Be Merry, Be Bright

A very Merry Merry Christmas to all my readers. Hope you get to have a lovely holiday with laughter, family, food, and festivity!

Coming Soon: Swoonworthy Necklace

Just saw a news story on mrs-o.org about a new collaboration between Fenton and JCrew for a few new necklaces debuting late December. I completely credit mrs-o.org with this marvelous discovery, but oh my. Yes please!

And the gray-green....SIGH

Read all about it here!

Scenes from the Weekend

Great weekend leading up to the holiday week. Visiting with family, snow, working, shopping, eating...all the best ways to spend a few days off!

Here in Boston we got about 7 inches of snow...it was beautiful! I woke up Sunday morning and watched Love Actually as I watched the flurries fly. I snapped this picture from our window as the snow piled up...

Later on in the afternoon we walked down Newbury to do a bit of shopping and saw the sky glowing pink and orange. This iPhone pic doesn't do it much justice, but I am trying to take pictures of pretty moments in my new city and this was one of them!

In the evening I headed to Target with my sister--she was shopping for two children in need and we had so much fun picking out toys, clothes and treats to make their holiday special. While I was there I stumbled on the Rodarte line for Target that Chloe had mentioned--I snapped a pic of this unique dress. I also bought the cami in this color--hopefully I will have the IRL pics of this soon!


How did you spend this weekend? Are you getting excited for the holidays?

Spotted: Cute Little Black Dress

I stopped by the Kate Spade store the other day to see what was new and loved all their festive holiday offerings. Their new apparel line really caught my eye, particularly this new simple black silk dupioni shift dress, seen here.

The Dyan dress had a great shape and length to it. Its pricey but would be a great investment piece--sort of an all season fabric that could work with a cardigan for the office or for any event.

Great scoop neckline, ruffle detail, nice definition at the waist without being too too fitted.


Closeup of the fabric...

Have any of you tried Kate Spade's new clothing? This dress will go on my pie-in-the-sky wishlist. A little too pricey but one to keep in mind!

Shop Visit: Timeless Treasures, San Francisco

I was cruising through my iPhone pictures and I realized that I never blogged about one of my last shop visits from the Bay Area, Timeless Treasures in San Francisco.

I had wanted to visit this shop ever since I saw it mentioned on another blog for its famous collection of vintage letters from around the US. Timeless Treasures searches the country for old signage and marquees to collect letters that you can then buy individually or as a word from their shop. Naturally, this was a mecca for me that I had to visit!

Here is the collection of a la carte letters, sorted by alphabet. I found letters from movie marquees in Chicago, farm signs in Omaha, New York deli letters--you get the idea, it was like a fun scavenger hunt!

The shop also displays letters in phrases and vignettes around the store...(please note: the below picture does not reflect support for the NY Yankees in any way)

They also have beautiful vintage items such as pottery, stationery, jewelry, and home goods...

Here is a view of the beautiful shop!


I love this shop! I bought an initial for both me and Hubs, and hung them over our nightstands on either side of the bed. His is from a movie marquee (a manly solid black classic letter) and mine is from a gas station sign (a bright and bold red letter for me!).

Visit Timeless Treasures at 2176 Sutter St, San Francisco.

New Favorite Thing: Glee

Umm. If you are not watching this show, you are MISSING OUT! It is so fun. A JCrew-dressed guidance counselor? A Spanish teacher that sings Bust a Move? Songs so fun I have easily dropped $20 on iTunes for them? YES PLEASE!

So so sorry I have been so MIA. I promise to return to my favorite things ASAP. So many capital letters in this post! I must be pumped for tonights show...if you watch chime in!

New Favorite Thing: Dash and Albert Rugs

Well, readers, I think at last these are the end of the "home" posts! Hubs and I finally have a table to eat and blog on, and with it I went searching for a simple rug to add color to the kitchen. Why are most (cheap) rugs so ugly? I just wanted some simple vibrant colors in a non-garish design....and apparently that was a tall order, sheesh.

Then I came upon Dash & Albert's line of woven cotton rugs. There are a million different color and pattern options, many sizes, all in do-able prices. Huzzah! You can see their website here.

I selected the Montana Stripe, 4x6 for under our table. I wanted something that wouldn't show any stains and match the deeper colors we have in our apartment, along with the darker BJURSTA table we selected at Ikea (now $149 and expands with built in leaf!). Here is the result:


The rug also came super fast with ground shipping. Was great to finally have things tied together!

