Happy Birthday To Me (& Announcing 27 For 27)!!!

Today is my birthday! Happy Birthday to me!

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YAY! I love my birthday! 

I may or may not have had a brief panic attack last week when I realized I was turning 27 but I'm okay now :) 27!!! That's so close to 30! (I know most my friends are giving their computer screens a dirty look right now... I'm the youngest out of everyone so they're about to all start turning 28. Oops.)

Anyway. Today I want to share with you a fun thing I just decided to do...

I'm setting a goal of accomplishing 27 different things on a special list that I want to do in my 27th year on earth! By this time next year when I wake up as a 28 year old (AHHHH), I want to have crossed every single one of these things off my list.

Without further ado, I present to you...

  "27 For 27!"

1. Travel to a state I've never visited before.
2. Attend a concert for a band I'm not familiar with.
3. Try 5 new foods I've never eaten before.
4. Make my boyfriend happy by selecting one movie per month that I've never seen before from his massive film collection and watch it together (12 movies total!)
5. Make something in the kitchen from scratch - bread, cheese, cake, or pie?
6. Try a new exercise or workout class. 
7. Completely redecorate my mom's office! 
8. Do something different with my hair (temporary OR permanent).
9. Go on a food tour in my own city - I've always wanted to do one of these!
10. Make something in my crockpot (got it as a gift 2 years ago, have never opened it)
11. Find the perfect red lipstick and wear it out on the town at least once!
12. Refurbish or update a piece of furniture I've thrifted or bought from a vintage shop.
13. Host a "bruncheon" - I have people over for dinner parties all the time but for some reason brunch scares me!
14. Take a dance class with Ram (and let him lead) :)
15. Spend an afternoon volunteering. 
16. Perform in public (did yall know I used to sing?)
17. Do a DIY fashion project.
18. Guest blog on another site for another blogger (pssst, will need help with this one!) 
19. Do omakase at a sushi bar - I've always wanted to!
20. Watch an old TV series from beginning to end/catch up on a current series.
21. Make a piece of art and hang it in our new apartment!
22. Cook and eat dinner at home every night for a week straight (Monday-Friday).
23. Surprise my sister and my mom with something special.
24. Read at least 12 new books (I'm actually low-balling it here... did yall know I'm a speedreader? I could easily go through 12 books in a single month!)
25. Successfully accomplish another NO SHOPPING MAY. 
26. Send out a holiday card in December (I've always wanted to! If R refuses I think I will send them out by myself!) 
27. Send a secret to Postsecret.

What do you think of my list? Think I can do all 27 things?!

Hope you all have a LOVELY long weekend.
I'll be celebrating 27 in Palm Springs for the next few days. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Out & About, Instagram Style: August

Last time I posted a little Instagram roundup, I included pictures of food, some recent Home Goods finds, and a shot of my pool. I'm realizing that today's haul is not so different... oops! Hope you enjoy them anyway!

Over the weekend we had people over for the first time! A dozen of our friends came over for game night and we had a great time. I served chicken parmesan, salad, and spaghetti with meatballs & vodka sauce and plenty of wine - we played with a cute baby and split into teams for a round of Celebrity and had a great time!

What with the move, lately I've been hitting up Home Goods like it is my JOB. They actually just opened a new one by my mom's house - when we walked in the door, I actually let out a shriek and gasped out loud upon laying eyes on this hot pink armchair. No matter how much I begged, my mom refused to buy it - for me OR for her. I hope someone has given it a good home by now, it was gorgeous!

A couple days ago I was in the mall with my mom and just for fun, tried on this fun pair of boots from Aldo. How awesome is the glitter?! They also come in black but I loved the beige/gold so much I had to snap them up!

The cutest housewarming present from a dear friend - initial mugs from Anthropologie!

It has been RELENTLESSLY hot in Los Angeles. When my sister was in town a few weeks ago, we wanted to lay in the pool - but had to wait until almost 6pm for it to cool off enough for us to even go outside! 

