Ideal Bookshelf

In all of my online adventures last week, I stumbled across Jane Mount. She's an artist who paints pictures of people's ideal bookshelves. So like, you tell her the books you love and she paints them all together for you. It's such an interesting concept and it's so neat!

She has a sort-of blog about her work, it's called Ideal Bookshelf. She posts pictures of her paintings and shares who they were for. I could spend hours looking at her work, but here are a few of my favorites.

I love everything about her work! It's just so unique, and I love that she plays off the idea that you can tell a lot about somebody based on the books they have on their shelves.

These two are my absolute favorites:

I love the bright colors of the children's books and also the sort of symmetry to how they're stacked. 

 

I have most of these books on my bookshelf! Love love love.

These prints, and some of her others, are for sale (at very reasonable prices) on 20x200, and if you look through the seven or so that are up there, you can learn more about Jane Mount and why she began painting bookshelves in the first place.

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I can't wait to show these to AlPal, definitely my most artistic friend, when I stay with her and her family this weekend. Mom's going off for a weekend with her girlfriends and Dad's leading a retreat at the local Boy Scout camp, so BB, LB and I will be left to our own devices... Well, not really. BB is staying with a friend of his, I'm staying with AlPal and LB is staying with our grandparents. It's gonna be a blast!

Happy Friday!

xoxo,

Bee

Polyvore and Corduroy

I love Polyvore. I love corduroy. So it seemed only fitting to mix the two together.

I know I mentioned my Boxing Day purchases in my New Year's Eve post, but I don't think I went into much detail. 

I ended up with two skirts and a pair of cords and I couldn't be happier.

I really like this Cord Atlee skirt from J. Crew. I haven't actually received it yet, but I'm sure I'll love it just as much in person. You first saw it in this post I did back in November, and I finally decided to make it my own.

How could you wear it? Oh, let me count the ways. Enter Polyvore set #1:

You can view it larger and find item details here.

Next up is a Purple Plaid Wool-Blend Mini from Old Navy.

I love the colors in this skirt. The color that looks like white in this picture is actually a silvery grey and it's very pretty.

With that said, there are so many different ways to wear it! Enter Polyvore #2:

View larger here.

I definitely saved the best for last. I'd been eying these J. Crew "Rainforest Green" cords for a couple of months before I broke down on the 26th. They arrived Monday afternoon and I can't get enough of them! 

 

It's such a pretty emerald green color and it mixes well with so many different colors! Enter Polyvore #3:

Find details here.

Additionally, during winter break, I was messing around on Polyvore and created even more sets regarding corduroy. Unhealthy obsession? I think yes.

 

Conclusion: Polyvore + corduroy + Bee = procrastination - net productivity.

Happy Thursday!

xoxo,

Bee

How to...

I am absolutely in love with this book! AlPal gave it to me for Christmas and I read it cover to cover before the day was over. SO good!

Jordan Christy has such a unique point-of-view and is absolutely hilarious. I was literally laughing out loud at certain lines from this book.

Definitely go pick yourself up a copy!

And I'll leave you with an excerpt from the editorial review:

"In a society driven by celebutante news and MySpace profiles, women of class, style and charm are hard to come by. The Audrey and Katharines of the world continue to lose their luster as thongs, rehab and outrageous behavior burn up the daily headlines. But, despite appearances, guys still want a girl they can take home to their mom, employers still like to see a tailored suit and peers still respect classy conduct. So is it possible to maintain old fashioned virtues in a modern world without looking like a starchy Amish grandma? Christy shows women how in this guide to glamorous style, professional success and true love...the classy way.

Full of fun assignments, notable names and real-life examples, Christy offers a new look at seemingly "old fashioned" advice. She covers diet, speech, work ethic, friends, relationships, manners, makeup, and fashionable yet modest clothing, showing modern ladies how they can be beautiful, intelligent and fun while retaining values and morals."

Thanks, AlPal!

xoxo,

Bee 

Platinum, anyone?

Recently, I've been loving anything metallic, but in particular, the color platinum. Now, for all you jewelry girls out there, I'm not talking about platinum as in a more expensive version of silver. I'm talking about platinum as in a shade between gold and silver. Sounds odd, I know, but it's really pretty.

It all started Saturday morning when I woke up, and I didn't really have anything better to do, so I painted my nails. I don't paint them regularly only because I'm short on patience and usually make a mess, but I just felt like having some color on my nails. I raided Mom's stash of Mary Kay nail polish (she has TONS because my aunt is a consultant) and narrowed it down to two colors: "Prissy Prude" and "Super Star"... "Prissy Prude" is a pretty dark muave-y kind of color and "Super Star" is a silvery gold. (I'd show you pictures, but apparently Mary Kay doesn't sell nail polish anymore...)

Obviously I chose "Super Star", and it turned out really pretty! I really like it.

I don't know why the picture is so short and fat...

Then, I was going through some old pictures from last spring of our Youth Group Pasta Dinner Fundraiser, and I noticed my friend mBe's platinum Sperry's. Um, hello! Adorable.

This picture is from Urban Outfitters, where they are $98.00, but I know for a fact that they're $84.99 at Nordies.

Jack Rogers loves Platinum, too!

Picture from Saks.

However, if you don't want to pay upwards of $90 for a pair of sandals, you can always find them at Target for $19.99!

Merona Enid Whipstitch Flat Sandals

They call it "Gold", but it's actually a silvery gold-- PLATINUM!

