Floral print
Pastels
If you want to stand out at an event, you must prepare well in advance to look appropriate and as beautiful as you can be.
If you follow this timeline or make your own, you’ll be sure to have a cohesive and polished look for any special event.
Old Hollywood reminds me of hair pinned up, bright lips, gold shoes and fur. When I dress for a special occasion, just putting on a pretty dress is not enough. I enjoy having a vision and this time my vision started with wearing a fur. I didn’t own a fur, or any of my look but I get jazzed by the challenge of finding my outfit. The fundraiser was held at the Ritz-Carlton in Boston for Jaden’s Ladder. When I’m at a classy hotel, I like to dress the part.
The skinny on my look~
I found this simple brown DVF dress at a friend’s shop for $50! The next thing I found were these gold and black sequence shoes from J. Crew. Over time I found the fur vest on Ebay but with the shipping time, it would arrive with only 10 days to spare. I really wasn’t sure if it would be perfect, but to my surprise it’s gorgeous.
I picked up the clutch on winter clearance at Lord & Taylor. I chose it to tie the black and gold together with a bit of hard to play off the soft fur. The last item I picked, which didn’t really end up showing is my gold and Swarovski crystal necklace. But, I love it and am glad I bought it. The symbol means, “double luck” in Chinese.’
Hair styled by Salon Sabeha, make up from Modern Priscilla, teeth whitening by Super Smile.
Dress $50, J.Crew Shoes $32 (clearance), Fur $75, Swarovski necklace $60 (outlet), clutch $28
Total cost $245
I find being a woman is ‘everything’, but what I like the most about being a woman is wearing beautiful tailored gowns with confidence. A well fitted gown can take you a long way. . . even if it’s just for the night, live it up and like I always say, “if you’re going to do something, might as well go all the way”. This rule applies for wearing a dress. When attending an event, I’d much rather be a tad over dressed than under dressed any day. If it’s too dressy, then make sure you’ve got that shall handy to cover up a bit. I find most people admire and find well dressed people more interesting than someone who looks like their wearing that, ‘same old dress, again’. Here are my favorite dresses that I’ve pinned over the year, that if I were able to get my hands on one of these, who knows where I’d go in one of these gorgeous gowns!
Mark and I met in 1994 and married in 97. I was so young, all of 25 years old when we married.
One of our first formal events together.
A couple years after we were married
Attending a wedding before we were married
Christmas 2011. After being a couple for 17 years!
Summer 2012
A N D. . . . here we are 18 years later!
We’ve come a long way. . . 2 son’s who are now 6 and 9, my stepson is 27 and this summer we welcomed a daughter-in-law into the family. Our family has grown and continues to change, but one thing remains the same…us!
After 13 years, last March I decided it was time to revamp the living room! We were using our 13 year sofa that was all wrong. The rug is only 10 years old, but I was ready for a new style. Since my kids were babies I’ve used a round soft ottoman with tray on top, but now the kids are 6 and 9 time to have some sharp corners! Our tv was in a cabinet which was outdated as well.
The Process
Cover the sofa or buy a new one….we bought a new one!
Painted the wall a new lighter creamy color.
Cover the chair or buy a new one….new one of course!
Swapped out the rug for a new style. My old style was more traditional and now I like cozy mod.
Ditched the TV, stand and ottoman
Before After
I wanted a more neutral and cohesive look when you walked into my living room. The focal point is the fireplace and after I painted it, it felt so fresh and light and that’s when I made the decision to start “Project Living room”.
The old wall color was a brownish taupe that worked really well with gold tones. Painting the walls was my first change and I went for a creamy color. The color really lightened up the room and gave me room to play with the upholstery colors. Before I was really stuck with golden/taupe sofa.
Before After
Moving away from brown tones to cream tones gave me the freedom to switch to gray. I loved going for a deeper sofa color since all the walls went so much lighter.
You can also see my old oriental rug in photo above with my old chesterfield sofa. Below is my new chevron rug in gray and cream.
I ditched the soft round ottoman and added two square mirrored tables that I had from three years ago. I picked them up at Target for $35.00 each.
Before my sofa faced our fireplace but once I knew I was ready for a change, I wanted to have a chaise on my sofa and move it to the right of our fireplace. The antique brown cabinet stores my china, candles and various decor items.
I didn’t want to have the TV in a cabinet any longer, so I talked my husband into getting a flat screen and console.
I found this stunning mirror and silver Paltrow Console Table on Joss and Main for $450. This console not only matches my coffee tables, but my starburst mirror that is high above my fireplace.
Before After
Though the brown paisley chair was so cozy with the matching ottoman, it was worn out and ready for a new home. Our new chair is in a solid light gray. By keeping the sofa and chair print free, I had the freedom to go bold on the floor and will have fun with throw pillows and blankets.
My New Living Room!
I accessorize with antique, new and collectables. The mantel turned out far better than expected. Several items are one of a kind, from various trips my father in law took. The large jar is filled with beach finds than my boys search endlessly in the summer on several Maine beaches. The other two tables in the room are antique finds. The mirror and copper bowl of over sized grapes are also antiques from our family. I’m not afraid to repaint things as you can see from the items that are hung high over the mantel. I have several framed photographs and figurines that are put away or in other rooms, but if there’s anything I can’t say enough is ‘edit’ and ‘edit again’. Less is more and quality is always better.
When it comes to giving a gift why not give something handmade. When someone is taking their energy to create a handcrafted good, I call it Art. There is nothing I find more beautiful than when I know someone handmade a great gift.
Birch bark Journal by Three Trees Bindry
Layered Wooden Cross Candle Corset by Fine and Funky Designs
Linen Napkins by Pillow Link
Gold, Pearls & Leather Necklace by LiatGiladJewellery
Gold Zag Try by Up in the Air Somewhere
Neutral designs are happening with taupe and gray everywhere, even in my own home! What I love about using these two colors is that they are so calming, classic, old world, a bit of traditional meets modern and oh so neutral! Here are some of my favorite gray and taupe designs.
Farrow & Ball
