Friday Pick

With the Olympic opening ceremonies kicking off this evening, I think it's only appropriate to give a sartorial nod to our friends across the pond. Thus, my Friday Pick is Alexander McQueen's Britannia Skull leather box clutch. Are you planning to watch the Olympic Games?

In other news, look what cutey cute is on the cover of Elle Decor, yes, that is Reese Witherspoon and her Ojai Valley abode. I just bought a subscription to ED last month, so fingers crossed that my first issue features the original Elle. If no, it hits newsstands on August 7.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

xo,

The Canary Diaries

What's Up Tuesday

I thought I would be in a major post-Bachelorette slump after Sunday's finale, but ABC has snared me once again. I am completely hooked on Bachelor Pad and I'm not ashamed. I will shout it from the rooftops. I love bad TV! There I said it. But, seriously I think Bachelor Pad might just be better than the real deal and that may have something to do with this situation...

Photo via abc.com

It's been two years, and my love for Reid still remains. How could you not like this guy? He is so precious. And everyone else is a hot mess, but so entertaining to watch. 

Photo via J.Crew

Am I having a moment or is this just the cutest top? I also love those jeans, great wash and fit.

This is my latest craft project for a friend who is due any day now. This was the first time I actually made my own cross stitch pattern and I think it turned out great.

How hysterical is this Solar Queen? I bought one for my mom as a joke gift for her birthday as she loves all things Anglo, and I thought it was especially appropriate with the Olympics starting this week. You can get one here.

xo,

The Canary Diaries

Bachelorette Recap: The Finale

Photo via People.com

Well, this is a first. The finalist I like actually won! That truly has never happened, like, ever.

That's right, Jef proposed people...and Emily accepted. Looking back at this first photo and watching the finale I am struck by how much better he looks with less of a mohawk look as the sides of his hair grew out over the course of the show.

Photo via abc.com

I'm just so happy! About the proposal mostly, but the hair too.

But before I get too sappy, let's review.

First, Jef met Emily's family. Her family was very cute I thought, and I loved how Jef acted around them. He was respectful and genuine and brought flowers for Emily's mom. Thumbs up all around.

Then Arie met the parents. I felt like he just wasn't comfortable at all and it seemed a little strained. It actually reminded me of when Emily met Arie's parents and how uncomfortable that was. I was kind of surprised that Emily's family liked Arie as much as they did. He just wasn't "on."

Next came Jef and Emily's day date. Throughout the entire season I think the thing I liked about Jef was that he is just so real. Instead of the meaningless small talk that you see so much on these dates on The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Jef and Emily's conversations seemed to have meaning, depth and answered realistic questions. This one was no exception. I think he had such a valid point about meeting Ricki, and I was so glad that Emily let them meet. Of course, Jef was precious with Ricki, swimming in the pool with her and just being so sweet with her.

Don't you wish that when you had a problem you could just call Chris Harrison and talk it out? I know I sure do. Lucky Emily was able to and I have to say I really applaud her for making the hard decision to not go on a second date with Arie when she was so sure of her relationship with Jef. Throughout the entire process she has done things her way, with integrity throughout and I think that's really commendable.

Of course, that doesn't make it easy. Watching Emily say goodbye to Arie was so awful. I felt so bad for him. Like Arie, I thought he was going all the way to the end with Emily. Poor guy got a love potion and everything. Ugh. Just painful.

In the end though, it was worth it to see Emily and Jef together. They're so cute! Props to Jef for picking a bananas ring. And how cute that they are going on a mission trip to Africa and he's moving to Charlotte. I mean, this one's for real!

Photo via Examiner.com

A couple of notes to ABC...

1) Please stop playing super ridiculous music at the end of the finale. I mean Peter Cetera's Glory of Love? Is it 1986? Can we just talk about that poor song choice for a moment?

2) Could we not get a beach proposal in Curacao? That sad little set was not super romantic. I need a beach proposal on The Bachelorette!

xo,

The Canary Diaries

In Review: Trip to Napa

A few weeks ago we went to Napa for the first time and had such a wonderful time. Below is our trip in review...

Stay:

We stayed at The Carneros Inn in Napa proper, and I can't recommend it enough. We loved staying here and would definitely stay here again. The food was excellent, the service was great and the spa is like my favorite place ever. Perez Hilton was staying there while we were there too! 

