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Jersey Shore Locket from here

Hello friends!

I'm sorry for my absence here on the blog lately. Life outside of the blogosphere has required my undivided attention lately. Don't worry, nothing bad, just a lot of things piled up all at once and now I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope you are all well!

This week we were all in utter shock as Hurricane Sandy devastated the northeast. I'm not sure if I mentioned it here before on the blog, but my family and I are originally from New Jersey and that is were I spent most of childhood before moving to South Florida.We lived close enough to New York City that it was just a few minutes drive in to our favorite spots. Needless to say, New Jersey and New York, in fact the entire northeast holds a special place in my heart.  I still have friends and family that I keep in touch with there. We've contacted them and so far everyone seems to be OK, but still without power. 

My prayers go to everyone currently struggling to bounce back from the storm. The damage is jaw-dropping, but I hope that my favorite place in the world will soon be back on its feet. Lots of love to you all and all the best. 

I found this video today of Carey Mulligan singing New York, New York and thought  you would all enjoy it...

Lady Taylor

I was so sad to hear that she passed away this morning, such an amazing actress and such a beauty. Her tenacity was one of the traits I will remember the most, this wonderful vibe of being above the rest which made her perfect for the role of Cleopatra. I think every little girl should watch Elizabeth Taylor movies to see how truly fabulous and strong a woman can be.

The first movie I saw of hers was "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and it's still one of my favorites today...

You will be missed Elizabeth Taylor!


Image via We Heart It

One Question...

Rue Magazine is officially live! Yey!

These are just a few of the spaces that I absolutely loved from the first issue and made part of my "dream home" folder.

Such an amazing bathroom! That gorgeous bedroom belongs to one of my favorite bloggers and right now I am positively gaga over that dark blue paint color.

If you haven't checked it out yet, click here.

Congratulations to the ladies of Rue!

Images via Rue Magazine

Alexander McQueen

He was one of my all time favorite designers. Such an imagination, such a visionary. I, along with the world, looked forward to everything this man created. He captured fantasy and whimsy, everything we want the fashion world to be. You will be missed...

The New Lonny is Up...

and I'm loving it!

Click Here.

50 Rule

Times Online just posted their list of the Top 50 Design blogs. Huge congrats to them all! If you haven't read the article yet, head on over and check it out. You might spot some of your daily reads and even find some new favorites. Happy blogging!

Like Mother Like Daughter

Check out how stinkin' adorable Emmanuelle Alt's daughter Francoise is. I wonder what their conversations are like when she's getting dressed...

Francoise: Mom, you wear the over-the-knee boots and I will rock it out in my classic striped T and trench. Oh, and tell Geraldine to wear those Isabel Marant boots again...I like those.

Emmanuelle: Brilliant.

image via Trendy Crew

Dear Jane,

Dear Jane,

You are my hero.

You went to a ball in Paris, you wore Chanel, and you danced with a boy named Octavian...and I bet your shoes were awesome.

Cheers girly.

Love,
Mangonett

Montrose Photos

This blog brought such a smile to my face today. If you're an animal lover, this is a great blog read. She's an animal photographer, capturing the images of everything from cuddley puppies to a yak...yep, a yak. The thing I love the most about her photos is that she creates the prettiest angles and finds the best expressions.

Happy reading!

image via A Glamorous Little Side Project

Art of the Trench

Today I am clicking through image after image at Burberry's new site Art of the Trench. It's filled with amazing images of everyday people rocking the classic trench in their own little way. I have a vintage trench coat in my closet that I found years ago. I've never worn it before because it needs a little TLC, but I think this weekend I'm going to work on it. The trench is too cool to be kept in the closet.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone, see you on Monday!

Image via The Sartorialist for Burberry

Chilly

This weekend South Floridians were fortunate enough to get a break from 90 degree whether and enjoy a cold front with temperatures in the 60s. Today, while I'm sitting here at work, I'm day dreaming about being home and making some of these... cozy up with a good book...and a cup of hot cocoa.

Maybe I'll just save it for a cozy weekend day and pray that the cold front lasts...oh pretty please!

images via Design Sponge, Apartment #34, and Cooking Light

Yep...It's Friday

I'm so glad the weekend is finally here. This week has been a busy one and I'm looking forward to some down time. Tonight, I have a feeling it's going to be a sushi night. In case I haven't mentioned this before, Mango and I are big time sushi lovers. A few rolls and some hot saki and we are happy campers.

Saturday is going to be nice and quiet, so I'm thinking that it's the perfect time to take advantage and pickup where I left off on some projects around the house. Thanks to football season, Sunday is being completely dedicated to the Saints vs. Giants game. In one corner we have my husband, an all around Saints fan, and in the other my father, the Giants fan. We're heading over to my parents house so that the men can enjoy the game in all of their football loving glory, while us girls prepare a Sunday football feast. I must admit, I'm a bit excited, nothing like good food and people yelling at the TV.

Have a great weekend! See you on Monday!

Love,
Mangonett

P.S.
I absolutely loved this photo from Joanna's picnic brunch the day after her wedding. If you haven't seen the amazing photos yet, head on over to her blog.

