Ink Block Boston Launch Party

If you live in Boston and haven’t heard of Ink Block by now, you might be living under a rock. Ink Block Boston, the newest in Boston’s series of luxury apartment buildings and condos, celebrated its opening last week with an epic launch party that I was lucky enough to attend.

The evening soirée was held on the beautiful second story pool deck of the Ink Block Boston’s South End apartments. The Launch Party, hosted by Boston Common Magazine, Ketel One Vodka, KP Strategies, and The Event Society, was incredible. The pool deck was filled with Boston elite, from Dirty Water TV personality Sophia Goulet to Boston Bruins defenseman Dennis Seidenberg…as well as my blogger bestie Caitlin, myself, and my boyfriend – Boston’s newest transplant from LA.

Drinks were flowing with spring martinis from Ketel One, 90+ Cellars newest rosé (that company is everywhere!), and hard cider from Cider Creek. Lobster rolls and sliders from Stephi’s on Tremont and Blackbird Doughnuts kept attendees warm on the cool night. The illuminated pool and music from Opyn Mynd featuring YouTube violinist sensation and Boston-native Rhett Price set a great mood for mingling on deck long after the sun had set on the beautiful day.

ink block boston launch party

Photo Courtesy: Cait Plus Ate

The Ink Block Boston launch party was a fabulous evening full of friends, great music, television appearances, and drinks by the pool. If you’re in the neighborhood or looking for an awesome place to live, check out Ink Block Boston, and remember to invite me to your pool party.

spring style–boat shoes, camo, and stripes, oh my!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  Happy Freaking Spring!  After the horrible winter this year, I’m welcoming the nicer weather.
This weekend is beautiful here in Boston and yesterday I felt inspired to make the most out of the nice day.  I made plans to meet up with a girlfriend for lunch and beers outside at my favorite spot, Parish Cafe.  I also decided that yesterday was the day to break in my new Sperry Top-Sider boat shoes that I finally bit the bullet on.  You can’t live in New England and not own boat shoes!  Never mind the fact that I’m not a boater…YET.  If you build it, they will come, right?  Get thee some boat shoes, become a boater. I see no flaw in this logic.  In fact I could probably write this purchase off on my taxes next year as self-entrepreneurial business development.
I also wore my three favorite things because they made me happy–ripped jeggings, stripes, and camouflage. I threw a leopard print scarf in my bag for good measure because nothing says pattern mixing like every pattern you’ve ever owned vomiting on your body.  I didn’t need to use it, which is probably good because that would have been overkill but I wouldn’t have cared because I was so damn happy about the weather!
For real though, to me it was the perfect outfit. Pieces that made me happy put on in layers. Ripped jeans, a light weight cotton shirt, and a jacket.  My feet get cold easily and although I saw plenty of people in sandals, my piggers would have froze and my Sperrys were the perfect shoe for a Spring day.
If I didn’t just blog about this I might have been tempted to wear this again today…but I won’t because that’s just weird. 

march obsessions

It’s officially Spring and almost the end of March already–woohoo!  Bring on the warm weather!  In celebration of the melting of treacherous black ice that has caused me to fall on my ass on more than one occasion this winter, I’ve complied a list of the things that have been getting me through these past few weeks.  As you can probably tell, this winter has been rough for me.  It’s the little things in life that keep me sane, and happy, but mostly sane.
My secret to be happy are looking good and feeling good, as illustrated by the fancypants picture below.
march obsessions
Awesome Blazer:  I attended a blogger shopping event at the Loft in February with Elissa from Style Wire and Georgina from Notes on Lifestyle by Georgina where I picked up this adorable blazer.  It’s a dark heather grey with a black and white striped liner.  It’s cotton and so comfy, which is important for someone like me who spends her downtime wrapped in a Snuggie.  A blazer like this is the perfect way to look adorable but feel like you’re in pajamas and is my total cheat to looking put together.

Chiffon Blouse: I love blouses that can go from day to night, are long enough to wear with leggings, but sexy enough to wear on a date.  Enter this perfect chiffon blouse that I picked up from H&M last week.  I got it in white because rose isn’t a good color on me.  I’ve already worn it twice in the past week.

