A Few of My Favorite [Home] Things...

Building a house has me with home interiors on the brain. Thought I would share some of the eclectic pieces I'm seeing out there that I'm drawn to.

Vintage-looking Bus Roll Signs on Etsy... Don't know which one I like better.

Upscale Speakeasy Pendant Lamp from Anthropologie.

Halo Pendant/Chandelier found on Anthropologie.

Girls Night Out in Sequiny, Sparkly, Bling-Encrusted Shorts

It may just be me and my obsesh with J.Crew that has me seeing no issue with wearing sparkly, sequiny shorts to dinner and a movie with the girls. Either it's that, or the whole fashion world now tolerates the bling-bling while the sun is still out.

I have not problem with them. They are NOT J.Crew because though I thought the sequined bloomers were amongst the few and far between, cult-worthy items in the Fall roll-out so far, I missed the boat pretty quick on them. Talk about a quick sell-out! But instead, I made my way into the dark recesses of Charlotte Russe --- a place I swore off when I turned 30 last year. All the way in the back, on a random circular rack that the J.Snob in me thought you would never, ever see in J.Crew, I found a pair of black, sequined shorts for under $25. I am in fear of washing them.

But look at the sparkle, ladies!! Just look! It is a subtle sparkle on a relaxed short. I couldn't ask for more. & for under $25. Needless to say I wore them with a $3 Charlotte Russe tee, a $6 Charlotte Russe trendy owl necklace, and an old J.Crew cotton long cardi I've had for a while. The whole outfit may not last long, but that is the beauty of spending $34 on an outfit --- it's OK... but I hope the shorts last me just a hint longer than this season. I really do like them!

Girls Night Out was a lovely, Thai dinner followed by a movie - Eat, Pray Love. Can't get more girly than that. My gal pal said she loved the sequins and wished she knew I had dressed up. I wanted to tell her that Jenna Lyons practically wears this stuff to breakfast!

Ahi Summer Rolls

Tom Yum Khung Soup, sticky rice in a basket, and a glass of Pinot Noir.

To finish - Iced Thai Coffee. ♥

The House Stands Up!

On most occasions I try to blog about fashion, but sometimes real life steps in. We are in the midst of waiting for our house to be built here in Hawaii. It's gone from just dealing with floors and counters to now seeing the framework go up. Seeing the real deal today was very exciting!

The house is a 2 story, 2100 sq ft island home with a detached 2 car garage. This development puts all the garages at the back of the houses, with small lanes to get access to the garages. It means the front of the homes are very inviting, instead of seeing a behemoth of a garage in plain sight. Like that.

If you can look aaaaaalllll the way in the distance, that little sliver of blue in the background is the Pacific Ocean, which we're in walking distance of. The development will also have a swim club, a marina with boat slips, and a canoe club. Obviously most of it is under construction so right now we'll have to keep the image in our heads of what it may look like. The front of the home will have a long, linear park down to the swim club. This is supposed to be a little different, since most of the homes are located on traditional streets. But I've seen other little pockets in the neighborhood where the houses are located on little green parks and it is soooooo cute.

View from the kitchen window of the West Oahu mountains.

Putting our mark near the front door.

♥

Lululemon's Manifesto

Alas, I've given in to Lululemon's marketing. It's positive and upbeat - and makes my cynical side just want to wretch. But given my slight touch of PMS today, emotions are running high and my sentimental side is coming out. *sigh*

J.Crew Fall 2010 Lookbook Arrived. Want it?

The Fall 2010 Lookbook just showed up on my door the other day. The images are available online to view. Coincidentally, my PS also sent a note my way to let me know to check in with the website soon to see all the new goodies. & though what I see is very fall, very luxe - furs, sequins, fishnets, baubles and sparkle-encrusted-fill-in-the-blanks galore - I find myself missing the days of the hints of prep.

Here's one of my favored looks from the book. The shorts appear to be reminiscent of the Shakespearean era; there appears to be elastic bands around the leg openings of the shorts. I like the look of the fishnets with the shorts and how it looks completely grounded by the socks / boots at the foot.

Did you receive the lookbook? If you didn't receive it, would y'all like mine?

If you would, leave your email address in a comment and I'll contact you for your address. If more than one gal is interested, I'll pick a lucky recipient tomorrow.

