Love Candy

I've had the idea of hanging a piece of art in my nursery for years now that simply said the word "love." I was first inspired by a piece I saw by Jonathan Adler (except it was all in rainbows) and I LOVED it! Since I plan on mixing antiques with modern elements these Love Candy prints I found by the super talented Jen over at Made By Girl are just perfect! And to top it off, she just added Blu Raspberry, which is the perfect shade for my aquamarine inspired boy's nursery!!!

...although I really am loving the Bubble Gum pink too, maybe it would be a sweet compliment to all the aqua???

Madly in love with the Blue Steel, neutrals never go out of style for me.

Here are a few of my other favorites! It's so hard to choose just one!

I highly recommend you stop by her online store and shop for yourself...you will love the eye candy!

I heart the 70s

If Vanessa and Valentine were to take it way back, this is how we'd strut our stuff down the boulevard circa 1978! There's nothing more fierce than two sisters, a blonde and a brunette, dressed to kill!

Photographed by KT Auleta and styled by Brian Molloy.

Neophytes to the modeling world Ann & Kirby Kenny for Vogue Russia August 2010.

Images via Dustjacket Attic

The Baby Diaries: Aquamarine Inspired Boy's Nursery

It's official, I am having a boy! Now I can set aside the pink palette (which I will share with you because it's too cute not to!) and focus on my aquamarine boy palette. I've always loved the soothing color of aquamarine and when I stumbled upon the paints pictured above in the June 2010 issue of House Beautiful, I was in heaven, and my inspiration was born.

Yesterday while shopping at F & S Fabrics on Pico Blvd. in West L.A., I found the cutest aqua houndstooth that will be my starting point as fabric for crib bumper pads. I also found this great outdoor fabric in blue and white stripe that I'd like to use as a crib skirt, but I am still debating the shade of blue, it may be too nautical looking, so the vote is still out on that one. The peacock inspired top fabric was utterly stunning in person! The scanned image does it no justice but my breath was taken away out how grand it looked, but the price tag was a bit too steep for my budget at $45 yd. I'm thinking of purchasing a half yard and using it for 2 little accent pillows inside the crib.

While reading one of my favorite blogs Urban Grace, I discovered Erika's post about this nursery over at The Estate of Things. I love how they mixed old vintage pieces with new furniture, and white wood with oak. It's not too matchy matchy and it looks like it all came together over time vs. being purchased at one big chain store on the same day - a sign of good design in my book!

The yellow and white striped crib skirt is the perfect statement piece to set the stage and the gray tassle trim is the cutest little accent to really give this nursery some glam!

A vintage oak dresser is the perfect changing table with the addition of a changing pad. How cute are those little woven suitcases placed underneath???!!!

I found the same crib that they used above on Wal-Mart's website. It's the Baby Mod Parklane crib and I think it's perfect because of it's simple clean lines, it's modern look, and the storage it offers underneath. I never thought pulling together a nursery story would be so much fun, stay tuned for more pics to come of the finished product!

The Baby Diaries: Pink or Blue?

According to this Chinese Lunar Calendar I am having a boy, and according to my doctor on friday, it's official that I am indeed having a little baby boy due the first week of December!

For the love of Birkin

I love a great bag, but would love it even more if it were a big 'ole Birkin! Olivia Palermo above gets it just right! I'm lovin' the leather leggings look topped off with a black Birkin.

Blue and black c'est tre chic! Eva, you look like perfection with above the knee boots, black tights, and boyfriend blazer - even more I am loving the blue Birkin, who needs black??

Ahhhhh my all-time fave: Nicole Richie and Victoria Becks know how to rock the tan Birkin! Posh is sporting my new favorite neutral palette, tan and gray! This combo is super sexy, slimming, and makes everyone look tan so take a lesson...snap, snap!

Or do as Marc Jacobs does and use the Birkin as a beach bag - you go on with your bad self Marc!!!

Mary Kate and Ashley can do no wrong in my fashion book - their Birkin's look a little "tore up" but hey, signs of a really good investment piece, built to last.

So sad...

I've been bummed all day. My daily routine of reading through my favorite blogs was interrupted when I read the heart wrenching post over at Holding Court about Marija losing her life in a car accident this past weekend while driving back home from an antiques trip to Atlanta. Written by her husband of 14 years, I was moved to tears by his words about their life together. I didn't know Marija personally, but I felt like I knew her through the "blogger community" we share in common. I haven't stopped thinking about this all day: life is so short and so precious. My thoughts and prayers are with Marija's family and friends.

Love this living room...