Remember my Fancy Pants Dinner Club post? Well, my partner-in-crime Daniel graduated law school earlier this year and moved to New York. I miss him a ton, but luckily we got to see each other and catch up last week when he came home for a quick visit - we went to Rustic Canyon for an early birthday celebration (he's 10 days older than me) and it was delicious. We loved this fig and ricotta crostini!

For months I had been drooling over the Dannijo Hixson collar, but for almost $800 it was SOOOO not in my budget! God bless eBay - this knockoff is nearly identical and cost me $11.99. For that price, I bought TWO!!!

I've said it before but I'll say it again - Instagram is so much fun!

If you're not already following me I'm @queenjord - come follow along on my glitter boot/dinner party/shopping adventures!

You've Got Mail

You know when you try a thing, think it's alright, forget it about it for a long time, come across it again and then think it's the COOLEST thing on earth?

That's me right now with Paperless Post. Paperless Post, of all things!

It's not like I've never used it before. I sent out my NYE 2012 Party invitations with Paperless Post, actually.... but I guess I didn't spend too much time browsing through the site. But when it came time to send out birthday dinner invitations (one week til my birthday!!!) I was so over Evite, so I thought I'd play with PLP again. 

And now I'm freaking OBSESSED. I just insisted on GB letting me help her create her birthday party invitation and now I'm very busy picking one out for our upcoming housewarming party (we'll discuss this soon, no worries). I can't help myself - there are so many adorable designs. It's making me want to throw a party every weekend!

Here are some of my favorites:

If you aren't familiar with the Paperless Post website you should DEFINITELY go check it out. Every design is completely customizable with whatever fonts or colors you prefer and they have a ton of free designs too! They're fancy shmancy and easy-as-pie to create. LOVE!

Note: this post was not sponsored by Paperless Post. I just think their website is awesome!

Fall Fashion Flash

September is around the corner and as such, every blogger worth her salt is posting a fall wishlist. Obv I need to get in on the action!

It feels like I have not gone clothes shopping in FOREVER. I live in Los Angeles, where’s its gorgeous basically year round, so I didn’t really go on any major summer shopping sprees, and especially in the past few weeks, everything I’ve bought is apartment-related.

But it’s time to get back to my one true love – the mall (sorry Ram). I may not be going back to school but there’s no reason I can’t have a new fall wardrobe!

Here’s what I’m eyeing:

I definitely plan on snapping up these Gap ankle-zip skinny jeans in at least a few colors – I’m thinking black, green, and/or burgundy. 

This gorgeous scarf would brighten any gloomy day. Love the pretty colors!

It isn’t fall without a new striped sweater or two! I love these yellow and black stripes, this slouchy red one

(perfect with leggings and boots OR jeans and leopard flats), or even this one with the crazy star print!

I have a great pair of tall boots but can’t seem to find a pair of low boots that I like. These Joie ones are intriguing me – I love the zigzag pattern on the back. 

I stop and pet these striped ballet flats every single time I see them. I should probably stop doing that and just buy them. Only problem is, what color – coral or black!? 

Kinda loving these Pour La Victoire shoes. I wear flats basically every day but I’m really drawn to the shape of these – might need to add them to my collection!

Another sweater… I love skulls and I love rainbow print. This Topshop sweater is kinda a no-brainer, don’t you think?

Every fall I like to buy a fun pair of patterned tights – last year it was black leopard print, this year I’m leaning towards polka dots. So cute with an LBD and boots!

Depending on where you live, this pink dress might not scream “fall” to you, but it’s perfect for me – I can wear it now with flat sandals, and with opaque black tights and boots when it gets colder outside. Love!

I love all of it! But realistically, I'll probably end up with the Joie boots, the Gap pants, the striped flats and the red sweater. Solid choices that'll go well with what I already own.

What’s on your wishlist for fall?

An Early Happy Birthday To Me!

Every year I make it a point to treat myself to something special on my birthday. Don't get me wrong, I looooooooove getting gifts from family and friends (keep it coming yall AHEM), but there's something special about a gift you give yourself :) It's like a little acknowledgement - "Hey self! We made it through another year! We did it!"

I'm a dork. ANYWAY.

