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Wardrobe Style Boards: T Minus 7 Days Until Spring!

March 13, 2013

Sending you a little sunshine love from the beautiful coast today with this soon-to-be-Spring weather! I still envy you snow birds out there. There is much to enjoy and love about year round sunshine, but a change in season isn’t one of those things!

How do you feel about trends? I’m usually all for wearing what you feel most comfortable in, but you have to admit that sometimes it’s fun to jump on the bandwagon of what all the latest favorites are. I have three little style boards to share with round ups of a few of my favorite classic items, plus a few favorite spring trends!

First up, an ideaboard dedicated to denim + pastel (love those two mixed together) plus a few of my fall back favorites in the form of an infinity scarf, cutout flats, stacked bracelets and a striped sweater to top it all off with. Actually, I love the look of collared shirts poking out from underneath classic crew neck sweaters these days, and it’s perfect for this weather transition that we’re experiencing.

Oh little shift dress! You are all the rage right now and I have a feeling you and I will be close friends this summer as my belly bump gets larger and larger, and your undefined waist looks more and more appealing. This is a total splurge, if-money-were-of-no-concern board as most of the items I picked out to accessorize this chic little $79 dress are waaaay over budget :). Couldn’t help myself with those awesomely daring cut out heels and the oversized striped boyfriend cardigan (to help it all feel a bit more casual).

Last but not least, a maternity board that I’m actually loving on a very regular basis. So happy that Anna Kate turned me on to these Asos stretchy jeans (that are unbelievably comfortable – like sweats – and perfect for a heavy belly) and I’ve been pairing them lately with slouchy cardigans and shawls. The grey one below is on a magical wish list, but this is the one that I’ve lately been running into the ground. And those Dolce Vita suede booties! Picked them up at Macy’s at 50% off and they make for a very comfy addition to wear around town. I feel a little less like a giant balloon and a little more in (comfy + cozy) style. Long tanks, you are also my saving grace.

Spring, we’re ready for you!!

As always, you can find all style boards plus pricing, sourcing for everything mentioned right here!

Nursery Artwork: Colorful ABCs (Plus A Downloadable Version)

March 11, 2013

Congratulations to Liliana on winning the Lowe’s $50 & Change giveaway! Thanks to everyone who entered!!

Here’s a little nursery update that I made a month or so ago. Even though we have plans to slowly turn this room into a pink girl’s space for two, I wasn’t quite sure how long that transition would take and back around Liv’s 2nd birthday, finally filled the blank frame that hung above her art table in her room. I’m not sure why I still call her space a nursery – she’s such a big girl now! But I guess the name can stick since technically it will be one again in a few months :).

There are so many fantastic versions of this type of artwork out on Etsy, but I really just wanted to design something simple (read: cheap) and practical for her little art nook so I typed up the alphabet in photoshop, pulled colors from the space and printed them out on glossy paper on our home printer.

The frame just below the alphabet artwork was filled at least a year ago with an adorable card from Liv’s first birthday (another piece of cute, free art!).

That top frame though had been empty for ages! Here I am hiding back when we first added the little art nook to the room:

An inexpensive solution with a colorful, educational result!

Here’s a downloadable version if you’d like to use the print, too (8.5×11 in size).

Liv putting her reading space to good use, we love this table and set of chairs! Drawing, stamping, reading… you name it.

More nursery posts here. And the plans for the new ‘room for two’ right here! Can’t wait.

Guest Blog Interview: John Newlin of Livingly Media (& Lonny Magazine)

March 8, 2013

Back in December I had the luck to snag Michelle Adams (founder and editor-in-chief) of Lonny Magazine for a little guest interview. Well consider today part 2 because I’m so very honored to sit down with John Newlin who oversees the Lonny team and much more as Livingly Media’s editor-in-chief (Livingly is the online publisher and larger media house behind names such as Lonny, StyleBistro.com and Zimbio.com). That is a lot of fashion, beauty, celebrity, home, lifestyle, and entertainment to manage!

Today’s focus is more overtly directed towards John’s passion for design and beautifully sensible functionality. He’s chosen a few key images (like this one, below) that highlight his personal taste and has taken a stab at answering PDB’s four usual Friday Guest Blog Interview questions.

John lives in Northern California and is daddy to two. He began his career in print and digital media with the launch of a pop culture music and fashion print monthly at the early age of 22 and has penned articles for publications such as Stuff, Men’s Journal and Details. You might recognize him as a regular from ABC’s Good Morning America and Evening Magazine on CBS. (My favorite is that, for the purposes of a magazine article, he successfully infiltrated and appeared on Showtime as a “UFO expert”). You know he would make the best dinner party guest with all of those stories!

Check out the March 2013 edition of Lonny:

Now John oversees all things editorial for Livingly’s online properties and just for today, he’s sharing a look at his insight on the progression of home design and how the shift to blogging, online publications and the Internet at large has changed our perspective on how we design our homes. Continue reading →