blue velvet

Recently I have been obsessed with velvet more specifically blue velvet sofas and sectionals and have been scouring houzz.com, fashion blogs and pinterest. I am currently searching for the perfect blue velvet sectional or sofa for my new place. Looking at all the beautiful color options: blues, gray's and purple's is the easy part. Finding one to purchase turns out to be a little more difficult. Many of the photos I have encountered are found at vintage stores or custom made. I was able to find a couple through west elm, crate & barrel but nothing I am thrilled with yet. As I begin my search for a blue velvet sectional I wanted to share my inspiration!

I love the idea of having such a beautiful piece as the center focal point in my home. I would love to hear your thoughts on favorite fabrications and colors!

xx
-eb

snow gets me thinking about christmas

I know that we have not celebrated thanks giving yet, but yesterday we had our first snowfall of the season. Yes I said it snow in November; this is not uncommon when you live in Wisconsin. It was minimal accumulation but non the less it is snow and today it is a whopping 25 degrees. As I write this post in my cozy vince sweater that I snatched up at marshalls, drinking a hot earl gray tea with milk and sugar I am definitely beginning to think of holidays and getting in the spirit. Yesterday I started searching for decorations to get my new home in the holiday spirit!

Here are some of my favorite holiday items for around the house.

Pillows are a great way to add chic holiday decor to the home;check out these metallic pillows from Ballard Designs pair these back to a faux fur pillow for a wonderful winter wonderland look. 

metallic

Frosted tree with lights!

Love this for an outdoor decoration Ballard Designs

These super cute pine cone candles are a great way to decorate the dinner table, coffee table or mantel. 

find them here

I am absolutely loving this vintage garland, I purchased this from West Elm, I  plan to hang on my stone fireplace.

vintage garland

How cute is this guy?!

owl ornament

great traditional stocking

felt stocking

I hope I am not too early for everyone by jumping on the christmas wagon; it was the snow that got me in the mood! 

xx

eb 

just in time for halloween

Happy Halloween!

I am even more excited about halloween this year and all the wonderful holidays that follow. Now that I am in the bungalow I have lots of decorating and dyi projects to look forward to.  In the neighborhood there are lot of kids so I am looking forward to all the little trick or treaters tonight. But what is halloween and trick or treating with out pumpkins! 

This year I wanted to make sure that my pumpkins would have a fighting chance and maybe last through Thanks Giving (I know this might be a little optimistic of me but I'm going for it). I decided I wanted to paint my pumpkins I also did some experimenting with spray painting a couple that I gave away as gifts.  

the process: 

To be honest there was not much prepping I did, I made sure I had a drop cloth, paint, paint brushes and paper towel for any mistakes. The timing however did take a couple of days; I first painted the pumpkins the color of my choice, let them dry then painted on a second coat. The following evening I hand painted on the metallic dots and the stems. 

materials: off white and black paint, copper and gold metallic paint and paint brushes all from micheal's. For the spray painted pumpkins I did I used a copper metallic spray paint from home depo (I actually prefer spray painting they looked great and they were super easy).

tip: when painting make sure you are painting on the first coat of paint lightly to keep the pumpkins from chipping. 

lastly: enjoy!

xx 

-eb

new beginnings in the bungalow

Hello loves ~ Sorry I have been absent but I promise I have a good excuse. I have purchased a new home and have been working away on perfecting it to share with all of you!

I am so excited to be sharing this news with you and all of the upcoming fun home projects that I have been and will be working on over the next couple of months.

Since moving to the Madison area, I have wanted to purchase a home. Over the past couple of years I have been going to open houses and looking at homes in search of the perfect home. I went through many homes, and town homes but was never thrilled about any of them. There was always something that I did not like about the places I had looked at (which is common in the house hunting process). None the less nothing jumped out at me as amazing. The ideal home would not be an apartment or a condo but a smaller quaint home with lots of character, a screened in porch, small fenced in yard for the pups to run around in and a great location within walking distance to coffee shops and restaurants.

