{holidays} happy st. patrick's day!

wishing you a happy shamrock day filled with luck and love and lots of green goodies!

{1} diy clover patch cake topper  {2} bailey's irish cream cookie recipe

{3} coconut and lime macaron recipe  {4} diy chocolate coin gifty

{5} shamrock macarons with bailey's chocolate ganache recipe

{6} green velvet cheesecake cake recipe

{20 items or less} daylight savings

it's time to spring forward this weekend... i'm looking forward to longer days, but i'm less excited about losing an hour of sleep... at least i have these pretty clocks to distract me!

kit-cat clock, $59;  minty vintage alarm clock, $35;  hedgehog wall clock, $68;

white alarm clock, $35;  robot wall clock, $25;  hexa wall clock, $98;

be here now clock, $50;  vintage london clock, $54; modern cuckoo clock, $100

vintage square alarm clock, $42;  bamboo cuckoo clock, $96;  

vintage orange alarm clock, $47

{20 items or less} black + white

jungle animal bralet, $32;  striped denim backpack, $68;  grid knit sweater, $30;

striped harem pants, $18;  canvas sneaker, $18;  lolli bikini, $170;

polka dot iphone case, $18;  geometric scarf, $20;  pencil skirt, $23;

round sunglasses, $24;  white denim jacket, $128;  geometric maillot, $195;  

chevron stud earrings, $14;  high-low dress, $98

{20 items or less} the oscars red carpet

two questions for you this morning: {1} did you watch the oscars and {2} what did you think?  i actually watched the entire thing, from red carpet to 'here's to the losers,' for the first time in many many years {thank you, mountain time zone!}.  that's six and a half hours of academy awards coverage. let's hear it for my husband, ladies and gents.
anyway, i don't know why we watched it all, considering we'd only seen one of the best picture nominees and all i really care about is the fashion pre-show... speaking of which, here are my favorites {and not-so-favorites} from last night's red carpet:

jennifer hudson in roberto cavalli; sandra bullock in ellie saab;  naomi watts in armani prive;

jessica chastain in armani prive;  jennifer lawrence in dior haute couture 

kristen stewart in reem acra {crutches not pictured}; 

salma hayek in alexander mcqueen;  melissa mccarthy in david meister;

helena bonham carter in vivienne westwood;  anne hathaway in prada

{photos via}

{20 items or less} oscar party

who's excited for the oscars tomorrow? ...the red carpet, the beautiful people, and most of all, an excuse to throw a gorgeous party!  i'm all about that truffled popcorn...

oscar night smash cocktail recipe;  printable oscar ballot + DIY;  gold mums fine paper;

truffled popcorn recipe;  sequin chevron table runner;  rose gold flatware;

macarons & edible gold leaf;  bedazzled bon bons;  gold star cake toppers

{20 items or less} chocolate

well, valentine's day is behind us now, but that doesn't mean we can't still have our chocolate, right?  besides, who can resist this gorgeous packaging?

mast brothers;  marou;  dude, sweet;  wild ophelia;  sweeteeth;

chocolove;  droga;  vosges;  divine;  taza

{20 items or less} happy valentine's day!

happy heart day friends! if you're here because you just don't know what to get me for valentine's day, you're in luck! below, in 20 items or less, are some of my favorite love day gifties {in fact, i'm wearing that heart sweater as we speak}... 

hope your valentine's day is filled with hugs and kisses!

heart intarsia sweater, $23;  love poems, $12;  woven tassel bag, $30;

neon belt set, $25;  sterling silver heart ring, $24;  floral mirror compact, $3;

macaron soap set, $16;  pink boat shoes, $78;  peach jeggings, $40;

hot pink lace tube, $38;  peach sunglasses, $6;  topshop lipstick in saint, $16;

stila all you need is love blush palette, $14

{20 items or less} happy chinese new year!

2013 is the year of the snake - and here's what the internet told me:

this 2013 year of snake is meant for steady progress and attention to detail. focus and discipline will be necessary for you to achieve what you set out to create... [the snake] is the enigmatic, intuitive, introspective, refined and collected of the animals signs.

sounds good to me!

{1} 2013 mini calendar, $12  {2} whiskey and snakes screen print, $18  

{3} vintage gold snake bracelet, $450    {4} year of the snake dictionary print, $10  

{5} fold over leather snake clutch, $99   {6} etched rocks glasses, set of 4, $60

{20 items or less} mad men madness

i don't know if i can appropriately express my joy at the fact that after 17 long months, mad men is finally back! i must celebrate the only way i know how: with design. and so below, in twenty items or less, are two interiors inspired by don, peggy, joan, and the rest of the gang at sterling cooper draper pryce...

