So this Cincinnista has been caught up in the Thanksgiving rush, in addition to a full work load and yes, did I mention we are still renovating our offices and to top it off I caught the holiday sinus infection?!
So, enough of my excuses, back to some fun shopping and deals:) Forget about Black Friday. I was pleasantly surprised to find several high ticket shoes and bags I had been eyeing on sale up to 40% off early last week! I scooped up a Valentino tote I’d seen at Saks months ago, but put off due to the price. As we all know, it’s rare that Premium Designer labels go on sale go hurry…these items will be gone way before Christmas! Another hint, Gucci has a big sale twice a year…but you will have to wait until end of December for that one..grab it while you can Cincinnista’s!
Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!
Can’t go wrong with a simple black Prada bag now on sale at Saks.I bought this exact Valentino bag on sale as well. Love the rich caramel color with the unique Valentino stud detailing!These Prada Mary Jane’s are also on sale at Saks. The chunky heal is so in this season as well as comfortable!
Well I’m embarrassed to say it’s been almost a month now since my last post….High Point Market travel and buried with moving! Along with a good size client load and renovating the new space, life has been more than busy. We moved however without a hitch last Friday and are working away in our new digs.
The process of completely upgrading the space, however, is still in the works. While we have all of our new office furniture installed, most new showroom furniture in, flooring and most painting done, we ran in some plumbing hurdles. Our lovely local building inspector stopped in one day and after much hassle…we were forced to post pone our bathroom renovation. So beware… our bathroom is much cleaner but still uglier than you know what! Our landlord has been very helpful with this issue and we finally have our plumbing and kitchenette cabinetry ordered. Given that…we are in a waiting stage on many items at this point. As an interior designer, I know how many of my clients feel! But stay tuned. The world class artwork from Malton Gallery is to be hung tomorrow, a few stunning furniture pieces and amazing entry way floor tile on way , more cool light fixtures, and a fabulous kitchen/bathroom area coming.
Check out our latest pics….and yes I decided to skip the moving pics just to forget about that part of it!
The front area has been totally transformed. Just loving the amazing wallpaper as the backdrop for this amazing oversized chandelier. New dining table and sofa on way!Kitchen area with new tile, lighting and painting.I almost forgot signage! ABC Sign did an amazing job refurbishing this historical sign with our updated logo. Fun to watch the installation too:)Proud to have my name in OTR!The new fabric and selection libraryMy big new office! Still waiting on two mid century modern guest chairs. Loving the floor planks that we designed generously donated by Shaw!
So off the subject of fall fashion and on to bigger news! After looking for over a year at various locations in the Hyde Park/Mount Lookout/Oakley area, I finally turned my gaze to downtown OTR. My love for the area really kicked in earlier this year when I began a remodeling project for a great client on Vine Street. I found myself downtown several times a week and was fascinated by the vibe and indigenous beauty of the architecture there. Our new space is on the corner of Main and Orchard, boasts 12″ ceilings and hardwood floors. However, the place is old and needs a lot of work to come up to Amy Youngblood Interiors’ standards! Besides just refinishing the floor, we are upgrading other areas with new tile and vinyl floor planks, fresh paint and wallpaper, new chandeliers and lighting… not to mention hip, modern furniture!
Stay tuned for our journey from a basic mess right now to the final product. You may have also noticed my Cincinnista Facebook posts regarding all the good and close bars and restaurants. It’s going to a great home for us.
In the meanwhile, check out some of our before pics just for the record!
Love the corner location and Orchard Street is just darling. Of course, need a sign and new transom windows.Our future kitchen. Need new tile, lighting, paint and of course, a kitchenette.The front room entry space. We will be painting and wallpapering as well as furnishing with edgy and mid-century modern furniture and lighting!My future office. Need to level off the floor, install cool vinyl plank flooring, new chandelier and paint.The bathroom. Need I say more? Ugh!
Trying my best to showcase this amazing dress by Bling!Jill Haney actively describing our outfits and the fall trends.Loving this clutch by Black and Brindle.
