Welcoming A New Week!

Happy Monday, lovelies! Welcome to the start of a brand new week. After a blissful weekend of doing absolutely nothing and loving every single second of it, I'm finally feeling refreshed and ready to face the week.

How are you all doing this morning? Did you all enjoy the weekend?

Before I leave today I wanted to extend a huge thank you to some fabulous ladies who passed on the Stylish Blogger Award to me.

Christine from Bijou and Boheme
Julie from Brown Eyed Belle
Rali from Styles 'n Cream
Annie from anmarkdesign
Fay from A Melange et Moi

Thank you all so much for this! It really means the world to me that you think that my blog is worthy of such an award. I promise to be back later on this week to answer all of the questions and pass the award on.

Hope you all have a wonderful day! xoxo

Images: 1 edited by The Alternative Wife, 2, 3

Sweet Sophisticate & Happy Things

Morning, lovelies! Oh how wonderful would it be to wake up every morning to this beautiful slice of heaven? I imagine my closet would contain all beautiful flowing pieces in gorgeous shades of barely there. A far cry from the New Yorker in me but I like to dream :)

Oh and yesterday I was so happy to find out that I won Diana's wonderful contest! The Sima Original Golden Bar Necklace! I'm so thrilled. I really really really wanted to win it. The clean simple lines just speak to me and I've been dreaming about it since I entered the contest. Thank you so much, Diana dear. I will wear it very happily!

And also I received a few awards the past few weeks. The One Lovely Blog Award from Bella Gets Real and The Versatile Blogger Award from The October Issue. Thank you so much ladies for these awards! I'll be doing a larger post in the near future to fulfill the rules and to pass them on but I just wanted to send you a huge thanks in the meantime :) xoxo

Hope you all have the most wonderful day!

Images: 1 via dress, design & decor, 2 & 3 via Sterling Style

Happy {Award Filled} Friday!

Happy Friday lovelies! It's that fabulous time of week that I get to wake up and fast forward to fun thoughts of the weekend. I'm planning on having some down time on Saturday. Not quite sure what I'll do yet but it will most likely including some strolls outside and dining al fresco since it's going to be nice out again. And Sunday we'll be visiting the various important mothers in our lives.

So to start the the weekend off right I wanted to pass on a little blog love. Firstly, I want to send my heartfelt gratitude out to the amazing bloggers who passed the awards onto me. It means so much to get these awards. To hear that people actually think my blog deserves an award really blows my mind. Thank you all so much for visiting and reading and commenting here every day. It really fills my heart with such joy :)

Thank you so much, Ms. Hark @ Not Just Another Blonde in Beijing for the Happy 101 Award! I'm a pretty happy person in general and this makes me all the more happy :) You're the best sweetie! Definitely check her out if you haven't already. She a ton of fun, gorgeous, happy, has great fashion sense and is just about to move on over to Beijing. Can't wait to follow along as she heads out on her exciting adventure.


I also wanted to thank Mixed Matched Media for the You're Going Places Award. She's really fab and if you haven't already, I highly suggest that you run right over and check out her blog. She's a beyond talented illustrator and photographer and you're all gonna love her work!


Also a big merci to Punctuation Mark for passing on the You're Going Places Award as well as the Sunshine Award. Two in one! I'm so lucky! :) Punctuation Mark is an Interior Designer living in Miami. Her blog is chock full of her work, her travels and her exciting experiences. Gotta check her out as well!


Thank you so much Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks for the Beautiful Blogger Award! Also he asked me to play the 6th Photo game. Now if you people love delicious food I strongly advise you all to head to to his blog. All I can say is YUM! He has me drooling every day with his delicious recipes. I'm hungry now just thinking of them :P


And lastly thank you so much to one of my newest blogging buddies Tamara Nicole @ Memory Bean Designs for the Stylish Blogger Award! I'm so flattered that you think I'm stylish! :) Check her out, she's awesome.


