"Fall"ing in Love with Fashion. My TOP 10

Fall is one of my favorite times of year for many reasons.... Decorating the house, the yummy comfort foods, red wine, horror films, but most of all; I love Fall because of the CLOTHES! Its my favorite time of year for all things fashion.

Not only does the Fashion Bible come out (the september issue), but it is the time of year that Designers truly bring their A game. Nothing is more important than a Fall Runway show to a designer. If I could I would buy all things right from the Runway. But hey... I live in the real world. So I have done what any budget friendly girl would do. Invest in 10 pieces to complete my wardrobe for Fall.

These are my TOP 10, favorite pieces for the season. Although they are current, they are classic pieces that I will be able to incorporate in my wardrobe for many years to come!
Leather Jacket.....This little guy just keeps coming back! I have a Vince leather jacket just like this one, for two years now. The cost per wear on this jacket is probably down to $5. I definitely will be sporting the relaxed leather jacket, whether I'm throwing it over a tee, a romantic blouse, or even a girly mini dress... this is the most important piece to my Fall wardrobe.
The PONCHO. Love this for my days off. This is a great piece to throw on with some skinny jeans and some boots to wear to D.land, or a casual dinner, or just hanging out at the In.laws. Found this guy for only $80! Cheap & Chic :)

The Maxi Dress... I love wearing Maxi's in the summer... but now there is a new Maxi in town! Thanks to Alexander Wang, I can strut a maxi in the fall :)
LBD... I mean you need one every season! This lady like number is so perfect for work, a shower, dinner, an absolute easy go to piece. This one by Theskens theory is 100% silk, with an assymetrical hemline & mini shoulder-pads. Lady like & Edgy :)
The Printed Blouse. Loving the mustard yellow with Black splatter print by ALC. Here are three ways I would wear this blouse:

A. Pair with Leggings and a moto bootie for a cool/ edgy look

B. Pair tucked into a black high waisted pencil skirt some black wolford tights, and some pumps for a professional & ladylike look

C. Pair it with some Black wide leg denim trousers & a pair of pointy toe flats for a casual look.
Camel Sweater Coat....Oh Camel! I have a color crush on you this fall! Living in so cal, its a little to warm for a heavy coat. A cashmere coat is a great way to stay warm as it cools down! Its like getting away with wearing a blanket!

The Kimono Blouse... DVF just came out with this beautiful ruby red kimono blouse. The neckline is super flattering! A little bit of sexy without being over the top.
The Sweater Dress... Seeing Stripes!!! Oh how I love Missoni!!! The knits are just unbeatable. Anyone who knows me also know I love a mini dress. So this one is going to be my splurge of the season :)

Wide Leg Denim Trouser... JBrand makes the best ones! They are so perfect to pair back with tees, blouses, leather jackets, vests. These are my go to pants for Fall.
Silk Mens Blouse... Equipment Blouse. These come in a million colors, but the Rose is my absolute fave. Loving the relaxed look of this.

So lets Review the top 10 pieces of the season (in my eyes). Hey I'm no Rachel Zoe, but I am absolutely in love with fashion. I studied it, its my career, and well my first love. I was hooked from the second I played dress up in my Grandma Rose's Vintage Halston closet.

1. Leather Jacket

2. Poncho

3. The Fall Maxi Dress

4. A LBD.

5. The printed Blouse

6. Anything Camel.

7. The Kimono Blouse

8. Sweater Mini Dress (preferably Missoni). Can't splurge on the real thing? They are making an amazing collection for Target this year!

9. Wide Leg Denim Trouser

10. Equipment Blouses

And just for fun, here are the 5 trends I will be passing on...

1. The Middi- really? Hate this hemline. Hike it up! Show those legs

2. The fur vest... I'm over it. Lets try something fresh. Like a fur chubby!

3. The leather dress. Its beautiful, but not very practical.

4. Printed Pants... it didn't work in the 80s so why revisit?

5. The Puffer... ew! Totally reminding me of Fubu or when Tommy Hilfigger went Hip Hop.

HERE'S TO A FANCY & FASHIONABLE FALL SEASON <3

We got the Beat!!!!!!!

