Arty Ring

It's always so exciting to come home and find a brown box at the front door, especially when that box contains an Arty Ring. I have lusted over this YSL ring for quite some time, and when I received my Saks gift card, I knew exactly where it was going! This will be a fun ring to play around with this summer, and I can't wait to mix it up with some of my Grandmother's turquoise jewelry. 

YSL Arty Ring, Hawaiian Heirloom Bangles, Chanel Bag, Essie Cocktail Bling Polish

Date Night Part Duex

I know, I know, I said we "rarely" have date nights. It just happened to work out again this past weekend. We met some friends for dinner and then went to a concert sans kids! We saw the Hawaiian band HAPA, where we brought down the average age in attendance to a whopping 57! It was fun though, and it brings back memories of our many trips to Hawaii, and of course our wedding. I also saw it as an opportunity to wear another fun ensemble, and seriously stood out in the crowd. It was almost humorous, as just about everyone was sporting an aloha shirt c/o Tommy Bahama or the ABC store. Then there was me, in sparkly shoes and a skirt that is probably too tight. I got a few strange looks, nothing new, but then there was this one elderly lady who in the line at the bathroom gasped and said "MY, that is a FABULOUS outfit!". I respectfully thanked her and left the bathroom with a satisfied smile on my face, as the other ladies rolled their eyes. Oh well, can't please 'em all!

 Top OC Melrose, Skirt Zara, Shoes Miu Miu, Necklace Chanel

 

 

Casual Client Meeting

One of the best perks about taking on clients for interior design, is that I get to dip into my closet and pull something other than a lululemon jacket! Today I christened one of my most favorite and fun pair of pumps. They also happen to be the perfect "Tangerine Tango", Pantone's 2012 color of the year!

 

Walter Baker Top, Forever21 Jeans, Brian Atwood Shoes, Chanel Bag, J.Crew Bangle, Stella & Dot Necklaces, Hawaiian Heirloom Bangles, Michael Kors Watch, Kenneth Jay Lane Bracelet, House of Harlow Sunglasses

 

Here is a little sneak peek inside one of the homes I am working on:

Date Night

Tim and I were able to have date night this past weekend, which has been rare for us lately. He tends to work most weekends, or we have something going on with the kids. But we got to go to one of our most favorite restaurants in town, Cafe Mimosa. It's usually a breakfast or brunch spot for us , but the dinner menu is amazing too. It's fun going out in downtown San Clemente, and I can't believe how popular it's become. (clearly it's been a while). There are a bunch of new restaurants popping up all the time, and the streets were packed with people. OK maybe not packed, but definitely busy! So I sported a fun new top that I found in a little boutique downtown...

business in the front

party in the back!

and some stacking.

both of us ended up ordering the same thing, the lobster and filet special. It's a petite filet and half of a main lobster, with lobster mashed potatoes pouring out. Clearly I started indulging before remembering to snap a photo.

Barneys

Last weekend I had the opportunity to escape my daily childcare regime and spend some time with friends in LA. It was the last weekend of the Barneys warehouse sale, so we spent a couple of hours digging through what was left over and had lunch at the famous bakery and cafe, Bottega Louie. I have never seen such beautiful pastries, and found it difficult to pick from the vast assortment. We ended up bringing home some macaroons, cupcakes, and beignets. I highly recommend checking this place out, and the Bianco pizza with arugula is to die for!

scored these bad boys at the sale, at about 75% off retail!!

some people collect stamps... I collect shoes.

Hostess Rewards

Part of the fun in hosting a Stella & Dot trunk show are the hostess rewards, I got to choose about $450 worth of free jewelry for hosting the event! I pretty much went with delicate, everyday pieces, and got a few things to give as gifts as well. Stella & Dot is an amazing company, and they've got a great thing going. I've always felt a little weird about the whole "direct sales" thing, and never wanted anyone to feel obligated to buy anything, but they really stand out from the rest. The jewelry is beautiful and on-trend, the packaging is ADORABLE, and the customer service provided by the stylists is outstanding. Here are a few of my favorite new pieces, as well as the packaging that I am obsessed with.

"you have a great eye" & "hello gorgeous"

Stella & Dot Trunk Show

I have been a long time fan of Stella & Dot jewelry and decided to host a trunk show at our house with one of their very best Stylists, Alison Fuller. She brought the latest collection to display for a "Style Me Happy Hour". I provided cocktails and appetizers for a fun evening of shopping with the girls. My friend Marilyn Prado Test is an extremely talented Graphic Designer, and was kind enough to create food & beverage labels as well as signs for the event. Check out the photos below!

Dress Up

Adella has been infatuated with weddings and brides ever since we watched the royal wedding last spring, I guess little girls really do start planning their weddings at 3 years old. She was given this amazing white dress-up costume and insisted upon wearing it the minute she got it, typical 3 year old. Then I remembered that I had an old J.Crew wedding dress (I got it before our wedding with the intention of shortening it, or using it somehow, which never happened). So I ran upstairs, threw on the dress and surprised her in the white gown. In her animated ways she said "OOOhhh Mimi! I can wear YOUR dress, can I wear your dress now?". And so yet another Mimi/Della dress up session began...

Breezy Mama

I contributed a fashion piece to a website one of the mom's from Baby Boot Camp started, and will now be a regular contributer. You can check out the article I did here. Feel free to leave any feedback... nice comments only please :)