And The Winner Goes To...

these beautiful women for the best dressed award!  Wow!

{Gwyneth Paltrow} in a metalic Calvin Klein Collection dress.                            

{Mandy Moore} in a glittering gold Monique Lhuillier gown. 

{Halle Berry} in a flawless nude glittery Marchesa dress.                    

{Michelle Williams} in a glittery Chanel frock. 

{Jennifer Lawrence} in a fiery Calvin Klein Collection gown.                              

{Scarlett Johansson} rocking a lace Dolce & Gabbana dress.

{Mila Kunis} in a lavender lace tiered Elie Saab gown.                       

{Jennifer Hudson} in a tangerine Versace halter dress.

I know 8 picks are kind of a lot, but I was just so impressed with all the dresses on the red carpet last night!  The nude glittery frocks were to die for, but the ladies who wore color truly pulled it off perfectly!  And... there were shades of red everywhere -- my favorite color and definitely the color of the season!  Love!  What were your favorites?

See more photos {here}

Going to the Oscars!

Just dreaming again... about being special enough to go to the Oscars and after parties! :)  Here is my inspiration below -- including my dress, my date and my accessories!  Hope I would make US Weekly's best dressed! :) Enjoy the Academy Awards!!  Check back tomorrow for my favorite red carpet looks!

dress by {monique lhuillier} & shoes by {christian louboutin}

Swimsuit Time!

ONE month until Mexico so it's definitely time to start checking out some swimsuits! :) I am absolutely loving florals this year in my swimwear... here are 3 of my favorites! Check out some other cute suits {here}, {here} and {here}! 

A&F and Gilly Hicks Swimwear

Happy "Engagement" Anniversary!

...to Amanda & Kyle!!  One year ago today my sister got engaged and in 10 weeks from today they get married!! I can't believe it is so soon :)  ...And guess what is even sooner?!  2 weeks until the big bachelorette party! So exciting.... xxoo, I love you both!!  Check out their wedding website {here}!

Photo taken by Jared at {Lotz Studios}

Fab 5 Friday: Week 2

As usual it was pretty easy to pick out 5 fabulous things I love this week since there are so many things I love!  First up... mud color nail polish!  Who would ever think brown nails would look so great... definitely going to try this out when I get a mani/pedi tomorrow!  Thank you {Kristin} for blogging about bow ties... I fell in love the second I saw the puppy below!  And... keds with sparkles - love, love, love! I will be ordering these from Urban Outfitters this weekend!  Enjoy... and check back because I am blogging this weekend! :) xxoo!

♥ mud color nail polish

♥ stitched thank you notes

♥ puppies with bow ties

♥ pink leica camera

♥ sparkly keds

Images {1} {2} {3} {4} {5}

Hello Spring? Are You There?

I found myself on {Polyvore} again last night and created an "...it's not spring, but I really, really, really want it to be outfit"! :)  It's not your typical spring outfit with shorts or skirts... it's more of a "wear now" look! What do you think?  PS. Total bill for this look = $3,026 (no big deal ;) JK! What can I say, I've always had expensive taste! Oops...  I think I'll pick up a few of these pieces and then head over to Forever 21 for the rest! See items {here}!

polyvore created by {ashley gale}

50 Followers! Thank You!

I am so excited to have 50 followers after announcing my blog less than 10 days ago!  Not only that, I have been averaging about 300 hits a day (in the last week) with my all time high of over 700 hits in one day (thank you facebook)! :)  If you are a reader of my blog and you aren't currently "following" me... let me know you read me by clicking below My Readers on the left hand side!  Oh, and if you don't already know -- you can comment below each of my posts and I love comments!! :) xxoo!!  and THANK YOU!

What a great {idea} for the next birthday party I host!

