Pink Friday

Check out this amazing pink Christmas tree from the home of Nicole Balch of Making it Lovely. You can buy your own here (though I'd be tempted to keep this baby up all year). They've got quite a selection of pinks, including a flocked tree and this lighter pink version of the one below. And, I spy with my stripe-loving eye, a pillow from Proud Mary just chilling in the background. So there you go; even more things to covet.

Aww, it's Two and Twenty's first Christmas! Hope all of you who celebrate the holiday, and even those who don't, are warm, safe, and well-fed this season. Taking a little mini-blogging break since the holiday activities don't really leave room for much else, making this the last post of 2011. Until we meet again :)

Happy Birthday, Louie!

Happy ninth birthday to my adorable, hilarious little trouble-maker, Louie!

Oh hey, did you hear? Christmas shopping is exhausting.

So it's late December here in Illinois, and at least where I live, in the Northwest suburbs, we've had no measurable, lasting snowfall to render this year's Christmas "white". But walk into any store, or spend at least two minutes in any parking lot within a hundred miles of here and there's no question – it's definitely the holidays. I'm finishing a week of going in and out of the same mall (and it's surrounding stores) almost everyday. And while I do love getting bundled up and cute in my winter garb, it is HOT once you're actually in there, side-by side with hundreds of other last-minute shoppers, latte in hand. It's tiring, but also somewhat fun to be caught up in all that commotion. At the end of the day, you end up looking like this:

One more post tomorrow for Pink Friday (and it sure is lovely), then I'll probably be hibernating for a few days to a week. Because seriously, dudes. I've got shoulder/back issues just from this past week of bag handling. Not that that would interfere with posting, but it is the holidays after all. Image via Tania Shcheglova

Elsewhere

Who's going out of town this coming holiday week? I sure as hell wish I was. But until then, some shots by Maria Ines Pires: sort of what you always imagined your ideal vacation photos would look like (shot in film, no less!).

Here and there

 A sweet little series by illustrator and designer, Marisa Seguin.

Rear Window

Oh hey, did you hear? Christmas time is just around the corner! But these store windows from the all over the world have been around a little while longer, greeting patrons and passerby's with holiday cheer. It never ceases to amaze me how creative the themes are every year. I've yet to visit the stores in downtown Chicago this winter, so I might be in for a treat. Here are some of the best displays from New York, Paris, and London's stores.

 My favorites are the little Karl Lagerfeld's in the Chanel-themed windows at Printemps in Paris. Too. Damn. Adorable.

via Vanity Fair

Pink Friday

Oh hey there! Happy Friday! More vintage Japanese ads from the fifties.

And it all started with this...

I was gonna post about Thakoon's newest collection on Monday, but I don't like doubling up on fashion posts, because (for the most part) this isn't a fashion blog. Anyway, I'm glad I waited a bit, because since then, there have been a few more shows. And you know me, once I post my faves from one designer, I gotta post about the others as well. Somebody stop me! First things first: Thakoon. Now the Thakoon Pre-Fall collection has been making the rounds for good reason. It's so tactile, and neutral, and warm.

Thakoon Addition is a little darker in tone, a bit more accessible, but just as enjoyable.

Doo.Ri's got this smoky, plum-y, drape-y silk dress that I'm just obsessed with (lower left):

Of course J. Mendel dresses are sure to make the rounds this awards season. And for off the red carpet, a little bit of swank.

The Jason Wu show was one of the first to drop this season, and it sure was memorable.

A little Vera Wang, because I can't quite let go of the maxi dress. (And is that a yellow leather skirt I spy?)

And finally, if asked, I'd always say 3.1 Phillip Lim is my favorite designer. This season the collection gets downright comical in the best possible way, with a little bit of pop art in the lead.

Look closely

 Do you see the names in that tree up there? Pretty amazing, huh? I can't get enough of these tree drawings by Mattias Adolfsson. And the thing is, I've only chosen the trees; there are way more beautiful and detailed illustrations right here for you to stare at all the livelong day. And I do suggest finding these trees in there again to enlarge so you can inspect the detail. They really are something else.

discovered on Hivenn

Quirky discovery of the day

So delighted to have stumbled across these cute little animal-themed products from Animalia, including these altered vintage plates...

...plus some gifts for the babes and kiddos, too! Do you remember these little little golden books? Because I had like a bajillion of those growing up. Sure brings back memories.

discovered on arthound

Two Too Pretty

Vionnet Spring 2012 RTW skirt and blouse + Black Dress Party Butterflies and Bows print by Louise van Terheijden (Etsy).

Pink Friday

This week started off with a bang, and now it's the second Pink Friday of December – oh my, December! Where did the time go? Stay warm, friends, and a happy weekend to all!

Croissants de lunes wallpaper by Bartsch

Jump!

This is just fun, honestly. Been loving this 1950's photography series (entitled, Jump, of course) by Philippe Halsman for a while now, and had saved the bookmark forever ago. Here's just a few favorites (they're all from the second page):

More at Laurence Miller Gallery

A Tale of Two Cities

By Laurie Rollitt.