Allison is 30!!!!!!!! Well I knew this day was coming.... wayyyy back in December, even though I was planning my BIG fat winery wedding, I knew this was the year my sister would be entering the tragic decade. Yes... the thirties! SO of course there had to be a party... a surprise party!

Well, if you know my sister, you know it is impossible to keep a secret from her. Allison is like that movie... Ally RULES!!! (oh doyle... the bully ahem). JK,\.... I'm her bratty lil sis so I'm allowed to tease.! So when we started to get the details going; Ally's hubby Joe says... unfortunately you can't throw her a surprise party, because she already knows, UGH!!! Farewell Back to School themed, cute chalkboards, & apples..... this will have to wait until she pops out a Baby Israwi. What she wanted was an 80s PARTY!!! (really?? neon, madonna, and well the brutal fashion trends of leg warmers and puffy sleeves???) Well, she's the birthday girl, so I went with it!

A quick google search, and I was blasting from the past!!! BOP magazines, Pop rocks, Boom Boxes, Big Hair, and the GHOSTBUSTERS!!! This was going to be a RADICAL, and if we were headed to go to the tackiest decade... I was atleast going to go ALL OUT!

Here is how we made the party totally AWESOME BLOSSOM, WACKO SMACKO, MURR (Charlie & Dani know where I'm going with this one)...

Costumes- CHECK! Luckily the teens actually are having an 80s moment, so a "back to the future" shopping trip to forever 21, is totally happening! Or if you are a guy... you can go to Target and buy the one tee-shirt that says 1981 on it! LOL

Cake- Great Dane is awesome! Planning this party in July (a.k.a. the busiest time of my life) , was so easy....:Hello!I need a boom box 80s themed cake" call... was easy & delicious!

Centerpieces= Rubix Cubes stacked & Neon Gerber Daisies were a fun & festive way to decorate.

Decor= 80s posters, air guitars, neon balloons, rocker rubber duckies bop magazines, a ph0to timeline of the Birthday girl 1-30 (so fun), and of course a Black & White Checkered self made PHOTO BOOTH were "like TOTALLY" a hit.

Candy Bar= A quick trip to the candy outlet; abaza candy bars, ring pops, runts, neon bubblegum, paper candy, pop rocks, and nik nips were a sweeeeeet way to our guests heart

DJ- one of Ally's best friend's husband is a DJ, so he offered to spin our favorite hits of the 80s for the afternoon. Madonna, Aerosmith, New Kids on the Block, and Blondie were the cherry on top!

Drinks= Tab soda, & rainbow sherbert punch, served with a scrunchy neon straw. Enough said!

Favors= Friendship Bracelets! This was a no brainer. What would you give a friend in the 80s? HELLO???

So, all the planning and stressing to make everything perfect was all worth it! With all the bumps you might face when party planning (heat, nothing to wear, and a collapsed table anyone?..), it was still so much fun. And most of all, we got to celebrate 30 years of the Awesome Ally! She truly is my role model, Loves ya Big SIS! Here is to 30 more Big ones. I wonder what kind of parties we will be planning when we are sixty~~~ maybe getting down to some Katy Perry "ET" 2011 themed fun :)

The Grass is Greener at the Bruners

Trevor & I have been working on a few updates to our backyard. Trevor has quite the green thumb, and I well, lets just say I'm lucky if I can keep flowers alive after 3 days. What I do love, is design, and shopping! So together we created a beautiful get away (right in our own backyard). In fact as I am typing this, I am sipping a glass of red wine, enjoying the almost finished project. Below are a few photos of what we did to create our perfect yard.

A Hanging Plant. My new favorite! This plant brought some beautiful color to the yard.

A frog for our pond... rrrrrrrribet

I bought this dining table last September, during the outdoor sale at pottery barn. This full Chesapeke dinning table & umbrella usually go for around $800. I got it for about $500. The trick to shopping season pieces at Pottery Barn is to shop at the end of the season. You can usually find some great deals. Right now for example is August so they are marking down a lot of their Summer/ Spring pieces to make room for the new Fall design.

