WINDSOR CHAIRS UPDATED

One of the best things about being a 'trade member' in the design world is I get exclusive emails and access to some of the best furniture and fabric companies out in the market today that others can't. This morning I got a wonderful surprise from West Elm debuting their new Windsor Collection and I'm pleasantly impressed. The classic Windsor chair has been reinvented with a low profile and clean, minimalist lines. There are three different pieces within the collection: Accent, Chaise and Dining Chairs.

{dining chair option}

{chaise option}

{accent chair option}

I have been an avid West Elm fan for the past 10 years - yes, even before I was a designer I loved their furniture! Their prices run from $149.00 - 699.00 retail, which is incredibly reasonable for the amount of work and craftsmanship that goes into all of their pieces. I can just imagine the accent chair standing up beautifully to a chesterfield sofa for that perfect juxtaposition in a room.

For more information and their entire collection, please visit any West Elm retailer or online by clicking here.

{images via West Elm}

FOOD GAWKING IS EASY

{image here}

{image here}

{image here}

While searching for the perfect image on my last 'WARMING UP' post about chicken soup, I stumbled across a BEAUTIFUL site: Food Gawker. I literally spent about 20 minutes DROOLING over all of this foodie delightfulness. I suggest you pop over there and enjoy!

{image here}

foodgawker is a gallery where food bloggers can showcase their food and photography skills. It's a place for you to discover new sites, dishes, recipes and ingredients to inspire your own cooking. Anyone can submit pictures, if they follow our simple site rules...

1. Attribution is MANDATORY! Do not steal other site's pictures!
2. Do not violate anyone's copyrights! Any post with violations will be removed immediately. Let us know if your photo was mistakenly posted.
3. Registration is required to post pictures.
4. Post beautiful, well-balanced, food related photos.
5. Photos are cropped to 250 px by 250 px.
6. We reserve the right to remove posts at any time.
7. Submissions are moderated.

To learn more about the creator of foodgawker, visit Sunday Nite Dinner (SND).

Can you tell I'm in the mood for dessert?

{all images found via foodgawker}

WARMING UP

Have you ever noticed that when you are feeling down or a little bit sick that a bowl of warm, wonderful soup can make you feel so much better? Tonight I am a little under the weather, and a perfect bowl of chicken soup sounds just about right.

{image via martha stewart}

FEELING COZY

One of my dear friends turned me on to the 'cozy'. She traveled all the way from Nashville, TN to meet me in Las Vegas for 2 days... and when we stopped at Coffee Bean for a blended mocha she was positively devastated she forgot her drink cozy back in the hotel. It took all I had not to giggle at her expression of defeat for now having to wrap a paper napkin around her frosty beverage and fret about her fingers getting cold.

It got me thinking: what other items out there require a cozy?

An owl tea cozy for your tea pot! How adorable!!! I would love to receive one of these as a gift, total smile on my face.

Technically, a pillow cover is somewhat of a pillow cozy. These cable knit pillows would be lovely for curling up on to read a book while wearing some equally cozy socks.

An apple cozy is genius. There are many times I just toss an apple in my purse for later snacking and always end up pulling it back out with a few bruises and fuzz.

{apple and mug cozy here}

{owl tea cozy here}

{pillow cozy here}

SWEET ART

My mother is an extremely talented artist. She has been painting and creating and making beautiful things for as long as I can remember. Today, she opened up her very first ETSY shop! I'd like to introduce you to the Canvas Bakery, where you can find all of your handmade sweet treats. She only has a few items posted as of today, but her collection will be growing over the next few weeks for sure.

My favorite item right now are these beautiful hand sculpted cake boxes for holding trinkets and such in. She uses wooden hinged boxes and COVERS them with 'frosting' to look just like a cake. You can customize your cake box in any 'flavor' you'd like.

I can just imagine giving one of my girlfriends who is currently engaged a gift in one of those boxes. Perfect for the bride to be! Or to my other girlfriend who is currently pregnant for her daughters first tea party. Sweet treats indeed!

Doesn't that frosting just look positively delicious? Hard to believe its not real...

{images via canvas bakery}

DESIGN BLOGGERS UNITE

Is anyone else as excited as I am for what's in store next month? The 1st annual Design Bloggers Conference held in good ole' LA is coming! And JUST in time for my birthday! The conference is February 28 - March 1, and best believe you will find me holed up inside the Sofitel LA - how awful, right? - feasting my eyes and ears on all of my blogging idols and getting some inside scoop on blogging.

Early bird registration ends tonight so save yourself $100 bucks and pop over to http://design-bloggers-conference.com/ and register!

{information here}

CHICAGO BEARS

I realize this has nothing to do with interior design, but I thought I'd share my pure love and devotion for the Chicago Bears. I am sitting in my pj's STILL in bed from this morning with my eyes glued to the tv watching the game. This whole season I have fiercely fought for my Bears and shared my reasons why they are the best team in the NFL to anyone who would listen to me. I have cheered and rooted until my voice goes hoarse, and have believed in them even when Cutler and Urlacker got injured.

So I have one favor to ask to the football Gods of the world: can the Bears PLEASE win this game today so I can cheer for my team in the Super Bowl?

{image here}

CLEAN SHEETS

Sitting here at the airport waiting for our flight to depart after six days in Las Vegas. I must admit, six days in Vegas is a VERY long time... our throats are sore from screaming and laughing - or breathing in the second hand smoke - our skin is dry from the lack of moisture in the air, and sadly our pockets are empty from our unlucky gambling. Did you know you can lose over $100 in 5 minutes?

While the beds at the Bellagio were positively dreamy, I am stuck longing for the peace and quiet and fluffy goodness of my own cot at home. Sweet dreams soon my dear, sweet dreams soon.

{image here}

CITY OF SIN

The countdown has finally begun... Las Vegas bound in 12 hours. It's 1:30 in the morning - and I while I have my CLOTHES packed, I haven't even begun to pack my shoes. Busting out my sparkly dresses and accessories has left me exhausted. I think I shall sleep now, and dream of what peep toed Louboutins my feetsies will be dancing in for the next SIX days!

Viva Las Vegas my friends. Bet on black!

{image via tumblr}

FALLING IN LOVE WITH LAUNDRY

There is something particularly upsetting about washing clothes. I'm not sure if its because it has turned into an everyday chore in my life - because we all constantly are wearing and dirtying our garments - or the fact that after the washing and the tumbling comes the folding and ironing and dear lord, hanging and putting away that makes me want to cry. Its my least favorite activity to do on my day off; I would much rather be cleaning the kitchen or dusting the blinds than bending over and over again in spin cycles.

However, after finding these little gems I think I could get used to the idea of washing clothes in a spaces like these.

{LOVE the stripped runner in this room}

{Stainless steel backsplash anyone? Love the way it gleams!}

There is something about they way everything is organized and clean that makes me {gasp!} yearn for a larger space to do my laundry in.

{images via pinterest}

SOMETIMES SPARKLY

Finding that perfect accessory to complete your space such as window treatments, objects d'art and throw pillows can be hard work. You want all of the elements of the room to play off one another to enhance the overall feeling of beauty. I like to do the same with my outfits: pick my larger neutral pieces and then build upon them with accessories for balance. This chair is the perfect example of such juxtaposition. The raw burlap upholstery mixed with the crisp white of the painted wood could go perfectly unnoticed in any room, however with the help of mr. sequins over there, she dazzles!

The same can be said with this outfit ms. Jessica Alba is modeling here. She pairs beautiful, understated - but sexy - black heels with the zigzag Balmain so that the look is quintessential chic but rocker at the same time.

We can't see the shoes on this sweet little number but I can only imagine with the swept up hair how fabulous a pair of nude peep toe pumps would look for an evening out.

This golden girl is my favorite look of these three dresses. She pairs her stunning gold sequin ensemble with nude fishnet tights and a khaki army bag for balance. The fishtail braids in her hair add that extra 'oomph' that is necessary to pull off such a show stopper.

Now if only I could get ALL three of these looks into my arsenal for Las Vegas next week to glitter as bright as the strip!

{images via pinterest)

IN THE MIX

I am planning a business AND pleasure trip out to Las Vegas in two weeks and have been online DEVOURING menus of restaurants where I want to eat, and can't seem to narrow it down because not only does the food sound amazing, but the INTERIORS are killing me! As of now, just based on decor alone I am begging - whom I'm begging I don't know - to visit The Mix inside The Hotel, Mandalay Bay.

While breathtaking views of the city from up on the 60th floor sounds nice, I do believe my eyes will be feasting on the 14,000 hand blown glass bubbles dangling over my head. They look so dreamy! I could picture installing a much smaller version over my imaginary claw foot bath tub sometime in the future for that same effect.

As I dine on Tender Potato Gnocchi with Asparagus, Parmegiano, and Summer Truffle, and sip St. Germain cocktails, I'll be planning my next escape later in the evening over to the darker side of The Mix: The Bar.

CAN I BORROW YOUR FIREPLACE?

On certain evenings when it's raining outside, I happily sit at my desk to work because I get to listen to the sound of rain as it hits my windows. There is something so soothing about that sound. I love the way the wind blows the rain against the cold glass and it lightly sprinkles the surface every now and then. Even the overflowing rain gutter has a nice ring to it as it pours out its contents to the concrete below.

The only thing missing is a nice warm fireplace to sit next to. And maybe a lavender + honey latte....

PIN:TEREST

Happy 2011 EVERYONE!

There is something special to be said about waking up to a new year full of possibilities and new insights. The date of 1.1.11 is ultimately a new beginning in itself. This is the beginning to my year of OPTIMISM.

Anyone who knows me can tell you that 2010 was my year for CHANGE. I changed everything in my personal life. I moved back home with my parents. I graduated college. I changed my eating habits. I went back to my natural hair color. I changed my waistline. I motivated myself to become a happier more fulfilled person. I finally fell in love with someone who was just like me. I learned to pay attention to the small details in conversation. I traveled and changed my language barriers. I allowed myself to have fun. I walked 60 miles in 3 days for Susan G. Komen even though I despise exercise. I got on the treadmill and verified that I still hate exercise even after the fact. I changed my overall outlook on life. Hell, I even changed my style of under garments.

The point I am trying to make is that I DECIDED with every ounce of my being that I wanted a better life. I was too serious, too stuck on negativity with daily life. Nothing was good enough for what I wanted - and I didn't even know what I wanted really anyways. It took 365 days of changing to get to where I am today: an optimist in training.

Realize when I write 'in training' that I am allowing myself to work on what I want to become. My attitude is positive at best but its not always optimistic. I live a 'strategic' life where I like to weigh all possible outcomes. I love that and hate that about myself most of the time because I ask EVERYONES advice about everything before I make a decision... even though my gut instinct is always the same as their recommendations. Even so, its a challenge for me to be optimistic and jump heart first without weighing my options. So this is my newest endeavor as of today - to be the best possible ME I can be.

My girlfriend Lindsay turned me on to a new website: Pinterest (sounds like pin-terest). Pinterest is an online place to catalog the things you love. Its a social avenue full of things that others - tastemakers and friends alike - follow to collect and share the things they love and share within a community of other like-minded people. I figured since my resolution is to be an OPTIMIST why not join something where others are posting things they LOVE too? As of now they are only allowing members who have received invitations to join their site, so I went ahead and invited myself. I encourage all of you creative design oriented peeps to do the same so we can create an image library based on what inspires us to be the best possible ME's.