Friday, August 31, 2012

The One Thing I Love about Football

I have never been a huge football fan (or really a minor football fan either) but ever since I can remember Labor Day Weekend was when my family would pack up the car and head up to my parents' alma mater to tailgate before the first game of the season. We would dress in team colors, set up a picnic in the grass near their law school and eventually walk over to the game along with a sea of fans with spirits high as the season got underway. I will never love watching football but I will always cherish those memories of going to games and I will alway love our family tailgates. For those of you tailgating this weekend or this fall here are some items that make a tailgate complete.

A Football 
...for those who are so inclined


A Team Mascot-Inspired Checkers game
...for those who are not "picked for the team (ahem)

A tailgate game for everyone to enjoy




Wrap blue hydrangeas with orange ribbon and put in vase



Blue striped blanket


Orange paper plates



A mix of orange and blue polka dot napkins



Happy Labor Day and Happy Tailgating!

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Nailed It

There is a nail salon near my apartment that gives mediocre mani/pedis for $22 but for $22 I am willing to sacrifice quality to some degree. My willingness is due in part to the fact that I tend to stick to neutral colors on my fingernails and quality becomes less important with neutrals as chipping is not a huge concern.

As fall approaches, I am considering branching out somewhat into "edgier" nails (since the rest of my style is rather conservative as well).

Here are some of the color trends I will be looking into for fall:

Gold



Butter London "The Full Monty"

Essie "Good as Gold"



Silver

Chanel "Graphite"


Butter London "Diamond Geezer"


Black
Chanel "Black Satin"


Butter London "Union Jack Black"


Red

OPI "Red Dazzle"



Essie "A List"


French Twist


French Manicure with Black Tips as Seen at Thakoon's Fall 2012 Show

Neutral

Essie "East Hampton Cottage"

The Dark Side


Butter London "Wallis"

Essie "Wicked"



Thursday, August 23, 2012

Into the Wild Blue Yonder

I am not supposed to be shopping this year. However, there are two key problems with my ability to maintain that goal. The first is that I live in New York City and I pass by some of the world's best shopping on my walk home from work. The second problem is that I get e-mails all day from retail websites offering me irresistible deals. I would unsubscribe from these mailing lists only I feel as though I would miss them when they were gone.

My latest e-shopping obsession? OpenSky.com: a website that offers discounted products recommended by celebrities and experts. Tom Colicchio tells you what you should have in your kitchen, Molly Sims pushes the latest fashions and some people you have never heard of (but feel like you are friends with already because of their great picks) post random items you never knew you needed but now cannot imagine your life without.

Here are some of my Open Sky picks:



Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Bouquets of Newly Sharpened Pencils

My favorite line in the Nora Ephron movie You've Got Mail comes at the very beginning in the first Hanks/Ryan e-mail exchange. Tom Hanks references the start of the fall season and the fact that fall always wants to make him buy school supplies. He tells Meg Ryan he would buy her bouquets of newly sharpened pencils if only he knew her name and address.

As August draws to a close, I can slowly feel the weather cooling off and the summer sales are beginning to be replaced with pea coats, tights and riding boots. Fall is just around the corner and it is time to decorate in style. Here are some of my favorite fall decor items, some of which I own and some of which are a mere dream:


Wreaths












Pumpkins & Gourds

\



Metallic Pumpkins
whether they are store bought or spray painted from the pumpkin patch










Lights and Candles











Bouquets





Cocktail Napkins












....And one final image


An actual bouquet of newly sharpened pencils.