What I'm Loving for Valentine's Day

A splash of pink to get festive for V-day; loving these styles and #1, #2, and #4 are easily worn day to night.  With some cute tights, booties, and a blazer you can wear these dresses in the winter and transition easily into spring nixing the tights and adding some cute wedges.  

1}  Juicy Couture Ponte Dress

2}  Red Valentino Short Sleeve Dress

3}  Aaron Ashe Mass Ave Dress

4}  Backstage Josephine Dress

Every since I was young I loved heart things, from jewelry to clothing; I missed my chance to get the J. Crew heart sweater late last year and been on the search for another.   Loving these!  I purchased #7, but I think I want #8 too!  

5}  Torn by Ronny Kobo Jona Heart Sweater

6}  Asos Angora Sweater with Heart

7}  Forever 21 Contrast Heart Sweater

8}  Wildfox Couture Gold Sparkle Heart Sweater

Every woman loves jewelry really any day.  I love that my sister and I have created pieces that are pretty and affordable.  We've always been a fan of big name brands but it was hard to find gift pieces under $100.  Our biggest goal is giving our readers and customers affordable luxury; everything listed above is below $65.  I love gifting close friends and family items for Valentine's Day; it is nice to give a gift just to say I appreciate and love you.  These six items are some of my favorites:

9}    Love and Heart Rose Gold Necklace (18k plated)

10}  Love and Heart Rose Gold Bracelet (18k plated)

11}  Mother of Pearl Rose Gold Necklace (18k plated)

12}  Pink Drop Earrings 

13}  5 Carat Lavender CZ Cushion Cut Studs

14}  Rose Gold Turquoise Cushion Cut Ring

Do you love Valentine's Day inspired items?  Do you give direction to your significant other on what to get you?  I love surprises but am also a control freak and like specific things so I know I'm a hard person to buy for.  Overall, what matters most is the thought and spending time with loved ones, but a little jewelry is always nice.

*ENTER TO WIN #11 MOTHER OF PEARL ROSE GOLD NECKLACE BY LIKING OUR t+j DESIGNS FACEBOOK PAGE, SEE MORE DETAILS ON THE PAGE.

Sweetheart Lookbook

Tommy Hilfiger Blazer  |  Forever 21 Printed Heart Dress  |  Forever 21 Pointelle Tights  |  

t+j Designs Mother of Pearl Rose Gold Necklace |  Jewel Tone Crystal Ring  |  

Gold Luxe Bangle Set (to launch on Thursday - part of our Spring collection)

I have a thing for hearts - you'll see in my posts this week as I am (and t+j Designs) gearing up for Valentine's Day.  The holiday is overrated I know, but I'm somewhat of a romantic and love nice dinners, roses, as well as heart jewelry.  As a special treat, we are offering a special giveaway on our t+j Designs Facebook page - like our page to enter for this necklace I'm wearing from our Timeless Collection.  Leave a comment on this picture on our t+j Designs page and you'll be entered!  ENTER HERE!  Giveaway ends Feb. 6th at midnight.  If you already have liked our t+j Designs page, just leave a comment below the pic.  

To thank all our customers and readers, we decided to extend our free shipping until February 7th (for on time V-day delivery)!  Treat yourself or someone special in your life to a piece of jewelry.  Or send your significant other a hint to give you something fabulous this year for a great price.  Remember our Timeless Collection is 18K plated and under $65.  

*For those of you tracking my bump, you can see it now :) 27 weeks this week.  13 more to go.

New York Recap

Sharing some photos from our trip to NYC last weekend:

Happy Friday!  I thought I would share what we did and some of my favorites things about New York.  

• Stayed at the Gansevoort Park Ave (yes this is where the Kardashians were staying and no we didn't have their luxurious room), but I did love the location and hotel.  I've also stayed at the Ganesvoort Meatpacking.  I preferred Park Ave, rooms were bigger and the location is in Gramercy and near the subway.  
• We had dinner at The Dutch with some friends.  I loved it, great low key atmosphere and fantastic food.  It was voted as the ten best new restaurants of 2011 by New York Magazine.
• My husband and I had date night at Marea.  Beautiful seafood platters and fresh pasta.  I had a four course dinner and was extremely happy and full.  Although it was delicious, Le Bernardin is still our favorite seafood fine dining establishment.  Expect tablecloths, suits and some blue hairs, but the food is impeccable.
• Other favorite places to eat:  Gramercy Tavern (nice occasions), Sushi Yasuda (the best sushi you will ever taste in your life), Minetta Tavern (yummiest burger), if you don't mind sitting outside of course Shake Shack, Ess-a-Bagel (there's a ton of bagel shops, but this is my fav!), and The Standard Grill (for the scene and I love the beer garden in the summer)

Besides eating, of course my favorite thing is shopping!  Bergdorf's, Saks, Henri Bendel, Topshop, Intermix, Barney's. . . I love it all!  Jan is a great time to go to New York, it's low season so hotels and tickets are inexpensive and a lot of retailers are discounting around 50% off or more. The Zara faux fur coat and B by Brian Atwood boots in my previous lookbook were on deep discount.

