No Fire Bells This Week

Where do the rumors come from??? I still do believe that where there is smoke, there is a little flame at least but maybe this time, it was all a bunch of hot air!!!!

Angelina and Brad snuggling at the Superbowl


Miami was a madhouse this past week, so many people, so many FAMOUS people! I just saw that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were here. I am glad I didn't know that ahead of time, or there might have been some celeb stalking this weekend on South Beach! It would have been nice to see Cameron too, of course.

Pink Swap Package

A couple of weeks ago, I was so excited when Hopsy announced another swap! This one was a pink swap and my package just arrived from my new friend Britt from Washington. Her package should arrive any day and I am so anxious for her to receive it. These swaps are so fun and a great way to get to know some fellow bloggers. Here are a couple of pictures of my fabulous package.

I receive a number of packages at my building, but the first glimpse of Lilly Pulitzer paper made this delivery a little more interesting!!!

My package was filled with amazing goodies. Thanks Britt!!!!!

College Reunion Lunch

Yesterday, we had a mini-college reunion lunch. Our dear friend Amy, in town for the Superbowl,Denie,bride-to-be Cynthia and I had the best time reminiscing of our college days in Gainesville, Florida. I brought some photo albums just for fun and it wa hilarious to look back at ourselves 15 years ago and see what our hair was like, what we were wearing, etc...

Me and Amy..please look at the big bow in my hair and of course pearls that didn't come off for about the entire 4 years in school.

Amy, Denie and myself getting ready to go out one night. Please note the aqua cup..this cup is still in excellent condition and in my kitchen today..there is a hot pink matching sister cup.

Our little group, once again ready to hit the town. We tried to replicate this photo years later in Atlanta, but it just wasn't the same.


Yesterday at Coral Reef. It was so great to see our old friend..had the best time! xo

Undercover Boss

After watching the Oprah show this week, I will definitetly be tuning in to CBS' Undercover Boss. The preview she showed on her show was so touching, it looks amazing. Tune in right after the Superbowl on Sunday. It look terrific!!!

Hunter Wellies

After Monday's all day long dounpour, I decided it might be time to buy some rain boots. Of course, I would only buy Hunter Wellies. I would have bought them already but there are too many colors to choose from and I can't decide! Now, I see silver and gold ones are online. My instincts are to stick with the classics:

Always worn by Queen Elizabeth, these dark green wellies were made EXTREMELY popular by Lady Diana Spencer in the 80's after wearing them during her engagement to you-know-who...

These days, worn by Nicole Richie...

Gwyneth wearing navy in Spain...

The little ones are super cute..as seen on Matilda Ledger..pink just like Hopsy!

I am loving the silver..will let you know which ones i get..maybe red???

Celebrating Blue in House Beautiful

Super excited to see House Beautiful in my mailbox yesterday. The March 2010 issue is chock full of absolutely beautiful pictures celebrating all things blue. I also went to the website and found some more amazing pictures. They make me want to re-do my apartment completely!!!

All pictures courtesy of House Beautiful

Preppy Cards Calendars On Sale

I have several calendars from Preppy Cards left and now they are half off! This beautiful calendar has an adorable Preppy Cards icon for each month and a coordinating border. Super cute for your desk, the monthly pages sit on a gold stand. I pin each month above my desk on my memo board. Orinial price $30, so now they are $15 plus $2 shipping. Leave a comment or email me at summerinnewport@gmail.com

Roommate for the Weekend

I have a roommate this weekend named Marley. She is so precious and is excellent company. She sleeps on my bed and in the morning when she sees me waking up, she crawls right next to me and puts her head on my chest. It is so cute.



Someday I will have my own dog..but it is great to borrow one every once in a while!

Recent Favorite Finds...

Thought I would share some of my favorite recent purchases..I haven't bought too much lately but most of the things I have picked up I am loving...

