I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

Merry Christmas! I love this time of year and today is the last to celebrate all the twinkling lights, sounds of the season, the food (oh the food!) and of course the smell of a fresh tree! I have always had a fresh cut Christmas tree and this year Billy picked an amazing one! But I loved this gorgeous, over the top, amazing, faux pink tree! Talk about a girly christmas! it has a very 50's look with the big ornaments and the big bulb lights. It's from the Queen of crafts - Martha Stewart (who I secretly love to watch!!!) Here are a few more holiday pink details from Martha Stewart that I love:

these are the ornaments on the pink tree above. I love their unique look, the sparkly butterflies and the fact that you can make them! find out how you put these together here.

These glitter wax candles would be my dream centerpiece for christmas dinner. And I am in love with this icy dewdrop bouquet. That would look fabulous on your front table when you great holiday guests. d-i-y directions here and here.

ok - a butterfly wreath? whhhaattt? I'm in total fantasy land. how beautiful would this be hanging on your door? it would make you feel like a christmas princess every time you came home. you too can create this.

This year we moved right in the middle of December and around Billy's birthday. I'm hoping next year that we can have a holiday party and I can use some of these ideas for decorations! :) Hope everyone had a Wonderful Christmas!!! xoxo

all images via martha stewart

CHRISTmas :)

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! :) I can't believe December 24th is upon us and then 2009 will be over! Wow these past 365 days have been filled with change and lots of learned lessons. But I am so thankful for everything that God has provided for us and for where we are in our lives. He challenges us every day, making us stronger and more humble than the day before. And especially during this time we are reminded of the birth of his son and the sacrifices he made. Thank you Lord! :)

In a time of rejoicing I am a little bit sad. This year I will be spending my first Christmas without my family ever. Billy and I just could not make it home for Christmas this year (waaaaayyyy too expensive) so we are visiting our family in early January. It will certainly be a different kind of feeling but I am excited to be spending the day with just Billy. It will be some much needed one on one time since we have both been so busy with work lately. My parents have sent us a few packages to open and we are planning on exchanging a few gifts too so our tree looks and feels very homey and Christmas-ey. I have to work all day today (bummer) but tonight we are going to visit Billy's family in Huntington Beach - some of which he hasn't seen in years! I am very excited to meet and get to know everyone - especially Rosemary our host. :)


Then on Christmas Day we will be sleeping in, enjoying orange and cinnamon rolls (family tradition in the Schwartz household) and opening gifts. I am also making my first ever Christmas dinner (make that first ever Holiday dinner for any matter) I got a mini ham for the two of us and plan on making sweet potato casserole, scalloped potatoes, my homemade macaroni and cheese, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole then pecan pie for dessert (that I store bought - because Billy loves it and I would hate to mess that up!) I'll be sure to let you know how this goes... haha


So we wish you a wonderful Christmas and hope that you have safe travels and warmth of family and friends around you these next few days. :) xoxo

image via Web Art Store

Rodar-tay for Tar-jay

Ok so I am a little bit late on this post - I've been soooo busy working at the store (non-stop! it's been crazy but that's a good thing!) but I had to write something about the launch of Rodarte for Target (pronounced row-dar-tay for those of you who don't know) that happened this past Sunday. Jamie (one of the amazing minds behind ban.do) and I have been soooo excited about this and talking about it for months. I literally came home from work on Saturday so excited - it was like Christmas Eve and I didn't think I was going to be able to sleep. Then Jamie called me, in a panic/excited state. One of the targets near us put it out early and there was absolutely no one there!!!! So I raced over there (to the utter confusion of Billy - men will never understand the things we women do for fashion) and literally tried on every single piece in the collection. my cart pretty much looked like this and the dressing room attendent was none too pleased with me:

There were two pieces that I knew I was going to get for sure but I wanted to try everything on. While I knew this collection wasn't going to be the best quality I was still pretty pleased with the pieces I ended up purchasing. The leopard dress is literally ah-mazing. It's got these cute bows going down the back that give it that vintage feel. The amazingly beautiful Dakota Fanning modeled it for Teen Vogue December/January issue (wow has she grown up!)

So cute! It's short so totally do-able both the rest of winter with tights and spring! But the piece that I was most excited about and was soooooo happy they had my size was the leopard print jacket

it is sooooo fantastic. I had a target gift card from my mother in law Patrisia that allowed me to get this jacket - score! Otherwise I would have been in big time trouble with my hubby... The third piece I took home was a wild card - an orchid pink top with an adorable bow on the neck.

