love, love, love this house

From here.

Photos from Sunset

rhine river cruise | the avalon tapestry

When I was at the gym on Saturday, I watched Burt Wolf while I was on the treadmill. He took a group on a tour from Amsterdam to Basel, Switerland on this magnificent floating hotel. I can't stop thinking about it and how much I want to go on it!

stuff i love | beauty buys

I've been using MAC's powder blush in Tenderling for a couple of years now and recently ran out. Because I was feeling lazy and didn't want to go to the mall for blush and because I really didn't want to go to the mall to pay $18 for blush, I decided I'd try something cheap while I was doing my weekly shopping at Target. I look at this blush every morning and I figured I could probably find something similar. I wandered over to the CoverGirl section and spotted that little beauty above, Classic Color blush in Soft Mink. Brought it home and held it next to what I had left of my MAC and you know what? Exact match! The CoverGirl has a tad more sparkle to it, but I like it. And I really like the $4.99 price tag.

In other beauty-related finds, I found the perfect natural shade of lip gloss. See, I am not a strong lip girl. I have relatively thin lips and whenever I wear dark or bright lipstick I look like an old lady. I prefer to have a natural lip. My girlfriends gave me a kooky little kit from TINte Cosmetics for my birthday and it included that fun Vintage Lip Color tin. The perfect shade! How lucky is that? Peaches and Cream ($14--a little pricey, but can you put a price on perfection?) and it pairs perfectly with Ulta's Contour Lip Pencil in Spice ($7).

Just thought I'd share.

un-mom no. 5 | no more winter blahs

I don’t know about you, but after the holidays I tend to get a little blue. It doesn’t help that I live in an area of California known for its death fog and endless days where we don’t see the sun and it doesn’t even rain. By now you’ve probably figured out that I love color and am not afraid of it (a key to the un-mom look). I know it’s not spring yet, but a girl can dream. And a little, or a lot, of color can do wonders to boost the old mood.

I can personally vouch for this outfit, because I own the key pieces and they are wonderful. The first time I wore this outfit, I took a walk to meet my hubby for lunch. It happened to be an unseasonably warm and sunny day here (could it be the outfit?) and as I passed people on the street I noticed that both men and women alike were dressed head to toe in black. What is this, New York City? This is California people…live a little! They all looked a little bummed, but I felt sunny.

1. Tartine Cardigan in Bright Rhubarb or Deep Persimmon :: J. Crew :: $19.99. Why it works: I am a sucker for cardigans because of their versatility and lightweight ones like this can be worn all year long. The subtle chiffon ruffle at the neck and hem make this extra girlie without going too far. Looks great layered over a cami or buttoned all the way up. Plus these (and the cords below) are on crazy clearance right now—$19.99 each!

2. Favorite-Fit Stretch Vintage Bootcut Cord in Golden Yellow :: J. Crew :: $19.99. Why they work: Cords are a great alternative to jeans. These are very soft and incredibly comfortable and flattering. The bright yellow too much for you? They come in lots of other colors if you are feeling so brave.

3. Lace Trim Cami in Light Brown :: bodenusa.com :: $20.00.
Why it works: I love layering and this soft brown cami helps ground all of the brightness. Plus if it’s still chilly in your parts it will give you some added insulation. This one has a very flattering fitted silhouette that lays nicely under the sweater and some lace detail at the neck echoing the sweater’s little ruffle.

4. Anya Hindmarch® for Target® Large Shoulder Bag in Gold/ Cream :: Target :: $? Why it works: The unexpected tailoring of this bag plays nicely against the gold detail. The metallic trim adds some warmth and a tad of glamour to the outfit. These are only available in stores (price unavailable online…but it’s Target and they are on clearance so you know it won’t break the bank).

5. Turquoise Hued Nugget Necklace :: bananarepublic.com :: $69.00. Why it works: Turquoise is timeless and it looks great with red, coral and bright orange. This piece adds some texture to the soft clothing.

6. Poetic Licence Desert Star Mary Janes in Zebra :: planetshoes.com :: $39.00. Why they work: Again, I have these and I love them. I wear animal print shoes with everything—skirts, jeans, dressy and casual. You’ll be amazed at how much wear you get out of these. The chic box toe is paired with fun athletic-y sole making these versatile city. They also add some much needed pattern to the color block outfit. (Also here and here; prices and sizes vary).

7. Plastic Fashion Full-Rim Frame in Orange :: zennioptical.com :: $12.95 lens + frame. Why they work: I wear glasses and thought it would be fun to do regular glasses instead of sunglasses this time. There are so cheap that even if you don’t need glasses you could do the cute librarian thing for the day! Even mom needs a little dress up fun in her day.