Happy Halloween~~

Hope you have a great, safe, fun and productive (i.e. lots of treats) Halloween!!
p.s. The above is a photo of my nephew Lukie in his Monster Inc. costume.  As cute as he looks, the costume had to be returned.  Apparently, it was too tight on him, lol :)

TGITW - Whatcha Up To?

It's Saturday night and I'm sneaking in a weekend post for ya. 
I hate missing my TGIF posts (I mean the real deal with the fun links and stuff :)  So, here it is - Thank Goodness It's the Weekend!!

• Erin from House of Earnest always comes up with the cutest DIY projects. 
• Smitten Studio is at it again with their second DIY reno. I can't wait to see the final outcome.  It's looking amazing so far!
• Oh Joy's How I'd Wear drawings remind me of the drawings I used to make as a little girl.  I love this one on how to wear a patterned coat as I continue my search for that perfect leopard coat. 
• Emerson Fry's Topper Coat in grey is obviously the extreme opposite of a leopard coat.  Who says I can't lust after two coats at the same time? 

Hope your weekend is going swell~

TGIF - Whatcha Up To?

TGIF!! I'm once again running off early for work stuff. 
But here's a little random OOTD Photo for fun. It's from my Instagram earlier this week, when I actually managed to put on a decent work outfit and got lots of Insta hearts :) Me so proud!!

Hope to come back to this place during the weekend, so stay tuned!

This or That...

We all love bargain shopping. And we pick and choose when it's worth the real investment or a sufficient substitute.  In the above case, I'm going with the latter.  The first one is from Sam Edelman "Maddox" Boot ($139) and the second one is from Target, their Merona line ($35). I've been eyeing the Merona pair for some time and saw that Erin from Elements of Style was rocking a pair on her Instagram.  Clearly, we both have excellent taste, haha. And we also both like a great bargain (and shopping, it seems :)

Have a great Wednesday~  We are half way there!   

Tufted and I Like It!

It was less than a year ago, on November 9, 2012 to be exact, when I happily announced about our new sofa.  I was so excited.  It was a sectional, in grey, and purchased from Macy*s during one of their "big" sales.  Fast forward, I HATE the sofa as the back cushions/pillows are all mushed up, mis-shapened, due to the softest and lumpiest inserts I've ever seen.  I can't even bear to take photos and share them with you. The seating cushions have remained very firm and comfortable.  I contemplated on getting customized inserts but they were going to be $70+ per insert.  I mean, why would I do that after having spent a good fortune to begin with??  

After much researching and getting the service folks to come out 3 times, I found no excellent replacements through the warranty service.  So, more researching and more discussion with the hubs then some more researching (on my own), I decided to replace the "new sofa" with a tufted style sofa.  I figured with my two puppies constantly climbing on the top of the sofa, a tufted sofa is least likely to become mis-shapened and it's a classic style.  It's a style I didn't expect to like as I prefer simple, clean, modern lines when it comes to furniture. But upon plugging in the words "tufted sofa" in the search field of Pinterest, I found many reasons to feel confident about my choice. Folks, there is a world of tufted sofa lovers out there.  

These are some of the tufted babes I drawled over...

Restoration Hardware - Kensington (fabric)

Restoration Hardware - Kensington (leather)

Jayson Home - Theodore

Anthropologie - Citrine Chesterfield

(I know, not the most convenient color, but it's fun, no?)

Jonathan Adler - Lampert Sofa

But guys, the price range on these babes are like $2,100 - $6,000+.  Seriously?  How can one live with style??

Since I'm returning my sofa to Macy*s, I went back to the same and found this beauty. 

Macy*s Martha Stewart Collection - Saybridge Sofa

The price is less than the last sofa so I'll be getting a credit (ka-ching!), and the reviews are excellent!!  And it was on sale (no longer on sale - crazy timing here).  I am also super excited that I will NOT be paying for the delivery as it'll be a return and delivery transaction, and due to the problems with the last sofa, Macy*s has discounted the delivery fee.  

So, there's my story on what went wrong with my last "new sofa". The new-new sofa is expected to be delivered sometime in mid-December.  [SIGH]  Such is the life of returning and replacing a piece of furniture.  

How about you?  Any horror stories with your sofa or any other furniture in your home? 

I'm Back and It's Sweater Season!

