Arriving in Italy!!

After a sleepless flight, we arrive in Milan at 8am. The flight in was beautiful with snow-capped mountains. Breathtaking! Now we just have to drive 3 hours to Florence. Yep, we rented a car!!

On our way to Italy...

We left Santa Fe at 5:00am to drive to Dallas..... boring.... boring..... boring drive. Saw some tractors and open fields and roadkill.

Dallas was only for 1 night but we had fun with "A's" parents and we're very thankful that they took Tucker while we travel. Tucker is getting ready to say 'goodbye'

We flew from Dallas to Atlanta and then in Atlanta I filled the seat in front of me with all the things I might need for the 9 hour flight to Milan. Once I realized I had 'movies on demand' at my seat, I didn't use any of these things.

Sitting in style on the plane, though pearls were off before we left the jetway. I needed more mimosas for my fear of flying!!

Italy... Here we come!

"A" and I have had a trip to Italy planned for over a year. It's a long story, but we had the trip scheduled for last year but had to cancel it so we're finally off for about 3 weeks! Because Tucker is still very young and we don't want to board him for so long, we decided to make the drive down to Dallas to leave Tucker with "A's" parents - they have 2 beagles who can put up with Tucker's puppy energy. On our way to Dallas we stopped in Santa Fe to visit my family for a couple of days. The above photo is Tucker on the outdoor bed at my step-mom's house, looking inside. I think he could sense that we were leaving him soon and he didn't want to be away from us at all!!

The first thing Tucker did in Santa Fe was to jump on my step-mom, Cristina's bed at 7am. We don't let him on our bed so he made a run for it onto hers. She loved it until she realized, like I told her, Tucker sheds more hair in 5 minutes than I will in my entire life.

Fall Snow Storm

Between yesterday and last night it snowed 16 inches at our house in Denver! The freak fall storm cancelled many schools, appointments for me and made it very hard to go anywhere, BUT I'm loving it! Being cozy at home, cooking, packing (we're off to Italy on Saturday for 3 weeks!)

Tucker loves the snow and wants to stay in it all day!

Andrew and Tucker looking preppy running in a snow packed field
This was at 2 in the morning (Tucker had to go outside) - our courtyard completely covered in snow. I didn't the the best preparation for winter with our patio furniture. oops.

Bling Bling

One of my new favorite jewelry pieces is from Stella & Dot. They're 3 stackable Deco style rings that look fabulous on everyone. I even wore them the other day with my engagement ring - amazing!! Many of my friends have already ordered these. Perfect for the holiday season or any time of year, these are the go-to pieces for everyday chic. Get them here!!

Cutest dog ever..

I know that everyone thinks their dog is the cutest, but everyday when Tucker (now 7 months old!) run to the door when I wake up, I just look at him and think, "you are just the best looking puppy ever!" Poor guy has to endure me taking gazillions of photos of him.

This is his 'sad' face because he's almost got kicked out of day care the other day because he was trying to hump everything, including the water bowl. We're still discussing when we're taking him in for his little 'surgery'.

This is his "Zoolander" model face. Beat that Ben Stiller!!
So cute! If he was better behaved I would put him on TV!

The Downside of Blogging.... I knew this would happen

I read a few other blogs. Some from dear friends, others by people whose style I love, and others that are just pure entertainment.

This morning I read a post by a blog called "Habitually Chic" - a blog that I read for style inspiration by a woman who I think is, well...'chic' and honest. She's a much better and more consistent blogger than I am.

Anyway, her post this morning was about a new law where bloggers must disclose if companies they are reviewing are sending them any freebies or payment for reviews.

To read "Habitually Chic's" interesting blog post and the NY Times article about the law click here

In a world where traditional advertising is not working anymore, I can see how companies are trying to capitalize on the growing number of bloggers and blog followers. Like "Habitually Chic" I just want to let all of you know that I have never approached or been approached by a company to review their products - nor do I receive any freebies from anyone. I only write about products I use and love because people are always asking me for recommendations (and because I decided to take a year off of working and needed to connect with the world somehow!).

I do have a 'store' where people can buy some of the products I recommend from Amazon, but most of these products can be found locally. If people do purchase from Amazon, I get a small kick-back, but have not received a penny to date. Also, as I am now a Stella & Dot Stylist, I will promote those products, of course, because I love them and do make money from that, but the corporate office does not know about my blog at all - it's just me and my own business (which I wouldn't have started if I didn't LOVE the products).

