Vignette

This is my bedside table. I just put a vase of white hydrangeas from my garden there. The painting is of my mom, done by her mom in 1962, the year she was married. Then I have my little Buddha, and an Hermes box (that contained my favorite birthday present!). I like how the orange of the box picks up the reddish highlights of my mom's hair, and also the contrast of it against the blue vase. Orange and blue are opposites on the color wheel, so they go well together.

I guess you could call this Spiritual Materialism? All things in moderation, as they say!

Bathing Suit of the Year

I LOVE the new tulle suits from J.Crew! So elegant! I actually like the buff color the best, but the details of the fabric show best in this blue color:






This nude tank suit is another one that I love. Apparently, so do a lot of other people, because the only size available now is a 12. Hopefully they will get more in stock!

SATC2

Last night was the New York City premiere of Sex and the City 2. Which dress do you like the best? I vote for SJP in Valentino!

Lazy Sunday

I spend too much time dreaming about owning a place at the beach, when I have a beautiful yard of my own to enjoy any time I want to. I hope all of you have carved out some small spot to enjoy the outdoors close to home. On this late Sunday afternoon, I sat and read this:

While drinking this:


and sitting here:

I still can't wait to get to the beach next month, but this was a pretty nice afternoon, I have to say!

Dive in

What I would give to be sitting by this pool in the Hamptons today, cold drink in hand. Sigh.
Courtesy of Habitually Chic blog.

My Front Door

I'm so happy with our new front door. I love the red, and the hardware, and the flag, and especially my jasmine that has taken off like crazy this spring!

Before and After

Here are some fun befores-and-afters from the House Beautiful website. They cheated a little by doing the before pics in black and white, but they are still very impressive makeovers. Note the painted doors in the "after" bedroom, and the white fireplace and bookshelves. Paint is easy and inexpensive to do!

May Days

Some pretty spring time pics to brighten your day. All of these say "May" to me.

ideeli is having a Mother's Day giveaway that you might want to check out - win some nice stuff for Mom or for you!

Happy Mother's Day weekend!

Mother's Day Gifts

Mother's Day is next Sunday, May 9th. If you need some gift inspiration, here are some beautiful things from some of my favorite shops:

If you are in splurge-mode, I think most moms would love the "Beatrice" caftan from Jules Reid: $495

This copper cross necklace is by Holly Handcrafted Designs. Contact me for info if you'd like to purchase it: $80

Silver urn from Jamali Garden Supply filled with a huge bunch of hydrangea or your mom's favorite flower: $34 for small urn

Family Tree Necklace by Lisa Leonard: $58. This one takes a couple of weeks to produce, but you could print out a photo to wrap up in a box while she's waiting!

Robe from Plum Pretty shop on Etsy: $68. I love this - it looks pretty enough to wear out!

Whatever you do, don't forget about Mom! She never forgets about you!

Denim Leggings

The jury is still out for me, but denim leggings are everywhere. In some cases, they really manage to look like denim. Obviously not for everyone, they are very form-fitting - best with a long top or under a little dress. They can definitely cross over into tacky very quickly. I think the best way to go is with a dark wash and again, a LONG top. I do get the comfort factor: skinny jeans are NOT comfortable! What do you think? Would you wear 'em?

HGTV Green Home

This is my 100th post! Thanks to all of you for reading and becoming a fan on Facebook!

The HGTV Green Home Sweepstakes begins tomorrow: Friday, April 16th. I always love to see what their designers and architects come up with; the dream homes and green homes are just the best of the best! This one is in Plymouth, Mass., near Cape Cod.

I know there are tremendous tax issues with winning something like this, but I would go up and have one great vacation there, clean out all the furniture and accessories I like, and then sell it. Fun to dream about!

Epic Tees

I've had this site bookmarked for a long time and am finally getting around to posting about it. These are some of the funniest, most original t-shirts I've seen anywhere! The shop is called Loiter and anyone can design and submit t-shirts to them. You can browse by newest submissions or most popular; they change all the time. Here are some of my favorites:

These make great gifts for young guys if you're tired of buying the same old gift card. I like to use one as my profile pic on Facebook once in while, just for fun.