Me in Melange

Sunshine and Lemonade

These fabulous shades of yellow have us singing along with the birds! Just what the doctor ordered after a long winter! These pretty lemon yellows are so vibrant, we swear we can get our daily dose of Vitamin D just by wearing them! Pair any of these perfect spring and summer tops with sassy jeans, white pants, or your favorite shorts. Don't skimp on the sandals, wear metallics, or or beaded t-straps, or go natural with a neutral brown, which shows off that pedicure to perfection! Sexy sunshine, and delicious lemonade!

Clockwise from left: Fifteen-Twenty's Pintuck Peplum Top, Om Girl's Mandarin Tee, and Om Girl's Ombre Flow Hoodie

 

 

Quote

Found this quote on a card yesterday and wanted to share it...."it had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. they went out and happened to things." ~ leonardo da vinci

Cool huh? :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

California Dreamin'

 

 

 

 

Hellooo, darlings! Just back from Spring Break in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Palm Springs! I am so inspired by the sunshine, the fragrant desert flora, the ocean....all I want to wear is lightwash denim trousers, silk kaftans, and huge sunglasses! Unfortunately, my suitcase is not kaftan-friendly, BUT I did manage to pack some of my favorite Melange items, including this striped top from Velvet! Rodeo drive was fun to wander with my

 

14 year-old daughter who took pictures of Versace, Tiffany's and Chanel. (I told her she should get a good job so she could have such high-brow tastes, and she rolled her eyes at me and said, I will, Mom, duh!)

One of my favorite things about California is the cactus. Like prehistoric time-capsules they rise up everywhere, along the freeway, between buildings, tucked away in old alleys. Huge, thick branches that suddenly bloom with fierce color. Absolutely stunning! I wish I could wear them!

One of my favorite places in SoCal is the beautiful Topanga Canyon. Eucalyptus, sage, and bougainvilla fill the air with sweet and spicy scents. The ocean air blows in, Fleetwood Mac comes on the radio, and suddenly, I'm in heaven!

So get yourself to California when you can, darlings. And bring that lightwash denim!  xoxoxo (love me, DR)

Summer Looks from Head to Toe

 

Oh, how we welcome the coming of Spring, and not just because the flowers start to bloom....but because we also start to bloom! With the advent of warmer weather, we finally can let our skin breath and escape the confines of our winter coats! We can don light, easy dolman tops and sexy racer back tanks. We can bare our calves in cute cropped jeans, or walk with swingy steps in wide-leg trouser jeans and platform strappy sandals! We can stretch our arms out in delight in the new   sunshine and float along on the scented spring air, resplendent in our colorful skirts and dresses. Ahhhh, good for the spirit, good for the soul! 

Pictured: Velvet's new Loulou Sebu Open Sleeve Dress and my new favorite shoes!!!!!

(love, DR)

Oh, my spring craftiness!

Are you seeing this cuteness?  This is a result of my spring creative surge.  We hung them on all our windows in the store and they look just darling!  So, I thought I'd share my little project, which turned out to be VERY time consuming because of course i had to make 18 of them....but on the bright side, I did get to play creatively, AND I got to do it late at night while watching old episodes of Prison Break (and I love watching my t.v. boyfriend Wentworth Miller).  

Here's what you do....

1.  Buy plain old clothespins.  Old school, cheap.

2.  Take apart the clothespins, throw away the metal thingy, you don't need it.

3. I dyed all the clothespins in batches of Rit dye (which is crazy fun because you can get so many different shades and if you like working with color it is a blast). 

4.  Glue two clothespins together, back to back with wood glue.  Let them dry.  Then you glue those puppies together in a circle.  I used gobs of glue, for fear that they'd bust apart, but in hindsight I might have gone a little crazy.  Superglue doesn't work--use wood glue.

5.  They are cute without anything in the middle, but I took various fuzzy yarns, balled them up and glued them inside the centers with a little tacky glue, and then we hung the entire flower from green yarn (sort of stem like).

Voila, done. 

Sign, ME {lv}

 

Our Pretty Little Facebook Page

 

 

We are loving our new facebook page! The new format creates a layout that is so photo-and-fashion friendly! Check out our page and like us for stylish spring updates and new arrivals. We even throw on a delicious recipe or two!

  Fashion, Art, and a love of life!  Check it out!

 

Palace Perfection

Sigh. Forgive me while I take just a moment to celebrate the complete and total gorgeousness that is Kate Middleton, commoner-turned-future-queen and style star. I mean, come ON! Her fashion sense, given that she has to live on a very particular world stage, is PERFECTION. She effortlessly dresses in a way that pays respect to the old order, but makes it new and freshly chic. All without any flash or cleavage. She brings a new kind of class to the monarchy, and is an amazing example to women everywhere! Stick to simple styles that fit well! Add an unexpected touch (LOVE the fresh yellow flowers pinned to her beautiful coat dress from Missoni!) And have a geniune smile ready to top it all off.

All Hail Hard Tail!

 

A lovely new shipment of Hard Tail has hit the racks, and we couldn't be happier! Soft, supima cotton and modal blends in casual, comfortable, and colorful silhouettes from spring and summer! Love this long, fresh blue skirt!  Pair it with a sexy white tee, some beautiful sandals, and a twinkling silver necklace to feel like a walking vacation! 

 

 

 

On a Wave of Beautiful Color

Hooray! We're carrying some of the beautiful spring pieces from "Closed"! This company makes modern, hip sportswear for men and women and we're delighted to bring you some of their latest masterpieces.

  Rich, vibrant color pops like fresh spring fruit with this wonderful two-tone tee. Strawberry and Tangerine look beautiful together and really elevate an every-day look. Layer it through spring, and pair it with short shorts in the summer.

This absolutely luscious pink silk blouse has us head-over-heels. As feminine as it gets in pink silk and   scalloped collar, its classic button front silhouette is simply beautiful.

Add some color to your wardrobe, spice up your denim, and rock some red jeans! This pair from Closed is cut in a sexy, skinny silhouette, and looks great with a hot white tank and your fave accessories. Dress them up with a flowey dolman top and heels, or dress them down with a rock and roll tee and Chuck Taylors.  Love!

We must say, Closed is Open!

Oh My Lucky Michael Stars!

Like a spring Easter basket of delicious goodies, our new shipment from Michael Stars is colorful and filled with treats! Sleek tanks, tees and smooth, sporty hoodies in GORGEOUS color have arrived to layer ito our spring and summer looks.

Pink "Passion" wears her heart on her sleeve.The rich indigo of "Passport" speaks of the beauty of faraway places, and the cheerful sunny "Daisy" brings summer sunshine to your wardrobe!

Treat yourself to some color and style that will go with everything from jeans, jackets, tunics, tanks, jeans, skirts and shorts!