CREATE YOUR LOOK

THE LOOK

dress | earrings | polish | pumps

WHICH BAG WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO WEAR?

pink | blue neon | white

Y-E-L-L-O-W

Tiffany yellow diamonds. They do exist.

It's in the Bag

So I was just minding my own business, scrolling through Kate Spade's Last Chance sale when out of nowhere, I was blindsided by this lil' number. The Knightsbridge Zipper Darcy purse. In yellow. For almost half off. Quite frankly, I'm not sure it gets cuter. If only the leather was quilted instead of croc-embossed, my purchasing this would be a done deal.

WWEPL: Where Would Emma Pillsbury Live?

via

It's no secret I am Glee-obsessed and think of the fictional character Emma Pillsbury as a style icon. But a blog post here and there is nothing compared to the dedication of Glee guru, Danielle, author and creator of WWEPW: What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear?

Danielle and I got to know each other back when I wrote the Style Icon piece on Miss Pillsbury, and even more so when she participated in my Kindred Spirits Countdown to Christmas series. After many a Tweets back and forth, I've truly come to realize Danielle is a gal after my own heart: she's funny, Glee-obsessed, doesn't take herself too seriously, and loves the color yellow as much as Emma and I. She recently asked if I'd like to do a guest post on what I imagined the inside of Emma's home to look like, seeing as it's never been onscreen in the show. You could say the rest is history. Or you could link over to her site to see the full room laid out thanks to my love of Photoshop.

Some Ingredients of Emma's Living Room

retro style sofa

+

sleek and chic coffee table

+

a touch of Kate Spade polka dots

+

feminine accents

+

signature Mary Janes

=

Emma's living room

---------------

Oh, and between the insanely nice intro paragraph courtesy of Danielle and the TWO POSTS written about my dressing room yesterday, I have never been more flattered in. my. life. I'm all twitter-pated. I mean, for realsies, Crystal even titled her blog post "The Talented Miss Alaina" and Chic Geek entitled hers "Show Stopper!" Seriously. I'm so baller, and I don't even try to be. Tell you what, send me a piece of paper and a stamped envelope and I'll mail you back an autograph. But only if it's stamped.

Chuckle. Chuckle. I kid. I kid.

On a serious note, thank you so much for the support and kind words, everyone! I love all the comments you leave - they make my day and in all honesty, make me like the work I do so much more. And I love all my fellow bloggers. So much in fact that I have plans to meet quite a few of you tomorrow night! (Pictures to follow.)

Have a great weekend!

-A

Hold the White Satin

My favorite photos in any wedding album are always the shots of the bride's shoes. I love the artistic angles photographers utilize to capture what is usually one of the most beautiful pieces of the wedding day. And I love that I am seeing less of the infamous white satin, pointed toe heel in favor of more jazzed up, bedazzled stilettos, pumps, and even flats. These are some of my favorite shots (and shoes!).

(images via Olivia Leigh, Yvonne Wong, and Our Labor of Love)

I think I'd go for something shiny and yellow...

or uber girly...

...but let's face it. If that day ever comes, I'll probably be in flip flops. Really cute flip flops.

How about you? What color shoes did or would you wear on your big day? And do you have a picture of 'em?

See it Do it: Style Bent's Spring Butterflies

*images from Design*Sponge and Style Bent*

For those of you who don't know, I work from home. But before you get too jealous, know that this was not always the case. For a solid year after graduating (ok, you can slap me now), I too awoke every morning, hit snooze, grudgingly woke up, walked the dogs in the cold, showered, hopped on a bus, and made my way to my teeny, tiny, fluorescent-lit, grey cube. And let me tell you, it did not look like my current workspace (but I tried my best to spruce it up). But along with the dreaded cube came my diverse and delightful coworkers, not a ton, but just enough - it was a small office. I love and miss them.

What is the point of this tangent? Well, one coworker in particular happens to be as partial to DIY projects, style, and design as I am. (She and I bonded over too many hours of HGTV when we roomed together on a business trip. Oh, memories...) Annnnd she has a kick-ass and fairly new design blog, Style Bent! The way she is transforming her small, one-bedroom DC apartment on a budget - like most of us - has left me agog. See for yourself...

She went to Target and found this...

+ some yellow paper

= tada!

Told you. Kick. Ass.

Every other butterfly has a motivational note. Adorable.

She also painted vertical grey and white stripes on her walls. Love.

This fab room with my favorite color combination of all time is her inspiration for the new place. I am dying to see how it turns out. Aren't you?

So what are you waiting for? You can follow her here!

p.s. It's 80 degrees again today.

Peace out.

