The Perfect Bubble Necklace!

There's not one thing about this necklace that I don't love:  its chain, its clasp, its blue color, its length - I LOVE it all!  This piece could seriously add some quick pizazz to any number of outfits, including your New Year's Eve outfit! 

{Dabney Bib Necklace}

Front Door First Impression!

Last summer, while PRG and I were down in Madison, CT for our friends' wedding, we walked by this lovely door and I had to snap a picture!  Don't you just love it?  This photo recently became the backdrop of my laptop so I can admire it during the work day.  I'm so curious what the home is like behind this beautiful door!  I bet this door looks even more inviting all decorated for the holidays. 

Here are some front doors decorated for the holidays that really make me want to go inside and have a hot chocolate!

{Pottery Barn}

{Country Living}

{Martha Stewart}

Stylish iPad Cases

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving!  My long holiday weekend included a friend's birthday celebration, spending my first Thanksgiving with PRG's family, enjoying some post-Turkey Day R&R with my family, and going to our friends' engagement party last night down in CT.  It was a whirlwind of four days but everything was so much fun!

I started my Christmas shopping last week and, while I was out and about, I noticed that Bloomingdale's has a great selection of iPad cases.  Some cases include little stands, some include shoulder straps, and some are purely for fashion, but they all will protect an iPad nonetheless!

I snagged the #5 Ralph Lauren case below for my own iPad in a fun kelly green color - I couldn't resist.  The stand on it works well for reading in bed or browsing thru Flipboard while relaxing on the couch, two of my favorite nighttime things to do.  And I like how it has a professional look to it in case I end up using my iPad in client meetings.  Merry early Christmas to me!

 

1 - Kate Spade

2 - MARC by Marc Jacobs

3 - Burberry

4 - Lodis Accessories

5 - Ralph Lauren

6 - Tory Burch

7 - Marc Jacobs

8 - InCase

9 - Juicy Couture

10 - Bodhi

Thankful

I'm thankful for so many things, but especially for my amazing family & friends, my job, our new apartment that already feels like home, and a life filled with health and happiness.  What are you thankful for?

Fantastic Dabney Lee!

I first heard about the Dabney Lee site about a year ago, and I am a big fan.  I really like how everything they sell is customizable - there are countless prints and color combinations to choose from. 

Here are some goodies that I have received as gifts. 

First, this is my Dabney Lee calendar that spruces up my desk at work.  It arrived with a little lucite stand and I really like the variety that each new calendar brings.  I particularly love the contrast of the fuchsia and orange for the month of November:

PRG and I received this Dabney Lee lucite picture frame and this monogrammed Dabney Lee lucite tray as wedding gifts and they are awesome!  You can customize them to say any name or monogram you want. 

{large lucite tray}

{small lucite picture frame}

As you can see, Dabney Lee offers countless patterns and styles to choose from which makes it really fun to pick something out as a gift (or for yourself)!  Any of the Dabney Lee products would make excellent birthday, holiday, new home, new baby, engagement, or wedding gifts! 

 

Yes, Please for Some Society Social!

I have been wanting a bar cart for a while now but just haven't found one I love enough to buy.  I've particularly been wanting a faux bamboo one but all of the ones I'm finding are totally break the bank material.  Enter Society Social.  So many great ones to choose from in so many good colors!  Don't these make you want to throw a party? 

{Society Social}

Loving Flipboard!

I just got an iPad and so far I'm loving it!  I was asking some friends about what apps they would recommend and my friends LW and CG told me about Flipboard, and now I'm obsessed with it!  It turns all of the blogs you follow, including those in your Google Reader, into an electronic magazine that you can flip through - genius!  Apparently it also can bring in your Facebook, Twitter and Flickr feeds as well.  I would highly recommend it!

{Flipboard iPad app}

Tasty Fall Latte

When I came across this light pumpkin spice latte on the "With Style & Grace" blog, I couldn't resist!   Nothing says fall like a warm pumpkin spice latte - mmmmm.   And, as someone who is allergic to dairy, the fact this recipe is dairy free makes it even better! 