Cat Lady

Yesterday's post was quite the holiday behemoth, but it was oh so very fun! So today it's gonna be a little more low-key around here, but of course there's always this and this...oh hey, check out these cats! Photography by Eduardo Pedro Oliveira.

Two and Twenty Days of Christmas

I know, I know, you all want iPads for Christmas. Well, you won't find any on this list, but you may find a case or two, along with a bunch of other stuff I've piled together to give you the first ever....Two and Twenty Days of Christmas! That's 22 items, for you sleep-deprived readers, just keep scrolling! Not just for the ladies, but there's something for the guys and the kids, too. And because it is surprisingly hard to put all twenty two into one board without it looking cray-cray (I'm sure it's possible, but I'm pressed for time), I've split the gifts into two: Outdoor Cozy and Indoor Glam. Cue the jingle bells!

THERE'S MORE AFTER THIS LIST OF LINKS, SO KEEP SCROLLING!
1. Men's Oxford Shirt, J.Crew. Plaid is pretty much the guy's version of leopard. Oh hell, I love it, too.

2. Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Balloon Miss Marc' Gloves, Nordstrom. Were it not for editing, I could legit do an entire post on just gloves. These have little openings in the thumbs and index fingers, so you can access your phone. (Just don't text while crossing the street, please!)

3. Boys' Skull and Crossbones Sweater, Old Navy. Even I would wear this.

4. Racoon face Hat, Target. I own this hat! It's a relatively thin knit, so it won't screw up your hair too much. I wear it with my chunky knit snood.

5. Steve Madden 'Cablee Boot', Nordstrom. I'm a girly-girl who wears a lot of blazers and knits this time of year. Needed new boots to go with all that. I thought these were too rugged for me...until I tried them on. They're so good.

6. Wool and the Gang Snood Dogg DIY Wool Scarf Kit (Camel shown), Net-A-Porter. The perfect gift for all you stylish knitters. Why buy a scarf when you can make a snood? (Also comes in black, grey, and other scarf varieties.)

7. Illume Boulangerie Jar Candle, Anthropologie. You know how it always smells amazing inside Anthro? This is just one of the reasons why.

8. Woody iPhone 4 Case, Jack Spade. Ladies with iPhones are probably familiar with Kate Spade's amazing cases. Here's an equally-sophisticated one for the dudes.

9. Le Black Bear Stud Earrings, Le Animale. I'm a big fan of quirk. And bears...and earrings. (previously)

10. Melissa & Doug Plush Boston Terrier, Target. For that little babe who's not quite ready for the real thing. We've all got at least one kid in the family screaming for a dog.

11. A Very She & Him Christmas. Because Zooey Deschanel's voice was made for holiday music.

12. Metallic Telegram Clutch, Madewell. Currently on sale, and super fab!

13. NARS Lipstick in 'Heat Wave', Sephora. I almost don't want to divulge this, but to everyone in Illinois who's ever asked me what lipstick I'm wearing, it's this.

14. Fresh Brown Sugar Affair Set, Sephora. The perfect remedy to you winter skin. Nothing beats a scrub. We gals love to pamper ourselves; this kit comes with the Passion tinted version of the cult classic, Sugar lip treatment.

15. Honeydew Polka-Dot Undies, Madewell. Comes in four colors, but I fancy the black and pink the most. So cute and on trend! (What? You can have trendy undies.)

16. Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Turnlock Shine' iPad Case, Nordstrom. It's taupe. It's patent leather. It's got this cute little turn lock detail. And with any luck, someone who loves you will get you an iPad to put in it.

17. M Missoni Small Doll Knitted Keyfob, Net-A-Porter. Any Missoni fans in the house? A more accessible, totally eye-catching bauble to clip on your bag or keys.

18. Native Union 'Retro' Handset in Gold, Nordstrom. This was a cute little find that makes total sense. Those Bakelite phones really were more comfortable to hold for long conversations. (Not that I was alive in the fifties.) It also hooks up to iPads and laptops to make more private Skype-ing a breeze.

19. Pug Bookends, Z Gallerie. This is hilarious because I don't have many physical books, but I do have two Pugs. Shall we stand the iPad, Kindle, as well as all the household phones back-to-back? Why yes, yes we shall.

20. Leopard Sidewalk Skimmer, Madewell. Because leopard is about as neutral as it gets in my book. Don't question the classics.

21. ChaChaCha Sweater, Kate Spade. Well this is just fun, honestly.

22. Sephora by OPI Four Piece Full Size Glitter Nail Color Set, Sephora. For gals who love glitz! They make some pretty good glitter polishes (and I've tried a few). Great for layering; the gold is my personal favorite.

Phew! Well there you have it. Happy shopping!

Pink Friday

This week's Pink Friday features some excerpts from the beautiful Infra series, shot in Eastern Congo by photographer, Richard Mosse. Have a good one.

The sun also rises

Some works by Tony Kuchar. I won't bore you with my words today. Enjoy.