MONDAY MUSINGS..

Sources: Arm Party, Christy Turlington, Texas, Zebra Print, Fashion Photos, Candy Quote

Happy Monday Ya'll! How was the weekend? I am so excited the Olympics are on and admit I spent some quality time watching the swimming and women's gymnastics yesterday, they were amazing.  You might have seen this circulating today, but since I clearly like a good "Call Me Maybe" parody, the latest one "Call Me Lochte" is pretty funny and while I'm sure the rivalry between Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps is no where near as ugly as the parody makes it out to be, I would imagine there likely is a large amount of competition between these two incredibly talented swimmers.  Watch the video and enjoy a good laugh on this Monday afternoon! 

Starting the week off again with images that are inspiring me for this week.  Loving that arm candy and really into bracelets, all shapes and sizes at the moment.  And that image of Christy Turlington photographed for Vogue's 1990 cover is just beautiful, she is timeless! What's inspiring ya'll this week?  Hope today is fabulous! 

HAPPY WEEKEND!

A few of my favorites this week:

Remember the scene from Miss Congeniality where Sandra Bullock's talent is playing the musical glasses, well if your dream was to master the art of musical glassware, you're now one step closer making that a reality with the creation of these musical glasses, love these! 

Elle Woods, right here in NYC, you heard it first.

Loving this arm candy and this Bauble Bar bangle at the moment.

I'm sure you've seen your fair share of Call Me Maybe renditions this summer, the latest one to pop up online of the USA Olympic Swim Team includes a small cameo of Ryan Lochte, and hello, in case you forgot y'all, today is the start of the London Olympic Games, so take a few minutes and watch it here.

Loving this song right now-Ho Hey by The Lumineers-

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TINY BITS OF TRUTH...

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CLOSET STAPLE...

I absolutely love Equipment Blouses year round they are the perfect top for any occasion.  So when I saw the latest collection from this line yesterday on over on Shopbop I was thrilled to see such beautiful silk blouses in their pre-fall collection.  I have several of the signature blouse in solid colors that I've worn a million times, so I'm thinking for fall it would be nice to incorporate a fun print into my otherwise boring solid color wardrobe.  The red or fawn/geraldine sheer top above is quickly making its way to the top of my fall wish list.  Wouldn't it be perfect for day with a skirt or black pants and night more casual with jeans? Love everything about their latest collection.  Which style is your favorite from these new additions?  Do ya'll have an Equipment favorite? You can check out the entire Equipment collection on Shopbop here.

COME AND KNOCK ON MY DOOR...

Yellow/Pink/Orange/Red/Green & Yellow/Pink

I've found myself recently drawn to colored front doors, seems they are everywhere these days.  While I do not have a colored front door here in NYC, certainly doesn't mean I can't dream of what color my front door will be one day, right?  It's been said the colors we surround ourselves with-in our homes, clothes, cars, or accessories-represent more than simply a color choice, but reveal a little bit about who we are as a person.  There even has been research studied on this very subject to determine what a specific door color says about the kind of person we are.  I automatically am drawn to red front doors anytime I see them, primarily because for as long as I can remember I've always had a red front door at my parents house.  According to color psychologists, those who pain their front door red are saying "that the home within is a vibrant place, full of life, energy, and excitement." Well, I couldn't agree more with that assessment.  So I want to know, if you have a front door that is painted, what color is it? Or what color would you paint your front door if you were going to?

MONDAY MUSINGS...

Umbrella/ Brilliant Ideas/ Vogue/ Fashion Sketch/ DVF Flats/ J.Crew Black & White Clutch/ Sorry, Out to Live/ Welcome to Today/ Ray-Ban Image/ Queso

Happy Monday and welcome to the start of a brand new week! Hope ya'll had a wonderful weekend. Decided to start the week off with a mood board of what I like to call my uniform- or very favorite go to color combination, black & white, and of course the occasional pop of color,typically pink or red.  Absolutely love the crisp and clean feel of black and white at home too.  If only my kitchen happened to be half the size of the one pictured above and then half as neat and clutter-free, keep dreaming on that one! 

I also love the hand lettering work of the incredible Matthew Tapia, as shown in the Sorry, Out to Live print above.  I absolutely love his work and amazing intricate lettering design. Check out his tumblr to get a glimpse of Matthew's current work.  

Hope today was fabulous and a great start to the week! 

TINY BITS OF TRUTH...

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This was too funny to not share with ya'll:
A new PSA launched by the Oregon Dental Association is taking brushing your teeth to the next level with the video "Teach Me How to Brushy" sung to the tune of the all to familiar "Teach Me How to Dougie." With lyrics including, "Pull out your string and it's time to get your flossy on.. All my teeth love me because I do the brushy" kids everywhere are running to join in on brushing their teeth, or are they? What do ya'll think about this PSA? It's pretty funny, you can see the video for yourself below:

CRAZY FOR....

I have been a huge fan of Clare Vivier handbags since I first bought her original messenger bag in black back in 2008.  At the time I discovered her amazing bag I discovered it via a blog and went online to her small shop to purchase the messenger bag directly from her site.  Since then, she has grown into a go to source for the classic, timeless leather handbag. Clare was a journalist working for French television when she was traveling with her laptop and for lack of anything cute in the marketplace, so she fabricated her own padded envelope, and the rest is history.  I particularly like that from conception to fabrication her line has been made exclusively in Los Angeles since 2008, consciously engaging in ethical manufacturing practice without compromise. I've had my original black messenger for over 4 years now and I can personally tell you that it is still in amazing condition and held up incredibly well since I admit I'm a little bit hard on my handbags.  Currently on my wish list is the gorgeous La Tropezienne, isn't it fabulous? You can find Clare Vivier's messenger bags and clutches here.  You should also take a look at her website and blog to see her latest collections.  

WEEKEND WRAP UP...

How was your weekend? I hope ya'll had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed your Sunday! A little fun fact for ya'll about this past Friday, did you know that it was the last Friday the 13th of entire year? Yes you read that right, the last Friday the 13th of 2012 has come and gone.  Pretty unbelievable to think that we are more than half way through 2012!

I spent this past week in St. Simon's Island in Georgia with my parents and grandfather and had a wonderful vacation! Below are just a few pictures from the trip.  On a side note, if you haven't tried boiled peanuts, they are amazing and addictive and you must try them out sometime. Delicious! I prefer them with a little spicy kick myself, so if you happen to have a good recipe or know where I could find one for boiled peanuts with a little kick, let me know because I'd love to try them out!

Did you happen to notice both my mom & I practicing our "hand on the hip pose" and I'm just not sure I'm loving the super pageant like look of it now that I'm seeing it online.  Seriously though, how in the world do ya'll pose in pictures and achieve a balance between not looking super awkward (a.k.a. the hand on hip pose my mom & I demonstrate above) while at the same time not pressing your arm against the side of your body, which for the record will not look good on anyone, ever.  Do ya'll have any tips for looking your best in photos? Do tell, I'm clearly in need of them!

Finally, a few of my favorites from around the web this past week:

• Tonight on 60 minutes, a great revelation by Steve Jobs' that one of his defining moments came as a kid when his parents told him regarding being adopted that he was not just abandoned, but chosen by them to be their son.  Check out the entire recap here. 
• You won't believe what they've turned into wi-fi hotspots here in NYC now.  What will they think of next?
• I can never have enough arm candy, and these bracelets are the perfect addition to my growing collection of fabulous bracelets, not to mention a great deal!
• An interesting article on making friends as you get older from the NY Times, particularly the finding by scientists of the three conditions "considered crucial to making close friends: proximity; repeated, unplanned interactions; and a setting that encourages people to let their guard down and confide in each other." 
• I'm dying to do this next month here in NYC, but it appears to already be sold out, so sad! The Color Run is described as the happiest 5K on the planet, with the only rules being that you wear white, and prepare to get head-to-running shoes covered in what they call "magical color dust", have ya'll heard of this? Sign me up, ASAP! 

VACATION BREAK....

Happy Friday Ya'll!! I've been on vacation the past few days with family and it was such a wonderful time to relax and spend time with them at the beach.  Hope ya'll have had a good week and are having a fabulous Friday! I've got a short post for this Friday on the acronym you'll love to hate, YOLO.  I literally had NO clue what the phrase YOLO meant, but I can tell you I've heard it EVERYWHERE and increasingly in the past 6 months.  If you are like me and have no earthly idea what I'm talking about you can check out the Urban Dictionary definition for YOLO which is an "acronym for You Only Live Once."  Just a warning, you better believe now that I know what it means when I see #YOLO blowing up my twitter feed, I'll be throwing out my fair share of #YOLO's as well.  So this all got me wondering, have I been living under a rock and the only one who is just now discovering this popular acronym?  I came across this article on The Washington Post discussing the widespread use of the acronym YOLO.  It even points to an article referring to President Obama's press conference on the Supreme Court's healthcare decision back in April as his "YOLO moment." Yes, really!  Have ya'll had your own YOLO moment?  If so, what was it and is this an acronym you use frequently?

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GET THE LOOK...

Hope ya'll had a good weekend and your Monday is off to a wonderful start!  I saw this photo of Kelly Ripa online recently and absolutely loved the entire look she has going on here, not to mention her killer legs! This outfit can easily go from day to night.  Now if only I can snag a pair of those cute pink shorts from J.Crew, looks like that might be a challenge since they're already on sale online.  What do y'all think?  Would you wear these shorts from day to night? 

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TINY BITS OF TRUTH

LOVING THIS JULY...

Happy 4th of July ya'll! Hope you are having a wonderful day & celebrating the holiday with family & friends.  Four days late, but didn't forget to put together the things I'm loving this month.  
I'm looking forward to the Olympics which begins in London on July 27.  I always love watching the gymnastics and reliving my glory days (ha!), yes at one point in life I was majorly into gymnastics, and those girls who make it to the Olympics for gymnastics are amazingly talented.  Then there is the swimming, and I think it goes without saying those guys have incredible bodies, and who doesn't like to watch that? Seriously though, check out the picture below of swimmer, Ryan Lochte? Wow.
  
Those who know me well (and if you don't, well you certainly should get to know me..) know that I love to throw out the phrase "Why So Serious" more than I should... I'm not one to quote anything from movies. Ever. As in I'm NEVER able to remember movie quotes or name that movie, unless it happens to be from Dark Knight, and it happens to be the phrase, "Why so serious?"  Not to mention, one of my favorite songs Pink's "Raise Your Glass" even quotes the great Heath Ledger's phrase, that definitely makes it quote worthy, right?  Well, get excited because the final Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, comes out this later this month and it's sure to be a huge hit.  You'll have to wait until July 20th to see the Dark Knight Rises in theaters, but you can check out the just released trailer here.

(source: Fireworks Image, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Dark Knight Rises, Catalpa NYC)