Academy Awards 2011

Ummm...am I the only one who liked the Oscars?? I thought Anne Hathaway was surprisingly funny. And what's not to love about James Franco? Sure, he was a tad on the serious side, but that's only because he was ridiculously nervous. And not only was he presenting, but he was also a nominee ~ give the guy a break! I also LOVED the Inception Satire Dream Sequence at the beginning. Also, anything with Alec Baldwin is guaranteed to make me laugh. I don't know, maybe the yummy food I made for our little two-person party {Spinach & Artichoke Dip, Italian Meatballs, etc.} helped me enjoy the ceremony? Oh, and Kirk Douglas' speech was hilarious ~ that little old man is too cute! Moving right along...

I really wanted Inception to take home Best Picture of the Year, but as I have yet to see The King's Speech, I can't be too upset about the win. However, I was thrilled when Christian Bale won for Best Supporting Actor in The Fighter. Not only was the movie incredible, but Bale's portrayal of Dicky was uncanny. If you haven't seen the movie ~ go watch it!

Although I don't think there were any drop-dead gorgeous dresses, there were several that are certainly worth mentioning. I'm a big fan of neutral-colored, ethereal, dresses, as you'll see by my top picks:

Halle Berry, in my favorite dress of the evening.

Melissa Leo

OK, I realize that every hated Melissa Leo's dress...but I loved it! The lace was really unique and the slit made it a little more modern. Side-note: It was refreshing to hear such sincerity in an acceptance speech.

Mila Kunis

I also loved her earrings!

David Siedler

{Won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay ~ The King's Speech}

Hilary Swank

How can you not adore Robert Downey Jr.?

And Jude Law makes the perfect sidekick.

Can't wait for Sherlock Holmes 2!

Helen Miren

Mandy Moore

Kim Kardashian

OK, so she wasn't technically at the Oscars. However, she did attend Elton John's After-Party, looking as fabulous as ever.

Anne Hathaway

And my least favorite looks of the evening:

Kate Blanchet.

From the waist down, the dress is OK. From the waist up...I have no words.

Heidi Klum

Just because you can wear anything you want, doesn't mean you should.

I really have no idea what Christian Bale is wearing...I just can't stop looking at that nasty beard!

Check out these pictures from the Oscar After-parties; the one of Liv & Steve Tyler is my favorite!

{and I wonder if Justin Bieber even knows who Mick Jagger is...}

I'll leave you with a classic Oscar Winner of the past:

So, share your favorite fashion and moments from the Oscars ~ and least favorites, of course!

365 Challenge: 1.22-1.29

My sister & brother-in-law's wedding cake at their New York reception.

{2 weeks after their wedding on the beach in Miami}

My mom's chihuahua, Lucy. :)

A free sample of Starbucks' Signature Hot Chocolate and Harry Potter ~ an unbeatable combination!

 The husband and I are officially obsessed with Backgammon.

 Homemade chocolate-chip, banana pancakes, mmm...

I just can't get enough of the pretty snow!

More prettiness...

My sister's adorable foxhound, Daisy, spying on the neighbors.

Blog Love: 2.23

I already downloaded one of these chic calendars from Red Stamp.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw these gorgeous textiles from Coco Cozy.

I'll definitely be using some of these ideas for our Academy Awards party.

Check out this fun and eclectic home featured over at 6th Street Design School.

This stunning entry had me at hello!

365 Challenge: 1.17-1.21

"Why the heck is that camera pointed at me?"

A beautiful piece of pottery made by one of our friends & given to us on our 1 year anniversary

It's the little things :)

The beginning of a snow storm...

{view from our deck}

...and the results the following morning

Warmth

The latter part of this week was unseasonably warm. However, temperatures dropped back down to the thirties today and they promise to stay that way through the upcoming week. Though I'd welcome a snowstorm {there's nothing like a nice, blustery day to view through the window while you're drinking hot cocoa}, that brief glimpse of spring has me wishing we could spend some time outside. That darn groundhog said Spring was coming soon, but I'm not sure I believe him. For now, I'll be daydreaming of warmer climates...

The husband and I, on our honeymoon in Jamaica almost 3 years ago

Valentine's Day

My dear husband has to work on Valentine's Day, so we will be celebrating a day early. It will actually end up working out perfectly, because instead of just going out to dinner together after work, we will be able to spend an entire day together. :)

I'll be back later on this week with more 365 Challenge photos. In the meantime, enjoy these inspiration pics that remind me of Valentine's Day...

Happy Valentine's Day! :)

Mirror, Mirror

I've been drooling over the Mongstad mirror from IKEA for literally years...

Ah, sixty inches of contemporary perfection...

For some strange reason, I always thought it was $200, so I never gave it a second glance {I buy all of my mirrors second-hand, usually for $10 or less}. However, I just found out the other day that it's only $99!! And for such a massive mirror, I consider that a steal! Much thanks to my brother-in-law, who gave me a $50 gift card to IKEA for Christmas, I will now be purchasing this little {well, BIG} gem for our Master Bedroom.

It will be great because the mirror we now have is one of those inexpensive ones from Target. It's fine for 5'5" me, but not so great for my 6'2" husband! Plus, the mirror we currently have is much too small for the space, and hanging art above the mirror just didn't feel right...so the Mongstad will be the perfect solution!

I'll be sure to post pics of the new mirror as soon as we pick it up!

Have you made any exciting purchases lately?




FYI I am still trying to catch up on posting pics for the 365 Challenge...

a Christmas gift from a co-worker...LOVE the spoon-holder!

 Benj, arriving home from work late one chilly Winter evening

An antique plate that belonged to my great-grandma

{can you spy our current, teeny mirror propped up against the wall?}

More 365 Challenge

Our flight from Miami Beach to Philadelphia {wow, I'm glad I'm not a pilot}.

Can you guess our favorite TV show?

My new favorite scent from Yankee Candle

This is what happens when you lose your keys and can't check the mail for 2 weeks.

Some sparkly winter decor around our home

A thoughtful gift from my mom

{pictures of our newly organized Guest Room/Office closet coming soon!}