happy weekend!

well, it's finally friday afternoon. are you sooooo happy? i hope you have a wonderful weekend - what are your plans? any fun projects? shopping? oooh the cold is such good sleeping weather, isn't it? we're going to be catching up on glee, which i can't believe i ever allowed to fall by the wayside.

speaking of music, you know what song i think got played out too quickly (thanks apple) and went away? new soul by yael naim. so let's listen. such an upbeat, pretty song. i love the horns. reminds me of the beatles.

if you're not in an upbeat mood, do you know the song lentill, by sia? it's so moody and intense - listen here.

look at this picture of martha stewart's new chow chow puppy with his little frenchy friend. OMG right? you can read his story and see more pictures on the martha blog. it's so martha.

i think you'll love this vintage chic wedding.

keep warm everyone, and i'll meet you back here on monday.

thanks, as always, for reading and sharing your thoughts.

picking up the pieces

something really cool happened last friday night as i was headed home for the weekend, and i thought it was such a nice way to enter a few days off that i waited all week to share it with you, my wonderful readers.

there was a lot of activity in the crosswalk right outside grand central station - not unusual, but just enough of a flurry to catch my attention. and what i saw made me feel warm all over. a bike messenger had been knocked over and lost hold of his bag, which was apparently full of thousands of pieces of paper, and they were blowing all over the place - some were already several blocks away. my heart immediately sunk, realizing there was no way he'd recover them all. i wanted to cry for him. and for everyone and everything, because it was that kind of mood i was in, as you might remember.

but there in the crosswalk in midtown manhattan in rush hour on a friday night, a dozen passersby were running around picking up the pieces. literally.

and it hit me like a ton of bricks - unsink your heart and get moving. i joined the passersby, and i picked up the pieces i could catch up to, and the messenger's face as each person handed him the windblown, crumpled slips of paper spoke volumes.

some people would say "only in new york," but i disagree - i think people everywhere are good and kind and giving. now the bike messenger being knocked over by a rushing pedestrian? THAT might be only in new york

we're all in this together.

good hair day

there is nothing more gorg than simply perfect hair, ya dig? how chic and wonderfully un-done does this model's hair look?


and of course there's always jen.

top photo from dace via unstitched; jennifer aniston photos from www.laineygossip.com and www.greathairstyletips.com

mark the spot

you know how sometimes a gift's presentation is almost as great as the gift itself (and sometimes better)? and you know how grandmothers the world over like to save the pretty ribbons and paper? well although i'm not exactly stockpiling used giftwrap, i do understand the sentiment and am happy that i've arrived at a good solution.

i've started using giftcard holders and pretty little cards that i love too much to get rid of as bookmarks. this means i get to save them (grandmothers everywhere are happy), i get to look at them all the time, and i've created a second (and indefinite) life for a piece of otherwise used and wasted paper.

i loved the cream-on-cream flocked giftcard holder from starbucks and am now enjoying it each morning as i read on the train. and i've gotten a few greeting cards that make me smile too, and this is just the perfect use.

call me crazy, but having a little plan like this is a settling feeling to me. it makes me happy that i feel i can hold on to little things like this guilt-free.

and i was thinking...you know how they have bookmarks like these with charms dangling off them? you could even do that yourself with single earrings, charms or beads glued on to a pretty card or ribbon.

what pretty little things do you have that you've found special uses for?

photos from http://www.4kennedys.blogspot.com/, www.sierraclubgreenhome.com and www.cafepress.com

right on target

so pretty, right? that was exactly how i felt when i spied this bag last week at target for $12.99. yes, $12.99. perfect non-dowdy shape and size, tapered and lovely trellis design, poppy and bright yellow hue. and i'm loving it, and getting compliments galore. i'm thinking of picking up the same one in green, to be honest. such a great everyday bag for me, whatwith my commuting and lunch-packing and general over-packing tendencies. just don't overpack it too much is what i've learned.

i love it in zebra and black dot too.

