Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo: Younga Park for Sprig, featuring Jackie by Rubie Green!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I hope you're all enjoying spending time with your families and eating a bit too much ;) As for me, I'm headed to the grocery store for some sweet potatoes and egg nog (mmmmmm) so cross your fingers the line isn't out the door! I'm incredibly thankful for all your support, and wish you a happy day. (And PS, for those of you who haven't yet set the table, click here for some amazingly chic eco-friendly place setting ideas! My favorites are above and below;)

J. Crew Liquor Store

All photos by Brian Berman via A Continuous Lean

Last weekend while out holiday shopping, I finally made my way to the new J. Crew Mens Shop, and was blown away by its decor! Offering a well-curated selection of limited edition pieces, everyday staples and vintage accessories, the store was designed by Andy Spade and his business partner Anthony Sperduti. Spade's advice for cultivating personal style: "Go Back to your history and where you came from. Research things that are special to you and not available to everyone." His wonderful piece of advice can easily be applied to both decorating and gift giving this holiday season.

Loving the wall color and black shade sconces!

They even have a rotating art exhibition in the fitting rooms! Loving the light fixtures and wall color too :)

Rubie Green in House Beautiful!

Thank you Jennifer, Orli, Amy and House Beautiful! I cannot tell you how much this means to me, and to my little sister Megan, who drew this pineapple :)

On my list faux sure

Banana Republic's Faux Fur Neck Warmer. Love it. H&M has some great looking faux fur right now too ;)

Eco-chic makeover in East Harlem!

Hello, and happy almost-Thanksgiving to you all! Tonight I'm excited to share some inspiration pics with you, and to fill you in on my first reno project! I recently moved to East Harlem in search of more space, and stumbled upon an apartment that occupies the entire third floor of a prewar brownstone! Surprisingly, I pay less rent than in my previous 325 square foot home, and I now have enough room for my very first Rubie Green office! The catch? It's in dire need of a face lift. So I've partnered up with a decorating magazine (wish I could tell you which one!) and will be spending the next few months giving my new home an eco-friendly makeover including paint, flooring, counter tops and decor. Here's a bit of inspiration...

Last summer when I visited the J.K. Capri, I fell in love with the combination of blues, grays, pinks, silver accent lighting and white wood paneling! I've been researching different types of eco-friendly paints, and think I'm going to choose Benjamin Moore's Natura collection with zero VOC's. They're available this spring in any color! (I like the two above;)

I also fell in love with J.K.'s thick seagrass wallpaper, so I've got my heart set on Phillip Jeffries' Madagascar Raffia, made of banana and palm leaves with an eco-friendly stain repellent finish. Lastly here's a small inspiration board for my living room! I'm working with Chairloom to reupholster a vintage armchair in my Rubie Green East Village fabric, and will also be hanging artwork by Patrick Cline such as the jaw-dropping horse photo above. (Patrick and I have been shooting together for almost a year, and will soon be selling signed prints! I'll be sure to keep you posted;) Finally, I'll be using a navy blue greek key print in my living room and office, and am hoping to get these sconces for Christmas!

Ladybird

Photos: Bryn Sanders

I'm always fascinated by people who are effortlessly chic, whose style is timeless and laid back yet perfectly appropriate for any occasion. Women such as Ali McGraw, Jackie Kennedy and (dare I say it!) Amelia Earhart epitomize the look. Their effortless style transcends time and their influence is still seen on runways today.

In my own life, that person is my high school friend Allison Jayjack, who recently pursued her dream and opened a boutique in Columbus, Ohio called Ladybird. Offering a mix of indie labels and carefully selected vintage finds, Allison's store is like stepping into my dream closet. (Ahem, just look at the three ensembles above! Spot on.) The good news? Everything in Ladybird is affordable, and will easily compliment any existing wardrobe.

A few weeks prior to opening, Allison flew me to Columbus to decorate the space! We spent four days painting and digging our way through some hysterical antique malls, flea markets, and of course Ikea! The resulting look is both vintage and modern, relaxed and sophisticated. Enjoy :)

With a fashionable keep-all grandmother, Allison was often caught hunting around her attic and basement discovering family treasures. From '40s overcoats and fancy frocks to jeweled clutches and vintage scarves, she has now carefully hand selected every item in her store. (And hello! I want both of those bags!)

A cozy resting spot for boyfriends and sleepy shoppers, Allison offers up vintage issues of Life, Vogue and quirky design books.

We decided to purchase two oversized vintage wardrobes and remove the doors so that customers would feel as if they were peeking into a stylish friends closet.

Notice the red birdcage! We found this beauty at an antique mall for $35, and gave it a fresh coat of paint to make it sparkle against the navy walls. We also selected orange velvet Ikea curtains for the fitting rooms, a la Tory Burch ;)

This gallery wall was so much fun to create! The wallpaper was actually original to the store, so we decided to keep this section to highlight the cash wrap. The artwork is a mixture of flea market finds and framed images from books such as Painting People. I have a major obsession with the floral painting in the upper left hand corner! It's an original oil painting that we found at an antique mall for a mere $30, and I've already instructed Allison to leave it for me in her will ;)

How great are these suitcases?! Again, $30 at a goofy antique mall.

Our $5 Ikea lamp illuminates a vintage horse and beaded necklace combo. And finally a couple of ladybirds! Allison is on the far left, then there's me, Kim and Bryn who served as the inspiration for one of my newest Rubie Green prints! We're all friends from high school and we can't get enough of Ladybird.

Ladybird is located at 716 N. High St. in Columbus, Ohio between Jeni's Ice Creams and Rowe. It's open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. And yes, Allison is always available to offer her customers personal style advice ;)

Rubie goes to Australia!

There's never been a better time for me to say "Wow, thank you Australia!" Ever since the launch of Rubie Green last spring, I have been absolutely blown away by the support I've received from Australian bloggers, editors, designers and design lovers. Today, I couldn't be more excited or flattered to announce that I've been asked to speak at the 2009 Decoration + Design show in Sydney! WOW! I've never been to Australia and am so excited to meet many of my new Australian friends in person, as well as the newest member of our team Marie Bowes who is now the exclusive RG distributor in New Zealand!

I also want to send a big thank you to Australia's Home Beautiful for including Rubie Green in their October issue! HB is sponsoring the Decoration + Design seminar series, so I'm looking forward to meeting (and thanking!) the editors in person.

Lastly I wanted to share with you some of my favorite images from a few of my RG customers in Australia! It's completely mind-boggling (in the best of ways!) to imagine that my fabrics have traveled to homes on the other side of the world! The first two photos below come all the way from Paddington, Brisbane from a home designed by Anna Spiro. Click here to see more :)

The next photo comes all the way from Carindale, Queensland from a home designed by Hayley and Tracey of Porchlight Interiors! I'm loving the faux bamboo chair :)

Next, a fun combo from Kimberlee of Adelaide, Australia, who writes one of the cutest blogs on earth called Brown Button!

Lastly, my jaw dropped when I spotted these gorgeous pics (also from Porchlight Interiors!) of the seaside at Cleveland Point, Brisbane! (Click here to see more!) Again, it's completely surreal to think how far RG has traveled, and incredibly flattering to have such loyal customers so far away :)

I also want to send a big thanks to Diane Bergeron, Amanda Harris, Sally Cutler, and Belinda Jamieson for all your support and dedication to Rubie Green :) Go Australia!!