How was your weekend? We had a slow-paced couple of days that included fishing, beautiful sunsets and naps. We completely missed the Kentucky Derby, but how much do you love the name of the horse that won? And, did you catch a glimpse of the super moon Saturday night? We had too much cloud cover, but Friday's moon was pretty beautiful and bright, so I can only imagine.
Other than that...
Did you see this amazing photo of Alexa Chung and Lana del Rey? New besties! One can only guess they bonded over their shared awesomeness and their Mulberry bags.
Alexa bag
Del Rey bag
Much like the muses who inspired them, I can't decide which one is cooler. The Alexa bag is available at Mulberry, the Del Rey bag won't be available until A/W 2012, unless your first name is Lana or you've got the hookup in London, New York or Singapore.
When it comes to shopping, I am one of those people who gets completely obsessed with one single item and can't think of anything else...despite said items necessity to my life. For instance, I just found a dress for a wedding we have coming up in a few weeks and yet...
Wouldn't this beautiful Diane von Furstenburg dress be pretty at a wedding worn with chunkier gold shoes?
And...
I love the back on this Riller & Fount dress from Shopbop. So pretty with a top-knot hairstyle and some big gold bangles.
Or wouldn't it be cool to do a colorblocked look with one of these skirts and a lighter colored silk top?
Are you as curious as I am about The Shops at Target? Debuting this Sunday May 6, The Shops at Target are a group of curated collections from Privet House, Polka Dog Bakery, The Cos Bar, The Webster and The Candy Store. Of those boutiques I've only been to The Cos Bar, which carries high-end beauty products, so I was interested in what Target might have from them. A peek at their website reveals some very cute wrapped soaps, cooling eye gels and other pretty products.
Wrapped Soaps in Orange Citrus, Blueberry White Tea and Cucumber Melon from the Cos Bar for The Shops at Target
Of course, there is a darling maxi dress from The Webster. So perfect for a summer BBQ!
Strapless Maxi Dress in Wall Paper Floral Print from The Webster for The Shops at Target
I'm totally obsessed with these place mats and napkins from Privet House.
Jute Placemat and Two-sided Coral Napkins from Privet House for The Shops at Target
And, there's even something for Benji!
Dog Bowl, Food Mat, Balls and Treat Stick from Polka Dog Bakery for The Shops at Target
I absolutely love this silver-leafed lampshade DIY from Design*Sponge. I just replaced four of the fixtures in our house with vintage (read: cheap) chandeliers, so I've seen firsthand what replacing a light fixture can do. This one seems fairly easy.
I'm really loving this hat and clutch from Anthropologie. I looked at both while we were in Portland and just loved them, but the thought of getting them back home in one piece was way too challenging. I'm currently contemplating a jaunt to our local store to snap them up.
It's about this time of year that I consider buying a spring blazer such as this wonderful Elizabeth and James style that Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere is wearing. Then I remember I live in Texas and I don't, but isn't this a great look. She's darling to begin with and I'm loving her photos from her honeymoon this week.
I read So Pretty It Hurts while out of town last week and am now completely obsessed with completing the rest of the Bailey Weggins novels by Kate White. Ms. White is the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine and has written a few books. She's one of those people who makes you wonder when they find the time to sleep. I'm glad to have a new series of books to read after my winter obsession with reading all of The Hunger Games. Anxiously awaiting the next movies!
Any true romantic worth their Jordan Almonds will tell you, the epitome of a romantic gestures has to be the courthouse wedding. It's a spur of the moment affair, sure. Impetuous, maybe. But mostly it just says "I have to marry you right now" and that's kind of amazing. I am also of the mind that there is no "wrong" way to get married, just amazing different ones. I had a medium-sized wedding in a church, but my parents got married at a friend's house (Mom wore an ivory pantsuit, it was amazing). Weddings are joyful no matter where they are.
