Apple Addiction

You come to New York to find the ambiance that will evoke your best. You do not necessarily know precisely what that might be, but you come to New York to discover it. ~Dr. James Hillman

Since I packed it up at 84 William Street, NYC 10018 in May '07, I have been back approx 15 times. The price of sticking it to the man- cutting back on my Apple addiction. argh.

You know what they say...
When you have the money, you don't have the time; When you have the time you don't have the money. C'est la vie mes petits choux!

Do you have any city memories to help get me through my big city craving? Pray tell, my dears!

Lazy Sunday...I wish...

I would love to start my Sunday with this...

and this...

BUT the fact of the matter is, I drove myself here (all 5 hours), so therefore I must drive myself back, which means I will be sipping on my gas station coffee, trying to dodge breakfast biscuits and french fries, and singing at the top of my lungs (yes, I'm one of those) to keep myself entertained. All I'm really hoping for is that my rear end doesn't fall alseep and that my GPS, Gina, gets it together.
Cheers to Sunday - if you can ;)

p.s. If you're lucky enough to be having a leisurely Sunday and have time to catch up on some reading, here's a fun (guest) post, you may have missed! xo!

...the smell of salt on a Carolina shore

The Dockhouse in "downtown" Beaufort

Good morning from beautiful Beaufort!
I'm hanging out "downeast" with my best sister friend Amber! We roomed together all through college and have made it a point to keep in touch despite the distance that comes with growing up. This afternoon we are going to a shower on steriods (I swear its hosted by 25+ people) to celebrate her upcoming wedding! Yay! Congrats Ber!!!

Most of you know Beaufort from Nicholas Sparks novels (whose highly romanticized version is right on the money even in reality) and the movie Message in a Bottle, but I'm lucky enough to have gotten to know this beautiful, historic little town on a personal basis- thanks to my Beaufort "2nd" family and the SBYC aka Shackleford Banks Yacht Club ;)

I know these pictures will never do this quaint little town justice, but I've had the best times here, and if I can share even a little bit of it with you then my mission is accomplished!

Have a wonderful weekend darlings! xoxo

A typical day in Beaufort...

To be able to see the water from your back porch *sigh*

Time slows down here... (k, will this house do?)

An early morning on the intracoastal...too early to head to the shack!

Pitch the tent on Shackleford Banks, pop open an ice cold beer (tasty 'n' refreshing!), and it's time for a clambake!

If you're visiting in October, you can't miss the NC Seafood Fest in nearby Morehead City- mmmm
Frolicking in the sand and waves of SB and next thing you know...

wild horses...it's absolutely breathtaking!
Sun-kissed and satisfied..time to take the boat in and enjoy the sunset :)

So necessary- "The American Life"

Shopbop.com has these great, shop-able of course, lookbooks that cover everything from their personal faves, current trends, and runway looks. I'm heading to "small-town (this town does it best!) USA" today, but that doesn't mean Americana style has to be done in a small way as well! I'm totally diggin' their "This American Life" lookbook that would fit perfectly in that J.crew Lugano garment bag I pined over this morning! Now only if the weather and my budget would work with me!!!

Major loves: nautical stripes, red, white, and blue combo, denim, polka dot bikinis, denim, easy silhouettes, unpretentious style

So this isn't part of the lookbook, but I thought it should be ;)

Orange you happy...

...it's the weekend! I'm off on another weekend jaunt, and I could really use J.Crew's Lugano luggage collection right about now ;) Hand-crafted in Italy and available in limited quantities, you better snag one before you head on any trips! What are your weekend plans loves?

Deliciously orange- leather valise!

Keep your outfits organized in this snazzy garment bag!

Lip Lush

I was never a lipstick girl, my go-to's were sheer glosses and carmex, UNTIL I got bored one day and paid Sephora a visit. I always have the best time playing in Sephora paradise, and as I get older, I get bolder and more adventurous with my make-up purchases, which means experimenting with lipstick! Last summer I was addicted to the hot pink lip, and achieved my shocking pink pucker with Nars Semi-matte lipstick in Schiap, a fabulous tribute to Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparrelli whose signature lip was this bold "Schiap" pink.



As the weather cooled so did my obsession with hot pink, and it was time to experiment with red! Red has always been a color I can wear with ease, and it wasn't any different when applied to my lips, literally! Once again I turned to Nars, but this time I tried the velvet matte lip pencil in Dragon Lady, the name alone sounds sultry, and that it was so- sultry success!

With Spring around the corner and flowers starting to bloom so does my love for bubble gum pink- think pastel! It didn't take long after walking through the entrance of Sephora before I found my perfect lip match! Trusty Nars came through again with the perfect pastel lip fix with its ode to Audrey Hepburn- sheer lipstick in Roman Holiday! So excited to sport my new purch!



Do you have a lipstick fave? Please share! My next purchase, which I have already picked out of course, is Nars Barbarella, a sheer peach lipstick (that was so all over J. Crew's Spring Ad Campaign)...it all depends on how long I can stay away from Sephora ;)

If Oprah says so...