In the end I am glad that I took my time finding the perfect place, and I just happen to stumble upon it.
One Sunday A and I were out driving around and looking for open houses and came across this great street in Madison where they happened to be having an open house. We both absolutely feel in love with the area, we walked the bike/walking path all the way down to the coffee shop where we grabbed latte's and walked the lake. Everything about the area was full of great vibes.

reasons why I am glad I waited:

1.) it spoke to me:
I truly believe that when you find the right place that it will speak to you; which this home definitely did! The location, neighborhood, home, and everything about it was perfect. I get great vibes walking into my new place.

2.) the wait was well worth it:
I am the first person to admit when I want something; I wanted it yesterday. With that said I am glad I waited the biggest reason being  that my opinion has changed over the past couple of years of what I really wanted out of a home. Meaning what I used to think I wanted was a newer, "perfect" home with everything done for me, a "cookie cutter" sort of home if you will. A couple of years ago I would have also said that I didn't really care much about the location as long as it was within 10 minuets of Target of course.

Since then my vision of what I call home has changed. I was really looking for a place to call home in a great area where I could make friends with neighbors and throw great chic swaray's for friends, family and neighbors.

I am happy to say that I have found the perfect home in a desirable Madison neighborhood called Dudgeon-Monroe.

 the bungalow

Hope I did not loose many of you! I will be back with more post about the bungalow and all the fun transformations its going through with before and after pictures!

xx 

-eb

a night we call ravinia

Adam and I are so lucky to have family and close friends within driving distance from us and that we get to travel to see them during the weekends. In our most recent travels to the Chicago-Land we were traveling for a very special reason. For A to play a show at what has become a popular night for many in the Naperville area and an event that is looked forward to every year. We call it A Night at Ravinia. Ravinia is where friends and family pick a spot in the Ravinia and set up tables, chairs, blankets and lanterns for a night of entertainment, great company and amazing food.

In addition to the great food and company the wonderful host of the event Denise Provenzano and Dr. Bob Wiel have a contest for the best picnic set up of the evening! This years event was definitely a success they could not have asked for a more perfect night! 

adam & lincoln closing out the show together

the Seepeck ladies without a doubt had the most elegant set up of the evening. 

 lighting on the stage and in the trees throughout the property was so beautiful!

I hope everyone is enjoying the fall nights and weekends like we are!

xx 

-e

friday fashion = silk+camo+leather leggins +loubous

Happy Friday everyone~ 

Friday's are by far my favorite day of the week. It is my favorite day because everyone is looking forward to the weekend and spirits are high especially at work! I also tend to break out my most fierce outfits on Fridays, so today I am sharing my Friday Fashion: a silk top, paired back to my ponte leather pants, camo scarf and favorite pair of black pumps.  

silk top (marshal's) leather leggings (bcbg) scarf (jcrew) and black pumps (christian louboutin) 

I hope everyone has an amazing and enjoyable weekend!

xx 

-eb

oils to keep your skin beauty

As many of my family members and friends would tell you; I am a big proponent of using oils on my skin. I have a background in the skin care industry and I am always looking for the best way to keep my skin youthful and glowing. With our skin being the largest organ in our body, it has always been an essential part of my body that I have made a priority to take excellent care of. Which is why I feel it is important to share this article of products that can benefit the skin. 

GOOD-FOR-YOU SKINCARE: 5 NATURAL OILS TO TRY

Natural facial oils are all the rage but how to know the difference in benefits from sea buckhorn to rosehip? Today Christy Coleman, VP of Creative Design at healthy beauty line Beautycounter, breaks it all down.

“I started adding many of these ingredients into my own personal beauty kit 20 years ago and was so excited to incorporate them into our collection.”, Christy told us.

Beautycounter launched earlier this year with the mission to create chic, effective and chemical-free products for skin and body, and the line has been building a cult-following ever since. According to Beautycounter, they have one of the strictest ingredient screens in the industry, and ban over 1500 chemicals. How chic is that?

