From the Inspiration Files

Some of my favorite decorating adjectives are exemplified in these images... adjectives such as whimsical...

Shiny...

Cozy...

Dramatic...

Sleek...

(Images via: Ruthie Sommers, Miguel Flores-Vianna, Melanie Acevedo, Diane Bergeron Interiors, Miguel Flores-Vianna)

Holidays are here!

Thanksgiving is over and with that, the holidays are officially here! Time to decorate and wrap gifts and make wish lists and travel plans! I put a wreath on my front door last night - just a little something sparkly and festive to get me in the mood. How about you? Did anyone take part in the shopping madness this weekend, or put their tree up perhaps? 

(Image via Homes and Gardens)

A Colorful Home

I wish the pictures of this house were larger, because there really is a lot of great stuff to look at here. Designed by Mona Ross Berman, this suburban Philadelphia home is full of all the things I love - color, pattern, whimsy and light! The breakfast area is particularly delightful, with the aqua chairs and marble-topped table. To read the story and see the full house tour, go here...

(All images by Gemma Comas for Philadelphia Home magazine)

Tuesday Eye Candy... Gabriella Kiss Jewelry + my engagement ring

Seriously, Gabriella Kiss creates the most beautiful jewelry I have ever seen. I became a fan immediately after seeing her work at the most lovely boutique in Philadelphia, Egan Day (if you recall, I blogged about this shop back in the spring). Kiss is a true artist, and her work is clearly inspired by nature, which I love. These bird earrings for example, are divine...

So when my sweetie asked me to marry him, AND bestowed me with a spectacularly gorgeous Gabriella Kiss engagement ring... well, how could I not be over the moon! (I admit, I would have been over the moon even if he had given me something from a cracker jack box, but he did not do that so...) An oval, rose-cut diamond, bezel set in yellow gold - he couldn't have picked out something more perfect if I had been there with him. It is the ideal combination of antique-y and sleek, and I love it...

My guy is awesome and has great taste, and I'm a very lucky girl indeed...

Gabriella Kiss creates so much luxe eye candy though, you really have to take in the variety of unique pieces. Her work is not sold online, but Egan Day here in Philly (or Quadrum Gallery in Boston) will gladly send you photos and ship your purchase directly to you. Here's a few more of my favorites...

(Images via Quadrum Gallery, Egan Day, and yours truly)

Black and White and Chic

Did you see this great LA house tour posted over at Apartment Therapy last week? It's one of the coolest places I've seen there in a long time - full of bold pops of color and fun accessories. It's very "Jonathan Adler," which I love. I'm particularly intrigued by the black and white striped dresser next to the bed- what a fantastic DIY project that would be! Here are a few more images... total eye candy in my opinion...

Sparkle and Shine

Via here...

Happy Friday + Holidays are on the way!

I can't believe the holidays are almost here. It's crazy how fast this year has gone by! I mean seriously, my first party of the season is in only two weeks! Of course, this makes me start thinking about what I'm going to wear, and what I want to wear are shiny, sparkly jewel tones - like pretty much everything from the Kate Spade winter collection. The green silk organza dress shown above is particularly tempting! And it would be even cuter with some of these accessories...

So are you all thinking about cocktail dresses and holiday parties yet? If so, what are you going to wear? Have fun thinking about it this weekend... I hope it's a great one for you all!

Cool Kids Bedrooms

(Images from top, via: Cookie Magazine, Living Etc., Cookie, Kishani Perera Interior Design, Cookie, Amanda Nisbet Design, Cookie, Kishani Perera, Cookie)

Yummy Scents on Crescent Row

Benefit products always have great packaging, but the bottles for the new scents from their Crescent Row collection really take the cake. Reminiscent of cocktail shakers, each gold-domed bottle features a colorful retro-mod label meant to represent three different types of women. And they took the theme even farther, creating a house (actually the perfume box) for each one of the ladies, with decor that looks like it straight out of Domino. But the best thing about these yummy new scents is that they smell fantastic! I am absolutely obsessed with "My Place or Yours Gina," which is described as a "woody oriental" with notes of pink pepper, wild raspberry and patchouli. I think it's intoxicating... like a sexy, spicy cotton candy! And boy will that bottle look cute on my dresser...

Tuesday Eye Candy: New Fifi Lapin Prints

I can't believe I am envious of an illustrated bunny's wardrobe, but as usual, I am. These new prints of Fifi Lapin show the floppy-eared lady in all her chic and adorable glory... I wish I could have a wall of them for my dressing room! Via here...

Happy Monday + Engagement Photos!

Hope you all had a great weekend! It was an exciting one for me, as we received the photos from our engagement shoot with the amazing Heidi from Our Labor of Love. Kevin and I are super thrilled with the results - they are so beautiful, colorful and fun... exactly what we wanted! Want to see more? Check out a small sampling from our photo session here!