"The Soft Pant Tops Oprah's Spring Must Haves"

image via shopbop.com

I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little apprehensive about sporting my first pair of harem pants, but with a little encouragement from my girlfriend Kristin who was spot-on with her pair this past weekend and the blessing of Oprah, I can't help but to await my Shopbop package with the anticipation of Christmas morning!
I really wanted the E&J harems (above), but Splendid had a cute pair a little more in my price range ;) I'm hoping I can pull them off...we shall see!!!

So necessary- Fresh and Functional Tote

I first saw these canvas Mason bags over at Heart Charlie, and immediately had to check out the website to find out more!

Fresh...

...and Functional!

Yes, please!

The "workers tote"

Treasure Hunting!

So Rach, I know you're the Queen of vintage and you totally die over your 20,000 dollar 1960's Valentino gowns and 1970's Halston draped dreams, but I can't quite afford that kind of vintage! What I can afford is to spend an afternoon treasure hunting with my mom in small town, "downtown" America! We had the best time frolicking in fur hats, flipping through old records and photos, and dreaming up stories about the previous owners of each piece we came across!

Here's a sampling of our treasure hunt finds!

A 1950's vintage clutch and antique mirrored tray!
I could totally see this tray sitting atop a glam old school vanity
and peppered with glass perfume bottles of all sizes! Kinda like this ;)

Earrings ranging from the 1940's to the 1970's!

Italian made red suede shoes (like new!)
and my mom's circa 1960's "Jackie O" lizard skin handbag

Under the weather...

It's official, I think I'm coming down with something...

...So please bear with me if I'm not 100% today :(
images: 1 and 2

Picture Frame Collages II

As promised I'm finally sharing my picture frame collage with you today! But before I do that I found a few more vignettes that I thought might add to your inspiration! Enjoy :)

Mix it up! Not everything has to come in a frame!

If you've got the space and the artwork, this
wide layout can become the focal point of your room!

Who said your collage had to be limited to one wall? Lay it out there!

Less is more! (Major crush on that "sofette")

images 1 and 2 via, 3 via, 4 via

And now for the revealing (ha!), I did my best! Please excuse the mess...I have a problem with books.
This is probably too much information, but I had so much fun picking out the pictures and artwork I can't help but to share...

(Left to Right, Top to Bottom)
1. Day after photo shoot in a pumpkin patch!
2. A picture of our family island in the tropics. We were pulling away on the boat after a fantastic day of swimming and lunching on fresh seafood, the kind that was swimming 20 minutes before it lands on your plate- i die. A monsoon had washed the pier away.
3. One of the most perfect beach days at Ocean Isle Beach with best friends
4. "My Cup of Te" A project I did for my color theory class at Parsons
5. A magazine tear I've had for years: "How do we travel? With passports in our pockets and tricks up our sleeves!"
6. A mood board I put together for another class- inspired by LOVE!
7. A collage I made with an old sepia-toned photo of my mom and dad on their wedding day and a similar photo of the Mr. and I
8. A vivid Fall day in Astoria- My shadow! Walking through golden leaves on my way to Taverna Kyclades for the best Greek food ever!
9. Makai Te - Our family's handsome Alaskan malamute
10. Old W Magazine tear of a young girl experimenting with lipstick- Mirror reads (in lipstick of course) "Will try anything once" ;)
11. I rarely catch a genuine smile of the hub on camera - I guess it takes bike riding at the beach to coax it out!
12. An original wedding present - "Owens" spelled out of photos of everyday objects
13. A picture I took last Fall of my old street in the Financial District "William"
14. Card by KOCO ,one of my fave greeting card brands, that I gave to Alan on our 1st anniversary
15. Old postcards I found that I sent home from my summer abroad in France! Written from inside the Louvre and in French!

phew....I hope this helps someone out there! Now it's your turn- I'd love for you to share your picture collages :)

Little things...

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William Arthur Ward

Tonight I had a rockin' workout, the kind that makes you feel empowered, (let's be serious, it mostly made me feel less guilty for the damage I did this past weekend via champagne and Bojangles ;)), and I decided to say thank you to my instructor. I had to wait for several long winded girls to finish chatting it up with her, but it was worth it! I thanked her for working so hard to be ridiculously energetic for all of us and for making me feel better about myself and life!

I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things... I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind. ~Leo F. Buscaglia

When I got home I was feeling pretty pumped from my fab workout, and that (hopefully) it seemed, someone had appreciated such a small gesture as a simple thank you. SO....I decided to skip, instead of the boring ol' walk (duh), all the way down my hallway. I realize you all may think I'm a nutcase at this point, but it was fun, and it made me laugh to myself. ;)

THANK YOU for reading y'all! Maybe you'll find time to skip tomorrow? It's much more fun than walking!
xoxo,
Roxy

My Cup of Te: Belly Laughs

LAUGH as much as you breathe,

LOVE as long as you live

It's Monday and the start of another work week. Sometimes the beginning of your week can set the tone for how the rest of it plays out. My weekend started full of laughter (rolling around on the ground laughter!) thanks to my sister friend, Kristin, and it continued all the way to the beach and through the weekend. I'm setting the tone for my week with My Cup of Te: belly laughs :)

Belly laugh: a burst of deep loud hearty laughter