{recipe and photograph from With Style & Grace blog}

One Year Anniversary

Happy 1 year anniversary to my husband and best friend, PRG!   XOXO

{our wedding day 10-16-10}

{quote by George Sand}

     

Fall Fashion

If I could design one of my favorite fall looks this would be it.  The perfect blend of corduroy, tweed, leather, gold, and jean topped off with a pop of orange and an animal print.  Doesn't get better than this for me!

Wisteria

One of my favorite TV shows is Giuliana and Bill on the Style Network.  They seem like such a fun couple and they are much more down to earth and funny than I ever expected!

In one of the recent episodes, they were moving into their new house and a ton of big boxes from Wisteria got delivered.  This made me curious to check out what Wisteria is all about....

Wisteria is an eclectic collection of home and garden accessories from around the world.  After going to its site, I was also pleasantly surprised to see it was started by a young married couple who have grown it over time. 

Here are some of the goodies I found while exploring the Wisteria website:

{All items from www.wisteria.com}



Great Summer Dinner!

PRG and I went down to CT this past weekend to celebrate my Grandmother's 88th birthday which was so much fun.  I know I'm biased, but I really think she's the coolest 88 year old out there!  Even though it was great hanging out with the fam, I was looking forward to coming home to our little apartment on Sunday in order to get my life organized after a few very busy travel weeks at work.  It was such a treat to wake up yesterday without a plan other than to enjoy a leisurely day of doing whatever we wanted.  We ended up going for a hike around Walden Pond in Concord and then swimming and lounging by our pool, and the weather couldn't have been better.

After a lovely day of unwinding, PRG cooked up quite the dinner.  I swear it consisted of all of my favorite things on one plate!  Grilled teriyaki chicken, cucumber dill salad, corn/heirloom tomato/avocado/onion salad, and feta/watermelon/mint/balsamic salad topped off with a bottle of rose.  A perfectly fresh and not-too-heavy dinner for a hot summer night.  Recipes are below!



{Cucumber water is so refreshing in the summer}



{Yum!}



{My watermelon salad didn't have any feta on it because I'm allergic to dairy - I probably should have taken a picture of PRG's plate instead.  Oh well!}




Cucumber Dill Salad:
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp. sugar
Freshly ground pepper
3 cucumbers, thinly sliced
Fresh dill sprig

Feta/Watermelon/Mint/Balsamic Salad:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds seedless watermelon, rind removed, fruit sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf mint
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)


I'm loving that it's a short work week.  Enjoy the 4 day week everyone!

Beautiful wedding in Madison, CT

This past weekend PRG and I went to SM and BG's wedding at the Madison Beach Club in Madison, CT and it was so much fun!  It was a Saturday full of unbelievable weather, beautiful flowers, thoughtful details, awesome music (a bagpiper and then a 9 piece band!), a stunning bride and a very happy groom.  Can't get better than that!

Here are some photos from their wedding, enjoy!

Talbots isn't just for my mom anymore...

I went into Talbots recently, one of my mother's longtime favorite clothing stores, to get her a drape cardigan because she always compliments me on my sweaters like this and I thought she deserved one too!  ....and I was shocked by how "hip" Talbots has become!  Since when have I walked into a Talbots and liked half the store for myself?  Never before!  I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.  So much so that I not only bought the drape cardigan for my mom but also a few things for myself (whoops)!

{some items from their spring collection}

{here are the 2 striped items I bought for myself (obviously I won't be wearing them together!) as well as the sweater I bought for my mom}

And apparently I'm not the only one to take notice of their transformation.  I went to their site and found these:

• A video about Talbots' Tradition Transformation and
• Talbots Chief Creative Officer Michael Smaldone talking about Talbots' Ageless Woman Philosophy

PRG and I are heading to dinner at Bacco in the North End to help our friend MF "carbo load" before the 100 mile bike race she's doing tomorrow.  Mmmmm looking at their website is making me hungry.  Then, tomorrow, we're off to a wedding down in Madison, CT.  Can't wait to help celebrate with SM and BG! 

Happy weekend everyone!

Our Wedding Album Has Arrived!

It's hard to believe almost 8 months has already passed since PRG and I tied the knot!  We received our wedding album a couple of months ago and I've had a lot of fun looking through it and remembering how special and loved we both felt throughout our wedding weekend among all of our family and friends.  It was such a treat to have all our loved ones in one place!

So, in the spirit of our album's arrival, here are some photos that bring me back to our wedding day: