I recently posted about my fashion inspiration for a trip to Paris, and as I get the itch to get out of the country, I’ve gone beyond Paris, to daydreams of Provence.  Exploring old towns, biking through the countryside, and drinking wine at the local wine bar, bistro, or restaurant.

Hope you enjoy a few of my inspirations for a Jaunt through Provence.

1. Full Skirted and Feminine

Perfect for meandering through fields of lavender, or touring the local wineries, castles, and chateaus.  Look for full skirted patterns with a sweet floral print – perfect for summertime, and perfect for the country.  As a side note, my sister and her husband spent their honeymoon last summer touring France (along with Belgium & London) and as a word of caution, the wine tasting in Provence (specifically the Loire Valley) is not at all like it is here – the doors to the winemakers homes are closed, so be prepared to walk up, knock on the door, and make conversation before tasting!

2. Figure Forgiving Floaty Fabrics

Like the alliteration on this one?? Ha!

I love the idea of lazy days in the country, riding bikes, daily picnics, and many MANY naps under shady trees.  Floaty fabrics, and forgiving silhouettes are a must in order to accommodate all the cheese and baguettes you will inevitably be consuming.  Stick with a palette that can be mixed together – I’m still loving variations of coral and aqua – here its apricot and mint.  Stripes have to make their way in here one way or another, and neutral flats and fun sunnies cap things off.

3. Bistro People Watching + Dinner

Provence III by beckyc1923 featuring open back dresses

Deep v neck dress, £100
Abercrombie Fitch strapless floral dress, $78
Miss Selfridge open back dress, $57
Miss Selfridge lilac dress, $61
Vivienne Westwood Anglomania short dress, $450
French Connection scoop neck top, €40
McQ by Alexander McQueen tiered skirt, £1,040
Rupert Sanderson metallic heels, $644
Butter shoes, $194
Madison Harding sandals, $187
Outdoor Bistro Chair, $595

I’m sure most people must feel this way about their mom, but my mother truly is the most loving, giving, and kind person I know. The best cook, the best advice giver, the best listener, and the best back tickler.  Always quick with a reassuring word when you need it, and always behind us, no matter what.

She’s not only an amazing mother, but a wonderful friend, the ultimate role model, and a true partner for my dad.  I like to think that she has passed down some of her most amazing qualities to my sister and I, and I hope one day to be a mom to my kids like she has been to us.

To my mama on Mother’s Day – we love you more than you’ll ever know.

xo

WOW.  Now THAT is a ring!!

While I am totally obsessed with color and patterns, there is something SO appealing about interior design that revolves around white.  What I’ve noticed??  The key to pulling this off is to start out with impeccable architecture.  A blah room with uneven drywall, low ceilings, dim lighting, and little architectural charm is not the ideal spot to experiment with white on white.  The absence of color draws attention to imperfections, so if you are working with a room that doesn’t inspire awe when empty, steer clear of this look!

Oh, this entry way is the stuff dreams are made of… the dark wood details with the railings, table, and pendant light fixture make the white pop even more.  I also love that the accessories are kept to a bare minimum so the focus is on the room.  A small upholstered bench, a faded runner, and a loose bunch of wildflowers is all you need.  So lovely!

Such a cool sitting area.  Formal?  Yes.  Stuffy? No.  The fuzzy rug and simple accessories make this room inviting, while the slip-covered chairs, and cherub statue (yep… it’s a cherub up there) dress things up.  I also love the contrast between the cherub (old school) and the chunky dark wood mirrors (modern all the way).

Dreamy, feminine, farmhouse.  All words that come to mind when I see this room – the natural wood floors, and the chippy cabinet for storage scream shabby chic, while the claw footed bathtub and ornate chandelier lend lady-like elegance. Soo pretty!

White goes mod!  This hallway is a bit too sterile for my taste, but I still LOVE this hallway.  The frames on the wall don’t actually frame any art, but their monochrome color scheme, ornate details, and grouping make the wall the art.  I wonder though… who sits in that chair?!

Ok, this is certainly not child friendly… maybe not even man friendly (I’m envisioning spaghetti sauce stains, and greasy pizza fingers), but the all white couches and white rug look so clean and pretty!  I am 99% sure that that stick horse is just there for show.

Hello Hamptons!  The shell artwork, model sailboat, and swordfish pillow bring in a few beachy touches to this all white abode.  I imagine looking out at the sea, and opening the windows to let fresh ocean breezes blow through the house.

Happy weekend lovelies!  I am headed up to Sacramento to visit my sister and hopefully escape some of the fog that has descended upon San Francisco – dear mother nature, what the hell… it’s May!!

Anyway, it’s quite lonesome in the house – Kris left for his surf trip to Costa Rica with a few buddies, and it’s the first time I’m really alone in our apartment.  On one hand, I love that I get to hog the entire bed at night, but I’m already counting the days until he gets home.

