Style Crush: Olivia Polermo

Although I don't care for her as a person based on her "character" on The City, there's no denying that Olivia Palermo has amazing taste. She's the real life Blair Waldorf, Queen of the Upper East Side and the definition of Park Avenue style. And, you can tell from the pics above that she is a fan of the shorts+tights trend that I can't wait to sport this Fall... Adorable!

What my dreams look like...

As I've mentioned before, I am a very active dreamer in my waking and sleeping life. Most of the time I enjoy my dreams, but lately they have been a bit scary... The other night I dreamed that I decided to start taking dance lessons (something I've always wanted to do) and right after starting classes I find out we're doing a recital in Paris. Not wanting to miss out on a trip to Paris, I scramble to learn all of the steps and buy all of the required dance clothes. Totally unprepared, I set out for my trip only to end up in a whirlpool in the middle of the ocean surrounded by non-threatening sharks... 

Translation (according to my favorite dream website): I'm ready to start a new stage (dance recital) in my life but am confronted with turmoil (whirlpool) because of my fear of loosing my independence and individuality (sharks) in the process... I'd say that is pretty accurate.

I have a tendency to get severe anxiety when I'm faced with anything that seems permanent. It's called fear of commitment. I always need that hope of one day having something better or even just different. Just so Ed doesn't freak out when he reads this, it's not about him. In fact, he is one of the very few things that doesn't scare me to think about forever. The things I seem to have commitment issues over are where I am and what I'm doing. 

For example, the most important thing for me in any job is my growth potential. I always need to feel like I'm working towards something bigger. Being stuck in the same place doing the same thing forever (or even just a long time) is TERRIFYING to me! I think that is what is causing these weird dreams. 

I'm trying to find contentment... Since graduating college I've sort of just been all over the place. It has been so much fun and I have learned a lot about the world and myself, but I feel at this point I want to start moving towards settling down. I just still have that curious, restless, adventurous part of me, though, that wants to see what else is out there... I would love to find an exciting job with our Home Office in Philadelphia or try to transfer to the new Anthro in London, but I don't want to go alone. One of the things I've learned these last few years is that I need companionship. 

So how does a curious, restless, adventurous girl get by being stuck in one place with no traveling budget? Still trying to figure that out...

Words of Wisdom

"The creative adult is the child who survived." - Ursula LeGuin

Must-Have For Fall: Bed Jackets

This goes right along with my fringe kimonos obsession. I bought this amazing bed jacket about a month or so ago (before the car incident that caused my major spending freeze) and now I want to wear it every day. It's so cute and sooooo comfortable! I started outfitting it yesterday with things that are already in my closet and this was my favorite. 

And, I love the fabric.... 

I wish I could find it and make drapes out of it. Wouldn't it go so well in my apartment?!? The color combo is my favorite. Anyway, as soon as this spending freeze is over (which I'm predicting will be late September/early October) I'm on a mission to find more bed jackets!!

Date Night: Crazy Stupid Love

I love when I have Sundays off and Edward and I can spend the whole day together. It's a rare occasion so I really cherish it. Today, he picked up my favorite take-out, Chipotle, on his way over to lay by my pool. After soaking up some vitamin D we relaxed for a while then went to the movies to see Crazy Stupid Love. I've been wanting to see it, but it was even better than I expected! At one point I was tearing up, but then my good cry got interrupted by something hilarious. It takes a lot to get me to tear up and laugh at the same time. And there are so many good people in it! The only thing I didn't like about it was Ryan Gosling's man jewelry. Pet peeve. He's too cute for that. But other than that, it was the perfect date night movie. Highly recommended!

Vintage Woods

I was finally able to take some good pictures of our Fall Display today. The theme was "Vintage Woods" and it took a lot of people, time and hard work to accomplish, but I am so in love with how it turned out. It is times like these that I really do love my job. The store is so cozy and pretty now and we are all set for Fall... Just waiting for these hot temperatures to catch the hint and cool it!

