Hellooooo Holiday! You are lookin' mighty fine.

So fine, that I had THE hardest time narrowing down my holiday/resort buy. Fashion has never looked so damn good. Ladies, your credit cards are gonna to love ya!

What do I miss the most about living in NYC? Walking to work through the city. With so much to see, it never got boring! 

New York City fashion market is fast paced, exciting, and exhausting all at the same time. At this particular market, I was thrilled to hear that designers were showing their collections out of their showrooms! It's always a treat to see where everything comes together behind the scenes.

First stop? Joie!  

The key to my heart is through SHOES! I can wear a pair of Joie heels for 8 hours straight in retail.  No joke. #comfy  

Joie's entire holiday/resort collection merchandised together perfectly. Love.  

The upcoming season promises luxe fabrics, bold and beautiful prints, fur accents, embroidery and new trends. Everything looked expensive and rich. Colors were deep and wearable. In short: simply stunning.  

I loved seeing all the velvet and sequin detailing. The cold shoulder and off-the-shoulder trends were present in every single collection. Prints were whimsical and dreamy. Faux leather leggings pair back to all these beautiful new pieces.  

One thing is for sure, people will be dressed to impress this Holiday season. No joke. Now let's get this party started! 

Skull Cashmere. Cozy, warm and MUST HAVE.  

I want to be invited to THIS party! #bcbg  

Sneak peak at Alice + Olivia's gorgeous collection. If only you could feel these luxe fabrics. Butter.  

Always exciting to check out Herve Leger's collection. One can dream, right?  

Pop the champagne! Ella Moss incorporated lace, fringe, metallics and fur into their gorgeous collection.  

Nicole Miller cocktail dresses are on every party girl's wish list. 

Do you think Alice & Trixie would mind if I wrapped myself in their luxurious silks? 

I'm giddy with glee, thinking about what will be arriving at Clover Boutique in the next few months! (I'm literally smiling from ear to ear.) Good things really do come to those who wait! Xo

Mad for Plaid

Cliche title. I'll give you that. But boy, I sure am MAD for PLAID this year! Loving all the new fabric weights on the good ole madras of the past. Plaid is back, and I'm not the slightest bit angry. Just mad. In a good way. 

101 ways to wear plaid. Be creative!  

The outfit ideas with plaid are endless. Unbutton and wear as a "cardi" or "coverup" over your favorite concert tee. Tis the season for festivals, right?  

LOVE the red plaid this season! 

Concert ready. GNR, here we come! 

Pop a pullover on top of your favorite plaid for a layered look. Preppy with a twist. Or even easier. Grab a twofer with the plaid fabric attached!

The lazy mans layering top. Or a busy mom's shortcut! 

Don't be afraid to pair a printed top under your favorite plaid. It will work. The key? Stick with one with less graphics and more solid.  

Prints on print.  

Don't feel like layering? A simple madras top looks great just with denim. Let's call plaid the "easy print to wear". With so many choices and fabrics, you can't possibly go wrong! Be GLAD for PLAID! 

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

Between You and ME

I get asked about my own personal closet just as many times as I get told that I look identical to Joanna Gaines. True story. If I only had a dollar... 

My closet is constantly being edited and rearranged. New pieces are continuously added and older styles (ok, maybe not THAT old), are taken out. Out with the old and in with the new!

The first thing I do when moving into a new house is to custom create a closet to fit my personal clothing collection. In order to do this, I have to assess what exactly I have the most of and build from there.  

Shoe closet. Yes, I sometimes find myself staring at this beauty. #shoeaddict  

I transformed a misshapen odd closet above my master bedroom stairway into this amazing shoe nook. Getting dressed just got that much easier, and much more fun! 

Master walk-in.  

I have this fantastic closet designer who manages to double the space of any given closet. Together, we found the perfect ratio of shelving to hanging racks.  

I like to organize all my denim by washes. Since I tend to wear the lighter more vintage inspired washes the most, I place those at eye level. The darker washes are folded more towards the ceiling. 

