Good Morning: A knot in time

Roby©

Ben Watts Photography

Ben Watt's editorial photography is absolutely stunning.  The first two especially make me want to go on some sort of vintage inspired vacation.  Yes I know I just returned from vacation, but I'm seriously already dreaming up my next one.  I've got the travel bug.

{via Black Eiffel}

I'm in love with a Jade nailpolish

I am in serious love with this Chanel Jade nail polish.  And I honestly am not one to go out on a limb with nail polish colors.  I usually stick to my crimson berry red in the winter and my coral in the summer.  But I think I could make room for this beautiful green blue shade.  From all the hype it is getting, I would venture to say this polish could possibly be this season's gray and navy.  I also think it is a very finicky color that needs to be just the right shade.  I'm nervous other knock offs might not pull off the color as well, but I'm confident that Chanel will do it up right.  But don't get too excited, you still have four months until you can lacquer your nails up with Chanel's limited-edition color.  

Matt and Kim - Daylight

As of lately I've been obsessed with Matt and Kim and have been jamming to their catchy tune Daylight over and over again.  But I had not checked out their music videos until my friend Katie emailed them to me for my blog.  It seriously makes me love them even more.  Hopefully this gets your Tuesday morning off to a good start.  Thanks Katie!!  Also as a side note if you want to see them in DC they are playing at the Black Cat September 16th.  So get your tickets for ten bucks now.

Good Morning: Cameras floating by

riot jane

My Week in Photos: Bermuda

I'm still sorting through the thousands of photographs I took while on my vacation.  Bermuda was gorgeous, probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.  And the water truly does look as stunning in various shades of turquoise as in the pictures.  Unfortunately we experienced several rainy days but nonetheless it was gorgeous and a great time.  Below are a few pictures from my trip.

The town of St. George's where we docked.

The cute and historical town of St. George's.

The island was covered in beautiful greenery and flowers.

Tobacco Bay, probably my favorite part about Bermuda.  We swam in this protected bay and it was like a huge natural swimming pool.

Tobacco Bay.

Enjoying the views from the cliff overlooking Tobacco Bay.

Our cruise ship the Norwegian Majesty.

Our port in St. George's.

I think this is an Angel Fish, though I'm not sure.  One just like this kept head butting me in the water when we went snorkeling.  I did not like being head butted by a fish over and over again.  But I did like snorkeling.

Again the crazy beautiful water.

There are tons of these little bays on the island filled with boats.

Sunset on the boat.

Enjoying a beer on the boat.

A pretty amazing view for laying out in the sun.

My Love for the City

Multielvi

Good Morning and Happy Monday!  It is so wonderful to be back from an amazing vacation and back in the city that I love.  I also thank my dear friend for taking care of my blog while I was gone and offering a little bit of her own inspiration from the Hill.

I was reminded why I love this city so much as I was climbing the metro escalator heading to work this morning.  The hallways were flooded with the sounds of the metro violinist who so often greets us in the morning.  Lately he has had other musicians joining him, one morning a cellist and this morning a flute.  Many people had slowed down to take a break from their commute and listen to the beautiful classical music.  It reminded me of the little reasons why I love this city and it felt so nice to be home again.

Good Morning: Back from Vacation

riot jane

Workin Hard for the Money

I apologize for the lack of posts. Unfortunately, Congress has decided to consider the cap and trade energy bill today so my life has been a bit hectic. I will leave you with this awesome grammy performance

Decorating Your Home

This weekend I am finally moving into my adorable apartment with a fireplace, cherry hardwood floors, and rustic white kitchen cabinets. I am most excited about redecorating. My style can be described by the name of my of my favorite magazine real simple. I am a minimalist and I like clean lines.

Since I have two accents walls that are a rustic red, I have picked a subtle color scheme consisting of light blue, yellow and beige. These four swatches are perfect (minus the butterflies!)



In college my roommate and I by default had cubes as our coffee tables. We used to joke about how they acted as our coffee tables, kitchen table, and since they were hallow with a lid, even a closet to stores sleeping bags. Their mobility sold me and now I can't stand the idea of having one large table cluttering my living room. These two can be found at Pottery Barn



Since I am on a limited budget and cannot afford numerous pieces of artwork, Starbucks gave me the idea to just blow up a photo, put it behind matting, and lay it against the wall resting on a ledge.