I can’t believe it’s been over a week since the big night September 1st, but the Get Fab for Fall was not just fun, it’s was successful! The weather was prime and the turnout heavy. hosted at one of my favorite wine bars, Unwind in Hyde Park, the staff welcomed us on to their beautiful patio for the Co-Op, Black and Brindle and Erin Wachs Jewelry to display their beautiful products. In addition, Kenzie’s Closet was on hand to accept clothing donations. Such a worthwhile cause!
To backtrack, this Cincinnista, had the honor of modeling some of these beautiful wares. My evening started out Blown salon in Kenwood for both a complimentary make-up and hair styling. The salon is beautiful (yes…I am a picky interior designer, too!) and the ladies that work there are as talented as they are nice. Once done there I trotted back to Hyde Park to a packed patio of fellow Cincinnista’s ready to get their Fall Style on! After busy shopping and complimentary wine, the fashion show began with 6 of us ladies strutting our stuff down the hip outdoor runway! (Kind of kidding here). I of course ended up buying at least two of the items I wore during the show…great stuff!
Hard to look good net to the age less Gina Elliott!Unwind was the perfect venue for the show as always for a lovely glass of wine.With one of my fellow Cincinnista’s and good friend Amy Barkett.The ladies from Channel 9 are as nice as they are beautiful!Blown in Kenwood did an amazing job on my hair and make-up. I can’t wait to go again before my next big event!Beautiful ladies!Erin Wachs Jewelry has both creative an classy pieces from anything from your ears to your neck. Check them out at Erin’s beautiful boutique in Mariemont!Me and the lovely ladies behind the show!Beautiful, creative pieces from Erin Wachs Jewelry.The lithe, sexy model Gina Elliott!
I look forward to this becoming an annual event and for a good cause! Check out my photos from the night and Cheers!
Well, as an honorary Cincinnista modeling in this show, part of my duty was the outfit selection. I visited my dear friend Rachel Hamilton today at the Co-Op on Camargo and, my, was I impressed. She first dressed my in a classy, textured grey wrap dress along with hip pumps by Jill Haney to start. Then we moved on to more a more casual outfit comprised of a elegant print blouse and contrasting, distressed, demin jeans. I will be topped off on Thursday with jewelry by Erin Wachs!
If you haven’t visited the Co-Op on Camargo you are missing out. The quaint boutique is conveniently location on Camargo Road in Madeira. Not to mention, the clothing, jewelry and shoes are to die for. What not to die over? Crazy high prices!
Love the flattering clean lines of this wrap dress. The perfect fabric weight for fall. Perfect for a day at work of night out!Love the pattern and rich colors of this fun and sexy outfit.The always beautiful Rachel Hamilton at work!These shoes are so Cincinnista!Great selection of fun, inexpensive jewelry.
Yes, the temps are high again, but at least the kids are finally back in school! Phew! Regardless, it is still time for fall fashion. Sooooo, please join me at the The Get Fab for FALL Fashion Show next Thursday, September 1st, from 6-9 at Unwind in Hyde Park. Sponsored by The Co-Op on Camargo, Erin Wachs Jewelry and BLOWN Studio, the fashion show will highlight what’s in from these top Cincinnati Boutiques. Beautiful apparel, shoes, accessories and jewelry will be for sale, and with a donation to Kenzie’s Closet, you will receive 20% off your purchase! This Cincinnista has the honor of modeling in the show as well, so if you want to witness my rusty catwalk skills, the more the merrier! And for those of you unfamiliar with Unwind, the upscale wine bar boasts a hip atmosphere with great wine and lite bites. See you there!
So as I left off…this Cincinnista had an amazing wedding…and now off to the honeymoon. After two well needed days to re-cooperate, Tom and I headed to a well needed 5 day get away in Montreal.