Song of the Week: We Found Each Other In The Dark

One of the girls at work brought a bunch of cds she had made to our display install and We Found Each Other In The Dark by City and Colour was on it. I had never even heard of City and Colour, but this is already my new favorite song. SO GOOD!

OB-Sessions: Elie Saab Wedding Gowns

Ok, no I'm not engaged... yet, but I've been looking at wedding gowns since I can remember. And, after a lifetime of research I have decided that Elie Saab is my favorite wedding gown designer. His dresses have everything I want. They're flowy and sparkly with lots of detailing. 

I found the one in the first picture a little over a year ago and just out of curiosity emailed them for the price. I know that may seem a little crazy, but that dress is EXACTLY what I want! They responded immediately saying that it was part of the Elie Saab Couture Collection and these dresses range from $60-$80k. They also said that I should swing by one of their fashion houses in Paris or Milan for more information... Oh, yes I would love to swing by your fashion houses in Paris and Milan, the only problem is that $60-$80k is waaaaaay over my entire wedding budget! That is CRAZY!

So, I will be shopping for "Elie Saab Inspired" gowns when that day finally comes... But, that doesn't stop me from dreaming about myself in one of the gowns from the the Fall 2011 Collection. My 3 favorites are above. OB-SESSED!

Fall Display Time!

It's that time again... Time to set-up new display at the store! And, this Fall Install couldn't have come at a better time. I needed a good project to take my mind off of all that debt business. So, I decided yesterday to dive right in by searching the internet for some inspiring photos to get my creative process going. It needs to have a very cozy, woodsy feel to it and I always like to have a touch of whimsy. These photos got me super inspired and ready to go. Today, Scarlet and I made a trip to Michael's and now I am ready to start prepping. Tomorrow will include sawing branches and spray painting them hot pink! So exciting!!!

For my non-facebook readers who haven't already seen, here is a pic of Scarlet at Michael's with me. She wasn't as into it as I was...

The August Free People Catalog

I say this almost every month, but I think this is my favorite Free People catalog EVER! I kept having to start over looking at it because I kept getting distracted by the scenery. Yes, it was shot in Venice!! Several of the pages were shot in my most favorite place on earth, Piazza San Marco. I wonder how I go about applying for a job as a Free People Catalog Photo Shoot Stylist??? Dream job!

A Fun-Filled Family Weekend!

We had such a fun weekend! It went by too fast :( When they arrived Thursday we went to dinner with Ed and his family at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Ajo Als. Lori and Ed's family had never met, so it was kind of a big deal in my mind. It went really well though, and then it was time to come to my apartment and introduce the newest family member. Scarlet immediately knew that these people were very close to me. It's funny how they can sense that. She attached to them so fast and when she started barking at their luggage and then running circles through the apartment, Lori confirmed that she fit in just fine with our other weirdo dogs.

Friday, we went to brunch then spent the whole day shopping at Fashion Square (where I work). Lori got some really cute things from Free People and my mom got a fabulous dress for an event she has coming up. My mom and I also got some awesomely awful dresses for Lori's Jersey Shore birthday party. After such a long day of shopping, we went to Stingray for some yummy sushi and happy hour. Saturday we just relaxed by my pool and refueled for my mom's birthday dinner at Cheesecake Factory. We of course ate way to much but it was all SO GOOD! 

Sunday, was finally our spa day. We went to the Spa at Camelback Inn which makes the top 25 best spa list every year. And, judging by the massages we had, we agree. I'm still sore! We did a little more sunbathing and shopping after that, then went to Oregano's (another favorite restaurant) for dinner. Again, delicious. 

When they left me yesterday, they left me sunburned, sore and 3 pounds heavier. Totally worth it, though! I'm working on convincing them to just move here. Not sure if I'll ever convince Lori. She compared the heat to the 7th circle of hell. I think she might change her mind when they come back this winter, though. I can't wait!