OK so now I get to pass these babies on. Let's start with the rules.

Happy 101 Award & The Sunshine Award - they have the same rules so I'm going to combine this one.
1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers.
3. Link to the nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and the link to the person from whom you received this award.

I pass this onto the award of your choice...Happy 101 or Sunshine to:

Diana @Express-O
Cat @Blu
Giovanna @ Swoon
Very Married
Shari @Little Blue Deer
Krysten @ After I Do
Jules @ The Diversion Project
Marcie @ Lemons and Laundry
Dena @ Pretty Little Things
Laura @ The Middle Sister Fairy Tales
Mackenzie @ Design Darling
Naomi @ Thirteen and South

You're Going Places Baby Award
1. Link back to the blogger who sent you this award
2. Post where you would like to be in 10 years
3. Pass it on to 10 other special bloggers!

I did this one once before so here's my answer for the where I'd like to be in 10 years part. And now I'd like to pass this on to the following well deserving blogs:

Fashion, Art and Other Fancies
Tangerine Fairy @ Overlooking Mississippi
Haute World
Bre @The Red Bungalow
I Am Chasing Thirty
Marija @ Holding Court
Rachel @ Little Bits of Lovely
Helena @ A Diary of Lovely
Chic 'n Cheap Living
Connie @ Sogni e Sorrisi

Beautiful Blogger Award
1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
2. Copy the award & place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself.
5. Nominate 7 bloggers.
7. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

I also did this one once before so here's my 7 interesting things.

And here are the 7 bloggers I nominate:

Carissa @ Copious Couture
The Very Subjective
Sharon @ Firsty Lasty
The Road Less Travelled
Jen @ Slumber Designs
Annie @ AnMarkDesign
Kristin @Bon Bon Rose Girls

And lastly the Stylish Blogger Award
State 5 random facts about yourself and award 5 other bloggers.

Here are 5 random, they may not be that interesting but they are in fact random, facts :)

• I've lived in NY state my entire life, NYC in particular, for the past 20 years.

• I recently, within the past few years, discovered an appreciation for Sushi.

• My email is flooded with countless google alerts every day for all types of random people including Olivia Palermo, Sean Avery, Yasmin le Bon and Sienna Miller.

• I have probably close to 50 different scarves and I usually wear one every day.

• Even though I love to be pampered I prefer to do my own manicures because they turn out better and last much longer than when I get them done at a salon.

And here are 5 fabulously fashionable bloggers that I'd like to pass this onto:

Helene @ Fashion Over Reason
Nicole Jarecz Fashion Illustration
Brittany @ For The Love of Gold
Mi Vida Bonita
Persis Shah @ Miles of Style

And last by not least, the 6th photo I ever posted to my blog was:

Now that was interesting.... I invite all of you to join in this game :)

Hope you all have an amazing weekend! xoxo

Image: found here and here

Happy Friday! It's Award Time!

Happy Friday everyone! Can't believe another week has flown by but I'm not complaining one bit. Hope you all have a great weekend planned.

To kick the weekend off right I wanted to pass on a little love. Yes, it's that wonderful time again...time to thank all of the wonderful people who have given my little blog and award and my turn to pass them onto some very deserving fabulous people. Blog awards really mean so much to me and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for following and commenting on my blog as much as you do. It fills my days with such joy. Thank you all so so much!!!

First, I wanted to thank the fabulous Connie at Sogni e Sorrisi for giving me the Sunshine Award. Thank you, dear. I'm beyond excited to accept it!


So here are the rules that go along with accepting it:

1. Put the logo on your blog or within your post.
2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers.
3. Link to the nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

I wish I could pass this onto all of you fabulous people who brighten my days but rules are rules so I have to choose on 12. Well, here it goes....