Happy (early) weekend, and have a wonderful (and safe) cinco de mayo!!

xo

I have a notoriously brown thumb – if a plant is green, it will soon be brown after several days with me!  Several months ago, I bought several lovely topiaries, and at $30 a pop, I tried my best to keep them alive.  They lasted 67 days exactly. Not bad for me, but they are very brown and very sad now…

While those sad dead topiaries are going in the trash tonight, I have found an ingenious replacement for them!  Restoration Hardware has come to the rescue with preserved boxwood globes and topiaries!!  How cool is that?!

Love it!!

Must get my hands on some this weekend, so that I can stop wasting money on plants that I will inevitably kill (I swear I have the best intentions!)

Ballard Designs also sells Angel Vine Topiraries that are slightly more whimsical, and branchy – drawback to these?  They are 100% fake.  Meh.

The weather in San Francisco is back to being beautiful today after a drizzly Wednesday and Thursday (actually the rain was welcome – my car had been getting wayy too dirty… hello California Car Wash).

Anyways, today we took a long lunch and headed to Hillstones – one of our favorite spots near our office on the Embarcadero.  The food is amazing (certainly not healthy), and between the wine and the sunshine on the patio, I almost felt like I was on vacation.  Yes we drink on the job.  Media.  Go figure.  (side note, the above picture was our second bottle… eeps).

Unfortunately the lunch was not fully a celebration for us – I am so sad that one of my girls is leaving the agency today, but though bittersweet, I am so happy for her.  It’s always good (professionally) to spread your friends out… oddly, I’ll be her client now, ha!

This week has been a whirlwind of work and entertaining, and I am looking forward to a mellow weekend – some quiet dinners with my honey, maybe a bike ride over the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito, and some sunny beautiful spring weather.

Happy Weekend!

Oooo emmmmm geeeeee!!!

I have been in love with ballet for as long as I can remember.  My favorite field trip in school was to see the Christmas production of The Nutcracker – to this day, my best friend and I still go every year to see it at the holidays.  I just think that of all the types of dance, it is by far the most beautiful.

While I wish I could get on pointe, and pirouette my way across a stage, it’s probably a good thing that my mom didn’t enroll my sister or I in ballet classes beyond the “leap gracefully over the feather” level.  My low tolerance for pain and love of food would have been a huge problem.

Anyways, there have been pretty much zero good ballet movies since Center Stage (and even some people might argue with me that it wasn’t that great of a movie).  That is why I am SO excited for the release of First Position – a documentary that follows six young dancers as they compete in one of the largest and most prestigeous world wide dance competitions.

Watch the trailor – goosebumps!!

I never do this, but I just have to brag a little bit about my main squeeze.

He is one of the hardest workers I know – to a flaw… he is one of the only people I know who is truly passionate about what they do for work… and in addition to being one of the kindest, most loving people I know, he is also one of the smartest.

For these reasons and so many more, I am so proud to say that today, the start-up he has worked at tirelessly for the last two years has been released out of private beta.  When the NY Times and Wall Street Journal are posting stories on the release of your product, you know that you’ve made it.

Congratulations to my love.  I am so proud of you.
xoxo

We didn’t go into the barrel room, but they do tastings in there on cold rainy days.

Just look at those views!! In the distance, there is a larger lake – perfect for boating and fishing – and beyond that is the bustling valley (which we returned to all too soon)

The next morning, I woke up early to make the most of my Napa stay.  I sauntered over to Bouchon – Thomas Keller’s bakery – where the line was already out the door by 8am.  I got there just in the nick of time – there was maybe 6 people in front of me when I got in line, but when I left 15 minutes later, the line was about forty people deep – down the block.

Take a look at these pictures and you can see why – the assortment of fresh pasteries, sandwiches, cookies, and little goodies is mind boggling.  I somehow managed to spend $50 on just myself.  Of course I had to get a few treats to bring back to Kris 🙂

Can we also make note of the Kate Gosslin lookalike in front of me?? That hair!!  I could not stop staring!

After breakfast, and a delicious latte in the early morning sunshine, I headed to the spa for a massage – it was SOO good.  I was sore for the rest of the weekend – just the way I like it 🙂

After my massage was a bike ride through the surrounding vineyards (no I can’t even make this stuff up) – it was hot and sunny, and I got to test out the resort’s new electic bike – SO COOL!  The motor kicks in on the hills, making for a super easy ride.  I could have kept at it all day!

Before hitting the road to get back to the city for my dad’s birthday celebration, I took to the cabanas at the pool, had a little lunch, and soaked up as much sun as I could.

Such a fabulous mini get-away.  I left feeling relaxed, happy, and very well fed 🙂

Hope you all had a great weekend too!!