Wipe-On Poly and a Paint Brush

I know, I know, I'm a bit late, but I finally stumbled upon the fabulous blog Little Green Notebook. In case you haven't seen it yet, head on over and give it a looksy. This woman has single handily inspired me to grab a paint brush and some Wipe-On Poly to revamp some drabby furniture in our home office.

I came home one day from work and announced to Mango, "I am painting the office furniture!". I can tell this sort of through him off guard because he kind of just stayed looking at me for a few seconds and replied, "Ok, how are you going to paint the furniture?" Well, I was ready for him thanks to this post from Little Green Notebook where she turned an everyday credenza into this bundle of fabulousness:Isn't it gorgeous? You see that pretty blue box sitting on top of it? Well, that was a DIY project too, and another one I plan on tackling. Inspired by these lacquer boxes, she bought some basic wood ones at IKEA and after a few coats of paint and Wipe-On Poly later, she had this:

I'm not exactly sure when I will be pulling out my own Wipe-On Poly and starting to revamp the office furniture. I'm waiting for a weekend when we have a completely free day, life has been a little crazy. I say "we" because I need the Mango to help me carry the furniture up and down the stairs. So, until then,

Dear Little Green Notebook,
Thank you for the inspiration!
Love,
Mangonett

Ledger's Imaginarium

I always wondered what happened to the movie that Heath Ledger was working on when he died. I assumed that they scrapped it, after all, how can a movie go on when one of it's main actors has passed away? However, I was so excited to read that the director, Terry Gilliam, decided to move ahead with the project and even enlisted some of Heath Ledger's pals to help. The movie is "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus", this sort of crazy and surreal story with other big names like Christopher Plummer. Apparently, Gilliam asked Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell to step in for the role of "Tony", Heath Ledger's role. Since the story this is so surreal, they were able to pull off the change in actors once the character stepped into this other fantasy world.

I cannot wait to see how it turned out, the trailer alone looks amazing. One of the most heart warming aspects of this story for me is that all three actors donated their salary to Heath's daughter Matilda. Now I think that's pretty cool.

Read the whole article here.

Oh Ralphie...

Dear Ralph Lauren,
I love your clothes and no one makes a better polo shirt than you do (seriously, my husband is obsessed), but I think you went a little bit too crazy with the eraser thingy in Paint. Honestly Ralph...

Love, Mangonett

When you're finished staring at how her entire lower body is smaller than her head, read the article here.

::Pop::

Happy weekend!

image via Fated to Pretend

On The Cheap

The New York Times posted the first in their series called "On the Cheap", a project that pairs everyday renters and homeowners who are having a bit of a decorating dilemma with amazing designers in the area. For the series, people are chosen simply by writing in and budgets are ranging anywhere from $300-$10,000. I'm so excited by this, especially since in New York City, most people are living in narrow, oddly shaped spaces...just like me! I absolutely love the first makeover the posted for the series. The apartment belongs to a Ms. Haines, living in an 850 sq. ft. space with $5,000 to spend on the makeover. They paired her with designer, Mary Chan from Studio Bartleby, who ransacked everything from flea markets to my beloved IKEA for the apartment.
I absolutely love the window treatments! The simple, knotted panels are just so pretty and unexpected. The leather chair you see there used to belong to a famous novelist and was a major Craigslist find. Thanks to the awesome Expedit bookcase, she finally had privacy in her own bedroom. I love all of the little details all over the apartment, exactly what I would picture the apartment of a young career woman in NYC to look like. To read the article, click here, and to see more pictures, play around with the cool interactive feature!

Makeup Friday!

I can't help it, I'm loving the little fashionista that Emma Watson is turning into. Check out this editorial of her in Vs. Magazine. Reminds me of those days when you're just hanging out in your bathroom raiding your makeup drawer and playing around with different makeup shades...or is it just me that does that?

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! and Happy Friday!

Who's Bad?

Just taking a moment to pay homage to one of the greats, Michael Jackson. I couldn't believe it when I saw the headlines, such a sad moment.

I grew up glued to the TV as a kid watching his music videos, in fact one of my strongest memories is of my sister and I watching his Moonwalker movie over and over again. To this day I have all of the sequences memorized. As a kid, this was my favorite part, the kid version of the famous Bad video:

You gotta love the kid in the background with the 5:00 shadow.

Taking a moment...

Sorry for the lack of posts lately my friends. Work and school have been a little busy this week, I have a feeling when the weekend comes along I'm going to take a little restful nap like Emily here in a gilded chair with a flowy gown and rose petals...actually it might be more like my comfy sofa and a t-shirt and shorts, but tomAto tomaaato right?

Today I have Truly Nolen coming for a little visit as a family of bees has decided to make a home of the molding on my front door. My husband and I have tried chemical warfare to no avail, then again it's hard to win when your constantly praying that you don't get stung. I'm just hoping that Exterminator Dude will be gentle on the bill.

Our new coffee table arrived this week! The family room is finally coming together and the rug will be on it's way next week. Look forward to a couple posts on the decor for the family room, I'm not quite sure where to take it next, so I'm hoping for some opinions from my lovely readers!

Until then!

Image from Emily Blunt in Vanity Fair