New Art

A house is not a home without pictures of loved ones, cherished books and interesting Art.  Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder when it comes to selecting your favorite pieces to have around.  I just bought a new painting today by Artist, Bekah Ash (www.bekahash.com) which I cant wait to receive.
Ms. Ash is a wonderful painter, a mid-western gal, that really captures the life of a "modern girl" in her paintings.  I just love the look in her eyes above (framed in blue), how her head is tilted and off-set, her striped tee and rosy cheeks.  Cant wait to adore this beauty in person.

Freshen Up with Stripes

I have been looking for some paint inspiration (after the Purple dining room incident) and I just came across this striped bedroom via The Home Blog (http://ahomeblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/instant-makeover.html).  This gal is a genius.  She used her existing Benjamin Moore Palm Dessert Tan and then added cream stripes.  The Chevron Pattern has me thinking about how I can replicate.......Anything that gets me this excited, I have to share.  Pretty cool!!

Let's have a Tea Party!

My kids LOVE to have tea parties.  We get out the ceramic tea set, brew our decaf Orange Spice Tea and spend the whole time refilling our tiny cups w/ CoffeeMate Vanilla creamer which the kids drink more of than tea!  Today's mail delivered the New Summer Tea Collection of kids clothes and I found the cutest dresses for my 2 year old, all under $30.  This brand washes well, stays soft and lasts.

The Palma Playdress, $27

The Sol Floral Halter Dress, $27

The Boardwalk V-Neck Dress, $27

The Campanillas Banded Dress, $27

Beach Prints, $10!

The family just got back from a gorgeous weekend at the Oregon Coast (Thanks Albrights) and I thought these prints would be super cute in a beach house (or a kids bedroom).  They are 8x10 illustrations on 1-page of an old vintage dictionary (from 1896) , cost $10.00!!  There are many different pictures, but I only included seashore pictures below.  Here's the link:
http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?ref=auto&q=dictionary+art

Age Appropriate Behavior

My Two-Year Old, Terrible or Tender?
My Five-Year Old, Sunny or Serene?
My Seven-Year Old, Life in a Minor Key


Louise Bates Ames' successful series of age-appropriate behavior books are a must-read for parents seeking advice and understanding of their child's ages and stages.  Being a better parent starts with understanding what is normal and age appropriate behavior. Whether your child is a toddler or a teen, there is a parenting book available that will address your child development concerns.
I personally get a lot out of these books.  They help me relax, stop worrying and focus on realistic solutions.

Morning Routine

My family bought me a Blush Beauty Bar gift certificate last Christmas for the "Manhatten" where I spend 1 hour w/ a makeup artist to discuss my existing make up and how to best use it and then help me select a few other items to add to my makeup bag.  It was a great experience because while I don't have much "getting ready" time in the morning, I can do a few key things to still look good and feel good in less than 3 minutes.  My 4 must have's for the morning makeup routine are as follows:

1) Liquid eye liner  - I apply this to my upper eyes between the eyelid rim and lashes.  Link below for some choices.
http://www.nextag.com/Eyes--zzliquid+eyelinerz2702139z3zBmz5---html
2) Neutral eye shadow (to hide my veins)
3) Curl my eye lashes (to make them look longer)
4) Lip stick (neutral color or light nude gloss)

By spending more time on my eyes in the morning, I think it makes me look less tired (if thats possible, Ha!), and brings the eyes up.

Cute as a Boden

I just got the new Boden catalog and I have dog-eared sooooo many pages, I may as well order the whole darn catalog (I wish).  The dresses are pretty, floral with bright colors and prints, the sandals have tassels, the t-shirts are ruffled and layered....each page is something cuter.  As always, a few of my favorite, must-have's are below.

The Halterneck Dress

Broderie Dress

Jersey Beach Dress

Beach Shirt Dress

Bead Top

The tassel sandals come in red, green, purple/blue and gray.  I want every color.

Glitter ME!

Everyone needs a little bling.  I am not talking about diamonds, I am talking about shoes!!!!!  And I don't mean the red, glitter Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz Target shoes your daughter and her friends wear.  I bought the cutest Lula Glitter ballet flats ($135) from J.crew yesterday that I have already worn two days in a row.  I just know I will wear these all the time and be one of my Spring staples.  I can wear them w/ jeans and a t-shirt, or khaki's/cords with a button down and cardigan or blazer.  A picture of my new find is below with a few cute others....




Wow!  I just found a blog dedicated to J.Crew (crewlala.blogspot.com) - cool! and she loves my shoes too!




Bloomingdales, Stuart Weitzman, "Lastikon" Glitter Flats, $275 (above)

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Tory Burch, Reva Glitter Ballerina's, $285