{ciao}

a few random pics from my Instagram feed

Hi stranger... long time no see!  Where is Petunia lately?  Well, I'm around and my favorite place lately is Instagram.  
What is Instagram?
It is a popular photo-sharing app for the iPhone.  It's a fun & quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures.  Snap a photo with your iPhone , then choose a filter to transform the look and feel of the shot into a memory to keep around forever.  Super fun and it doesn't involve a lot of time.  If you've got a minute you just upload a photo to share with your friends.  
I am "xoPetunia" on Instagram.  If you're already on Instagram, be sure to let me know your user name, too.

{Lilly's birthday brunch}

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook then you may have heard that I was excited to attend Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau's 80th birthday brunch (benefiting The Museum of Lifestyle and Fashion History) this weekend.  We had a colorful table of ladies including fellow bloggers Jennifer from Southern Living: Preppy Style and Amy from Forever 29.  It was somewhat of a blogger convention (!!!)... and we also enjoyed meeting Bethany from Maryland Pink and Green, Wendy from Life is Better with a Twist of Lime, Ashley of Ashley Brooke Designs, & Kiehl James Patrick!

Lilly and I

Vintage Lilly dresses from the 60's

polyester Lilly pants from the 70's!

I really liked this Lilly dress from the 70's

the ladies of our table

Chin Chin!

{she said}

currently loving

Plan B - She Said from Plan B Vimeo on Vimeo.

{pics from NYNY}

Thought I'd share some other photos from our trip last weekend (other than the bedbug pics!).

the view from our hotel room

Little P and I told Hubs that we must stop by the new Laduree on Madison Avenue.  They had a Halloween-themed window display and yes, those orange macarons were delicious.  I found a new favorite, though, blackcurrant violet--amazing!

When we were in line waiting to enter Laduree Carl Bernstein happened to be walking by and he stopped to ask me what we were in line for.  He got quite a chuckle out of the fact that dozens of people were waiting outside just to purchase some macarons.  Obviously he's never had a Laduree macaron.

Little P and I outside the Gershwin theater before seeing Wicked.  All four of us really enjoyed it!

After the performance we walked over to Magnolia Bakery where picked up these treats and took them over to Rockefeller Center to watch the ice skaters.

{bedbugs in New York City?....eeeeek!}

We just returned from a quick jaunt to New York City. We had a fabulous time visiting with friends, taking little Petunia to see Wicked on Broadway, eating some amazing food..... until I woke up after the first night with bites all over my right arm!  Gross......I know!  Do not be fooled into thinking that the bedbug epidemic in New York City is a thing of the past.  I have now found several online reports filed this year (some as recently as earlier this month) which took place at our hotel, the Millenium Hilton on Church Street.  To be honest I can't find a NYC hotel that doesn't have any bedbug reports.  It didn't occur to me until we were already on our way home that the bites popping up all over my arm could be from bedbugs.  They did not actually become horribly itchy until about 24 hours later so I didn't speak to anyone at the hotel while we were there.  These are definitely not mosquito bites--I know what those look like.  These are different and no prescription or cortisone cream will stop the itching.  I have tried to contact a Millenium Hilton hotel manager by phone and no one will speak to me.  I even left a voicemail for the manager prefaced with "Hello, I am not trying to obtain a refund. I simply wish to speak with a manager so that no one else gets bitten..." and so far no one from the hotel has returned my call.
To be clear--at the time I did not think to search for nor did I happen to see any actual bedbugs in our room, but I just cannot figure out what else this could be.  I have never had an experience like this before in all of my travels.  During our return I started to worry that we might bring bedbugs home with us, so I immediately washed all of our clothing in hot water and then threw away some non-washables AND my suitcase which had been on the floor next to my bed.

I would be hesitant to visit NYC again after this.  I would surely have a nervous breakdown if my home became infested with bedbugs!

{a home tour}

Blue has been my favorite color for a long time.  Blue and white is a classic combination for home decor which never seems to go out of style.  Below I'm sharing with you a local model home that was decorated entirely in blue and white (and sand beige).  I particularly like the dining room (does anyone know where I can find that table?), the formal living room, and the family room with the beachy blue & white striped rug.

dining room--love the use of ikat fabric on the chairs

formal living room

master bath

master bedroom

kitchen

family room

another bedroom

courtyard pool

backyard

{a day made of glass}

This glimpse into the future is quite impressive.

I think I need some of these innovations in my life right now (especially the auto-dimming windows in the very beginning)!

{muahahahahaaaa}

Lil Petunia and I (and Phoebe) are endlessly entertained by this little guy lately.

