happy birthday!

Gift-giving is a tricky art. Not only are there a million variables to consider (your relationship to the person, their personal tastes, what they got you for your last birthday/holiday); you've also gotta work on a budget. And as much as I like receiving gift cards, I couldn't feel like more of a cop-out giving one. All things considered, this is going to be a tough one. She's been one of my best friends since kindergarten (yikes!), and the last two gifts she got me were a lovely bracelet from Paris and a framed print of one of her original designs (double yikes). So here's what I'm pondering:


Etsy is a wonderful little market of handmade treasures and trinkets, world wide web style. Jeanskipper creates some wonderful jewelry, including this handstamped pendant necklace. They can also be made to order; I'm thinking of getting one engraved with some silly inside joke from our elementary school days. It's just the sort of quirky, sentimental token she'd enjoy - and I'd love to give.

when inspiration strikes

With Serena Van Der Woodsen as my latest muse, I stumbled across these stunning pieces while searching for my own Blake Lively worthy necklaces.  The entire Gemma Redux line is designed by Rachel Dooley, a self-taught designer with a background in mechanical engineering and industrial metals.  Most of the Winter '07 line features intricate twist and tangles, lending the metal a unique drape and the makings of a beautiful statement.  With the pictured 'Matty' piece ringing up at $225, my own neckline will have to wait.  Needless to say, I'll be stalking for the sales.  

IMAGE CREDIT: GEMMA REDUX

xoxo

I've resisted as long as I could. But halfway through disc one of the inevitable Gossip Girl marathon, I think I'm in love. With Blake Lively, her hair and the sweetly vulnerable Penn Badgley. In the inability to claim any of these as myself or my own, I'll have to content myself with loving the show's wild, extravagant style. Bringing things back down to earth (e.g., anywhere outside Manhattan's Upper East Side), I'm loving Serena's pitch-perfect necklace collection and making a beeline to rediscover my own jewelry box. Still, the ultimate question is: how to I get my hair to look like this?

IMAGE CREDIT: CW