Wish I took more pics but the weather was bad and cold, but overall a great trip.  Wishing everyone a happy weekend!  

Furtastic Lookbook

Zara Faux Fur Jacket  |  Helmut Lang Asymmetrical Top (similar)  |  Citizens of Humanity Avedon Jeans  |

B by Brian Atwood Factorium Boots  |  Chanel Bag  |   t+j Designs jewelry:  

Gunmetal Hoop Earrings  |  Delicate Luxe Rhinestone Necklace  |

Faux fur jackets can make me feel a bit like Chewbacca, but I can't seem to resist them.  The Zara jacket and my B by Brian Atwood items were recent purchases in New York, both on sale.  The jacket was $29 (run to the nearest Zara and buy it) and the shoes were over 50% off at Saks.  A bit of fur feels luxurious and glamorous; with a touch of crystal jewelry (from t+j Designs) your set head to toe.  One tidbit - if the jacket is bulky like this one, make sure what you wear on the bottom is fitted otherwise you'll feel huge.  Boots with heels also help give you height and lengthen your legs and I added the red color underneath to give the outfit some depth to all the fur.  

If you don't live near a Zara, one of my favorite stores Shopbop.com has these three great fur options on sale:  

Marc by Marc Jacobs Rickie Faux Fur  |  Vince Fur Jacket  |  Burning Torch Desert Fox Faux Fur  |  

Do you love the fur trend?  It sure helps with keeping warm in this Chicago weather.

*t+j Designs has free shipping until the end of the month. Treat yourself, a close friend, relative to one of our new arrivals or up to 70% off sale items!

Lady Lace Lookbook

Burberry Trench Coat  |  Zara Lace Dress  |  Jimmy Choo Booties  |

Zara Sequin Clutch  |  t+j Designs Black Drop Luxe Earrings |  

t+j Designs Gold and Grey Crystal Bracelet (on sale!)

A little lace for a night out.  I have two of these Zara Tulip Dresses; one in cobalt blue which I showed in this lookbook, and I got the lace one at the end of the year.  Due to the pregnancy, I got a medium in this style in order to cover my pregnancy bump.  I've seen quite a bit of sexy lace dresses, but I loved that this one was sweet and stylish.  Once it gets warmer I'll nix the tights and wear the dress as skirt.

Catching up from my weekend away in New York.  We ate a ton and caught up with great friends.  In the midst of our travels there was snow in Chicago as well as New York.  Now I've got the dilemma of the freezing cold, growing tummy, and trying to figure out how to share more cookbooks!  Any advice, I would love it.

My sister and I are busy working on more items for t+j Designs.  We currently have a great collection of new arrivals; 18k rose plated items, beautiful chain necklaces and fabulous bangle sets.  Free shipping until the end of the month.  And of course don't forget about our sale items up to 70% off; check out my bracelet from today's lookbook (on sale)!

New York New York

A little inspirational quote and some pics of New York when I lived there.  Heading there for a quick weekend trip for some great company, good food, and city sites.  

View from the Rockfeller Center

View from my old apartment in New York - I miss it!

Always love walking by this sign in midtown

Happy Friday and wishing everyone a great weekend.  

*Check out http://tplusjdesigns.com for new arrivals for spring and our timeless collection.  Free shipping until the end of the month!

My Hair

I've received comments and questions about my hair and also recently received the best hair dryer, so I thought I would share what tools I use daily/weekly.

I splurged on a nice hair dryer probably a year ago and it made a huge difference in drying time, hair texture, and the health of my hair.  Recently, the folks at Misikko sent me the HANAair Professional Hair Dryer to review and test out.  It was packaged beautifully as seen in the photos.

