Shoot Me! Shoot Me!

 

Amy Odell, over at the Cut (NY Mag's fashion blog) wrote up these great tips for getting shot by the fashion street photographers that everyone here in ooh la la land is obsessed with. So if you want to be on the Sartorialist, this would be a great place to start. (Oh, and you also might want to buy yourself a plane ticket to one of the fabulous places these photogs like to shoot: Paris, Tokyo, NYC, etc. If you come to NYC, look me up!) Can I just mention that the first tip is to wear lots of accessories, like bracelets, which is a trend KatieP noticed before it was a trend. That's right, KatieP saw it first!!

~JP Pullos

Before I get too ahead of myself...

Let's not forget about the little holiday this Monday. Caitlin McGauley's Wednesday watercolor is making me hungry for candy corns. I know...not everyone loves them. Who are these silly people :)

A gift from me to me!

I think it goes without saying that I  must have this Kate Spade necklace. Of all the 'spade' related items this one might be my most favorite. I am thinking it would be a great gift from me to me! Chris and I decided to pool our money this year and instead of getting little gifts we are going to get a LED TV. Still...I am putting a little aside for this treat :) Obsessed with it!

Another sign that the holidays are coming...

R.Nichols holiday cards are out and they are as adorable as ever!

A shopper after my own heart!

Reminding me of my days in DC :)

Wearing its winter white

As part of their campaign to raise awareness for the World Wildlife Fund, Coca-Cola cans are going white through the holidays. A good cause and a lovely can to boot. But don't worry, the beverage is exactly the same (and delicious) as always :)

Just in time...

...for the holiday. Love these Nordic mittens from Lands End Canvas.

Laduree exqui-site

You might have to forgive me if I am going a little over-the-moon for Laduree today. If you've ever eaten these little bits of heaven, then no explanation needed :) I was poking around their site a little this morning which you simply MUST go check out...now! It is so adorable I almost felt like I was in a little Laduree boutique.

Definitely...Ooh La La!

And while we are on the subject...

Receiving KJ's Laduree gift last night has really gotten me thinking (again...when I am I not?) about packaging. Is it possible to love the packaging something comes in, more than the object itself? Sometimes I wonder. With things like Laduree macaroons, part of the love for the box comes from the fact that it is a fleeting item...and yet, even when the item itself will probably live well beyond the box it came in...well, we still love that perfect packaging. Many boxes are completely  iconic, like the famous blue Tiffany box...

...or the amazing orange Hermes box

Here is Laduree, in it's more original form.

And a personal favorite, La Maison Du Chocolat. I think I might just make my love official and start collection of this lovliness :)

The beloved Starbucks holiday red cups...perfect packaging and guess what...a little bird told me the 2011 version is due to arrive next week!

Loving Laduree...and KJ

My beautiful and delicious Laduree package arrived from KJ yesterday.This is one of many pictures I took to mark the happy occasion :) It also inspired me to clean my 'cupcake' shelf above the stove so that I will be able to prominently display this gorgeous box and the bag it came it. The flavors KJ sent are pure heaven...caramel, rose petal, orange blossom, chocolate, raspberry, and coffee. I had three with tea on a miserable, rainy chilly evening last night and it might have been the biggest treat I've had in...forever. The chocolate one just about knocked me over it was so incredible. They are just little bits of pastry perfection!

(By the way...isn't KJ the best. I guess that goes without saying. The fact that she treated me to these and then even sent them overnight mail so that I could get them when they were still fresh...well, I am really touched. And I could not be more thrilled :)

Quirky Hanger

Quirky does it again and this time they've redesigned one household object I never would have guessed needed a redesign: the clothes hanger. Go to the website immediately and watch the video on how this thing works. I mean, really, I want to outfit my closet with these, immediately. The idea is revolutionary in its simplicity. Love!

~JP Pullos

What a way to start the week!

Just look what I have coming my way, via KJ from her recent trip to NYC!! I don't know when I've seen a more beautiful sight! Thank you KJ...you are, hands down, the best!

Building Art

Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils, is a European based artist and I am LOVING these pieces that he creates by "scratching" into the walls of buildings. Just phenomenal! I'd love to see one of these up close. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around how this kind of thing can be created. I'm in awe!