Habit

Slumber Designs

Psynopsis

Samantha @ Pretty Lovely Things

Rachel @ Little Bits of Lovely

Sascha @ EverythingFab

Copius Couture

Lisa Lisa Lisa @ The Sentimentalist

Violetta @ VMCreation

Chic 'n Cheap Living

Honey My Heart

Arianna Belle

I also wanted to send a big thank you to the lovely Violetta over at VM Creations for this beautiful Cute Blog Award. She made the award herself! Isn't it beautiful?


And a big thank you to Hope Chella for the You're Going Places, Baby award! It means the world to me! Thank you, love :)

Here are the rules that go along with this award:

1. Link back to the blogger who sent you this award
2. Post where you would like to be in 10 years
3. Pass it on to 10 other special bloggers!

So, where would I like to be in 10 years from now? I'm already married to the love of my life so I think what I would like is to live in a place that we actually own, preferably in our beloved hometown of NYC...if I'm dreaming big, I'll say a brownstone in the west village, with a child or two :)

And now here comes the exciting part. I'm passing this award onto the following fabulous ladies:

Helena @ A Diary of Lovely
Mi Vida Bonita
La vie...J'aime
In Sniff's Choos
Dustjacket Attic
Sogni e Sorrisi

Marie-Eve
Anna and the Ring
99+ Forever
The Zhush

Please don't feel left out if you weren't included on either of these lists. I think you're all fabulous and look forward to having the opportunity to pass out many more awards to let you all know how much I enjoy & appreciate you.

Have a wonderful weekend! xoxo

Isn't She Lovely?

Happy Day! I'm really excited today for two reasons, all thanks to one person. #1 the lovely Helena of A Diary of Lovely gave me the Beautiful Blogger Award and #2 she is featuring me today on her blog as part of the My Stuff Series she has going on. I am so honored to be a part of her series and to receive the award. Thank you so much, Helena! You've made my week! :)

If you haven't yet already, you should definitely stop by and check out her blog. It's chock full of inspiration...fashion, decor, art, cooking, movies...and it's just so pretty! She truly is an amazing blogger and she also happens to be so sweet! Be sure to stop by and say hi.

Ok so onto the Beautiful Blogger Award. The rules are:

• Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
• Copy the award & place it on your blog.
• Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
• Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself.
• Nominate 7 bloggers.
• Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

Ok so 7 interesting things about me (not sure how interesting they are but it's all I've got:))...

1. It was my dream to be a fashion illustrator but I was persuaded to try the business route of fashion instead. My father didn't want me to live the life of a starving artist. To this day l cry whenever I see a beautiful illustration.

2. My other dream was to be a fashion stylist. Unfortunately this was back in the 80s and it seemed as if nobody knew what a fashion stylist was so I had no idea how to get started. I think it would be a different story today thanks to Rachel Zoe....

3. I am allergic to wool. It took many years and countless rashes along the way until i finally, tearfully admitted this to myself.


4. I have flat feet but that doesn't stop me from wearing these babies...


5. I hate the gym. I waste countless dollars every year on a gym membership and I hardly ever go.

6. I've only even BEEN with one person my entire life...

7. If I had to choose another city to live it, it would be Vancouver. My top 7 reasons: #1 - I love Canada, #2 - I love the water, #3 - I love the mountains, #4 - I love hockey and Canadians get that. #5 - I love the cultural diversity of the city #6 - I feel like I could live a healthier life. I envision J & I riding bikes or going on hikes on a regular basis. #7 - I love Canadians.

I wish I could give this to all of you but unfortunately rules are rules and I can only pass this onto 7 of you. It was a tough choice but I'm gonna go with some of my good ol girls from back in the day (blogspeak: i've known them for over 6 months) :)

Chic 'n Cheap Living
The Professional Bridesmaid
Honey My Heart
Anna and the Ring
The Thirty Something Bride
Pink Argyle
Holy Hanna...Wholly Krista

Be sure to check them all out. Each and every one of them rock in their own special way :)

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Who Me???

It's award time again! Yay! I LOVE awards! The lovely Westside Wedding gave me this blog award a while back but between travel & the holidays I haven't had a chance to pass it on. Thank you thank you thank you WW! You're the best! :)

So here are the rules...For the Over the Top Award you are supposed to answer the following questions with one word answers and then pass the award onto six fellow bloggers. Seems simple enough....

1. Where is your cell phone? desk

2. Your hair? down

3. Your mother? sad

4. Your father? travel

5. Your favorite food? tapas

6. Your dream last night? travel!

7. Your favorite drink? j&d

8. Your dream/goal? earlyretirement

9. What room are you in? office

10. Your hobby? blogging

11. Your fear? death

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? house

13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something you aren’t? bitchy

15. Muffins? yummm

16. Wish list item? Chanel

17. Where did you grow up? NY

18. Last thing you did? sang

19. What are you wearing? black

20. Your TV? old

21. Your pets? Cramekins (aquatic frog)
22. Your friends? amazing

23. Your life? great

24. Your mood? tired

25. Missing someone? Ant

26. Vehicle? Corolla

27. Something you’re not wearing? color

28. Your favorite store? Topshop

29. Your favorite color? burgundy

30. When was the last time you laughed? 9:30am

31. Last time you cried? Sunday

32. Your best friend? J

33. One place that I go over and over? fantasyland

34. One person who emails me regularly? J

35. Favorite place to eat? Gemma

I have to say that was a bit harder than I had anticipated! One word answers are impossible for a person like me. I prefer to be a bit more descriptive. I guess rules are rules though, so there you have it!

And now it's my turn to pass on the love. It's always so hard to choose who to give these to! I love you all but since I can only choose 6, I'm going to pass it onto a bunch of my new blogging buddies.

Marie-Eve
Giovanna @ Swoon
Miss T @ 99 + Forever (It's such an exciting time for her. She's getting married in 2 days!!!)
Crystal @ Plush Palate
Sogni e Sorrisi
Stacy Marie @ You Can't Take it With You

Image: found here

It's Award Time!

I was so excited & honored to receive a few blog awards over the past few weeks from a bunch of wonderful ladies.

Thank you sooo much ladies! I'm really so flattered. Sorry that I'm just getting around to it now...I was busy with the recaps for a while there. But I figured now was a good time for a little recap break and time for a little fun :)

So here I go...

Tina from We Wed 09.19.09 gave me the Kreativ Blogger award. And she wrote such a sweet message that I had to share with you guys. It seriously made me well up!

Dawn @ Alternative Bride is the epitome of a FABULOUS blogger. It also makes me want rally against prop 8 even more. Her blog is not only creative and fashionable but really defines true love. Her planning to the alter has been an amazing journey that i can truly say i felt blessed daily to be a fellow blogger along for the ride. Her sense of style and vision for her big day is well documented and truly inspirational.

I also received the Kreativ Blogger award from the wonderful Cyn City from Confessions of an Obsessive Planner & Amy-Jo from the ever inspiring Bride Chic.

And the fun didn't stop there. One of my alltime favorite blogging buddies Chic 'n Cheap Living gave me a choice of awards...the Kreativ Blogger or the Sugar Doll award. I think I'm going to take the Sugar Doll since I already received the Kreativ Blogger. The more the merrier, right? :)

So here are the rules...

Kreativ Blogger
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know be it fun, interesting, or even embarrassing.
5.Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they’ve been nominated .


Sugar Doll
Tell everyone 10 interesting facts about yourself & pass the award onto 10 other bloggers.

I think I'm going to combine the two because I don't know if I can come up with 17 things to say! So I'll just settle on 10 :)

1 - I'm a hockey fanatic. I just can't get enough of the sport. Most people find it strange that #1- I'm such an avid hockey fan & #2 - that I don't care about other sports. I mean I live in NY and we have a bunch of great pro sports teams and hockey is definitely the least popular of all the sports so why would I even pay it any attention. Well, it started way back in the 80's when I was a young girl growing up on Long Island. It was the Islander dynasty years and I was hooked right from the start.