Gap Corduroys..now on sale from 19.99 - 29.99. I bought off white and fuschia this winter and they are super comfortable, great fit with a tiny bit of stretch. They still have them online..also in orange, gray and brown.




Gap Sailor Pants..got them in off white but searching for the navy! $29.99 online



Walking in Bloomingdales past the shoe sale rack, I found these gems...for $40!



I have my eye on a few things for the near future..

These hot pink Talbots square toe flats..super comfortable $99


Louis Vuitton Galleira PM Bag (this might be a stretch for a while)


Adorable hot pink Fringed Tory Burch Tunic



Talbots Green Terry Cloth Cover Up $59.50 Love this...



My list goes on for a while..but I will stop there for now! xo

New Jewels

I have been busy lately trying to come up with some new goodies for sale. My website is still in the works (I am sick of seeing myself write that here) and I want to have lots of new things to upload.

Here are two new favorites:

Gold dipped key charm on a gold filled chain $45

Gold filled donuts on a gold filled chain (I put 5 but looks cute with 3 or 4 or 5) $45

These both are available in my etsy store, located to the right of this post.

And I will throw in free shipping!

One of My Favorite Movies...High Society

When I was going through an obsession of Grace Kelly years ago and spent a fortune at Blockbuster renting all her movies, I came across the delighful flick High Society. The movie is actually a musical version of The Philadelphia Story starring Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Set in Newport, Rhode Island, the movie has Grace Kelly playing Tracy who is about to marry George but her ex-husband Dexter played by Bing Crosby is determined to win her back. Reporter Mike played by Frank Sinatra comes to cover the wedding and ends up falling in love with her as well. All sorts of drama ensues.









The acting and singing in this movie are superb but it is also worth watching to see all of Grace Kelly's clothes. They are stunning. Another thing to catch your eye is the huge rock she is wearing in the film. I read that it was actually her real engagement ring to Prince Rainier. You cant't miss it..





The original movie trailer...


One of the highlights of the film, a witty duet with Frank and Bing..

Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

Several years ago, I was the naive one going on and on about how much Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson love each other and there was no way the rumors were true about them getting divorced. I watched their show and just believed it. Sure enough, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving that year, they announced they were separated and getting divorced. I admitted my ignorance and now somewhat believe that where there is smoke, there is undoubtedly fire.


Is history repeating itself????

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Have 'Definitely Split,' 'Brangelina' Author Says-- Popeater

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie break up? Brangelina meet with lawyers to talk money, kids: report--New York Daily News

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie prepare for potential split-NY Post


So, after these headlines hit the streets, all the denials started coming through. That would usually be enough for me, but remember Madonna and Guy Ritchie? All the rumors and then the big denial...fast forward a couple of weeks and Madonna's PR team announced they were seperating!

I'm just saying..where there's smoke, there is usually a big hot fire.

p.s. I am adding after reading comments that I don't wish them to break up...I actually like following them around the globe, but I refused to believe he and Jennifer Aniston were going to break up either...I am slowly learning.

Round Hill, Jamaica

When Coastal Living hit my mailbox yesterday, I couldn't wait to dive in and check out the article on Round Hill in Jamaica. The first time I heard of Round Hill, it was reading about Babe Paley and seeing this famous picture..

This beautiful resort has been a long time favorite of style setters and from the pictures in the article, it is not hard to see why. Designer Meg Braff has redecorated one of the open air villas and offers suggestions on how to achieve a decorated home with island flair.

How cute is that pink umbrella??

When I checked out the resort's website, there were more beautiful pictures.



I think Round Hill has just been added to my possible Honeymoon spots, given that Jackie and JFK spent time here on their extended honeymoon. I mean, what's good for Jackie...

Hope for Haiti Now

Even though I tivoed the telethon last night, I left my party early to come home and watch. It was so great with so many amazing performances..this was my favorite:



And on a very trivial note, I thought it was so funny that Chris Martin wore Gwyneth's hat!

