Music Mondays | Best of 2011

I've seen some great 2011 new music recaps online so far this month.  Here are some of the highlights and faves from each!  So, basically... this is a recaps of recaps. Awesome, right?

Paste Magazine's Best New Bands of 2011

The Lumineers

Flowers in Your Hair

The Belle Brigade

My Old Home (Demo)

Of Monsters and Men

Little Talks

Seryn

Of Ded Moroz

Rhapsody's Top 25 Indie Albums of 2011

TV On The Radio - Nine Types of Light

Wolf Like Me

Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation

Posters

The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient

Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums of 2011

Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes

Youth Knows No Pain

Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

Jesus Fever

Real Estate - Days

It's Real

Western Wedding

So, I've been working on my wedding album with my photographer all week, and it's made really start to reminisce...

Then, the thought of weddings made me think of these amazing wedding photos I saw a couple weeks ago!  The below photos are of David Lauren's (son of Ralph Lauren) wedding to Lauren Bush (granddaughter to President Bush Sr.).  The ceremony and reception took place at the Lauren Family's Double RL Ranch in Colorado (relatively close to where we got married).

Isn't that dress (by Ralph Lauren, of course) just immaculate?!

The reason to get married in the mountains.

Horse and buggy, duh!

The same photo gallery included some absolutely gorgeous engagement photos.  I love the simplicity of these images - very classic without any sort of gimmick needed.

All photos featured in Vogue

All in all, stunning photos. But one question remains... is her name now Lauren Lauren??  Somebody had to ask!  Have a great weekend, y'all.

Music Mondays | Ben Howard

Last week, I got a great music recommendation from my friend Kristin that I would love to share!  His name is Ben Howard, and his album Every Kingdom is rather addictive.  For me, he falls somewhere in between Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes.  Howard uses quick tempo-ed lyrics against soft acoustic riffs to create a very calming, yet interesting, sound.

Here's the official video for the lead song on this album, "Old Pine"..

Ottomans as tables.

We've been ordering items lately for our new living room.  One, in particular, was the below Gavin Leather Ottoman from Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams.  This fashionable and well-made furniture brand had a lovely sale on Gilt.com.  We were able to grab this beauty at a third of the retail price!

We'll also be able to place these wonderful wooden trays, which we received as wedding gifts, on top to make it double as the coffee table.

Now, I just need to find some side tables.  Oh, and lamps - because there's no overhead lighting in the living room. Gotta love houses from 1925!  Stay tuned for the finished room sometime in December (hopefully!)...

Music Mondays | The Head and The Heart

Heard this group for the first time last week, and I really enjoy their melodic sound.  The Head and The Heart, despite what might be a semi-corny band name, have put out a really enjoyable album with bits of piano and bluegrass thrown in.  It's become a quick favorite!

Check out 'Lost in My Mind' from their self-titled debut album below...

  The Head and the Heart - Lost In My Mind by subpop

Baby Shower Bliss

A friend of mine posted photos from this baby shower she went to in Nashville.  It was so classy and creative, I just had to share.  All photos are from EBW Photography.  Click over for more!

And the house is just to die for!  Really inspiring as we're decorating our first house right now...

Happy Friday!

Music Mondays | Mayer Hawthorne

I discovered Mayer Hawthorne a week or two ago.  Maybe I'm a little behind the curve on this one, but his albums are a blast!  I thoroughly enjoy his brand new album How Do You Do, as well as his 2009 album A Strange Arrangement.

He's a nice mix of soul without being to serious in his lyrics.  His music will take you back, just like this video:

A Long Time - Mayer Hawthorne from MayerHawthorne on Vimeo.

Warby Parker + Paste

Two of my favorite brands are getting together for an event in Brooklyn.  Annnd you should go.

Gah!  I need to find a wormhole between KC and BK. Pronto. Also, if you've never heard of Warby Parker or Paste Magazine, you should get on that.

Berry Lipstick

So, I finally took the plunge this weekend, and I purchased some berry lipstick for Fall.  I ended up with Dior's Hypnotic Red, which is a deep eggplant color. 

Here's a fun photo of my friend Amanda and me with the new shade on!  It's a little scary at first, but I love the look of it.  Lipstick might be the new eyeshadow, dare I say.

Music Mondays | Lana Del Rey

Now that I've made the transition out of the music industry, I still need to keep myself engaged and up-to-speed on new music.  Hence... "Music Mondays."  A totally cliche name, but whatever. It gets the point across.  I've done plenty of music posts here, and now it's time for consistency.

First up, Lana Del Rey.  I can't get away from friend recommendations and blog reviews about her current singles.  Looks like she's had a somewhat perfect storm of buzz and opportunity.  Here's her new video for her song 'Blue Jeans' - and rumor is there should be a whole album of this chick by January!

Also, here is the video for 'Video Games' that first got me hooked:

We'll miss you, Steve.

{design credit: jonathan mak)

Having grown up with a father in the computer business, and now transitioning into the tech world myself, I feel compelled to write about the loss of Steve Jobs yesterday.  He was a modern visionary, and I think the world is more interesting and connected because of the products he created.  We'll miss you, Steve.

Shufflin'

Ok, now I really can't get this silly song out of my head...

King of kings.

So, since moving into the new house, we've been carefully deciding how we want to "attack" (for lack of a better word) each room.  We are starting with the master bedroom - it's this huge attic space that's been redone beautifully.  Well, despite the Toile wallpaper overload, it's been done beautifully ;).

This weekend, we purchased the Asher Bed from Crate and Barrel in a KING size.  Yes, a King! From what I hear, there's no turning back....

So, now that we are going to have a new King bed and mattress, I had to go on a quest for proper bedding.  I'm such a stickler for bedding.... I think it's sometimes the hardest thing to make a decision on.  It's a rather big investment (for the good stuff), and you need to love it.  Here are a few I was looking at:

Organic Circles Duvet, West Elm

Organic Chevron Duvet, West Elm

Parachute Duvet, West Elm (with those striped sheets!)

Georgina Bedding, Anthropologie

Rivulets Bedding, Anthropologie

Batavia Dove Duvet Collection, DwellStudio

I loved a lot of the DwellStudio bedding sets, and ultimately I ended up going with a duvet of theirs that I've been in love with for, oh, about a year now.  I first saw it at my friend's shop here in Kansas City - Urban Dwellings Design.  It's pretty bold, but I think our master bedroom is big enough to carry it off.  Plus, I like bold. So, without further delay, the winner is....

Peacock Citrine Duvet Collection, DwellStudio

This patterns comes in a greyish-blue hue for those of you looking for more muted bedding, FYI.  I'll post pictures once everything is set up and the red toile wallpaper is GONE.

PS - I mean no offense to the Toile lovers out there. I love it too. There is just way too much of it in this house for any one person (especially my hubby). 

Put a flower in your hair...

I was in lovely San Francisco all last week for work.  I definitely got to see many different parts of the city thanks to my local friends and coworkers who gave me rides everywhere!

The first night I was there, I poked around downtown Burlingame - my home base for the week.  I found this great shop with unique (but affordable) clothing called Therapy.  They have several locations, so you should check them out if you're in Cali.

The next night, I went to a Giants game. I made it a point to ride The Guzzler (a Coca-Cola slide usually reserved for children).  It was totally worth it!  They also had a Fist Pump Cam that I thought was pretty genius.  Everyone got really into it!  Please notice the brilliant graphic...

I had the wonderful chance to hang out in beautiful Sausalito!  We had the most delicious meal at Fish, a seafood restaurant right on the water dedicated to serving sustainable fish.  The crab roll was absolutely splendid.  It melted in my mouth... like butta'.

After spending the afternoon in Sausalito, I spent my evening in the Marina District.  There was some great shopping - including a whole Benefit store.  A WHOLE STORE of the stuff!!  If you know me, you know my love for Benetint (see here and here).  I stopped in and fell in love with their new lipstick shade for Fall called No Competition.  It's a nice berry color, but not toooo dark that it scares me.

After I finished my shopping, I met a dear old friend and her lovely family at a taco place in the area called Mamacita. It was wonderful!  I had the fish tacos (I couldn't get enough seafood on this trip), and my friend raved about her carne asada tacos.  Here's a cute pic her husband took of us outside the restaurant (notice all the shopping bags I'm holding. Oopsies!).