To be honest, I didn't think it would be any different from my Elchim Hair Dryer I bought, but I've since retired the Elchim and love my HANAair.  It dries my hair faster, at a higher speed, and my hair is super soft and shiny.  It's been two weeks since I've received it and my hair does feel healthier; my overall favorite part is how fast my hair dries since I have long and thick asian hair.

It is a bit pricy, but after making an investment in a quality hair dryer I do see the difference.  I don't use fancy shampoos or conditioners (mostly purchased from Target or Walgreens), but I think hair tools are investments you will use for years.  The folks at Misikko are offering 10% off any HANA product with code HANA10.

My hair right after I used the HANAair:

I also frequently curl my hair and my absolute favorite curling iron is my Hot Tools Curling Iron which is 1.5".  It is the only curling iron I've had for years and gets super, super hot and my curls last until I wash my hair.

The best tips:

• Curl your hair the day after you wash your hair or even two days.  Dirty hair gives the hair more texture and your curls hold longer.
• Curl your hair in sections as seen in my pictures
• After your finished, take half your hair and clip it in the back; I typically proceed then to doing my makeup
• I release the clip after I'm done with my makeup and the curls have released a bit and your can fluff or style easily
• Hair spray:  the ultimate hold hairspray I have found is the Tresemme Aero Hair Spray - Extra Hold. It holds my curls in the wind, rain, and cold, the only minor thing is that it does have quite a strong scent of hairspray, but I don't mind it.  

Are you guys interested in how I do my bun?  I can try to do a bun post soon :).  Have you invested in quality hair tools?  Which are your favorites?

*Please note the hair dryer was gifted to me but all reviews and opinions are my own and I would not post anything that I do not believe is true.  

Snow Day Lookbook

Mackage Puffy Jacket  |  Forever 21 Striped Top  |  Citizens of Humanity Avedon Skinny Jeans  |

Kate Spade Paige Rain Boots  |  t+j Designs Delicate Link Metal Necklace (on sale!)

A little snow didn't stop me from heading out and taking some pics.  Running some errands this weekend and I finally wore my Mackage Puffer, which I got for Christmas and my comfy Kate Spade rain boots. Starting to show a bit as I'm 25 weeks, but so far I've been very lucky, all my tops still fit and I'm trying to stay on top of looking fashionable although getting larger! Short post today as I'm getting ready for some travels.  

If you haven't yet, take a look at our beautiful 14K rose gold Timeless Collection; I'm so excited about the collection as not only do I love hearts but they are gorgeous.  We are starting with a few designs but will continually be adding to this collection.  This collection will be designs we hope you or someone special will cherish for years.  Remember too, we are offer free shipping for a limited time!  

Nautical Lookbook

Tommy Hilfiger Wool Trench  |  Tommy Hilfiger Blazer  |  Joseph Stripe Top  |  Rag & Bone Skinny Denim  |  Christian Louboutin Pumps  |  Michael Kors Watch  |

t+j Designs jewelry:  Gold Luxe Drop Earrings    |  Gold Luxe Link Necklace  |  Hammered Bangle Set  |

Small Gold Bangle with Etchings Set

Stripes and the nautical trend never seems to go away, but styling it up in different ways each year is my favorite part.  Working at Tommy Hilfiger in New York, I got some preppy classic pieces that I could use for years.  But it's also easy to replicate this outfit at a more affordable price.  The below options are all available at Forever 21 and the whole outfit adds up to $100!  

Heavy Double Breasted Coat  | Chic Two Button Jacket  |  Striped Lace Front Tank  |  Fitted Skinny Jean

To completely feel outfitted from head to toe, its important to accessorize and I love adding touches of gold to stripes and nautical colors.  We've launched some beautiful items today in gold and rose gold which are classic pieces you'll love in your jewelry box.  Chunky chain necklaces I've loved from other designers are typically $100 and over so my sister and I wanted to create some that were affordable and looked luxe.  The necklace I am wearing is $38!  In addition, we are introducing a few items in our Timeless Collection which are gorgeous pieces to wear everyday in 18K rose gold and all under $65.  I love heart necklaces as well as "love" items and before designing our own line, pieces like these were hard to find for under $100 in 18K, so we are very excited to offer our great customers these.  Tip:  These would be great V-day gifts from your significant other, shoot him a link :).

*We are offering free shipping on all domestic orders until Jan. 31! And some of our gold bangles are now sets, be sure to check it out!!

Valentine's Day is around the corner, great gifts for someone you love or yourself!

