{well, hello!} 2010

Wishing everyone a warm & wonderful New Year and a big thank you for all of your inspiring ideas and comments, you're just the best!  Our new year's day tradition is to head out to the beach for brunch and beachcombing, what are your plans?? xoxo, amber

farewell gluten {it's been real}

Call it a cleanse, a fresh start to the new year, boredom, either way, I need to drop a few post-prego pounds. Starting January 2nd (I love a new year's day brunch, so definitely not the 1st) I'm kissing gluten goodbye for a month. I'll just say no to warm crusty bread, creamy pasta, and my morning cheerios. This site is chock full of recipe ideas, I'm thinking big salads, grilled chicken and hearty quinoa dishes -  does anyone have a suggestion to throw my way? image: 101 cookbooks

s'more kits {sealed + delivered}

I had grand plans for holiday gifts this year, but I quickly learned that crafting to completion with a 3 week-old baby was kind of...a challenge. Baking? Not so much. So we came up with these s'more kits, complete with twigs for roasting. A simple canning jar, s'more ingredients, cloth, self-made labels, and oila! - sweet holiday treats at the ready. The only caveat, and one that left this sleep deprived mama stumped at the kitchen island, was how to fit square grahams into a round jar. Solution? We used kitchen scissors to cut each graham into neat little circles. Happy holiday roasting! 

merry christmas!

May you all be surrounded by family, love and holiday warmth. See you in the new year! xo, amber

{happy friday!}

Hoping you get all your holiday shopping wrapped up this weekend - and wouldn't it be grand to find a festive street like this one?? image: i.anton

the holiday table {done right}

Pure table love, people. Seat me at this gorgeous table and I might not get up until they dragged me out. It's all kinds of perfection, right?

{wish*list} wednesday

Is it Wednesday already?? I kind of love wishing for things...

pom-pom ottoman, brocade dress (and a party to wear it to), Frye Caroline Campus boots, gold hoops

{I just HAD to go}

Word to the wise: do not, I repeat, do not wander into Anthropologie 2 weeks after you've had a c-section just because you think you're feelin' good - it's a hoax, I tell you, your body is plain tricking you, and you will pay dearly for that divine scented candle and metallic woolen scarf. Lay low, stay home, light the fire...you're so much better off shopping online (if you're me, that is).
It had been 2 very long weeks since my last visit to my favorite shop of holiday wonder. Granted, I was busy having a baby, bringing baby home, figuring out life with a baby, but still, I was like a junkie and I needed my Anthro fix. I must have overdone it though, because for the last 2 days I've been in agony, every stitch aches and the stairs to my bedroom seem to have become steeper. Oh the things we do for a little retail therapy...

{wish*list} wednesday

Lest you think you've lost me to the deep trenches of mommyhood...not so! My posts may be sporadic due to major lack of sleep, but I just can't help but be inspired by all the holiday goodness out there right now. I must have this amethyst necklace (with the just-right price), and paired with this amethyst grey shadow - hellooooo holiday party!

and the winner is...

3StinkyBoysAndMe! said:
I'd wear those pretty pieces with EVERYTHING, both jeans and a cocktail dress. So pretty!
send me an email and I'll mail out your sparkle, xo

{happy friday!} sleepy edition

Isn't it amazing the kind of love a newborn baby brings into the home?! We can't get enough of sweet Layla! Nights have been pretty rough, but daytime naps are nice little treats. xo

holiday sparkle {giveaway!}

Years ago, my friends & I went to NY in January, for a fun-filled week - shopping, great food, late night dessert bars...it was goood. Leaving our apartment one morning, we see a woman so tall and so beautiful pass us by, leaving us frozen in our tracks. It was Iman, and she was stunning. She didn't smile or say hi, that really only happens in movies, but when I saw that she designed these vintage-inspired holiday earrings, it brought me right back to that brisk NY morning. 

Send me a comment on where & when you'd wear her sparkling jewels and the winner will receive a piece from her new line! {winner will be chosen randomly on 12/6}