Spotted: Pink Finds in Florida

I finally have internet again!  Our condo in Fort Lauderdale hasn't had internet, so I'm so very very behind on reading everyone's posts. I now have a lot of catching up to do now that I have a stable internet connection in Orlando.  I have tons of pics to post, and a lot of things to share, but for now, I'll end 2010 with a few pics of finds of my favorite color.

Found this in Home Goods.  I NEED this! I've always loved the retro fridges, but this one takes the cake!

LOVED the homes in Key West.   There are so many beautifully colored homes, and of course pink is a reoccurring theme!

If I can't have a Lilly electric car, I'd settle for this pink model.

Another cute pink house in Key West.  This one had a conch shell knocker.  So cute!

Miami had a series of giant pink snails.

I approve!

 Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

xoxo,

Matthew 1:21

Let the Merriment Commence!

I FINALLY finished my last paper of the semester yesterday, and am sooo happy that I can finally enjoy the Holidays!  Now I have only a weekend to do all my Christmas shopping, so it's going to be quite a frenzy!  I also have to hand-make about a dozen cards and send them off to friends around the world and start making my brother's present.  My brother got married last may, so I thought it would be nice to make a scrapbook kit for him and his wife for Christmas.  I'm painting the cover and decorating the pages, leaving room for them to add pictures of occasions from the past and the future.

I'm also super excited for next Tuesday because I'm flying down south to Florida! I'm so excited to see my brother, my friends, and my former home state!  One of my friends (KMT) from Orlando is going to be joining my family at the condo in Fort Lauderdale, so I'm super glad to have some company.  KMT and I skyped last night to start making plans:

We're heading to Key West for two days.  I'm super excited, because I've never been!  I'm a little dorky, but I'm excited to be able to take a picture at the southernmost point of the US.  Does any one have any great things I should visit in Key West?

We're going to catch some rays on the beach in Miami

Enjoy some grub on Espanolaway

Explore the Art Deco architecture of South Beach

Play some minigolf at Fantasia Gardens in Disney World

Grab some Butterbeer at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Roadtrip from Miami up to Orlando. It's only about a five hour drive, but there will be plenty of time for happy roadrip music!

I'm so excited to go and am looking forward to packing a Lilly-filled suitcase for the trip!

xoxo, 

Isaiah 7:14

Stationery at Every Price Point

 So I developed a MAJOR stationery obsession over the last couple of years.  I have a big basket full of them, and I can't stop adding to my collection!  Knowing my obsession, my friends also like to give me pretty box sets for gifts.  After visiting NYC last summer, I fell in love with the city, so my bff DW bought me a Breakfast at Tiffany's note card box set and journal with iconic NY elements. Given the holiday season, I thought it would be fun to do a stationery post (because the season of giving is also the season of thank you notes and correspondence!).  I have a collection of thank you notes, but I also like to send out regular note cards as well to avoid sending people duplicates.

I also keep a thank you note journal.  I keep track of gifts I receive, the gift-givers, dates I receive them, the occasions, and then dates I sent thank you notes.  That way I never forget to send a thank you note!

Here are some great correspondence and thank you notes at every price point:

$$$ Luxurious Papers (> $3 per card):

• Vera Wang-  Almost all of Vera Wang envelopes come with beautiful liners.  I love opening envelopes to not only pretty cards, but pretty liners (they're like an extra little fun surprise!).  These cards are BEAUTIFUL too.  So classic and whimsical too.

Letterpress Anchor Notes - $32 for set of ten

Eyelet Spiral Laser Cut Tri-Fold Notes - $32 for set of ten

• Smythson - Supplier to royals and heads of state, Smythson is a British classic.

Russian Doll Correspondence Cards - $69 for set of ten

Walking the Dogs - $69 for set of ten.  Super cute, especially if you have Scotties!

$$ Reasonable ($1 - $3 per card):

• Crane & Co: Now in its third century, Crane offers great quality and classic designs and is a staple in any great stationery collection.  It has a diverse product offering, with a great range of prices. 

T is for Thank You - $14 for ten

Engraved Pineapple Ecruwhite - $15 for ten

Alphabet Cupcakes Fluorescent White Notes - $14 for ten

•   Kate Spade: A lot of fashion brands now have their own lines of stationery (Kate Spade, Vera Wang, Vineyard Vines, Lilly Pulitzer), and the Kate Spade ones are some of my faves!  They are just as witty and pretty as any Kate Spade product should be.

