favorite thing of the week

I felt like a kid on christmas morning opening the box with my new business cards that arrived from Crane & Co.! I have been using their square shape cards for over a year (they are a huge hit, everyone loves the unique shape!) but I just made the switch to letterpress and I can't stop running my fingers over my spring green letterpressed cards! It was such a pleasure working with the staff at Paper Source in brooklyn to create my new cards (the store is definitely worth a visit, they have such cute paper goods and craft projects). I look forward to handing out my cards tomorrow at my trunk show at Calypso St. Barths in westport, ct!

in my studio

its so hard to believe that its almost october, which means my holiday trunk shows kick off really soon! I have thus been spending a lot of time in my studio designing and creating pieces. I went on a gemstone buying trip last week and spent my weekend working on my one-of-a-kind multicolor gemstone collection. I'm really excited to showcase what I've created, here's a sneak peek!:

lots of gemstones on my workspace!

new bracelet!

favorite thing of the week: cornell silly banz

last week I posted photos of accessories I was going to wear during Cornell's Homecoming weekend and I was really excited to add these Cornell silly banz to my ensemble. I never got on the silly banz band wagon when they first became popular but I can never resist something that shows pride for my alma mater. these silly banz were handed out before the game (which we won! go big red!) and many alums wore them with pride.

september birthstone: sapphire

those born in september are very lucky to have sapphire as a birthstone because not only is sapphire one of the most durable stones, but it also comes in every color of the rainbow (well, minus red...then they are called rubies, the july birthstone). because of its durability, sapphire is frequently used in engagement and wedding bands (such as the Duchess of Cambridge's 18 carat sapphire engagement ring!). sapphire is believed to protect against envy and is symbolic of wisdom and purity and often worn by kings.

high quality sapphires come in stunning colors. my personal favorite is the orange-pink padparadscha sapphire, which can be found in several pieces from Harry Winston's Incredibles collection (photos courtesy, Harry Winston).

nail polish + sparkle

favorite thing of the week: zara feather skirt

I'm currently head over heels in love with my zara cobalt blue feather skirt. it provides a very bold pop of color (any one who knows me knows I am obsessed with bold colors--neon is a personal favorite and there are days where I admit I look like a highlighter...but life is too short to wear bland clothes). it also adds a touch of whimsy to an outfit. I have never received so many compliments on an item of clothing, ever (and I have received a fair share of "is she really wearing that?!" stares). what I like most about the skirt is that it makes me feel like I'm playing a grown up version of dress up :)

big red accessories

tomorrow I'm off to ithaca for my alma mater's annual homecoming celebration. here's a peak at some of the accessories I've packed in my suitcase

clothing + sparkle: my signature tulle skirt

I have long been obsessed with tulle skirts and a few years ago when j. crew launched a line of tulle skirts for crewcuts I was thrilled. the skirts soon became a staple in my wardrobe and I dress them down for day with a stripe boatneck and glam them up for evening with big sparkle necklaces. I recently met marissa webb, head of women's design for j. crew, who was responsible for bringing the tulle skirt to j. crew. her sense of style is effortless chic and tailored so when crewcuts designers saw her wearing tulle skirts to work they decided to launch a collection. thank you, marissa!

(wood necklace, www.katiebartels.com; shirt, j.crew; skirt, j.crew; coach clutch; alexis bittar cuff bracelet; hermes watch; manolo blahnik heels)

(sunglasses, SALT; necklace, www.katiebartels.com; shirt, j.crew; skirt, j.crew; bangle, kenneth jay lane; bag, chanel; shoes, TOMS)

favorite thing of the week: scotch nail polish

it's no secret that I am completely obsessed with nail polish. I am constantly on the look out for bold new colors and new brands. I recently discovered Scotch non-toxic nail polish and fell in love with the colors, the clever names assigned to each color, and the adorable bottles (I decorate one of my shelves with my nail polish collection so bottle aesthetics are quite important!).

my favorite color of the moment is leprechaun lynch:

check out the rest of the wonderful colors on the company website: http://www.scotchnaturals.com/

happy september!