Jolt of Cobalt

Loving these cobalt jeans I picked up on the sale rack at Target this week. And my jewelry is by the amazing Sorrelli. I was also super psyched about the fact that I could wear heels without tights in January!

http://blog.glamourdrops.com/

Woven Textures

Have you seen the J.Crew February catalog? I NEED THESE SHOES! This is how it played out. Me: Ooo the new J.Crew catalog. Flip, flip, flip, GASP! Husband: What happened, what?? Oh...you are so weird.

Going right on the Spring wish list:

Don't they remind you of the Parisian cafe/French bistro chairs:

I'm thinking I need these for our future home. They make cute barstools, too:

Speaking of woven textures, this was my outfit yesterday ( I know, I have the most hideous backgrounds. Please ignore the handicap spots)

I had been eyeing this open weave sweater from Old Navy and found it on sale for $10.50. How could I say no? By the way, did you know Old Navy emails you your receipt now? I have been saying this for years. Finally someone listened! The skirt is actually a dress from Zara that my dear friend gifted me. Thanks Lil! And the cowboy ankle boots are from Target.

P.S. If you love the look of a Celine bag, but don't want to take the plunge, J.Crew's new catalog had this bag that definitely has a little Celine inspiration goin on:

Alright, and one more thing. Didn't Rose Byrne look so cute at the SAG awards??

Geeze I'm a serious blabber mouth today...I feel bad for my husband who will most likely be handling the brunt of this....

Design Tip of the Week: How to Make Your Home A Sanctuary

Normally, I post a little design tip of the week on my Facebook. This week's design tip was a little too long to be a Facebook post, so I included on the blogger. In keeping with my stress-free new year theme, this week's tip is how to make your home a sanctuary. Our lives are stressful enough outside of the home, and you know exactly how it feels to come home from a long, busy day to find your house in shambles. There are also ways, besides keeping neat and orderly, that you can execute a calming look to your home. Some of these tips are from my dear friend, Dr. Weil.

Step 1: Bring the outdoors in. Green plants, fresh cut flowers, and pieces of rock, etc. are great ways to bring nature indoors, especially in the winter when it feels like you will never escape the walls of your home. I try to have fresh flowers in my house every week. It does wonders to your mood:

Adding seagrass to walls is also a great way to evoke a calming, naturey feel:

Step 2: Create an atmosphere of love. Display handmade or meaningful gifts or art that remind you of a happy time or place photos of family and friends around your home: 

Step 3: Clean out clutter. A low-maintenance home is refreshing after a day of hectic meetings, errands and chores. Fewer items can mean less frustration. Also, I have a rule I try to follow every night before I go to bed. Emphasis placed on the the word "try". Do a 5 minute sweep up. Put away everything that's not in its place before you go to bed. It literally takes 5 minutes and saves you an hour or more later trying to put a mess away that was created all week:

Step 4: Set aside a room or area for peace and calm. A place for spiritual reflection and meditation can provide shelter from noise and distraction. I think the world would be a much better place if we all had this bathroom to unwind in:

P.S. I have totally gotten into a bath ritual. I fill up my tub with bubbles and lavendar or chamomile bath salts, pop on some Adele pandora, set up a stack of mags, and light an amazing scented candle. I look forward to this like a kid going to Disney World. It's so easy to create a spa environment in your bathroom.

This is on my wish list to add to my spa bath routine. I'd love to check out the Diptyque store in NYC next time I'm there. I'd love the gardenia one. I have a gardenia that smelled like heaven when it bloomed and then quickly became the biggest ***** to take care of. What a high maintenance biotch that thing was...Anyway.

Step 5: Paint a room to suggest a mood. Blue = Relax:

Any ways you create a calming environment in your home?

Life's Little Lessons

Smile at perfect strangers.

Don’t wait for people to smile. Show them how. Let your guard down. Talk to someone you don’t know straight from your heart. Compliment them. Don’t anticipate awkwardness. Just be you in that beautiful way only you know and give them the chance to smile and connect with you.The more you smile at others, the more others will smile at you. And life’s a lot more pleasant when everyone around you is smiling.

I have to say I definitely agree with the complimenting strangers part. I still to this day remember walking into my grocery store, getting a cart to do my regular grocery shopping, and this woman shouting over to me as she was leaving,"Giiirl that purse is gorgeous!" in front of a bunch of people. Made my day...

A Fashionable Interior

Green and leopard, oh so chic:

And here's my other hair obsession, the sock bun:

Have a nice weekend!

A Gray Day

Not too much to report today. It's ugly and rainy where I live, which is why I had to put some pretty hydrangeas on my desk to keep me going:

Here's my outfit today. I'm quite obsessed with this thin knit leopard print sweater from Neiman Marcus Last Call. It's cropped in the front and so cute. Plus, it was an outlet find!

I had no time to do my hair this morning and remembered this little tutorial from Pinterest. Did it in 2 seconds! It's kind of falling out, which leads me to believe I didn't put enough bobby pins in it, but still a great arsenal to have when you're rushing around in the morning.

And on another note, what are all these rumors about Domino potentially making a comeback?? And with Lonny holding off their next publication with some exciting news to reveal, could it be true?? I would be the happiest girl on the planet. Mine are still on my bookshelf and I refer to them all the time.

Hope wherever you are, it's a sunny day, unlike here!

A Fashionable Interior: Black and Gold

Never underestimate the amazingness of an all black ensemble, especially when throwing in some dashes of gold: