Good enough for Carrie, good enough for me.

I don't have much time to write tonight, but wanted to pass along another great gift option - Alicia Bock Photos sold via her shop on Etsy.  The topics range from nature to Paris and every image has this beautiful, dreamy quality that you don't see everywhere else.  Plus, several of the photos were used in Carrie and Big's apartment in Sex and the City 2.  Need I say more?

 

My favorites...

Gift Idea #3 - The elusive $20 item

I love all of the fantastic gift guides that are being published all over the internets (check Design Sponge!), but I find many to be lacking in the under $20 selection.  To be honest, most of the non-family members on my list are getting gifts that run around $20 but look like they're worth more (or I got them on crazy sale).  In the spirit of saving money, here are some options that will be well received but won't break the bank.

Z Gallerie Radiant Frame  (with an awesome picture inside, even if you print it from Flickr)
J. Crew Leopard Belt
Personalized Note Cards (Order NOW!)
Sex and the City Print  (for my best friend, Julie)
White Truffle Oil from Pike Place Market
LOFT Teardrop Necklace
Prim and Posies Hair Pins (close enough to $20... I loved them too much to leave out)
Dahlia Placemat (originally featured on Design Sponge)
P.S. I Made This book (so awesome!)

Where are they now: Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield

Few (fictional) people played  bigger role in my childhood than Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield.  Once I learned to read, I started saving my allowance to buy Sweet Valley Kids books and quickly graduated to the other series that followed them through junior high, high school and college.  Now there's a new book coming out (yes really!) that revisits Elizabeth and Jessica ten years later.

In honor of this new book (which I pre-ordered - that's how nerdy I am) I wanted to do a where are they now post about Elizabeth and Jessica and then see how my prediction for them compares to the book when it arrives in March. 

Elizabeth Wakefield
Elizabeth was getting a journalism degree last time I read about her, and I think she would have stuck with that career path.  Now she's living in Silver Lake and writing for the LA Times as well as the occasional piece for Vanity Fair and the Huffington Post.  She isn't married, but lives with her boyfriend who published a well-known novel a couple of years ago.  She's still not a very adventurous dresser and buys for comfort before style, but Jessica would never let her walking around looking sloppy.

Jessica Wakefield
Jessica also lives in LA, and she's currently dating an actor starring in a vampire show on the CW.  They just moved into a house in West Hollywood and she's growing accustomed to photographers taking their picture at Starbucks (she loves it, actually).  Jessica's own aspirations of fame never panned out, but she's now one of the most successful modeling agents outside of New York.  Her style is sexy and glamorous - still the opposite of her sister.

Dresses for party season

In case you didn't know, there are only 3 weekends between now and Christmas.  That means not much time left to shop for holiday party dresses.  Luckily, there are lots of great options to be had right now and it seems like every store is having some sort of sale this week.  Here are some of my favorite places to shop this week:

The Limited
All dresses are 30% off right now and I got the black one to wear to my own office party this year.  I also like the color block dress and it's very silky and nicely made in person.

LOFT
It seems like LOFT sends out a 30-40% off email every other day, and the items in store get marked down well before the ones online so it's a great place to check often and find random things on sale... like a leather clutch for 85% off.

ZARA
If you're lucky enough to live near a Zara, you need to go check it out.  The selection is awesome and the prices aren't bad - dresses range from $45 to $250.  The sizing runs a bit small though, so don't get all upset in the fitting room when your size doesn't fit.

Modcloth
And finally, the mother of all shops for dresses.  There's a huge range of designers and prices and everyone can probably find something since the styles go from vintage to frilly to minimalist.

Reader Request: Sophisticated, Low Cost Living Room

This week I got a request from a reader who is sick of her current hand me down furniture, and wants some cheap(ish) but sophisticated options that she can start saving to buy.  Her style is "elegantly modern" and I found what I think are some nice pieces that could be integrated into many other rooms down the road.

Blue Gray Wool Rug - Overstock.com ($165)
Home Decorators Roberts Sofa ($599)
Kenroy Home Cameron Mirror ($169)
West Elm Silk Dupioni Window Panel ($50)
Home Decorators Caprice Coffee Table ($169)
West Elm Bone Side Table ($199)
"I Like the Way You Say My Name" photo - Alicia Bock via Etsy ($35)
Java Java Long Tray via Shop Furbish ($22)
Home Decorators Montego 4-Shelf Bookcase ($99)
Nate Berkus Navy Herringbone Throw via HSN ($15!)
Ikea Rutbo Ceiling Lamp ($40)

Martha Stewart Living Ingrid Armchair ($699)
Pier 1 Exhibit Lamp ($75)
West Elm Parsons Desk ($299)
Ikea Gilbert Chair ($40)
West Elm Resin Box ($17)
Nest Screen Print by BoldandNoble via Etsy ($62)

12 Days of Prizes from High Gloss Magazine!

I'm sure most of you are anxiously awaiting the launch of High Glass, a new online magazine that promises to be pretty amazing.  They're giving away one item per day for 12 days, and the first one is pretty awesome - desk accessories from Dabney Lee Home

Head over to the giveaway post in the Happenings section of highglossmagazine.com and leave a comment to be entered!

Gift Idea #2 - For the Boys

Buying gifts for guys can be really frustrating for me because I put so much thought into it and am so excited to give every present I buy that I get disappointed when they end up sitting in the gift bag for 2 months.   My husband wants a 3 terabyte hard drive for Christmas, so I won't be shopping for many men this year.  But if I were, here are some things I'd be buying:

WOLF iPad case 
The Pacific on Blu-Ray
Fossil Marcus Reversible Belt
Banana Republic Morgan Aviator Glasses
Bieber Macbook Decal   (For white elephant exchanges)
Timbuktu Messenger Bag
Eastbound and Down Season 2
Logitech Harmony Remote   (It's awesome - we went from 6 remotes to 1)