I heart Holly Golightly

Via Breakfast At Tiffany's

Checkered Floors and Black Doors

I have always dreamed of one day having a checkered black and white entryway or kitchen floor laid on the diamond. For me it's always evoked a 20s Deco vibe that I remember in movies like "Mommie Dearest" or "Annie," when she moved in with Daddy Warbucks. It just looks cool, graphic, and interesting. Here are few of my favorite floors and black doors done just right.

Juicy Couture Store

Love, love, love a built in banquette in a kitchen, especially the black and white floor laid on the diamond with white cabinets as accents. (anything oak or wood, get gone!)

The "perfect" entryway a la Lizzy Dinkel Design. How amazingly stunning does the green Chinoiserie wallpaper look peeking out down the hallway??!!

This black door makes a statement with just the right amount of hardware - don't you just love the silver accents, especially the center doorknob?

I have to say, I just adore the pink front door here! This floor reminds me of Spain with the Moorish influences....how casual of the owner to just leave their bike in this grand entryway! I mean, that's just fabulous!

Black glossy walls with white accents and a marble floor is utterly striking in this entryway! It looks so simple, sleek, and chic, yet I can't quite put my head around the fact that I am a bit afraid to try this. I keep thinking to myself, this is what my next project will be, yet I can't get the courage to actually work with black paint! I promise, I promise, I promise to one day paint in black!

Finally Friday: Date Night

What a crazy week it has been!!! My new job as a recruiter at The Creative Group is super demanding and non-stop! I have managed to put in 11 hour days, with no lunch breaks, and somehow I have found the strength and stamina to keep on pushing. Friday is finally here, I've painted my nails my favorite shade of Chanel pink called Django, and my hubby and I are off to Mastro's in Beverly Hills to sit in the piano bar, sipping dirty martinis, and eating steak! Because, what good is working hard if you can't enjoy the fruits of your labor. I believe in work hard, play harder! Here's to being employed again and loving every minute of it! I hope your weekend is as rewarding as mine...cheers!

Coffee + Lacque de Chine

I love coffee. I can't start my day without it. I'll take mine super strong to make it through the afternoon. I registered for these cup and saucers for my wedding and I'm seriously considering purchasing a set of 4 for myself this holiday season.

Or better yet, 8 salad plates would perfectly accompany any china pattern.

I just love the look of the aqua blue and gold.

Lacque de Chine by Haviland in Light Blue

White Tufted Beds

I just can't seem to get enough of white tufted beds with mirrored night stands as accents. I am currently working on redesigning my bedroom and the first piece on my list of purchases is a dreamy, plush white tufted bed. Here are just of few of my favorite styles.

I have found that a head board alone is the most cost effective,

but I am thinking of holding out for a complete bed frame.

I am also getting tired of my dust ruffle always looking messy, and I just love when I check into boutique hotels the bed takes center stage with its clean lines and cozy linens.

I really love the height on this headboard and that it's in cream, all the monochromatic tones of whites and creams looks so soothing in this room.

Gwyneth Paltrow's bedroom is just right in House and Garden Magazine. I especially love the lavender wallpaper set against the pure white bed. My next choice for night stands is all white like the one above. For me, I constantly like to change things up, so white is the perfect choice. Paint, pillows, and accents can come and go, but the white bed frame still packs a punch of drama and coziness.

R + R

I'm off to chase the desert skies this weekend with my partner in crime Miss Chelsea Valentine. On the agenda: rest, relaxation, rejuvenation. Nothing like a little sister time (and pool time) to feed your soul. Peace, love, unity, respect!

Shake dreams from your hair my pretty child, my sweet one.

Choose the day and choose the sign of your day, the day's divinity.

First thing you see.

-Jim Morrison

Hot Mama

Giselle...even preggers, stylish as always.

Thirsty Thursdays: Hot Cocoa

I'm feeling mellow and craving chocolate this week! What better way to wet your whistle then with a warm cup of sweet chocolatey goodness!!?? Sip from a vintage cup and saucer and enjoy. Friday isn't too far away...

Wedding Wednesdays: Candy Girls

How much fun do these little numbers look!!?? I love to play around with different bridesmaid dresses and styles. There are no rules that all of your best gals need to be matchy-matchy with the same dresses, in the same colors, with the same shoes, hairstyle, and jewelry.

Let everyone's personality shine with a dress that fits their bodies and style, not yours. Let them have a little fun in choosing a dress, they most likely will be paying for it and may want to wear it again. The days of being a bridezilla demanding that everyone look like Stepford wives is definitely passe.

Your bridesmaids will thank you, your guests will have plenty of eye candy to look at while sitting through the (yawn) ceremony, and your pictures I guarantee will look refreshing with a coordinated group, not a cookie cutter group. Because, in the end, all eyes will be on you Miss Bride! Cheers, Mazel Tov, Salud!

Shameless plug of my own bridesmaid dresses by Jim Hjelm.

On The Boards: My Boudoir

When your needle finds its groove...

I was raised on vinyl. Growing up, my parents had a stellar sound system set up in our living room and my dad would throw on a great record and literally blast it. The four of us kids would dance around for hours taking turns playing our favorite records. Then Christmas 1988, it all changed when we got our first 5 disc CD changer that my dad hooked up to the system as well.

The vinyl took a backseat to the tiny little discs that seemed so futuristic at the time. By the time I got to high school in the mid 90s, my brother, sisters, and I had managed to collect over a thousand CDs. Every time my friends came over to hang out or for parties, they demanded to hear the vinyl.

The vinyl just sounded so clear, and when the needle first hit the groove of the record, magic happened. I especially loved when it was time to flip the record over to the B-side. You knew you were in for another treat, till it was time to pick another album. They still make music like they used to, but the ritual of listening to an album in it's entirety with your best friends is a thing of the past.

I one day am going to have a set up just like Gucci's Frida Giannini's living room with turntables and records displayed. To me it becomes art and who doesn't love music that is ready to be played at any minute!!??

International DJ Erick Morillo on the decks at Chicago's Spybar

"I can't remember last night"

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles was a constant favorite of mine. I used to stare at this album cover for hours, analyzing and trying to figure out who each of these people were and what The Beatles were singing about. I literally cried at the "Love" show in Las Vegas when I got to see this music come to life before my eyes.

Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. If rock had an opera, this would be it! I can't even begin to count how many times this album got played, again and again and again. It still doesn't get old!

I used to dance to this one when I was 5! I just loved Donna's disco hot pink heels and her big hair and that she was sitting on the radio! "MacArthur Park" and "Bad Girl's" were my top picks and the last dance at my wedding was Donna's "Last Dance."

The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers. This album used to constantly be leaning up against the stereo. It has a little zipper on the front and when unzipped you could see the underwear of whoever's pants these were. I definitely thought this one was fun, but didn't truly appreciate the music till I was much older. "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" is hands down one of my favorites!

Live beautifully