Blog – Page 5 – Jeff Cooper Designs

we love: red anemones & the best holiday cocktails

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are over, leaving us with Christmas and New Year’s ahead. So mull some cider, grab a throw, and cozy up to some fun links that will (hopefully) inspire a glorious weekend!

The psychology of color! So much fun to ponder.

Use it to design your own Jonathan Adler. Fun!

Is your Christmas aesthetic ambitious? Or relaxed?

We’re in love with the Christmas-y pop of color in this wedding inspiration from 100 Layer Cake. It would be amazing for Valentine’s Day, too.

Need a breather from all the holiday bustle? These de-saturated photos of cloud forests are the perfect meditation.

Need more? Yuji Obata’s snowflakes will clear your mind if you look long enough. So lovely, refined and simple.

Cropped tops aren’t for everyone, but the rest of this holiday party uniform is so perfect, it works whether you’re 20 or 80. Worth an investment, we’d say.

The best holiday cocktails from NY Mag.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

And please donate to Cycle for Survival. Our David Cooper does it every year, to help win the battle against rare cancer.

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Leighton Meester & Adam Brody Engaged

When worlds collide! Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester and Adam Brody from The OC are engaged!

The newly engaged couple has been friends for several years and has worked together on the 2011 film “The Oranges.” Adam recently proposed after a year of dating.

Leighton is a bit of a fashionista, but we think she looks incredible in classic looks like the little black dress in our featured photo, so we’d love to see her in a movie-star-worthy design like our Ava Engagement Ring.

Leighton and Adam are absolutely adorable together, and we wish them all the best in the future!

ask jeff cooper: holiday proposal ideas

December is the most popular month for engagements, so what are you waiting for?

If you decide to get engaged for the holidays, congratulations! Here are a few ideas to inspire you.

The Knot has a list of cute proposal ideas here. And right here are 50 more. Still not sure how to go about it?

The most important part of a great proposal is finding a way to make it special and exciting, whatever that means to you and your love.

You don’t need a gimmick, but you’ll tell the story again and again, so think it over before you pop the question. You’ll know you have the right idea when it’s completely personal and unique to you and your partner.

Prince William popped the question on African Safari. Kanye West rented out a stadium. You might return to the place where you first met, or do what one of our customers did, and attach the ring to a beloved pet.

Whatever you decide, have a ring picked out, wait for the right moment, and feel free to be as over the top romantic as you want.

Good luck! And don’t forget to share your proposals with us, we love them!

Featured image is the Anneliese Engagement Ring, from our Arabesque Collection.

Black & White wedding dresses and holiday windows

“Sunset is still my favorite color, and rainbow is second.” ― Mattie Stepanek

This week, we’ve been browsing the internet with a designer’s eye. There’s been so much interesting color and contrast to love, we collected it here to share with you!

Like amazing black and white wedding dresses. These are done so very well.

Holiday displays! We love them so.

Hidden treasures of MOMA, according to art critic Jerry Saltz.

Why are blue velvet couches so great?

How do you organize your books? May not be the most practical, but arranging by color is the prettiest.

How pretty is this little eye shadow collection? It’s so shimmering and jewel-like.

And of course, there’s this.

Our featured image is Macy’s holiday window.

Have a colorful and creative weekend, everyone!

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Hanukkah meets Thanksgiving aka Thanksukkah

Happy Hanukkah and Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Since they fall on the same day this year, some people are being really cute about it.

So, here are our favorite Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Thanksukkah links. Enjoy them, and each other, to the fullest!

The New York times know how to do Thanksgiving.

And Hanukkah.

Thanksukkah by the stylish Mrs. Lilien.

An adorable play menorah! If it’s wrong to be an adult and still want one, we don’t want to be right.

Thanksgiving tips by Bon Appetit.

Gluten free Thanksgiving recipes. And gluten-abundant dinner rolls for the rest of us.

And some fun Thanksgiving wine ideas.

The featured image is from our Joy Collection. Have a great holiday, everyone!

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Whitney Port Engaged

‘The Hills” & “The City” reality TV star Whitney Port is now engaged to her TV producer boyfriend Tim Rosenman.

Tim is said to have proposed in Australia with a rose gold engagement ring. And you know we love the delicate romance of rose gold!

There are no great pictures yet, but that is a high profile center stone! It suits Whitney’s hand very well, we think.

Our warmest congratulations go out to the cute couple, who met on the set of Whitney’s reality show.

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Montana Honeymoon & Homemade Wreaths

“Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures.” ― H. Jackson Browne, Jr.

As we all prepare for the holidays, we’re trying to focus on the big picture, while giving thanks for how fortunate we are.

This weekend, we’re dreaming big, and appreciating all the little things that add up to a beautiful life.

This week we watched Angelina Jolie’s big speech honoring her late mother. Extraordinary.

We loved this little picture of cozy love.

We’re dreaming of big sky country. Not everyone goes to the beach or leaves the country for their honeymoon. And when we stumbled upon this article (where we got that epic featured image above), we began thinking that honeymooning in Montana would be so amazingly romantic. Bison in the wild. Glamping. Skiing and hot springs. What is not to love?

A little style inspiration from a chic lady.

Big parties ahead! We enjoyed this, and just in time for the holidays. NY fashion designer and consummate hostess Lela Rose shares her entertaining tips.

Incorporating a little color for beginners, and how to do it well.

And some big pops of color worthy of a major celebration.

Big day hairstyles. And big deal hairstyles on a little girl.

Big hearts.

And a little housewarming gesture we love.

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Ask Jeff Cooper: Vintage Look Engagement Rings

We talked about amazing pavé diamonds last week, so what else is trendy in wedding ring fashion right now?

Trend #2 is The Vintage Look! The Knot had this to say:

What’s old is decidedly new this season. The subtle and delicate look of vintage-inspired rings is in. Stones on these rings are recognizable for their Old European round center cut, but you’ll also see gorgeous Asscher cuts and others too. The defining details: minimal scroll-like engraving, microset (tiny, half-point) diamonds, delicate milgrain work (raised beaded edges), and filigree.

And we have this, our vintage-inspired Heirloom Collection, with millgrain edges and a feminine, antique sensibility.

So is heirloom style your style?

The featured image is our Henna Rose Engagement ring, shown in cozy and intimate surroundings.

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Mad Men Star Jared Harris Married

“Mad Men” star Jared Harris, aka, the dear departed Lane Pryce, married his fiancee, actress Allegra Riggio, aboard the Lady Windridge yacht in Miami on Saturday.

The rainy afternoon wedding took place on the yacht’s deck, and the bride wore angel wings (!) and carried a bouquet of calla lilies.

Afterward, they partied at Miami’s Eden Roc.

Engaged since June, Jared proposed with a custom ring in rose gold.

They met at Bar Lubitsch in Los Angeles.

We just love how happy this couple looks together. Congratulations to you both!

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we love: doing everything better

“What ever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.” ― Walt Disney

This week, we’re learning how to do more things, even better. So here are some clever ideas how to do a lot of things, a little bit better. If you have any great tips to share, tell us in the comments!

Here’s how to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

How to eat the healthiest lunch.

How to dress. The 10 fashion commandments, by J Crew’s Jenna Lyons.

How to get superhuman energy.

And here’s how not to mess up your day. (We love the part about only wearing clothes you love. So true!)

How to start a houseplant collection.

How to start a necklace collection.

How to peel a head of garlic in 10 seconds.

Use it to make the best garlic bread.

And how to feel glamorous every morning, without fail.

How to take natural and relaxed group photos. Check these out. So much fun.

And last, but not least, how to find the perfect engagement ring.