So, I’ve been logging some serious hours re-designing my blog header.  While I loved the greek key’s, I realized that it was so similar to several other blogs that I had seen, and as frustrating as it was to head back to the drawing board… it was a must.

Take a look at the finalized iterations that have gone live on the blog – oh how they have evolved!

Aside from fully overhauling the header, I also went to work on the fonts, colors, and blog backgrounds.  I still loved the burnt coral I had before for the links and titles so that stayed.  I’ve also been harboring an unhealthy obsession for navy, so I’ve decided to keep those bold accents within the right hand navigation menu.  Outside of that, everything changed from the font, to the font sizes, to the template, to the shading, to the width… oye vey!  I picked a dark grey/blue color for the gutters (is that the word for it?) because it reminded me of dusk.  An easy decision, but I needed to find a complimentary color for the header that didn’t clash with all the other colors.  A Grey header felt drab and too matchy-matchy, and burnt umber was overkill… WAY too much orange.  After many MANY versions, I settled on the lovely aqua trellis pattern with a muted navy stripe.

I am happy with it for now.  I think the aqua compliments the coral (aqua and coral… after so much talk about it, I couldn’t resist), and it brightens up the whole page.  A little fading here, a little shadow there, and a little reflection to give it some personality…  Give it another few weeks, and I’m sure that I will have tweaked it some more.  As in life, nothing is ever “perfect” or “finished”… it’s always a work in progress!

Isn’t this ring stunning… I mean STUNNING?!  Love!

Clearly I’ve got rings on the mind.  It’s odd – I go through phases where I don’t think about it, and then this wave of engagement fever hits! What’s a girl to do?!  Clearly, a girl is to indulge in her obsessions a bit.

Over the past year, my tastes in rings have changed, and changed again… and changed again, but I think I’ve reached a point where I’ve settled on two engagement ring types that I love:
    – Ideal #1: Classic…
    – Ideal #2: Classic… with a twist

Ideal #1: Classic
What could be more classic than a round solitaire?  A round diamond has several benefits – one, the way the facets are cut, round diamonds outshine all other diamond shapes, proving to be the most sparkly…  awesome… what else?  Round diamonds also offer the largest surface area per carat of all cuts.  Super awesome!  As a girl who loves everything that glitters, would I settle for a plain band?  Of course not – so there it is… round diamond on a micropave diamond band. Simple, elegant, timeless, and yet… it brings a wow factor that is hard to beat!

         Classic Round Solitaire with micropave band:

     

             

        

        

Ideal #2: Classic with a Twist
Ok, I might need another cup of coffee on this sleepy Monday morning, but I swear this is a category!  I am not talking contemporary settings.  On the contrary, this “classic with a twist” is actually a blend of contemporary diamond cutting and vintage styles (halo settings actually became popular in the 1920’s and 30’s when glamorous art-deco aesthetic dominated the day).  Becoming popular again, I have sort of fallen in love with the revamped micropave halo setting.  I love them to frame either a very symmetrical cushion cut diamond, or a round stone.  As opposed to the more ornate vintage styles, I am drawn to the cleaner more contemporary halo’s, thus the classic… with a twist… ha!

         Round Micropave Halo:
         
         
         
         

Cushion Micropave Halo:
         
         
         
         


So there we have it… a bit of diamond porn to start your week off!  And for any men looking for engagement ring inspiration and / or advice, print out this post, take it to a jeweler and start pricing these babies out!

Photo courtesy of whipped style

Happy Friday!!  It was a short week for me at work, but it felt long!  Trying to fit five days of work into four takes it’s toll, and this week was jam packed with social events.

(as a side note, my mema – my grandmother on my mother’s side – used to say “Packed Jam” instead of “Jam Packed”… I always think of her when I say that…)

It’s been in the low 70’s in San Francisco (end of February what?!) and I am loving the sunshine and warm weather!  Today, I think I got a bit of a tan at lunch, ha!

Enjoy the fun links below, and have a fabulous, happy weekend!
xo

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

A gorgeous by non-traditional engagement ring

The least boring grey sideboard in the world

The sweetest engagement video from McKenzie Miller

A totally delicious, easy, and indulgent late night snack

Stunning wallpaper made out of the most unconventional material

Neon statement necklace

Gorgeous chandelier

For all you engagement ring junkies out there, this is your lucky day!  I just discovered the most amazing invention since sliced bread.  Tacori has just released an augmented reality “Try it On” feature on their site, where you can virtually try on the most gorgeous engagement rings.  Um, YES PLEASE!

I am by no means the most technologically savvy person, so trust me when I say, it’s so easy!!

            Step 1.  Print out the funky paper ring – this will serve as the marker for your webcam

            Step 2.  Download software here

            Step 4.  Hold up marker to webcam and prepare to be dazzled

Play around – print out a few pics for your wish list, send it to your mom (definitely going to do that later), or leave them around the house for your honey-bear to find…

I’m not sure which was my favorite… I loved them all!

Clearly, it’s been a SUPER hectic day at the office 😉  Don’t judge!

<img alt="Completely agree
Print available from Gayana.art
LOVE this – It’s going to be my new daily mantra – and this print may possibly find its way up on my office wall.  It’s Thursday, the sun is out, it’s going to be almost 70 degrees in San Francisco today (in February no less!!) and I am feeling optimistic.

Happy Thursday!
xo

Photo courtesy of theberry.com

Getting up was rough this morning, but I’m determined to go into this week with a positive outlook – I’ve got a very busy social calendar, which is good.  Kris will be working late this week as they wrap up some projects at work to push out for public use on their product, so I will be wining and dining.  What fun!

Isn’t this just the happiest print – perfect for a foggy Monday morning in February!

xo

A fun treat arrived to my office this morning!  Gorgeous French Macaroons from L’Artisan Macaroon.  They are very hard to find, and these one’s in particular actually came from one of my favorite bakeries in the world – Bouchon, a Thomas Keller bakery in Yountville California.

If you ask me, Yountville is the most adorable town in the world, located between Napa and St. Helena – its a foodie haven set against the most stunning wine country backdrop.  If you’ve never been, please go, rent bikes, get lost on windy vinyard roads, go wine tasting, eat a Michael Chiarello’s restaurant or if you are feeling splurg-y, French Laundry (another Thomas Keller hot-spot that is on my bucket list for sure), and soak in everything lovely about the wine country.

Anyways, I digress.  These perfect french macaroons are such a treat – SO colorful, and as delicious as they are beautiful.

Happy Monday!

I am off to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival on a VERY early morning flight tomorrow.  I am so looking forward to a break from work, an escape from rainy San Francisco, and some exciting celebrity sightings!

Have a very happy Weekend!