I grabbed it in my frenzy to try everything on and it was the only other piece I truly liked on me. Super girly and lots of fun. The color is very reminiscent of this Rodarte gown Natalie Portman wore to the Oscars this past February.

Overall I enjoyed the collection even though a few of the pieces were definiely not for me (either fit was off or just not my taste). I am super satisfied with my purchases and already planning on when I can wear everything. The only thing I wasn't able to grab were those cute bow belts or lace tights. Oh well - I guess I can't really complain anyways. I got everything I truly needed :) I'm already dreaming about Zac Posen's line for April.... xoxo

images via the thread, teen vogue, ebay, target

SJP Love

I just blogged about this for ban.do yesterday - but I had to share this photo with you! I am completely obsessed with all things Sarah Jessica Parker - including her fashion risks. This one is right at the top of my list of loves. How amazing is this outfit? It's very vintage and I LOVE it. :) Plus I always love how her hair looks. It's so gorgeous! Thoughts?

image via Gossip Center

100 Pieces of Gorgeousness

Hi all! Finally I am feeling (somewhat) back to normal! We are getting settled into our new place (which I love!) and the area is fantastic! But I had to do a quick post about something I found on Instyle's website tonight. Fashion Director Hal Rubenstein picked 100 greatest dresses of the decade (how much fun would that be! ahhh!) There were so many beautiful ladies featured (Kate Beckinsale, Penelope Cruz, Anne Hathaway the list goes on) and sooooooo many amazing designers (Lanvin, Roberto Cavalli, Chanel, Valentino, YSL... seriously this list could go on) Here are a few of my favs but head over to Instyle and take a look at all 100 of his best picks.

It's no secret that I love the whole 60's/70's era so this Valentino worn by Kate Hudson is literally the greatest dress ever.

I also love this gorg silver draped Dior gown worn by Sienna Miller in 2005. The hair, the necklace - it is so ah-mazing!

I'm a HUGE Lanvin fan - HUGE. So I'm totally loving this bubble dress from 2007. Natalie Portman looks effortlessly beautiful (as usual)

Mooooving!

Posts will be short and sweet this week... if any! Billy and I are moving to Marina Del Rey - about 10 miles south of where we are now. We are soooooo excited but we signed the lease on Saturday and we are starting to move in THIS Thursday... needless to say things are insane and crazy. I'm so happy because we will be around more stuff (where we live now is ah-mazing but very homey/small town) and we are literally one block from the beach (here we are a mile - but now in the Marina we can walk!!) I did want to share with you a photo of our new home:

Pretty right?!? Can't wait to keep you all updated on how things are going..!

I also am working on a photoshoot on Thursday as a wardrobe assistant! I am soooo excited and will be sure to post about that as soon as I can! :) xoxo

I have nothing to wear....

I read about this amazing project in Glamour a few months ago and I thought about it yesterday as I was putting my outfit for work together. Sheena Matheiken is wearing the same dress every single day for one year (I know.. you're thinking whhhhaaat?) and calling it The Uniform Project. This is from her website: "Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies." Wow! Sheena also explains her motivation for doing the Uniform Project stemmed from her experience growing up in India where she had to wear a mandatory school uniform. She was inspired and impressed by her fellow peers who made each uniform their own with scarves, hats, shoes, jewelry, belts even altering the look of the uniform itself. So she wanted to see if she could prove the same in everyday life. And if that wasn't amazing enough... This project accepts donations for the Akanksha Foundation which will take all the contributions and will help fund items like uniforms and any other educational needs for children in India. So far, as of this post right now, $32,001 has been donated and counting! (If you want to be part of this and contribute click here.)  Sheena also has said that many stores and people have donated accessories to help her change her look from day to day. (score!) Here are a few of my favorite looks she has worn so far:

Sheena wore this look on October 6th. I love the striped shorts and that she has actually worn the dress more like a jacket. The gloves are fantastic and donated by GloveLove, a group that finds single gloves around London, cleans them, and then pairs them with another glove for a creative look. (How cool is that!?)

I'm fascinated by this pairing she did a few days ago on November 24th. The knit sweater with the mismatched tights are pure genius. And the shoes are pretty funky too. It's a great way to add bursts of color to the black dress.

This look she put together for a June wedding. Here she is wearing one of my new obsessions, The Collar. (I recently bought one similar to this with snickers coming from Billy and my Dad....) I love everything about this look from the lace doily slip to the chunky gold earrings. Plus the collar is just so ridiculous that it's awesome.

I've really enjoyed following Sheena's style diary. She continually impresses me with her smart ideas using many many many different accessories to change it up. It really proves her thought that all these items can be simply added to a dress to create a totally different and unique look. But this also got me thinking about how much I have in my closet. I absolutely LOVE going shopping but I think I am going to make a conscious effort over the next few weeks to seriously look at all the pieces in my wardrobe, pull new outfits together, and rediscover a few long lost pieces I have. Thanks Sheena for the inspiration! :) xoxo

photos courtesy of: Small Sight & The Uniform Project

Beautiful Meryl

1979

2009

I've always been a little enchanted by Meryl Streep - I think she is one of the most amazing actresses ever. She's always made fantastic movies (Out of Africa, Death Becomes Her and The Devil Wears Prada (obvi...) are total favs of mine) and her new one It's Complicated looks very Something's Gotta Give (practically an obsession of mine and my college roommates) :) But when I saw Meryl on the cover of January's Vanity Fair - I was blown away! She looks absolutely gorgeous. AND she's botox free which is practically unheard of in Hollywood! Wow!

Both images are part of a 30 year portfolio photographed by Brigitte Lacombe. The January 2010 issue of Vanity Fair comes out December 8th but you can read a preview of the article of Meryl here. I think she looks just as stunning, if not more, than she did in 79. Thoughts???

O.M.G. - Zac Posen for Target!!

Okay... I am seriously hyperventilating as I am typing this but I just heard a fantastic piece of news that I had to share IMMEDIATELY. Zac Posen will be offering affordable fashion as a GO! International designer for Target. (it's ok - breathe in... breathe out!)

Loving this last look! Plus He's such a Cutie!

I am already so pumped about the Rodarte line coming in a few weeks (I will be waiting outside Target the morning it launches - yes seriously!) But this has just sent me over the edge! Zac Posen is a color genius and makes the most amazing dresses eeevvveerrr! (The above photos are his Spring 2010 line from NYFW.) Only a few weeks ago I saw on Glamour that he was planning on designing Z Spoke, a "lower priced line" that will be launching at Saks Fifth Avenue this spring. Considering that his Zac Posen collection begins retailing at $900 and can go up to $20,000 for custom pieces, Z Spoke's prices, starting at $78, seemed much more do-able. But with this news of the GO! line coming out in April 2010 that could mean pieces can range anywhere from $14.99 up to around $129.99. Ummm... can you say AH-mazing?!?!

If you don't know about GO! International prepare to be amazed. About 4 times a year Target launches a what I like to call an "Affordable Trendy Fashion" line for 6 weeks and sometimes a well known designer lends their hand and creative minds to GO. These pieces are still products of these fashion geniuses, but they fit an everyday budget. I think I have bought one piece from every line since it launched in 2006 and I still wear every single piece today. A few past designers have been Paul & Joe, Patrick Robinson, Erin Fetherston and my favorite: Proenza Schouler.

However, let it be said that affordable lines popping up at H&M, Target and even Wal-Mart are fantastic for offering trendy pieces, which may be out of style in a few years. It just allows budget fashionistas the ability to get the trends versus someone who actually can afford the more expensive pieces. There's a lot of talk throughout the fashion community that when luxury designers create less expensive lines it can hurt their reputation. I think it may do simply the opposite. These less expensive lines aren't made with the same materials and aren't going to be of the same quality if you purchased a dress for $2,000. We (as consumers) know this and it just gives us a little taste of fashion. I don't think that these so called "Bargain Lines" discredit their Designer Status. I still can't wait for the days that I can purchase Jimmy Choo shoes and Zac Posen dresses and not think twice about it. But until that day comes, I'll settle for H&M and Target. What are your thoughts loves? Let me know! xoxo

Oh and I had to include a close up of these shoes worn in the first picture... In the words of Rachel Zoe they are OOC!

photos courtesy of Style.com, RawShoes,

Who What Wear hearts C.Z. Falconer

Yippppeeee!! I am so excited to share that Who What Wear has selected C.Z. Falconer for the Holiday edition of "Shop The Closet." C.Z. Falconer is the clothing line I have been interning for and it's been fantastic! I have learned so much from CZF and we have a lot of exciting things coming up - this being the start of it! Check out the website for Hillary Kerr's sweet words :)

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

 

Ok... So I have been trying my hardest to hold back from playing Christmas music, decorating and watching cheesy holiday movies. I tell myself every year that the day after Thanksgiving is the absolute most appropriate time to do all these things and not a second earlier. However I find myself getting so impatient because I just love everything about this Holiday!! So as soon as we got in the car to drive home after Thanksgiving dinner I immediately found the radio station playing Christmas tunes and sang the whole way home (You know Billy really enjoyed that!) I absolutely love this time of year - it is by far my favorite. I love the music, the smells, the food and all the glistening lights and decorations. I have convinced my husband that we will forever and always have a live Christmas tree every single year. (Yay!) The scent is just AH-mazing and I can't imagine ever not having one. Growing up my family always went out and picked the tree together, decorated while listening to music and talking about all the ornaments we had accumulated over the years. My mom always buys a new ornament every year and when she came to visit last week she gave us ours.

Restoration Hardware has these fabulous Metal Letter Ornaments in Gold or Silver. She gave us an R for our last name in the Gold. (I got the S for her!) I'm so excited to hang it on our tree this year.

I also love this time around Thanksgiving and Christmas because it is a constant reminder that we should be thankful for and grateful for what we have. In life it's so easy to feel overwhelmed and bogged down by the everyday things. And lately, I think Billy and I have been feeling these pains more than ever. So it's nice to have a reminder of all the special and wonderful gifts that are given to us! Have a fantastic weekend... xoxo

P.S. The above photo is from Papyrus Stationary my absolute favorite place to get stationary and cards from. Doesn't she just look so Oo-La-La?

Happy Turkey Day!

photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

So even though Food Network is always playing at our house non-stop, I've been watching it even more lately with all this Thanksgiving food preperation! If you know me, you know I love to watch anything that's Martha Stewart or Food Network. But since we won't be going home for Turkey Day this year, we are having a big feast with all our friends here in L.A. So here are a few things that I am thankful for...

My wonderful husband Billy! We are complete polar opposites and sometimes I think it's funny that we are together, but I couldn't imagine my life without him... He is an amazing man and I am so extremely grateful and lucky to have him in my life :)

My wonderful family! (This was the only recent picture of the 4 of us - Christmas 2008) The hardest thing about moving to California has been being far away from the three of them. But I am thankful that we are able to stay close with email, phone calls, webcams and occasional visits. I love them dearly and hope they have a great Thanksgiving!

Here is a photo from our wedding of our entire extended family on both sides. This is one of my favorite pictures that was taken! :) We are thankful to have each of these people in our lives. :)

I am also so thankful for my two sets of girlfriends. I have become so close with these girls here on the West Coast and it was one of the things I asked God to provide in my life! And my girlfriends from back home and college are so extremely important. I love that they understand me inside and out and still love me for who I am :) I am so grateful for their friendships.

I am so thankful for Calvary Church and the people that God has placed in our lives to help Billy and I grow as individuals and a couple. That has been one of our favorite parts of moving here to Los Angeles. :)

These are just a few things I am thankful for... What are you thankful for?? Happy Thanksgiving! :) xo

Project Runway Finale

photo courtesy of Zimbio

I love love love LOVE project runway. Even though I have absolutely no clue what to do with a sewing machine it's so much fun to watch the design process. I love seeing the designers sketch an idea, watch them make the outfit, complete it and send it down the runway. There is something so awesome about being able to witness these creative geniuses work. Plus, Heidi Klum is just ridiculously stunning and can do no wrong. This definitely wasn't my favorite season but I did enjoy a lot of the designers and their creative personalities. Ra'mon Lawrence was an early favorite of mine and I was hoping he would have made it to the end but that hideous scaly lizard idea had him "auf'd" a lot early than most people were anticipating. After that I just though Carol Hannah was absolutely adorable and I was obsessed with this dress:

photo courtesy of MyLifetime

I loved a handful of Althea's looks but there was no "Favorite" pick of mine throughout the rest of the competition. I wasn't very fond of Irina but mainly because she was pretty beotchy. However the girl's got talent. I was obsessed with those cozy sweaters. So glam and luxe! And she definitely put on a show at Bryant Park. I was totally loving those futuristic equestrian hats she was sending out:

photo courtesy of MyLifetime

So in the end I think they all did a fantastic job. I really like Carol Hannah's collection - but Irinia certianly went the extra mile with her accessories. I would have loved a little bit more color too like Nina Garcia said but overall her collection proved she should have won.

