Sneak Peak into Spring 2010 Trends...

I was doing research on spring 2010 fashion and home trends over the weekend. Pantone is declaring Aurora Yellow to be the "it" color along with violet, pink champagne and other yummy shades. You can check out the whole report here.

After I got my color fix over at Pantone, I decided to check out Style.com and revisit the photos from the Spring 2010 fashion shows. What's hot in fashion tends to also point to what's hot in home so I was glad to check it all out! I couldn't help but drool over some of these accessories. Here's a look at what we might be seeing come spring:


Top Row, left to right:

Chanel: Love this glam meets country bag!

Manolo Blahnik: Lace-up heels are going to be everywhere.

Middle Row, left to right:

Sonia Rykiel: I'll take oh, about a dozen to stack up on each arm, please!

Christian Louboutian: Sexy sky-high heels with a pretty basketweave...a girl can dream!

Last row:
Coach: Slinky python metallic bag...hmm, this might make my xmas wish list!

I am patiently awaiting spring!

Oh, So Thankful...

Via marthastewart.com

The day after Thanksgiving is always a swirl of relief (made it through another holiday!), guilt (shouldn't have had that second glass of wine!) and pure joy :)

My family is the result of that joy, I am so very lucky to be surrounded by the most loving, caring, happy, funny, sweet, intelligent and just plain fabulous people!

I "co-host" the holiday with my mom and while it's a bit of an undertaking, it is so wonderful to welcome the family and watch as they enjoy the festivities!

We usually have a set menu with familiar favorites on it, however this year...we added two NEW favorites! Please try these...you'll be glad you did!

1. Crunchy Baked Fennel.

This crispy and delicious recipe comes from Food & Wine Magazine. Roasted sliced fennel is topped with crunchy Japanese Panko Crumbs that have been toasted and mixed with sauteed garlic, shallots and fresh tyme and olive oil. I added chicken broth instead of white wine before baking but either way would be so delicious!

2. Ciabatta Stuffing.

My clever mother adapted her recipe from Giada DeLaurentiis' Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta. What'd she do different? Nixed the chestnuts (not a fan) and pancetta (too salty for our crowd) and instead, pumped up the autumn flavors with Craisins and pine nuts. This stuffing is so moist and the Ciabatta bread just soaks up the flavors! Yum.

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday!

Designer Inspiration: Jaime Drake

I am a design junkie, no question. And professional interior designers are my heroes. While I may eat, sleep, breathe--oh, and write about design and decorating, I am not a practicing designer (well, in my own home I certainly am). Perhaps one day but for now, I enjoy sitting back and drooling over what the pros create.

This photo gallery from nytimes.com of designer Jaime Drake's NYC apartment blew my mind. Bursting with color and creativity, it's no wonder Mr. Drake is one of the best around.

My favorite photo is this bedroom shot. I adore, adore, adore the green-painted wall behind the bed and the energetic painting that is ever-so-slightly off-center. So refreshing and fun. Also loving the simple colorful coverlet on the bed...hm...something to think about for my own bedroom makeover.

My other favorite photo? The lacquered wood coffee table that is embedded with Swarovski Crystals. Is he kidding?! For me, this was love at first sight!

You can check out the rest of the gallery here. I hope it inspires you as much as it has me!

Bedroom Makeover III: Bedding Inspiration

Nothing is more fun than choosing new bedding. I'm so excited that I'm having a hard time narrowing it down...here are some of my top choices:

This Calvin Klein set from Bloomingdales.com...is so pretty and a great price ($135.99) but a little too lavender for the hubby I think, we'll have to check it out...

This is another pretty set, from Macys...on sale for $99.99, although the silver is a bit light. I'd have to see it in person.

Then of course, last night I was reading the Elements of Style Blog and Erin picked up an amazing Ralph Lauren bedding set at HomeGoods (my favorite store!) which is exactly what I'm looking for...Check it out here. I think I'm taking a trip over to HomeGoods. She's got great style so I'm pretty excited that we're both going for a similar look in our bedrooms!

P.S. - Erin is hosting a HomeGoods giveaway on her blog right now...you've got to go check it out!

Bedroom Makeover Part II: Primed and Inspired

Thanks to my hard-working hubby the bedroom is primed and ready to paint. I'm a little out of sorts without the comfort of my bedroom tonight, but I'm excited to see how the painting will go tomorrow.

I'm still sold on Manhattan Mist from Behr but here's a shot of our color choices and inspiration page. Manhattan Mist is the color on the bottom just to the left of the page. We'll see how it turns out.

(Sorry for the awful photos, I'm between cameras and only have my cell phone to snap pics with!)

Ok, wish us luck! I know, it wasn't the most exciting update, but hey...thanks for listening!

Bedroom Makeover, Part I: A Grey Romance

We've decided to repaint our bedroom. I'd like it to have a more modern, romantic vibe with a little drama. Kinda like me :)

I fell in love with and scooped up these pillows (in black) from HomeGoods, which are now serving as the inspiration for the entire new look of the bedroom.

They're the Popple ZigZag pillows from Thro., LTD. It's hard to see but trust me they are shiny, luxurious and gorgeous with a silk back. They're over on Overstock.com right now for a good price if you're interested.

I loved they are in grey, purple, black, silver--all of my favorite colors. Right now the browns, peanut butter and robin's egg blue we have in the bedroom just isn't doing it for me.

So we spent our morning pouring over grey paint samples and have narrowed it down. Right now, my choice is Manhattan Mist from Behr. A blue-toned grey that will cool things up and still embrace warmth. Sounds, nice, right?

We'll be priming and painting over the next few days so I'll be sure to take photos and post the before and afters. For now, it's on to shopping for bedding!