Snow it Forward

Well, well... DC is finally not the victor of snowfall spoils!

Fear not, my northern friends, I've got a few recs!

~ Play War with cards (remember that game?)
~ Watch "Big Lebowski"
~ Sleepy sleep sleep
~ Cook... novel concept I know...
~ Plan you warm weather vaca
~ Bundle up and go outside to buy milk... it brings the cliche to life and makes you feel like you can absolutely conquer the world

Kate Spade Made Me Do It...

I'm not one to play the blame game... but damn you Kate Spade for making adorable things!

After all the antiquing this past weekend, my friend and I hit up the Kate Spade outlet (along with J.Crew... danger!).

I can't logically explain what happened next (although I can explain my cute "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" tote that was super on sale!), but I found myself leaving the store having purchased a dog sweater. Yep. A "Bad to the Bone" knit doggie sweater.

Had I lost my mind? Well, a little perhaps. But... BIG news is a'coming...

Side Note- This sweater will be for COLD weather only... I'm not that girl!

No Shame in My American Idol Game

Every year... every time... I get SO excited watching "American Idol!"

These ladies and gents living out their dreams melts my heart. And yes... I even vote!

PS - Loving Ellen's Prippy gingham pocket square!

Crazy Delicious... Breakfast

Siggi's Icelandic Yogurt is my go-to breakfast... especially now that I'm packing my meals!

Much to my surprise, their Grapefruit is my favorite. It's super thick and delicious... and healthy! If you can find this yogurt treasure, which is no small feat, feel lucky and get ready for yogurt heaven!

Prippy Ambiance... Candles

There are few things I enjoy more in a home, than a beautiful candle.

For a special indulgence... and on rare occasion... I'll pick up the "firewood" Feu de Bois Dipytique candle lit next to their Rose scent. It's decadent Prippy heaven.

What's your favorite candle? Would love to try it out!

My Lips Love Labello

A few years back, my perfect-gift-giver friend brought me back some Labello lip balm from a trip to Europe... and it quickly became my fave. It makes my lips feel like they're cashmere soft!

What's your favorite lip balm? Are you a Chapsticker? A lip glosser? Do share!

Weekend Recap... The Good, The Great, and The Food Poisoning

Hello, hello! I had a wonderful weekend... although it ended in food poisoning tragedy last night! I truly can't think of a worse experience, sadly, and after being up all night I'm now home from work trying to recover.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way... the rest of my weekend was fabulous!


My best friend from kindergarden came to visit from NYC (the greatest treat!), and we took my new ride out for a road trip! There's nothing better than a road trip, in my mind.


Our adventure was out to the Eastern Shore of Maryland for some antique shopping. Not only is that area beautiful and quant, but we found lots of treasures for her shop on Etsy, Octavia & Brown. Above is Mason's, a delicious lunch spot in downtown Easton where we enjoyed a light bite before heading to Oxford for more finds!


While I'm feeling pretty low now after battling through last night, I have great memories from our adventure and feel so lucky to have such an old friend in my life!

I forgot to mention... we had the BEST luck at the J.Crew and Kate Spade outlets on our way home! Jackpot!

Vrooom Goes the Prippy

So, it's been a BUSY few weeks for me with starting the new gig, Snowapalooza, redecorating, and... oh yeah... buying a car to get to the new gig!

Now, I'm a little embarrassed to say that this was the first car I truly ever bought. Lucky me always had hand-me-downs (thanks, Mom!), or took public transportation because I've lived in the heart of the city.

But my job now has a commute... a short one... but one that couldn't be done in under 3 hours without a car.

After much debate, I picked up a pre-owned BMW X3. It's a navy with tan interior dream boat! This purchase was beyond stressful (thanks, car dealers!), but all worth it in the end.

Need a lift?

Prippy Love Lives On

Valentine's Day is sadly over (I do love it so), but it doesn't mean that hearts - especially in pillow form - have to go away!


In my seemingly endless "Great Merge/Redesign" of Bry and my apartment (we've been at it since September!), progress has been made!