What do you think? Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Swoonworthy Tortoise--TB Revas

Oh my. Just dropping in to show you these new Tory Burch resort Revas that are now on Nordstrom.com. I love tortoiseshell--I have a great Michael Kors tortoise watch and many JCrew tortoise hair accessories. I love the tones of black and brown together and the classic preppy look it has.

Check these out! Squeal...

Brown version....

Love them!

You can find these and pre-order them here.

I have just recently gotten the TB Revas in black on ebay, I previously had the orange suede version that I found on sale. I think they are a nice polish flat look. Now how to avoid buying these new ones!

What do you think??

Jonathan Adler on Newbury!

Sorry for all the "home" posts...but its what I am focusing on these days!

The other day on a walk around town I stumbled on the new Jonathan Adler store on Newbury. What a bright, cheery, fun store and home perspective.

His book, My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living, was front and center. I think this is going on my Christmas list!

Look at this adorable rug. When I find $720 in the couch cushions, I'm going for it!

All of the rugs and pillows in the store and online can be customized in color with all the pretty tones seen below for the same price. Fun! So I could have a YELLOW anchor on a blue rug? Perfect!

More pillows and rugs and fun...

Tons of color!


I recommend a visit to the store if you are strolling Newbury. If not, you can always find great stuff on the Jonathan Adler site.

What are your favorite home stores?

Apartment Tour and Favorites

As we have been settling into our apartment, I always love the feeling of making an empty apartment into our home. Hubs and I are still renting, so moving in always has a few parameters that we have to follow:

• No painting the walls--must find other ways to add warmth and color.
• Short term--we know we won't want custom things as we will probably move on.
• Use what you have--we try not to buy new furniture for each apartment and use our stuff in new ways to make it work.
• Your Home for Your Life--make your place work for your life the way you live it most days. For example, we decided not to pay more for a large guest bedroom (plus buying a bed!) because for the 360 other days a year, we just need a small office.
  

This time around, I tried to take a little extra time as I set up shop paying attention to the details and organization that will work for us. After more than 6 apartments as a couple, I have a few rules that I live by on the apartment front. Please know that I know these aren't for everyone! Just a fun trip around my place. Would love to hear about your apartment/home rules to live by!

1. Find and Add Pieces you LOVE!
I find and get things as I see them, even if the styles start to get eclectic. Having pieces you adore in your home surrounds you with happy memories about the things that make it personal. This Floorcloth is my latest addition, a housewarming/anniversary present from my mom. This whale cloth is part of a series found at a Cape Cod shop, Pleasant Bay Trading Company, by artist Molly Lesnikowski. My mom has a schooner and crab mats at their Cape Cod house so this new whale friend is like a connection to our family homes. He makes me smile!

2. Arrange art and prints together to make an impact.
Over the years my mom and I have collected prints and little paintings of New England scenes. By now, I have enough that I can group them together in a montage that looks great together on a larger wall. While this can be a big project for Hubs, the result is so much fun to look at and represents sort of an "Art History" of our marriage.

3. Go Bold in the Bathroom.
Someday I hope to paint my small bathrooms in vibrant colors, but in the meantime, I use shower curtains and rugs to add interest in these white rooms. I found this shower curtain and rug at different times at Target and love the green, blue, teal, and brown together. Why not have fun in a room you use to get ready? I also added a jadeite pancake batter bowl to hold travel samples of products to try.

4. Make your closet inviting.
This time when unpacking, I tried to organize color and types of clothes togeter to make getting dressed easier. How do I get dressed? Make it work for you. I also use hooks on one walls for jewelry and things I use the most--robe, fleece jacket to run outside, favorite handbag. Easy access is key for me!

4. Use organizers in unconventional ways...I filled this shoe organizer partly with shoes then used other pockets for umbrellas, running gear, lint roller, winter gloves--everything I might need to grab.

5. You never know what might work...
We had a nice patio at our old place and last Thanksgiving we had a bar out there for wine and beer. I certainly didn't remember until I opened a box and found the steel drink bucket, with no patio to put it on! In our new home, it holds a cozy blanket and pillow on the hearth that we can use when the weather gets colder.

6. Make your Home a Personal Museum.
I love curating our things together. I believe I have shown you these posters before from orkposters.com. This time they hang above a mantel, and so I am planning on making a vignette for each area we lived in with objects and pictures below. Right now the California section has our Olive Harvest fusto, license place, and a flour sifter my mom found, and favorite picture.

