Happy Halloween weekend!

(from whence the sweet bird sang)

Happy Halloween weekend, everyone! Do you guys have any spooky, scary plans?

S and I are watching classic horror movies tonight. Here's hoping they don't give me nightmares.

(image courtesy poster wire)

I'm such a scaredy cat that I even get nervous during Hocus Pocus (and it's so not because of Bette Midler's buck teeth)!

(image courtesy photobucket)

Tomorrow some of our pals are having their annual costume party and we are all set to be...drumroll please...Sookie Stackhouse and Vampire Eric from HBO's True Blood!

(image courtesy true blood online)

Here's hoping we can top last year's Mad Men costume.

Hope everyone has a most wonderful, candy-filled weekend!!

folksy, western, girly?

Leah Duncan's Etsy shop is just like a breath of fresh air. The Texas-based artist creates funky, western-inspired designs in light, unexpected pallettes.

I love this print. The title, "Harry Had a Bad Feeling," is most clever.

Duncan's shop also features these pastel patterned pillows,



and a great selection of tea towels.

Who wouldn't want to hang these rocking jack rabbit and moose varieties in their kitchen?

(all images courtesy Leah Duncan)

laundry room

I'm a giant nerd and I love to clean. I'm a bit of a neat freak, but my least favorite chore of all time has to be doing the laundry.

I blame this fact on the laundry limitations in NYC. Unless you send yours out (expensive!!), there's a large chance you interact with at least the neighbors in your building. Hate it.

I think I might mind doing the laundry less (and the always annoying hassle of putting it away) if I had this sweet laundry room.

(image courtesy design sponge)

Between the black and white floors and the green patterned wallpaper...I could stay in here forever!

stretchy styles

How striking are these elastic pieces from Lizzie Fortunato's collection? I'm currently dreaming of her Small Fortune Desert Necklace.

(image courtesy shopstyle)

I'm also digging her Desert Cuff available in the same steel color seen above or in cocoa (below).

(image courtesy shareclothing)

Speaking of stylish elastic pieces, how about these Fendi pumps? Very Jessica Rabbit.

(image courtesy saks)

There's also this more affordable pair from J. Crew.

(image courtesy J. Crew)

inspired!

(image courtesy freewebs)

Happy Monday, everyone! After a long and terribly exhausting few weeks left me feeling a little less than "peppy," I woke up this morning feeling inspired and inexplicably excited. A great weekend really can work wonders!

With a productive morning (that began with a nice run at 6:30? what?!) behind me, I'm looking forward to a wonderful week full of great things.

In the meantime, here's a happy, inspirational R.E.M song (check out Michael Stipe's long hair) to help get you pumped for the rest of the week.

What makes this video great beyond the obviously happy melody? I'm voting for the oddball choreographed dancing, random jumping, fall leaves and blue skies.

It's pumpkin time

Pumpkin season is most definitely upon us. Allow me to introduce our tiny friend who we've named Marvin.

One of my favorite fall pastimes has always been picking out the perfect pumpkin. Our college town, Oxford, always has an amazing pumpkin selection at St. Peter's on the town square.

(images courtesy lostaire)

Since we're far away from Mississippi, we adopted Marvin from our local market.

In honor of this fun season, I suggest sipping a giant pumpkin spice latte

(image courtesy vanilla coffee)

and nibbling on a decadent pumpkin scone.

(image courtesy lily girls magazine)

I highly recommend the ones pictured above from the always adorable Alice's Tea Cup in NYC.

(images courtesy wedding bee, nymag)

P.S. Have you guys picked out your Halloween costumes yet?

bargain booties

I've been desperately searching for the perfect brown leather ankle boots for quite some time.

Dream pair? This saucy set from Christian Louboutin. How sleek!

(image courtesy christian louboutin)

Budget friendly solution? Zara's Rivet Ankle Boot.

Not only are they adorable, but they cost a cool $89.90. Thankyouverymuch.

Moroccan Oil

(image eshop)

Have you guys tried Moroccan Oil? If not, run- don't walk- to your local salon and pick up a bottle.

This serum is amazing. It strengthens and smooths your locks instantly and makes them oh-so-shiny. You can use it on towel dried hair and it actually decreases your drying time. It also works on dry hair to smooth frizzy ends and flyaways.

The scent is distinct but good. It smells a bit like almonds with floral hints. It also has a tiny bit of a suntan lotion (in a good way) scent. It's nice and musky.

Good to know? A little goes a long way. A tiny dab is all you need. Any more than that and you'll be a victim of "overproduct." Yikes!

a little, little preview

(image courtesy simon & schuster)

Check out this awesome picture book from Brooklyn based author and illustrator Kristen Balouch (not that I'm biased or anything).

It's the story of one tiny little girl whose giant booming voice frightens away a wide array of jungle animals. The little girl was inspired by the author's own daughter. How cute is that?

It goes on sale in June of next year, and I think EVERYONE should buy a copy.

sweet sofa

I'm totally crushing on this navajo printed sofa by Wisteria. GORGEOUS.

(image courtesy wisteria; originally spotted on wit & delight)

The white and navy color scheme really makes this pattern pop, and the shape is simply fabulous.

The texture and pattern remind me of a blanket at my Mom and Dad's house we used to wrap up in during family movie nights when we were wee.

I, for one, think this sweet couch would be an ideal spot to catch a little cat nap.

ladylike scarves

How adorable is model Charlotte Di Calypso's look from last month's NYC Fashion Week? I can't stop obsessing over her old-fashioned ladylike silk scarf.

(images courtesy the girl in the check scarf)

Such a scarf looks fantastic under a structured blazer like above, but it also looks lovely over a thick sweater. Also, how rad are these yellow wool pants?