But perhaps one of my favorite parts of this season was the Model show after PR. In the first season (for all your PR fans before everyone jumped on the bandwagon) They showed a lot more of the desingers interactions with the models, confessionals with the models and just their roles as part of PR. (I mean who could forget that crazy model Morgan who fought with the designers like contstantly?) So I was really excited when they brought back that part of the show. I thought Katie was a great model and Vanessa was a favorite of mine (she had those amazing lips!) But Tanisha was the best model by far. She rocked practically every look she was given and looked gorgeous doing it!

photo courtesy of Fishin' For Fashion

Even though this season is over we won't have to wait very long for the next one to begin! It premires January 14 at 10pm et/pt on the Lifetime network - less than 2 months away! Yay! :) I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! xoxo

ban.do amazingness

Ok ok... so I know this post will be a little biased (I guess technically all of them are..:)) but I still have to share this with you! This amazing company actually wants me to help them! Jen and Jamie are two fabulous stylists who created the magic I am about to share with you... They both have an amazing sense of style, love everything vintage, (hello! Another reason I love them!) and are inspired by Marie Antoinette - possibly one of my favorite movies EVER. They came up with these fantastic ideas for headwear and decided to start sharing these ideas with fashionistas. They are literally the most gorgeous things I've ever seen! Plus I love any head accessory - it just makes your outfit that much more fun! So I just blogged about their new line heart by ban.do. All these pieces are under $50 so they are super affordable (and handmade!)

This is literally my favorite piece from the heart collection. I mean Hello! Look at it! But it comes in solid colors too if you can't handle the rainbowness.

I wish I would have found ban.do before my wedding because I would have totally rocked a piece from their bridal collection. This one is especially beautiful. They have a ton so check them outhere

And this one is just pure amazingness. ban.do black label are pieces that are extremely limited editions or one of a kind. This is just the absolute. Plus it's very French (it's called c'est ci bon) - which I love <3. And the model is to-die-for gorg.

ban.do also make fabulous collars, belts and corsages. In the first photo she is wearing the fancy bow collar - totes love it! Okay - so now that you've seen a few previews head over to their website to look at the rest ASAP please! http://www.shopbando.com/ :)

all photos courtesy of Chloe Aftel a unbelievable photographer here in L.A.

Patterned Tights - Love 'Em!

photo courtesy of Nothing Elegant

Okay so I am on the patterned tights train... full speed ahead! :) Even though I don't always believe my husband knows what's right and wrong with fashion - he had a very strong opinion about them. I wore ones similar to the ones above - yes they are super funky but super amazing. And I got the response: "Those are sick..." (and we aren't talking CA lingo as in cool...) Now usually he is very supportive of my creative step outs but he just couldn't get over this one. I know it may look strange but I love the look! What are you thinking....?

Hello To The Blog World!

Wow... my first post as an official blogger! I've been blogging for one of my jobs lately and so far I have loved it - so I thought it would be great to use this for own creative outlet - to share my thoughts on fashion, life, food (yes food!) and just to get back to one of my favorite things - writing! :)

So a few quick notes about my life to bring you up to speed - I got married in June 2008. Being married is fantastic and difficult all at the same time. :) We lived in Charlotte where we weren't really loving it. So we took a chance and we moved out here to Los Angeles in April 2009. While it has definitely been challenging and we've had our fair share of obstacles, I am loving living out here! What's not to love? You have the ocean, the mountains, wonderful friends, amazing food, and of course, F-A-S-H-I-O-N!

I've always enjoyed clothes, accessories, playing with hair and makeup - but I have to give a big ol' shoutout to my wonderful roommate during college - Haley. She really forced me to begin loving putting outfits together and branching out. Hay showed me that shopping and clothes can be A LOT of fun. :) So coming out here to L.A. I just knew that I had to take advantage of the opportunities that are offered. I've been working in a boutique which has really helped advance my skills of styling. In a small, non-corporate store you learn real fast how to put outfits together because you are actually doing it all day. No head honcho picking out outfits and faxing the options to you. I'll admit I definitely wasn't the best at it at first but I feel much more comfortable with it now. I can see growth and progress but I'm still not perfect at it yet. Maybe I never will be!

So I'm doing the boutique thing, I have an internship for a new clothing line http://www.czfalconer.com/ amazing stuff - check it out ASAP - Fred Segal just placed an order! Yay!) I have just landed a job helping out a company who makes my dream headpieces - ban.do. If you know me, then you know I love a good head band with lots of feathers, flowers, rhinestones and perhaps a veil :) so they make stuff that just kkkkiiiilllllssss me - oh so gorgeous. Check them out: http://www.shopbando.com/ I also have a few other side things going on so it's safe to say I am a busy lady! :) but I'm excited about all the things happening in my life and all the opportunities I am experiencing. So I am inviting you along for the ride! :) xoxo