Desert Wear

I'm heading off to the desert this weekend, and some of the looks here from Planet Blue have me amped to go! I'm ready to rock some heart-shaped sunglasses, colorful gear and kick back. I'm really looking forward to a great weekend with nature and friends (of course!) and am so glad that I think I'm finally done working weekends for awhile. Time to celebrate :)

Here's some of the key pieces in the photos shown above.

1. Mara Hoffman Braided Long Sleeve Tunic, $172

2. Black Label Heart-Shaped Sunglasses, $18

3. Phoebe Fedora Hat, $130

4. Elizabeth and James Fine Fringe Necklace, $626

5. Kettle Black Corset Dress, $158

Hope you enjoy!

xox,

Bre

Photos courtesy of Planet Blue

My Closet: Florals

Betsey Johnson silk floral dress.

Like every other woman in the world, my closet is busting at the seams. I live in a small apartment and don't have much room, so this past weekend I had to do a closet re-haul and box up everything that is strictly “winter & fall” and reorganize whatever clothes I had left in there. It took a little (LOT) longer than I would have liked, but I was pleasantly surprised to notice a great trend in my wardrobe: florals. TONS of florals, actually. So I thought I'd try a new type of Blog ("My Closet") and share some of the pieces that I'm glad to have re-found. If you guys like these posts, I will try to do them on a regular basis; please forgive my first set of pictures as I literally was just throwing little outfits together on my bed for this (if there is a next time it will look a lot better). :)

The first picture above is a beautiful silk Betsey Johnson dress, paired with vintage gold jewelry, a simple white skinny belt, and a pair of studded red pumps (by Guess).

Next up: A simple black tee paired with an amazing floral pencil skirt, vintage necklace, and some favorite ruffled heels! I call them my Carrie Bradshaw shoes (remember the episode when Miranda's water broke on Carrie's amazing ruffled shoes?)

On to more casual floral wear: Another black tee (I wear A LOT of black) and a cute floral skirt that I bought last Spring from Target. Sometime Target is quite amazing. I paired this up with a black cuff bracelet, vintage clock ring, and Banana Republic flats.

And last but not least, a floral shirtdress styled here with a vintage brass owl necklace (sorry, did I ever tell you I'm obsessed with vintage jewelry?).

And if you wouldn't believe it, there is actually a lot more floral action going on up in there....I just got tired of taking pictures, lol. Hope you enjoy a little piece of my closet!

Outdoor Update for Spring: Bicycles!

Chloe Sevigney's apartment

As a self-proclaimed outdoor junkie, I was so excited for Spring so I could start riding my bike on a more regular basis. This past weekend I dug out my bicycle and went for a nice ride around town - a beautiful way to get some sun, people watch, and feel the breeze. While I have bicycles on the brain, I thought I'd show a couple pictures of homes where bicycles are key to the decor. The picture above is from Chloe Sevigney's apartment and I really love that her bike matches her wallpaper...what a stylish setup for a bike enthusiast!

And here is another bike used as functional decor; just ready to be picked up on the way out the door (and of course I'm totally in love with the vintage case at the foot of the stairs as well).

In biking accessories news: I've decided I definitely need a basket on my bike to make my weekend trips to the local marketplace a little bit easier. I've done some research and found this nifty little quick-release basket made by Electra.

Electra Quick-Release Wire Bike Basket, $40 @ REI

This silver color matches my bike beautifully and the quick-release means I can easily snap it off my bike and bring it in the store with me. This is kind of a perfect fit, so I'm thinking I'll need to make my way over to REI to investigate if this will work with my bike. If you're a bike enthusiast at all, you may enjoy Electra's website as they have all sorts of neat bike accessories (bells, coffee holders, flashy hubs for your wheels!). Really I could have spent a few hours searching around on there, but it was just making me want to buy a second bike (a cruiser!) so I stopped. :)

If you don't think biking is your thing (and visiting Electra's site still didn't convince you), maybe this guy will at least give you a giggle (those are some mad skills smoking while biking in a suit!).

Photos courtesy of The Sartorialist, REI, and others unknown

Happy (pillows & flashbacks) Friday!

Cartridge Stitch in Spice, 16x16.

