las vegas

my best friends and i just got back from Vegas. the guy in our group is getting married in 3 weeks! i cant even believe it. Jimmy, J-dogg, will never be single again. we had to celebrate it in style and that we did. we made it BIG, we stayed at the best hotel, hit the best clubs, even played at the best pools. sunday evening we got the best sleep each of us ever had. haha. J, congratulations on finding the woman of your dreams (and we love too). oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY too! xoxo
*at Tao lounge bar

*Tryst

elephants

everyone who knows me knows that i am obsessed with elephants. i LOVE them. i have elephant gems throughout my apartment. they are so cute and sweet. it is said that an elephant with its trunk up will bring your home good fortune.

do you have a collection of any animals in your home?



*you can find this side table at buyershomeshopping
* this adorable pillow plus many more fabulous pillows can be found at thomaspaul
* the IVY hotel

betsey burnham

Betsey Burnham is a brilliant interior designer. she has a talent for creating a traditional feeling space while keeping it funky and fresh. she designs wildly colorful rooms by incorporating pieces and moods from different cultures from all over the world. Though they feel ornate, her spaces are always extremely comforatble and have a very inviting feeling. Her rooms are indulgences for the 5 senses. This woman is supremely stylish...need I mention GLAMOROUS!?!?




*above is her home office





fu dogs

A while back Domino (one of my favorite mags) featured this beautiful room below. i am in love with the turquoise fu dogs shown on the console table. Notice the deep blue velvet fabric on the couch with the lime green pillows. GREAT color combo.


my roommate paigy found these adorable little fu dog bookends for me over at CB2 for only $50.

Poolside with Slim Aarons



photography happens to be one of those hobbies that i desperately wish i had time for. to fufill that desire i regularly hop over to my local borders for hours and hours of book candy. not only do i spend most of my time in the magazines and interior design section, i find myself constantly wandering over the photography books. This book is brilliant. Slim Aarons has a wonderful collection of works. Part of the reason he is so well known is his talent for capturing the art of luxuriously lounging poolside. (lounging poolside is one of the reasons i moved out to california). i'm hoping one day i get to own an original print. 

Happy Chic


Johnathan Adler happens to be one of the best in the business as far as modern design goes. His style is funky, colorful and outrageously happy! I find myself stalking his website all the time. His store in LA is super hip, its on melrose and i find myself going out of my way just to go by it. Just looking at his colorful rooms can give you inspiration for different rooms throughout your house. He dares you to dream, to not be afraid of over-the-top style. Here are his 10 commandments of decor...read them, i think you might find some inspiration! His blog is a nice treat too.

#1
Thou shalt embrace maximalism.Thou wilt find minimalism to be something of a bummer in thy abode. Thou wilt grow tired of an endless sea of beige and thou wilt long for a splash of color & a dollop of pattern! Bargello pillows, Furnace bottles, and rustic modern lamps - these shalt be the accessories that add some panache to your pad.
#2
Thou shalt not deny thyself hotelish comfort at home.Thou shalt furnish thy rooms with paw-pampering, hand-loomed llama wool rugs, luxurious lighting and our fabulous furniture.Thy rooms shalt feel like the most opulent hotel rooms in which thou hast ever stayed.Thou art worth it.
#3
Thou shalt buy an X-Bench.Then, thou shalt buy another. Thou shalt use them in pairs, perfect under thy console or placed near thy sofa. Thou shalt rest thy feet upon them & so will thy guests. In fact, thy guests might even fight over who gets to rest upon them. Therefore, thou shalt establish house rules about thy X-Benches. Perhaps thou should consider a sign up sheet. #4
If thy nest needeth zest,consider thy crest!Thou shalt emblazon with thine initials wherever possible.
#5
Thou shalt mix fancy with frisky.Thou shalt not be overly formal, for if thou art, thou will be sad. Conversely, thou shalt not be overly whimsical, for if thou art thou will not feel chic. Therefore, thou shalt embrace a mix, pairing the chic classical foundation - excellent proportions, classic furniture - with a layer of playful punctuation. Then thou shalt rest.
#6
Thou shalt honor the funsters of yore.David Hicks, Alexander Girard, Piero Fornasetti, Bonnie Cashin, Bjorn Wiinblad - if thou dost not knoweth them, thou should. Thou can use Google Images to learn more about them and thou shalt channel their fun, idiosyncratic, playful spirit in thine own interiors. Thy home will be fun, happy, and chic.
#7
Thou shalt not commit murder,unless thou art murdering for a decorative accessory.If thou should find thyself at one of our stores and seeth the last bird bowl on our shelf, thou shalt feel free to use whatever means necessary to obtain that special something.
#8
Thou shalt not be afraid of orange.Thou shalt use orange copiously in thy interior, whether it beeth in an orange breakfast room or via the zing of an orange lacquered box. Thou might even consider painting thy front door orange to pique thy neighbor's curiosity. Thou shalt also covet chocolate brown.
#9
Thou shalt play ping pong.Better still, thou shalt have a ping pong table in thy living room. Then, lo, thou shalt play ping pong with thy spouse rather than sitting around watching thy tv. #10
Thou shalt not covetthy neighbor's house. In fact, after following these 10 commandments, thy neighbor might covet thy house. So there.
His book is amazing! Check it out.

