Painterly Style

Zinnia Thicket Salad Plates

I love it when I finally get a moment to check on all my favorite blogs, websites and stores to see what's happening. My favorite 'find' today has to be at Anthropologie. I'm a huge fan of the store because they celebrate the artisan in almost everything they carry. And if you haven't had a chance to watch "Man Shops Globe" on the Sundance Channel, well you are missing out! I am thoroughly addicted to it. If Anthropologie ever needs a fellow traveler (with a fabulous eye for artisan design) to accompany Keith Johnson, the global buyer, I would love to apply for the job! Here's some of their latest artistic offerings:

Francine SofaHigh Tea VasePainterly ClutchPainters Stripe PitcherPalette Coasters

Tenet Rug

Dark Florals For Fall/Winter 2010-11

Floral prints tend to be associated with summer, and while that is true the floral trend continues in Fall/Winter 2010-11 with a darker turn. Dramatic and bold, the colors are rich jewel tones and can also be found in single color prints - purple floral on black, orange and yellow paired with brown, or even black and white floral prints.

Convertible Clothes

Don't you just love it when you find a garment that can do double or even triple duty within your wardrobe? As consumers continue to hold a firm grip on their dollars until the economy feels more certain, designers are providing creative fashion solutions that appeal to even the most frugal fashionista. Here are some examples of convertible clothes (photographed by John Lawton) I found in the October issue of REAL SIMPLE magazine:

This fur vest is easily reversed for double duty as a sweater vest. This cape and vest combo (elietahari.com) offers two chic ways to stay warm no matter how quickly the temperature may change. This nautical knit sweater (Neiman Marcus) offers four-way options for style and warmth. I love this idea of clutch bag and a necklace in one (sanga.com). These boots (Fratelli Rossetti) easily unclip to reveal two classic styles .

Don't Worry....

I am not someone who reads horoscopes or has her palm read in hopes of gleaning details about the future. But I am always a sucker for fortune cookies! I don't like to eat them, I just like to read them. I went to Panda for lunch yesterday and at the end of my meal in the bottom of my bag was the 'prize' -- the plastic wrapped fortune cookie. I opened it up, tossed aside the cookie and read the message, YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT A STEADY INCOME. I stared at it as if it were true. I thought to myself, Really? I can relax and know that even though I will probably work the rest of my life, I don't have to WORRY about it? Because that is something I do worry about, especially when I am always immersed in current events and all-things-trend-related. I see what's happening in the world--good and not so good. Then I thought, Jen, it's a fortune cookie. Nothing more. But still.............wouldn't it be nice if fortune cookie messages did come true?! Do they ever?

Car Trouble

OK, so August was like the month from ****! Seriously. We have been out of town almost every weekend due to a death in the family and trying to settle family matters. :( That's not the problem. The problem is that in between trips, my PT Cruiser broke down. Twice. I think it worked for about three days in between the breakdowns. It's been in the shop a total of 8 working days. It also spent the Labor Day weekend in our driveway, undriveable, because it broke down on the way home from the repair shop on Friday. I am not kidding. That means we spent the weekend at home, too. It's not like we don't have a back up car. We do. But it's my husband's and it's almost 30-years old. It's affectionately known as 'the boat' because it is huge and heavy and currently lacks air conditioning. Did I mention the heat wave we had here in Fresno while my car was in the shop? That means I had to drive 'the boat' to work - 30-minutes facing the sun in the morning and 30-minutes facing the sun on the way home. Do you know how hard it is to be as cute as you can be when you are melting?

Last night I got my PT back. I really missed her (I think she's a girl). She has air conditioning. Did I mention we're experiencing a cooling trend right now? It's only going to be 81 degrees today. That's downright chilly compared to last week.

Anyway, maybe I'll do something nice for my PT. Pamper her a little. Dress her up now that she's back on the road. Check out these crazy car lashes. Maybe 'the boat' could us a set? Check these out...