The biggest mistake I find that people do, is clump clothes together by color. This makes finding something in a snap extremely difficult. I like to mix up all my prints and colors. This way I can easily grab what I am looking for! 

Separating styles into categories help as well. Tanks, dresses, short sleeve and long sleeve sections really make everything look organized and aestically pleasing to the eye. 

Wooden hangers should be used in your closet to help protect your clothing. Banish hanger indentations and stretched out garments for good. Never ever use the wire hangers from the dry cleaner! Plastic hangers are also a no no as well. 

One item that should never be hung is the sweater. Keep your knits folded in a drawer. If cashmere and/or fine yarns, be sure to store these in a cedar chest or an air tight container. 

Blazer and faux fur closet  

I also had another closet created solely for my blazer and faux fur obsession. Yes, I know.  

One can never have too many.  

By keeping your closet current and up-to-date, you will be able to simply grab an item without worry and have it fit and look fabulous. With everyone so busy and short on time these days, who needs the extra stress? Not me! Xo  

Hoppy Easter!

Another holiday, another BASKET! I love making gift baskets. And I love making gift baskets NOT look like a gift basket even more. I'm bringing the "incognito basket" back!  

When I think of an Easter basket, I instantly dream of flowers, pastels, CANDY (yum) and presents. When asked to create two baskets for my client, the wheels instantly started turning. What could I do to make THIS year's baskets the best?

Deciding to go with a cool shabby chic a la Joanna Gaines (my twin) inspired look, I searched for some fun metal containers. I was thrilled when I found these winners! 

LOVED the farmhouse feel of these two metal "baskets".  

Next step was filling these fun rustic tins with a bunch of great goodies. These lucky ladies will be receiving some gorgeous Alice + Olivia outfits, Yosi Samra flip flops, Marcia Moran jewelry, embellished scarves, Kitsch hair ties, candy, cookies, Easter accessories and MORE! I would definitely call this a drool worthy gift basket. 

Just some of the amazing goodies these baskets will be stuffed with!  

Going with my vintage farmers market vibe, I instantly thought that some silk flowers would really help camouflage the gifts and make these "baskets" come to life! I made sure to coordinate the flower colors to the tins, in order to brighten up each gift basket. A little faux fern even helped give it more dimension. 

Love this color combination! Real flowers would never have held up. They would have destroyed all the awesome gifts hidden inside as well.  

Can you spot the goodies hidden inside? 

Til next time! Hoppy Easter, ya'll! Xo

Voila!  

Spring Cleaning

I had the pleasure of working with someone last week, helping them organize their much needed closet.  

Before!  

You would be surprised how common this closet really is. Everyone gets slightly sentimental with their belongings and has a hard time letting go. Also, many people have articles of clothing in their wardrobe that do not fit them anymore. We need to learn from the wise snow queen, Elsa, and just "let it go"!

It is difficult for most to find the time to filter through their closet. Between work, kids and the daily grind, there is barely enough time left to watch an entire episode of The Bachelor. And that is where I come in!

In a short three hours, we hustled and were able to make a dramatic change on this medium sized walk-in closet. My client is now able to grab any item from her wardrobe and it will be sure to fit and look fabulous. We were also able to put outfits together and I had the opportunity to educate her on accessorizing. 

Her next step? Shopping! There are a couple key "ingredients" she needs to make this closet officially complete. After that, her wardrobe will be the envy of all her friends. Including me!

After! 

Fall Fashion Recap: Two Thumbs WAY Up!

Best time to recap the Fall fashion market is right when I get home from The Big Apple. I write this blog through sleepy half opened eyes, blistered feet, fried brain cells and a super sore shoulder from carrying a heavy bag for two days. Sounds glamorous? Right? 

There are two HUGE buying shows of the year, and this was one of them. Buyers from all over the world, head to NYC right after fashion week to check out the newest trends for fall. It's non-stop, exhausting and exciting all at the same time. I cram three days of shows into two. Sneakers or flat shoes are a MUST if you plan to survive and breeze through market at a quick pace. 