having a Vanity moment...

it has been said that Donatella Versace has kept every single bottle of parfume she has had since she was 16...victoria beckham said that she had an obsession with empty CHANEL No. 5 parfume bottles...parfume bottles are glamorous and can be a super fabulous accessory to keep on your vanity. i love my parfume bottles and when i finish using them, i keep the pretty ones for show. Sometimes, when i get about 3/4 of the way through them i add a little bit of water and use it as a linen spray.



*Juicy couture makes my most favorite bottle*

crystals

Adding some glamour to your home or apartment can be fairly simple. CRYSTALIZE IT. i have been in love with crystals since i was a little girl. they can catch light so brilliantly even at a small size. you can find crystals almost anywhere, ebay, target or any spiritual store for that matter. Some crystals are even said to give good energy to your dwelling. i simply adore these rock crystal items (especially the skull...my girls know how much i love anything pirate. and the Cadillac just screams "guy gift") from JF CHEN.

the ivy

It is not often that i get the chance to meet legendary people. By legendary i mean those who dare to be different, those who put their entire self on the line to bring their dreams to life. My friend Justin is one of those people. I have yet to see his latest creation yet, but i have been fortunate enough to visit Sydney (my favorite city in the WORLD) and his other venues. His latest venture THE IVY has been said to be the most revolutionary establishment in the world. I have heard this from several people, all the way over here in Los Angeles. This is so exciting for me as i got to see this place while it was under construction. I am absolutely in love with the development of real estate, hotels in particular. I am dying to see this place!
Recently a friend of mine sent me these pictures of the IVY that he found on Flickr.
*note the cloud stools in the Lawn are what i sold him from JF CHEN. (Seats like these make for super stylish extra patio seating for your garden. Ceramics can withstand the rain. You can find similar one really cheap at TARGET or WORLD MARKET)
THE LAWN

THE KITCHEN THE DEN

THE LOUNGE
TEPPENYAKI
MAD COW

rachel zoe...ultimate glamour


this girl is all the rage right now! Her new show on Bravo is such delicious reality pleasure. Fashion, drama and glamour...its better than the Hills. She has extensive collections of the most gorgeous gowns, the highest heeled shoes in all the land and jewels "to DIE for".
The closet has to be my favorite room in an entire home. It is hands down the one place a woman can be the most feminine, if she chooses to indulge herself. Nothing is better than a full on dressing room and Rachel has one that I could only dream of. Uber Glam!

betsey johnson

While surfing the net I found a fabulous blog site. Gala darling did the most amazing post on Betsey Johnson's pad. I absolutely love it.














I find fashion designers homes to be the most amazingly brilliant and stylish homes in the world. I LOVE looking at them. Most of them use interior designers…but it seems the fashion heavy hitters are the ones who let their decorators go WILD. This woman just screams COOL! Betsey Johnson was my idol all throughout my college years. Not only did she have the cutest boutique in town (my long time dream of designing boutiques and owning one was fueled by her), she had relentless bold colors in EVERYTHING she did.
I would just
LOVE to hang at her pad.

Don't you agree?

lucky number


Timothy Leary (while super-high on acid) identified 8 levels of consciousness...Hanukkah is 8 days long...The number 8 is one of the luckiest numbers in Chinese culture because, pronounced, it sounds similar to the words for prosper and wealth...The 8-track tape is still underrated as a cultural icon...There are 8 furlongs in a mile (for all you horse lovers out there)...An 8th is a common measurement for a certain psychoactive plant product...Macbeth sees 8 apparitions in Act 4, scene 1 of Shakespeare's classic...In nuclear physics, 8 is considered the second magic number...and, 8 happens to by my luckiest number...

the beauty in life....


at the moment i cant help but be soo grateful for EVERYTHING that God has provided for me. today i saw the beauty in so many things around me. a rainy window pane, a mother feeding ice cream to her child, a girl grabbing the hand of her little brother as they crossed the road, a father tossing his daughter in the air on the sidewalk, and the most fabulous pair of purple cristian louboutins on a very hip older lady. what a blessing to be able to appreciate all of these things!



God bless...

OBAMA.....for change


*via MADEBYGIRL's blog

i am ALL about change. i never thought i would be saddened by everything going on in my country. i cant understand why the president we have is so unloved by the people. i feel our country is in a bad state. i am seriously all about a change. we need someone to reinspire the AMERICAN voices. i have been undecided, but for some reason this morning i have decided...OBAMA...for change!