Despite flying international, the flight was pretty easy. Our first bit of fun was being on the entire two flights with the FC Cincinnati soccer team and their coaches. As my kids are huge fans, of course my motherly duty was to get as many autographs as possible along with their head coach, John Harkes. I was so impressed with their professional, nice demeanor not to mention…they are pretty cute!
Once we arrived in Montreal at the Hotel Intercontinental, we laid low our first night at the in-house bar called Sarah B. Known as an historical absinthe bar…which is banned in the U.S. now by the way….we ate fabulous calamari along with wine and cocktails.
Speaking of food, Montreal lives up to its reputation of amazing food! From the Boris Bistro with it’s amazing risotto, to the french XO Le Restaurant’s delicious filet mignon, to Notkin’s Oyster Bar, I was never starved for flavorful cuisine. The only thing that helped stave off a few calories was the tons of walking we did exploring different parts of the city. My only complaint dining wise was that as California chardonnay kind of girl, the french whites were tough on my palette. I know…boo hoo, right?! We did stumble in to an American style Bistro called Houston’s one happy hour, and I got my American Chardonnay fix!
Beyond food and drink, the biggest thing Montreal offers is an amazing mix of culture. As many people know, it is a French speaking city with all types of cultures and nationalities. Luckily, this Cincinnista took 4 years of french in high school only to really get by with “bonjour” and “merci” with a bit of a french accent… but hey, A for effort right? Tom and I loved the powerful Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Pompeii exhibits at The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts not to mention our last day find: the L Hotel in Old Montreal. The L Hotel first grabbed us when we walked by on day one accidentally to later find that it’s owner, George Marciano, the founder of Guess Jeans, houses a world class art collection of contemporary art. From a Marciano portrait by Andy Warhol, to Jean Miro to Sam Francis, prints and originals by some of the top early 1900 artist’s can be found. And the service while having drinks while looking at beautiful art and interior design….Merci Beaucoup!
That’s it for now. Back to reality. Fall is around the corner and stay stunned for the late fashion and style news there! Cheers!
At Laguardia airport with FC Cincinnati Head Coach John Harkes and star player Sean OkoliThe outside of the restrooms at Notkin’s Oyster Bar. Who would have guessed?Every big city has to have a piece of the Berlin Wall..Oui? Outside of our hotel.Loving this Botero sculpture!Dining on Old Montreal. So French!Loving the practical yet creative sculpture.A classic Dale Chihuly outside The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.Miro at the L Hotel. Must I say more?XO Le Restaurant . HIp, tasty and chic.Yummy oysters at Notkin’s Oyster Bar.Outside of the L Hotel. Who can miss the classic contemporary Robert Indiana LOVE sculpture?One of my favorite originals by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec at The Montreal of Fine Arts.
So exactly 2 weeks from my last post, I am happy to report my wedding was wonderful and went off without a hitch! The day was beautiful and the fun and love in the air were contagious. I started my day off getting my hair done with my daughter, Elle, then on to the outdoor ceremony in our lovely, flower-filled courtyard with running fountain. Our condo finally was decorated thoroughly and the flowers by Del Apgar were beautiful. In addition, the food by Beth O’Leary and Dutch’s was fabulous (although we had way too much left!) not to mention the custom cookies by Courtney Talty. A word about the cookies….it was so cool to have a theme of all each of our names on a different cookie.. a symbol of our blended family.
After the outdoor ceremony, our reception was filled with more fun, cocktails and laughter. Both Tom and I are lucky to have wonderful family and friends from our pasts that traveled hours to join us on our special day. Not to mention, our local friends that have so dearly supported our relationship over the past two years.
Our courtyard was picture perfect for the ceremony. I loved the Milly dress I wrote about earlierFlowers by Del Apgar and Cookies by Courtney Talty with my, Tom, Nolan and Elle’s name on them!Nolan and his two buddies Scott and Nic to keep him busy.Elle and her friend Syd. These two are trouble!My beautiful mother and two of my best friends from DePauw, Kersten and Kristin.
Just got back from our honeymoon from Montreal last Sunday. More on that to come!
