Okay, Those Boots {for those who asked}

A few weeks ago I fell for the Melissa Boot by Frye.

Completely "swoon worthy", as my friend Lakeitha would say.

So off to Nordstrom I went to try them on.

As I perused the aisles, however, my eyes fell upon these.

The Bed Stu 'Kitty' Buckle Boot.

A quick try on and there was no question, these worn beauties were coming home with me.

Even Isabella approved, and that is no small feat.

Yep, great choice. I'm wearing these lovelies until they fall off my feet.

Coat Update

Color is all the rage this season in coats. After I discovered the unused JCrew gift card while organizing the piles of paper in the bonus room, my reward for completing the task was a trip to this store to see just how I could spend my newly found loot! On some color perhaps?

I didn't end up finding anything I just HAD to have, so my gift card is safe for another day. However, I did get inspiration on how to update my "in perfect condition" black JCrew coat purchased a few years ago. 

(Which looks nearly identical to the above style being sold this season!)

Along with color, gold buttons are being seen everywhere...and this is something I can easily add to mine!

Luckily I just happened to have several left over from my fashion design days.

I love their "nearly too large" style, giving my "old" coat a fun new style for the season!

If It Has To Be Fall, This Is What I Want To Be Wearing!

Donegal Tweed Skirt

Minnetonka Fringed Moccasin Boots

Okay, maybe not the best choice for Pacific NW rainy days, but loving moccasins this year!

Heather Carbon Tights

Nothing like a pair of textured tights to stay warm and stylish...and what about that skirt?!

Dream Sweater Jacket with plaid & classic black slim pants.

Dream Open Shawl Collar Cardigan with a comfy pair of jeans...what could be better?!

Arrow Sweater Jacket

Do you see a theme?
This Fall all I want is to be ultra cozy and warm...

And what's up for tomorrow?
Stop back by to see a really cool DIY art project I just completed!

Chicago Bound

I have the jewelry....

I have the shoes.

UPS, please bring my dress today. I leave tomorrow....

Oh, What To Wear?!

I will be attending a very special wedding in less than two weeks and I really want to find just the right outfit. I have nothing appropriate to wear hanging in my closet and I am finding it quite hard to make a decision on what to purchase.


Can you blame me? Ever since this event I have experienced great uncertainty when it comes to dressing up! But here is what has caught my eye...

Kate Spade's Jungle Dot Lucille Dress. Too adorable & too expensive!

Another darling Kate Spade number, the Summer Striped Jullian Dress. But besides pushing the budget, something strongly tells me someone at the wedding will be wearing this. I don't need to go there...again.


This ensemble from JCrew would be more my style, but are separates too casual, paired with a delicate little sweater? Tell me, please.

Oh, I am at a complete loss...it's a good thing I no longer work in fashion!!

Weekend Festivities & What Happens When I Try To Get A Photo Of Myself

As I was headed out the door,
to the first stop on the Progressive Dinner,
I picked up an unfinished wreath project and hung it on
the deer head.
After seeing it hanging
I decided it looked good enough to pronounce the wreath done!

(I'm realizing Holiday Decor is really not my best talent
or top interest.)

The Neighborhood Progressive Dinner was a hit and the talk is
there should be another one next summer.

Oh, it has been cold.
The thought of a party on a balmy summer evening,
lingering late into the night...outdoors,
sounds like heaven.


One of the houses on the route.
This is what my house could have looked like.
Do you remember this post?

After Friday's fashion dilemma post,
I just had to shake my head
when there were comments requesting I get photos
of myself at the party to share.

Rarely are there any good photos of me at any event in my life.
(Including my Wedding. That this a whole other story!)

That is what happens when you are the one
always behind the camera.
If I do pass off the camera with the idea there will be evidence
I was present...

...well, I'll just let these photos speak for themselves.

Thanks Jeff, for mocking my efforts.

(A few people who had read the last post and comments
knew I was trying to get a photo of myself.)



See?
I really don't know what to say.

Do I need better photographers in my life,
perhaps a better camera?
This camera is extremely challenged in night lighting.
Perhaps I need to read its manual or take a class?
In all my spare time?


Okay, this one is a bit better,
I think someone played with the settings.

Am I alone is this phenomenon?
Do you go to put together an album, scrapbook or post
only to find there are no decent photos,
(if there are any at all)
showing you were a participant in your life?

Regardless, the evening was just too much fun...

Holiday Festivities & What To Wear?

It is fortunate my husband is taking the lead on what to cook
for tomorrow's dinner, so I have had (too much?) time to think about what I will wear!

We are hosting the "Mains" portion of a
Neighborhood Progressive Dinner.
With a count of nearly 50 adults...
yikes is all I can say.

(Warning: In this post I will promote a lot of stuff...
including my neighborhood!)

Last year the Neighborhood Holiday Party had a theme of Tacky Wear...and some people went all out.


I completely disliked what I was wearing all night long, throwing it on at the last moment without a lot of thought. Was I trying to be tacky or pretty? It wasn't quite clear. (A pink vintage knit suit with beading I'd picked up in San Francisco.) This year I and the other hosts decided to go all out and have the attire be cocktail.