Photos from Just Jared

Driving Me Crazy

As you can see from my travels on this blog, I am always ready to jump in my car and take off. I feel like I live out my car sometimes so it is only natural that I have some pet peeves on the road. Lately, it seems like traffic is getting worse, not only in Miami, but all over the place and the drivers are getting more reckless and dangerous.

Someone once told me they believed that when you are safely in your car, windows somewhat tinted-anonymous, the real "you" comes out, meaning people show their true personality while they are driving. If that is the case, then a large majority of the populations are real life nuisances.

There are four things that drive me CRAZY when on the road:

1. Driving in the right hand lane, someone pulls out in front of you so that you have to slam on your brakes..you look in the rear view mirror and there is no one behind you. They couldn't wait 5 seconds..clearly they are a jerk.
2. You are waiting to turn left onto a street..a car is coming towards you and slows down and turns right before you, no blinker...they don't care that you are sitting there waiting, so rude. People seem to hate their blinkers for some reason..they have them for a reason, it just lets people know where you are going!
3. Slower traffic to the right..well on I-95 or the turnpike, a clueless slow driver in the left hand land can block the flow of traffic for miles. Again, slower traffic to the right.
4. Turning left with a green turn signal and you can't because the people on the cross streets are running their red light still turning. This is so dangerous and scary, we are supposed to be getting those cameras that take pictures of people running the red lights and mailing them tickets. Hopefully that will help stop this.

I am not usually a complainer but I have been thinking about this post for months in my head and decided this was the day to write it down. A more positive post promised for tomorrow! xo

A Couple of Days Late..but favorite Golden Globe Pics

She is becoming the gold standard in my book, always looks flawless!

I can forgive the sea urchins on her shoulder and hip because I am thrilled she won her Golden Globe. Grey Gardens was fabulous and she deserved it!

This dress is amazing..she looks fantastic..can't wait to see Young Victoria

She is so beautiful and was hilarious in Nine.

She looks great but it is really Pacey Witter that got her on my list!

some pictures from Just Jared

The Ride Home

After loading my new painting in my car and saying goodbye to my friends, I set off for Miami Monday morning. First stop, Gainesville Florida, home of the University of Florida, my alma matter. It has been a while since I have driven around town and it looks kind of the same, yet very different. I drove past my first apartment there..no pictures please and my favorite food spots. One very famous one was not there! I quickly googled the address and found Burrito Brothers safely tucked behind another building.

I got my primo chicken burrito to-go and got back on the road. Next Fall, I am determined to go to a football game. I have recruited Cynthia for this mission and we will be there for sure. Maybe I will run into an old boyfriend who is still single and sparks will fly..you never know! ha ha

Next stop, a few hours later..Palm Beach. There are a couple of stores I pop into every time I get a chance- C. Orrico and Leta Austin Foster.
C. Orrico was filled with Lilly delights and some other treasures like these cute dresses. The staff is so friendly and the amount of clothing in that store is staggering. Tons of tunics, dresses and every color of Steven Bonnano navajo sandals you can imagine.

The children's clothing is now a seperate store right next door. It looked super cute.

Across the street, I saw monograms in a window and had to check it out...

it turned out to be the find of the year, Lori Jayne Monogramming

There was a sample monogram that almost took my breath away. The store was super busy but I managed to get some info from the owner, a very enthusiastic and super nice lady named Lori Bernstein. She explained that this monogram is actually a couple's initials, the S around the edge and then the H and A in the middle. It was stunning.

She will custom design a monogram for you over the phone and send pictures, no website yet. Once you have a monogram you like, the possiblities are endless.. custom plastic cups

tote bags, even a monogram on your mailbox..

I couldn't believe how many cute things she had packed in this store, definitely worth a trip back.




The most exciting find was a handpainted needlepoint canvas with a beautiful monogram painted on it. That is something that has been on my wishlist for quite a while. The needlepoint design starts at $100. You can contact her for more details. I am defintely doing one!