A LOT. because look at their linings! and you KNOW how i feel about lovely linings.

i don't love the pink so much, for me ... i don't know, something about it with the brown handle or something...but you know, what strikes me funny might strike someone else as perfection.

and my happy train moment...great new bag packed with all my stuff, and my book (the help, HIGHLY recommend) matches it perfectly. i'm telling you, these are the kind of details that make my heart sing. you too?

update 3/17/10: okay, i still love these and feel so happy when i'm carrying them, but both the yellow and the green broke in the same place (where the brass loop on the handle attaches to the bag itself). easily fixable, and still well worth it for $12 and the cuteness factor, but i feel i have to tell you in the interest of full disclosure.

all non-original photos from www.target.com

wrapped in flowers

so remember how kelly and i made a clearance-sale pit stop at the gap over new years weekend? well, the one item in the store that really caught my eye (not on clearance) was this very unexpected floral cardigan. doesn't it just seem like the kind of piece you'd wear on a day you feel like smiling? it's such a mood-booster, and great for the few months leading into spring while we're all waiting, and of course once spring and summer arrive. and i have to say, i like it in all the color stories it comes in.

i actually feel like the colors are different enough that you could get away with having more than one in your wardrobe, don't you think? then again, i'm totally one of those "if it looks good get it in several colors" people. are you?

and then i also happened to notice this more hand-drawn looking version in the coldwater creek catalog. who knew?
these are totally pieces that would get millions of compliments because they just make you smile. don't you think?

photos from linked sites

seeing red (carpet)

so i know we all might be over and around and through all the red carpet hoopla of the last few weeks, but i've been processing, and i figured we always like to look at pretty stuff. so let's.

my most favorite was emily blunt - she's so devilishly pretty, and i felt like this pink tulle confection was spot on. frilly, but not too frilly, simple in a certain way. i even think it would be a divine wedding gown. and speaking of...


do you think kate hudson is trying to send "i could have been a bride for you a-rod" messages by wearing white to both the globes and the sags? do you think it's working?

i'm thinking yes.

i love the bright goldenrod color worn by both diane kruger and heather morris. do you think they were peeved that each other were wearing it?

i can just hear whoever dressed them each saying "you're going to be the only one in the room in this color..."

and i think lea michelle was smart about her choices - her dress for the globes was poufy and a little younger looking, while her sag dress is more of a column in a solid but modern jewel green. for an actress where she is right now, it's wise to show your versatility, which i think she did.

and i always love meryl streep, but sometimes her wardrobe choices leave me wanting more. for the globes, i felt like she was a little too intentionally dressed down, but for the sags, i loved her in the printed balenciaga gown she chose. fittingly definite and bold, just like the first lady of hollywood herself.

what were some things you loved this year on the red carpets so far?

all photos from http://www.usmagazine.com/, http://www.intouchweekly.com/, http://www.people.com/

rainy day style

oh my wetness. new york city is not dry this morning, no, not dry at all. i arrived at my office looking and feeling like a wet puppy - umbrella broke in the gale force winds, shoes and socks soaked. i looked only slightly more together than a man i saw holding a ruffled little girl umbrella on line for the bus. true story.

here are some ensembles i wish i was wearing today, replete with waterproof bags...nothing like a wet newspaper.



i think i really do need to address my rain situation so i have some rain-cessories that make these days not so miserable and gray and...WET.

generally, it would make rainy days a lot less gloomy to feel stylish and coordinated...and dry.





do you have any rainy day accessories you look forward to or can recommend? i'd love to know!






at least i had a pair of dry socks in my desk drawer so i can browse my dream rain ensemble with dry feet. so there's that.

hat photo and all jacket photos from http://www.landsend.com/; yellow boots from http://www.acetoolonline.com/, all other boots from nomad puddles at http://www.dsw.com/; white umbrella photo from http://www.amazon.com/, hot pink bubble umbrella photo from http://www.umbrellaheaven.com/, all other umbrella photos from http://www.umbrellastand.com/, zebra tote from www.thestoragestore.com, all other bags from www.herve-chapelier.com