Jackets I'm Craving

*Levi's Ribbed Faux Leather Bomber Jacket, $138 via Urban Outfitters*

1) Dying for a motorcycle jacket. Every Fall for the past few years I've tried one on but it hasn't fit JUST right so I pass it up. I saw this one in the store at Urban while Xmas shopping the other day and was dying to try it on and see if I would fit better in the XS or S...but since I was shopping for others and I'm trying to save money I passed it on by.

*Golden Fleece Bolero, $158 via Anthropologie*

2) Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle. For quite some time, I've been on the hunt for a beautiful sequin jacket that doesn't look too over-the-top tacky - a hard balance to find. Instead of sequins, I also so this puppy while xmas shopping and just about fell over and died (looks much better in person, and the texture is soft and like a crushed velvet almost). So GORGEOUS SO GORGEOUS - and I'm not usually a HUGE Anthro kind of girl (I'm more of the Urban type). I would die for this and could see myself wearing it a million different ways, but I think you get the point...moving on.

3) Balmain Brocade. This one is still on my DIY list and I actually have the fabric for it. Just with my weekends being so overloaded and so many projects for my shop, I haven't had time to get to it. I won't forget about you Balmain, I'm still super obsessed (as blogged HERE).

I'll leave it at that for now...someday maybe one or two of these will sit in my closet?

xox,

Bre

One Word: AWESOME

I love everything about this photo: The bike, the outfit, and the fact that this woman fearlessly rides that little bike in extra high, baby blue, wedge booties. I don't know you, but something tells me we'd get along just fine. :)

xox,

Bre

p.s. - If you haven't noticed I have a MAJOR thing for bicycles as blogged HERE and HERE.

Image found via thevoguediaries.com

Slouchy Crop Tops

*As Is American Flag Crop Top, $48 from Planet Blue*

I often wish I could wear more casual clothes on a daily basis - especially when cold weather rolls around it just seems extra nice to be in comfy clothes. Lately on my weekends I've been living in slouchy tees like some of these featured from Planet Blue. Slouchy tees are just so comfortable and freeing compared to my everyday clothes; I just can't get enough of it right now so don't be surprised if you see me wearing a lot of slouchy tees and jeans this season as a stark contrast to all of the dresses I wore this past Summer. Toning it down and bundling up!

*Patterson J. Kincaid Barbara Top, $88 via Planet Blue*

*Stylestalker Jellyfish Top, $70 via Planet Blue*

xox,

Bre

p.s. This post reminds me it's been a LONG time since I've thrown in an outfit post - will have to post something soon.

images courtesy of Planet Blue

Bungalow Mondays: Tromp L'oeil Leather Tufted Walls

*Kapyton Pure White Leather Wallpaper, $59 per roll via Couture Decor*

I love tufted furniture and walls, so when my husband sent me a link to this tromp l'oeil wallpaper the other day I thought it was super cool. The wallpaper looks exactly like tufted leather, and apparently (per the website) itis made "with superior-quality paper, with a grain leather touch & feel." So it even FEELS like leather? How awesome is that? It comes in a few different colors (white, grey, chocolate, red, and pink), but I think I'm partial to the white (super modern but traditional at the same time). What do you think?

*Kapyton Grey Leather Wallpaper, $69 per roll viaCouture Decor*

*close-up of grey*

*Kapyton Chocolate Leather Wallpaper, $69 per roll via Couture Decor*

Hope you had a great weekend!

xox,

Bre

all images courtesy of Couture Decor

Three Generations in a Jacket

*Beth, Sandi, and Breanna (me) - all in our mid-to-late twenties*

Here's my grandma, mom, and me all around the same age. I don't know where Grams was going in that awesome coat, but I know the picture of my mom was taken while she was working at NBC studios. When I look at pictures of my mom or grandma when they were my age, I'm always so amazed at how much older they looked than I do now. Not in a "wow they are old" way, but in a "wow - they were just so much more sophisticated and refined" way. Sometimes I wonder if my generation has lost that touch. Casual is good, but sometimes I think our over-casualness has made us lose part of our voice as a generation (a lost source to express ourselves). Or maybe it's actually really just more proof of the general apathy we feel these days.

Either way though, I'm pretty sure even if I looked more put together like they did, it still somehow wouldn't be as wonderful. Big shoes to fill and little tiny feet, lol. Maybe someday, but for now I just take who I am in stride.

Thinking of you always Momma & Grams,

Bre

Team Mondo 100%

With the first part of the Project Runway finale coming up this week I have to confess that I'm 100% team Mondo this year. So far I've really enjoyed this season and it's been one of the best in a long while (maybe it's the new 1.5hr format or the fact that they are back in New York...who knows). Mondo is certainly a quirky one when it comes to his own style (who knows where he gets the ideas for some of his little outfits), but I love love how it translates on the runway.

I think Mondo is fun and colorful and has a young/fresh perspective. No boring GRAMPA sweaters here! And while he might not have the most refined and sophisticated style (a la Gretchen - I confess her velvet-feather haute couture dress was AMAZING! I just wish she would work on that attitude!), he is certainly fashion-forward all the way! And as if we didn't love him enough, I also found his HIV "positive" print and confession to be genuine and touching. Glad to see you feeling free Mondo! Can't wait to see what you've come up with for the big show (I've been avoiding all photos of the Project Runway finalists from Fashion Week).

Who are you cheering on for the finale?

xox,

Bre

photos courtesy of mylifetime.com

Lanvin for H&M: photo leaked

I know many fashionista around the world have been waiting to see a glimpse of the Lanvin for H&M collection (in stores next month). One of the photos for the ads was leaked by thefashionspot.com (see above) and it's just not enough for me to decide how I feel yet. I need to see more please!

I will just have to wait and see the lookbook when it is officially released, but this little teaser has me wanting to see the full line-up so I can decide if it will be a fabulous spin-off or not. Any thoughts on it yourself?

xox,

Bre

The poufs have arrived!

*redBaby pouf & redMomma pouf, $32 and $185, respectively*

I've been pretty excited about these sculptural poufs and couldn't help but share. Those of you who have followed my blog from the very beginning may remember THIS post where I talk about my inspiration for opening my own etsy shop. My first shop item was my square ottomans, but I finally FINALLY made my prototypes for my round POUF version! When I decided to make round poufs, I started with a small prototype (just to get my proportions) but I ended up falling in love with the mini version. It's just so darn cute! So I decided to include both the large (redMomma) version of the pouf and the small (redBaby pouf) version to my shop. The names for the poufs have sort of a double meaning. I wanted to call the larger one momma and the smaller one baby, but after I named them I realized that all of my friends growing up used to call my mom "Red Momma" and it just sort of fit perfectly. She was so proud of me for starting my little knit shop and I think she would have loved to have been around to see these too. This ones for you cute lil momma; you are the inspiration for all my creativeness.

I'm very excited and hope you enjoy them too. I'm offering them in all my standard colors (shown here). Happy Bungalow Monday!

xox,

Bre

denimocracy

I found a new love: denimocracy. Their clothes are hot rock n' roll meets totally comfy pants...seriously you may not believe me but it's true. While these aren't the "everyday" kind of jeans, they are fun for weekends and nights out. The price range is pretty decent too at approx. $80 a pop. So if you're looking for some fun rocker jeans and want to support what appears to be a small-up-and-coming business, check them out HERE!

xox,

Bre

pictures courtesy of denimocracyusa.com

Wedding Photo Booth

*us in the photo booth at Stephen & Lindsey's wedding. I'm in the center and Dan is next to me with the goggles*

Photo booths at weddings were definitely not a "thing" back when I got married 6 years ago. They are super popular right now and I can totally see why. The wedding I went to this weekend had one and it was so much fun. A lot of candid shots....of course a lot of them are courtesy of excess beer and champagne, but fun nonetheless. If anyone is planning a wedding in the near future (or maybe just dreaming about one far off) and you are considering a photo booth I would definitely say "DO IT!".

*he's crazy, but I love him. lol.*

xox,

Bre

Wedding Weekend

Happy Monday everyone! I had an unexpectedly awesome and fun weekend, and am still a little tired from it all. We went to a wedding in Redlands, CA this weekend and here's a quick picture of what I wore. Marc Jacobs dress, velvet platforms, amethyst earrings, and a vintage clock ring. The wedding was tons of fun...will post a few more pics later.

What did you to this weekend?

xox,

Bre

Malibu-bu Part Two-two

*during our hike to the MASH site*

*Century Lake*

*us with our deer friends in the background*

While in Malibu we also camped at Malibu Creek State Park and went for some beautiful day hikes. I have tons of great pictures but unfortunately I just didn't have time to resize a bunch of them for my blog (it's pretty time consuming), but I thought I'd just post a couple from our longest day hike and a couple of us hanging out with our deer friends. :)

*those deers almost look like they are givingEskimokisses!*

Enjoy!

Bre

Malibu-bu Beach

Does anyone remember that TV show Mailbu Shores with Keri Russel? I mean I don't think it even lasted a full season before it got pulled off the air, but ever since my sisters and I saw those few episodes we can't just say "Malibu". Everytime we say the word it's "Malibu-bu". Anyway, a little while back the man and I spent the weekend in Malibu-bu and here's a couple pics from the beach. It was beautiful weather and overall a perfect way to spend the weekend with our toes in the sand.

Maybe someday Danny I'll find enough money to buy you that boat!

*I thought this was funny. After I uploaded the picture of Dan, I noticed you could totally see me taking the picture of him in his very reflective sunglasses.*

xox,

Bre

DIY (Faux) Fur Vest

Several posts back I ranted and raved over Chanel's 2010 Fall/Winter collection. I immediately became obsessed with the fur vibe and decided I needed to make a fur coat for myself. Well, seeing as I live in Southern California, it just never gets cold enough to need a full-on fur coat (just a little overkill), so instead I decided to make a vest.

While fur is a little bit of a challenge to work with, I'm pretty happy with how the vest turned out. Now the only thing is I have leftover faux fur and I'm trying to decide what to do with it. Maybe make a small fur capelet? A crazy shaggy handbag? I don't think anyone else I know would actually wear faux fur so I don't think I could make something for somebody else...Any suggestions?

xox,

Bre

p.s. - Since I've been making clothing without using patterns, I've decided I need an adjustable dress form. I spend too much time trying to pin fabric together and then try it on, when it would be WAY easier to drape the fabric over a dress form that has been adjusted to my measurements. Something else to add to the list of things I want to buy, but since I'm in "saving for a house" mode I don't think I'll get around to it any time soon.