Mexico Bound

I'm headed to San Miguel de Allende tomorrow for five days and I can hardly wait to escape the cool weather we've been having here in Santa Barbara. Since it's a press trip to a new boutique hotel, Hotel Matilda, I'll have a full schedule of touring the town, dining, tequila tasting, shopping the markets and visiting the spa. While I plan on bringing my favorite warm weather pieces (like this dress, and these sandals) and my most comfortable Bensimon tennies for long hours of walking, here are a few other necessities I'd like to toss in my bag.

1. Thakoon Printed Silk Dress $530

2. Gucci Sunglasses $295

3. Melissa Odabash Panama Straw Hat $110

4. Kain Striped Jersey Sweater $130

5. Topshop Pleated Dress $78

6. Kendall Conrad Playera Bag $850

7. TopShop Sandals $180

8. Lomography Fisheye Camera $75

9. Bobbi Brown Lip Balm SPF 15 $17

10. Essie California Coral $7

11. Chloe Ankle Strap Sandals $495

12. La Mer SPF 30 UV Protection $65

Cashmere and Cravings

[ J Brand Jeans, Hunter Boots, Autumn Cashmere Wrap, J.Crew Trapper Hat, Gap Sweatshirt, Vintage Ring, Ray Ban Sunglasses, Alexander Wang Bag ]

During the Holiday break I relished in my free time, which meant lounging in my pjs with a steaming cup of jo, hiking, cooking, movies, scrabble and eating... a lot. I finally saw the movie Eat Pray Love and after watching Julia Roberts indulge in amazing Italian food, it was all I could think about. So on a day trip to Ojai the beau and I grabbed lunch with my sister and her hubby at our favorite Italian restaurant, Papa Lenons where we loaded up on pizzas and lemon poppyseed gelato.

[ Chilly days call for cozy hats like this cashmere blend trapper hat from J.Crew ]

[ Papa Lenons funky sign ]

[ My favorite part about this restaurant is the outdoor patio with chandeliers hanging above ]

[ The mediterranean pizza = amazing ]

[ Half the fun of going to Ojai is taking the scenic back roads ]

[ Just another funky mural in Ojai ]

[ Lemon poppyseed gelato ]

Sweetness in a Jar

At a recent baby shower I co-hosted, we wanted to send our guests home with something sweet so we put together a recipe jar containing all the fixings for Hello Dolly Bars. We added some pink polka dot fabric, a porcelain spoon tied on with pink ribbon and pink instruction labels. All our friends had to do was empty the ingredients into a baking dish, add condensed milk and voilà, Hello Dolly goodness on a plate. They were such a hit I looked up a few more recipes in a jar (see more here), and plan on giving them as gifts during the holidays.

Trim Time

I'm due for a hair cut this week and I considered for a split second to chop off my long hair that I've been growing out for the past year. But after coming across these images I was quickly reminded of the benefits to having über long locks. Besides being able to throw my mane into a high bun on stubborn days, I also love wearing it down letting its unruly, wavy, natural state take over—something my hair doesn't do well when short. So for now, I'm sticking to my length but these images have me craving a few extra layers giving a tad more body.

Back to Jax

[ Vintage Jax Jacket, Banana Republic Necklace, Tre Ring, Ash Booties, Union Dress, Tom Ford Lip Color, Wendy Foster Scarf]

My sister recently passed down a Jax's tweed coat that Oumie (my grandmother, see her here) gave her. To my luck, it fit me like a glove and I've been living in it ever since. I love the chestnut brown color and the tailored structure with buttoned cuffs—so Oumie's style. Jax of Beverly Hills was one of her favorite designers in the 50's and 60's so my mom grew up wearing Jax slacks and white button downs that Oumie stocked her wardrobe with. I love thinking about the two of them shopping together when I wear this jacket.

Rings and Things

[ My sparkly cocktail rings in an Anthropology flower saucer ]

This week has been refreshingly easy going and I've finally had a chance to be a bit of a homebody while checking off a few to do's around the house. High on the list was to organize my overflowing jewelry box. I decided to store the pieces I never wear and display the everyday favorites on some props pulled from the kitchen—a square cake platter and a flower saucer. Besides a little organizing I baked, shuffled around in my new favorite Mongolian slippers and enjoyed some left over flowers from the baby shower.

[ One of the flower arrangement from Maren's shower ]

[ This cake platter was just too pretty to sit in the kitchen ]

[ My friends over at Stewart+Brown brought these back for me from Mongolia ]

[ My friend Kristian finally gave up her Banana Bread recipe so I gave it a whirl. Every morning has been coffee + b bread... bliss]

1/2 butter softened

1 c. sugar

2 eggs beaten

2 bananas

1 tsp. baking soda

2 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. vanilla yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla

cream butter and sugar

add mashed bananas, eggs, yogurt, butter and vanilla

sift in flour, salt, baking soda

add chocolate chips and or nuts

pre heat oven 350º

Pour mixture into greased loaf pan

sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top and choc chips

bake for an hour

Playlist

Some recent favorites that have been on repeat...