Anyway, I just wanted you all to know that you can read "The Krafty Life" with confidence. I write this blog for fun and because I sometimes have something worth reading! BUT, also like "Habitually Chic," if any company wants to start sending me free stuff - like Louboutin, Chanel or even Mr. Clean Magic sponge - I already love you and will write anything you want - hehehehehe!!

Sofia Necklace

Not only is 'Sofia' the name of my gorgeous younger sister, but it's one of my favorite statement necklaces from Stella & Dot. As beautiful with a black cocktail dress or a tank top, I wore my Sofia Pearl Bib necklace yesterday with a button up white shirt, black jacket and jeans. I love having the pearls just peak through the shirt - bold yet understated (can I use those two words together?). It even looks good with my nerdy glasses!

I can't wait to try this necklace with my other clothes! I'm not buying a lot of new clothes this year so a new necklace is just the thing I need to make some of my favorite items new again!! I can make the necklace shorter or longer depending on the length I want for a specific look.

The best part is that it's only $118 and stops people on the street! Click here to check out the Sofia Necklace online.

My New Venture!

Now that we're back in Denver, I've been itching to start working again. I need to find something that's flexible, a job where I can live anywhere (because we all know how much I move!) and I would like to 'run my own show.' I've also been thinking about going back to school and studying nutrition or Interior Design. Those are both distinct passions of mine.

So last month when I was back in San Francisco, I visited with my good friend and former roomie, Jamie. She is a stylist for "Stella & Dot" jewelry and I really loved some of the pieces. She started describing the business to me and I loved the idea so much that I decided that instead of just buying the jewelry, I would become a stylist as well! So I'm officially a "Stella & Dot" stylist now and really excited about it.

Who doesn't like gorgeous jewelry at amazing prices? I love fun jewelry, however I don't like to spend a ton of money on it -BUT I also don't like it to look cheap. I am really picky about what I wear so I think that if I love all the pieces from "Stella & Dot" others will to. Plus, I get to call the shots on my own business and I'm really excited about that.

I'll hold trunk shows and I also have an e-commerce website! Check it out and let me know what you think:

www.stelladot.com/krafty

Tomorrow I'm going to have 'A' take a bunch of photos of me with my favorite pieces on so I can share them with you!

I so much look forward to having a new adventure where I'm in charge of my own success.

Most importantly I get to represent a product that I love!! So exciting - more soon!!

Mr. Clean Mr. Clean

I have been obsessed with cleaning ever since Amber and I were 8 years old and invented a cleaning product named "Clean Clang." We mixed together every liquid in my house (including orange juice, hair conditioner and toothpaste) and developed an 'amazing' cleaning product. We were so enthusiastic about the product that we made up a jingle for it and cleaned my entire house with it. You would think that my parents would be grateful for the free house cleaning with an exclusive new product, but apparently the ingredients we used were not the best for cleaning.... whatever!

Fast forward to today and I've found another great product (thanks mom!). It's called "Mr. Clean Magic Eraser." It's a sponge that you dampen and you can clean your walls and much much more. When we moved into our townhouse in Denver, there were scuff marks all over the walls. I was so annoyed that the house wasn't spick and span! My mom recommended the magic eraser because it doesn't take the paint off walls. I used the eraser to take off one spot that was really annoying me and it worked so easily and so well that I went through the entire house cleaning the walls - it made all the difference in the world. You can use this all over the house - it's super fun! Yes, I said fun!

A's 30th Birthday!

Today is A's 30th Birthday! He has now decided that I can write his real name ("Andrew") on my blog since we haven't encountered any stalkers so far.

I can't believe that we've known each other for over 10 years! I'm a lucky girl to be with the man who knew me through many different stages of my life.

Here's Andrew with Tucker (who is growing by the minute!) in our new place in Cherry Creek.

Andrew accepted a job with Lawrence Covell - one of the top retail stores in the country. This made me super duper happy because we got to move back to Denver!!

Among many other things, he is creating a blog for them. Check it out lawrencecovellblog.blogspot.com

If you're in the area, be sure to stop by the store in Cherry Creek.

The men in my life are just so well dressed! I definitely need to break out of my sweat pant habit (that's a topic for another day!).

Happy Birthday Andrew - I'm excited for the next 3o years!

One of the best finds EVER

Just prior to moving to Colorado, I discovered one of the best San Francisco treats ever. If you go to the Ferry Building, one of the permanent stores is a mushroom/truffle store. There they stock a Honey Truffle Mustard that is life changing (don't be discouraged by the honey - this is not a really sweet mustard).