For more information, call Lori at 561-514-9199, email her at iloveshopping@lorijayne.com

or you can also see her fan page on Facebook here.

Thomasville, Georgia Weekend

This weekend, I drove up to Thomasville, Georgia for the Christening of my little friend Avery. While talking on the phone, I missed the turnoff for the turnpike and spent an extra hour trying to get back to it. Thank goodness once again for my OnStar. I feel like they are my friends, they talk to me through my car and guide me where I need to go-turn by turn, all for $30 a month!

Friday night, I arrived just before dinner was being served at Ashley and Campbell's beautiful home. Every time I go there, I end up walking around absorbing all her stunningly decorated rooms. This one is my favorite, so warm and comfortable..

She also has an amazing library that I could sit in for hours..

Saturday morning, it was raining but we made it into town for some shopping and lunch. For a small town, they have some unbelivable stores.

My favorite there is an adorable shop called Firefly. It is filled with special gift items, antique furniture, jewelry and unique things perched everywhere.

I bought these feather trees. Check out their website www.fireflyhome.com

It was chilly out and Avery was bundled up..

We went to Campbell's Gallery and I found a painting that I had to have..it is now mine and I am so excited to hang it over my couch!

For dinner, we ventured to Liam's, a small restaurant in town.
The menu was so amazing..we started with a cheese sampling with coordinating wine and then ate delicious entrees and too many desserts.

Sunday morning, we walked next door to church in the drizzling rain. Avery looked so cute in his Christening gown.

After the ceremony, the Priest carried him up and down the aisle while speaking about the significance of becoming baptized.. Avery just looked around and didn't make a sound! He was so good.



We went to lunch afterwards and it was quite a celebration.


A bonus of the weekend was I got to hang out with my 2nd favorite dog (after Millie of course) Marley. She was my roommate for the weekend, so darn cute.


Sunday night we all watched the Golden Globes...one of my favorite award shows. It was great to see Drew Barrymore, Sandra Bullock and Juliana Marguilies win!

Golden Globes is almost on

I am so excited..the Golden Globes is one of my favorite award shows. The dresses, the stars and both tv and movies..love love love. In the spirit of the awards, I am posting some of my favorite all-time red carpet looks. There were some I couldn't find, so I might be adding to this soon...

It's starting...woo hoo!

Lynley's Baby Shower

Thursday night was the baby shower for my trunk show partner in crime Lynley. Hosted by her close friends at the beautiful home of Miss Sue, this shower was filled with delicious food, cupcakes and lots of boy talk (she is expecting her second little boy). She received some lovely gifts and even some for big brother Walker.

The bonus of having a shower at Miss Sue's is that I can walk around and admire all of her beautiful things. She has quite a knack for decorating and every inch of her home has something unique and fabulous. This was also the scene of one of my most successful trunk shows, mostly because people came just to see her!

Her furniture is perfect, lots of pine pieces mixed with antiques and painted treasures. This dresser is painted silver with a green marble top with her monogram painted in the middle. It has always caught my eye.

She is a lover of all things Mackenzie Childs...

My flash was too bright but her framed needlepoint initials are amazing.

And she is a mosaic expert, making this awesome bench using some broken china.

Congratulations to Lynley...what a fun shower!!

Altanta Gift Show

The Atlanta Gift Show...it really is like nothing else. There are three buildings with many floors in each filled with booths and showrooms, it is never ending. The furniture and established showrooms are in the first two buildings and the bulk of the temorary booths are in building three, the above picture shows the open floorplan, each floor has many, many rows of vendors. I had a booth there a few years ago with my jewelry..in the beautiful Boutique section. They lay down white carpeting for this special juried section and my booth was so cute, very pink.

The next show, I split a booth with my friend Kate, who sells ribbon purses and belts. Our booth was an explosion of color. We decided to save money and just be in the regular section instead of Boutique. We were one booth away and I spend the whole time looking down the hall at the beautiful white carpet, wishing I was still back in the "VIP" section.