Usually I buy myself something I've been lusting over in stores or online, but last year I needed a vacation like nobody's business so I booked us a stay at The Parker Palm Springs the weekend before my birthday. Ram and I had a great time swimming, lounging, and eating at Mister Parker's every night. It was a great early birthday present!

The year before that I was shopping at Anthropologie in Santa Monica with Anna and GB a few weeks before my birthday when just for fun, I saw a little leather jacket on the rack and pulled it off to try it on. OMG. It fit like a glove and was SO sexy and chic. I went straight to an ATM and practically ran back to the store to buy it. This Helmut one is very similar - gorgeous right?!

Going back even further, the year before that I was in New York with my family right around my birthday and before the plane had even touched down I knew exactly what I was going to be buying myself. This was right around the time that I first got into interior design and as such, we spent an entire afternoon at ABC Home picking out a gorgeous Madeline Weinrib rug! I ended up choosing the Megan flatweave in turquoise, which isn't available anymore, but rest assured it's a work of art.
(Sidenote: if you are thinking of getting a MW rug PLEASE email me first. They are indeed works of art... and indeed NOT the best quality, in my opinion. My rug never laid flat for even a single day.)



So you're probably wondering why we're talking about my little birthday treats to myself, aren't you? Well, yesterday I bought my 27th birthday present to myself!



I have been drooling over the J.Crew Telegram suede hobo since it first hit the internet. Available in bright blue and a gorgeous dusty beige, it's the perfect size, perfectly lightweight, and at nearly $300, way more than I wanted to spend this year (I'm very busy decorating a new apartment, remember!?) So I waited patiently. And sure enough, the bag went on sale last week - to $199! Knowing how J.Crew sales usually work, I decided to hold out a little longer... and just as I suspected, this morning I was greeted with a "Take an extra 30% off your sale item" code in my email. Bingo! Of course by then, the bags were sold out online - but like a good little detective, I immediately called J.Crew Corporate, who told me that my local store had three in stock. I ran over there on my lunch break and to my surprise, the sales associate even took my college ID (I KNOW, SHHH!) for an additional 15% off discount! Do you math whizzes realize what that means?



That's right, mama got herself a brand new bag for less than $120. I can't wait to use it! Happy early birthday to me!

Weekend Girl

I know I said I was back last week and then disappeared but now I'm really back. Hellooooo everyone!

I hope you all had a lovely and relaxing weekend. Mine was very nice and VERY relaxing. It was nice to have a few days to relax in our new place instead of running around and unpacking every single thing I own/had wedged into one of approximately 500 boxes.  

Here are some highlights to share with you...

On Friday I came home with grand plans to take a nap - and then abandoned those plans because I felt the "creative spark" and had to capitalize on it immediately. Here's the thing - a few days before we found our new apartment and signed the lease, I had decided I was going to take up painting, and went out and bought lots of acrylic paints and canvases and fancy brushes for my new hobby. And then we got our new place and had to move in three weeks and I abandoned all fun extracurriculars in order to pack up my life and never got to try out my new paints.

So on Friday I came home, and had nowhere to be, so I decided to break out my paints. Finally! I have been loving abstract art in a million different ways (see my "Deck The Walls" art board on Pinterest) so that's what I'm going for. I promise I'll show you what I end up with!

Friday night Ramekin surprised me the best thing ever. He had made reservations at Benihana!!! I was OVERJOYED. Hear me out: when I was little, for my birthday or my sister's birthday every year our family would go to Benihana to celebrate. I have not been in YEARS and for the past six months I have been bugging Ram that I wanted to go there for date night. So we went. And YALL. IT WAS AMAZING. Everything was just as good as I remembered it from when I was little - I loved the soup and the shrimp appetizer and the ginger dressing and the THEATER OF IT ALL. 

Like the FAMED onion volcano!

And then our lovely chef spelled the word LOVE out of fried rice (which, incidentally, was freaking DELICIOUS.) I was freaking out the whole time. R had to tell me to calm down like 9281701 times. I CANNOT WAIT TO GO BACK.