(image courtesy the ladies affair)

I love this version by Karen Walker,

(image courtesy musette)

as well as these vintage Hermes numbers.

(images courtesy squarectomy and gift tag)

How wonderfully Grace Kelly!

(image courtesy shefinds)

girl band

In college my girlfriends and myself ("FIGHT CLUB") daydreamed about creating a fantastically successful business that would allow us not only to work together, but to be terribly creative while occassionally enjoying a few leisurely cocktails on the job.

(image courtesy the camilleon)

An option we didn't consider? Why, starting a band!

The adorable Swedish, all girl group Those Dancing Days gets it right with their song "Hitten."

Too bad only one member of our club is musical. Ah-c'est la vie.

Now, back to work!

gross man hair

The Fug Girls (of the hilarious site Go Fug Yourself: Because Ugly is the New Pretty) make an appearance in this week's New York Mag to discuss "the epidemic of masculine follicular follies" taking place during this fall season's movies and television shows.

This, obviously, makes me quite happy.

While the print version of the magazine features a really wonderful chart, here are a few highlights pulled from the magazine's website.

Let the nastiness begin.

Ed Norton in Stone

"We know Norton is a Serious Actor, and if his cheesy mullet-cornrows were integral to getting into character as a scary, manipulative arsonist, then we fully endorse that as a healthy alternative to going Method via torching somebody's barn. That being said, we firmly believe someone should have told him that he looks less like a bad-ass convict and more like K Fed — and even he hasn't been scary since 2006."

Zach Galifianakis in Due Date

"It's not like Galifianakis has ever touted his rusty locks as a modern-day rival to Fabio's. But in Due Date, they seem teased into an especially lively pubic shrub. Presumably he's playing it all for laughs, given two other stills featuring equally wacky dos — a driver's license picture that resembles the Heat Miser, and a black-and-white glamour shot that recalls Augustus Gloop — but it's no less disturbingly hypnotic."

Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Jack Goes Boating

"Remember when Phillip Seymour Hoffman showed up at the Oscars wearing a black stocking cap, and explained that it was because he had really, really bad hair for a movie role, and everyone scoffed, "How bad could it be, Phil?" This bad, which … wow. That cap was the right call, dude. Consider our scoffing officially retracted."

Jason Ritter in The Event

"The rumor mill suggests Ritter is a super-nice guy, and his Sean Walker is about the only rootable character on 24: Lost Edition. Sadly, we're not so much cheering for him to find his missing fiancée as we are for him to rob a drugstore for some shaving cream and a five-blade Gillette: All that carefully sparse facial hair does is make him look untrustworthy and wussy. Don't say he doesn't have the time amid surviving a plane crash, getting shot at, and being on the lam, because he somehow found a moment to put all that gel in his locks. Priorities, man."

(all images and descriptions courtesy new york mag)

coq au vin

(image courtesy le creuset)

I love coq au vin. Talk about ultimate fall, comfort food! Mmm.

Last night, we whipped up a tasty stove top version from the always fantastic Mark Bittman.

Pulled from Bittman's divine 2009 cookbook Kitchen Express, this recipe creates a seriously delicious, flavorful dish in a small amount of time.

(image courtesy indie bound)

I must confess I'm a bit obsessed with this cookbook. Not only are all the seasonal recipes I've tried really tasty, but Bittman's directions are written in simplified, paragraph form that include meansurements like "a little bit," "a pinch," and "a drizzle."

The book also includes a chart of ingredient substitutions which I find really helpful and informative. Let's just say, I've given it as a gift to all the ladies in my life who love to cook.

Check out the tasty details on Bittman's dish below:

Coq au Vin

Classic French flavors.

Pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) to half-inch thickness and season with salt and pepper. Sear on both sides in a bit of butter; set aside. Add two carrots chopped into one-inch pieces and half an onion cut into wedges; cook until the onion begins to soften. Add a cup of red wine, a bay leaf, a teaspoon of fresh tarragon, and a thyme sprig; deglaze the pan, return the chicken to the pan, and cover. Simmer for about six minutes until meat is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

do you dry shampoo?

For those of us with "difficult" hair, the process of styling your hair daily equates to a serious waste of time! Seriously. I can think of a million more interesting ways to spend my days-

Still, no one wants to leave the house with nasty, flat, dirty hair so what's the solution?

Answer? Dry shampoo. Quite simply, it is the best invention. Ever.

(image courtesy allure)

There are numerous brands/options on the market these days, but my tried-and-true favorite since 2007 is Oscar Blandi's powder version (image above). It smells delicious and can take your hair from nasty hat head to classy business lady in two seconds flat.

I recommend using with Blandi's Jasmine Protein Mist for a bouncy, clean mane.

(image courtesy ulta)

Know before you buy? Powdered dry shampoos are much more effective than the spray can versions. They also last 3x's as long.

ahhhh

Happy weekend, friends!

This week has been one for the record books...insanely busy from start to finish. There are unanswered emails, calls and missed trips to the gym. We just this.very.moment wrapped a photo shoot at our offices for an upcoming book (did I mention it began at 7:30 this morning?) and all I can think about is....

(image courtesy freewebs)

Hope everyone has a wonderful, relaxing weekend filled with people and places you love. Here's to a few days off!

beaded necklaces

(image courtesy wit & delight)

I love Elva Fields' bold, beaded necklaces. These rocking statement pieces would make any outfit.

The owner/designer, Emily Wheat Maynard, named this jewelry line after her granny. Cuteness!

Maynard maintains a blog for the jewelry line where she matches her beaded creations with specific clothing to create some pretty adorable looks.

For example, there is this "I Could" coral necklace (named because it "could be worn with anything")

paired with this scalloped Tory Burch top.

Here are a few other combos from Maynard:

(images courtesy elva fields)