My personal love for the courthouse wedding is magnified by the fact that you can wear a crazy awesome and perhaps expensive outfit and say, "but look at all the money I saved by not having a 500-person guest list!" With that in mind, some thoughts for what to wear...
For the sophisticate:
Matthew Williamson "Poppy" embellished silk-georgette shift dress at net-a-porter.com
Well, that is one robust baby, people. And now she's here per Jess's website. Hooray! I know I'll sleep better now. Can't wait to see pics of the little Jess. By the way, did you see the video of her baby shower on the website too? I mean, so stinkin cute. Now that she's here is the Life and Style report that they'll call her Maxi for short tobe believed? I'm kind of hoping they'll go with Drew, at least until she's out of middle school.
Happy May! I love May, it's always such a rush of activity before summer begins. Hooray for May!
As promised, details from my trip to Portland....
A few months back when my mom said let's go to Portland I think I looked at her blankly and said "As in, Oregon?"My limited knowledge of the Pacific Northwest being what it was I instantly thought of this...
or this...
As it turns out, Portland was way cooler than either of those examples would suggest.
We stayed at the Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland. The Heathman Hotel is located on Broadway, a street divides the city east and west, which made it easy to get around. The rooms were clean and spacious and we really enjoyed eating at the hotel restaurant.
Doggie water fountain outside the Heathman Hotel
My mom in the lobby of the Heathman Hotel
Our first day out and about we went to the Japanese Gardens. They are said to be the most authentic example of Japanese Gardens outside of Japan and are located right next to the Portland Rose Garden, which is convenient. I suggest you tour both. The roses are most abundant in June and August, but we enjoyed walking the grounds even without so many roses to look at.
At the entrance to the Japanese Gardens
The Pavillion at the Japanese Gardens
Haiku stone markings at the Japanese Gardens
Waterfall at the Japanese Gardens
Japanese Gardens
My mom on a bridge at the Japanese Gardens
We loved visiting Nob Hill and all of the cute shops there.
Further west from Nob Hill we visited the historic Pittock Mansion, build by Henry and Georgiana Pittock, both of whom traveled across the United States frontier to settle in Portland in the late 1800s. Henry Pittock eventually bought the Daily Oregonian newspaper and had other businesses in Portland.
Pittock Mansion
In front of the immaculate grounds of Pittock Mansion
Main staircase in Pittock Mansion
Silver ceiling in Pittock Mansion, I need this in my house....
Turkish smoking room ceiling in Pittock Mansion
Rubber floor in the kitchen of Pittock Mansion
The house is owned by the City of Portland and is kept in excellent condition. It reminded me of Downton Abbey so much. In fact, the servants at the Pittock Mansion had their own floor and a similar wash room to the fictional servants of Downton Abbey.
Other things we liked...
Voodoo Doughnuts, a late-night haunt for many who venture out in the Chinatown section of Portland, was a quirky surprise. If you like doughnuts with a bunch of stuff on them, this place is for you. It was featured on the Food Network, my husband later informed me, and you can get married there if you are so inclined. Yes, seriously, they have wedding packages complete with coffee and doughnuts for your guests.
The "Old Dirty Bastard" doughnut from Voodoo Doughnuts
We also enjoyed the non-doughnut food in Portland. There were several Thai restaurants. We ate at Thai Noon on trendy North East Alberta Street and at Thai Peacock near downtown, both were excellent and extremely reasonably priced.
Guava juice and an egg roll at Thai Noon
Also of note for design-minded folk, the Portlandia statue. It rests atop a Michael Graves-designed building. Constructed in the 1980s, the building was and remains controversial and very, very 80s looking.
Portlandia
As I mentioned yesterday, we also really enjoyed the Portland Art Museum. This statue is outside the museum, and I loved it because it reminded me of my own little wolf dog, Luke.
Dog outside the Portland Art Museum
Luke, with what I can only guess is part of our fence
All in all, we very much enjoyed our first trip to Portland. A wonderful, inexpensive weekend getaway that should not be missed.
