Fits to a(n NY)T

The flawless living room above was featured in the "On the Cheap" section of the New York Times last week. I die for the removable stripes on the dining room area wall, plus the airy layout. New York shoebox what?

You have to go check out the full article to get the benefit of the interactive pages with more photos and info. The whole redesign was done for $4k (pretty cheap when you include the big pullout couch that cost $2k on its own) - though it seems like these newlyweds really benefited from some sweet hand-me-downs from their 'rents, plus a kick-as$ painting done by a friend that makes the area over the couch (see the last photo below).

Check out these amazing before, during and after pics:

The before wasn't so hideous until you take a look at what it would become. Yowza. Amazing.

This final photo shows the beautiful painting above the couch and how much better everything looks with the improved space plan and select updated pieces.

This just goes to show what having a professional interior designer can do. Boo, I want one.

Also, in what mecca does an apartment such as this - with huge windows, flawless wood floors, and what appears to be a good deal of space - exist in NYC? These "young newlyweds" must make bank! (Sorry, that was kind of crude to mention, but seriously!)

Comfy and cute

These photos are technically supposed to be showcasing the Valhalla Brooklyn handmade leather bags (which are gorgeous, by the way) shown on the model's arm. When I look at the photos, though, I can't help but think, "so that is what comfy casual is supposed to look like!" It's definitely much better than my normal schlumpy weekend get-up. I'm still nervous about rocking the whole leggings-as-pants look in public, but maybe pairing them with beautiful boots and a proper top would help. I'm also loving these tights below:

...but I don't think my sausage legs are ready just yet.

Love the bags though. Buy them here.

Bags originally seen on Greedy Girl.

No title needed...

As seen on Pretty Pieces

Thoughts, pretty please?

Photo by Yvette Inufio

Morning, everyone! Might you have a few minutes to leave a comment and let me know what you think about this little blog thang? If you want more info on why I'm asking or what I want to know, click here. Otherwise, I look forward to hearing from you - I'm dying to know who you are and what you want to see!

(And more regular blog posts to come later today...)

Here's looking at you, kid(s)

Photo seen on Truly Smitten

I've had some "interesting" topics on here as of late: from Martha to Snoop Dogg, BMWs to dance, Chick-fil-A to cake (and several takes on water - here are the most recent two: 1 & 2), even holiday gift ideas for all the people in your life to just the science nerds.

I started this blog with one direction in mind, but now I'm not sure if these new posts have me veering off into strange waters. So, dear readers, I'd love to hear from you about this.

I know you're all super busy with work, life, preparing for the holidays, and hopefully enjoying some merriment, but in an effort to get some info from those of you stopping by, could you take a moment to leave a comment and share your thoughts?

I'd love to know who you are and what you'd like to see here on sea*life*style. Is it trends and fashion-focused posts? Stuff for the home? Silly things like grammar correction labels or how to properly load toilet paper? Or do you want baby gift ideas and green cleaning product recommendations? Do you hate it all and wish I'd only post on the comings and goings of Justin Timberlake? Or are you happy with whatever it is, as long as it gives you a five-minute break from work? Are you 15, 25, 30 or 60? Are you a man, woman, puppy or other? Do you read daily or stop by every few weeks? Or, is this your first time here? (If so, welcome!)

Please, please, pretty please share some of your thoughts with me. I would so love to hear from you.

And thank you all - for reading, for commenting, for stopping by!

xoxo, r.

BMW and Audi play a game of chess

The importance of vigilance:

Audi put up a billboard in Santa Monica touting the challenge: “Your move, BMW” - only to find themselves outdone by a much larger billboard from Santa Monica BMW with the simple headline "Checkmate." I give major props to Juggernaut Advertising for spotting the Audi billboard and proposing the clever BMW billboard in response.

Just goes to show the importance of a brand (or their advertising agency) knowing their market and atmosphere.

Photo from BMW Blog.