Anyway, those shows are a lot of money, a lot of time and unbelievably painful unless you are selling like crazy.

As a buyer, a totally different story. My first buyers badge was secured three years ago and it was fantastic. I met Jenny Morgan from Hen and Barley Press at that show and have been selling her stuff ever since. Also Tracy from Paper and Ink Designs. Her booth was so pretty and I spent way too much time out of my booth and in hers chatting. You can make so many friends walking up and down the halls.

This year, I had a new purpose...looking for goods to fill my website up with. It opened up a lot of options for me and I think I rounded out my assortment very well.

Fornash..the lovely Stephanie hanging out in her super preppy booth. I picked up some pieces of her line, especially the boa scarf like she is wearing. Super cute.




Aden and Anais..many of my friends with babies love these products, so I signed up and bought some of the blankets and bibs.



Caroline Pate Designs



Memo boards from Maude Asbury


and some more amazing jewelry...



Some other booths that I thought were so cute were:

Bla Bla..how can you not love these animals, so colorful and soft. The child size foursome here were so adorable, I would love to have them just like that in my future child's room.



Sissy Made It-adorable personalized tags. Her booth is so bright and cheerful and she is too.



The beautiful Meg Carter Designs booth..


A showroom full of Jellycats..so precious


I could go on and on and not even scratch the surface. So excited for my orders to trickle in..it's like Christmas, except you have to pay for it!

Thank you Laura for letting me stay with you, your house is always super fun! xo

The Big Easy

What a fantastic trip to New Orleans! Friends from Miami, New York, North Carolina and Los Angeles traveled there on Friday to celebrate our dear friend Cynthia's Bachelorette Party. The bride's sister rented a beautiful mansion in the Garden District that fit all 11 girls and the party began!


It ended up being a weekend of eating and drinking, mostly eating..starting at Commodore's Palace for lunch upstairs in the most spectacular room. We feasted on delicious food and drank in the scene, the first of many meals of the weekend. It was great catching up with everone and then we headed back to the house to await the other girls.

Friday night, we had a fabulous local chef Chiqui come and teach us how to make chicken and sausage gumbo, crawfish etouffee and sausage jumbalaya.


For dessert, we made bananas foster, which was so delicious.


Saturday morning, we made our way into town and straight to Cafe du Monde, one of my favorite places. The beignets and hot chocoloate were beyond delicious.




Nicole and Lisa bought us all fabulous masks and we wore them for the rest of the day...an added bonus was that they kept our faces warm since it was super windy. We met up with our whole group for brunch at Brennan's. We made quite an impression with the masks!


The rest of the afternoon, we wandered through the French Quarter and shopped. Despite the chilly weather, there were plenty of people walking around. Saturday night, we headed to the Pelican Club for dinner and then off to Bourbon Street and the famous Pat O'Kelly's for Hurricanes.





We ended up at the karyoke bar down the street, Cynthia's favorite type of place. We hung out and waited for her name to be called. She sang...and was so great. Another singer in our group Sharon performed "Big Spender" a few songs later and really brought the house down. It was hilarious.


A couple of slices of pizza and then back to the house. I packed my stuff and got ready for my taxi pick-up a few hours later. He showed up and I made my 7:15 am flight to Atlanta. I was sad to leave the girls, but excited to get to the gift show and to see another one of my BFFs, Laura.

Atlanta Gift Show post tomorrow...Thanks Stephanie for planning the most fabulous weekend for us and Cynthia. I had so much fun..the wedding diet starts tomorrow!

Atlanta...brrrr

My friend's bachelorette weekend was amazing, will post later with details and pictures. I caught 2 1/2 hours of sleep this morning and got picked up at 5:30am to make my flight to Atlanta. There doesn't seem to be an escape from the cold weather, Atlanta is absolutely freezing cold.

