Color Crush: Black, Blossom, and Pale Blue

Oh it's been ages since my last Color Crush post! Sigh! I sure have missed creating them.

Anyhow, this one was sparked when I spotted this beautiful scarf a few weeks ago. Unfortunately these shades of pink and blue most often remind me of baby showers or nursery decor, however I've found that with a pop of moody black they have a whole new appeal. Feminine with a mysterious edge...don't you agree?! xo Ez

Find more Color Crush posts here.

Safari Sketch Scarf - Madewell // Polish colors: Raven, Joan, and Blu - Zoya // Eden One Piece Swimsuit - Tory Burch // Teesdale Dress - Antipodium // Pre-Order Etta Glitter-Heel Pumps in Hummingbird Floral - J.Crew | Colorblock Tartine Satchel - J.Crew

Free Springtime Printables Inspired by Fossil Spring 2013

The Spring 2013 Fossil catalog arrived in my mailbox right before I left on my trip to Alt, but it wasn't until yesterday while straightening up that I finally had a chance to look through its pages. I'm so glad I did! The colors and pieces Fossil has introduced for the coming season are gorgeous. I immediately wanted one of everything!

However since that's not really a possibility (darn you bank account) I decided to use the pages as inspiration for a set of free printable tags and note flats to share with you instead.

Download the printable sets (available in aqua and melon) using the buttons below. I hope you'll enjoy them (I'd love to hear about the clever ways you use them). Thanks for the inspiration Fossil! xo Ez

P.S. Last year I used a different fashion collection as inspiration for another printable set. Check it out here.

My Favorite Glittery Nail Polish

If Pinterest is correct, then I think this is how you're supposed to photograph your nails for polish-related posts, right?

Hi friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. As you might know, I was away at Alt Summit this past week, and just returned home last night after an extremely long day of travel. So first let me start this post by admitting that I am only somewhat conscious as I type this. Now that that's out of the way...

I have to now confess that I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to fingernails. I do not consider myself to be a nail art pro by any stretch of the imagination. I've had a professional manicure fewer times than I have fingers on my right hand (or left hand for that matter), and I'm still not really sure what cuticles are...even though I get the sense that they are bad and I'm not supposed to have them. An actual nickname of mine is "man-hands." In any case, I do like to throw on a coat of polish every once just to surprise people...and myself, and tried on a couple new ones before my trip to Alt. I was surprisingly happy with how they turned out, and ended up getting so many compliments and questions about my nails during my trip (so flattering) that I figured the topic would make a good post for my first day back (am I right, or did you leave already? Hopefully you're still here).

So, anyhow...this isn't really a how-to for painting your nails with detailed kitten faces or anything of that sort, but rather a recommendation for a few great polishes that I love. Again...I'm not a pro. For my sparkly nails here, I first applied a coat of silver "Trixie" by Zoya, let it dry completely and then applied a coat of "Set in Stones" by Essie. I finished the whole thing off with "Double Duty Base & Top Coat" by Sally Hansen. Possibly the best thing about this combination is how chip-friendly it is. Even when little flakes eventually come off, you can't really tell because it all just blends in with the super glitteryness of it all. Case in point: these photos were taken this morning...five days after painting them (with the wear and tear of travel and a conference to boot)!

My daughter has also used the "Set in Stones" by Essie on top of black and colorful polishes and the effect is gorgeous. The one caveat that I would actually feel bad about not mentioning, is that it is the pits to take off (I don't put things in bold all that often, but this warrants it). For some reason those tiny specks of glitter hang on for dear life, and you just might need a chisel to release their hold. Obviously that hasn't kept me from using it...in fact it will probably remain a favorite of mine for months to come, but at least I've done my part to keep you fully informed. Do you have a favorite polish that you can't get enough of? I'd love to tuck it away in my to-try file for the next time ol' man-hands needs to dress up. xox Ez

P.S. The other colors shown on the paper above are: Licorice by Essie, Gargantuan Green Grape by OPI, and Sunrise Skies by Piggy Polish (purchased at Ulta).

Outfit Inspiration: Audrey Enjoys Her Cup of Tea

Yesterday I decided that it would be fun to get some drawing practice in while pulling together a fashionable look post for today. A sweet little fox ended up emerging from my page with cozy mug of tea in hand, and I'm so glad she did. It seems that Audrey is rather fashion-forward for a fox, so I just might have to ask her back again to share more of her outfit inspirations with us. Perhaps some of her friends will join us too! What do you think?! xo Ez

Audrey wears: Gold Pom Pom Flower | Gold Flower Embellished Tee | Spare Stripe Mug | Pencil Skirl with Frill | Pointed Court Toe Shoes with Straps

P.S. Prints of Audrey Enjoys Her Cup of Tea are available in my shop! If you use the link here to buy any art prints of mine between now and October 14th you'll receive free shipping on your order! Offer excludes framed art prints and stretched canvases.

One Good Thing: Downton Abbey Silk Scarf

Downton Abbey Fans...this one's for you! Downton Abbey Silk Scarf designed by illustrator Kelsey Gerrity-Riley, available at Fancy French Cologne. Oh and on a related note (though not associated with either this artist or shop) did I already share these awesome Free Printable Downton Abbey Paperdolls from Vulture? They are brilliant! (via Patricia)