{from ruth} trending tuesday - gold

Everything seems a bit more fantastic in gold! While gold has always been a fashion and decor staple it has taken a sudden upswing in popularity. Over its silver and copper counterparts, Gold has become the fashion do. It is everywhere from gold beads, bangles and gold thread to gold bowls, baubles, and patterns. Gold has become the go-to item to spice up an outfit, class up a casual style, and spiffy up a room. A dash of gold there (on toe tips or fingernails) and a dash of gold here (on the wall paper or dotting the placemats) a dash of gold everywhere!!

1.Top Shop Blouse 2.Essie Nailpolish 3.Aldo Watch  4.Modcloth Sweater 5.Dholic Tiped Loafers 6.Nordstrom Lush Dress 7.Keiko Styke

Doesn't it just add that little extra something a room or a party. I love using gold in small items to class up a room...I can't wait to see where I can use a little gold glitter this holiday season.

1.Modcloth Wallpaper  2.Anthro Artisan Mini Satl Cellar  3.Gold Bottom Cups  4.Eiffel Tower Scissors  5.Urban Outfitters Pillow  6.Schumacher Wallpaper  7.Leif Glittered Geo Chain  8.Terrain Placemat  9.World Market Glitter Birds

{from ruth} trending tuesday - harry potter

So Halloween season has just passed, yet this trending Tuesday is a nod to the season. I am the kind of person who hates gore, won't watch scary movies (I usually stick to anything made before 1960 or made by Disney/Pixar), and therefore have never been a big fan of the Halloween season. However, in the past few years a dear friend has shown me the way to charm and imaginative elegance in the Halloween season...Harry Potter.

This year we had a Harry Potter themed party for the Halloween season. The wizarding world of potions, every flavor beans, parchment, and candlelight was just begging to be my classy ticket out of the usual garish purple and orange Halloween we so often see.

While Harry Potter is hardly a new trend in general, the world of parchment, chocolate frogs, dragons, polyjuice potion, and so much more is a trend I see enduring as long as the stories are printed! For those of you to whom this trend is old hat, enjoy...and for those who haven't joined the trend yet....what are you waiting for! Go start the first book!

{from ruth} seattle weekend

So please forgive my in-excusable absence and lack of even trending tuesday posts...which are about the only thing you can count on so far! I have let any of you long suffering followers down and now to make up for it have at least three posts in the works. Here is the recap of the wonderful get together the sisters had in beautiful Seattle!

It is just a land of beauty. The water, trees, mountains....ohhh there are just not enough words to describe what a pleasant place this little (well not so little) northwestern city is. While I was getting my little taste of real fall in the leaves and brisk breezes I managed to come across a few paper store gems! First de Medici Ming packs quite a wallop into its tiny ally style store! Handmade papers, letter press cards and calendars, block print patterned posters and ooh so much more. I couldn't resist buying a calendar for 2013 with vintage travel posters for each month.

One of the fabulous things about Seattle is the coffee....and treats. I think we tried every coffee place within a 10 block radius...which let me tell you, in Seattle there are a lot of coffee places within 10 blocks. After getting our coffee for the day all that was left was the delicious of what treat to try that day, cupcakes, French pastries, fresh fruit at the market, ice cream...and the list goes on.

The other paper gem I stumbled upon was The Paper Hammer. Another treasure trove of letter press, hand made papers and books, illustrated posters and totes...and those wonderful little paper items you don't exactly need....but want ever so much!

I would say this trip was a smashing sucess and should be repeated as soon as possible!

{from ruth} trending tuesday - stylish airtravel

Yet again, another twist on trend watching...a trending in the wrong direction in my opinion. I am greatly displeased by the disappearance of stylish air travel. As both Alethea and I have been flying an excessive amount lately I was struck by the lack of plesant aesthetics on most airlines. Everything has a lack-luster cooperate feel. Whatever happened to the glory days of travel posters and smashing style of Pan-Am and TWA. So here is a sampling of inspiration I wish I saw more often in today's air travel!

Credits: Top, Second Left, Second Right, Third Left, Third Right,Fourth Left, Fourth Center, Fourth Right, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh Left, Seventh Right

Maybe it is just me, but I don't think there is any excuse for a lack of design consideration in any industry. So I went on a hunt and found some glorious exceptions to my unfortunate trend of the day.

1.Lufthansa 2 & 3. FinAir  4. Air France 5. Air France 6. Virgin America 7. Aeroflot  8. Aeroflot  9. SAS

{from ruth} trending tuesday-cupcakes

So once again, a trend that is not so much a new trend on the radar, but more a trend I like to perpetuate and support...cupcakes! There is just something so wonderful about a tiny frosted cake all to yourself, not to mention the wonderful favors these boutique bakeries dream up.

I am no newbie to cupcakes, living in orange county I have been an avid sprinkles fan for years and even had sprinkles cupcakes in place of a giant came at my wedding. Since the discovery of sprinkles in my life almost 5 years ago I have found many other delightful 'cupcakery' in the area-the perfect circle in orange, frosted cupcakery in long beach, and merely sweets in brea just to name a few.

So while visiting the other sister half of Alethea and Ruth was no surprise she had me try out the local cupcake shop! Cupcake Royal is just down the street and around the corner from her house in the delightful city of Seattle. (more on the trip in total coming soon) While I am not sure any place can capture the crown from sprinkles in my mind, cupcake royal is pretty spectacular. We tried some seasonal treats of pumpkin with cream cheese frosting and vanilla apple spice with salted carmel frosting, as well as the gourmet vanilla with lavender frosting and chocolate with peanut butter pretzel frosting. After trying these I am convinced that in more ways than one, Seattle is a pretty sweet place!