Body Butter: The end of winter did horrible things to my skin so I switched from my regular moisturizer to this almond body butter from The Body Shop.  Even though the winter is over, I’m still slathering this yummy stuff on from head to toe–ok not toes, as I quickly learned that walking on wood floor with body buttered feet is a dangerous idea!

Sparkling Water: Ever since the Blog and Tweet Boston Steakapalooza at DelFrisco’s where we were offered either still or sparkling water, I’ve been on a sparkling water kick.  I forgot how much I love fizzy water and I’ve been stocking up my fridge anytime I’m out with a friend who has a car.  It’s just too much work to carry bottles of water 6 blocks home from Trader Joe’s.

Athleta Yoga Pants: In case you haven’t noticed from my recent posts, I’ve become quite the yogi.  I joined a new yoga studio and have been going to classes between 3 and 5 times a week.  Accordingly, I’ve been outfitting myself with yoga clothes.  After a brief love affair with the Lululemon Wunderunder crops, I found the Althleta Chaturunga capris that I like even better (gasp!) and they come in fun colors!  I picked up these blue bad boys several weeks ago and their Catalina green cousin last weekend.

Do you have any March Obsessions that have been getting you through the last few weeks of winter?

’tis the season

Now that Thanksgiving (and Hanukkah) are over, it’s officially the countdown to Christmas.  This Jew doesn’t really celebrate Christmas, unless you count movies and Chinese food as celebratory, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t marvel in the joys of the winter holiday season.  I don’t want to say that I love the Christmas spirit, lest someone goes into a diatribe about keeping Christ in Christmas and how, as a Jewish person, I’m diluting the values of the holiday, so I’ll keep my joy broad.
Regardless of what you want to call it.  I like December.  The winter is first falling upon us, Christmas lights on the trees make it less scary to walk home in the dark, the mood is full of festivities and boozy holiday parties and people are only slightly miserable about the weather.  In honor of the happy season, I love decorating my house.  I break out my yummy vanilla snowflake/winter/icicle candles from Bath and Body Works that smell nothing like snowflakes, mix up some boozy hot chocolate, and set about decorating my apartment as non-Christmasy as possible with ornaments and white lights.
Last year I used blue and silver Christmas ornaments in apothecary jars because ironic Hanukkah decorations are fun.  

This year, Hanukkah fell over Thanksgiving so I swapped out the blue balls (insert joke here) for all silver and went with a rustic shiny and burlap theme.

I was blessed with a badass 12 foot mantle in my new apartment that begged to be decorated.  Keeping up with my rustic shiny theme, I took an old canvas frame that I had refinished (which is just a fancy word for whitewashed in 30 seconds on a random Saturday) with a cardboard E that I had covered in craft moss and stuck that puppy front and center.  I cut strips of burlap because I’m too lazy to buy actual burlap ribbon and dotted it with glittered pine cones that I will no doubt be cursing myself for when I end up with glittered socks from wayward flecks on the floor.  Today I picked up some Christmas lights and ran them behind the burlap for a cozy, winter holiday but not Christmasy, feel. 

What do you think?  The best part is that I can keep my decorations up all winter long!

Do you decorate for the winter or just Christmas?

what I’ve been wearing-fall season openers

Because its a bit more interesting than “What I’ve been doing” which is nothing aside from work, drink beer, watch football, and occasionally attend a meeting about fulfilling wishes for children with terminal illnesses (more on that another time).
Fall has officially started in Boston, just slightly early of the first day of fall according to the calendar.  Accordingly, I’ve broken out my fall clothes.  Which, aside from sweaters and heavier fabrics, include finding fun ways to layer summer clothes, including the one last wear I got out of a black maxi dress.
During a freak couple warm days last week I wore my favorite versatile green dress and a tunic from J.Crew Crew Cuts.   My boss told me the striped tunic looked just like the one that his 8 year old daughter has…umm yeah, probably because it was the same one.  Ain’t no shame in a 29 year old shopping in a kids store.  Ok, maybe a little.
This week I broke out the gingham, corduroy and suede Tory Burch flats.  I ordered a new sweater/sweatshirt from Nordstrom that came in the mail yesterday (yay, for shopping at a big girl store!) that I can’t wait to blog about.
Fall is my favorite season on account of the awesome clothes, beer, spiked cider, crisp air, and awesome outdoor activities.  If only I could find some time to go apple picking!
How’s your fall starting out?