All That Glitters: New Year's Eve

What I love most about New Year's Eve is that it gives me an excuse to get all dressed up and of course, to party like a rock star. Here are some of my picks to party the night away:

1) One Shoulder Dress - Dorothy Perkins, $29; Purple and Gold Open Toe Heels - Shiekh Shoes, $29.97; Sequined Flap Clutch - DSW, $36.95
2) Champagne Service Dress - Mod Cloth, $54.99; Peeptoe Slingbacks - AmiClubWear, $26.99; Bronze Sequin Clutch - Lori's Shoes, $32.95
3) Karen Sequin Dress - Alloy, $49.90; Farah Gold Metallic Pumps - Heels.com, $85.49; Lulu Townsend Embellished Clutch - DSW, $29.95
4) Black Cocktail Dress - Sung Boutique LA, $88; Faux Black Suede and Gold Sandals - Shiekh Shoes, $12.97;Rosendo Clutch - Aldo Shoes, $35
5) Black and Silver Sparkle Shift Dress - Dorothy Perkins, $79; Michael Antonio Women's Linney Pump -  Endless, $36.99; Le Regale Satin Rhine Ornament Clutch - Sears, $19.60
6) Grecian Glam Dress - Adabelle's, $54; Fioni Women's Platform Luster Sandal - Payless, $34.99; Le Regale Beaded Sequined Clutch - Sears, $21

Christmas Wish List

A Headband Organizer to keep all of my headbands in one place.

{Credit: photo courtesy of  Sunny Tuesday}

Cuisinart ICE21 Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream and Sorbet Maker

 (Yeah, I know it's the middle of winter,but I ave a serious addiction to frozen yogurt.) 

{Credit: via Amazon}

          It has great customer reviews, seems easy to use, is relatively inexpensive at $49.95 and

                 comes in my favorite color (added bonus). I am SOLD!

       Sony 32" 3D Sound Bar System

{Credit: via Sony}

       Theater sound without the bulk of a traditional home theater system; what's not to love...

Anne of Green Gables Trilogy Box Set

                                                                                                                                      

{Credit: via Amazon}

   Who can forget the love affair of Anne and Gilbert? This is my all-time favorite

 movie series, and I never get tired of watching it.

Black Cropped Trousers

{Credit: via H&M}

A polished look for work..plus, a steal of a deal at $14.95

Beige Blue Party Heels 

{Credit: via Kvoll Fashion}

These heels are a big hit on my Pinterest board and with good reason. They are perfection! 

So readers, what's on your Christmas wish list?

* Christmas stocking clipart via Webweaver

DIY Stamp Picture Collage

Ever since I was a little girl, my mother started collecting stamps for me. As I got older, I continued to save them myself  and before I knew it, I had a pretty extensive collection. When I saw this stamp picture in the West Elm catalog, it gave me the idea to do something similar to display some of my favorite stamps.

 (Credit: West Elm spring 2011 catalog)

A few months ago, I found this really inexpensive picture frame at Wal-Mart that cost me no more than $9 at the time. I knew this frame would be perfect for my stamp picture collage.

                                                 

First, I took all of the glass pieces out of the frame and traced around them on some sketch paper that I already had at home.

I then arranged all of the stamps I wanted to display in my collage on two of the pieces of cut sketch paper before using a clear glue stick to paste them.  For the center piece of my frame, I decided to display a collection of buttons, which I also accumulated over the years. Once they were arranged, I used a glue gun to glue them to the paper. For the other two frames, I used a picture which was given to me as a gift long ago (luckily,it fit like a glove) and an old post card I received, which I could not bring myself to part with since I am a lover of art.

and voilà... here is my version of the stamp picture

Fall Essentials - 20 under $20

Let's face it - times are tough and everyone likes to find a good bargain, especially when it comes to fashion. After getting some good (and much needed) feedback from friends, I decided it was time to do a budget friendly fashion post with fall pieces that are cute, but won't break the bank. That being said, here are some of my favorite finds:

1) Small Colorblocked Handbag, Forever 21, $19.80

2) Pom Pom Cable Knit Leg Warmers,Nordstorm, $14.00
3) OPI Gold Shatter Nail Polish, Amazon, $4.35
4) Sherpa Fold Over Boot, wet seal, $19.90
5) Colorful Zig Zag Scarf, Charlotte Russe, $5.99
6) Wrap-Around Pleather Watch, Charlotte Russe, $13.50
7) Button Up Plaid Top, Styles for Less, $14.99
8) Polar Fleece Self Tie Coat, Styles for Less, $19.99
9) YMI CharcoalWash Skinny Jeans, 15 Dollar Store, $15.00
10) Woven Tri-Color Belt,Forever 21, $5.80
11) D&Y Crochet Flower Headwrap,Von Maur, $18.00
12) Mossimo Supply Co. Perfect Sweater Dress, Target,$19.99
13) ALMOST FAMOUS Fairisle Womens Poncho, Tillys,$17.97
14) BKE Sole Savana Shoe, Buckle, $16.47
15) BCBGeneration Party Animal Owl Ring, Zappos, $17.99
16) Button Pleated Round Toe Pump, Urbanog, $18.50 (use code 17NOV at checkout for an additional 25% off)
17) Faceted Beaded Bracelet, Forever 21, $7.80
18) Metal Hoop Beaded Earrings, H&M, $5.95
19) Cable Channel Necklace, Mod Cloth, $9.99
20) Green Square Lock Wristlet/Clutch, Dorothy Perkins, $11.00

Now, I am going to finish my lazy Sunday with the Anne of Green Gables moviethon on GPB. Toodles everyone! Enjoy what's left of the weekend.

Color Trends: Navy,Coral and Beige

I am currently digging the colors of navy, coral and beige together. Bright coral alongside navy and beige makes for a striking color combination, don't you think?

navy and coral by lfryou2 on Polyvore featuring a blue dress

This bedroom is so cozy and comfortable looking. I especially like the hanging lanterns.

{Credit: House Beautiful via The Decorista}

Coral & Navy bymlb1104 on Polyvore featuring a cape trench coat

Credit: Design Seeds {slag glass}

{Credit: via Perfection Imperfection on Tumblr}

Have a great weekend, everyone! Enjoy this nice weather.

Falltastic Friday

 I'm a little late on this post, but my favorite season has arrived, and I was inspired to blog again. I love all things FALL - the changing colors of the leaves, cool weather, the fashion (it's officially boot season again!), all of the pumpkin inspired recipes popping up all over the blogosphere, hot apple cidar, pretty mums everywhere you look...you get the picture. (no pun intended) 

 

Fall fashion is in full swing. Here are some of my favorite looks for fall. For details on the items featured, please visit the links below each set.

Fall Trends by urbansprinkle featuring gem jewelry

Paris is for Lovers by urbansprinkle featuring crop tops

Working Girl by urbansprinkle featuring red wide leg pants

Stripes and Floral by urbansprinkle featuring gucci sunglasses

Midnight at the Carnival by urbansprinkle featuring textured tights

Happy Friday!

 

A Charleston Affair...or two

L ast weekend, I was in my beautiful hometown of Charleston, SC.

It’s always nice to go down to the Lowcountry and soak up the

city just like a tourist.

 


Rainbow Row - downtown Charleston, SC

 

Last Saturday, I also attended a wedding reception for my good friend Amanda while I was in town.  

She and her husband Steven seem truly in love, and I could not be happier for them. They are such a great couple!

and with another beautiful picture
of the old Cooper River Bridge, a gift from friend Christine.

The happy couple with an original painting of the new
 Cooper River Bridge,
 a gift from Steven's Aunt who is an artist.