 1.bamboo bar cart, $295; 2.vintage old fashioned glasses, $24;

3.petrie sofa, $1699; 4.letter pillow {d for don}, $110;

5.brass wall flower art, $45-$85; 6.smoky glass table lamp, $60;

7.resin table lamp, $149; 8.zebra chair, $1836; 9.graphic rug, $299;

10.lacquer and stainless steel coffee table, $385

11.tufted arch headboard, $399; 12.peacock duvet + shams, $280;

13.upholstered bench, $599; 14.turned-leg nightstand, $249;

15.sputnik pendant lamp, $420; 16.mock croc mirror, $595;

17. nyvoll dresser, $299; 18.woven diamond rug, $298

{20 items or less} ella's creative workspace

my friend ella is a super-talented painter-photographer-writer-artist-extraordinaire. she is a fellow texan-turned-coloradan who is creative and smart and well-traveled, and she needs a studio to match. below, in 20 items or less {all under $200}, is a workspace inspired by one of ella's own stunning photographs:

1.pair of curtains, $60; 2.industrial pendant lamp, $115;

3.go-cart chartreuse desk, $149; 4.world map waste basket, $30

 5.hand-woven jute rug, $63; 6.herringbone printed rug, $74;

7.silver cow skull, $169; 8.vintage artist's chair, $165;

9.vintage red letter e, $12

10.printed steel memo board, $21; 11.patterned baskets, $49-$59;

12.hammerpress happiness print, $20; 13.lerberg shelf unit, $20

14.peg board, $19 + 15.behr paint = 16.pretty blue organizational wall;

17.vintage portable draft-pak, $135; 18.texas bar glass, $22;

19.fleur-de-lys glass tumbler, $8

{20 items or less} st. patty's day

st. patrick's day is three days away, which means two things:
1. fun and pretty green things are calling my name, and
2. i will have a hangover on sunday.


and so below are 17 of my favorite green things that are absolutely lovely but will in no way cure a post-saint-patrick's-day hangover {enjoy!}:

 1.charmeuse tab-sleeve top, $24; 2.green bow skinny belt, $11;

3.ysl manicure duo {mint green shown}, $30; 4.linen scarf, $48;

5.green platform sandals, $45; 6.polka-dot iphone case, $40;

7. jeffrey campbell green lacy platform sandals, $128

 8.open stitch cardigan, $20; 9.shamrock frame sunglasses, $10;

10."drink me" wooden drink stirrers, $18 for 12;

11.sprinkles irish chocolate cupcakes, $3.50 {available march 2-18}

12.four-leaf clover rubber stamp, $5.50; 13.green stud earrings, $38;

14.green striped shorts, $88; 15.mint bowling bag, $72;

16.lime laceless canvas flat, $13; 17.kermit plush doll, $24

{20 items or less} barbie's birthday

today barbie celebrates her 53rd birthday {although she doesn't look a day over 25}!
i myself had only one barbie growing up {i was more concerned with stuffed animals and my little ponies}, but i did have a barbie corvette, and i certainly appreciate her personal style. and so below, in 20 items or less, is my homage to the birthday girl.


barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for fifty years... [she] has had over 40 pets including cats and dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub, and a zebra. she has owned a wide range of vehicles, including pink corvette convertibles, trailers, and jeeps. she also holds a pilot's license, and operates commercial airliners in addition to serving as a flight attendant.
{from wikipedia}

1.patterned gift wrap, $5; 2.keep calm journal, $9; 3.moschino shoulder bag, $224;

4.red peplum dress, $50;  5.dior cat-eye sunglasses, $295;

6.betsey johnson pink suede pumps, $150; 7.opi heart throb nail lacquer, $8;

9.trina turk pink enamel bangle, $98; 10.ettika pyramid spike pink bangle, $55

11.patchwork box sofa, $1750; 12.silver wall mirror, $649;

13.pink pendant lamp, $338; 14.pink translucent side table, $141;

15.floral arrangement, $94; 16.black & white striped rug, $150;

17.marble top coffee table, $329; 18.jonathan adler hot pink throw, $295

{20 items or less} 84th annual academy awards

the oscars were last night, and since i haven't seen any of the movies nominated for anything {unless you count bridesmaids?}, all i really cared about was the red carpet. i don't like to get catty {or at least i try not to get catty}, so i'll spare you my worst-dressed list {and my opinion of the dictator}. below are my favoritest favorites of the night:

1.gwyneth paltrow; 2.octavia spencer; 3.mila jovovich; 4.cameron diaz;

5.michelle williams; 6.emma stone; 7.emmie kemper; 8.jessica chastain

...and now i guess i should go see the artist...

{20 items or less} birthday presents for A

to my dear husband A, on your 30th birthday:
i love you. i hope you're having an amazing time on your birthday trip to the crescent city {i know i am}! i wish i had a million dollars - if i did i would buy you a million presents {okay not a million; that's way too many and they'd have to all cost a dollar}.
since i don't have a million dollars, i've assembled a collection of i-wish-i-could-buy-you-these presents {because it's the thought that counts, right?}. most of them are directly related to the 30-before-30 list; others are inside jokes or just things i think you would like.

 1.lilo&stitch poster, $13; 2.hoo dat tee {okay maybe this is really for me} $24;

3.us-ducks wedding topper, $130; 4.cat print, $45; 5.walkers shortbread, $7

6.cava {also probably for me}, $10; 7.redskins cupcake kit, $9;

8.vintage disney world magnet, $10; 9.mean green tee, $24;

10.cafe du monde french roast coffee, $18

 11.dallas mavericks basketball, $13; 12.el fenix picante sauce, $3;

13.world's best apple pie, $60; 14.paris tea towel, $14;

15.vintage nolan ryan baseball cards, $10

16.you and me print, $48; 17.rome print, $55;

18.chocolate chip cookies {these ones are vegan and

 gluten-free, but i wouldn't do that to you}, $12;

19.vintage montreal pennant, $15; 20.bluebell vanilla ice cream

happy birthday, love!

{20 items or less} for your valentine

i love love. and i love any excuse to celebrate love {including, but not limited to, valentine's day, which is right around the corner}! and so below, in 20 items or less, are some of my very favorite ways to say i love you to your sweetheart or your bestie or whomever else you might want to say it!

1.cup of tea letterpress card, $4.50; 2.retro valentine paper, $4;

3.love you more pillow, $17; 4.xoxo card + envelope, $4;

5.you're my favorite letterpress card, $4

6.arrows mini print, $4; 7.heart you letterpress card, $3;

8.hand-painted love cookies, $30 for 6; 9.valentine's postcards, $10 for 10

10.custom scratch-off card, $9; 11.fill-in-the-blank letterpress card, $6;

12.hello sexy pillow, $59; 13.my life would suck without you card, $3

14.you are my sunshine stationery set, $18; 15.je t'aime letterpress card, $4;

16.love is all you need pencils, $7.50 for 6

{20 items or less} a black, white & blush wedding

a little while ago i told you about my friend's happy news - well, they've set a date and booked a venue and i'm so excited i'm using her upcoming nuptials as inspiration for this wedding edition of 20 items or less!

 1.the venue: la buena vida vineyards {photo credit: matt peacock};

2.rose wedding invitations, from $234 for 100; 3.pink ombre cake {recipe};

4.love letter wine labels, $100 for 3 {wine labels make great table numbers too!}

5.bouquet of anemones {from martha stewart}

6.bhldn gown, $279; 7.'eat, drink & be married' sign, $15;

8.pearl box clutch, $158; 9.pink satin peep toes, $90

 10.pink polka dot straws, $4 for 25 {maybe not for wine, but who can resist?};

11.black floral hair clips, $160; 12.hand-lettered 'just married' sign, $46;

13.balloon guestbook fingerprint kit, $127

14.fresh strawberry ice cream {recipe}; 15.honeybee boutonniere, $28;

16.favor topper poms, $42 for 24; 17.blue lace garter set, $31

{20 items or less} gift guide: the happy couple

so we all know that this is the most wonderful time of the year - but did you know that something like 26% of engagements happen in november and december? in fact, my mister proposed to me just six short years ago last week {whoa}. annnd one of my dearest friends {and college roomie} just recently got a shiny new gift from her beau! so since love is in the air, i've decided to share my twelve gift picks of christmas {all under $100!} for the newly-engaged {or newly-wed, or newly-cohabitating} couple in your life:

 1.hand-stamped vintage forks, $27; 2.turquoise tealights, $98; 3.ampersand, $32;

4.custom monogram embossing plate, $32; 5.desk embosser, $29

 6.custom mr. & mrs. luggage tags, $50; 7.rustic white cake pedestal, $14{!};

8.something blue shoe clips, $14; 9.hammam striped hand towels, $10-$17 each

10.ray & dawn mugs, $26 each; 11.bride & groom entertaining cookbook, $35;

12.tea for two tidbit plates, $42

happy shopping!