Color of the Week: Kelly Green

This color reminds me of living in San Francisco...sitting in the park for hours with my Yorkie Harley. The grass was so incredibly green. Such great memories!

I have seen this color paired with leopard and it was amazing. I can see these shorts with my leopard print Toms wedges!

dress / shorts / wedges / bag

New in the Viola Pearl Etsy Store

Restocked Linnea and Traci hand painted rhinestone necklaces, a variety of hand painted rhinestone earrings, as well as the Ginger necklace, a 1950s vintage hand painted piece. See more here.

My New Favorite Thing: T-Rex Planter

It is quite possible that my inner fifth-grader purchased this. The one who loved Indiana Jones and the possibility of being an archeologist. Or maybe it is just the design nerd in me that adores quirky. Either way, I am loving this planter for my new desk. It brings color and fun. Find it on Etsy here. 

A Day at the Fair

Today I spent hours perusing booths at the Country Living Fair in Austin. This photo is a few of the fun things I ran across while there. I loved the Junkology booth!

If you don't subscribe to Country Living magazine I would suggest it-they have ideas every month that I cut out for my home inspiration book. It was my first visit to one of their fairs-and definitely not my last. I'll share my purchases later!

Happy Friday!

A Vintage Wedding

June is around the corner. And, it is without a doubt the most popular time to hold a wedding. Whether you are the bride who has been planning for months, or the guest excited to see your friend tie the knot, a major focus will always be on style.

Maybe you are one of the lucky ladies whose mother kept her chic wedding dress in perfect condition to pass down to you. If so, congratulations. Because for most of us, if we go that route, the only option is the tiara, lace and puffy sleeve fashions from the 1980s. Best wedding photo ever. If this is the case and that isn’t your style, it’s time to shop. Wearing something that you won’t regret 20 years down the road is sometimes more important than family tradition!

If you will be a guest of the happy couple, prepping for a wedding can be incredibly time consuming. You want to be dressy but not too dressy, of course. But you want to look amazing and unique! Enter vintage style.

For both brides and their exceptionally fashionable guests who are interested in shopping vintage, there are a few things you can do to get your shopping trip kicked off on the right foot.

Animal Chic

A couple of years ago I purchased three cardboard animal heads from Red in Fredericksburg (pictured above) to use as affordable "art" in my kitchen. These have been incredibly unique conversation pieces-there hasn't been one person that hasn't walked in my house and complimented them! 

And, over the past couple of years, I have seen more animal heads crop up and I am starting to think I might need a new piece for my bedroom. Hey, it's Texas right, so animal heads throughout are acceptable! I especially love the rhino, which is made with vintage French book pages. But the colorful heads, especially the Zebra in pink, are so amazing. Which do you like best? 

Zebra / Rhino / Moose / Deer 

Color of the Week: White

White can feel dressy or beachy. It really is the perfect color, especially this time of year.

I recently bought this West Elm Parsons desk in white and it looks amazing! My room is blue and white with orange accents so it fits in perfectly. Once I get my accessories set and shelving done, I will share a photo.

When wearing white, I have to admit that I get scared walking out of the house-you just never know what is going to happen. Thank goodness for the handy little Shout wipes that fit perfectly in a clutch, because I love white sundresses and white denim. Especially when paired with turquoise earrings.

sofa / necklace / pillow / dress / desk

New in the Viola Pearl Etsy Store

Handpainted 1940's vintage bracelets in turquoise blue, coral orange with yellow and natural stones showing, along with another in lavender, mint green and peach. These colors are my favorites right now! I also have painted rhinestone earrings in coral orange and turquoise blue, as well as yellow, peach and lavender. See my collection of jewelry here.

This is Lola

I realized that I have never shared a photo of Lola on Viola Pearl! She is way too important to be ignored. THIS is my Yorkie Lola and it is my favorite photo of her ever.

She loves chewing snake print shoes (especially Tori Burch Revas...ouch!), riding in her leopard print car seat, being held and resting her head on my shoulder, playing so much that she can barely walk at night, having her own blanket to sleep on, when I dance and sing "Her name was Lola, she was a show dog, with yellow feathers in her hair..." to the Barry Manilow Copacabana tune.