: )

*images from Style Bent, Target, Staples, and Decor Pad*

Spring Ahead

Yay - it's spring!! It's officially light out at 5pm! And I hear birds chirping first thing in the morning! And I can run outside to let the puppies out without spending an extra 5 minutes putting on my mittens... and boots... and hat... and scarf... and the dogs' coats... etc. In celebration of this glorious first Monday of spring, I present to you a compilation of some of my FAVORITE rooms ever, all of which share a similar theme of light, happy colors that scream "SPRING!" In fact, just yesterday, while flipping through the Domino book, I said to my girlfriends that the living room shown above is one of my top five favorite rooms of all time. I love the mix of colors and styles of furniture and eclectic chachkas. So lovely. So spring!

pink rooms

teal rooms

more pink rooms!

light blue rooms!

yellow rooms!

you get the picture...

Read more about how I celebrate this lovely season over at Peppermint Bliss, as part of the "Thank Buddha, It's Spring" series.

So what about you, Dear Reader? What plans do you have for your home this spring? Any spring cleaning or big projects underway? Or just adding some fresh flowers here and there?

To Mecca and Back: West Elm Opens in Chicago!

Dear Readers,

Yesterday was the best day. Why, you ask? Oh, I don't know... because a West Elm opened up in downtown Chicago! I was fortunate enough to be invited to the press tour (led by West Elm creative director Alex Bates and executive vice president Jim Brett) and the exclusive cocktail party last night.

Please. Hear me. If you live in the Chicagoland region - hell, if you live in the Midwest! - or you just happen to be visiting Chi-town sometime soon, stop in. At over 20,000 sq. ft., the Lincoln Park store has all the items we've been lusting over in the blogosphere since the spring line debuted a few weeks ago. I'm talking safari rug, sweep armchair, yellow, yellow, and more yellow (see below for proof!) It's actually kind of gross how many times I heard myself saying, "I want that!" "Ooo this is so cool! I want it!" "Nate, wouldn't this look great in the living room? Let's get it!" "Oh my gosh, I need this!" A stranger actually remarked after he heard three rapid-fire "I wants" fly out of my mouth. I kept my lustful thoughts to myself after that.

And so you know, the first 150 customers to visit the store will receive a one-of-a-kind letterpress print of a Chicago landmark. So what are you waiting for? Go!

If you are one of my many readers who does not reside in or near Chicago, I do apologize. From the bottom of my heart, I apologize. I am sorry you don't get to experience the bliss that is 20,000+ sq. ft. of great affordable design. But perhaps the bevy of photographs I took of the store will brighten your day! Or just reinforce your jealousy that this massive West Elm did not just open in a city near you... either way! Please join me while we take a virtual tour of what I am now referring to as my personal Mecca.

(below) Feels like spring when you enter the store... customers are greeted by a wave of yellow!

(below) My favorite parsons desk is now available in YELLOW!

(below) And not far behind is a sea of grey and blue...

(below) this glass link chandelier is fantastic! definitely recommend it for anyone in the market

(below) origami birds flutter above the organic cotton bedding. beautyful.

again if you're in the market, both my bff and my sis have purchased these pin-tuck duvets and only have great things to say. and at $99, you can't beat the price point.

(below) geometric shelving throughout the store provides the perfect display space for the various accessories: baskets, trays, and lamps galore! truly a feast for the eyes.

(below) a few reasons why I love West Elm

All in the details....

(below) sparkly pillows = love

(below) obsessed with these horns. pretty sure these will sell out quickly as will the plates and serving utensils of the same material.

most objects shown above can be found via the following links:

dinnerware, lighting, poufs, pillows, rugs

Tuesday's Opening Event Cocktail Party

I am so happy at the success of this event. The place was PACKED. The line at the checkout counter was wrapping around the beautiful furniture, colorful accessories, and recycled glassware. There were at least 15 valet attendants. And let me tell you, there was plennnnnty of wine. (Note** the store is about 5 times as wide as what you're seeing here.)

(below) While I was waiting for my coat, I sat in my new favorite chair - it's as comfortable as it is beautiful - and discovered my new favorite book, Inspired Styles. This *yellow* book features personal snippets and design advice from the world's top designers including Barbara Barry and Kelly Wearstler. It is now on my wish list.

(below) For the big event, West Elm teamed up with The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and featured a selection of students' work, all of which was for sale last night and will be throughout the month of February. Proceeds contribute a student scholarship at the school, and all the featured art was created by recipients of said scholarship.

Best moment of the night.

Here's a pic of me with West Elm royalty, Alexandra Bates (on my right/viewer's left). Alex is the creative director - the brilliance - behind the West Elm brand. She travels the world utilizing her keen eye to search for inspiring people, places, and things. After a lot of mental creative processing, she sorts through her ideas and works with a team in the States on how best to transfer her beautiful, unique, and ethnic finds into affordable pieces for design obsessors like you and me. Pictured with Alex and me are Kendall and Abigail, the friendly and fabulous PR duo of West Elm. Thanks again, girls, for including me in this amazing event!

*all photos are my own*

Bravo to all of you! It was a success to say the least!

**Similar Pottery Barn story coming up on Friday!**