During the blizzard we rearranged the furniture, Bry went through his "library," and we taped out the walls to paint them Willow Creek (AMAZING warm grey... pics to follow!).


But with Bry on a business trip to Paris all week, I've been hard at work painting and accenting!

My fave purchases were white and grey embroidered pillow cases from West Elm ($9.99 a piece) and the best... BEST... Alexander Girard "Love" pillows ($5 bucks each!!!) at Urban Outfitters!

Gentleman's Heaven...

“The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's”
- Mark Twain

I've been alone with the pooch all week... and it has been heaven. We're one step closer to bringing another pup of the French Bulldog variety into the family, and I think Mark Twain would be jealous!

Give Me Liberty...

25 days... COUNT'EM... until Liberty of London at Target. I remember my first experience at their store in London... it was Prippy heaven!

God Bless Target and God Bless the Queen!

Doggie Beauty Pageant... Westminster

Are you guys watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show?


Bella (our dog) and I have been enjoying it... the dogs seem to have the most human of personalities on the TV screen. I can even imagine their little doggie accents!


This pooch is saying "Oh... hello there!"


At least I crack myself up and keep myself entertained!

PS - I'm totally rooting for the French Bulldog... duh

Thank You for Reading... I Applaud You

I love this whole bloggy blog world! Thank you all for reading. Thank you for sharing your blogs with me.

You're the greatest. Trophies for EVERYONE!

Oh to Be Like... Lauren Hutton

World traveler, motorcycle badass, photographer, angler... oh, and gorgeous model! Just a few things about Lauren Hutton that make her such an all-American style icon to me.


Part of what I love about her beauty, is that she always looks natural and completely comfortable in her own skin. To me confidence is the most beautiful thing... mind you, this is something very different than arrogance!


Lauren continues to inspire me as well as remind me what it takes to be an American beauty.

Artist Love... Martin Parr

Since this month is all about L-O-V-E for me, I though I'd share one of my FAVORITE artists of all time... Martin Parr.


He's a genius and his photos just speak to me for some reason.


I first discovered his work while studying at Cambridge University during a summer in law school. In need of an air-conditioned escape while hanging in London, I checked out the fabulous Tate Modern and stumbled across his brilliant work.


His photos - with their color and familiarity - make me happy and completely comfortable. I love them... and it's all about what you love... regardless of what your reason may be!

Be My Prippy Valentine... City LOVE

I believe you fall in love with cities... and I've been fortunate to have a few loves on this front.

Philly was my first great city love (that's Love Park in the pic!). I can gush for hours about it like a love sick puppy!


Then there's New York City... the love that changed my life...

What are your city loves?

Is It a Boy or a Girl... Cutest Thing Ever

A wonderful, beautiful, and amazingly creative couple I know (and a fave blogger, Tupelo Honey) just welcomed in a bundle of joy last week... and I'm thrilled for them!

To find out if they were having a boy or a girl, they enlisted the help of their doctor... and a baker!

The reaction of pure joy on their faces makes me teary-eyed every time I watch the reveal. You MUST check it out for yourself!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Victory in Black

I'm a bit obsessed with all things black and white when it comes to home decor... which is funny because my wardrobe is brimming with TONS of color and crazy prints (like a good Prippy)!

Lately, I've been dreaming of black glass to accessorize my new office. This black glass trophy cup (Prippys love trophys!), from Octavia & Brown, is going to be perfection on my desk!

Sweet Snuggling

Having moved in with my man, we're still bringing together the apartment to be both of our home. He's been wonderful in making room... but the challenge is finding stuff that is "us," rather than one person's style dominating.

I would LOVE this Anthropologie display bed, but only for certain days when I just want to stay in bed and snuggle...

We're still hunting for the perfect bedding, but this bed seems perfect for a cold snowy day like today!

Turkey Chili and Tortilla Strips

I just made the grand voyage to the grocery store - no small feat considering the conditions here! After searching the empty aisles and making a trip to the farmer's market, we finally got all of our ingredients!

