Garden Lounging

Necessary provisions for an afternoon well-spent. Although I suppose for the time being, I need to settle for a city bench and my trusty but battered old sneakers.

(Hanging wisteria, yellow espadrilles, letterpress book, straw fedora, teak chair, moonstone mug).

Things I Like, V. 15

Oh man. It's that time of year where I start poking around online in search of holiday gifts for loved ones and grow more and more greedy by the hour.

One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six

Things I Like, V. 9 (Summer Beauty Edition)

Pictured here are the items I can't live without during these sticky summer months. Aside from the elephant bag--something I just like a whole lot--I own and love all of these products and use them almost daily.

1). The perfect red lipstick for summer (and year round). Revlon's "Love That Red" is my favorite and one of the best "bang for your buck" lipsticks ($7 at any drugstore). It stays on while moisturizing and is universally flattering.

2). Panama Hat: I know, super trendy right now, but for good reason. It protects my skin from the sun and looks cute. I own this one from JCrew.

3). St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Facial Scrub. Budget-friendly version of my other favorite facial exfoliant (discussed here). I use it in the mornings--makes my skin feel baby soft.

4). Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock. Confession: I hate how sunscreen feels on my skin (sticky, greasy, gross). This is one of the best out there, leaving literally zero residue behind while simultaneously preventing sunburn (trust me, I've tried a lot).

5). Travel Bag. I adore it, and wish I owned it to schlepp all this other shiz around. (Price is listed in Swedish currency. I converted it, and it translates to $220).

6). Saltwater sandals in red. Comfiest shoes ever. I live in them.

7). Essie's "Jelly Apple". I treat myself to a pedicure every few weeks throughout the summer months and enjoy trying different bright colors on my toes, but also hold the belief that you really can't wrong with a classic red.

8). Well-fitted, rolled demin shorts. Along with my saltwaters, I live in these. Durable enough for biking, comfy enough for lounging. Sold. I have this pair from Banana Republic.

I'd love to hear your summer beauty essentials. What gets you through the heat?

On Cliché

Can we talk about saltwater sandals for a minute? I was so hesitant to purchase a pair despite needing a quality summer shoe and admiring them for years. They've recently become super trendy, which annoys me. Trendy things often annoy me. Especially blogger trendy things. Especially because I often like those things.

But guess what. I freaking love them. Almost as much as I love mason jars. And macarons. And kittens. And stripes. And peonies.

Cliché? Totally.

Do I really care? Nope.

I like what I like.

Raise your hand if you're also a (sometimes) blogging cliche.

(Photos from my instagram stream)

Springtime Favorites

...á la Steven Alan. I popped by the San Francisco store when I was out west and made myself a mental note to visit the NYC location more often. I splurged on one of the lightweight beach/picnic blankets after having admired the colorful collection for nearly two years.

Oh. Also. The orange blossom perfume pictured here smells so damn good. I wanted to lick my wrist upon sampling it in-store. If this descriptive bit from the site doesn't convince you, then I don't know what will:

"The windows were thrown open to let in the afternoon sun, along with a breeze of orange blossoms. She secured fresh flowers into her hair and her eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation. She had been a whirl of precise motion in her final preparation and took pause to dream about the moment to come."

(sunglasses; striped shorts; flower seed ring; scout socks; orange blossom perfume; anniel italian leather lace-ups; beach blanket)

This Time of Year

**Most of the comments on this post were lost during blogger's outage and I'm not sure if they'll be recovered. If you feel inclined to re-leave your thoughts, by all means, be my guest! xo.

This is the time of the year when air-dried, semi-wild hair and sunglasses become commonplace. When windows are flung open and I can't help but smile sheepishly at strangers. When I can think of nothing lovelier than a Sunday afternoon spent riding a bicycle into town to fill a basket with flowers wrapped in brown crinkle paper.

This is the time of the year when I am happiest. When any sense of obligation melts into pure, unadulterated spontaneity.

This is the time of year when everything, somehow, feels exactly as it should.

(collage created by me. sources/shopping guide: vintage florals, gold coin necklace, striped jute slip on, city bicycle, straw fedora, yellow satchel)

Admiring...

I (still) can't help but feel helplessly attracted to anything shimmery. Whether it's a quirky apple dish to hold my rings, a pair of sparkly oxfords to impress my budding fashionista students, a dainty vintage brass bell to signal the start of dinner or a gold lambskin leather journal to record story ideas, I'm smitten.

Blinks + Adrenaline

Enjoy this week's blinks (blog links)...

It's taking me forever to decide the style of business/calling card I want, but then I spotted this antique inspiration on Size Too Small and fell crazy in love

I saw this image and immediately wanted to print it out and give it to Emma (my sister). It so unbelievably captures her spirit. Found here via Just Be Splendid

Pink roses & gold bud vases. Simple beauty. (spotted on A Country Farmhouse)

So many calendars, so little time. Just saw this one by Michelle Armas and think it should be dubbed the 2011 calendar queen...

 A little bit in love with these sequined oxfords. Aaand a LOT in love with the $25 price tag! (discovered on Style, She Wrote)

 Yep, this will be my wedding exit (via Snippet & Ink)

 This room is my happy place. spotted on Fondly Seen

I spy with my little eye an adorable striped tote (via English Muffin)

This makes me smile. And deepens my desire to adopt a tiny, fluffy, playful kitten (via The Paris Apartment)

 Besotted by this "princess for a day" wedding gown (via Apple Brides). Also, I really wanted to use the word "besotted"

I'll take one in every color, thanks. Lovely shop discovered on One Fine Dae

Did you catch Jamie's double feature Manhattan/Brooklyn apartment shoot? It's divine.

And how are we today? Good, I hope, because it's Friday! I'm feeling rather chipper despite that fact that bending over in any capacity and walking down flights of stairs makes me wince. (though I keep telling myself that the pain is worth it since it indicates this week's accomplishment of running 3 miles without stopping and gearing up for tomorrow's 4-5 mile group run in the park). I'm also pretty stoked for a plan-filled weekend with family and friends. Maybe I'm high on adrenaline, but I feel like the energizer bunny right now. I'll take it while it lasts. 

Love & light, my friends.

Shiny Happy Things

 

 

I could try and blame it on the holidays but I'm pretty sure my affinity for everything shiny is permanently ingrained. I'm a believer that so long as thoughtfully edited, the addition of gold, silver, bronze or metallic accents can really, uh, polish an outfit or a room (pun intended).

A few faves:

Golden Throw Pillow;
Pink & Gold Rose Quartz Ring;
Birds of Flight;
Metallic Topsiders;
Bronze Star;
Banana Bud Vase;
Hans Jug;
Atessa Vase

Round-up: Colorful Kicks

Bridgeport Linen Classics, from TOMS

Tretorn canvas T56 sneakers, from JCrew. I think I've included these in a post before...does that make it okay to buy them now?

Chuck Taylor Allstars from Converse. I live in my classic black and white, and can't wait to buy another pair in a punchy spring color.

Kyra Low Tops from Frye. If I had the money, I'd take a pair in green.

Yep, a curated assortment of these sneakers are exactly what my tootsies will be living in for the next six months or so. Durable enough to chase after 5 year-olds, colorful enough to satisfy my style cravings and comfortable enough to not worry about blisters. Perfect warm weather kicks!