The Bright Side

It's been such a strange and sad week. The news cycle ( Iran, Gov. Sanford, the deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and Billy Mays) has left me reeling. And a little numb.

Last night, I took a break from 24 hour news and popped Rachel Getting Married into my DVD player. I loved it. What everyone's said about Anne Hathaway's performance is true (she was great). And the cinematography, the set design and Rachel's wedding (spoiler alert: in the end, Rachel actually does get married) were just perfect.

In other positive news, this weekend my brother and I got working on a little project that has been in the works (on a very basic level) for some time now. The project is still in its infancy, but once it's ready to launch I will share the news here. It combines my interest in design with my brother's interest in social entrepreneurship and community development, and I'm confident that it will be fantastic. Stay tuned!

P.S. I'm watching the Food Network's shameless "interpretation" of Bravo's Top Chef as I watch this. And guess what? It's not that bad! I think I might like this show. . .

The Weekend in Review

This weekend was gloriously work-free. One of my goals for the weekend was to pick up a few investment pieces to spruce up my work wardrobe, which was in need of a little pick-me-up. I did find a few things, but now I'm experiencing buyer's remorse (this is what happens when there are no sporting events no attention-grabbing sporting events on television -- sorry, U.S. Open).

On Saturday, I ordered two pairs of shoes from Endless.com: pumps and flats, both for work.


I'll have to wait until Monday to see if these are going to work...

Also on Saturday, I picked up a cardigan from Banana Republic. It really was a steal at $40 (it's 100% cashmere!), but now I'm wondering whether the style will work with my wardrobe:

It looks cute on the Banana Republic.com model. I hope I can make it work for me, too.


And finally, today I purchased a pair of navy blue Max Mara pants and a black DKNY three-quarter sleeve blazer from Century 21 (Btw, that place is a zoo... I don't know why I keep subjecting myself to the madness there). The pants are definitely going back -- I got them home and tried them on again and realized they're just not what I was looking for. They're beautiful pants, but they don't work well with the loose, flowing blouses that I like to wear to work. I'm on the fence about the blazer -- I bought it because it coordinates with a pair of DKNY pants that I bought last summer that I stopped wearing to work because they wrinkle sooo easily. What's good about the blazer is that when worn with the pants, it will disguise most of the offending wrinkles.

So I'm not sure that I would call this weekend's shopping project a success. I think that I may have found a few good pieces, but it's too soon to tell. In the meantime, and in the absence of an NBA finals game to distract me (man, that series came and went in a flash), I will be entertaining myself with a generous scoop of pistachio gelato and tonight's episode of Army Wives.

First Lady Fashion

Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni (Sarkozy) were in Normandy, France today to commemorate the 65th Anniversary of D-Day. The event was, of course, serious and at times somber. While watching MSNBC's coverage of today's event (and with complete understanding of and respect for the gravity of the commemoration), I could not help noticing that Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Bruni (Sarkozy) looked absolutely stunning:

images via Huffington Post

Thank You, Apartment Therapy

Just wanted to say a big "thank you" to one of my all-time favorite blogs, Apartment Therapy, and its wonderfully helpful readers. Last week, I submitted a request for ideas about what to do with my living room wall. Take a look at the post, as well as all the helpful comments, here. I'm sorting through the comments and making plans for the wall now -- very exciting!

Thanks, AT!