Seeing Red

Neon is hot this year.  Let's be honest, it's on trend almost every summer.  But something about neon brights positively unsettles me - they're almost a tad too bright, overly flashy,  a wee bit painful to look at, even.

So my go-to color this season?  Glorious, classic RED!

Maybe it's my complete adoration of all things Minnie Mouse, but red is a tried and true favorite.  It's romantic, a bit classic, whimsical at times, and always very exciting.  My one fantasy fashion item?  A red quilted Chanel bag; the time-honored style just so sigh-inducing in fire engine red. 

But back to reality?  What are the items I plan on picking up this summer?

Well, for starters, there is a fun version out there, and at a fraction of the cost.  Kate Spade's quilted leather shoulder bag has a very similar vibe - but with a punky twist thanks to her chunky metallic clasp.

Feeling a little less adventurous?  A dash of this gorgeous color could be just the thing to pep up your wardrobe.

Joan Rivers makes a fabulous necklace, and clocking in at under $50 on Iqvc.com (and under $30 on Ebay.com), it's completely budget friendly.  Always a huge fan of her statement jewelry, her line is always a must-see for affordable, weighty dazzlers.

And let's not forget at the pool!  I got a taste for fun bathing suit attire last summer during a ladies-only trip to the Jersey Shore - my 1950's style halter bikini from Victoria's Secret adorned with a lovely set of white vintage beads can only be trumped by this Beach Ray perfect polka dot silliness.

While I'm in Miami this summer at a friend's bachelorette party with, of course, everyone in town donning the dreaded neon, I will be coquettish and delightful at the very height of Minnie-style.

But the piece I'm most excited about?  Well, I have been searching for the perfect red trench for eons.  Partly because I have a wicked Halloween costume idea every year that never seems to come to fruition.  Mostly, though, how oh so lovely would it be in the midst of a gloomy, grey rain shower to see a vision gliding down the street in rich red?

And, finally, I found it.  With puffed sleeves to boot.  Squee!

I absolutely adore the pleating in the back, and even better, a vertical line of buttons cascades down the back of the coat between pleats (not seen in photo).  Classy with surprising, fantastical extras, it is sure to be a wonderful closet addition.

So look out summer, I will certainly be making some statements this season. 

And this Halloween?  Oh yes - Carmen Sandiego costume, here I come!!!!

Chanel quilted bag, Chanel.com
Kate Spade NY quilted leather shoulder bag, Neimanmarcus.com
Joan Rivers 'Make a Statement' 28" necklace with 3" extender, Iqvc.com
Beach Rays one piece polka dot swimsuit, Ideeli.com
Kenneth Cole NY cotton trench in sangria, Ideeli.com

Doing it Yourself - My Attempt to Save $399

What would you do with bunches of money?  With Mega Millions fervor sweeping my little city all last week, I knew without hesitation what my first stop would be - Brocade Home, of course!

I have pined for virtually everything from their shop since the beginning of time - that glossy wooden chair for my computer desk?  Yes, please!  Those achingly gorgeous damask stools?  No doubt about it.

But the one item I've truly yearned for is their lace pattern wall art.  A laser cut, delicate dream, just perfect for a fanciful headboard.

The only catch?  $399 big ones.

Luckily, after hours spent sniffing out a thrifty alternative, my friend came upon an inventive solution - do-it-yourself rubber mat wall art!

We quickly took to the world wide web, and scored the perfect pieces to attempt to make our very own budget friendly versions.

I ended up with two sets - some rubber scroll doormats for the living room, and a set of three fleur-de-lis mats to liven up my bedroom.



Having an absolute dearth of arts and crafts projects since my school days (save adding some fun, vintage fabric to an Ikea frame for the hallway; well, if that can even be called 'crafty'), I was a little skeptical - could this really turn out as stylish and lux...but for less?

With some antique gold paint and a dollar store shower liner in tow, we began our great painting experiment!  I scooped up a can of Design Master Metallics quick drying goodness, so the mats really only needed a fast single coat, front and back, for that heirloom finish I so craved.  My friend, on the other hand, wanted hers to look more uniform, so she did a few coats to even out the color.

And the results?