7. Love what you look at everyday.
I already posted a grainy pic of this, but this time I arranged our bookshelves by color. I adore the way it looks. Again, it took more time to put together as I unpacked, but the result makes me happy daily in our living room. I was surprised to see the beautful colors my books represented once I started looking at the spines. This is another way I added color to a wall with no paint needed!


I love our new place. Still more work to do--and if there is more I will take a pic! I would love to hear what rules you live by when putting toegether your home and decorating! What are your favorite things about where you live?

Thanks for reading, have a great afternoon!

A LizPoms Favorite Solution

You may recall my love affair with my Hunter Huntress (Extended Calf) Wellies that I got last winter. Here is a glamour shot of them when we first met...

Well, a year's worth of wear and sun and being in the box and who knows what else made them look so so so sad. Apparently its a factor of the rubber that the wellies can "bloom" and have white marks come to the surface on the rubber. When you google Hunter Wellies Care, you can find a great thread on Purse Forum and find photos like these below and some solutions. See here.

The Hunter website says that you should wipe them gently with a warm soapy cloth. Um, this does not work. Look at my dear boots even AFTER a vigorous wipe with a warm soapy cloth for like 30 minutes....YUCK!

Soooo..enter one of the solutions, the McNett UV Tech. This is supposed to be for rubber wetsuits and rafts and stuff when they lay in the sun. At this point I would try ANYTHING. The Hunter polish only is available in Britain, and McNett can be found at REI.com.

After some Hubs elbow grease...check out the side by side comparison!!

And again...they still have a bit of a faded look, but better than nothing....

Ta-Da!!! Much better!!


So glad my Hunters aren't horrid to look at anymore. I think I will probably have to keep applying this over the season to keep the white to a minimum.

I know not everyone has Hunters, but wanted to let you know an easy solution I found for their care! I love these boots and can't wait to keep wearing them!

Mission Accomplished: 13.1 Miles!!

Well readers, I am back from the big race! Yesterday was the Nike Women's Marathon (and Half Marathon) in San Francisco, and tonight I am already back in Boston after a whirlwind weekend.

Loooong story short...I made it! I ran with two best friends and we ran the whole way--no walking. This was my main goal, so I accomplished what I set out to do! The race was long and hard--and I realized that training on my own had set me back a bit as my friends definitely seemed to be running easier than I was (lets just say my iPod Nano Nike+ had told me I ran 11.5 miles training...when we finished 13.1 miles for the race, it had me at 15.96...do the math and I realized that I hadn't trained as well as I thought! :( ). But I kept concentrating on keeping it up and finishing, and we did it! We stuck together the whole way, which I am so grateful for--kept me going and also made the Finish all the more meaningful! Friends are amazing!

Here's a few pics of the race excitement....

On Friday we visited the race Expo...Niketown had a wall of all the names of the racers, it was so cool to find mine and know that I was a (half) marathoner!

Thousands of runners getting ready for the Start! Over 20,000 ran in the Half and Full races.

San Francisco's Union Square seemed to glow that morning...the sky brightened up from dark to dawn.


Almost ready to go!


The race was a tremendous experience. To know that I couldn't run a mile last year and yesterday I ran 13.1 without stopping will always be one of my greatest accomplishments. And to do it with two amazing friends who I get to see far too rarely made it a special treat. I loved having a goal to work towards! Now I just have to think of the next one...

Thanks again for all of your support! what did you all do this weekend?

Glimpses

Just a couple of grainy pics of the apartment coming together....I hope to take glamour shots of it next week!

Ikea Billy Bookshelves with our books arranged by color (joy!)....

Ignore the clutter and Hubs' Bud Light...but our hearth with candles lit..

More to come.

Tomorrow I leave for my Half Marathon! Wish me luck! Eek....

Kreativ Blogger--Thank you!!

I am so happy to say that Pamela from GingerGirl presented me with the Kreativ Blogger Award! I loved checking out Pamela's blog, its about everything in her life--clothes, trips, TV...great reads! Check it out and I'm sure you'll be a follower!!

Now, there are several things I will be doing next:

1) Thanking the person who gave this to me!

Thanks again Pamela! I love being a part of our blog-community!

2) Copy the Logo and place it your blog.

3) Link the person who nominated you.

4) Name 7 things about yourself that no one would really know.

5) Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6) Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

7) Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

So, the highly anticipated 7 things no one really knows...

1) Hubs and I are high school sweethearts--we have been together for 12 years, even though only married for 6! We have grown up together and I love that we found each other when we were young.

2) I love Popcorn and salty snacks. If given the choice between popcorn and ice cream, I would pick popcorn every time! I just made a batch for a snack.

3) Sadly I picked my nails for like 15 years, down to the quick. Over the last year or so I have FINALLY overcome this horrible, embarrassing habit that would make me hide my hands from people when I met them. For better or worse, beating the habit is one of my greatest accomplishments, ha!

4) I have had so many dream jobs over the years...Olympic swimmer, stationery designer, astronaut, marine biologist, JCrew employee, advertising exec, stay at home mom. I have designs to complete at least a couple of those!

5) I am a nightowl...I get a second wind around 10:30 and I can be on the computer or watching TV until 1AM. I don't recommend this...I'm always tired!

6) I collect Fiestaware, Photos, Books, Vintage Letters (Hubs and my initials), small paintings my mom finds in antique stores, and apparently--Ikea furniture. We are in our 7th apartment since leaving college, crazy! But the furniture is still early-twenties chic.

7) If there is something called a third-life-crisis, I'm having it! I feel like I am at a crossroads as far as career, family, buying a house, etc. Meanwhile I still wish I could go on an Italian vacation--I'm all over the place!

And without further ado-here are my seven nominations!

1) MsMer at SanFranciscowithLove

2) Joyce at TheBestJoyce

3) GigiofCA from Gigi's Gone Shopping

4) SparrowsandSparkles

5) Cari at IsNotFashion

6) Christina at Christina'sFavoriteThings

7) JemmaRuby of DiaryofaWonderWoman

These are a sampling of my favs who I think really show a lot of creativity. Of course there are TON of Kreativ bloggers out here. What a great community to be part of!

Have a great day everyone!!

Today is Move In Day 1!

Quote of the day, from one of the movers hauling our worldly possessions up two flights of stairs:

"So was your place in Oakland...bigger?"

That says it all...fitting everything into our new place is a work in progress, sorry for the blogging lag! I will have pics of the new place very soon. I also want to thank and respond to Pamela's Kreative Blogger award, yay thanks! Thats coming this week.

So, readers, any favorite moving stories? Things lost, couches stuck in doorways? My favorite was reading box titles we made up a month ago, such as "PORCH: tennis racket, Christmas tree stand, flower pot, cooler". Or "LIVING ROOM: Apron, Baggies, Photos, Spices"...huh? Sadly, no porch this time so this box got pushed to the back! Share your stories! Miss you all!

Outfit of Tonight: Red Sox Game

Sporty LizPoms! This outfit is a perfect example of how I can go from preppy/feminine to sporty all in one day. This evening we were heading to a Red Sox game and I knew the temps were getting chilly! Had to "bundle up"...

Sweater: M+O Mixed Gauge Cowl Neck, seen here.
Jeans: Gap Long and Leans (my casual jeans)
Shoes: ASICS sneaks
Hat: Favorite
Bag: Old Herve Chapelier tote from NYC days.
Jacket: LL Bean Breton Riding Jacket, seen here.

A note on this jacket...since we are still waiting for all of our belongings to arrive, I needed a jacket but didn't want to duplicate anything I have. I have always admired Burberry and Barbour quilted coats , but could never swing that price for a casual coat. I need something that looks good with jeans and a scarf but could get wet (not leather) and really keep some chill out. I found this one at LLBean and the fit is pretty good (one complaint..the arms are too wide, may see if that could be tailored?) but I sized down to a Small to get a fitted look. It has snaps at the vents and waist, and good pockets. Its lined with Thinsulate and really has kept the wind out. Sort of Equestrian/Motor styling. Retails for $139.

I kept warm and we had a great night, even though the Red Sox couldn't come all the way back. Goodnight all!

Outfit of the Other Day

For better or for worse, I have a blurry way to take pics while in our temporary apartment...this depressing hallway has a nearly full-length mirror, while the apartment does not.

In this outfit:
Shirt: Jcrew Contrast-Stitch Perfect Shirt
Skirt: JCrew Ikat Print Pencil Skirt
Shoes: Blanched Almond Juliet from JCrew
Belt: JCrew
Earrings: BR Hexagon Floral Gold
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Morning After in Brown

I loved this outfit! More soon....