Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, my darlings. Thank you so much for a wonderful year; it has been so much fun to have you here. Here are a few fun links...and see you in 2010! xoxo

A holiday birdfeeder.

Abbey's cuter-than-cute Christmas card.

Sherlock-Holmes chic.

Oooh, those LA views.

Times Square snowball fight.

A rad reindeer ad campaign.

Liking this sealife poster and nautical collection.

Plus, two videos:

A sweet wedding save-the-date.

Random but cute: A baby elephant who lived with a Russian family!

(Photo by Elisabeth Dunker)
You have read this article design / photography with the title December 2009. You can bookmark this page URL http://hollywood-else-were.blogspot.com/2009/12/happy-new-year.html. Thanks!

The Shining


On Monday evening, Alex convinced me that it was a good idea for us to turn off all the lights and watch The Shining. Needless to say, I totally freaked out and had to check under the bed before going to sleep that night (seriously) (I'm 30). So, yesterday, Alex showed me this hilarious spoof trailer from 2006, which makes the movie look like a romantic comedy. I was dying laughing. Now that's more my speed.

Do you like scary movies?
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Home Inspiration: Frame Walls


We're slowly but surely starting to put together a nursery (exciting!). I love the idea of having a frame wall, so the baby can look up from its crib and see all its loved ones smiling down on him or her. So, I think we're going to roll up our sleeves and make one! Here are two photos I'm using for inspiration. xo

(Top photo by Todd Selby; bottom photo by Annie Schlechter/Domino)
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J. Crew tees

J. Crew's floral T-shirts are so cute, and the best part is that they still stretch over my rapidly growing belly. (I really popped this week!)
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Rainy wedding

I keep coming back to this rainy wedding in a California barn. The couple looks so blissful, and I'm in love with the bride's cream-colored wrap cardigan.

P.S. Apparently when they rowed to the middle of the lake, it was just a drizzle...then suddenly the skies opened up! What a cute candid moment.

(Photos by Braedon Photography)
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Modern wreath

How cheery is this do-it-yourself wreath made with felted balls? You could keep it up all year!

(Via SeeSaw Designs and Black Eiffel)
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Sex & the City 2 Trailer


I really didn't like the first Sex & the City movie. Big was the absolute worst! Carrie should have run for the hills. Still, I loved the show and am curious about the sequel. Here's the trailer. What do you think? xoxo

(Via I Heart You)
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Jenny's birth story

Oh my goodness, have you read Jenny's birth story from Christmas Eve? She was planning to deliver at the hospital, but all of a sudden...read the full story here. My jaw dropped. Congratulations, Jenny!

(Photo by Mav)
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Country house

Welcome back! Hope you had a wonderful holiday. We just got back from sunny California, and now I'm daydreaming about warm balmy days. Take a look at this couple's rad country house in upstate New York (what a dream!)...

You can play ping-pong with a pup...

...stop to smell the wildflowers...

...swim in the backyard...

...store whisky on wooden beams...

...and make your own pickles and jam (yum).

And, when asked what surprised them most about country life, they answered, "Secret waterfalls and bears." Awesome!

(Photos by Todd Selby)
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Have a wonderful holiday!

Have a wonderful holiday!!! We'll be in California this week, and I look forward to catching up with you next Monday. Meanwhile, here are a few festive posts from around the web... xoxo

Sketchy Santas.

Snowflake curtains.

Oooh, what a pretty bobby-pinned bun for the holidays.

Loving the new letterpress wedding invitations by our girl Erin Jang.

New York City holiday decor.

Pretty photos.

Hey, a blog that SNOWS!

Plus, a sweet video: Elderly couple Fran and Marlo walked into the lobby of the Mayo Clinic for a checkup and spotted a piano. They've been married for a whopping 62 years, and Marlo turned 90 this year. Watch them play! xo (Thanks, Amanda!)

(Photos by Elisabeth Dunker)
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Feeling Smitten...

My dears, here's a round-up of my Glamour Magazine blog posts, if you'd like to see...

Gasp! The most adorable tulle wedding dress!

Are you scared of flying?

Guy pretty vs. girl pretty: Bandeau bras.

Do you kiss your parents on the mouth?

Real (casual) wedding: "We got our families together and ate burgers!"

How I told Alex I was pregnant...

Would you rather date a manly man or boyish guy?

Which of these three dresses would you wear on a winter date?

Who would you want in the room with you when you have a baby?

Real wedding: Getting married in a secret Manhattan park.

A guy reveals what it really feels like to kiss a girl...

What music do you want to play at your wedding? Here was our last song...

My (much) older celebrity crush...

Do you like the sound of your name + your boyfriend's last name?

(Photo of my friends James and Heather; aren't they sweet?)
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Holiday trips

Tonight, Alex and I are flying to flying to Los Angeles (on Virgin Airlines, whoot whoot!) to visit his family. We rented two teeny houses in Santa Monica, so we can all stay together. I'm looking forward to some sunshine after all the New York snow!

While looking up vacation rentals, I also stumbled across this super rad rental studio in Venice Beach. Isn't it awesome? We're not staying there this year, but maybe someday!

What are you doing for the holidays this year? xo
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Seagull tote

What a cute seagull tote. I bet he has a French accent.

(Via Happy Cavalier)
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NYC rooftop houses

Oooh, look at these amazing photos of rooftop houses in Manhattan. Can you imagine weeding your garden, twenty stories up? And think of the views from your front porch!

And a little note: Thank you SO much for all your incredibly sweet comments yesterday. They were really lovely and touching. xoxo
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Very Happy Nine-Month News...

My sweet darling readers, it's with great excitement that I announce that Alex and I are expecting our first child! It's our little honeymoon miracle (a very welcome surprise) and we are absolutely over the moon. I'm four months along (it's been almost impossible to keep quiet; I have been dying to tell you!), and my belly is slowly but surely expanding. Our babe is growing fast and furiously and is now the size of an avocado! We can't wait to welcome this little person into the world and give him or her lots of hugs, smooches and tummy rubs. xoxo

P.S. Thank you so much for putting up with my many, many baby fever posts over the past two years!
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Have a sweet weekend.

My lovely readers, what are you up to this weekend? Alex and I are going to our friend J's annual holiday dinner tonight. He always keeps the dinner menu a secret, so we're waiting with bated breath. For two of the past seven years he's served Turducken! It's a de-boned chicken inside a de-boned duck inside a de-boned turkey, and you can slice it like a loaf of bread. How rad is that? (Also a feat to fit it all into a tiny NYC oven.) Well, my lovelies, have a wonderful weekend, and, meanwhile, here are a few great posts from around the web...

Fourteen ways to survive a holiday flight.

A perfect gift for type enthusiasts.

YUM, breakfast...

J. Crew's pretty new wedding dress.

A bike twist on the ubiquitous poster.

Oooh, this beautiful shop is opening in a restored 1950's service station in Ohio. (Midwest is best!)

Crux blankets (via Melanie)

Make your own pine-cone garland and wreath chandelier!

Five pretty winter outfits. (LOVE the tie-die skirt.)

I love these old-school clutches.

Mark your calendars: The new season of Project Runway starts on January 14th!

And, to add a smile to your weekend, a hilarious Onion video...

(Photo by Stephanie Congdon Barnes)
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Wedding kiss

This fall, our friends Corrie and Kerry got married in a beautiful park between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. I absolutely love this photo of their first kiss, don't you? They look so joyous!

P.S. More wedding kisses.

(Photo by Robert Sukrachand)
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A stuffed goose

A big thank you to Alex for surprising me with an early Christmas present last night -- the little goose I had loved from my gift guides! I had been talking about it non-stop, and since it was "so cute, it hurt," Alex brought it home yesterday. Welcome to the family, little goose! We love your striped feet!
P.S. His new home on the bookcase.
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Room with a View perfume

When I was growing up, A Room With a View was one of my favorite books and movies. (I remember reading the book while lying on our trampoline in the backyard!) So I was thrilled to hear about this new perfume inspired by the passage where George and Lucy kiss for the first time in a field of violets.

(Via Frolic)
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Etsy, full-time

Alex wrote a New York Times story today about crafters who quit their day jobs to try to make it big on etsy. So fascinating! Read it here. xo

(Photo by Yokoo Gibran)
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Home inspiration: Outdoor tree

How sweet is this outdoor Christmas tree? It looks especially nice when paired with a charming old English cottage.
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Swedish dog

Ok, I have a random confession: I used to be scared of dogs. Since we never had pets growing up, I assumed dogs on the street would walk by and just bite my hand off! But Alex adores them so much that he's taught me to love them, too. Look at these sweet photos of Camilla Engman's pup Morran. What a seriously rad life she has in Sweden!

Do you have a dog? xo
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