Dazzling, unique pieces for the cost of a can of spray paint and a few bargain mats!

The fleur-de-lis pieces are now set up as a headboard in our master bedroom, while the scroll doormats found a home in our living room between two sconces.

For such minimal effort, and with a time clocking in at less than an hour (depending on amount of coats per mat), it's a total no-brainer. And such a rich look while saving hundreds to boot.  I couldn't be more over-the-moon giddy about our new decor, and the nostalgic fun I had getting back to my crafty roots makes me curious to go on ever more complex DIY adventures in the future.  Pinterest, look out!

Proving, as always, chic just doesn't have to be costly.

Lace pattern wall art, Brocadehome.com

Kempf rubber scroll doormat, Amazon.com

Fleur-de-lis recycled step mats, Overstock.com

Brocade picture frame, Ikea.com

Design Master Metallics antique gold spray paint, Amazon.com

Rubber door mat wall art, Salvagedior.blogspot.com

If You Like It, Put a Bird On It!

The last few months have been joyously hectic; lots of excitement with heaping doses of that I-just-need-to-GET-OUT-OF-HERE-NOW-ness.  Oh yes, that wonderfully awful task of moving.

Bones and I left Brooklyn unexpectedly, and now reside in Upper Manhattan.  Which does put an end to (at least spontaneous) Beacon's Closet missions - but also refocused me on my somewhat style-neglected home.

But how to spiff up your abode on a budget without resorting to the standard, boring Ikea fare?

I first began scouring Craigslist.  But bed bug fears?  Idea swiftly squashed.

Of course there's Amazon - and I did truly appreciate the fact that every practical item I sought could always be found on their site (like this neat rolling laundry cart - because I finally have an elevator!)

Decorations, though?  On to Worldmarket.com!

We need a soap dish for the bathroom?  No problem - this one has a bird on it!  Fanciful, yes, but also deliciously evocative of my colored skinny jeans wearing compatriots ever roaming the streets of Brooklyn.  A moment of silence as they bike onwards to the next new tapas bar.

Curtains were a bit more perplexing - I scoured Overstock, Target, random little shops...nothing felt right until I saw Worldmarket's lyrical branches curtains.  And even more delightful - when I sent a series of curtain links to Bones for pre-purchase perusal, he also selected them as his favorite.  Although, they were the first link on the list...



A few towels and coordinating accessories later, and onto the bedroom!  After 6 yrs of living like college students, we finally got a mattress.  Just about the most amazingly comfortable mattress from Healthy Choice - and, somehow, even organic.  Apparently, it will be here in three weeks, and I am ever counting down the sleepless nights.  So, of course, after some prodding by my lovely friend, I chose the bedding I really ached for in the hopes it will complement the sea green blue and bronze thang we currently have going on.

With my hunt now drawing to a close, am I decidedly done?  Well, not quite...

The next task?  Trying to replicate this $399 piece of wall art with said dear friend using materials costing under $40.

Arts and crafts time!

Seville Classics laundry sorter, Amazon.com

Soap dish, Worldmarket.com

Lyrical branches curtains, Worldmarket.com

Casbah Turkish towels, Worldmarket.com

Peacock dispenser, Worldmarket.com

Cherry blossom duvet set, Overstock.com

Lace pattern wall art, Brocadehome.com

A $48 Lipstick...Is It Made of Gold?

I am an incredibly pale person.  Like, looseleaf paper white.  And, as all my fair-skinned compatriots know, finding the red lipstick is somewhat of an arduous journey.  Either the color is too flashy, turning my face into a garish, cartoon pin-up version of it's normal Casper-esque self, or it's just...WRONG - too purple, too blue, not bright enough.  Oh the problems we have!

BUT I thought I found one, the one.  The ultimate hue I would never have thought to pick out for myself.  Flipping through the November, 2011 issue of Instyle magazine, Kate Bosworth's spread showcasing the makeup line of Tom Ford instantly floored me - such an incredibly striking color.  An orange based red (which us sallow ones always hear is a no-no), it completely brightened Ms. Kate's countenance - and left me oh so covetous.

The hitch - $48.00.

