Greatest Day of the Year News

Tuesday was the greatest day of the year!

MY BIRTHDAY!

In honor of the Greatest Day of the Year, my love did something so brilliant I just had to post about it. He notoriously gets a little anxiety at gift-giving times. Granted, I'm a really good gift giver usually, so I think that contributes to the pressure. But I have to say, he's never gotten it wrong. Still, he gets a little worked up. This year, we have a lot going on... there's some family health stuff, some family baby stuff, work, and a few other balls up in the air, so I think he was feeling a little overwhelmed. Unlike other years, though, he never asked me for hints. So I had no idea anything was going on. Then Tuesday after work when we got home, he pulled out a box wrapped simply in a pretty purple ribbon. I opened it up and inside was... another box! (haha!) Inside the second box was a totally awesome watch. I thought to myself, "that's so weird, I pinned this exact watch two weeks ago!" I looked at him with slightly bugged-out eyes and asked where it was from. "Do you like it?!" he asked. "Of course, I like it! It's awesome!" To which he replied: "I couldn't decide what to get you, so I WENT ON YOUR PINTEREST AND LOOKED FOR IDEAS." What a freaking genius that man is! I was so impressed with his cleverness to even think of that! BTW, here's the watch:

(and here's my pin; here's where you can get the watch online)

The reason I wanted to post about this was less about bragging that I have the greatest husband in the universe and more to talk about what a great resource Pinterest can be. I've already written about how much I love it and how much I use it. But I really hadn't thought about someone else using it for me in such a way. But it's so obvious. The result of my voracious pinning in this case was that I got a perfect birthday gift that was something I love and wanted but had no idea to expect. Think about it...

(but I do have the greatest husband in the universe...)

Accessory Indulgence

I want a fun iPhone case. It's a pretty unnecessary accessory, but I kind of want one. I've never accessorized my phone before. But there are just so many fun, pretty, cool, clever covers out there, it seems like a playful way to individualize your phone. And I don't know about you, but I play with use my phone an awful lot. I've pinned a few cases I've seen here and there that caught my eye. But the problem is there are basically a bazillion designs out there that I can't begin to narrow it down. That said, it is my birthday month (whoop!), so a little accessory indulgence seems a fitting self-gift, no?

(Mingle by Lisa Argyropoulos on Society6)

(Beautiful Spring Day by Joy St. Clair on Society6)

(Drops of Golden Sun by Bomobob on Society6)

(Siesta #3 by Alicia Bock on Society6)

(Chevron R by Nicoleap on Society6)

(Books by Cassia Beck on Society6)

(In Dog We Trust by Ana Laya on Society6)

And on, and on, and on, and on. HOW DO I CHOOSE?! Do you accessorize your technology?

Chain Linked

So, I pinned this image from the BaubleBar blog about five weeks ago. I love the piled-up, chunky, chain-ey bracelets. It's been repinned nearly 40 times. I think other people like the piled-up, chunky, chain-ey bracelets, too.

This chain-link trend is taking off left and right. It's popping up in all forms of accessories, from bracelets to necklaces, from pricey to DIY. I love it. What about you? Do you like this look, or hate it? And if you like it, would you splurge on the goods, find a good knock-off version, or attempt to make your own?

Here are a few other linkey-like items along this trend line that I've pinned or pined over recently (and check out my Accessorizing board on Pinterest for other finds):

(via this blog)

(Via Nordstrom.com)

(via Piperlime)

(BaubleBar: 1, 2, 3 (and even more chain link love over at BB))

(Some Forever21 options: 1, 2, 3)

And how about some DIY tutorials:

(Necklace tutorial via Everybody, Everywear)

(Nut bracelet tutorial via Honestly... WTF)

Making Things

I know my posts have been a bit scattered lately, and inconsistent. My apologies. Feeling a bit all over the place and just trying to get my feet back to firmly set on the ground. To that end, I am committing to some creative productivity. I need to indulge my creative side, as well as my need to grasp onto some semblance of control and accomplishment. So, in addition to a chandelier makeover I've been imagining in my home, I'm also going to take on two small, and easily completable DIY creative jobs.

1. Mason Jar Soap Dispenser
I saw this on Pinterest recently and totally loved it, and therefore pinned it onto my "Do This" board. There's a great little shop of vintage homey goods and random salvaged bits nearby where we live. It's called Roost. One of their big ever-growing collections is original blue-glass Ball jars, so I decided I had to give this a try. I went over a couple weekends ago and scoured the collection for a good one with a top in good shape. If I succeed, it'll go in our second/guest/public bathroom and I'll go back and get another one and make one for the kitchen. Tutorial from Blissfully Content:

2. Earring-to-Necklace
Don't you hate when you lose one earring without realizing it? Just out and about during your day? Or one breaks and then who knows what to do with the other? This has happened to me too many times to count, and sadly, it's almost always a pair that carries some meaning that gets separated. Last week I was running out to grab a bite at lunch and saw this guy on the ground. I picked it up and tucked it away and I am thinking of getting a cool chain and making a necklace out of i. The front is interesting - not stunning at all, but interesting:

I actually like the back-side better, though:

So I'm thinking about doing something over the "front" to make it white all over, and then featuring the current "back" as the charm in my make-over piece. Hopefully whoever has this guy's partner isn't too sad over her missing bauble... I'll put it to good use, or at least try to.