I bought these this summer.  $30 for a box of ten.

Yellow Roses Fold Over Boxed Set - $35 for set of 12. I love the color combination (and the pretty box!)

•  Preppy Cards: At $25 for a box of ten, with free personalization, and adorable image choices from a whole slew of collections (such as the Palm Beach, Shoe, and Bag Collections), these are a super cute option! Here are some of my favorites:

• Whitney English - Has both trendy and classic designs at a good prices (< $2 per card).

Pink Gator Note Cards - $12  for ten.  LOVE these!  A great whimsical update on the classic gator motif

Pink Fish Scales Note Cards - $12 for ten

Pink Palms Note Cards - $12 for ten.  Another set I LOVE. Can't go wrong with pink and palm trees!

$ Steal! (< $1 per card):

•  Michael's craft store has some GREAT options for note cards.  Scouring through the dollar bins I've found some super cute packs of cards.   Unfortunately I couldn't find picks online and didn't take any pictures of them, but just trust me, they have some super cute preppy picks!  Last summer I bought some navy cards with a red lobster and green cards with navy whales.  At only $1 for a pack of ten, cards are only $0.10 each!  Such a great deal!!!
•  Bookstores such a Borders and Barnes & Noble (in the US) or Chapters and Indigo (in Canada) also have some great options under $10 for a box.  They also have frequent markdowns and give discounts if you have a membership card, so another great opportunity to build a stationery collection for cheap!  Here is a cute find from B&N:

Merci Thank You Notes - $8.99 for set of 14.  Très Chic!

• Art galleries and museums normally sell some great boxed sets from featured artists.  My family belongs to the National Gallery of Canada, so we get a great discount too.  Even better, after traveling exhibits are done, the exhibit souvenirs go on sale, so you can find some super great deals (like a box of Andy Warhol cards for $4.99!). 

Klimt Notecard Box - $15.95 for set of 20 from the MoMA store

Warhols Shoes Note Cards - $16.95 for set of 20 from MoMA

•   Make your own! I love arts and crafts, so I have a lot of fun making my own cards.  Sometimes I just use simple blank cards (you can buy packs of plain, blank cards in various colors at Michael’s, Wal-Mart, or paper shops) and draw images with crayon, markers, or paint.  Other times I get crazy with glitter, sequins, and pompoms (although this is normally for holiday or birthday cards). Here are some of my past creations:

I made this one for DW's birthday 

A Valentine's Day card

And of course some other great stationery companies and retailers:

• Lifeguard Press - Makes the Lilly Pulitzer and Jonathan Adler collections
• Boatman Geller - SO many great preppy (think plaid, madras, polka dots, alligators, etc) designs, with some great sale prices 
• Neiman Marcus - Carries a surprisingly great selection of various brands, with designs ranging from the intricate and luxurious, to the classic and simple. Check out the Novelty section for some super fun designs, including some really nice collegiate cards.

Jewelry Without Jewels Giveaway Winner

After making a list of all the entries, and using a random number generator, the winner of the JWJ giveaway is....

CDS from cSd  Art & Illustration!

Congrats!  Please email me at mjurewiczcanada@hotmail.com  with your contact info, and then I'll forward your info to Erica!

Thanks to Erica for providing the goods, and to everyone who entered!

xoxo,

Holiday Party Outfits

I had some fun perusing various websites after I finished one of my papers. I never actually go out for New Year's or attend any fancy shmancy cocktail parties (I tend to go to low-key family or friend shindigs), but if I did, here's what I wish I could wear:

xoxo,

PS - Don't forget about the giveaway!

Custom Stubbs and Wootton

If only I had thousands of dollars to buy many many pairs of custom Stubbs  & Woottons!  I came across their custom shoe option, and my oh my am I DROOLING over these.  It is sooo much fun to design my own!  If you want a fun break, design your own too!

Here are some of my creations:

At $450 a pair, sadly I don't think I'll be buying my very own anytime soon. For now I'll be sticking to my Paige needlepoint loafers.  But a girl can dream!

xoxo,

PS- Don't forget to enter my Jewlery Without Jewels giveaway! It ends wednesday.