Let's get this party started!  

My brain is in sensory overload with this fashion season. The trends are all over the board with a huge emphasis on the 70's. The colors seem to be very heavy with green, blue and red tones. Turtlenecks and mock necks are everywhere. Stock ties are in almost everyone's collections. Randomly, skulls are back! Sweet. Cold shoulder tops and dresses are a plenty. (Grab a great strapless bra for fall!) Denim is still skinny with a few fabulous flares. Long duster length vests are a must have. Faux fur lives on. Blouses are never going away. Thank goodness. Sweaters are lighter and easy to wear. 

This is a big change from the super hippy Summer season. Don't get me wrong, I could live in a great lil crepey mini dress, jean shorts and a voile blouse, but this Fall, the collections are rich and exciting! I want it all and I want it NOW! 

Bold and beautiful prints at Alice & Trixie. Printed silks are my own personal staple go to items all year round. 

Right off the runway at Nicole Miller.  

Long live the SKULL! So glad they are back! #laurenmoshi

Gold jewelry still played a huge role in the marketplace, BUT I did see more silver and rhodium plated goodies! Layering was still the big jewelry trend. Nothin' like a bunch of beautiful jewelry to brighten up your outfit and your day!

Gold bangles at Marcia Moran. Best sellers! Perfect layering piece for your arm candy.  

Mixing leathers and metals is what makes Vita Fede one of our favorites. Can't wait to get these in the store! 

Fun fringe. Love how they are now making the fringe textured too. Suede and leather fringe ROCKS.  

Detachable bag straps at Rebecca Minkoff. Loving all the new fatigue colors.  

Walking all day and squeezing in and out of booths is how you spend all day from 9am to 6pm.(8am if you are me and make your reps come in early! Thanks BCBG!) Shopping for clothes that will come in a few months gives us a heads up on the upcoming styles and inspirations.

Workin' at Bailey 44.  

One can never have too much denim. AG has added some fun new washes and fabrications to their collection.  

Boho chic meets ladylike at Joie.  

Finally seeing color this fall. It's been grey for way too long.  

I'm definitely in awe of the merchandising team at Alice + Olivia. Fantastic!  

So excited for these beauties to arrive at Clover!  I already have outfits already planned out in my head!

Number game. Crunchin'  and ordering. 

Now the real "fun" begins. Choosing what styles and colors to grab for the store. Who would have thought I could shop for a career? Living the dream, ya'll. Xo

My reward after a grueling market day. If you haven't eaten the crispy rice at bond street, you have not yet begun to live. It's THAT good. 

Behind the Scenes: Lights, Camera, Action!

When the jean shorts and flip flops start rollin' into Clover Boutique, the new Spring window displays need to magically appear. And by magically, I mean by me. By hand. With love.

With limited time, I like to emulate my girl, Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee, and buy store bought products and "Jenn" them up a little bit.   

I like to check my local craft store's clearance section for fun ideas and inspiration. You never know what you will stumble across... 

Spring visual displays tend to lean towards the floral side. Finally, flowers I'm not allergic to!  

The bridal section of a craft store has a ton of great hidden treasures for a fun flirty girly vibe. 

Time to make these decorations my own! Burnt fingers are all a part of the day's job.  

It's starting to turn into something puuuuurdy!  

One corner done. Another 6 windows to go!  

There is nothing more inviting than a bright cheery store with fantastic sales associates. Right? Xo

Will You Be My Valentine?

I could shop for days straight without eating... Calm down, I never said without DRINKING wine! Geez! 

When asked to shop for a client for Valentine's Day, I was over the moon! Theme baskets are my specialty. I love nothing more than putting together different elements and finishing it up with a common idea. Let the games begin!

The loot. Time to tie it all together!  

I like to shop at discount stores for fabulous close-out deals when it comes to accessorizing the baskets. They serve as "fillers" for the empty basket space and look pretty darn cute too! 

Some super fun basket accessories will make this gift come to life!  