Funday Monday

Photo from Them Thangs via i am a greedy girl

Good morning (slash afternoon), everyone! Did you all have fun weekends? Ours was a blast, both fun and crazy and mellow (from a busy Saturday to a lazy Sunday). We even had some snow here - rare for early December! It's pretty much melted at this point, but the tangible confirmation that winter really is here made me think of the photo above. I love the hazy, dreamy quality of it, plus doesn't that winter bonfire on the beach look fun?

I'm trying to get my head back in the blog world so that I have some cool and inspired things to bring you all (and not just adorable, but totally ridiculous, posts about kittens being surprised). If you all have anything interesting or holiday-appropriate that you'd want to share, please feel free to email me and I'd be more than happy to post it here. Otherwise, here's hoping I find some inspiration. Be back in a bit!

Santa Stumble 2009

Tomorrow is the Santa Stumble, where almost a hundred Santas, elves, reindeer, and multiple Mrs. Clauses (sometimes ho ho hos...) head to downtown Annapolis, tromping from bar to bar in boots and hats for a good cause. I cannot wait.

Here is a photo (by moi) of a sea of Santas from two years ago.

Anyone want to join us? The event officially starts at 6:00pm on Saturday, but goes until the bars close. I'm looking forward to donning my non-Christmas-just-festive red dress and heading out with friends tomorrow. Will you be there?

That's my croquembouche, part deux

I can't believe I just posted about Snoop Dogg and now I'm talking about Martha Stewart and croquembouche. Ah well, 'tis the life of a style blogger I suppose... ;)

Remember how I posted about croquembouche a while ago? I couldn't find any great photos back then, but I had found a great idea for making an easier version. Instead of making choux from scratch as in the traditional version, I was going to use donut holes. Good, right?

Well, I haven't done it yet, but I did come across this photo of Martha's latest croquembouche in the December issue of her magazine.

Image from Martha Stewart Living

I love this mini version of the croquembouche (instead of the normally huge and opulent tower), as well as the simple white stars - so festive for the holidays and it looks so yummy!

Of course Martha's recipe calls for making it all from scratch, but you could easily do donut holes here with the star cookies. Mmm!

Ride in style (or "stiz-ile"?)

Good morning and TGIF! So I could not wait to post this one - it's too funny and a potential perfect gift for some of the younger folks in your life.

For those of you with a TomTom GPS navigation system in your car, get ready for a supafly ride. Snoop Dogg has lent his voice to VoiceSkins, so for $12.95 you can have Snoop read your driving directions rather than that snotty lady who's always telling you what to do.

Here's a sample:


I love that he says, "Bear leff. Yeah, just like that" - where'd the "t" go? I was almost expecting him to say, "turn right, shizzle ma nizzle" at some point, but I guess he kept it proper-like for the good folks at TomTom.

If you want Snoop as your navigator, or if you have a sibling or friend for whom Snoop would make a perfect gift, you can buy it here.

Thanks for the clutch heads-up on this, Dan!

Get 'er done

Illustration from quite cheeky.

Hello again, friends. I know you're all still stuck at work, probably bored and looking for something to read to waste a few minutes, but I have to sign off for a bit to get some things done. It's "time for action"! I'll be back bright and early tomorrow with some fun stuff, I promise! See you back here then?

Legion of Extraordinary Dancers

Did anyone (other than me and all the 13-year-old girls in the country) watch So You Think You Can Dance last night? I usually think the results shows are far too laden with fillers - Sean Kingston horribly lip-syncing or Shakira looking awkward as she tries to dance better than the contestants - but last night's "time-killer" performance was awesome!

It was the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD), who performed to a classical music version of Yellow (originally from Coldplay, but here it was by the Vitamin String Quartet). It was crazy to see hip-hop, breakdance, krump and martial arts fused with contemporary, lyrical and classical influences, and all of the movement was choreographed with the music beautifully.

If you didn't get to check it out last night, here's the video:


This performance was a preview for a movie coming out in 2010, and if it's as good as the performance, I'm really excited. I love that dance is becoming so mainstream now!

Holiday parties: to top it off

Tis the season for holiday parties at home and with that comes the inevitable drink/snack/mingle-but-I-only-have-two-hands issue. Retailers have finally wised up to the question of "how do I eat brie and drink cab while shaking hands with neighbor Fred?" by introducing all kinds of plate and wine glass combos.