Beautycounter’s facial oils include a special blend of rosehip, organic grapeseed, sea buckthorn, organic marula, meadowfoam seed, wild chamomile and other natural oils. Beautycounter The Facial Oil Collection, $175.

Here, Christy shares her top 5 favorite natural facial oils.

1. Sea Buckhorn Oil

“Sea buckthorn comes from the Himalayas and is high in antioxidant Vitamins A, C, and E, essential fatty acids, skin fortifying minerals like zinc, selenium, and copper; and high concentrations of Omegas. It’s also a powerful healing oil and is great for burns (including sunburns, eczema, and small cuts).”

2. Meadowfoam Oil

“Meadowfoam is native to Northern California, Oregon, Vancouver Island, and British Columbia. The oil extracted from the seeds of the plant is one of the most moisturizing around since it’s so high in Vitamin E and because it’s composed of 98% fatty acids, it locks in hydration and helps give your skin a nice barrier against the elements too.”

Lustro face oil product samples at the Beautycounter offices. Photo via @beautycounter.

3. Coconut Oil

“Coconut oil has been a cult product for centuries. It’s great for calming inflamed and irritated skin as well as softening and moisturizing dry hair. I go through half a jar a week (and my dog, Rider Pearl, gets the other half). I truly could not live without it.”

Beautycounter’s cream cleansers and moisturizers all contain organic coconut oil. Beautycounter everyday hydrating cream, $38; Routine cream cleanser, $22; Every night hydrating cream, $38; Any time eye cream, $32.

4. Rosehip Seed Oil

“Rosehip seed oil is used around the world and for good reason! It’s one of my favorites because it’s so high in Vitamin C and essential fatty acids that work to repair damage and condition the skin.”

5. Marula Seed Oil

“Marula seed oil comes from the nuts grown in Southern Africa. It’s incredibly high in oleic acid (Omega 9) so it can be deeply hydrating but it also absorbs quickly, so it doesn’t feel heavy or leave sticky residue on the skin.”

Source: The Zoe Report

xx 

-eb

bring a pop of color to your home

One of my favorite things to do on my down time (besides spending time with my loves) is spent on my ipad looking through magazines to find inspiration for the home. I can and do spend hours and hours doing just this (ask adam, I think he is convinced I have a problem).

That is why today I wanted to share some of my inspirations for a fun/easy diy project that could give your home a refresh or add a fun pop of color. For this project all you will need is to pick a door in your house that could use a fresh coat, paint and a paint brush. 

If you get done painting and want to create even more of a wow effect; changing out the hardware such as door handles is a great way to add the extra wow.

Here are some of the fun inspirational pictures that I found and that I am looking forward to trying for my next diy project.  

I love how easy this project is and the great vibe that it can bring to a room of a home. I would love to hear about and see your door diy projects! 

x

-eb 

more from ny fashion week

I can not help myself I am OBSESSED with fw, so today I am sharing more amazing photos from some of my favorite designers.

rag & bone

zimmermann

and one of my all time favorites 

monique lhuillier 

all photos compliment of shopbop.

Attending fashion week has always been a dream of mine that I hope to one day fulfill. As always I hope you enjoyed the fa-bu pics from fw2014!

x 

-eb

ny fashion week

As most of us are thinking and looking forward to fall days wrapped in a cozy sweater, with our favorite pair of skinny jeans on, and the best riding boots anyone has seen, drinking a pumpkin spice latte and doing the things we love the most on the weekends. Whether it is a trip to the farmers market on a Saturday morning, a long walk through the neighborhood or raking up leaves in the backyard for the kids to jump in.