On Saturday my lovely mother accompanied me to everyone's favorite Swedish house of love, IKEA, where I purchased a new bookcase, several picture frames for the vintage posters I just ordered (more on that soon if you're interested!), and some other Swedish nonsense. Here is Martha Jewart lounging in one of IKEA's new chair offerings - shockingly comfortable!

When I came home with the bookcase Ram got right to work building it - he is surprisingly handy and had the whole thing done in less than a half hour! I was very impressed... and immediately set to work decorating it with plants and leopard print vases and coffee table books and picture frames. I promise photos soon!

The rest of the weekend packed in a lovely blur of garlic knots at Milo & Olive and sleeping late and brunch with Ram's mom and a quick jaunt to the Farmer's Market for flowers and pesto and fresh heirloom tomatoes and a few hours lounging in my pool reading People Magazine... and then my mother "convinced me" (ie, suggested and I leapt into the car) to accompany her to the brand new Home Goods that just opened up. AKA my favorite place on earth. We walked in and this was in front of our faces:

ARE YOU KIDDING ME. ONE WEEK AFTER I MOVE IN WITH A BOY THE UNIVERSE DECIDES TO WAVE A HOT PINK TUFTED NAILHEAD CHAIR IN FRONT OF MY FACE?!?!?!?! I nearly fell on the floor in a dead faint. I begged my mom to get it for herself but alas, hot pink is just not her color. If any of you get it I will DIE of jealousy. It is everything!!!!

I didn't leave HG empty handed - I scored two AMAZING colorful Chinese ceramic lamps that are EXACTLY what I've been admiring in a million design mags and blogs... for $39 each! Here is one of them perched on my OTHER amazing HG score... a gold/glass console table with amazing detailing!!!

 I swear to God, Home Goods is my JAM. I find the best stuff there! The lamp and console table are in our bedroom on a side wall - now I have to find an awesome gold mirror to go above it and zhush it up with some better art/picture frames. Those are just placeholders for now - although I think I may keep my little mini collection of colorful milk glass vases (on the far left). What do you think?

Annnnnnd that was my weekend! Pretty nice if you ask me :) I'm already counting down to the next one!

All Moved In!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have internet! I am back!

The move-in went really well. Ram had to work Friday so he wasn't there when the movers came but my mom kept me company all day and complimented me on "staying calm and behaving"... even when the movers came to tell me that after trying three different stairwells and the elevator that my couch was not going to fit into the new place. I literally laid down on the floor and started taking deep breaths but I DID remain calm... and then, upon his recommendation, hired a THIRD mover who came and helped HOIST THE FREAKING COUCH OVER THE BALCONY. 

Wish I could show you pictures but I literally couldn't watch so I hid in the closet while it happened. But it worked and the couch is in and everything else made it in just fine!

Many of you have asked to see pictures but I am sooooooooo not ready for that. All our boxes are unpacked and about 90% of things have been put away in their proper place which is great, but we are still missing a couple pieces of furniture (I am probably going to buy this Crate & Barrel media stand at some point this week) and Ram's million boxes of DVDs are still stacked in our den and there's nothing hung on the walls. So bear with me... pictures will come soon. Thank you for your patience :)

In the meantime, I do have something fun and apartment-related to share today!

Literally the day before our move I was driving home after work when I passed my favorite thrift store (you might remember it from this post or this one about my amazing bar cart) and out of the corner of my eye, saw something intriguing. (After losing an insane set of four Louis XI matching dining room chairs because I "needed to think about it" (I KNOW, IM A MORON) I made myself a promise that if I ever saw something I liked I would just BUY IT because nothing is worse than vintage buyer's remorse.) So I pulled over. And walked up to this baby:

A single white chair. With PERFECT brass nailhead detailing. Dark wood legs in great condition. I was smitten. The man behind the counter told me to make him an offer and after a couple of minutes of shmoozing I got him down to $45. SOLD! I loaded it into the car and went on my merry way.

My mom and Ram are always slightly suspicious of my furniture finds but both of them LOVED this chair! As soon as I brought it into my mom's house she started campaigning to let her keep it - not happening - and Ram sat right down in it when he came home from work. He looks mad but I think that's just cuz I was taking his picture!