Any creative projects on your agenda?

Get It While It's Hot!

'Member the fixation I had with k.slademade clutches, etc.? And then I ordered mine (this one), and I LOOOOOOVE it. Every time I take it out for a spin, it gets lots of compliments. It's delightful. The pattern makes me smile, and that's worth a pretty penny in and of itself, if you ask me. Of course, since I pulled the trigger and made a selection, I have fallen in love with nearly every other clutch and second-guessed myself several times over. AND, Kelsea has created several new lovelies that just make my fingers twitch toward my wallet like a fiend. Consider these:

 Don't you love/want/need them all?! I love the pop of neon on the zippers of the blue and cream clutches, and the rich coral hue of that last one. What a fun way to keep the warmth of a season-gone-by in your wardrobe!

But guess what... she also makes some crazy-awesome accessories that are equal parts fun, sassy, and stylish. Feast your eyes:

(all photos via k.slademade on Etsy)

I love them! Don't you?! Don't you want them?!

Well, now you can grab 'em up! k.slademade is offering 15% off accessories (that's the bracelets... and there are more styles in her shop) with the code KSM15 good through midnight tonight! Go over there and snag yourself something, you deserve it! And while you're there, pick me up a clutch or that yummy tote. Fine, get it for yourself! Be that way.

Lumberjack Chic

Really into these plaid scarves from Target right now... a simple way to butch up an outfit, eh? And by "butch up" I mean, add some lumberjack to a look in a chic, sophisticated, modern way. And since they're from Target, you can look "today" affordably! Lumberjack Chic? Win Win.

Bauble Yum

Have you heard of BaubleBar? I hadn't until I read this post, but what a discovery. I'm also jealous, because I totally should have thought of this. I'm an accessory fiend, as I've mentioned before.

So, here's the back story: co-founders Amy Jain and Daniella Yacobovsky were fast friends and co-shoppers when they discovered/agreed they needed to amp up their jewelry closets. However, they also agreed that while boutiques had too narrow a selection, department stores had too much, making the shopping experience more overwhelming than exciting and fun. They tried but couldn't find a reliable and consistent place to get higher quality pieces without the high price tag. They also did the research and discovered that many retailers were marking up pieces as high as 20 times above cost! And so they took matters into their own hands and started BaubleBar, where they work hand-in-hand with leading designers, and put together a collection of pieces across styles for any and every jewelry consumer. Their site and tools are fun, fresh, on-trend, and classic. Their prices span the budget, so there's really (really) something for most price-points. They also have a great blog with tips and promotions, such as the Friday one, Buried Bauble. Every Friday they "hide" a piece on the site which they will offer for a limited time (until they run out) at a discounted price of $10! They give you two clues and you can scour the site to find the gem. If you find it and like it, you can buy it for that price with the logo code offered. Fun, right?

I recently found the buried bauble and liked it so much I got this bangle in both offered colors:

(Marble Enamel Bangle)

I was excited to get my treasure in the mail, and when it arrived (just days later), I was even more enamored with this fabulous site. Here's the packaging:

(cute box...)

and here's what was inside (forgive my grainy iPhone photos):

(I know this is a bit dark, but my bangles came carefully wrapped and packaged, stored in simple and pretty protective velvet snap-pouches)

(PLUS! a hand-written note!)

A hand-written note, in my humble opinion, will get you everything in life. I honestly was so impressed that they take the few extra minutes while packaging their sales to make their customers feel like friends, like they value them personally, like they *want them to come back again*! This made a HUGE impact on me as a consumer, if you couldn't tell, but I think it really says a lot about the company, and the people who work there. I'm a BIG fan!

Emmy 2011 Recap #5: Trend Report

Every time we do this post-awards rehash extravaganza, A&I dwell on what we expertly have identified as that particular awards show's/season's hot trends. We use words like "hot" to describe said trends because, as mentioned, we're experts at this (#stillnotgettingpaidthough). The biggest trend the other experts are yammering about is Red, which we already went over ever-so-cleverly here. So, without further ado, here are three additional HOT TRENDS we noticed on the Emmy 2011 Red Carpet (Note: we're going to try to whittle down our example photos for each trend so as to try to reduce the length of the post... we're not promising success in brevity, but we'll do our best, and that's all you can ask of us, right?):

Trend #1--SHORT SLEEVES
A few examples of this trend were already provided in other themed posts, for sure. These include Gwyneth, Amy Poehler, Evan Rachel Wood, Lea Michele, and Kate Winslet. But short sleeves were everywhere, and I can only speak for myself when I say that I thought they were fantastic! I love love loved them. Even though Gwyneth's dress was ick, the sleeves were cool. Short sleeves on *fancy* gowns are unusual, and strapless-es, one-shoulders, and generally any other look that exposes arms and shoulders are more traditionally considered glamorous. But I for one found the sleeves new and fresh and pretty cool (I typed that in the SNL Miley Cyrus voice, FYI, so you should probably read it that way for full effect). Here are two others who rocked this trend:

(Jayma Mays)

M: Okay, so there's a lot (basically everything) about this look that I don't like, I do love what the short sleeves are doing. I like the lacy details and how delicate her arms look. Let's throw out the rest and redesign a dress around those sleeves.


A: This look gets nominated for the Pretty In Pink award - meaning, it looks like something Molly Ringwald's character whipped up. However, I do LOVE the sleeves and the color on Jayma's skin.

(Christine Baranski)

M: If this is what 59 looks like, then I'm okay with that. Christine Baranski look fan-flippin'-tastic. The sleeves just add to what is anyway a perfect black gown (win!). She looks chic, and sexy, and her body looks amazing. The short sleeve is only highlighting her fit, gorgeous arms.

A: When I grow up, I want to look just like Christine Baranski (or Helen Mirren). Period. 

M: What she said. 

Trend #2--BABY GOT BACK
Again, we've already mentioned at least one of these (Lea Michele), but we definitely noticed some other gowns that gave a little something from the back. But first, a close-up of Lea's back:

You know we both loved Evan Rachel Wood's gown, but did you know it also looked amazing in back?

And here's one we haven't mentioned, Olivia Munn. This dress looked a bit jacked-up from the front as it really didn't fit her well at all and made her thighs look huge, but it did feature a very pretty back (also, the color's lovely):

Trend #3--MINIMAL IN A BAD WAY
This trend could also be called No Effort or Fire Your Stylist. It includes what we'd say was a totally disappointing miss on hair/makeup/accessories. The principal offender here was Julianna Margulies, who we covered in Recap #1, and other examples mentioned in previous posts include Clare Danes and Kerry Washington. But there were others. Voila:

(Jennifer Carpenter)

M: With better hair (maybe a sleek low ponytail instead of ruffled air-dry?), this could have been a really gorgeous look. But for me, the Boo Hair ruins it.

A: Yes this dress is sparkly and non-strapless, two things which always grab my attention, however, the lackluster hair kills it. I feel like Jennifer Carpenter thinks she is Jennifer Aniston here. 

M: Interesting suggestion, A... 

(Ellie Kemper)

M: Okay, I didn't even recognize Ellie Kemper (from The Office) for a while here, and I blame her bad hair and makeup. Those heavy bangs combined with heavy eyes are just distracting and disguising. Again, I bet with the right hair and makeup I would have loved this dress/look.

A: Doesn't this remind you of the big bang curl you used to do in grade school and then spray it to death with White Rain hairspray?! 

(Kristen Wiig)

M: I rather loved this look in general, actually. But A nominated her for no-effort-on-the-hair, and I kind of agree. Something up-swept would have highlighted that fabulous plunging neckline, and she could have some awesome earrings under there, but we don't know, because she forgot to do her hair. The color and cut of that dress are amazing, though.

A: The dress is awesome. I love it. I do not love the hair that looks flat and lifeless.

(Rachael Harris)

M: I get the geek chic look, and I kind of like it. But here we've proven why cool nerdy glasses don't an accessorized finished look make. Blah, undone hair and zero bling anywhere. Without good hair and jewelry this black dress is just boring. And I submit that *with* good hair and jewelry, it could have been a stand-out in the black dress category.

A: SNORE. YAWN. What?! Sorry. I was sleeping.

So those are our big ones. Agree or disagree? Or agree to disagree? Did you notice any other trends at the Emmy's? What did we overlook? Speak up! <we're just joshin' ya, not really yelling at you!>

Rose Gold

I'm a big accessory lady - all kinds! any kinds! Bring 'em on! More is more! And right now I'm just really feeling rose gold watches. How fresh! How different! How masculine and feminine! How stylish and versatile!

(TopAmericanDesigner Michael Kors)

(Fossil)

(Swatch)

(Skagen)

(also Skagen)

(Kenneth Cole)

What say you? Rock the rose gold? or would you rather stick with something a little more traditional?

Headgear

I hate that I'm writing this post - just for the record. Not because of the content, per se, but because of the implications. It means I'm thinking about fall, which means I'm somehow thinking about the possibility/realization that summer won't last forever, which I consciously can't bare. BUT. It is what it is. During an extended lunch wandering through some shops last week I happened upon a fall accessory display that just made me itchy for crisp cool days necessitating stylish cozy goods. Scarves wrapped all around several times. No coats yet, but sweaters! Sweaters, people! And boots! BOOTS. And then, I saw a hat like this (the one I actually found has yet to be located online, which is comforting because that means I don't have to admit who it's by... ha!):

(via)

And suddenly I knew I'd drop everything to build my entire fall wardrobe around this single item. Isn't it fantastic?! Mine was a truer camel color, but just as magical. This might just be the beginning of a beautiful relationship between my closet and hats. Just sayin. Here are some more caps for your enjoyment:

(Nordstrom)

(Old Navy)

(Urban Outfitters)

(Also Urban Outfitters)

This season could change how I feel about the term "head gear," just sayin'. How do you feel about fall?