FYI, I Googled Cocktail attire and found this definition:

"Cocktail attire technically means a suit for men, and a cocktail dress for women, which usually means a short dress (preferably not career wear). I prefer a little black dress -- and depending how formal you think the event is, you can glam it up with accessories. Of course you have lots of leniency in what you wear -- a dressy pantsuit, a lovely skirt and top, etc. Everyone interprets the meaning of dress requests differently."
Cynthia Nellis

As a side note, there are a total of three Neighborhood Progressive Dinners tomorrow night, now this is a community you can't help but have a great time in! (Villebois, Plug 1) No snow is forecasted, so everyone should be able to walk from house to house in their lovely heels.

(Neighborhood scene from last year.)

Yesterday I decided to try on the outfit I had planned to wear and pick out what Stella & Dot (Plug 2) jewelry I was going to wear with it.


Putting on this JCrew Ruffle Tissue Tank, paired with basic black slacks, I was not happy. Certainly cute, but add a little sweater and I could go to Target (Plug 3) in this outfit. Shoot, now what?

So after school I bribed the kids to run to the mall with me. "Do you want to get a Jamba Juice?" (Plug 4)

JCrew (Plug 5) was the real destination. I quickly walked through the store grabbing whatever appealed to me, ran into the dressing room and tried on everything as fast as I could, all to a running commentary by Isabella & Max. Isabella tried on a few of the items herself, Max refrained.

Luckily a little black dress, that seemed just right, was on sale for 40% off. I am a sale kind of girl, if you don't already know that. Checked out, walked down the mall and had fun looking at all the great products at the Lego Store (Plug 6) and finally ordered up some Jamba yummies before hitting the road towards home. All this before dinner.



After I got the kids to bed, I dressed the mannequin and added the Stella & Dot Kelly Pearl Necklace and will also wear the Bloom Flower Ring. (Repeat Plug 2)


I am now looking forward to the party, happy with what I will be wearing. In the grand scheme of life, what to wear is not all that important, but when you feel good about what you have on you can forget about it and move on to enjoy the rest of it all!

Holiday Wear

These beautiful images are of an outfit I designed and had photographed at San Francisco's Palace Of Fine Arts, well over ten years ago. I have always adored these photos, romantic, as is the ensemble.


I loved the subtle gold and silver brocade fabric and slightly exaggerated lines of the design. It was a perfect reflection of the client's personality, classic but with a dramatic twist. The design has weathered the passage of time fairly well.


This is the time of year, when I need to find a few items for the upcoming Holiday Festivities, that I wish I still had my hand in fashion. With a business in fashion all I had to do when an event was approaching was to pull something from my line or have an outfit made up specifically for the occasion. Looking back I see how I took this convenience completely for granted!


I took more photos of the clothing than photos of my San Francisco Boutique...but seeing the few I have make me wonder if I should consider, someday, a similar space for my interior design business.

Tis the season to make a few wishes...

The Dallas Fashion Incident

One of my first loves is fashion...so while this blog focuses on home design, I've decided it would be fun to check in on fashion design once in awhile. I'll begin with one of my more memorable fashion moments.

About four years ago I was quite excited to be attending a party in Dallas with my husband. This would be our first trip away from the kids, and while I was nervous about leaving them I was looking forward to having a great time. In celebration I looked high and low for an outfit, finally selecting an ensemble from White House/Black Market that I thought looked pretty fabulous!

Once in Dallas, we arrived at the event and began enjoying conversations and drinks...when what did I spy out of the corner of my eye? A beautiful woman dressed IN MY OUTFIT!! Gasp. The horror, the shame, the disappointment. What do I do? Do I ignore her, do I pretend I don't notice, do I stay on the other side of the room? (Do I go back to the hotel for a quick change?)


Oh, what the *%#$! I marched right up to her with a compliment on her outstandingly good taste. It was a smart thing I did...can you believe the seating chart had us placed next to one another at dinner?!


But tell me, how does a woman shopping in Oregon and a woman shopping in New York both arrive at a party in Dallas wearing the same outfit? And not just a dress mind you, separates...items that were not sold together. We each had to, a few thousands miles apart, select the individual items to create our identical outfits!

Postscript: Once home I promptly sold off the entire outfit, down to the shoes...on eBay.

Designing My San Francisco Boutique

The first interior space I ever designed was the Janell Beals Design boutique I opened on Fillmore street in San Francisco, in 1996. What a mess! Previously used as an office space, its wonderful architectural features including soaring ceilings, pocket doors, moldings and tall windows were hidden beneath commercial carpet, layers upon layers of paint and 70's era ceiling fans.

With the help of my outstanding business partner in this venture, Victoria Renzi, (along with all the friends we could round up) we set out to transform the space on basically no budget. We ripped out the carpet to find gorgeous floors. Victoria and I personally sanded and stained the floors a rich dark walnut. Over weeks everyone took turns stripping a hundred years of paint choices off the 10' tall pocket doors. It was amusing trying to figure out what year we had reached when uncovering a layer of bright turquoise paint. We stripped the original hardware for the doors, brought in gorgeous vintage chandeliers, painted the two public rooms a grey blue and green, built clothing racks, a dressing room along with a design/work area and sewing room.

It was such a delight to go to work each day in a space which had been transformed to meet my vision, and I enjoyed many years designing beautiful garments for a wonderful and memorable list of clientele. My only regret is that I didn't take the time to take more photographs of the store! Next time...