Here's the thing: it needs to be reupholstered. The white looks alright from far away, but up close you can see some stains on it, plus it's going in the corner of our bedroom, which already is pretty neutral. I need me a pop of color and this is the perfect place! Here are some fabrics I'm considering:

Hot pink linen? Black & white stripes? Lee Jofa paisley? AMAZING pink/orange ikat?

Black & white polka dots? Turquoise velvet? Fuschia zigzag? Leopard print?

And before you say anything, yes I know some of those fabrics are super girly, but I don't care. I threw out my hot pink bathroom rugs and rainbow towels and flowered bedding and I need some COLOR in my life. Ram will be okay with it, I promise :)

One more picture for the road. Leave your choice in the comments! Help me pick one of these out!

Moving Day!

Today is the day!

The movers are scheduled to arrive at 8am and my entire life is in boxes. Good thing I'm only moving eight apartment buildings down the street! :) 

I took the day off work so I could unpack and start getting organized. The good news is that we've had the keys for a while, so we've slowly been bringing things over all week. Ram's clothes are all there, I unpacked a bunch of things and put them in the linen closet yesterday, and I'm delighted that last week in a sudden burst of energy, we packed up and moved the entire contents of my kitchen to the new place, so at least one room is already done!

Thank god for my mother, who is coming to help us unpack everything. She's the best :) Wish us luck - it's been a jillion degrees in LA this week so we are sure to be a sweaty mess through the entire process. Oh joy. 

I'll be back next week, hopefully with pictures so stay tuned for that :)

I can't believe the next time I blog I will be living with a BOY!!! 

It's August and You Know What That Means!

In all the excitement of the move I completely neglected to mention something very important. It's August! And you know what that means...

It's my birthday month!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I was born on August 31st almost 27 years ago... Good god I'm old. Since my birthday falls on the last day of the month I like to celebrate allllllllllllll month long and with the big day just about three weeks away, what better time to post a little birthday wishlist!? Or as I like to refer to it... HINTS :)

Without further ado:

I might be 27 but I don't think I'll ever lose my childlike joy over bright colors and pattern. Bring on the Calypso serving trays - and they're on sale, to boot!

I've been looking for a nice new bag for a few months and this J.Crew one fits the bill - pretty shape, lots of pockets, great color. ALSO on sale!

I also need a new wallet and this Rebecca Minkoff one is screaming my name. Pink trim AND leopard?! Be mine.

I loooove gold and anything with a heart on it. Therefore I think I need this little Catbird ring.

27 year olds love entertaining and they need to do it in style. I think this Design Darling monogrammed ice bucket will do quite nicely, don't you?

Just for fun - some pretty striped candles. I have a pair of lucite candlestick holders these would look gorgeous displayed in!

I have been drooling over this Loren Hope dalmation-esque necklace FOREVER. This would look so good with so many things I own!

And speaking of polka dots, a girl who loves flats as much as I do has got to get her hands on these little Madewell pups. Adorable!

Just three weeks left to go til the big 2-7. I can't wait!!!

Speaking of birthdays, today is a special one. Happy Birthday Poodle! 

Move It Or Lose It

Apologies for my radio silence around here but I am up to my ears in all things moving. My entire life basically looks like this right now:

I hate clutter and mess so you can imagine how thrilled I am and what a pleasure I've been these past few days. I feel like everything I need is packed up in boxes (or Fendi shopping bags - #firstworldproblems), including but not limited to the anti-itch cream that I packed a week ago having not needed it for months. Cue waking up this morning with a HUGE mosquito bite!

On the brighter side, I did drop off a box the size of the state of Rhode Island and SEVEN garbage bags full of clothes and shoes to Goodwill. If you live in Sherman Oaks, run don't walk because half that shit had tags on it! (Note to self: must. stop. shopping. MUST!)

In the meantime please enjoy a thing that is making me happy: the pretty brass lights that are built into the walls of the master bedroom, conveniently located right above where our new nightstands will be going. They're adjustable, have dimmers, are sparkly and shiny, and now I don't have to buy lamps. WIN WIN!

