Decades- A Vintage Wonderland

I've passed the vintage store Decades on Melrose Ave. a ton of times, but I've never been inside. After seeing this spread with owner Carmen Silver I think I may just have to stop in this weekend!

Such a gorgeous store! I'm in love with the Pierre Cardin dress on the vintage Louis Vuitton luggage.

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PS. Tomorrow I will be participating in a day of blogging silence in memory of baby Cohen. To learn more please go here or here.

A (Vegan & Gluten Free) Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

Since K's quarter-century birthday is next Tuesday, I made his favorite candy, chocolate peanut butter cups. They are really simple to make and they're even easier to store if you want to make them ahead of time. This version is completely vegan, a la The Kind Diet, and tweaked to be gluten free, but sub any of the ingredients with ones that suit you and your family best.

Ingredients
1/2 C. soy butter (any butter will do)

3/4 C. crunchy peanut butter
3/4 C. (or 10 squares) graham cracker crumbs (gluten free crackers here)
1/4 C. maple sugar or other granulated sweetener
1 C. non-dairy chocolate chips- I used Enjoy Life (again- Hershey, Nestle, etc are fine too)
1/4 C. rice, soy, or regular milk
1/4 C. pecans, almonds or peanuts, if desired

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners (If You Care makes unbleached recycled liners)

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in pb, graham crumbs, and maple sugar- mix well. Remove from heat and evenly divide mixture among muffin cups (2 tablespoons ea.)

Combine chocolate and milk in separate pan over medium heat. Stir frequently until smooth.

Spoon chocolate evenly over peanut butter mixture in cups. Top w/ chopped nuts if desired.

Place in refrigerator- or freezer if making ahead- to set Approx. 2 hours

Currently Loving- DIY Edition

Some of my favorite 'do it yourself' projects:

I Love You Coffee Stencil via How About Orange

Spool Flower Holders via Marie Claire

Paper Bag Calendar via Le Petit Pot


And for the more ambitious DIYers out there...


Ruffled Shirt via Tea Rose Home

I might have to try that coffee stencil this weekend. Seems simple enough too!

Sequins, Ruffles, Bubbles, Baubles & More

Love these gorgeous pieces for summer!

Bronzed bubble skirt:

Sequin shift dress:

Stripe sequin tee:

Brass bauble ring:

And I couldn't leave out this gorgeous Scalloped Ruffle dress by Christopher Kain:

That scalloped dress is just beyond.amazing.

Splash of Color

I'm in love with these colorful rooms via Living Etc.

Accents with a pop of color- whether a chair, shoe rack, or rug- can really brighten up any space without being too over powering.


The shoe boxes with photo labels are a great idea for your bedroom if you don't have a lot of closet space, as it can double as decor!

Prayers Needed

My heart is aching today for Megan and Brent from Life of Megan. Their sweet baby boy Cohen went home to be with the Lord last night and I know they can use all of the prayers, thoughts, love, and support we can give.

They were so brave to share their story. You can read more about it on Megan's blog or on Send Love to Cohen.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Tea Towels + Giveaway Winner

Woohoo- we made it to Friday! Last night I was searching for some textile inspiration (weekend project is in le works) and came across these super cute tea towels from Studiopatro, a gorgeous pattern studio in San Francisco. In addition to being the perfect compliment in any kitchen, these towels work great as wall art, seat cushions, hostess gifts, etc. Love!

The winner of the $100 CSN gift card is...Anna @ What Anna Loves
Congrats girlie- I will be emailing you shortly :)

Thank you CSNstores for hosting such a generous giveaway!

Have a great weekend xoxo

A Very Happy Birthday

I'm not one to talk about my birthday- I don't know why but it's never really been a big deal to me. But with having a blog and always being uplifted by all of your comments and emails, I wanted to celebrate my birthday tomorrow by giving you a little something for always making my day!

CSN has offered a $100 gift card to one of you to spend at any of their 200+ stores! Platform beds, Le Creuset cookware, super cute luggage sets, accent pillows- they really have it all!

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Entering is easy-peasy:

1- Be sure you're a follower of Brunch at Saks. (No blog? You can still follow on the top right)
2- Leave a comment below- even if it's just to say hi!

For an additional entry: Tweet about this giveaway with this link http://tinyurl.com/37t8elz and leave a comment saying you did so.

International readers welcome to enter. Winner chosen from Random.org and announced Fri, June 18.

Simple, right?! Have fun browsing and a great weekend :) xoxo

Spotted Backstage: Pom-Pom Headbands at Sonia Rykiel

I almost fell off my chair when I saw these backstage photos from one of my favorite French designers, Sonia Rykiel's, Fall/Winter 2010 fashion show. She is brilliant.period.End of story. I mean just look at those massive pom-pom headbands! I'd wear one of those in a heartbeat and wouldn't be afraid to knockout anyone who looked at me oddly with a quick pom-pom fueled neck snap. Moving on from those treasured beauties, her soft and elegant tops and skirts are perfect to wear alone or as layering pieces when the weather gets cooler.