The one negative: she hates wearing dog clothes. I am not sure how that happened. But I do it anyway then laugh when I dress her up and she stands stone still.

My New Favorite Thing: Spike the Punch Necklace

This necklace made me a fashion stalker. I found out about Spike the Punch and the Rainey necklace through people I follow on Instagram. Little did I know how hard it would be to get one! Fortunately for me, I am not working right now because this was actually a full-time job. 

How did I do it? I had to consistently refresh the Spike the Punch Etsy page all day and all night. Sure, I took breaks. Finally after three days it paid off, around 5 p.m. on a weekday I hit refresh and my adrenaline kicked into overdrive when I saw it. I rushed to add it to my cart and check out before it floated off into some faster gals life. It was perfect and it was NEON and it was mine! 

Some may say I am crazy. Was it worth it...absolutely. Do I want another...absolutely. 

Update: ShopSpikethePunch.com has now opened. 

I am currently selling three of my unworn Spike the Punch Rainey necklaces through Poshmark. 

I now have a huge Rainey collection and decided to get rid of unworn pieces. See my pieces here. 

Domino!

Domino magazine is back on the newsstands this week-although it's just for a special issue! I hope the Quick Fixes is as amazing as the magazine used to be-it is by far my all time favorite home decor and style pub.

Yesterday I bought the last issue on the stands at a local bookstore but haven't had a chance to dig in yet. Pretty interesting that it was sold out in a small town-which makes me wonder if they printed enough! To those that have read it...are you happy with the new issue...did it inspire like the magazine did?

Monogram Mania

What's in a name? I remember the first thing I ever bought with my name on it. It was a sticker book that said Barbara. No, my real name isn't Barbara, but when I was a kid they didn't have anything with the name Amber! It was SO frustrating. I think it was in the 90s when I started to finally see my name, so I bought pencils, $5 nameplate necklaces, notebooks. I stocked up!

Today we are lucky. You can have any name in the world and personalize it. I recently bought a pretty little iPhone cover with my initials, exactly like the one below, and am buying my mom one for mothers day (from Daninotes) in lavender and yellow (shhhh!).

Next on my list is either a nameplate necklace or initial necklace.

Other things I would like to have monogramed...anything J Crew, especially that peach sweater, which happens to be the color of the week. I already have a Cambridge Satchel Company bag, but it looks so good with letters. And, Jonathan Adler pillows make a sweet addition to any room. 

Color of the Week: Peach

This color is dreamy in all shades.

Images from: dress, shoes, cardigan, skirt, clutch

I Heart San Francisco

My city by the bay. Frisco. San Fran. I lived in San Francisco for a few years before moving to Austin. I don't think I ever stopped being a tourist the whole time I was there. I bought San Francisco snow globes, coffee mugs, took the 49 mile scenic drive more times than I can count...and probably should pay rent to Alcatraz. Sometimes I still get that yearning to see Chinatown and the Bay Bridge out the same window (my living room had the BEST view). So, with my new love of Treasury Lists on Etsy, I created one for San Francisco. Except, these trinkets are more art and less kitsch. Here is my favorite piece that I probably need to have in the near future for my new desk setup:

Here are other items I found that I really liked. I have already purchased the Muni pass wallet. I figure it will be great for when I am carrying an uber small purse! Plus the pass is from when I actually lived out there...so who knows, it could be my old one. You can find the full list here. 

Today's Treasures

On a search for vintage jewelry today I found these gorgeous bracelets from the 40s and 50s. They are in amazing condition and will soon get the Tom Binns inspired treatment for the Viola Pearl Etsy store. I will probably need to keep one for myself though!

My other painted necklaces were purchased new, so I thought it would be fun to mix in vintage. Now the question is...what color do I paint them?! I am thinking pastels like lavender or peach.

New in the Viola Pearl Etsy Store

Neon anchors away necklaces featuring vintage fishing lures, Swarovski figurines like these three little mice and hand painted rhinestone necklaces!

Get Organized While Charging Your Tech

iPad charging, check. iPhone charging, check. Kindle charging, check. MP3 player charging, check.  Location, all over my house equaling cords everywhere.