We registered for this iron votive hanger from Pottery Barn,

which we have hung on our patio. I just love the worn rustic look.

I recently planted these marigolds near our front door entrance. They are such a happy flower! (reminds me of Disneyland in the fall)

We just planted this purple Hydrnagea. It is really starting to bloom. I can't wait until its a big beautiful, fluffy flower.

We had a really low wall which didn't give us much privacy. Trevor went to home depot, bought some wood, and built this fence by hand. He did such a great job! The lanterns I bought from Pottery barn two seasons ago. At night time I light the candles in the lanterns, which really make it cozy.

This little number was a gift from my Mom & Dad. I fell in love with it, and they were so sweet to give it to us. We found this cute planter at the Armstrong garden center. I planted some pretty purple daisies.

And with a little sunshine & water, they came to life! We have had these for over a year, and they were starting to look a little drab. After a month of love & care they are blooming again.

Trevor's pride & Joy; THE POND. Trevor with the help of his brother built this pond by hand. I am absolutely amazed at how it turned out! We planted some vines, which have grown beautifully around the pond.

This little bench was a spur of the moment purchase. I saw i at costco for only $100. We needed more seating, and this little guy swings. We placed it near the pond, so we can look at the pretty running water.

Most of all.... Minnie has a yard to play & run & well.... be lazy.

Happy Birthday Husband

Today is Trevor's 24th birthday!!! I absolutely love & adore my husband, and am so happy to celebrate this special day with him. So what are the big plans- a cooked meal by yours truly, some cold stone ice cream, and a little night cap ;). fun right?! Well I thought so!

One of the coolest things about today, was going to go pick him out a card. Instead of looking for a blank birthday card with a puppy, or a card that says I love you, I got to go to the section "His Birthday- HUSBAND." Ok, this was a first... I finally have a relationship section recognized by the card design world. I truly had a moment at CVS- totally excited! (yay)

So in honor of his birthday, I have posted two photos.

Trevor- His First Birthday. Cake Smashing Fun!

Trevor- This year at his 24th Family Party

I look forward to celebrating many many birthdays to come! You make me so happy :D

A Bride to Bee...

One of my favorite friends recently was married on July 3rd. To celebrate her big day, I hosted a Lingerie shower for her, along with my favorite party planning partner, Mrs. Danielle Burns (the bride's sister). To go with her Black & Yellow Wedding color palette, we used black & white damask, along with pops of yellow in the flowers & food & drink.

To start with the Main table we decorated with a "Bride to Bee" sign, and a black & white damask table runner, both I found on etsy. For sweets, we had chocolate cupcakes decorated with black frosted bustiers, lemon & reeses peanut butter flavored cake pops, and a candy bar full of black & gold candy. Danielle put together a delicious lemonade punch bowl and a vodka flavored lemonade mix we put in my new drink dispenser from pottery barn.

For favors I got these super cute "meant to bee" candles so all the guests, can take home a little something sexy. Danielle got these darling Jones soda drinks that had a picture of the Bride to Bee from a lingerie shoot she had just done for her future hubby. They were such a hit! As a present for my friend Katie, I hung lacy black & yellow lingerie on a clothes line. (It also helped set the mood for the shower).

I had a blast hosting this shower for my beautiful friend Katie. Its no wonder her colors included yellow, because she is like a big beam of sunshine. Being a party host is something I truly enjoy. It started when I was a little girl, and every year my Mom would let me throw a Christmas party. Besides my annual Christmas party, I truly enjoy planning showers for my beautiful friends & family during the exciting times in life. Still this year, I am throwing an 80s themed 30th Birthday for my sister Allison, helping host a Baby Shower for my dear friend Danielle, and of course the Annual Christmas Party. My passion for throwing the perfect party has grown through my love of blogs. I am hoping to get more creative as the years go by, but most of all I cherish every single party/ get together so much not only for the details, but the sweet sweet memories :)