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Ahhh I remember January in college, the mad rush to gather a group of friends and put down a deposit on a great new place for the following year.  I could write post after post about warning signs to avoiding a psychotic roommate but I’m working on releasing my frustrations from the past.  Instead let’s stare at some beautiful pictures from Urban Outfitters Apartment department.  It will bring us calm, peace and motivation during this mad rush to find the perfect habitat of study-friendly chicness.

Urban Outfitters Apartment Finds:

Silver Foil Pillow ($24)

3×5 Silhouette Flower Printed Rug ($34.00)

Striped Cabbage Rose Shower Curtain ($34.00)

Slipper Chair – Indigo Ikat ($325)

Edie Chaise – Moss ($550)

Antoinette Fainting Sofa – Kiwi ($575)

I’ve been living in shame the past few weeks.  Ever since I moved into my new place I’ve been living out of dusty cardboard boxes.  All of my hats, purses, scarves, camisoles have been scattered around my room in distinct yet intimidating piles.  Last night I finally pulled my sleeves up and organized my closet.  It sounds crazy, but I feel so much lighter today!  This morning I swiftly picked out an outfit, accessories and shoes in one fell swoop.  Since it is a new year and this is the perfect time to organize here are some inexpensive small closet inspirations:

Making use of every inch, including the door, from Better Homes and Gardens:

Nicole Balch’s AH-MAY-ZING closet from her blog Making It Lovely:

The brave use of plastic containers and the color pink from Stacks and Stacks:

Closet inspiration from Lucky Magazine, click on the link to read their “Seven Simple Steps to an Organized Closet”:

Okay enough about the practical…Let’s get our diva closet on.  Here are some of the most fabulous closets to give you something to look forward to….

The closet list would mean nothing if I didn’t start out with my beloved Carrie Bradshaw:

I once read in a magazine if retail shops were celebrities then Paris Hilton would be Forever 21 and Zara would be Nicky Hilton.  Here’s a taste of the more sophisticated pseudo-celebrity, Nicky.

The closet itself isn’t mind blowing but you can bet the clothes inside stylist Rachel Zoe’s closet are “BANANAS”!  Forget the critics, I heart me some Rachel Zoe.  She’s smart, stylish and has built an empire off of her talents. She’s the epitome of the kick-ass career chick.

Now the closets to trump all closets.  They belong to none other than two of the biggest divas on the planet, Kimora Lee Simmons (is she still going with the Simmons?) and Mariah Carey.  Maybe they’re a bit toooooo fabulous but let’s face it, if given the chance to have a closet like these I’d take it!!!

Kimora:

Mariah:

Now my closet renovation isn’t exactly on this level but hopefully this weekend I can get around to taking some pictures to post.

xoxo, Vanesa

Yesterday’s postings on 5 Tips For Finding a Job and the Anthropologie Internship brought up the following question, “Should college students and post grads have a business card? What information should be on it?” To this I answer a big, bold YES! YES, college students and post grads should have a business card or personal calling card.  In fact, every fabulous being should have one.  I had a personal calling card long before I was employed because I always figure you never know who you’ll meet or who you will want to stay in contact with.  Plus pulling out a beautiful card is très chic compared to the sloppy number written in lipstick on a napkin.

As far as what information to include, I believe in keeping it simple.  No, not as simple as Clooney’s card in Ocean’s 11, which was just oh so suave. (Ahhhhhh, Clooney.*swoon*)

Not that simple and slick (unless you ARE a high class criminal like Danny Ocean).  Here are the basics needed: NAME, PHONE, EMAIL, and if you find it necessary add your LOCATION.  An example may read:

Holly Golightly

New York, New York

holly@littleblackdress.com

212-123-4567

If you work in an industry where social media is involved you may want to add your Twitter site or LinkedIn information.  But always remember that your lines of contact should be ready to receive people.  Your outgoing voicemail message and Twitter tweets should be appropriate for a potential employer to listen or read.  And don’t give out your calling card with a link to a Facebook page where your profile picture is that distant memory from Mardi Gras caught in all of its digital camera glory.  Yes, I’m talking about the pose that got you the beads.