When I bring this mustard back to Colorado for friends they react as if I just bought them a new car. When I was in San Francisco last month, I convinced my cab driver from the airport to stop and get a jar after he dropped me off. This is seriously a great gift. I buy jars of it and just keep them in our kitchen in case we go to someone's house and need a little gift.

This mustard tastes like it costs $30 per jar, but it's only $7.50. I put this healthy treat on everything - sandwiches, burgers, chicken, sausages....I would but it on ice cream if it didn't gross people out.

Stop by the ferry building when you're in San Francisco (one of my favorite places to go!) or you can order this mustard online www.farwestfungi.com

What are your favorite finds? Please share!!

Detox Time!

I have to be honest - I've been indulging a bit too much. Living in Vail during the winter, our home became more like a hotel and we had endless guests. Being the gracious hostess that I always imagined I would be, I wined and dined many friends and family. I didn't want to be rude by watching what I was eating or drinking! The winter went something like this: One glass of wine for you and one for me, one side of truffle mashed potatoes for you and one for me, one chocolate molten cake for you and one for me (oh, and I'll just have a bit of everyone else's dessert too!). Well, after each guest would go home and return to their normal healthy lifestyle, I would wash the sheets and towels and get ready for the next guest and more food/wine/wine/wine (not a typo).

Well, now it's almost Fall (my situation hasn't improved), we've moved back to Denver and I'm realizing that I need to reel it in and get back to some state of normalcy.

This week I've decided to do the "Rapid Total Body Cleanse." This is a 1 week cleanse that REALLY cleans you out, helps your liver etc.

Here's the deal:

No drinking, no dairy, no wheat, no sugar or processed foods for one week. I'm supposed to eat the freshest food possible and have to take herbal supplements, fiber, and drink a ton of water.

I'm also supposed to rest a lot (reading "Twilight" AGAIN - sorry - don't care what you think, I love it) and exercise (moving is helping with this and I'm joining the gym my friends belong to).

I have to say that I'm feeling better already on day 3, though I'm having major Chipotle cravings. It's good to give your body a break a few times a year.

Missing In Action

I don't know if ANYONE reads my blog anymore, but I have to apologize that I went missing for awhile.  I got distracted this summer somehow and now, guess what?  We just moved back to Denver!!  It was a pretty last minute decision because "A" got a great job offer and we both wanted to be back in the city.  

I love Vail, don't get me wrong, but I definitely missed the feeling of being in a city and actually having friends.  We still have our great place in Vail for weekends, but found an awesome townhouse in Cherry Creek to rent.  I'm so happy to be back in Denver, but so tired from moving....again.  

Tucker is tired too.

I've moved 4 times in the last year!  It's time to settle down a little and figure out what my next passion will be.  I promise to write more.  Oh, and I'm trying to plan our wedding...I can't even get started talking about that.

More soon....

Moving is the Pits....

But Tucker's a big help!

Well, at least he's providing comic relief!

It's Spring - Love is in the Air!

Not only are we moving back into our newly remodeled house and trying to train a nutty puppy, we just got engaged on Friday morning!  I woke up when 'A' walked into the bedroom with a Tuxedo on.  I was just thinking, "If that's what you want to wear to work, that's cool."  We've known each other for 10 years and he's been known to wear some funky clothes - he used to wear Tuxedo pants to class in college.  Anyway, I was completely wrong - he was proposing!  

After a few minutes of "Yay Yay Yay!", we realized we had to take Tucker out to do his business. Tucker didn't realize what all the excitement was about, but he liked the new toy on my finger!

He was thinking, "Mmmmm, Mommy, give me a taste of that bling!

Then "A", being the gentleman that he his, picked up all the Tucker poop in his Tux.

That night we went to dinner at our favorite Vail restaurant, "Sweet Basil." Our friend, Breanna, called ahead and sent us a really nice bottle of Champagne!  So nice! 

'A' has been growing out his mountain man beard - he looks so different now!

Time to plan a wedding!  For now, we're just going to enjoy the moment, but we definitely know we're not getting married in the snow!!!

Tucker Time!

Last Sunday we drove down to Boulder to pick up our 8 week old puppy!  We were so excited and so freaked out at the same time - our house isn't quite done and here we are bringing a puppy into the mess (more on that later)!