Mixing and matching wrapping papers and ribbons also helps add depth to any basket. Bigger is always almost better! 

I stuffed an empty shirt box on the bottom of this cloth lined metal basket to add height. Throw on some colored tissue and you will never see it! Giving extra height will help show off all the fun goodies that will be loaded into this beauty.  

Let's start wrapping. You know me, the more prints the better.  

Hearts and stripes? Why the heck not! 

When filling the basket, I like to start with the tallest items towards the back. Then I start layering all the other items inside. If something starts to sink, add more tissue underneath to prop it up! Still sinking? Grab some pieces of foam from your local craft store. Cover with tissue paper. 

Fun and flirty basket fit for a lovely young lady! 

I have a few weeks til Easter basket season starts! Bring it! Xo

I'm 21 (again). Yay!

Who wants to be 39 when you can be 21?

When I was 21, I was a Junior/Senior at The University of Arizona in Tucson learning about the ins and outs of Retailing and Consumer Studies. Fun, far and WARM, how could I not want to be back there? Life was easy and one giant party in the good ole days. I had my sorority (delta delta delta), blonde hair (why?) and a fabulous tan 365 days of the year. Ahhhh, I was livin' the dream! 

I decided to have a few friends over for a little gathering to celebrate my "21st" birthday. Thanks to all who braved the cold and made it over!  

Lace Free People bralette and bare skin (gasp) under this Free People tunic! Paired with some leather Alice + Olivia shorts and a fun fedora and voila! 21st bday outfit. 

Let's get this show on the road!  Finished product. 

Thanks to all my friends who helped kick off this mini soirée. I love you all!  

It's exhausting being 21.  

I mean, how fun is it to have McDonalds cater this event! Save some for me!  

Yup. Definitely 21.  

Bar set-up

I had a blast creating this fun cake! And my friends had an even better time drinking these cake toppers. Xo

Next year I will be 40 and plan on celebrating and embracing it. But for now, let's make my last year in my thirties the best ever! Xo

Keepin' it REAL

How does one survive winter and a snowstorm with two busy lil babes? Patience, love and bloody mary's (the tomato juice makes it healthy, right?).

A day in the life of The O'Briens can be exhausting, but there were a few calm moments that I was able to capture this week. You know what they say, "the calm before the storm". Eeek. 

Had to sneak attack this picture. Trent HATES getting his picture taken. Definitely doesn't take after me! 

We spend an obscene amount of time together on our Crate + Barrel sectional as a family. Ultra suede was a necessity. A little water and voila! Clean and new. And yes, I have a slight pillow obsession. But don't worry, they are all machine washable. Gotta love those sticky fingers!

I needed a coffee table that could take a beating. This reclaimed wood Arhaus find was worth every penny! The more the kids abuse it, the better it looks. 

My furry first Chihuahua child, Toni Stewart, makes herself at home everywhere. Weighing in at a mere 6 pounds, she tends to blend in with her surroundings and is sometimes hard to find. You can be sure to find her in the kitchen during meal time. Yo quiero Taco Bell (or anything that falls on the floor). 

Can you find Toni???? 

Cozy little eating nook. And no, them apples are not real.  

Toni. Hope your paws are clean if you are hanging out on my white printed Arhaus chair! Best find of the century? My $5 Jonathon Adler wool blanket from Home Goods! Score! 

Two overactive children need their alone time just as much as this Mom needs coffee. (Ahhhhh. Coffee. How I love thee.) It's nice to see them relaxing and not fighting. Rare but wonderful.  

My house gets so much natural lighting that every sitting area becomes a reading area! Tyler loves reading books. She's one smart (and sassy) sister!

I love the combination of grey, orange and navy for a boy. Currently deciding on which window treatment fabric to use!! #workinprogress  

Counting down the days until the snow melts and we can all be outside once again. Cabin fever has definitely overstayed it's welcome this time around. My pantry has never seen so much activity and even my elastic pants are getting tight.  But until then, I'm enjoying snuggling with these two love bugs. (Three. Let's not forget about the furry oldest child.)