While I find these plates from Pottery Barn (home of perennial party favorites) kind of on the odd side:

(not sure what it is, these just seem weird to me),

...I adore these smaller alternatives from Catching Fireflies:


I love that they daintily fit on top of a wine glass - they're so much cuter than latching your glass into that hulking white plate - and that they're made of Acacia wood. They're also the perfect size for a small bit of nosh: if you're a guest, they make you look less piggish when you're chowing down and if you're the host, they make the food last longer!

I'm thinking this new find will be a perfect hostess gift for the next holiday party I attend. For 17 bucks I won't be breaking the bank and they'll last a lot longer than flowers, so bring on the parties!

Wakey wakey!

Eye mask by Naomi Lingerie on Etsy

Whew, I'm getting a late start this morning! I guess I needed to catch up on my beauty sleep or some dreams....that and I was up late last night baking B a pumpkin pie since he didn't get one at Thanksgiving. Also it's really dark in our room now that winter's set in that I didn't even realize how late it was! Anyway, I'm jumping back into the day now and getting back on top of the blog posts. I hope you all are having a bit less scattered of a morning than I am. See you back here in a bit!

Festivus for the rest of us

Photo from Erin Swift

Now that we're officially into December, B and I are decorating the house tonight for the holiday season. I'm excited to light the fireplace, drink hot chocolate and put out our silver and white decorations. Photos may come later if anyone is interested... Has anyone else started putting up holiday decorations yet? What do you do in your house?

Holiday gift idea: science nerds and kids alike

My boyfriend B loves nature and being outdoors, though I'm not sure his science geekiness extends as far as cloud formations. But, if you know someone who is totally into that stuff - or a young child who might be fascinated with clouds (or just learning about them in school) - this 10 primary cloud formations print would be a perfect gift.

And, it's not only a really cool illustration, but it's also made with glow in the dark ink so it will glow long-past daytime gazing.

Why hello there friend

Who knew embroidery - long a hobby of grannies around the world - could be so darn cute? Emma Smart's work is adorable and fresh and young - and not granny-ish at all. Her portfolio includes not only embroidery, but also print projects, products, and so many more cool things. I want this "hello" on a pillow. (Except I'm not allowed any more pillows in the house for fear of mutiny in the homestead. Boo.)

Bottle it up: Tap Water bottles

I've written about my quest for the perfect water bottle before - from lovely Crate and Barrel glass bottles for at-home use (but maybe not so good for out and about), to plastic Sigg bottles gone wrong, to a special-edition Evian bottle that I'd want to reuse (but alas had no reusable cap) - but I think I might have just found the perfect glass bottle.



Toronto designer Racquel Youtzy came up with the Tap Water bottle that holds just what it says: tap water. I'd use water from our Brita filter, but hey, it's just filtered tap water, so it'd work, right?



I love the message printed on each bottle:

"About that fancy bottled water that came from France... it’s pretty much the same thing that comes out of your tap when you wash your hands after peeing, only with less minerals. Minerals your body needs. The major difference? That French stuff came here on a boat. A boat that didn’t need to travel thousands of miles to bring you french tap water in a plastic bottle that will end up in a landfill that does need any more plastic bottles. Not so fancy."



Sara, this screams your name. I know you're a tap water girl and that you want a glass water bottle. If we hadn't already staunchly deemed this year a "recession holiday," I'd so buy you one of these for your birthday and/or holiday gift! Silver lining: at only $10 or $12 (Canadian dollars - that's about $9.45 or $11.35 USD) for the small and large sizes, respectively, I know you'll be able to snap one up on your own! You can buy them here. Cute, practical, and green. Cool, huh?

All images from Tap Water^TM, as seen on The Dieline

Hot air balloons over Paris

"Paris is a Feeling" by Irene Suchocki on Etsy, as seen on You Are My Fave

Is this even real? It seems too lovely to be true, all those colorful hot air balloons floating high over Paris.

Make it merry

Have you seen Kate Spade's 20 ways to merry-make? So merry and bright. Welcome to December, people!



As seen on Oh Happy Day.