All in all, it was a fun trip!  It reminded me how much I love true urban life. Can't wait for the next time I'm back in this blissfully foggy metropolis - hopefully, I can bring the hubby along (he was super jealous of all the amazing asian food and seafood I was having).  There's just so much more to do and see!  Alcatraz, anyone?!  

Operation Ombre Hair: Accomplished.

So, remember when I told you I was going to try the Ombre hair trend?  Well, this past Saturday - I went for it!  And I'm very happy with the results. Jane, my wonderful stylist at Belle Epoque, ended up using 4 different shades of red throughout my hair to create this effect.  It took a few hours, but was totally worth it.  My guess is it will be pretty easy to upkeep too!  I mean, after all, the whole look is kinda like you're highlights are all grown out.... ;).

Here are the best photos I could get - I think it's a little more dramatic in-person.  But you get the idea...

Scotchy scotch scotch scotch....

Not the liquor.  But the nail polish from Scotch Naturals!  I love nail polish. We know this. Non-toxic and eco-friendly nail polish? Even better.

Plus, Scotch Naturals nail polish comes in some amazing colors. And isn't the packaging super stylish?! You can visit their website to order (free shipping over $35) or find a distributor near you.

Happy Birthday, Freddie!

Love today's Google Doodle!  If you press play, it comes alive with the song "Don't Stop." What a wonderful tribute to the Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury!

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is one of my favorite karaoke songs to do with friends.  What's your favorite Queen song??

Jones Street Station

If I've ever told you about music that I love, these guys always make it into my permanent list. I accidentally stumbled upon Jones Street Station when I first moved to NYC (they were called Jones Street Boys back then, if you are interested in a little back catalogue).  They serendipitously played a set after a friend of mine at the Knitting Factory (when it used to be in Tribeca).  They are so energetic and can carry off a sweet harmony or two.  One of the band members even has a harmonica belt!  That's right... a belt full of harmonicas in different keys.  I never knew such a thing even existed! 

Today, this Brooklyn bluegrass band has released their music video for "The Understanding."  In my opinion, they've definitely captured a part of the New York spirit in this video.  It makes me want to move back. Like, now. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

Come on, Irene.

NYC friends - I'll be thinking about y'all this weekend!  Go buy some boardgames, sundries, etc. and enjoy the slumber party in your tiny apartment.  You know? That place where you normally only sleep ;).  And if you must leave, don't even TRY to use an umbrella.

Fall Nail Polish

I love love love nail polish.  As I'm packing up my toiletries to move into our new house, I'm quickly realizing my obsession may be somewhat unhealthy.  But you know what? I don't care. 

I love Refinery 29's round-up of Fall Nail Polish today.  I think my first purchase will be in the "Rust" realm.  Here are a few examples from the hip color guide, but head over to Refinery 29 for the whole shebang.

Missoni for Target.

I've seen bits and pieces about this line - coming to Target stores on September 13th - for a while now.  But I finally found a site that shows all the items in one place! Woooohoooo! 

Surprisingly (or maybe not),  I want the accessories more than any of the clothing items.  Here's my current wishlist....

Cute dress for Fall/Winter

Love these scarf patterns - how cute with a white top and trench coat?!

Adorable laptop sleeve to go with the new Macbook that I desperately need

I need new luggage too.  This would be so easy to spot on a baggage carousel!

If I had a bike this cute, I might actually learn how to ride it ;). THERE, you know my secret.

Adorbs!

Adorbs again!

I'll see y'all at Target in September.... have a great weekend, loverbeans.

Dance 'til you feel better!

This little vid is making the blog rounds... I will say, it definitely makes me smile today.  Amid all the life stresses we have going on right now, this montage and trivia tonight at Westport Flea Market are making my day a wonderful one.  So, get up off a that thing...


Dance Trailer from Chris Poole on Vimeo.

Currently (and can not stop) listening to...

Jay-Z and Kanye's new album Watch The Throne.  Even if you aren't the biggest hip-hop fan in the world, you can still appreciate the creativity in this album.  I could have gone without a few of the auto-tuned hooks, but at least they keep it to a minimum.  Here's the video for "Otis." Can you believe what they did to that Bentley?!?  I guess Jay-Z is allowed....