This living room owned and designed by Patrick Wade (Sr. VP of Creative for West Elm and William Sonoma Home) and David DeMattei (group President for William Sonoma overall) has long been on my inspiration board of favorites. Although I am steering further away from browns these days, I can't help but stare at the utter perfection this room exudes! From the creamy couches, stately fireplace mantle, to the subtle zebra bench and decadent chandelier with black shades that I love, I can't help but imagine recreating this scene in my next place. It's cozy, refined, and just glam enough for that "wow" factor, but at the same time, totally livable.

The Baby Diaries: Stroller Lust

I never used to notice strollers. Period. Now I see them everywhere, I catch myself identifying them by name and brand, and I have even been researching them. My stroller of choice right now is the Bugaboo, although when I ask my friends their opinions, it's funny all the different responses I hear. Either way, I think the bassinet is the most adorable thing I've ever seen, and I love the sportiness, yet cool style of the Bugaboo.

Bugaboo Frog in Black

Bugaboo Cameleon in Limited Edition All Black

The Baby Diaries: Baby Bags

No it's not the latest Marc Jacobs, Dooney, Longchamp, or (dream one day) Chanel, but it's the ever classic Kate Spade Baby Bag. I used to despise Kate Spade just for the mere fact that EVERYONE in the late 90s and early 2000s had one and it was so played out, seeing black nylon bags everywhere. Well, styles change and with age so do our tastes and I must say, I am really digging Kate these days. Over the weekend, while shopping at the Camarillo Outlets I found the perfect baby bag that is now on my wish list. Although it's a tough decision, I think I favor The Henry over The Medium Baby.

The Henry in Classic Noel Black

The Medium Baby in Classic Noel Black

How cute would the black and white look hanging on a black stroller?? And the pattern is still chic enough to not scream dirty diaper bag, the patent is stylish and I could see myself using this bag long after the formula and diapers are gone. And I love that Kate includes a baby changing pad, the inside is completely water proof and there are tons of pockets and storage.

For fun I thought I would share my other new favorite Kate's: The Grosgrain Plisse Priti (which means pleating in French - this one is ultra feminine for just enough "ooh la la")

...and the Gold Coast Maryanne. Both are totally gorge, classic in black, and add just enough dash of flair to make an impression!

Quote of the Day...

via The Neotraditionalist

The Baby Diaries: Hot Mommy Car

In case you didn't know I'm 4 months pregnant!!! Hence why my blog posts for the last few months have been a bit scarce...I simply haven't had the energy or inspiration. I'm finally coming out of my haze and I'm officially in "nesting" mode. I've had a thing for station wagons my whole life. I grew up being chauffered around town in a big ole 80s family station wagon and I simply think they are still so chic. My wagon of choice (or estate wagon as they are sometimes referred to) is the E350 Mercedes Benz (or E550 supercharged if you wanna get real ballsy) black on black. They scream hot mommy or if you live in WeHo (gay man who is really into design)! Either way, I love the wagon, and it's on my list of things to buy along with a stroller, car seat, and all the other sh** that comes along with having a baby.

Young + Carefree

Oh how I want to go back to the days (for only one day) of being young and carefree, sipping wine during the day, on the Med in the South of France! How cool does this chick look?

image via: Chapman Interiors and Dustjacket Attic

Chic Chandeliers

I was reading one of my new favorite blogs Kaite Armour's The Neotraditionalist and fell in love with her post on these beautiful chandeliers! The photographs are by Christa Kimble that you can order on Etsy! I have always had a thing for a beautiful chandelier and am searching for the perfect one for my dining room. Wouldn't one of these be perfect blown up large and hung in a dining room, over a buffet, or even above your bed??

Fabulous Find: Kelly Wearstler Bench!!!

This morning while sipping my coffee, I decided to cruise Craigslist to see if there was anything interesting. I've been searching for a white farmhouse table and instead was stopped dead in my tracks when I found...score...a Kelly Wearstler bench for the foot of my bed from the Chamberlain Hotel in West Hollywood!!! I quickly searched the Chamberlain to see other pics and found one of the rooms, and there was the actual bench!

So my husband and I quickly drove over to Hotel Surplus in Van Nuys, CA where they were selling about 30 of them for $130 a pop! After inspecting the quality (each one had light stains from wear and tear) I decided on the perfect one that had no stains. My husband bargained it down to $90 bucks plus tax! Not bad for a bench that is the perfect accent color for our room, complete with silver nail head trim, that requires no paint or fabric recovery (at least not till we move)! I'm so proud of my little weekend find! Take a peek of it in my room...

Here's a close up of the silver nail head trim!

My dresser that I have owned since birth is where I store all my perfumes and my favorite candle in black glass from my client Dayna Decker! More on that later...

My vanity is constantly in the works, but I am slowly adding aqua and pink and just this weekend I hung this gold mirror purchased from IKEA. It definitely looks more expensive than IKEA!!!