I, myself, am also in the market for a new card and found some lovely choices from Etsy.com:

Modern Geometric from nelladesigns ($18.00)

Signature Calling Cards from HelloHarbor ($14.00)

Flower Cards from saratams ($14-$86)

Stippled Dots Monogram Calling Cards from Saddle Stitch Studio ($16.00)

Black Phone Calling Card from JosStudio ($30)

Simple Icon Calling Card from InkScissorsPaper ($26.00)

Type and Swirl Eco Friendly Calling Cards from modernemotive ($22.00)

2×2 Square Call Me Cards by paperandink ($32.00)

xoxo, Vanesa

There are internships for this?!?!?!  At one point I wanted my entire house to look like an Anthropologie display.  I soon learned that I wasn’t as crafty as I thought.  For those of you UC Davis or UC Berkeley Campus Confidants who ARE crafty enough, or WANT to be crafty enough here’s a posting from the UC Davis TXC and FPS Internships blog:

“Anthropologie is seeking Display and Visual Merchandising Interns for our Bay area stores. Please stop by any one of our locations in the Bay area and speak with a Visual or Store Manager for details. Best time to stop by Monday through Friday between 10 am and 3 pm. For Internship consideration the following expectations are mandatory. You must apply in person to be considered and you must be currently enrolled in college at the time of your internship. Please do not apply unless you have met that expectation. Thank you.”

For the full length internship description read the entire post on the UC Davis TXC and FPS Internship Blog.

Writing this post made me think of all the magical displays I’ve seen at Anthropologie over the years.  After a quick trip through Google Images I found a few photo inspirations:

And while we’re on the subject of the beauty of Anthropologie….This past holiday I was gifted with a Voluspa Candle from Anthropologie and its been sitting at my desk filling the air with all sorts of deliciousness.  Its amazing how the aroma can take me to a peaceful place.  I need these everywhere!!!  Here’s a pic of my candle, Voluspa Goji & Tarocco Orange 3 wick candle.  You can get your very own here at, of course, Anthropologie.

xoxo, Vanesa

On January 2nd I kicked off the new year exploring one of LA’s greatest experiences, The Rose Bowl Parade.  The day after the parade the public can view the floats up close in Pasadena.  As a lover of design, color, flowers, etc this was the perfect place to find inspiration.  I hope you enjoy my photos of these beautiful works of art.

xoxo, Vanesa

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As I teetered on the idea of flying to San Francisco to celebrate New Years Eve I was taken to a lunch escape, which turned out to be just what I needed.  Royal-T Cafe in Culver City (as described on their own website), “is a playful collision of spaces—café/shop/art space—presented in stunning fusion. An eclectic mix of retail and contemporary art reimagined in the surrounds of LA’s first Japanese-style cosplay café.”  I will say that the food was simple yet delicious and the environment reminded me that “FUN IS NECESSARY!” It was simply delightful from the Murakami prints on the wall to the waitresses decked out in Anime French Maid outfits and of course the yummy food.  I dined on an appetizer of spicy tuna on crispy rice, an entree of kobe beef sliders served three ways with sweet potato fries and finished with a chocolate peanut butter cupcake for dessert! (Let’s see just how many times I post pictures of cupcakes on this site).  That was my first but definitely not my last time to Royal-T.  Hopefully one day I can host a fabulous event in their amazing space!

xoxo, Vanesa

The front of Royal-T courtesy of their website.

Wow, what a whirlwind few days I’ve had.  I moved into a new place which was A LOT of work and please believe I’ll be living out of a tornado of boxes for the next few weeks.  But on top of it all I’ve been feeling awful.  Somehow I’ve managed to come out alive.  I have a lot going on within the next few days leading into Christmas and New Years.  When everything is crazy it’s nice to take a step back and see a space that is beautiful and inspiring.  The other week I took some photos at a great Boba cafe in Little Tokyo called I <3 Boba.  Oh yes, this is really happening.  I’m shouting out a Boba spot.  Anyone that knows me knows that I looooooove boba.  But when I stopped into this spot full of electric colors and bold design I found it surprisingly calming.  It’s definitely a bit much to make up your living room 100% like this but they incorporated some very fun, modern and inexpensive elements that my budget friendly soul appreciated.

Looking at all this funky, modern and clean design is making me dream of Tokyo.  Since I can’t exactly jump on a plane and start Harujuku Lovers-ing it, here’s a nice video for us to escape with:

Goodbye Hello Tokyo from Bryant on Vimeo.

xoxo, Vanesa

Maximilian Sinsteden’s dorm room in New York Magazine

New York Magazine posted this back in May but with the remainder of the UC schools moving in this coming weekend I am re-posting to provide inspiration and beauty.  This is the ultimate example of “Style is not a Luxury”.  Everyone can have style, anywhere.  I’d like to believe that my dorm room style was the female version of Maximilian Sinsteden’s dorm room, but with the mini-bar and Persian rugs, he has me beat.  Boyfriend shut it down in his design of this dorm room.  (Could this be the real life version of Chuck Bass???) View the pictures below and read more about him and his design here at New York Magazine.

Key design details to incorporate into your dorm:

• Bold Colored Walls
• Eclectic paintings/images framed
• MINI BAR!
• Accessories as design (He used ties)
• The magic of throw pillows

xoxo peace and love, Vanesa

Love this mini, mini-bar.

Beautiful ties used as wall decor.

I used black and white photos in my dorm room but I love Max's use of images and wall art.