Plan is to make turkey chili with homemade tortilla chips for a hardy meal before more snow comes and needs shoveling. These tortilla chips are my favorite - and also healthy and easy to make!

Just cut tortillas into thin strips... brush with olive oil... and then sprinkle with taco seasoning. Bake at 300 degrees for 12 minutes and TA-DA!

The Perfect Winter Sweater

This is on sale at RL Rugby... now I just have to find some skis to get over there and pick it up!

Snow... Snow... Snow... Snow... SNOW

DC is a full on Winter Wonderland. Snow forts are everywhere, I've never seen so many neighbors out and about, and almost everyone has off from work - simply put... it's everything you could wish for with a snow storm in DC.


Our dog, Bella, was the happiest I've ever seen her. She frolicked, pranced, got stuck, and ate the snow for hours on Saturday. While we watched, we shared wine and beers with neighbors in a park by our home. There were hundreds of us out enjoying the day.


And although we only made it to the liquor store (not the grocer), before the snow started... our friends stocked up and cooked incredible meals.


With 10 to 20 more inches starting tomorrow... I'm running out to the grocery store!


A parting shot... Bella enjoying her favorite new treat - snow.

Provisions... Samuel Smith Winter Welcome

Much to my delight, Samuel Smith Winter Welcome was at my local liquor store last night while stocking up on provisions for the "Snowpocalypse."

With its small batch production, this beer delicacy is definitely worth getting excited over. Find one while they last, and enjoy this Brit brew.

Wish I Was Here... More Snow

MORE snow is hitting DC around noon, and by the time it's over we're supposed to have 26 inches! This has been the snowiest DC winter in a LONG time.

I'm dreaming of palm trees this morning - before I have to wear Bean Boots the rest of the weekend...

Any good ideas for how to spend a snowy weekend? Would love to hear from you!

Be My Prippy Valentine... "Our" Song

Bryan and my song is "La La Love You" by The Pixies (a Prippy staple!). Each time I hear it, my face lights up and my heart relaxes.

I'm in LOVE with this poster from SparklePower, although it's sold out until some time this month.

Just as importantly, I also have "My" song... "Let the River Run" by Carly Simon. It makes me feel like I can conquer the world!

What's "Your" song?

Prippy Dream Boat.... Philip Seymour Hoffman

Call me weird, but if my Valentine weren't already my boyfriend... I'd be gunning for PSH, aka, Philip Seymour Hoffman!

He's my celebrity crush... has been for years. Guess I'm a sucker for talent!

Mine also include Hugh Jackman, Edward Norton, and Paul Bettany.


Oh... and my crush from the past has gotta be Eddie Furlong circa 1991 (Terminator 2 and Aerosmith's "Living on the Edge" video)!

Who's your celebrity crush?

Be My Prippy Valentine... BFF

BFF necklaces were my fave jewelry item in middle school. My BFF gave me one for Valentine's Day one year... it was the best!

This new Milk & Cookies version is the best. Also comes in PB & J!

Happy Groundhog Day

"There is no way that this winter is *ever* going to end as long as this groundhog keeps seeing his shadow. I don't see any other way out. He's got to be stopped. And I have to stop him." - Phil, Groundog Day

Be My Prippy Valentine

Silly as it may be... I LOVE Valentine's Day! And as a countdown for Valentine's Day, I'm going to share some of my favorite things about it.

1) Making shoe box mailboxes for perforated Valentine's Day cards in elementary school

Love it or hate it - I'd love to hear memorable Valentine's memories!

Prippy Delicacy... Turkey Jerky

I'm not advocating making jerky purses... practical as they may be...

But homemade Turkey Jerky from our farmer's market on Capitol Hill, Eastern Market, is one of my favorite snacks. Apparently, many other Hill residents feel the same way because they always sell out!

This article from NY Magazine shows that my jerky love is not alone... apparently jerky is having a real renaissance!

A Tip From A Lady... Mary Kay

“Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, Make me feel important. Never forget this message when working with people.” - Mary Kay Ash, Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics