Beautiful Life and Style


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Traversing the snow and thinking about Spring..

Did you hear? It snowed 22 inches this past weekend in Boston. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen so much snowfall… I remember when I was little this used to mean exciting things like snow days and making forts in the mountain of snow at the bottom of our driveway, but now its more like “ugh. whole foods is closed- how will I eat?!” While the snow IS very pretty while it lasts, in a city that window isn’t long. There are 8 foot mountains of dirty snow everywhere they can shove it and three lane roads are down to only 1. The struggle back and forth between the plows and the guys shoveling the sidewalks has made for very interesting walking around the city- at the end of each street is an OCEAN of slush. Its kind of like a maze to just get where you need to be! It doesn’t help that its been sunny and 40 degrees since Monday….

So I”m over it. Rant complete. Now I’m looking forward to Spring. Here are a few images that are keeping me going. You can find all of the sources on my pinterest page aptly named “Gardens”:

Garden 4 Garden 1 Garden 2 Garden 3

There is also a great garden sale on One Kings Lane today if you feel inspired to pick up a few items in anticipation. Here are a few of my favorites:

Perched RabbitWeathered Garden Lanterns

Garden BirdhousesCrackle Planters

1. This little Perched Rabbit would look SO CUTE peeking out of a flower bed. I would name him fluffy.

2. I imagine putting glowing white candles in these weathered lanterns. And then of course sitting on the patio drinking wine at twighlight.

3. Cant decide if I would cluster these garden birdhouses all together or scatter them around different trees- but they are so whimsical- I love them

4. You can never have enough containers- and at $39 for a set of 2 these little crackle planters are a great find

 


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Paperless Post

Do you miss the days of old fashioned snail mail? I remember I used to get SO EXCITED every time I got a letter with my name on it. Yes, I completely agree that email is much more modern, and certainly faster, but I think we lose a lot of the personality that comes with handwritten cards. Typically the only time I get mail it is either a bill, or a rare wedding invitation or Christmas card. But I think we should go back to personalized stationery for every occasion! (or even the quick hello) which is why I am absolutely obsessed with the cards at Paperless Post.

Paperless Post is a website combining the best of both worlds with an amazing array of customizable greeting cards and party invitations that are sent as emails. They range from modern and quirky, to sweet and sentimental, to Emily Post style traditional. And this is not your average facebook events emails or Evite- this is a customizable letter that comes in an actual envelope (with matching liner!) that opens magically before the recipients eyes. I love that the cards look like actual letterpress paper from the cutest and most expensive store- but instead these are pennies (and some are free) to send and still 21st century fast. Each design is better than the last- I spent hours picking out the cards for our most recent party.  Here are a few of my favorite designs:

Don’t they just inspire you to send a letter right now!?


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an affordable Hermes Jige

If you are of my generation and spent hours of highschool/ college following the lives of shallow girls on the Hills/ the City (mtv reality show brain rotting) chances are you knew of Olivia Palermo before she became Miss “chic-jet-set-fashion-icon-it-girl-socialite”.  And if you are like me, you have what I like to call a “love/hate” relationship with the girl. LOVE her style, HATE her fake/catty attitude. Seriously though, all words that come out of her mouth ignored, everything she puts on is sheer genius. Including her gorgeous Hermes Jige clutch.

I mean, seriously!? It might be my favorite item sold at Hermes (although I’m pretty obsessed with the silk scarves). You can keep your Birkins and Kellys- but I would DIE to have one of these gorgeous beauties.

So, needless to say, I was so excited to see that the Hermes website now lets you print out the pattern and create your own clutch out of paper!  What a fun, quirky way to wrap gifts, send letters, hey- I might even try putting my credit card in it and carrying it to parties! the opportunities are endless!

I’m totally heading to the paper store after work to start brainstorming my ideas. Stay tuned!

Direct link to template here.


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Clever! Stackable Bowls

How clever are these Chinese pottery inspired Stackable Bowls? Not only are they a beautiful decorative item, but they are each made up of 6-8 beautifully decorated bowls and plates. Designed by the french company iBride, each one is shaped like a Yuan or Ming Dynasty Vase and feature Chinese inspired imagery on the inside. My favorite is this black one with a blue-green waterlily pattern.

I think this would be an absolutely a perfect idea for a kitchen without a lot of cabinet space- I would happily display this dishware right out in the open! Another great idea would be to give them to a recent grad who doesn’t yet have a lot of decorative items OR serving ware in their home- thus serving a dual purpose. Actually, I can’t think of a scenario where these wouldn’t be a great gift!

My only wish is that they sealed together- how fun would it be to use them as a picnic “basket”?


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Let’s Party

I am so excited to have just bought my first piece from 20×200.com! I guess I’m a little late to the party of how amazing this website is, but how oh so glad I am to have found it. The piece is “Let’s Party” by Jessica Craig-Martin:

Taking unique snapshots of the New York City social scene, Jessica Craig-Martin focuses on a different subject than the average high society photo. Here, no famous faces are revealed, but instead the camera is skewed to the scene around the person of interest. It becomes more than a party snapshot-it is art. The composition reveals the secrets behind the glossy pages- the fake tans, the alcoholism, the wrinkles, and the ridiculous levels of opulence.

Her photos have been featured in Vogue and several museums including MoMA and the Whitney Museum. To think that this caliber of art is made available at an affordable and accessible level is fabulous. What I love about “my” new piece is the composition, the colors, and of course- how I can completely relate to the scene shown. Who hasn’t woken up on the couch after a night of partying with desserts and booze telling the embarrassing tale of the night’s escapades?

It’s going to hang in my closet. And I can’t wait.

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