Cat Coat Lookbook

Moschino Coat (loving this Asos one on sale!)  |  Helmut Lang Asymmetrical Top (similar)  |  

Trouve Faux Leather Leggings (similar)  |  Chanel Bag  |  Pour La Victoire Irina Pumps  |  

t+j Designs jewelry:   Gold Twisted Chain Feather Necklace  |  Hammered Bangles (wearing 2)

Ok I've got to admit, I'm not a cat lady but a dog lady, but my fetish with leopard prints is a little out of control.  If you've been reading my blog for a little while, you've seen various amounts of leopard prints in tops, dresses, coats, shoes. . . you name it I have it.  Well, who did I get my love of leopard prints from?  My mom, this coat is actually hers, which I tried to steal over the holidays.  She's had it for years and it still looks like new.  I've said it before, but a quality coat will last longer than 3 inexpensive trendy ones.  Now if only I could convince my Mom to give me this one :).   

Happy Friday everyone and have a great weekend.  If you haven't checked out our t+j Designs 50% and 70% off sale, please do so as quantities are limited and some items have sold out.  

Just some instagram photos of my little doggy.  I'm a bit obsessed with instagram, you can find me under redsolesandredwine :)

Coveting Color

1}  t+j Designs Pink Gem Earrings
2}  Cambridge Satchel
3}  Rachel Pally Long Cutout Dress
4}  J. Crew Hacking Jacket 
5}  Asos Lace Midi Skirt in Neon
6}  t+j Designs Neon Pink Rhinestone Cuff (on sale for $10!)
7}  Equipment Collarless Signature Blouse
8}  Boutique 9 Linya T Strap Wedge Sandals
9}  Blank Denim Ankle Skinny Jeans

Loving neons and bold colors for spring. . . I've bookmarked these as my fans.  The satchel is a great price compared to the Proenza Schouler Ps1 and the Blank Denim are only $68!  Are you loving neon/bold colors for spring?

DIY Dresser - Nursery Step 1

I'm a big fan of decorating and DIY blogs and last year I redid a craigslist old dresser find to a turquoise dresser for our bedroom.  In preparing for our nursery, I've been scouring pinterest (I'm under jenworman) and blogs for inspiration and came upon this beautiful nursery.

Source: laybabylay.com

It's my inspiration for our boy's room and I'll tweak some things to make it my boyish and modern, but I love the feel of this room.  

First step:  taking an old modern dresser to a high gloss black finish to match the chevron carpet I've purchased (which is the carpet in the pictures above).  

This is the dresser BEFORE:

The tools you"ll need are pretty simple:

• Paint Brush and Roller Brush
• Used 50 grit sandpaper
• Benjamin Moore Primer (tinted dark)
• Benjamin Moore High Gloss Black Paint
• Screwdriver and Bolt Cutter for knobs
• Knobs of your choice, I purchased mine from myknobs.com

1) Remove knobs and drawers and sand down every part of the dresser.  Last time I borrowed an orbital sander from a friend, but this time my husband did it by hand.  An orbital sander definitely helps if the dresser has a lot of paint that needs to be sanded off and is much quicker.  You definitely want to sand off any gloss or paint on the dresser so that your not painting on paint.  

2) Prime it (one coat) - we had the Benjamin Moore store tint the primer darker since we were painting the dresser black.  As you can see, we didn't' get too fancy and left the sides undone. . . you can definitely go the extra mile and paint the side of the drawers as well as the inside, but we decided not to.  In addition, I didn't want paint inside the drawers once I fill it with baby clothes.

3) Painting (3 coats) - I wanted a high gloss look, but with high gloss paint you have to be careful with paint strokes and making sure things are done evenly.  My husband did 3 coats of the high gloss black paint, rotating the dresser and drawers.  Due to drying time and wanting to make sure we didn't nick the black paint, the priming and painting steps took about 3 days

4)  Knobs - I kept the same knob holes and the amount of knobs which also made it easy (since I didn't have to fill any holes or create new ones).  I'm going with silver finishes for our boy's room and love the look of the ring pulls; we purchased 12 for $56 which is a pretty good deal.  The knobs we got were perfect in the holes and all my husband had to do was to cut the bolt to fit.

This is the finished product!

I love the look and the dresser will definitely be enough room to fit lots of clothes!  Onto the next project - choosing a color for the room and we recently purchased a craigslist wingback chair that we are having upholstered.  If you love these postings, I'll try to show more of how the room is coming along.  

*Don't forget to check out my jewelry line and the fantastic January markdown sale!  Items marked at 50% and 70% off!!