Oh the Days of the J.Crew Charm Bracelet

As we swim in crystals and baubles and tangled chains of necklaces with, lest we forget, a tie-dyed ribbon or two, let us remember the sweet days of the J.Crew charm bracelet. I still have mine, peeps, and an evening spent on Memory Lane-slash-Ebay has made me think about putting down the mega huge crystals and once again picking up these vintage charmers.

Do y'all remember the Seafoam Treasures bracelet? This was my first J.Crew piece of jewelry. It was over the top. That starfish on the left? It was atleast 2.5 inches across. Aaah, the days of learning that J.Crew doesn't mess around with the size and proportion of its jewelry pieces. I still have this piece and it brings back such great memories of the seasons / rollouts of that time.

Here's the Seaside Charm bracelet. I swear it had been marked down into oblivion and despite that I could never get it to stay in my cart (that disappearing / reappearing feature of hot items I've come to know so well). Which is sad because I still really think it's cute. A friend has it IRL and I have to say those polka-dotted beach balls are rather massive. Still, I think the colors are preppy and pretty.

Last one for today, the Acorn charm bracelet. I do have this one and love to wear it with browns in the fall. It's such a simply designed piece and I always get tons of compliments when I wear it.

Have any jewelry pieces from J.Crew that you couldn't live without? Do you have any of these bracelets? Still wear them?

J.Crew Carly Dress: Polite Summer Ruffles

Ladies, my Little Guy is on vacay with the grandparents. So here I am, a mommy who suddenly has quite a bit of free time. Do I go to the gym? No. Yoga? No. I blog, peeps. Thought I would show you a few snaps of the J.Crew Carly dress I bought a while ago -- FP, damnit. It's now since been marked down to $59.99 in Final Sale and was an additional 20% off a few days ago. Quite a deal. If you don't mind drying it flat.

I'm going to say right now, this is a very comfy, flattering dress. The sleeves don't cut you off at the fattest point on my arm. Instead, I find them a very nice length. The ruffles are, goodness me, wonderful at hiding what you don't want others to see. A year ago, I put myself on a ruffle-ban when I had just had it up to *here* with J.Crew's ruffle-addictions. But either I've mellowed out on my ruffle outlook or ruffles out of cotton are exempt from the ban. Haven't figured which one it is yet. Did I also mention the shift shape is very cute? Me likey very much.

A quick focus on the shoes, which is new to my closet and happily living amongst new brothers and sisters here.

They are Saks Fifth Avenue, happily picked up on Clearance with an additional 50% off from the Off Fifth Outlet. I believe my final price was about $75. When I posted last month about the few pairs of shoes I brought with me initially to Hawaii, I was lacking a cute wedge/platform heel for summer. & I've refused to settle for something that wasn't perfectly what I had in mind. I wanted something that was comfy, interesting, could be worn casually or used to dress something basic up. & I wanted a color that would work with lights and darks. Oh, and I needed the darn thing to cover my foot. This was no easy mission to find, but I'm happy to say I was very pleased to see these.

These sandals are very, very comfy and I love the heel -- totally different than anything I already have. I love how it covers quite a bit of my foot. & the back is very flattering. & did I mention the quality is great? All in all, a very good buy.

Ok, now back to the Carly dress. One thing about this dress that works for me is the length. I'm about 5'4" and I never find dresses that hit at a flattering point like this one. If you're taller, this may not be your bag - you may need something a little longer. For me, this is a great casual length. Not something I'd wear to work - the cupcake factor of the ruffles coupled with the length wouldn't go over well in my work "casual but conservative" environment. But for a Saturday of lunch or shopping, this is such a great summer buy. In my opinion, it is the ultimate white summer one-piece. Another love? Do not be afraid of the VPLs, ladies. The ruffles ensure that your derrier is covered and safe. :0)

But buyer beware: Ruffles have a downside. When this baby comes out of the washer, be prepared to lay flat or hang, and tame those things. I can't imagine putting this thing in the dryer. I actually fear Hubs being *nice* one day and doing this exact thing. The ruffles would be out of control. & we can't have that, Ladies. We need polite ruffles.

Anyone buy this dress? I tried styling it with a belt but it hasn't worked for me. The belt seems to get lost in the ruffles and then I get befuddled. & befuddled by ruffles? No.... we can't have that.