Happy Earth Day!

Photo: Patrick Cline for Rubie Green

Happy Earth Day to my friends in all corners of the world! I wanted to share something fun and green with you today, so I decided to give you a little sneak peek of my new apartment! As a few of you have already guessed, I had been working with domino magazine (sniff) on an eco-friendly makeover of my little Spanish Harlem home, but after they folded I decided to continue the project on my own, with a much lower budget of course. I'd love to show you the whole thing, but for now I have to wait just a tad longer. Let's just say I've got a few tricks up my sleeve ;)

The inspiration for my new home was the J.K. Capri, but in a sort of 'J.K. meets twenty something Manhattan gal' kind of way ;) When I visited the hotel last summer I was seriously taken by the tranquil color palette and the sophisticated layering of art, photography, books and accessories. If you haven't seen the photos from my original post, click here. It's honestly my favorite post of all time, and I cannot think of a single space that makes me more happy.

To get the J.K. look in an eco-friendly way, I chose Benjamin Moore's new Natura paint which has zero VOC's and is completely odorless! I was thrilled when the line was recently released because it's a great example of how powerful the green movement has become. Just two years ago when I was working on the green issue of domino, we were literally unable to find conventional paints without VOC's! Many forward thinking brands at the time had offered low VOC options, but it wasn't until recently that these new zero emission paints have become widely available. I chose a soft grey for my living room called Silver Half Dollar, and a navy for my office called Kensington Blue. Both look stunning paired with white moldings and furniture and colorful accessories, as is the case in the J.K. below.

Lastly I wanted to send a warm thank you to all my readers and Rubie Green fans in Australia! I continue to be absolutely blown away by the overwhelmingly positive response I have received from down under, and I am working hard to find a way to ship our bedding to you in the future. In the meantime, thank you thank you thank you for your support and your incredible enthusiasm, and a very special thanks to Home Beautiful for including me in the Eco-Chic section of the May issue :) Go green!

'Tis the season

Kate Townsend-Simpson photographed by Max Kim-Bee for Brides

As the weather starts to get warmer and the trees begin to blossom, it feels like love is in the air :) A few of my good friends just got engaged this week (congrats Elana + Bret and Amanda + Alex!!) and I myself am heading to a wedding in Jamaica next weekend! While pondering what to wear in 95 degree weather (no complaints!) I was reminded of an old story from Brides magazine featuring my former boss at domino, Kate Townsend-Simpson! I remember we were sitting in the office one day chatting, and she mentioned that her wedding was published, so I ran back to my desk and googled it and my jaw dropped when I found it. Wow! Kate looks stunning.

For more photos and close-up detail shots, be sure to check out the full story here. As for me, although I'm years away from even thinking about marriage, I couldn't help but fall in love with this dress from J. Crew! I spotted it tonight while searching for something to wear next weekend, and found myself wishing I could dance around in it the whole night instead ;) (dear j. crew, please keep this dress in stock forever. sincerely, michelle.)

Piggy Post!

Photo: Patrick Cline for Lonny

On Sunday Patrick and I headed out to Long Island in search of some sheep to photograph for Lonny! But when we arrived at the farm we couldn't help but fall in love with the baby piglets instead!! Although I'm from Michigan and have certainly seen my fair share of farms, I had never seen a baby pig and had no clue how cute they are! They look like little French bulldogs with funny noses, and they like to race around, climb on each other, and then regroup for mini naps. (like in the photo below!) Click here if you'd like to see some more ;)

Rubie Green in Daily Candy!

I am so pleased to announce that Rubie Green is featured in the everywhere edition of Daily Candy today!! Needless to say, our site is moving like molasses from all the traffic, so please bear with us and try back later if it's moving too slowly :) Thanks DC!

I'm also incredibly excited to announce that I am now working with Ruby Press! (Rubie Green and Ruby Press- how funny is that!) I first met the gals at RP when I was working at domino, and honestly couldn't imagine a more perfect fit for my company. Be sure to check out their blog, and be prepared to leave it with about ten million new bookmarks on your computer! (Seriously, they find the coolest things on earth;)

Kate Spade Fall 2009

Photo: Anders Overgaard for Harper's Bazaar via Diane Bergeron's The DB Files

Last week during our big bedding launch I was pretty much glued to my office chair, but I did manage to sneak out for a quick preview of the Kate Spade apparel debut, and Fall 2009 collection! Here's a little peek of what's to come ;)

Loving the mod look, saturated colors, forgiving silhouettes and attention to detail. (And the bows!)For all of you Tim Gunn fans, you'll be pleased to know that he is hosting a series of lectures on defining signature style. Click here to see a schedule of lectures at a Kate Spade store near you.

Personally, I'm a fan of Kate's creative director, Deborah Lloyd! These photos are from a tour of her Brooklyn brownstone in the February 2009 issue of Harper's Bazaar.

And finally, here's some fun ways to get Lloyd's well-traveled look! Be sure to also check out the Style Court coverage here :)

Left to right: Henry by Lonny, Sunshine Bracelet by J. Crew, Lantern Vase by Jonathan Adler, I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson, Trapeze Top by Kate Spade (better hurry- this baby's on sale!), Coakley Cay Notepads by Iomoi (only $25!), Explorer Series by Steamline Luggage, Mary by Rubie Green, and Easton Stripe Jillian Dress by Kate Spade.