The Carneros Inn

Our room at The Carneros Inn

The patio just outside our room

Inside our room at The Carneros Inn

Eat:

My best advice for Napa is make your restaurant reservations in advance...like way in advance. I made ours two weeks out and a couple of the places were already booked the entire weekend.  That said, we didn't have a bad meal while we were there. And the beauty of Napa is that you could come back a dozen times and have a completely different trip.

Farm at The Carneros Inn. Loved the food here (the Chilled Cucumber Soup was to die for), but the absolute best part was sitting on the spacious porch enjoying a cocktail.

On the porch at Farm

Spice of Your Life cocktail (basically a really amazing margarita) at Farm 

We also ate at Morimoto, which was excellent. Everything we had was wonderful, but the Morimoto Sashimi was just spectacular. It puts other sashimi appetizers to shame.

Morimoto Restaurant

Another dinner we loved was at Angele Restaurant, a quaint French bistro style restaurant. They too had an awesome patio and great drinks. I'd love to come back for brunch next time.

Angele Restaurant

 Go:

We went to wine tastings at Jordan Winery and Vineyards and Cakebread Cellars. Both were great, and were really different from each other. Jordan was a little bit more posh I would say and Cakebread was a bit more relaxed. Jordan featured food pairings and lots of insider info about the winery and their wines. Cakebread was very informal, and I didn't see like I got to see a lot of the winery, but our guide was very knowledgable and the wine was great. I would recommend both. And, for me, two wineries in one trip was definitely enough.

At Jordan Winery and Vineyards

On the tour at Jordan Winery and Vineyards

Do:

We went on a hot air balloon ride, which I can't recommend enough. We booked ours through our hotel and they used Napa Valley Balloons. Even though we had to get up at 4:15 a.m. it was well worth it to see Napa Valley from a hot air balloon. We started and ended at Domaine Chandon Winery. They had breakfast and mimosas waiting for us upon return, which was awesome.

Before our balloon ride

Taking off

Napa Valley from a hot air balloon

Last, I would suggest flying into San Francisco and driving to Napa, it's a super-easy drive and you get to see the Golden Gate bridge.

Looking at these photos makes me want to go back!

xo,

The Canary Diaries

Bachelorette Recap: Week Nine

The Men Tell All week!

Oh boy. First of all, don't you feel sorry for the guys who no one remembers who have to come back for The Men Tell All?

Like this guy, bless his heart, who is this guy?

But I digress, I loved seeing Kalon in the hot seat and seeing his flashbacks with the creepy villain music. That really doesn't get old at all. The most amazing part is that I really think that to this day he doesn't think he said anything wrong to Emily. And I love seeing Emily get bleeped in the flashbacks. It's like seeing Bambi flip someone off.

I'm still convinced that Ryan is a sociopath. How could he possibly have thought he would be the next Bachelor? I loved Chris Harrison quickly refuting this rumor. I mean. Ryan's arguments with Chris (not Harrison, the other one) were hysterical. I wish Ryan were going to be on Bachelor Pad. Could you imagine how many tank tops he would need to bring?

Sean was of course, perfect in the hot seat. I was just waiting for Chris Harrison to announce him as the next Bachelor. Don't you think he would be awesome?

Emily, way to bring it in hot pink Herve Leger. Love it. I also give best quote of the night to Emily when she addressed Kalon: "I just hope that you find faith in something bigger than your Prada shoes and your rented helicopter." Well said.

I am so excited for Sunday! I think I'm Team Jef all the way now, but either way I'll be happy. I think they're both good guys.

And look at this hot mess of a cast for Bachelor Pad, which begins Monday.

Kalon, Blakely, Chris, Lindzi...and I am personally so excited to see Ed and Reid from Jillian's season duke it out. Reid was a personal fave of mine. And this season, four real fans join the house. Should be interesting...

xo,

The Canary Diaries

Friday Pick

Just bought this studded CC Skye bracelet from Shopbop. I thought it looked familiar, but couldn't place it until I was looking through some old bookmarks and found this Five Days, Five Looks, One Girl Vogue feature. Look! She's wearing it. I think it looks awesome layered or by itself. Also, how awesome is that Prada clutch below? Yum.

The particular bracelet I bought is now sold out, but I'm sure they'll restock soon. In the meantime, I'm kind of loving all of their bracelets and they still have the second one layered below.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo,

The Canary Diaries

What's Up Thursday

Maybe because of the holiday last week, but this week is dragging like crazy. Am I right? Ugh. I really need it to be Friday right now.