Darkness falls across the land 
The midnight hour is close at hand 
Creatures crawl in search of blood 
To terrorize y'alls neighborhood 
And whosoever shall be found 
Without the soul for getting down 
Must stand and face the hounds of hell 
And rot inside a corpse's shell

{the dog days of summer}

Phoebe

{nerds of the 80's represent}

oh, come on...if you were alive in the 80's you probably dressed pretty funny, too! what's not to love about Katy's new video... Darren Criss, Kevin McHale, Debbie Gibson, Corey Feldman, Kenny G, Hanson, and Katy in awesome 80's fashions, glasses, and braces.

Oh, and guess who else is getting braces....again?! no, seriously, ugh.

{lol}

{oh, hi...}

"it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice."

i try to practice this in my own life.  the people who become my friends always end up being the nicest, most outgoing, fun people.  and i really have never had time for people that are not nice.

er... has it really been a month since i last blogged?  i feel like i've had a dozen blog posts in my head but i guess i haven't been so successful getting them into print.  well, happy to be back anyway and I really will post those Paris pictures soon... i blame it on the troublesome blogger photo editor!

{Israel}

At the beginning of September we took a family vacation to Israel and Paris.  We are slowly getting back into our routine with school and work, so I am finally able to post a few pics!

Israel is not as strange and foreign as you might think.  This photo of a street in Tel Aviv below could just as well have been taken here in South Florida!

In Tel Aviv there is quite a contrast between old and new as seen in the photo below of my hotel and the building across the street.  I'll let you guess which one was my hotel...

But then every once in a while you get a reminder that you are, in fact, in Israel!!!

We toured Jerusalem and saw many of the historical religious sites.  Below we were able to touch the Unction stone (the stone on which Jesus' body was prepared for burial) which is inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

A painting on the wall of the church depicting the Unction stone:

We also attended the wedding of my husband's niece while in Israel.  The ceremony and reception were held in a beautiful cave-like rock formation on a kibbutz.  There was also a sit-down dinner before the ceremony and reception on a lovely grassy area adjacent to the rock.  The music that the DJ played was not so foreign after all... here is the very first song played:

Up next... Paris!

{I love quilting...}

Do you love this Chanel Grand Shopper handbag ...

but simply cannot justify the price?

Well, Stuart Weitzman has the "Lotto bag" coming out this Fall which has the same aesthetic sensibility of the Chanel beauty without the price tag. This bag features quilted nappa leather with chain handles. It even features the comfy leather inserts on the shoulder straps. You can find it here online.

SW Lotto bag

{Bond no 9}

Bond no. 9 has created a scent just for New Orleans!

I love the fleur de lis bottle.

The people of New Orleans are obsessed with the fleur de lis.  It is not just the symbol of The Saints.  It is the symbol of the city itself, and you will see fleur de lis everywhere if you visit NOLA.

The base notes are cinnamon and sandalwood while the top notes are tuberose, violet leaf, cassis and vanilla.  I am curious to try it, but this Bond no. 9 scent is only sold at the Saks Fifth Avenue in The Shops of Canal Place in New Orleans.

{California}

 I am finally getting around to posting a few pics from our vacation to California in July.  It was an all-around perfect vacation!  The weather was gorgeous with temperatures in the 60's and 70's which was a welcome change for us.  This was Lil P's first trip to California so of course we spent some time in Hollywood and Beverly Hills just having fun and taking in the sights!

Me, Lil P's cousin, and Lil P all wearing our movie star shades!

We had to do a little shopping here!

We found our favorite old movie stars' hand and foot prints on Hollywood Boulevard.  They were so much more interesting to look at than the stars on the walk of fame.

Here I am posing with Johnny Depp at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.  The figures are incredibly realistic all the way down to exact height and even razor stubble on his chin here.  I have to say that the most stunning figure was Angelina Jolie.  I didn't take a photo of her wax figure because I still don't like her--haha!

We took one of those tours of Hollywood which included stopping and ogling lots of Celebrity homes...hee hee.  It was actually lots of fun!  I think this was Madonna's house:

I had to stop at the original Shabby Chic in Santa Monica.

We had an outdoor wedding to attend in Malibu which was quite lovely and scenic.

{Lilly Pulitzer for sale}

*SOLD*
I am offering this NWT Lilly Pulitzer Twyla tunic dress for sale.  It is a Ladies size Small.  The retail price is $278 and I am asking $170.  Material is a silk/cotton jersey blend and it may be hand washed in cold water or dry cleaned.

I accept payment through Paypal.  Please e-mail me at PetuniasParadise@aol.com if interested.

Here is the same style Twyla dress modeled in a different print:

{Anthro Clinton trench}

I just ordered this trench for an upcoming trip to France and Israel.  I know that I will freeze in Paris and am wondering if this will even keep me warm enough.  (My body has acclimated to subtropical temperatures and anything below 70 degrees is cold to me.)
But it is just so perfect for Paris, n'est ce pas?!  I couldn't resist!   

Do you have any good Paris hotel or restaurant recommendations?  I'd like to try some new places this time!