House Beautiful

6 Things that are knocking my socks off

1.  First of all, this guy.  BANG.

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Holy pamotherfreakingjamas, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful.  A very talented California designer & shop owner named Serena Armstrong had that bad boy stripped and reupholstered.  I stumbled on her lovely blog when I was looking for lights over the weekend, and bam.  There it was.  I’d give my 1st born for that thing.

2.  The best bra, EVER.

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Let it be known:  I hate buying bras.  Like, with the fire of 1,000 suns.  I hate trying them on…  I hate fiddling with the straps and the itsy bitsy hangers…  I hate hanging them back up…  and most often, the underwires and straps are so sharp and tight that by the time I leave the dressing room, I seriously look like I got taken out back and beaten.  I hardly ever find bras I like, so when I do, I gotta grab my megaphone and help my girls out (meaning you girls..  not my girls).  Anyhow, I snatched the lace ditty above on a whim at the Free People store in Venice, CA last week, thinking it was kind of sweet and pretty…  and part girl-next-door, part sexy (rawr).  I usually reserve underscoobs like that for times when I think I might have to get half naked (plug your ears, mom & dad), because they’re usually otherwise impractical for every day, but this thing is STUPIDLY soft and comfortable…  so much so that I never wanna wear anything else.  So, I will promptly be stocking up on a few more colors (it comes in about 12 of em.  Radical.  $38 a pop.)

3.  Takin’ it back to the old school.

No joke, last week a boy (*cough* – a very cute boy I was eyeing when he wasn’t looking) passed me a note.  Yup, you heard me.  I’m talking about a straight up, little folded up note – the kind I haven’t passed or been passed since I was 13.  Outside of Mrs. Watson’s science class.  I didn’t even know people still did that, but oh.  Gurl.  The thing came at me in slow-mo, and as soon as I caught a glimpse of college-ruled paper, I’m pretty sure a little pee came out.  Talk about painfully cute and (ah) kind of refreshing.  The only thing that could’ve possibly been more thrilling was if he’d called me on the rotary phone in my parents’ kitchen, and I had to pull the cord halfway down the basement stairs and shut it in the door, so no one could hear me talk.  Long live the 7th grade.

4.  This year’s Ravinia schedule…

…to include James Taylor, Sarah MacLachlan (omg, it’s like Lillith Fair in Chicago, circa 2012), Natalie Merchant (all hail the 90’s), Train (hello, college), and Duran Duran (I die), among others.  For those of you who haven’t been, Ravinia is an outdoor concert venue in the north suburbs of Chicago.  The Metra (train) carts you from the city to this secluded, lush fairy wonderland – complete with grassy knolls and shady trees and hanging lights.  The idea is that you pack a blanket and a picnic, grab a spot, and get cozy and hopped up on little rosé an hour or so before the show.  I saw the Counting Crows there last year, and it was a large slice of heaven.

5.  Gigantic industrial jug lights.

We’re currently revamping our Chicago walk-up apartment (me and platonic boy roommate, that is), and I was super-swooning over these jug lights from Hudson Goods for the living room.  But alas, since I had a sizeable Pottery Barn coupon, I ordered a similar style from the big box store…  which I plan on hanging with a gigantic ceiling medallion.  The light itself is 25″ long and 18″ wide…  yummy.  Traditional + Industrial Modern makes me giddy, so our 10 ft ceilings and late 19th century Victorian architecture will be a killer backdrop for that sucker.

6.  These little floral hot pants.

…from Zara, as seen over at my Charleston homedog Chassity’s blog, Look Linger Love.  Girlfriend’s got some style.  And anybody else who says “y’all” is a friend of mine.

xoxo,

8 Responses to “6 Things that are knocking my socks off”


  • I gasped when I saw that chair too. In fact, it was the inspiration for my whole house stage/makeover before listing for sale, and it’s all going to transiion beautifully to the new lake house.

  • I want to go to Ravinia! To James Taylor, specifically, please and thank you…

    While wearing that Free People bra.

  • Ravinia is one of the many things I miss about Chicago. Every city needs a Ravinia in my opinion! I also love the light fixture! Restoration Hardware has some to die for chandlers you should check out. We just got our giant book in the mail from them. My husband says its like looking at the Sears catalog when he was a kid at Christmas

  • I hate buying bras too! I mean once every few years is a very big deal. I really love these and am following your lead on these. More importantly, what did the boy’s note say?? 😉

  • Ames: Did you guys sell the house in the G.O.?! Where’s the lake house?? Can I come? 🙂

    Karrie: This isn’t Coachella. You have to wear a top over the Free People bra, you hooker.

    Ivy: Haaaaaaaaaaaa. I used to make my Christmas lists from the Sears catalog when I was little. Love it!

  • I think the comments are just as good as this post!!! xo

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