Happy Friday readers! I thought I'd end the week by showing you some shots of what has been sitting on my knitting needles the past few weeks. These are some of the new pillows that I'm adding to my etsy shop. I created my own patterns for all these pillows - really mostly just putting my own spin on some classic stitches that I really love (if you can't tell, I'm all about the texture!). I've stitched these all out of soft wool-blends that really make for quite cushy...well, cushions.

a close-up of the Cartridge Stitch in Spice

I owe all my stitching skills to my redMomma who taught me how to knit one Summer when I was about 8 years old. I was just as big of a busy body then as I am now, and if I wasn't outside playing rugby, baseball, boxing while on rollerblades (you can thank my brother for that one) or jump rope with the neighborhood kids, then I was probably inside playing old school Nintendo ("up up down down left right left right B A B A...") or creating massive obstacle courses around the house with my brother and sisters (how were we supposed to know someone would kick a hole in the wall riding down the stairs on our homemade cardboard box cars?).

I loved making little crafts anyway, but I think my mom was genius for coming up with a quieter, more productive, alternative to keeping me both busy and stop me from causing a disaster in the house. :)

Hope You Enjoy! (I apologize in advance for all the scrolling if you are viewing this from my blogspot)

close-up, Wheat Sculptural Knit

from a distance, Wheat Sculptural Knit, 14x14

Grass Green Sculptural Knit, 16x16

Large Triple Moss Stitch, 16x16

a close-up of the Triple Moss Stitch

Extra-Large Sculptural Knit in Oatmeal (18x18)

Spring's side-swept braid

Alexander Wang, Spring 2010 show

I've always been a big fan of the side braid and I will use pretty much any excuse to wear one. Camping? check. Beach day? check. Bike ride, lazy weekend, and even (*gasp*) work? check check check. I think with the right outfit I've been able to pull this off in a professional setting, even at my very conservative job...well at least nobody has told me otherwise so I'm sticking to it. I think the side braid is perfectly youthful without being too much on the silly side like piggy tails, so with it coming back in vogue this Spring I say braid it up ladies! Here are some of my favorite pictures of braids from Spring fashion week:

And while I think those Rumpelstiltskin long braids are wonderful, my shorter hair usually looks a little more like this (which is just great too).

Photos courtesy of Getty Images & Imaxtree

Kelly Wearstler gets Smart

This month's issue of Vogue brought a special treat with a peek inside the home of Christopher and Suzanne Smart (the owners of The Rug Company). This picture from the photo shoot (by François Halard) features a wonderful enchanted forest-type rug (go figure, a fabulous rug in a rug designer's home). Intrigued, I went online to get a better view.

Tracery, by Kelly Wearstler for The Rug Company

And wouldn't you know it! This rug happens to be a designer collaboration with none other than Kelly Wearstler...no wonder I immediately loved this thing. As soon as I read her name on the site it suddenly reminded me of the crazy-chic pink wallpapering she designed for her Beverly Hills home as photographed in last October's Vogue.

Kelly Wearstler at her Beverly Hills home

It's almost like I should have realized it all along now that I compare the two pictures side by side (even though the rug version has a much greater organic vibe). If you're interested in the price of that beautiful rug, the Kelly Wearstler collection for The Rug Company rings up to the tune of $80-$130 per square foot. Looking for justification at that price: it's an investment that you can pass down for generations.

photos courtesy of Vogue (by François Halard) & The Rug Company

Gorgeous Spring Finds!!

I'm not usually a pink kind of girl, but I think I have a bit of Spring Fever! I went crazy this past weekend over these beautiful new finds for the vintage section of my etsy shop: such deep pink jewel tones and delicate florals. I'm particularly in love with the hand-painted floral bowl and am actually having a little heartache over having to give it to somebody else....but I am consoling myself by saying that whoever buys this from my shop will love it just as much as I do.

Vintage Ruby Pink Ringware Carafe - this color is so amazing!

Hand-painted floral bowl - fabulously feminine.

Purinton Red Ivy Jug. A great little Dutch find from the 40's!

This was definitely a great way to start off my Spring season. I hope you enjoy dressing up your home for Spring!

Happy (last day of Winter) Friday!

With today being the last official day of Winter, I thought I'd share a rare picture of some beautiful snow here in our local So Cal mountains. I think I might hit the slopes this weekend....hope you enjoy whatever you do!

Need Votes: Floral Chandeliers?

I've seen a few chandeliers of the floral variety around here and there, especially at my local flea markets, and I think I'm a little torn. I can't decide if these are a totally do, or a please don't. Opinions?

Fantasy Tablescape

Image Courtesy of Skona Hem

I've had this gorgeous tablescape saved in my favorites for so long, and I just keep coming back to it. Seriously, how can you not fall in love with this? Everything about this table setting is fabulous, from the excessive chandeliers to the sheepskin covered chairs. I've often thought how wonderful it would be to recreate this for my own dinner party someday, and while I'm sure this exact replica would get quite pricey with all those chandeliers, I thought maybe I could throw out some other options to recreate a similar vibe for less.

Chandeliers: If you can't afford several crystal chandeliers, I found an almost equally fabulous option on dress, design, & decor's blog the other day. These quirky pendants are from Habitat, and at only 65 GBP each they are quite a steal. (click here to buy). And of course you can find loads of white candles anywhere to help boost the glow factor (they come in bundles of 5 varying sizes at Ikea for only $1.99 last time I checked).

Image originally from Milk Deco, Nov 2008 issue

Sheepskins: Speaking of Ikea, I found these Ludde Sheepskin Rugs for only $39 each, and these would work perfectly thrown over any chair of your choice.

Ludde Rug, Ikea

Place settings & silver: You can go with whatever you want here really. I personally have several white plates that I purchased at a restaurant supply store a while back, and they work perfectly for all dinner parties. But using some vintage (or passed down) settings and silver would be really fantastic too!

And one last thing to complete this fantasy tablescape? A couple snips of white roses, good food, and great company. Bon Appetit!

Vintage Cases

(blue vintage travel case from the etsy shop of SimplyPear)

I simply adore vintage travel cases (they are tres chic!). Recently I have been searching on etsy for a good looking travel case or two. I love the round cases because they really conjure up the image of a vogue woman circa 1950, but the shape of the case is really not that practical for actual travel. I was thinking maybe I could use a round travel case as a fashionable alternative to hold all my knitting needles or scarves (this would look really good in a walk-in closet...which of course I don't have but I'm just throwing the idea out there).

On the more practical side, I've been searching for a vintage travel bag that I can use for weekends away, as my current suitcase feels a bit bulky for just a weekender.

I had saved a couple favorites to my etsy account, but while at the Rose Bowl Flea Market this past weekend I ran across this beautiful little luggage bag that fit the bill perfectly.

So fabulous! It's a vintage American Tourister bag (from the 60's or 70's - not quite sure) in near perfect condition and in a great mustard color. The inside lining is 100% in tact, the little rubber feet still hanging on beautifully, and all the zippers work wonderfully (it even has a cute little lock on the side to hold the zipper in place).

I really love the little lock, it's a great touch!

This bag is the perfect size for all my weekend get aways. And with the seasons changing to Spring & Summer, I am anticipating quite a bit more retreats here and there. Just LOVE it. I think I will leave it at that, and wish chic travels to others getting ready for some time away during the warms months of the year.

The pouf that started it all...

For more images click here

A few months ago I ran across these gorgeous Flocks Poufs made by Christien Meindertsma (pictured above). I thought these were so fabulous, but unfortunately a little (ok A LOT) out of my price range, as they go from $1,000 to $10,980 depending on the color and size. These little modern and cozy poufs really inspired me, and instantly got me obsessed over the idea of having a shop FULL of traditional knits spun in a modern way.

As my brain started running away with this, I grabbed my sketchbook and drew up images of several different patterns for knitted pillows, ottomans, benches, and chairs. I was so excited about my sketches, because honestly I've never seen any knitted FURNITURE and I was wondering why this had never been done. Before I knew it (fast-forward a few weeks) I found myself sitting on the Living Room floor surrounded by my drill, knitting needles, a huge pile of yarn, lumber, and all other essentials to build knitted furniture (ok...to clarify, I made several trips to Home Depot & JoAnns before I had everything I really needed, and ended up even making my own very large knitting needles to get that modern/sculptural texture to give my designs a one-of-a-kind look....but that's a whole different blog for a different day).

With so many ideas in my sketchbook, it was hard to focus on just one thing, but I decided to start with a knitted ottoman that could also double as extra seating (a great combo for an urban dweller with limited space). I did all of the knitting first and then constructed a wood frame to provide extra durability, and added high-density foam to make a comfortable seat cushion. My ottoman went through a few different renditions, but here is the final result:

My ottomans in charcoal & sky blue

a closer look at the charcoal

(the close-up)

In the end I was very happy with how these turned out and am so pleased to be adding these to my shop (which I'm hoping to have open by the end of the week). I think if I made a larger size as well, it could function as a cool, modern coffee table, but I haven't attempted this one yet. I think these would look amazing against wooden floors and next to textiles or wallpapers with awesome modern prints (it would be a really fabulous contrast).

Of course, not everyone would want a charcoal or sky blue ottoman, so I'm going be offering a variety of colors as shown below. What do you think?

Taupe

Grass Green

Wine

Wheat (winter white with natural fibers)

Spice

Oatmeal (cream-colored with natural fibers)

Fig Purple

Citron

Barley