1. Cat Power - "Fortunate Son"

2. LCD Soundsystem - "Someone Great"

3. Toro y Moi - "Talamak"

4. Gang of Four - "Natural's Not Into It"

5. Passion Pit - "Swimming in the Flood"

6. The Radio Dept. - "I Don't Like It Like This"

7. Mazzy Star - "Fade Into You"

8. Cut Copy - "Zap Zap"

9. Lo-fi-fnk - "City"

10. Jacques Dutronc - "Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi"

11. Miike Snow - "Sans Soleil"

12. Cowboy Junkies - "Sweet Jane"

13. Bon Iver - "Stacks"

14. Mumford & Sons - "After the Storm"

15. Toro y Moi - "Blessa"

16. Hot Chip - "The Warning"

see more playlist here, here and here.

Holiday Gift Guide

With a mere 38 days until Christmas I've been getting a head start on my Holiday shopping this year and gold has been heavy on my mind. And what better way to start off the new year with something glamorous and shiny? A few budget friendly things I've had my eye on for the special ladies in my life...

Clockwise from top left:

1. Oscar de la Renta Necklace $545

2. Lomography Fish Eye Camera $60

3. Gold Metaalic-Colored Baroque Charger $4

4. Karen Walker Jonestown Sunglasses $210

5. Crate & Barrel Jules Table $199

6. Topshop Silk Bra $36

7. Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow nail color $20

8. Kartel Cindy Table Lamp $273

9. Topshop Glitter Purse $12

10. Topshop Spike Hoops $20

Afternoon Light

[ Christina Lehr Tunic, Tory Burch Heels, Vintage Clutch, Tiger Lily Necklace, Jennifer Fisher Bone Cuff ]

True to my California roots, there's nothing I love more than some unexpected sunshine, which is exactly what we got this weekend. Yesterday, the beau surfed with some friends while I happily hung back on the beach to catch up on some reading and soak up the warm November day. I got to pull out this new striped dress/tunic that I found at Wendy Foster which took me from the beach to dinner. I love the loose fit and uneven hemline that billows a little in the wind.

Save or Splurge

I recently fell in love with this Stella McCartney Chain Link Tote and considered adding it to my fall wardrobe until I saw the hefty price tag on it. Since then I've been craving a black tote with chain straps and for the longest time I couldn't find anything that remotely compared to Stella's version. But on a recent trip to Forever 21, I spotted a bag that looked just like it from afar. As if rushing to save a child from a burning fire, I ran over to it and quickly snatched up the only one left. The best part? Forever 21's version folds over and has shorter chain straps, instantly transforming it into a completely different bag (see it here).

Sequin Saturdays

[ Patterson J. Kincaid Top, Forever 21 Strapless Sequin Dress, Ash Cutout Booties, J.Crew Hat, H&M Gold Studs ]

Like most best buddies Lindsey and I share wardrobes and current designer and style obsessions. Most recently we've been into throwing in some sequins here and there with more casual pieces mixed in—see my recent look here. And what better way to add some glamour to another ho-hum day? This is exactly what we did to brighten up a gloomy Saturday... with some mimosas of course.

See More of Lindsey here, here and here

Baby Shower

This weekend I am co-hosting a baby shower for my close friend Maren and I can hardly wait to celebrate and shower her with baby gifts. A true girly girl herself, I have been looking forward to putting on something sparkly or pink in honor of the mama-to-be and her baby girl on the way so needless to say I've had a need/want list in the making. A few ladylike pieces I've had my eye on for the blush and coral themed shower...

Clockwise from top left:

1. Phillip Lim Ruffle Coat $1,950

2. Two Layer Pearl Necklace $8.50

3. Barney's New York Shearling Bag $850

4. Tucker Silk Dress $415

5. Dannijo Crystal Ring $245

6. Jimmy Choo Patent Leather Heels $950

7. DVF Clutch $295

8. Alice by Temperley Stud-Embellished Skirt $250

9. Vanessa Bruno Silk Dress $510

Hot Toddies

As much as I can't stand the recent dark nights, I'm starting to kind of love the coziness of being at home and warm... and nothing warms me up quite like a Hot Toddy. This is easily my favorite toasty fall beverage for many reasons—one, it will cure the common cold, and two, it shares my beau's name, Todd. There are multiple options for making this drink, you can use Brandy, Whiskey, Rum, lemons, oranges, honey, tea, etc., so I decided to try out a new version—the Apple Toddy. The result scored high with hot toddy himself and I loved how it made the entire kitchen smell like fall.

[ Oranges studded with cloves ]

[ Cinnamon sticks, oranges and cloves boiling in apple cider—also the part that makes your kitchen smell amazing ]

[ Just a little Brandy will scare a cold away ]

[ Topped off with homemade whipped cream ]