The fashion world is busy working on fall 14 and debuting spring 2014 (SP14) collections to the world, at the most exciting event of the year; Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week! I have been keeping up with all the amazing designers and the unavailing of their new spring products via online and watching live fashion shows. Here are a few of my favorite designers, and fav looks from fashion week.

jcew loving the new ivory mini back to a crop sweatshirt!

michael kors

charlotte ronson 

There are tons more pictures and videos from the hundreds of fashion shows taking place (here) MB Fashion Week if you want to check them out. 

x 

-eb

camo craze

As some of know I am on the camo train this year; I am all about it!
That is why today I am posting some of my recent camo purchases, I also managed to pick up a fun rose gold bracelet that I featured in my fall must have's segment.

free people camo waffle

scarf love

skinny kick jean (ae.com)

rose gold spike bracelet sold out (similar)

Lastly my new phone cover for my new iPhone 5s (coming September 20th)

jcrew camo phone cover

There you have it my camo finds for fall, I hope you enjoyed and are finding some fabulous fall finds as well! 

x - 

eb 

today's look "fluted"

Today I was so excited to slip on my new fluted ivory skirt from jcrew with my sparkle woven blazer from last fall (jcrew).

Here is the look!

Loving this as fall transitional outfit, I like pairing with a tank since it is still pretty warm out. 

xoxo

e

coziness

It has happened! The itch that we all get when a new season is just around the corner; the itch to buy new fall clothes!

Living in Wisconsin has definitely created an awareness of  how cool it can really get in the late summer and early fall months (don't even get me started on the winters, its like the frozen tundra around here). This could be the reason why I am over reacting and have already started my fall shopping in August. I do have admit that it was difficult finding warm fall items given that it is still early in the season. Fortunately for me I receive every email from just about every retailer imaginable and have been shuffling through emails and new arrivals for cozy fall sweaters to add to my wardrobe. 

here are a couple of my recent buys for fall from lululemon: 

super cozy breaks wrap

I do have to say that I am looking forward to the first cool crisp Saturday to wrap up in one of these softies and head to the farmers market!

my trip to chicago

As some of you know my profession is fashion merchandising. As part of my job and a fun requirement is to shop the market for current trends. On Wednesday morning myself and my team took an over night trip to Chicago, it's about a 2.5-3 hour drive from Madison. We left early Wednesday morning getting us there just in time for the shops to open. We hit up all the major retailers from Barney's to Zara on State Street, Michigan Avenue as well as all the fun boutiques on Oak Street.

biggest take aways from my trip 

print of the season: it's all about camo for men, women, and kid's. I will even go as far as saying it is the new leopard for women! Or at least it will be for my new fall wardrobe.

denim: continues to have a big focus with all retailers. Tons of washes, fits and different styling options. Light washes are starting to have a bigger presence while still offering a variety of washes in distressed, non-distressed, colored, printed, flocking, color blocking, zippers & mixing fabrications example: stretch denim and leather or faux leather.

Good news the skinny pant is NOT going away anytime soon for all you skinny pant lovers like myself. Its continuing to grow in the men's market as well as retailers are expanding their offering in for kids. I did see more skinny stretch options across both genders; they are advertising this benefit much better to the customer than in previous seasons. 

color: gray was the most prominent color out there, especially from a neutral standpoint. We have seen this color become extremely popular in home decorating. Gray has officially moved full force to the apparel world. 

footwear: wedges is a continuing trend from summer that is moving its way into fall. Tall, medium, and booties are all still very popular in all fabrications. I am definitely seeing pops of color either in trims or on the inside of boots to give them that extra fun reason to buy. 

a couple of fall must haves 

camo cover crew

scarf for a pop of color jcrew

rose gold studded bracelet

gray paige denim

color block camo top revolve

After dinner I headed up town to stay at my b&b for the night. I am lucky and have Adam's family that live downtown. Adam and his son Lincoln were also in town visiting, it ended up being a perfect end to a great day, I got to see the people I love the most.  

LBall and I hanging out Thursday morning before I went out to shop more stores. 

He loves his new camo waffle I got him from nordstrom tucker and tate. 

As always thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip and current fashion trends.

xoxo 

-e