Happy Halloween!

I have some special plans this Halloween (more on that later!), but I hope you all have a spooky-good night.

Martha Stewart

Remember to keep your cats inside.

Via ...etc:

And try to resist the urge to do this:

                             Source: google.com via DiamondsandTulle on Pinterest

(It is pretty freakin' cute, though!)

I'm Mad About...

Cooler fall weather has finally arrived—maybe this weekend I'll finally get to wear my new boots! Hope you're having lovely weather wherever you are.

Here are some things that caught my eye this week. Enjoy!

BuzzFeed

• Slinky dog! Trader Joe's dog! Dreidel dog! Check out these pictures of cuteness from the Tompkins Square Dog Parade in NYC.
• I know I'm way late to the Instagram party (then again, I'm always late ;-), but I finally downloaded it. I haven't had time to try it out, but I can't wait to! (And you can get posters, stickers and even tiny books of your Instagrams.)
• I'll be boning up on my French and dreaming of a Paris getaway while reading this beautiful blog.

Color Me: Moody Blue

The color blue is associated with sadness, depression, pain. I don't know how it got such a bad rap, as I find it to be such a happy, peaceful hue. In fact, it's my favorite color.

There's a shade of blue for everyone, from warm turquoise to cool slate. And because it goes with just about every other color—orange, yellow, red, brown, green, pink, black, gray, you name it—it's practically a neutral!

Clockwise from upper left: bedroom, Seventh House on the Left; Butter London nail polish in Blagger; Le Creuset cookware;
hydrangea cupcakes, Glorious Treats; Rainy-day bow ballet flats, J.Crew; Everett Kantha chair, West Elm;
Tea and Toast butter dish, Anthropologie; dress, Trashy Diva, via Pinterest

So what's your favorite color?

LA (Shopping) Story

Even though we're less than two hours from Los Angeles, we don't get down there very often, mainly because of the dogs. I hate leaving them alone all day, and it's a lot of trouble to board them. But we happened to have a dog-sitter Saturday, so we took advantage of it and went for a drive.

The destination: the Westfield Century City. I had never been there, but it has some stores I've been wanting to check out in person and some I hadn't been to in a long time. Plus I love that part of town.

First stop: H&M. The only H&M store I'd been to was in London, and I was dying to visit one closer to home. And I wasn't disappointed—it was full of affordable goodies.

Erik said no to this dress (that's kind of a big deal, 'cause he almost never says no):

But these pretty frocks went home with me:

On the way to Madewell, we took a detour into Teavana, and I fell in love with two very different tea sets. This one in classic white with a bit of simple flourish:

And this, in all its gilded glory:

I love the idea of afternoon tea (must be the Anglophile in me), and I'm sure I'd make use of either of those sets. If only...

After a brief (and underwhelming) stop at Zara, I made it to Madewell:

I'm Mad About...

This weekend I'm looking forward to a day trip to LA and checking out some stores I've been dying to visit in person.

I also want to thank Danielle of Danielle Oakey Interiors for adding The Blue Room to her blogroll. Check out her beautiful blog, and be sure to visit her home tour—gorgeous! (And if any other design/fashion/lifestyle bloggers want to add The Blue Room to your blogrolls or follow the blog, I'd be happy to reciprocate!) Also thanks to everyone who has left such lovely comments lately. I really do appreciate hearing from you!

Now, without further ado, here are some things that have inspired me this week:

Chamberlain West Hollywood, via The Aestate

• I want to spend a weekend at this gorgeous West Hollywood hotel.
• If I still lived in the Bay Area, I'd definitely feed my Pinterest addiction at this class!
• Check out these stunning items and show your support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

My 'Project Runway' Challenge

Fall made a brief appearance here a couple weeks ago, but just as I was getting ready to put my shorts and sundresses away, we were hit with a heat wave. This schizophrenic weather makes it hard to decide what to wear from one day to the next.

So to get a new perspective, I gave myself a little challenge. While watching Project Runway last week, I decided to create a look based on that episode's inspiration, Governors Island. My initial idea was to start with a sculptural gown, based on the artwork on the island.

But then I spotted this dress, and that was it. Graphic and steely, it evokes the city as seen from the island. Purple and gray is one of my favorite color combinations, so I chose a plum boot, and the studded clutch is just big enough to hold the essentials. Of course, the woman sporting this ensemble is enjoying an after-work cosmo.

PR Challenge by bethc featuring long sleeve dresses

Happy dressing!

Inspired by: Gallery Walls

As a rule, I like symmetry. It's calming, orderly, and a primary component of classic beauty. But let's face it—symmetry can be predictable. Uninspired. A bit sterile.

Lately I've been drawn to asymmetrical gallery walls: pictures of varying shapes, sizes and subjects thrown up in what appears to be (but when done well really isn't) a haphazard way. The look reminds me of an English country home, comfortable and inviting.

Here's an example from Kate Spade's London pop-up shop:

                                              Source: insidetheloop.tumblr.com via Zelma on Pinterest

This is from the book Decorate:

                                                 Source: apartment34.blogspot.com via Beth on Pinterest

Oh Joy! blogger Joy Cho's living room, styled by Emily Henderson, is cheerful and fun:

I'm awed by the oversize raven in this room from the Hampton Showhouse, done by the Jeffers Design Group:

                                                    Source: google.com via Beth on Pinterest

The color of the art picks up on the decor in this living room:

Via Good Girl Gone Glad

Love the animal-inspired art here:

Do It Yourself

Classic simplicity:

Domino via Sacramento Street

I love, love, love everything about this room:

Better Homes & Gardens

This little niche could easily have been overlooked:

Photo by Diana Kellogg via Alice in Designland