Polyvore

Another fabulous website where you can put together your own inspirations or look at other peoples' inspiration boards!  Similar to {Pinterest}, they have a tool that you can put in your browser that clips items you find on a retailer's website right into your account at {Polyvore}!  You can also shop right from people's boards! Amazing! I created a very simple "set" to show you how it works, but trust me... you could get lost for hours on this site and could be so much more creative than I was below with the layouts, outfits, fonts, backgrounds, etc! Below are some ideas I have in my head for my sister's first wedding shower in a couple weeks!  Looks like I have some common trends within each look: classy dresses with pretty details, belted at the natural waist (love the black ribbon look), and neutral color platform shoes (love nude patent leather right now)!  I would list out where you can buy each of these items, but I don't want to sticker shock anyone on some of these pieces (remember.. they are my inspirations ;) Haha, but if you must know a brand, check out my items {here}!  Which outfit do you like best?

polyvore created by {ashley gale}

Just a reminder...

{Pinterest}

Conan O'Brien said this on his final episode of the Tonight Show on January 22, 2010 and I think it brought chills to everyone watching... because it is so true! :)  See his "final" words below!

I have a secret...

Ok, its absolutely not a secret to the people who know me best, but to those who do not know me well -- I don't cook... at all -- BUT I have a secret obsession with kitchen gadgets!  I also have a secret obsession with food [yummy and pretty food] so you would think I would want to become a cook!  I have made a few meals in my life (yes, I could probably count how many times on my left hand)... and each of those times have been successful with lots of compliments from my friends -- however, the process was just painful.  It always started the same way -- I would be at the grocery store calling my mom (every 5 seconds) and asking where I could find a certain ingredient (because who has ever heard of a bay leaf before??)... and usually ended with me frantically sitting next to the oven in fear that I was going to overcook or burn the food!  I am not sure where my lack of love for cooking came from as my mom is an excellent cook... (I think my sister got that gene, not me)!  However, I have decided that if I had this pretty gadget below, I would definitely be more interested in cooking!

Only 4 of these exist! Designed by the {Pioneer Woman} for a giveaway!
She is giving away two of these THIS week... Wish me luck! :)

Disclaimer: I can cook anything that goes in the microwave! I can also make awesome dips that don't involve ovens!  And... I love to bake (just don't do it often enough)! :)

Fashion Week Favorites

Now that Fashion Week has officially concluded and I have had time to search through many of the collections presented on the runway for Fall 2011, here are a few of my favorites :)

Of course I have to start with Marc Jacobs since he is one of my favorite designers! I used to be so in love with his items (specifically shoes and handbags) that I would talk about him by his first name only (as if we were good friends)! This often caused some confusion since I actually do have a good friend by the name of Mark... at times I had to remind people that "no... my real friend Mark does not design amazing shoes... it's my other friend Marc!" of course! :)

Marc by Marc Jacobs

 Marc Jacobs

Another favorite designer showing off fabulous color and proving that red lips go with anything!

Diane von Furstenberg

I think my favorite styles to look at were all the fun and fancy dresses on the runways!  Here are a few of my favorites... wish I had a place to wear all of these looks to! *Love the first dress so much!

Tibi

Badgley Mischka

And a little bit more of my everyday style (kind of)... a very detailed layering look with floral dresses, cozy knits and printed jackets! Perfect for fall! Love, Love, Love!

Alice + Olivia

You can view the rest of the Fashion Week images {here} or {here}!  Enjoy!

You've Got Mail...

from STARBUCKS! :)  I absolutely love Starbucks and their amazing iced lattes!  No one out there makes them as yummy as they do!  I don't drink Starbucks on a daily basis like I used to, but when I get a craving for one, I always treat myself!  Like today!  However, did you know that you can  treat other people to Starbucks with a cute e-gift card from their website?  I learned about this a few weeks ago when my SABF (Starbucks Addicted Best Friend) Brittany posted it on her Facebook page!  I absolutely love the idea and what a fun way to surprise someone for no reason when they go check their email!  I think I will send a few gift cards out today! Check it out... 