For my bedroom my inspiration is shabby-chic Anthropology style. I love this mirror as a contrast to my walls which will match the color of these knobs on my white furniture.

Midafternoon Pick Me Up

It's the middle of the day in the middle of the week. I think we can all use a little boost! The First Single by The Format

Texas Fight

Pardon the distraction. I realize this has nothing to do with artistic inspiration, but the Texas Longhorns won game two of the college world series last night and I was going to wait to brag until they won the entire series but I need the team spirit pep to get me through the day since I've stayed up way too late every night this week to watch it! So in hopes of pushing good luck, show your support by raising your horns and sing loud: Texas Fight, Texas Fight, Go Horns Go!

Rain Rain Stay Away

With the nearly 4-months of continuous rain, I have managed to break 4 umbrellas. Umbrellas.net has adorable accessories for the rainy weather. This post may seem untimely since the weather forecast doesn't have rain for at least 4 more days, but my impeccable luck is such that when I have umbrella it doesn't rain and the one day I forget one it will. So I plan to carry one for the rest of the summer as a good luck token!

Song of the Day

I can't get "Love, Save the Empty" out of my head this morning.

Fashion Victims

The most common, tragic mistake made by women is wearing unflattering outfits because they are trendy. In my experience, men typically have no problem informing females that even though this outfit was praised in Vogue, does not in fact mean it looks good on them.

Carrie Bradshaw is a walking example. Sure her outfits were fun, colorful, and different, and I enjoy her unique style just as much as the next girl. But let's be honest, there's a reason no one else was brave enough to wear it, because it was ugly.

Gauchos and ankle boots are another perfect examples, and I'm afraid the latest fashion victims are girls wearing jumpers. We are no longer 5, it is no longer 1985, so we should no longer tell ourselves that just because Whitney can pull them off on "The City" so can we.

Midmorning Pick Me Up

It's only 10:30 on Monday morning, I forgot we were in recess and wore a suit, spilled my coffee twice, my egg sandwich did not have the cheese I ordered, and my coffee is not doing the trick. When caffeine fails to deliver, The Bomb by Bittersweet never disappoints!

Inspiration DC Takes a Vaca!

Good Monday Morning! As earlier mentioned, Inspiration DC is on a fabulous tropical vacation so I am here filling in. I am a press secretary on the hill so I don't have an artistic background but I wanted to share what inspires me on a daily basis to wake up at an ungodly hour, drag my butt to work and what gets me through the day.

The most influential 'DC Inspiration' for me is the U.S. Capitol. I regret that it is a rather unoriginal/cheesy cliche, but it is the truth. It provides inspiration at random times and seems to satisfy me in various situations. I love architecture, so when Inspiration DC asked me the one thing that inspires me, it was inevitably a building in D.C. The massive Capitol demands the attention of tourist, lawmakers, and every camera that scans the city for picture-perfect shots.

After living in D.C. for two years, it has never failed to stop me in my tracks when I'm walking across the street and it glimmers in the dusk, when I'm walking down East Capital and the light at the top of the dome is on indicating that lawmakers are still on the floor debating policy at 11 p.m. (which is when this photo was taken from my blackberry) or the incredible view I enjoy for 30 minutes as I run down the national mall. Nothing is more therapeutic for me after a long/bad day, than sitting on the base of the Washington monument and staring at the Capitol lit up. All day long, 535 members and staff buzz around the grounds, all assuming they have the answer to solve our nation's crises, and when I watch from the outside, it's as though I take a step outside of my own life, the voices are hushes, and all the controversary seems to be contained inside that building. Surrounded by the flags of the Washington Monument , I am reminded that in the bigger picture, we are all, in fact, on the same side.

Headed to Bermuda!

jon-e

Happy Friday!  I'm especially excited for the weekend because I am packing up and heading to Bermuda for the week!  It is a birthday present from my wonderful boyfriend.  Pretty much the best birthday present ever.  And to top it off we are going with a group of friends.  To think a few weeks ago I didn't think I'd be seeing anything this summer but the Potomac, and now I'm heading to paradise!  

No worries though, I am not leaving you high and dry.  One of my wonderful fabulous friends will be guest blogging for me while I am gone.  As a press secretary on the Hill, she handles the stress of dealing with media and staying atop current events; all while keeping her flawless style intact.   I'm not even exaggerating here, I see this girl after pulling twelve hour days and she looks like she just walked out of a J.Crew ad.  So I am fully confident she will keep you informed and entertained on her own style and inspiration all next week while I am gone.  Enjoy and I'll see you in a week....hopefully a little tanner and a lot more relaxed.  

Shopping for Vacation

Shopping for vacation is always a love hate thing for me.  Of course you always need something before you leave and it is fun to have new clothes to wear.  But you don't want to go overboard since you want to have spending money for your travels.   So below are a few versatile essentials that I've purchased for my vacation.

THE BEACH BAG

Anthropologie The Artist's Tote

This tote is absolutely perfect for a vacation and when I got it in the mail I fell in love all over again.  What I love most about it is that you can wear it over your shoulder or across your chest.  Which is perfect for traveling in case you rent a bike or are walking around a lot.  It is also a great size to throw in a beach towel, but not too big you feel like you are carrying around luggage.  As an added bonus it has two different prints, so it looks like you packed multiple bags instead of just one!

THE DRESSY COMFORTABLE SHOE

Anthropologie Claudette Slingbacks

Since I don't have much room to pack, I wanted a nice shoe that I could dress up or down.  These black slingback flats are absolutely perfect.  Being a mix between a sandal and a flat I can wear them with shorts during the day or dresses at night.

THE BEACH COVERUP

Old Navy Women's Cross-Front Jersey Dress

Surprisingly I had the hardest time finding a beach/pool coverup.  My requirements were that it had to be pretty cheap and that it wouldn't be too skimpy so that it could function as a dress when need be.  Also while not a requirement, I did want it to have similar straps to my bathing suit so that if I were out in the sun I could still get good tan lines.  

Maybe those are tough requirements, because I went from store to store to store.  One of my friends finally suggested I look at Old Navy.  I was honestly skeptical, but they ended up having exactly what I was looking for!  While they aren't anything super fashion forward, they are comfy and do the job.  And for $15 a dress, I was able to get several colors to match my bathing suits and I didn't even break the bank!  (If I had the money I would have gotten this coverup, but for once I held back)

Good Morning: Jump for Joy, its Friday!!

TuTuWoN

Technology + Art

Turner sent me this article from engadget a few days ago.  Technology + Art.  It definitely is an interesting thought, instead of hiding those pesky chords and outlets using them for art.  And you would never have to worry about finding enough outlets/extension cords again!  Though it is also a little overwhelming and for some reason that amount of electricity stresses me out.  

I was thinking what could be cool is if you had lots of outlets variously placed (instead of up against each other) with different designs on them.  Or different outlet covers on them.  Hmmmm.....

Good Morning: Am I In Bermuda Yet?

Okinawa Soba

Swing on the Train

Apparently somebody thought it would be a fun idea to add swings to the trains in San Francisco.  So genius!  What better way to make your commute a little fun and bring out the kid in everybody.  A quick google shows that no one really seems to know who placed the swings on the train, but from the pictures below many people had fun with it.  There is also a whole flickr group dedicated to people enjoying these swings.

Photographs by Audrey Penven

NYC Metro Cuff

If I lived in New York City I think I'd probably have to wear a bracelet with the metro line on it just to know where I was going.  

Good Morning: Ready for Vacation

.: mandala :.

Scott Caan: Photographer, Actor, and Director

Who knew Scott Caan from his role of Turk Mallow in Oceans 11 was such a talented photographer! I absolutely love his photographs below of all the paparazzi at the Cannes festival.  Apparently he was just standing on the red carpet when he turned around and there was the money shot, thousands of photographers in formal attire looking back at him.  There is an interesting article about his process as a photographer/director on Valet and you can get his new book of photographs here. 

Charley Harper's ABC's

I'm always on the lookout for children's books with creative illustrations for my nephews, in secret hopes I can instill a superior artistic style in them at a young age.  You can dream can't you?  Charley Harper's ABC's fits perfectly with that aspiration with his bold colors and textured illustrations.  And it even comes as a board book....which is extremely necessary for little hands that are not very careful.