I shuddered.  How could one possibly justify such a costly cosmetic?  Especially me-of-the-drugstore-$2.50-Nivea-cherry-tinted-chapstick?

I agonized.  Deliberated.  Totally stewed over this lipstick.  Until my husband posited the following - if you get a raise or a bonus, buy it.

A few months later, with a very rewarding end of the year goodies package, I finally caved - Neiman Marcus, can you hear me?

And the results?

I have never gotten more compliments on my makeup.  Ever.

The packaging alone is completely luxurious - a hefty black and gold case at your disposable - shipped to me, no less, in a VHS cassette-sized box.  This, apparently, is a very-important-purchase.  Or so they wooed me to believe.

The lipstick goes on completely smooth right out of the case (I know, I know - you are supposed to use a lipstick brush, primer, and such.  But it's just fine as is).  The color stays all day long - which I've never fully experienced, not even with those scientific 8-hour formulas.  Perhaps a little drying towards the end of the day...but it still looks smashing, then, under my cherry lip balm.  And it is winter, of course.

So, no, not made of gold - but certainly worth a few doubloons.

Look – Instyle Magazine, November, 2011 Ed.

You're a Foul One, Mr. Grinch

What a spectacular, magical whirlwind of a month.

In the spirit of all things jolly, my chock-full-of-cheer Christmas playlist via Spotify...with, of course, an ever appropriate 25 tunes.

Have a happy dream of a day!

Click: A Pies Life Playlist

Songs:

1. Oi to the World - No Doubt
2. Father Christmas - The Kinks
3. Happy Christmas (War is Over) - John Lennon/Yoko Ono
4. Baby, It's Cold Outside - She & Him
5. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Thurl Ravenscroft
6. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - NSync
7. Last Christmas - Wham!
8. Christmastime - The Smashing Pumpkins
9. A Christmas Duel - Cyndi Lauper, The Hives
10. The Lonely Jew on Christmas - Kyle Broflofski
11. Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
12. Christmastime is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio
13. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jackson Five
14. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Scott Weiland (this actually amazes me)
15. This Christmas - Christina Aguilera
16. Sleigh Ride - She & Him
17. O Holy Night - Eric Cartman
18. All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey
19. Jingle Bell Rock - The Muppets
20. Away in a Manger - Sufjan Stevens
21. Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty
22. Winter Wonderland - Eurythmics
23. What's This? - Danny Elfman
24. Little Drummer Boy - David Bowie, Bing Crosby
25. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland

X-Ray Tree, nextgadgets.net

Wouldn't You Think I'm the Girl - The Girl Who Has...Everything?

I stumbled upon a brilliant little Tumblr post that simply delighted me - mock-up magazine covers of all our favorite Disney princesses, replete with faux cover articles.  There's tons more at the source, but I had to share my favorite ladies.  'Everything's Hotter Under the Water'?  I die.

Covers, petitetiaras.tumblr.com

Gold Foil Wonderland

Scooping up the perfect Christmas present can be kind of overwhelming, so very much so on these last all consuming-of-consumer weekends.  Perusing the web in the hopes of avoiding the crazed 'Black Friday' shopper spray of pepper, I was overcome in a quite different way - by stunning, stunning jewels.

The oldest form of jewelry making in India, kundan (pure gold) is a method of stone setting in which gold foils or detailed enamel designs are placed behind the gem prior to mounting.  The result is a bewitching, extravagant affair, with pieces more glittery and grandiose than the next. 

Type in 'kundan' on EBay alone, and find an assortment of ornate treasures.

Oddly enough, I ended up snatching up the least ostentatious of items for my grams - a collector of elephants, I couldn't say no to this burnished gold elephant bangle for her.

And, ok, maybe an ounce of glamour for myself in the process...

Necklace & earring set, EBay.com; seller artjewels1954

Bracelet, EBay.com; seller aria.jewels

Earrings, EBay.com; seller thethirdi

Necklace & earring set, EBay.com; seller indiatrend

Earrings, EBay.com; seller teriot_diva_fashions

Necklace & earring set, EBay.com; seller aria.jewels

Bracelet, Bombayjewelry.com

Earrings, Bombayjewelry.com