We named him "Lord Tucker of Manchester"

Lord - His grandfather won Westminster (whatever that means) so he needed a 'title'

Tucker - We loved this name and this is what we call him (we also call him 'Bug' for some reason)

Manchester - 'A's' favorite soccer team

Here's Tucker on our way home in his crate - he was pretty scared and begging to get out!

Once home, we introduced him to the wooly Lamb/Giraffe (not sure what it is exactly), but it's his favorite toy.  He wrestles with it when he's out of the crate and sleeps with it when he's in the crate.

He looks so innocent, but he peed on our new floors 12 times in the first day.  Not his fault at all because he was in a new place, but I started freaking out and thinking that no one under the legal drinking age should be able to adopt a dog, because you need a drink...or three!

After a traumatic bath experience where poor Tucker shook the entire time, he fell asleep in my arms.

And he slept a lot for the rest of the day, he was 'tuckered out'!  Sorry, lame joke.

I know I'm supposed to make him sleep in his crate, but I just couldn't do it the first day.  What's cuter than this?

Puppy Puppy!

The other day I was sitting in our living room and saw the neighbor doggies staring at me through the window.  It was a bit unnerving - like they could sense that something was up.

Dogs are so smart!  After months of discussion and research, 'A' and I have decided to add to our family - we're buying a puppy!  We know it's a huge responsibility, but we're ready for it.  Plus, living in Vail you feel like a complete alien if you don't own a dog.  

We've decided to add to the Golden Retriever cause for "Total Vail Domination."  We found a small breeder in Boulder who has excellent health records, family tree and a long  waiting list. 

Yesterday, we traveled to Boulder to look at the 6 week old puppies and choose our 2 favorites... 

The Golden puppies have a lot of love to give and we got tons of licks all morning.  They were all saying 'Pick me, pick me!!"

At 6 weeks the puppies still waddle around and slip all over the place.  The puppy above just gave up after awhile.

Puppies like to feel sheltered so they were all trying to hide behind our backs and around our legs.

We held each puppy, trying to see which ones we liked and which ones seemed to like us.  We learned that the puppy really chooses the family, not the other way around!   The one I'm holding is sticking his tongue out at 'A'.  They must be a match made in heaven - now I can have 2  mischievous boys in the house!

Here's Becky Hayes, the breeder, holding our favorite boy.  She and her husband (who is a  Veterinarian) have been breeding and showing dogs for a long time.  They own Redog Kennels in Boulder.  They only have a few litters per year and our puppy has champion lines (his grandfather won Westminster in 2002)!  Too bad our champion puppy will only be sitting on his throne in our house all his life and ruling the rivers in Vail.  

Puppy Play!!

The mommy dog, Charlotte, was very happy when 'A' was petting her while nursing.

It was so hard to choose which puppy we loved most - I wanted them all!  We chose our top two and we get to pick him up May 4th (right after we move back into our house!).  

We might be crazy.

Shoes that Support!

As I sit here back in Vail, enduring ANOTHER huge storm, I'm dreaming of summer days in sun dresses and sandals. Looking outside, that's a long way off - but you really never know in Colorado. When I was in San Francisco, I walked everywhere, basking in the sunshine and getting some much needed exercise. For my long long walks around the city, I wore my new 'Toms" shoes that I recently purchased at "Unity" (one of my fave boutiques in Denver - owned by one of my best friends). I love these Toms because they're oh-so-cute, amazingly comfortable and supportive and I love that purchasing these shoes helped a child in need. The company's commitment is to give a pair of their shoes to a child in need each time you buy a pair of their shoes...now, that's a great justification to buy them in every color and pattern! Support those companies who support those in need!

Thanks Tom!

I'm Back!!

I feel horrible!  I've been out of touch for a while because I needed to escape the snow and visit my old home, San Francisco for a week.  When I returned, the internet service that we've been "borrowing" from the neighbor at our rental house went down!  I can't remember how I functioned before the internet - it was a tough week.   

My visit to San Francisco was amazing.  Visited old friends and took photos of EVERY flower I saw.  Living in Vail, I can't remember the last time I saw a flower growing.  

Here's best friend, Amber, picking out strollers for her twin boys on the way! 

This fire hydrant was so funny...

Beautiful rose around Coit Tower...

One of the parrots of Coit Tower...there are hundreds.

I followed my heart to Colorado, but I definitely left some of it in San Francisco...

Beautiful view.  I used to drive to word every morning across the Golden Gate bridge and think to myself, "I can't believe I live here."

What an amazing city.   It was great seeing all my friends - missing them already!