~JP Pullos

In the midst of fall

Autumn...few words make me feel cozier. What do you have planned for this fabulous fall weekend? Nothing really super special for me...just the usual fall weekend-y things. The leaves are flying so the raking has got to begin before it gets out of control. Can you believe we are closing in on mid-football season already. Well, no problem... lots more to go :) In the special treats department, I spotted this recipe for chocolate chip cookies on Cup of Jo which I am going to try out tomorrow. I decided a few years back that I would not make a single batch of CCC (as they refer to them in the recipe :) until I found a real stand out. This one, with its insistence on fabulous chocolate and combo. of bread and pastry flour, has me swooning.

As always, much love and wishes for the most wonderful weekend to all you kids :)

Katiep

*Pic of Laura and Zeus on a fall walk in the park. Love.

Skeptical no more

Have you tried Sally Hansen's Nail Strips yet? As a product of the 80's I remember the early generation of this concept, so when I heard about this updated 2011 version, I admit, I was super skeptical. Anyone out there remember Lee Press-On Nails? Ugh. OK to be fair, that was slightly different. That product was designed to make your nails longer...but they certainly did the job at scaring me silly when it comes to all things nail related. 

This product however... awesome. If you like the whole nail art thing, these are about as close as you will ever get to doing it on your own. I tried the glittery version and even on my rather short, stubby nails they were smashing. Patterns, solids...they pretty much have it all and they are easy to put and remove. Only a couple drawbacks; they are kind of expensive, so they might be a special occasion thing and why are there only 16 in the box? I really don't get that number. Otherwise, very cool and fun product!

It's baaaack :)

The Boston Scream Donut at Dunkin' Donuts. It wouldn't be Halloween without it :)

It's Tyra's World; We Just Live In It

As if Tyra Banks wasn't already the most talented person on the planet - now she's a NY Times bestselling author too. According to NY Mag, this one might be going to the big screen. What can't this woman do? And she make it all look SO easy!!

~JP Pullos

Oh those Christmas lights

Every year, at about this time, I start thinking about how I want to decorate my house for the holidays. Every year I come up with an idea ... and every year I am disappointed with what I come up with. I am in that annoying little category of people who want to have holiday lights on the house but who don't want to rig up anything so complex that they have to leave them up until April because it's just too wintry to take them down. So while poking around for ideas online (why didn't I just do that sooner?) I found this piece of brilliance. A touch of lights for every window...and on the inside for easy installation and removal. My house looks so similar to this one ( and goodness knows I've purchased enough lights over the past few years) that this should be a snap (thank heavens :)

I was thinking that this holiday decor might be perfect for the soulrun headquarters :)

Lippy Love

Through the wonderful world of Etsy's amazing artists, Laura recently discovered Get Lippy, a shop after my own heart. You all know my love of lip balms. If I could only take one thing  (animal, vegetable or mineral) to a desert island, I am pretty sure my one thing would be a lip balm. And my one lip balm would probably be from the Get Lippy shop. Not only are the scents and flavors fabulous, the ever-important texture of the lip balm is, in a word, perfect. Smooth and light on your lips, they also really get the job done. Right now I am enjoying my pineapple/tangerine scented Lippy. Next on the list...these roll-on scents. Black Raspberry and creamy vanilla...how lovely does that sound?

Oh and you know what else doesn't hurt? That the Get Lippy shop owner just happens to be one of the loveliest people you will ever come to know :)

Mums and pumkins = autumn

Caitlin McGauley's Wednesday watercolor...Autumn in New York. Fabulous.

Via the Lonny Magazine blog

Halloween a la Gemma

Oh I love Halloween but  Gemma Correll you nailed the costumes. Love.

Beautiful Genius

I just spotted this video clip on KJ's facebook page (Via Fashionologie). Set your DVR's for this Saturday night folks. The documentary of Tom Ford on Oprah's OWN channel looks to be a stunner.

Sigh....

For those of you pining for Paris in the fall (KJ, Laura...I'm looking at you) a little something to make the pine that much worse. From the awesome tumblr, Awesome People Hanging Out Together, Hubert de Givenchy and his muse, Audrey Hepburn. As Laura would say...le sigh.

Blast from last year's past

Does anyone out there remember at some point last year when some street fashion photographer (my guess is it was the Sartorialist...wish I could find that photo) snapped a pic of an ever so stylish woman wearing a JCrew crewcuts Aran style sweater. Since it was a kids sweater, it looked stylishly cropped and it set off a frenzy of folks trying to find the sweater and get the look. Well, I loved it ... but those sweater can be pricey...Lands End canvas has a gorgeous (adult-sized version) but this one I spotted in Old Navy is pretty fantastic too.

