A Sweet Valentine's Giveaway: Mr. Boddington's Studio

Happy Almost Valentine's Day, lovely readers!!  I have a TREAT for you!  Thanks to a little cupid over at a wonderful shop known as Mr. Boddington's Studio, I will be giving away Valentine's cards to you!!

It's verrrrry easy to enter.  All you have to do is visit their site and tell me which card you'd choose if you won.  Since I'm a little nosy, you can also tell me who you'd send it to (real or celeb crushes...I don't judge!)  Extra entries for creatively commenting with a phony love note to moi!  The winners will be picked on Monday, February 7th & mailed promptly in time for the 14th!

Good luck, loves!

xoxoxoxoxo

What's Her Deal? {A fun little contest...}

Being that I have little to no time to compile blog posts these days {baby + finals}, I thought I'd leave today's creativity to you lovely readers. I've been saving this image on my computer for a little while and find myself going back to look at it repeatedly. Do you ever find yourself staring at people and wondering what's up with them? {Where are they going? Where have they been? Who are they meeting and what do they do?} Of course you do. Don't even lie. Well, doesn't she look like someone you'd want to know more about?  Here's a little challenge for you on this chilly Friday...

Your mission:

Write + submit a story to accompany this photo. It can be anything at all, creativity is all that matters. I will choose the winner and as a holiday gift, will do a *sponsored blog post* about your blog or etsy shop! Bribery always works.

Fun?

Fun!

Now go!

Good luck readers, show me whatcha got!

{If this is successful, I may make this into a weekly thing  :  ) }

via streethearts

Occasional Thursday Giveaway: Frieda Sophie Jewelry Design

Today's giveaway is from the amazingly talented Sandra, a San Francisco-based jewelry designer. She hand crafts nature-based gold filled gemstone jewels + sells them online at her etsy shop, Friedasophie.

Lucky for us, she's graciously offering a $25 gift certificate to her shop!

All you need to do is visit her shop + tell me which one of her jewels you'd like.

The contest is only open to followers of this blog + one winner will be picked on 11.18.10.

Good luck + good day!

Nursery Bedding Vote!

soooooo, i'm enlisting your help to make my life EASIER!

as fabulous bloggers, I know you have opinions on everything.

so why not for crib bedding?

easy as #1 or #2.

please proceed with a critical {read "judgmental"} eye...

Contender #1: Serena & Lily "Henry" bedding set

My thoughts: classy, sleek, easy

or

Contender #2: Pottery Barn "Jungle Friends" bedding set

My thoughts: fun, whimsical, has jungle animals

vote.vote.vote.vote.

keep in mind, the furniture is an espresso wood color & we have a minty green rocking chair/ottoman.

exercise your right to impact my son's nursery design!

have a fantastic weekend you stylish, lovely readers...

Check Your Ego

I was recently browsing the pages of this month's Allure and came across an article on confidence.  Actually, they listed 39 ways to boost your ego, which got me thinking...

Are we born with confidence, is it cultivated over time or is it a state of mind we can all create?

Some of their tips that resonated in me included:

1. Accept praise

2. Don't exaggerate your mistakes

3. Assume people like you

4. Stop envy

5. Remember the good

6. Put on lipstick

Growing up, I remember thinking my mother was the most confident, self-assured woman I knew.

She taught me a few things that have stuck with me over the years:

1. Always, ALWAYS put on makeup before leaving the house {you never know who you're gonna see}

2. Everyone is faking it and you should too.  Translation: if you go into a room knowing no one, but you put a smile on your face, everyone will think you're bubbling over with confidence.  And that's always attractive. 
{Or: if you look confident, you are confident}

What do you do to boost your confidence, even if temporarily?

photos via fashion victims

Where are we eating?

One of my greatest pleasures is food. I love to cook and I especially love to explore new restaurants in different cities. From thin crust pizza and warm olives at Delfina in San Francisco, to a heaping plate of pasta bolognese, smothered in fresh parmigiano reggiano at Gradisca, NYC {seen above}, my love knows no boundaries. I won't call myself a "foodie." I think it sounds a little pretentious, but "lover-of-delicious-food-in-fabulous-restaurants-especially-ones-with-exposed-brick-walls" suits me well. Many conversations revolve around food and restaurants, so I thought, why not open it up to the bloggers for discussion?

Pizza at Gjelina, Los Angeles

Here's a little poll for you on this Monday morning:

Where do you love to eat? What restaurants have you tried and loved?

What dish {appetizer, main or dessert} makes your stomach growl?

Pasta at Convivo, NYC

Check back later today to see the comments section for suggestions!

last two photos via Food & Wine 

be still my heart...

gulp.

what's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for you?

even if you can't remember, isn't it nice to think about?

love actually photo via miss at la playa

Who's Your Hair Stylist? {class participation mandatory!}

So, I'm working on a fabulous little project....

The goal is simple:

To collect data on the BEST hair stylists & colorists across the world....

Here's what I need from you:

1. The name of your favorite stylist/colorist

2. The name of your favorite salon

3. The location of salon {city, country}

4. The address & phone number of salon

5. Any extra information you'd like to include re: salon

{special treatments offered, wait time, even photos of the finished product}

thanks for helping me make the world more beautiful, one color

processed, angled strand of hair at a time...

xo,

tbf

*because this is supposed to be a "best list" please only post

if you highly, highly recommend your stylist!*

photo via: le cheap c'est chic