{Starbucks eGift}

Fab 5 Friday: Week 1

In honor of loving everything about Fridays, I have decided to start a weekly series called "Fab Five Friday" where I post 5 fabulous things I love that week! Hope you enjoy... :)

♥ happy people

♥ chunky gold bracelet

♥ a fabulous closet

♥ hair "knots"

♥ marc jacobs laptop case

Images {1} {2} {3} {4} {5}

Flip Flops and Mojitos

Today is my favorite day of the year -- the first warm day in the middle of winter!  A lovely 64 degree day allowed me to exchange my boots for flip flops (love)!  I'm off to get a mojito and enjoy the nice evening before it gets cold out again!  xxoo!

Just Dreaming About...

P A R I S. Everyone who knows me well knows that it is my dream to go to Paris... and I was reminded of that dream today when I checked my blogs stats -- someone from Paris looked at my blog!! :)  One day this will be me in the photo below... one day (very, very) soon! :)

I wish I knew the Photographer of this AMAZING photo... but I don't!  Found it on {Pinterest}

Pillows that Talk

I have always had a slight obsession with decorative pillows... and the cute pillows below are no exception!  This winter I was at a party in NYC and the hosts had this cute pillow that had a "love" story written on it and it definitely caught my eye... since then I have seen pillows with letters, words, quotes, etc on them everywhere!  I'm a huge fan of the "scrabble" pillows that can spell out anything you want! :)

"Words with Pillows" :)

{Etsy}

{Etsy}

The nerd in me loves this!

"I know" :)

{Etsy}

BHLDN: By Anthropologie

BHLDN (pronounced "beholden") was launched today by the creative and talented people at {Anthropologie} (or Urban Outfitters, Inc)!  This online boutique features wedding gowns, party dresses, shoes and accessories! I love this concept because years ago I had mentioned to my family that Anthropologie definitely needs a wedding boutique and a place where you can register for all of their home items!  Part 1... now available!

Of course I was on the {BHLDN} website first thing this am (yes, before my super crazy Monday started at 6:30 am) and here are some of my favorites below!

I have always loved short wedding dresses!

I think I might even purchase one of their party dresses for some upcoming wedding events! :)

And check out what they added to their website -- a place for you to create your own mood board with all your favorite items that you love on their website (kind of like {pinterest})!  Such a great idea since wedding inspiration boards are so popular!  Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have a Valentine!  Actually TWO Valentine's :)  My Dad sent me flowers at work with a cute card that said "You will ALWAYS be my Valentine" and my Mom bought me the cute {red jeans} I was loving!  I guess this blog thing is working out in my favor already ;)  Thank you guys - I love you!

iPhone Mobile Upload

PS. Don't these look really yummy?

PPS. Happy Birthday to my friends, James and Jackie! :)

A Short North Photo Shoot

Today I had fun in the Short North taking photos of my friend who is starting a blog this week!  She had this super creative idea for her blog banner... and I think the photos came out awesome! While I was pretty happy that it warmed up to 40 degrees today, it was still chilly after about 20 minutes outside!  Therefore, I decided I need to have my sister make me the items below... asap! :)

{1st and 2nd Picture found here)

Below are my favorite pictures from the day! There were hundreds of great shots (638 to be exact) so I can't wait to see which photos she uses for her blog!

Currently Obsessing Over: Red Jeans

I think I need to buy a pair of red jeans this spring!  I have started seeing many pictures online and in magazines with different people wearing these fun colored jeans... and I am officially adding them to my shopping list....right now! :) PS. I really hope that my Mom and Mama read this post since they have told me many times about the red pants I had as a child and refused to wear... sorry for the tantrums, you should have tried pairing them with some classic stripes, plaids or neutral sweaters, and maybe I would have been more open to the idea earlier in my life! xxoo!

{EmersonMade.}

{EmersonMade.}

{Etsy}

I love her style! Check out her other looks at {Dwelling & Telling}