Apartment perfection

There is not a single thing that I do not love about Frank Muytjens' (of JCrew menswear) apartment. Not one single thing.  Total design inspiration...right down to that adorable pooch. Via All Things Stylish

From the Sartorialist...

...the darling and inspirational Bill Cunningham. Did you know the DVD, Bill Cunningham New York is out and the film is also now available on iTunes? If you haven't seen it yet...well, what on earth are you waiting for? The man will just make you feel good to be alive.

At the risk of being redundant...Kate Spade con't

Do you know how annoying/wonderful it is to want every single thing from a site. Well, that's me and Kate Spade. They are just not playing fair over there. OK, they would be if I had an unlimited budget but since I don't see that happening any time soon...well, I'll just have to drool.There's just no denying it...this company is the king of accessories.  Here's a few (new) faves...oh my gosh...this chocolate stone. Delicious!

I've posted this style bag in other colors...love this signature look most of all.

Oh man...mega-love.

This might be absolute favorite new item on the site. Tell me these smashing gloves wouldn't dress up even the dreariest winter day!

Really...need I say more? Fabulous Spade earrings with crystals!

On a very gray, very wet fall morning...

...this pic from the Laduree fb page made me smile from ear to ear! And I'll bet it's as delicious as it is gorgeous!

Splashy Design

If you read this blog with any regularity, you'll know I have a big interest in design and there isn't a more exciting field right now than prosthetics. (See my post about really cool human prosthetics here.) It turns out we aren't the only animal species benefiting from advances in this field. Winter, the dolphin pictured, was caught in a crab trap and lost her tail. The gel that was designed for Winter to connect her new tail to her body is now being used on humans as well since it proved so effective. Considering how much damage we do to Mother Nature, it's great to hear a story about synergy between the species!

Magic Park View

 

How gorgeous is this image by my friend Yeang Chng? I mean, this is what photography is all about, folks. I want to frame this image, hang it somewhere in my bedroom and look at it when I'm sad so that it will cheer me up. If you're wondering how he created it, he used a tilt-shift lens. If you're wondering what a tilt-shift lens is, that probably means you're interested in photography which means you should head right on over to my Facebook Photography Page and "Like" it so that you can see my daily photography tip. And you can see cool pictures like this as well!!

~JP Pullos

Must have for all you Ooh La La lovers!

Holy heck!! Kate Spade...you just created the official barrette of this blog! What a fabulous find on a late, Friday afternoon!

Everything's better with Butter

Loving the 2011 holiday collection from Butter

Long Lost LCM

How long has it been seen I've seen something that made me say...oooooh....LCM. Way too long. Loving that Lands End seems to be picking up just where we left off with some super smashing librarian chic :)

One in a million

From All Things Stylish...this photo just reminded me how wonderful it is be one-of-kind :)

Oddly Genius

Daffy's only has stores in NY, NJ and PA. Shame, since their ads are genius. This gem has been showing up on posters around the city and I'm delighted every time I see it. The tagline on the ad: "The odd thing here is that her $850 heels are just $189." The first time I saw this particular ad, it stopped me in my tracks and I stared at it for a full 20 seconds to figure out what was going on. How often does an ad do that?

~JP Pullos

Boot Up The Season

Julie Rath over at the Tastehunter Blog hits another post out of the ballpark with her recent selection of men's boots. These are making me salivate. She has a few for under $300 but the pair pictured here, Peal & Co. Leather and Tweed Boots, sell for $600. I'd have to say, if you're going to splurge on anything, boots are the way to go. Gorgeous boots are just one of many reasons I love fall fashion!

~JP Pullos

Too much fun at Forever 21

A good (and hilarious) friend once had one of the best fb status updates ever. She wrote, "Making bad decisions at Forever 21 (ahem...Forever 37)". You know, I don't even know how that is possible. No one...absolutely NO ONE does affordable kitsch the way they do (Kate Spade can be adorably kitschy, but it comes at an expense...well worth it, but you know what I'm saying). Take a look at just some of the treasures on their site these days. I could have picked a million more things but this post would have been endless :)

French Toast socks...ok, what's not to love about these.

English guard socks...fantastic!

Loving this cozy, knit winter scarf. Great with a jean jacket for the cool fall or my favorite winter coat.

A lovely snowflake scarf :)

I don't even normally care for stuff like this but aren't these just too cute! I want them for all my keys!