In the meantime... 

I finally saw Moonrise Kingdom and was not disappointed. It was one of the best movies I've seen all year. The entire cast was superb, including the two newcomers who play precocious crushes, Suzy and Sam. Seriously, if you haven't yet it's a must see.

{Via}

And on the opposite end of the spectrum I saw Magic Mike too. Also great, but in a very, very different way. Channing Tatum is my new celeb crush for sure.

I almost bought these Dolce Vita sandals at the beginning of the summer, but I hesitated. So imagine my excitement when I saw the very similar looking green ones that popped up at Target....

Still love the black and nude DolceVita ones though! Super cute.

Speaking of cute shoes, next on my list are these by Rachel Zoe. 

{via}

These beauties were recently seen on the feet of my BFF Reese. I'm debating what color to get. I love the color that Reese is wearing here, but I also kind of love the black pair. I feel like they could transition well to a Texas "Fall."

I remember in college a teacher warning us about the BPA that leeches into your bottled drinking water. Apparently, the level of BPA increases significantly when the bottles are stored in a hot place. After reading "Store in a cool place" on the back of my water bottle the other day I thought maybe I should stop drinking these.

So I bought this at Central Market. The brand is Life Factory. They have a ton of great products online as well. I figure if nothing else I am saving a few plastic bottles too!

And, I blame the Shades of Grey trilogy, but how rad are these "Fisty Cuffs" cuff bracelets? I'm kind of obsessed with them....

Don't worry, I won't be remodeling the guest bedroom into a Red Room of Pain.

xo,

The Canary Diaries

Benji Wednesday

 I've always loved the Herend blue fishnet figurines, but I never found one that really spoke to me until I saw this little guy...

Awww! Isn't he precious? He goes so nicely on my bookshelf.

And, he bears a striking resemblance to this precious little guy...

xo,

The Canary Diaries

Bachelorette Recap: Week Nine

First, I just have to say...

Happy Birthday J. Simps! She's 32 today!

All photos of Jessica Simpson via People.com

What about The Bachelorette?! Curacao was pretty awesome. All I could think the entire time was how much I want to go on a tropical vacay. Anyone else?

Photo via abc.com

Any religious Bachelor viewer knows we have to have the obligatory helicopter ride. Sean got that date and I feel like overall it was a good one. His letter to Ricki was just so sweet. I loved that. But I have to say in person I think he and Emily just finally ran out of things to talk about. Which is sad, I mean he's so good looking couldn't she just stare at him?

Again, I have to say I am definitely loving Jef. He seems like he has his head on straight and asked all of the right questions that no one else seems to ask: Where are we going to live? Will Ricki like me? etc. I think he's very serious about Emily and I like that.

Then the date with Arie...wow do those two have some serious chemistry. He too seemed to be very into the logistics of what would happen after the proposal. A definite good thing. 

Did anyone else find Emily's handling of the "fantasy suite card" kind of hilarious? She gives it to Sean and then turns him down, then Jef kind of turns her down and then she doesn't even bring it up to Arie, saying she "wouldn't be able to resist him." How funny! Oh well, good for her for making her own rules. And, honestly I don't know if we really need to see any more of this business...

It's down to Arie and Jef. I'm pretty excited to see the gang all back together again next week on The Men Tell All. Especially Tank Top. I've missed him.

xo,

The Canary Diaries

Weekend Snaps

How was your weekend?

Mine was really nice. We spent most of it celebrating the marriage of a good college friend. I love a good wedding and this one was just that.

Beautiful flowers in our neighborhood

New obsession: Tom Ford lipstick in Sable Smoke...

...I think it looks super posh on my counter

Centerpieces at the wedding

The beautiful cake that matched the bride's gown perfectly

The happy couple

The light fixtures at Union Station

I didn't get a good shot of me in my dress, but this is the material. It was super fun to dance in!

At the pool on Sunday admiring my San-tan-tonio nail polish from the OPI Texas Collection

On the wish list for fall: 3.1 Philip Lim satchel--How cool are those zippers?

Would you try this? Ombre lipstick featured in The August issue of Lucky Magazine, which is awesome by the way

So excited for some beach romance tonight on The Bachelorette!

xo,

The Canary Diaries