I've traveled to cities throughout the US & Canada just for the sole purpose of seeing a hockey game at a new arena. I even got Ranger season tickets this year...I had them for about 6 or 7 years but gave them up for the past 4. But this year I was weak and bought them again...I figured I could use a distraction from the post wedding haze.


2 - I have a ridiculous oral fixation. I must always have a piece of Dentyne Fire (recently renamed Spicy Cinnamon....I don't know why, was there a negative connotation with fire or something???)in my mouth and you'll find me constantly reapplying my Bigelow Mentha Lip Gloss. It's a problem...

Source

3 - I adore soup. Can't get enough of it. I could eat it for lunch and dinner every day of my life. I've even been known to eat the same exact soup for a few meals in a row. Oh and not cold soup. Soup needs to be hot.

Source

4 - And I guess this goes along the same lines as being a creature of habit. I can listen to the same song or playlist over and over again without getting bored. It drives J crazy. I've ruined many a song for her. Sorry babe....

Source

5 - I have an irrational fear of cotton balls. Like I seriously get goose bumps & my ears burn when I see them. Forget feel them. I have to wet cotton balls and qtips before they can touch me. You should have seen the state I was in searching for a picture to post!

Source

Oh and I also have the same reaction to Smart Cars. I can't explain it...something about the size & shape drives me crazy in the same exact way! And I can't explain why I never had that reaction to cars in Europe....

Source

6 - Ok now here's a big one...my dirty little secret...I've been doing it for probably about 25 years now. I compulsively rip pages out of magazines and keep them. And I file them in some weird order but I never ever go back to re-look at them. Horrible compulsion! It's really overwhelming. I'm surprised that I've been able to keep a mate all of these years. I used to be the same way about taping things on tv. Happily I can say that I broke that habit...now it's time to break this one.

Source

7 - Foot massages are one of my greatest pleasures in life. Don't worry...I don't have a foot fetish. I won't even post a photo of a foot because I know some people are sensitive about such things :)

8 - My job has enabled me to meet & work closely with a bunch of "celebs" - Kimora Lee Simmons, Dr. Robert Rey (Dr. 90210), Joan Collins, Joan Rivers & Adrianna Lima to name a few. And surprisingly, for the most part, they've been really super sweet and some of them have been pretty normal people...i played with Kimora's kids at her house & she even made me try on some her rings as I sat next to her on her couch. She's really approachable & cool which I found surprising. It's kinda interesting to get to see a glimpse into their lives. But I have to say, as glam of a life that a celeb lives, I would never in a million years give up the normalcy & anonymity that I have in my life.

9 - I have naturally curly hair but most people would never know it. You only know my secret if you've seen me on the beach ;)

10 - I have flat feet but again you'd probably only know it if you've seen me on the beach. No orthopedics for me. I love shoes too much!

Source

So now it's my turn to pass the torch! I know a bunch of my favorites have recently been awarded either of these two awards so I'm awarding the prize of choice, Kreative Blogger or Sugar Doll award to the following:

And Stanley Makes Three

Honey My Heart

The Professional Bridesmaid

The Bowie Bride

wheresmydessert

Anna and the Ring

Dustjacket Attic

Bridechka

A Cupcake Wedding

Westside Wedding

My First Blog Award!

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

I am over the moon! I just received my first ever blog award today from the lovely Krista, the Canadian Bride. Krista's wonderful blog is one of my daily must reads. Be sure to stop by and check it out. I promise you will not be disappointed. Thank you so much Krista!

It was extremely tough but i finally narrowed it down to 8! I hereby pass this blog award onto the following fantastic bloggers (in no particular order):

Amy-Jo @ Bride Chic

K @ BlogGoogles

Mara @ A Wedding Cabaret

Mo @ Pink Argyle

Pretty Bride

Two Chicks Nest

An Atlanta Bride

Tina @ Tying the Knot