Lovers, please leave an encouraging message in the comments, as tonight I'm tackling the rest of the closet and it may very well kill me! :)

Try and Contain Yourself

Thanks for all the love on my guest post yesterday! And welcome to all my new pals who came over from Erika's blog :)

One of these days we'll get back to our regularly scheduled programming (ie photos of food, collages of shoes I want to buy and obsessive documentation of my little weekend trips) but right now my mind is still fully focused on moving and all that it entails.

The thing that sold me on the new place was hands-down the closet space. I looked at many apartments in the last few months that were nice but had tiny closets, and as I explained to a friend, "I need a place with BIGGER THAN NORMAL closets, not SMALLER THAN NORMAL closets." So I'm overjoyed that our new place has not one, not two, not three, but FOUR hall closets, as well as TWO closets in each bedroom. It's insane.

That being said, I know that I run the risk of those closets getting real cluttered real fast if I don't take some sort of preventative measures against it and I HATE CLUTTER. It's important to me that everything has its designated space, so today I thought I'd share some of my favorite containers to - well, contain... all our stuff! 

I love a storage box that folds flat when you're not using it - and cannot get over this one in hot pink!

I bought these clear plastic scrapbook cases when I used to scrapbook and now keep various art supplies in them. I love that they're stackable!

This is a no-brainer - a storage ottoman keeps lots of junk hidden away! I love this fun yellow flowered one!

More stackable goodies - little wicker baskets with tiny chalkboard labels! Perfect for odds & ends.

I love everything about these Anthropologie bath baskets - especially the chevron! I definitely could see us using these in the master bath...

I keep a lined wicker basket just like this one underneath my sink filled with hair accessories, blowdryer, irons, you name it. 

More foldable storage - I have two cubes like these stuffed to the brim with purses and clutches!

Your turn... how do you deal with clutter? I want to see how you contain it all! Please share if you've got a good tip or system! 

Try And Contain Yourself

Thanks for all the love on my guest post yesterday! And welcome to all my new pals who came over from Erika's blog :)

One of these days we'll get back to our regularly scheduled programming (ie photos of food, collages of shoes I want to buy and obsessive documentation of my little weekend trips) but right now my mind is still fully focused on moving and all that it entails.

The thing that sold me on the new place was hands-down the closet space. I looked at many apartments in the last few months that were nice but had tiny closets, and as I explained to a friend, "I need a place with BIGGER THAN NORMAL closets, not SMALLER THAN NORMAL closets." So I'm overjoyed that our new place has not one, not two, not three, but FOUR hall closets, as well as TWO closets in each bedroom. It's insane.

That being said, I know that I run the risk of those closets getting real cluttered real fast if I don't take some sort of preventative measures against it and I HATE CLUTTER. It's important to me that everything has its designated space, so today I thought I'd share some of my favorite containers to - well, contain... all our stuff!

I love a storage box that folds flat when you're not using it - and cannot get over this one in hot pink!

I bought these clear plastic scrapbook cases when I used to scrapbook and now keep various art supplies in them. I love that they're stackable!

This is a no-brainer - a storage ottoman keeps lots of junk hidden away! I love this fun yellow flowered one!

More stackable goodies - little wicker baskets with tiny chalkboard labels! Perfect for odds & ends.

I love everything about these Anthropologie bath baskets - especially the chevron! I definitely could see us using these in the master bath...

I keep a lined wicker basket just like this one underneath my sink filled with hair accessories, blowdryer, irons, you name it. 

More foldable storage - I have two cubes like these stuffed to the brim with purses and clutches!

Your turn... how do you deal with clutter? I want to see how you contain it all! Please share if you've got a good tip or system! 

Guest Posting Today!

It's been a while since I've written a guest post for another blogger pal and I was way overdue! Which is why I was so thrilled when Erika took me up on my offer to write one for her :)

If you're not familiar with her blog Shop Talk then you better familiarize yourself fast - she is insanely talented! She also runs her own brand styling company called Small Shop Studio, and she's responsible for the amazing design behind some amazing brands.

Her blog is one of my favorite daily reads and I am truly honored to be featured there today. Head on over right now - I'm posting about some fun ways to jazz up a neutral space with colorful pillows!