I'm in love.

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Fashion Laws: What's Your Personal No-No?

Hi, my name is ________ and I've admittedly worn _______.

Jelly shoes. Tommy Hilfiger overalls. Baggy flannel shirts. High-waisted jeans. Slouch Socks. And...wait for it...a fanny pack (don't judge- you had one too). Fill in the blank with what you may- we've all fallen victim to an appalling trend or two...or three...or hundred. As fashion changes with the seasons, it's almost unavoidable for some trends to pop up after a decade hiatus (leggings, anyone?), much to the dismay of older generations who've already lived through the horrific phase once before.

If we're lucky, the most hideous of trends are quickly laid to rest after their short-lived reign as king in our closet; the only remnants being faded Polaroids stashed in a dusty shoe box in our parent's attic. One good thing to come out of such horrendous trends: learning what NOT to wear. Even better, we've actually started policing ourselves before walking out the door, making the world a more beautiful place one less Choker necklace at a time.


Everyone can relate to a fashion trend misfortune. A piece of cringe-worthy photographic evidence followed by the typical "shoot me if I ever leave the house like that again" public plea, and voila- you've joined the masses of mishaps. I have my share of laws that I adhere to (these are just personal- so if you wear these trends, rock it out!) like avoiding denim on denim. I do not care if the pieces have the same dye, it is just wrong on so many levels. I also have an issue with velvet that I don't even want to discuss. Just the word alone makes me want to vom.


But my number one personal law is to never, and I mean nev-ah, wear any pants (or shorts) with letters across the butt. Alphabet-booty duds, as I've coined them. I admit, a few times in college I could have been spotted in the cafeteria with a pair of these babies on, but this trend was instantly finito for me when I was forced to stand behind a woman for 2 hrs at the DMV with "Beauty Queen" plastered across her not-so-fit behind. Honestly, it looked more like "B e a u t y Q u e e n" with all the stretch n' sprawl going on. It was horrific. I have no place to talk though- I can only imagine what I put my poor peers through as I strutted across campus in my own pair of stretched lettered pants with my not-so-fit behind! Needless to say, all of my ABC threads went straight to Goodwill, and I have yet to put my behind in a pair since.

So now the fun part: what is your personal fashion law?

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Currently Loving...

...these gorgeous things:

{Squirrel in the Attic's Hey Beautiful Card}

{Modern Chic Home's Cupcake Pedestals}

{Mandizzle's The Funky Rose Ring}

{Petunia's Cupcake Garland}

{Olive Manna's Stella Sleeping Mask}

{Squirrel in the Attic's Hey Pretty Card}

{Olive Manna's Organic Lavender Sachet}

Have a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful day :)

Summer Wardrobe Take II: Calypso St. Barth

My summer wardrobe hunt continues and it's quite fun, to be honest. I'm not much of an 'in-store' shopper, so browsing boutiques online is right up my alley. I found Calypso St. Barth via Hamptons Magazine and have become obsessed with their beautiful dresses, tops, and accessories. While they have amazing brand new pieces for summer (my cart has been filled for three days), their sale section is not too shabby either. I'm not afraid to go straight to a sale rack when I actually go to a store, so why would I avoid such a great thing online?! All of these pieces are currently marked way down and they're gorgeous- like so gorgeous that I hesitated to click 'publish post' for fear they will disappear!

Circle Dress $325 now $99
Silk Sequin Tank $190 now $29
Sweet Tart Ruffle Skirt,$135 now $99
Chantal Tunic $325 now $99

Where are you shopping at these days? Happy #summerwardrobeshopping!

Real Houswives of NYC- Kelly's East Hampton Home

I love, love, LOVE the Real Housewives series (OC, Atlanta, NJ- all of them) but the NYC ladies have a special place in my heart! No matter how crazy, backstabbing, and chatty they can be, each of them are fantastic and I'd love to lunch with them any time, any day.

When I saw Kelly Killoren Bensimon's gorgeous East Hamptons home (she's renting the 5,800 sq ft. beauty out this summer- it can be yours for just $300,000! ha!) I immediately fell in love and wished even more that I could ditch LA for a while and head east for the summer. It's sophisticated, whimsy, and modern with splashes of color and unique art. The decor and style may not be for everyone, but it's gorgeous none-the-less.


So what do you think? It's different than a lot of the homes I've seen in the Hamptons, but again, I love that's quirky and off-beat in a fun way. Kudos to Kelly or her design team on this one!