 






















I also attended an Art Walk in downtown Charleston and got the chance to meet some artists that call the Lowcountry home. I met local artist,Victoria Pratt Ellis, who is also my mom’s art instructor. Here she stands with one of her many paintings, which encompasses pieces of maps. She paints around the torn map pieces, and her works come together in a jigsaw puzzle fashion.

                              

Victoria’s artwork can be found at the Ellis-Nicholson Gallery on Broad Street or online at http://www.ellis-nicholsongallery.com/

At COCO VIVO Interiors & Fine Art, I came across this unique silk scarf.

 

Mary Phelps and  Kate Lackett, both Senior Designers, own and operate COCO VIVO Gallery and provide interior design services as well. In addition to their Charleston studio on Broad Street, they also have Coast and Cottage, their flagship studio, located in the seaside town of Boothbay Harbor Maine. For more information or to inquire about an interior design consultation, please visit  Coast and Cottage.

 Local artist Stephanie Shuler Hamlet with her latest colorful series of artwork at Hamlet Gallery

These pieces are all new and are currently untitled; however, she will likely name the piece left of center “Jubilation”.  Stephanie says this series is much more colorful than some of her past works, and she is in a new life phase which makes her happy and has inspired her to incorporate a lot of bright, bold colors in her artwork. For more information about Stephanie's paintings, please visit the website for her gallery at  http://www.hamletgallery.com/.

Over at Bernie Horton Gallery, were some more traditional oil paintings by artist Bernie Horton.  His paintings really capture the natural beauty of the Lowcountry. I like his use of lighting in these paintings,which adds to the overall mood of each piece.

For more information, visit Bernie Horton Gallery online at http://www.berniehortongallery.com/

A trip to Gallery Row would not be complete without a stop at Atmah Ja's The Art of Core Consciousness Gallery, which doubles as a yoga and massage studio.  Gallery Director and Co-Founder, Atmah Ja, exclusively features the work of dynamic artist Iamikan, a native of West Virginia who draws most of the inspiration for his artwork from nature. Iamikan's pieces mainly consist of abstract works in oils, acylics and epoxy resins on a wide variety of materials such as steel, wood, canvas, glass and shoji pressed paper. Atmah Ja, a certified yoga instructor and massage therapist, met the artist through a mutual friend and discovered that their business goals coincided. The rest was history.

a piece from Iamikan on acrylic glass

another piece from Iamikan constructed on shattered glass

For more information about The Art of Core Consciousness Gallery, please visit http://www.atmahjas.com/

While I was in town, I also made some time for a little window shopping on King Street.....

Spring Clutch by Addlibb Designs at Sally Bette's, $84




Tie Dye dress at Seeking Indigo  



  

Elizabeth McKay Beach Club Dress in Navy Elephant 
 at Sally Bette's, $265



Snakeskin bathing suit by Melissa Odabash,$195
and Dubai coverup by Escapada, $68 at Sally Bette's

 






  

    

 

Sunday fun @ The Inman Park Spring Festival

Today was a nice, relaxing day in Inman Park, Atlanta's oldest suburb, for the annual Inman Park Spring Festival.  



the Old Trolley Barn at Inman Park

Aside from the heat and humidity, this day could not have been more perfect.

                                       

I very much enjoyed strolling the tree-lined streets and admiring the historic, ornate Victorian homes which the area is known for. All the while, I found myself imagining how I would furnish and landscape such a house if I were to own one. One can dream, can't they?

This was my first time attending the festival, and I was overall impressed with the number of vendors on display. I wasn't expecting it to be as large as it was. Local artist and illustrator James Dean (not to be confused with THE James Dean), whose famous Pete the Cat art can be found all over the city, had a booth displaying his art work which was a real treat to see.

I especially loved these beautiful collage tree pictures, for sale by another artist. As an artist myself (with an affinity for mosaics as well as collages), I was truly inspired.

All sorts of other nice things could be found as well from home and garden decor to fashion accessories.