Good Monday!!  I'm baaaack!  I took an entire week off from blogging.  No, not intentionally but it just kinda happened with work and after-work stuff happening throughout the week. I am finally feeling less hectic and this weekend was truly a catch-up weekend: a lot of cleaning, running errands, cooking, working out (oh - how I missed you,GYM!), etc.  The weather has gotten slightly colder since I last posted here.  And all I can think about is getting my sweater on and staying warm!  Here's a look I'm loving.  

1. Eugenia Kim Felix Black Cat Hat
2. Cable Stitched Sweater from Ann Taylor Loft
3. Quilted Jacket from J.Crew Factory
4. Scoundrel booties from Seychelles
5. The Urbane Bag from Coach  (their fall season's look is better than ever before!)

I hope to see you on a regular basis like I used to~~
Have a great week, friends!!

TGIF - Whatcha Up To?

TGIF!!! OMG - is it really Friday?  I woke up at 3:00 a.m. this morning tx to a combination of the hubs snoring (he must be tired  and so am I now), worries over work, and luckily, excitement over this weekend!  I have so much going on this weekend. I'm walking the annual Women's 5k Classic happening in Lehigh Valley (PA). This walk means a lot to me as my mother-in-law and I used to do it together every year until she passed away two years ago.  I missed it last year and swore I'd make it happen this year no matter what. 

I'm also going on a double date with my co-worker and her husband. We will be going to Diana Krall's concert, which will be preceded by a dinner at Estia, one of the first restaurants I went on a date with my hubs. That was 7 years ago and we haven't gone there since.  I want to sit at the table we sat at! 

I also have a babyshower to go to and a crazy Monday deadline to meet at work. OMG - I'm going to need a lot of caffein this weekend.  

Any-waaaay, hope you have a great weekend and when you get a chance, check out my Friday links!

• DIY gilded harvest place cards - Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere totally got it right with this DYI. 
• 15 Pumpkin Recipes for Cozy Fall Nights - My pick is hands down pumpkin cheesecake.  
• Before & After - This hutch make-over gives me hope for my parents' hutch.  Although, I doubt they'll go for it!
• Ikea 2013 Stockholm collection - Ikea strikes again.  This is one heck of a beautiful collection. My friend, Nancy replaced her dining chairs with this beauty. Totally jealous. 
• Domino - She's back.  Is this for real?  YES YES YES!!!

Style Mix

I'm so loving all the fall fashion happening right now.  I just want to gobble it all up and play dress up all day.  My picks for the day: 

ONE // TWO // THREE

Splurge of the Month - No Instant Gratification

Good Tuesday, guys!  I somehow survived Monday.  That's a huge accomplishment.  Yup, that's how I feel these days!

This past weekend, I was finally delivered a piece of furniture I've been eyeing forever.  West Elm's Dumont Buffet in white.  It finally went on sale and with their offer of 12 month interest free West Elm card, I went for it.  Prior to this purchase, I had to sell my piano to make room, so the little cash from that sale also helped with the purchase as well.  I'll miss the piano (once purchased via Craigslist) but I really desperately wanted this buffet for some time.  And as I expected, this buffet provides just enough space for my glasswares, napkins, vases, etc.  I share with you two photos I've posted on my instagram.

Please do excuse the white stuff on the floor that came with the delivery box.  Btw, I didn't assemble this piece together.  I had the delivery folks also assemble for an extra cost of $35.  Totally.worth.the.35.bucks. 

So, there it is. My splurge of the month.  One by one, I am replacing and adding new pieces to my home. It's a process that's frustrating yet so rewarding.  There's something to be said about waiting for something, vs. instant gratification (although most times, I prefer the latter).  

Hope you have a great week~~

TGIF - Whatcha Up To?

TGIF!!  This was such a long week for me and I am so happy to be finally putting up a post here.  September and October so far have been crazy busy for me at work.  No shutdown like those government agencies (which is a great great shame, if you ask me!).  I didn't want to miss two TGIF's in a row.  After all, Fridays are my favorite days! 

Have a wonderful weekend~~

• Big floppy hats are all over the place lately.  This girl pulled the whole hippy chic look together perfectly.
• I have an undying love for classic briefcases like this one.
• This before and after is totally inspiring me to incorporate more dark colors. 
• Did you know that October 1st was world vegetarian day?  Well, apparently it was and I'm sorry I missed it! Next year. 
• Salted Mexican chocolate ganache tarts. OMG. Lots of butter. Not to be had on October 1st, that's for sure!