high/low...x-benches

one of these x-benches is $595 from jonathan adler while the other is $179 from ballard designs. can you tell which is which?

well i won't torture you...the top one is adler, bottom is ballard. now i love me some jonathan adler, but in this case, i have to go with ballard...and i might, with a pair of these benches in my next bedroom. though i have to say, they have such an array of patterns and fabrics available, it would be hard to choose. 

the ballard options range from $179 to $369, while jonathan adler's much smaller set of options range from $495 to $695. i don't know, this one seems like a no-brainer.

under some circumstances, i'd say it depends how each feels, but unless money is not a concern, i think this is a decorative item for the most part and not one where the luxury of the fabric entirely matters. and if money is no concern, could you buy me a pair of the coral ikat ones above?

what do you think? could you see a reason to go for the adler ones?

geek chic

for the tech-savvy girl on your list, i've spied a couple of great ideas...first, how utterly gorg is the tory burch metallic etablet case? i particularly love the note from saks: please note: e-tablet not included. thanks.
i'm also more than a little in love with these glamnoir 2gb usb drives...geekdom never looked so good. which is to say i want one immediately if not sooner.

and for totally reasonably priced pick-up-on-the-run ideas, hit homegoods and look around the impulse buys near the registers for supercute jeweled phone cases for around $10 and headphones for under $4 that are comfy, good looking and offer awesome sound.

a wired holiday is a happy one.

all images from linked sites

a cut above

when i gasped upon seeing these kimberly mcdonald earrings, i knew they were meant to be shared. and meant to be owned. by me. well, until then, let's just observe and weep.










using interesting geodes and rare gemstones, kimberly mcdonald's designs are unique and eyecatching - classic and edgy in the same moment. i love how she uses diamonds in conjunction with the other materials - so thoughtful and restrained to not go totally rogue where tradition is concerned. sometimes they're dainty and pave, sometimes raw and uncut.
and she's a firm believer in reusing materials, rather than continuing to deplete natural resources, which makes each piece even more lovely and one-of-a-kind, which is so special. here is what she says:

there is such an abundance of material out there, we need not continue to harvest many of the materials needed to create. i like to think of each creation as an extension of what nature has given us and we strive to preserve the integrity of the material and its unique energy. we also strive to reuse rather than reap. jewelry was initially created to carry symbolic talismans and stones of energy or import. i believe it should still have that meaning and that we can accomplish this without pillaging nature.

amen sister.






and can i just say...OMFG.



kimberly's designs are sold at only a few places which are here.

images from rockras, la mag, pierce mattie public relations, modern jeweler, polyvore, jewelsnob, browns fashion, life-content, kaboodle, the cut london, holt renfrew, beauty lab ny, jewelsfile, gem gossip, elle

back to basics

lately, i've been drawn to the basics in terms of wardrobe - black and neutrals. this is no big change for me, as my wardrobe is about 70% black, so "back to basics" is really just a catchy post title. "still sticking with basics" doesn't sound as cute. but i did notice that on the red carpet the other night, all but one of my favorite dresss were black (as were a few of my oscar faves too).

and then so many of the images i've collected over the last few months of celeb dresses i adore are in the nude family, which is just such a stunning look when done right.

my absolute favorite emmy dress was nancy juvonen's gorgeous, pleated tomatoey orange dress. stunning. what was yours?


images from us weekly, popsugar, american superstar mag, beauty fashion injection

effortlessly chic

check out this amazing jana caftan from tory burch...it's $297.50, down from $595.

caftans are just beyond gorgeous, aren't they? they evoke such a specific type of glamour.

these are both great deals too, considering you can wear them all summer - to the beach, to lunch, errands, around the house...they're both oscar de la renta, and they're $174 (above) and $178 (below).

i love the festive summer vibe of this lilly pulitzer caftan which, as lilly always does, screams palm beach in the loveliest way.

i think the nicest thing about caftans is that they appear effortless and without too much fuss and thought...and i think we can all agree that that is true elegance and glamour.

could you see wearing a caftan?

some honey living you might have missed:

are you in love with ikat?
if glam is your style, then you will love this celeb's office
take a look at this example of simple bridal elegance
loving all this inexpensive summer chic

all images from linked sites

four tiers of sparkle

this "wedding cake" stopped me dead in my flip flop tracks the other day...isn't it gorg? i think its purpose was really to show off the trims and appliques, since it was in the window of a fabric and bead store, but what an amazing display to use as centerpieces at an engagement party or bridal shower, don't you think?

of course you could do it for a wedding, but you don't want to take away from the real cake (or the bride, for that matter since these are so dazzling!) i think they'd be fairly simple to make (extremely easy if you commission someone else to make them). easier than when i tried to make many "cakes" covered in candy (see here for proof).

love!

kall me karla

i love the kardashians. i have no shame about it. i love them. especially khloe. we've talked about her perfect gunmetal mani. and you've probably seen her rings, like, without a kamera or binokulars because they're so kompletely huge and sparkly.

well now look at her home office. so glam, so luxe. give it to me. read about the details here.



do you think if i spelled my name with a K i kould get one just like it?

top photo from http://www.people.com/, ring photo from www.celebritysmackblog.com, all others from www.casasugar.com