On

We are finally at a standstill with our house renovations and decided to break in the new place. We threw a Pumpkin Carving Contest party – wagering highly encouraged, of course. My sister and I had a field day making the decorations. We will definitely do it again next year! And the competition will be stiffer...

By the way, if anyone decides to have a carving party, be sure to scoop all seeds away from the grass. We are still pulling up pumpkin sprouts!

Thinking of Mom

My Mom is having surgery today and will be in recovery for 6 weeks - without use of her hand! She is the most talented cook and seamstress, so I know it will be quite difficult for her not do anything but relax. Her dog will also miss the constant petting. Thinking of her today!

Keep It Under Your Hat

Last year Kate Spade introduced a knit project benefiting Women for Women International, an organization that helps women in war-torn regions rebuild their lives. I love that this organization provides rights education, support, skills, and assistance in business development to these women.

The hats are back with new witty designs sure to win smiles from passerbys. I love the Thought Bubble version.

For more information on Women for Women, visit www.womenforwomen.org

Lemonade for Sale!

When I was a little girl, my brother and I used to sell lemonade on the corner every week in the summer. Being the children of entrepreneurs, my parents always supplied us with the best products so our stand would trump the other 10 year olds’. My Dad would make weekly runs to Sam’s Club to stock up on extra large quantities of Dixie cups, Country Time lemonade, and a jumbo jar of Fireballs – he knew we needed an edge.

Each week we would haul my Little Tikes Kitchenette down to the corner and set up shop. Soon my brother began inviting all of his neighborhood buddies to join us and at the end of the day, he would divide sales between all of us. Although I was only 8 or 9 tops, I knew our parents were paying for all “overhead” costs and the profits should not be handed out to his freeloading friends.

The next week we set up shop again and sold lemonade like it was going out of style. The end of the day came and my brother pulled out the cash box to divvy up, like always. I mustered up all the courage I could and confronted he and his friends and decided this was not fair since their parents were not contributing Dixie cups and Country Time. Nor were they giving us Fireballs to lure more customers to our corner. My older brother told me to scoot off. So scoot off I did.

I dragged my then life-sized Kitchenette all the way home, leaving a large hole in the bottom of the plastic. They would no longer have the best-looking (sans newly formed hole) lemonade stand in our subdivision.

Although I outgrew my overly bratty stage, I have always been feisty and strong willed. But ever since I can remember, I have also looked for outlets to express my aesthetic, interests and creativity. Little did I know that lemonade stand would teach me how rewarding speaking my mind could be.

Welcome to my blog. Welcome to my first post. I am thrilled to have another outlet for my voice.



[Photo courtesy of Flickr member TedSher]