And lastly, another Target find:

Mossimo Supply Co. Odell Ballet Flat in Pewter

Yeah, yeah, I know it looks more silver than platinum, but trust me, they're silvery gold.

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On another note, today would be my great-grandmother, Mama Alice's 95th birthday. She passed away four years ago tomorrow and not a day goes by that I don't think about her. Mom has this gorgeous three stone diamond ring that is set with a diamond from Mama Alice, a diamond from my grandma and my mom's engagement diamond. Every time I see it on her hand, I think about how lucky I am to be the fourth generation in a long line of smart, beautiful, strong women, and I am so thankful.

I love you all so much. Happy birthday, Mama Alice!

xoxo,

Bee

Tonight's the Night!

Gear up, everyone, because tonight's a night of premieres!

First up, at 7:58/6:58 Central, on ABC Family, is the winter premiere of Pretty Little Liars. 

Also at 8, on ABC, is the premiere of The Bachelor. This is definitely a guilty pleasure, and I can't say I'm a devoted watcher, but Jake's back!

And finally, at 10, also on ABC is Castle. Mom got me hooked on this show a couple months ago, and it's so good! The writing is so witty and it's just really cute. You should definitely check it out! (If you've never heard of it and want some background, check out the Wikipedia article here.)

 Did I miss any? What are your favorite TV shows?

xoxo,

Bee

P.S. All images are c/o Google Images.

Join in on the fun!

One of my favorite blogs, College Prep, is branching out! Prep Talk, which you can subscribe to here, is a weekly e-newsletter featuring all things preppy and wonderful. I can't wait!

 Yesterday was a very low-key day, and I would've stayed in my pajamas all day, but we had some family stop by. It was great fun to see them and I didn't mind changing into real clothes. As for New Year's Eve, my stay-in-my-pajamas-and-ring-in-the-new-year-at-home plans were ruined when I received a last-minute invitation to a low-key party. (Man, I am really rocking the hyphens today.) It was a lot of fun to see everyone and spend some time with my friend mBe, who is moving next weekend to take a nanny-ing gig in Charlotte. I will miss her lots!

Today, hopefully, I will be a little bit more productive... I have a little bit of homework to finish up, nothing major, and then some laundry to do, and perhaps I'll even get around to my room... We'll see. But I'll definitely be savoring my last twenty-four hours of Winter Break. Then it's back to school on Monday... Meh.

Go subscribe to Prep Talk!

xoxo,

Bee

2011 ReVolutions

Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit! Happy New Year!!

In the spirit of the new year, I thought I'd share my 2011 reVolutions. But first, a little story.

Last year, this time, as I began thinking of my New Year's resolutions, I thought about how I was going to remember them... Because, you see, when I do something, I do it all the way. All or nothing. I ended up with about thirty resolutions last year, and I didn't know how I was going to be able to keep them all if I wasn't reminded of them daily. 

Except, they weren't really reSolutions, they were more like little things, that, when done on a daily basis, would revolutionize my life. Therefore, I began to refer to them as reVolutions.

So I typed them all up in a pretty, swirly font, found my two quotes for the year (I always have quotes for the year) and slapped it in a frame. That's as far as I got until May or June when I was cleaning out a drawer and came across a ziplock baggie full of pictures and words cut from magazines. I had been saving them for the perfect project, and this seemed perfect enough.

I made the collage on a big piece of construction paper and then glued the list in the middle. It hung on the wall next to my closet, where I saw it every morning for six months. Six months shy of the effect I was hoping for, but hey, at least it was something, right?

Here is my 2010 ReVolution Collage. The quotes were "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think" --Winnie the Pooh, and "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." --Eleanor Roosevelt.

Today, I decided that, starting this year, I am going to collect clippings throughout the year for the next year's collage. For example, in 2011, I will collect ingredients for 2012's collage. Get it? That way I can have a collage/list for every year. I'm pretty excited about the project.

Even though I don't have the fixings for a collage for 2011, I still wrote out my reVolution list and it will be framed and hung next to/on top of/below the 2010 collage in a similar, albeit smaller frame.

Here's the list for 2011... It's still a bit rough, I know. It hasn't been to the processor yet.

The messiness is maddening. Yes, there are some repeats from last year, but those are just the things I need a continued reminder about...

Bee's New Year's ReVolution List 2011:

1. Cherish friends and family.

2. Follow through.

3. Remember the people who love you.

4. Disregard stereotypes.

5. Love without conditions.

6. Smile more.

7. Wear great shoes.

8. Delight yourself in the Lord.

9. Eat more green things.

10. Hope for a better tomorrow.

11. Keep your chin up.

12. Laugh a lot.

13. Raise the bar higher.

14. Make time.

15. Think things through.

16. Shoot for the moon.

17. Remember where you come from.

18. Don't settle.

19. Be classy.

20. Read the classics.

21. Run fast.

22. Hope for perfection.

23. Turn the other cheek.

24. Anticipate Prince Charming.

25. Give freely.

26. Love them like Jesus.

27. Sing in the shower.

28. Kill them with kindness.

So, there you have it folks, 28 daily reVolutions.

Oh, yeah. My quotes? The first is from Mother Theresa:

"People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people will accuse you of ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you.
Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
It never was between you and them anyway."

And the second is of unknown origin:

"Preppy is not a trend, it is a lifestyle. Preppy does not go out of style."

Wishing you a blessed beginning of 2011.

xoxo,

Bee