The Atlanta Gift Show was so much fun to walk around. I haven't been in over a year. There was definitely less vendors but lots of shoppers and plenty of beautiful things to choose from. I got through the temporaries today and will hit the other 2 buildings tomorrow. I am staying with one of my oldest friends with her 4 children and the house is always full of noise, laughing and fun. Trying to be organized, I went to check in for my flight home tomorrow night and realized that I made my flight for Tuesday! What a disaster. I will try to fly Tuesday morning at the crack of dawn to get to my Beaux Arts Hands On shift and also to work. Hopefully, that plan will work out. I can't believe I did this!!!

............Bridesmaids...............

My bridesmaids list has changed so much since I started making one in my head in Junior High School. I have the same core group of friends since elementary school, but my everyday-talk 3 times a day friends have somewhat changed over the years. Right now, my count is 8. When I spent 4 years at Tiffany & Co. in the Bal Harbour shops as a Bridal Consultant, I had weddings on the brain 24/7. I took that job so seriously, coaxing all my friends to register there, faxing the registries to our other friends and delivering gifts right to the bride. It was so much fun and when I do get engaged at some point, I will be able to register myself lickity split, having researched and thought about just that for years! I own every copy of Martha Stewart Weddings since she started publishing it and it like my little wedding library in my bookshelves.

Recently one of my very best friends got engaged and we are celebrating with her this weekend in New Orleans for her bachelorette party. I am so excited and think it will be super fun and just chilly enough to pull out some of my favorite winter outfits.

I came across this adorable DIY Bridesmaid Card idea on Oncewed designed by Anna of Rifle Designs. How cute is this idea-a paper chain of all your bridesmaids with a card asking your friend to be your bridesmaid? Love it! Instructions listed on the above link.

The Wonders of Paper Source

Since my first visit to the fabulous world of Paper Source in Boston, I've been hooked. For someone who loves all things paper, this beautiful store is a feast for the eyes. Each corner has something more exciting than the next. Stunning greeting cards, oodles of scrapbooking materials and books, paper by the piece in all colors,
hand made paper from all over the world and many other paper and craft accessories.




Each store location has a class schedule of how-tos such as book making, calligraphy, invitation design and party favor construction.

They also sell many types of do-it-yourself kits.





Right now they have beautiful calendars



And the biggest news..I just found out that Paper Source came out with their own do-it-yourself Letterpress kit! It is available later this month for $149.99


Visit www.paper-source.com and see for yourself how fabulous this store and website is. It is definitely one of my favorites!

Giveaway Winners!!!

Well, I decided to give 3 necklaces away instead of just one!

Using random.org the 3 lucky winners are:

Preppy 101- she chose navy blue
PVE- she chose green or blue
The Wife-she chose green


Ladies, please email me at kapmiami@gmail.com with your addresses.
Thank you to all who entered. I think this might be a monthly deal,

I have plenty of jewels and such to giveaway!

Happy New Year!

HemmingMyWay and my Favorite Story

An amazing new product has just been introduced, HemmingMyWay, a set of four elastic snaps designed to hem your pants on the spot and last for up to 8 wash cycles. Priced at $22 a set, these removable and reusable little snaps are ingenious and super easy to use.

Developed by actress Melissa George (In Treatment, Alias and Grey's Anatomy) and her partner Kara Harshbarger, this ingenious new product is a lifesaver for the girl on the go, saving an outfit in a pinch and saving serious money on alterations. Available for purchase now at Kitson in Los Angeles, Bed Bath and Beyond, QVC and www.beauty.com but I suspect this product will be in stores everywhere in no time at all. You can also purchase them right on the website www.hemmingmyway.com.


Several years ago, I actually met Melissa George very early in the morning at the Miami airport. Being a HUGE Alias fan, when I passed her in the terminal, I couldn't help but introduce myself. She couldn't have been nicer and I chatter with her for about 15 minutes. I was on my way to NYC for a trunk show and showed her some of my necklaces. She picked on out for her and one for Jennifer Garner and then we said goodbye. She let me take a picture of her right there wearing her new necklace, shocking since it was 6:30 am!

A couple of weeks later, I answered my phone and it was her! She had worn my necklace to a party and was photographed wearing it and wanted me to be able to use the picture.

I thanked her so much and got her address to send her more jewels. I was really in shock that she took the time to call me. I have met tons of celebrities and she was by far the nicest and most generous of them all. Then...a little bit later, I got a Christmas card in the mail from her and inside a little thank you from Jennifer too. What a treat!

Good luck Melissa!!! xo

The Simplified Bee

I stumbled upon the most amazing blog today...The Simplified Bee. The content is "functional design" at its best, written by Cristin who lives in San Francisco. She features the most incredible pictures, designers and products.
Here are some of the pictures that caught my eye...






Check out this lovely blog at www.simplifiedbee.blogspot.com

TV Excitement

Well, the New Year brings many things, but one great perk is the return of two of my favorite tv shows, 24 and American Idol. They start this month. This week also brings an end to the reruns of my shows on Sunday night (Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters), The Good Wife, Law and Order and many others.

I always love 24 but can't decide if American Idol will be as good without Paula. You gotta love her even though she was a serious wackadoo.

When is Friday Night Lights coming back on???

Monday morning tomorrow...ugh!

New Year's Giveaway

To celebrate the New Year, I am hosting a giveaway. This time it is one of my gold charm necklaces. Each gold dipped Thai charm is on a gold-filled chain with tiny Swarovski crystals dangling. Your choice of crystals, I have virtually every color.
To enter:

(1) Leave a comment on this post with which color crystal you like (one entry)
(2) Leave a comment and become a follower or let me know that you already follow this blog (two entries)
(2) Leave a comment on this post, become a follower or let me know that you already follow this blog and post about this giveaway on your blog, twitter, facebook etc... (three entries).

Please leave ONE comment with the above information by Wednesday, January 6th at 10am. Good luck!!!!

Swarovski colors: clear, clear AB, white, silver shade, icy beige, pale yellow, bright yellow, dark red, red, orange, green, seafoam green, icy blue, aqua, light blue, turquoise, navy blue, amethyst, lilac, brown, bronze, pale pink, hot pink and strawberry

Happy New Year!!!!!

Happy New Year to all my blogging friends! I am so excited about this New Year! I have the normal resolutions all ready to go, but my main ones are (1) to get organized..I am starting to sound like a broken record, but I have made serious headway on this front. My apartment is looking better and better, (2) catch up on my photo albums (this goes along with organized, but really deserves its own mention), (3) finish framing art (I have had 5 things framed this month and it is so great to pick up your artwork beautifully framed. Now I need a handyman to help me hang them up), (4)clean out my closet (I NEED to get rid of some clothes, but it is very difficult for me) and (5) finish my website (this should be first, but it is already in progress. I need to finish taking pictures of all of my items and get them up. It will be so cute when it is finished, so I am super excited for it to be up and running). That's all! Not too bad and I even have a good chance of accomplishing some of them!

2009 was a crazy year! I am referring to it as "the year of the blog". I found myself focusing on this blog more than I thought I would. I got off my couch and attended parties I maybe would have skipped, excited to write about them, thought about shopping without guilt, needing to do research for retail posts and traveled with such enthusiasm, soaking in more details than usual so that I could share with my friendly readers. I even got to meet some fellow bloggers, including Monogram Momma, Grove Gal K and even the Preppy Princess, all at the fabulous National Stationery Show (or I call it, the most expensive 3 hour walk of my life!) I hope to meet many more of you, especially Hopsy..who doesn't want to meet her in person?? So, this blog has made me expand my horizons a bit. Thank you very much!

I wish all of you the best for the New Year. I think it will be amazing!
xoxo kp