Admittedly I am a neat freak. Before I go to bed, I clean my house, put away any dishes and plug in any of my tech tools that need a charge before the next busy day. As my list of tech tools has grown, so has the location they are plugged in around my house: my kitchen, bedroom dining room and living room.

To some, this won’t be a big deal, but add another person and their tech tools into the mix and you have cords everywhere. My solution to this was simple: I needed a charging station. I needed to organize my cords. A quick search online pulled up many options. But, I also needed to factor in that I also wanted one that was aesthetically pleasing and wouldn’t stand out in my house. I ended up choosing the Bedford Smart Technology Large Recharge Station from Pottery Barn. Beautiful.

The charging station is 12” wide, 12” deep and 6” high, which isn’t small but it fits comfortably on one section of my dresser in my bedroom, next to a 32” flat screen. My favorite feature is the built in power strip plug-in with 6 plugs available. This was a must-have for me, since many (like a similar and cheaper one from Wal-Mart) seemed not to come with it. The four holes allow cords and wires to be hidden but conveniently placed for easy-access to charging. The charging station also features a pull-out drawer, where I keep my flash drives and extra iPhone covers. 

Color of the Week: Lavender

This has always been one of my favorite colors. Right now, it isn't too hard to find lavender and plenty of other pastels. I especially love the cameo earrings-I have a navy cameo necklace by the designer that is amazing quality and pretty reasonable prices!

Images from: dress, earrings, nail polish, jeans

Hippity Hoppity Happy Easter!

Image from: eggs

My Eclectic Kitchen

One of my favorite things about Etsy is the ability to create "Treasury Lists" where you compile all of your favorite things by theme. I created my first the other day for the kitchen and found some really amazing things including a bacon poster! How cute would that be in a kitchen?!

Well, it may not be for all...but I tend to like quirky items, especially in my kitchen. Here are a few other items in my list including an eat sign, reusable sandwich bags, paper straws and a rooster clock, check out the full list and purchase information here.

My New Favorite Thing: The Glam Skull

I wear way too much pink to be considered a fan of gothic style in my home or clothing. But, I do LOVE skulls. Lola has a pink and white skull collar and leash, I have a skull scarf and I am currently working on yellow skull adorned friendship bracelets! So, when I saw this on Instagram and then online I *had* to have it.

I am redecorating my room (just adding a new accent color, orange!), so I think it will make a perfect addition sitting next to some of my favorite necklaces and perfumes. It almost looks like crystals covering the skull but it is metal made to look like it.

Inspiring Me Today: Ivy & Piper Magazine

Sometimes you run across a magazine and everything about it speaks to "you" - the style, the font, the articles, the features. That is how I felt when I first got Domino magazine which I STILL love. Last year, I ran across Ivy & Piper magazine and it is incredibly inspiring and beautiful as well, so I thought I would share just in case you hadn't seen it! Best part-it is free online and easy to download to the iPad.

I see some must-haves on this page...especially that turquoise blue chair.

DIY: Hang Artwork Quickly and Easily

Usually when I buy artwork or any accessories to hang on my wall, I end up with multiple holes in the wall where things just didn't line up perfectly. It was fine when I was in an apartment but once it was my own condo...I didn't want to have to worry about repainting a wall. I bought some vintage film reels (at Red, of course) to go over my tv and was given a tip on an easy way to hang a group of photos or accessories. 

First, pull out that old wrapping paper from Christmas and lay the white side up on the ground. Next lay out the group on the paper how you plan to arrange it on the wall and use a pencil to mark the placement of your art and your nails. (As seen in the photo above...yes, that is a Yorkie helping me!) Then, using tape, hang the wrapping paper on the wall where you plan to hang the photos or accessories. Finally, put nails up where you marked the paper. Rip the paper down, hang your artwork. This worked great for me, hope it works for you! 


Images from: group of photos

Color of the Week: Orange

It is the Year of Tangerine, as I wrote about in December, so I thought I would do another post about orange. I have started leaning towards orange over pink, which is a first for me!

I have some great orange pieces in my Etsy store as well, including my new necklaces made with vintage fishing lures!

Images from: Kate Spade dress and bags, shoes, necklace