What's on your holiday wish list this year?
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Christmas Chez Nous
I'm totally anti Christmas this year, but Esposito decided he wanted to decorate so decorate we did. Here's a peak of how we brought the festive to our house:
It's feeling mighty festive around these parts. How do you decorate for the holidays?
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| garland, ornaments, apothecary jars and a cloche adorn the dining room |
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| i like my trees to sparkle (with - literally - 1000 lights) |
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| vignettes even made it to the ornaments - a bird and his birdhouse |
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| the stockings were hung with care... and greenery and candles and framed NOEL |
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| sticks in a vase make the perfect card hanging spot... now if only we'd start receiving cards... |
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| a welcome wreath lights up the foyer |
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| my first ever attempt at a seasonal planter... or the planter in general |
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| esposito even got on the roof and hung lights ... only took 4 years and 11 months |
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| it is so pretty to look at all together, i must say |
Friday, November 30, 2012
One Thing Leads To Another (Dining Room Edition)
My sister and I are switching dining room tables because I need one with a leaf and she feels like hers is too big for her space. Here is what my new-to-me table looks like:
It's an antique, solid wood and fits 10-12 when expanded (if not more). Perfect. The switch is scheduled to happen tomorrow. Eventually we will have it refinished in a darker wood tone, but for now, I think this will work just fine.
Of course, a new dining table means a new dining room plan. And today I found (and purchased) a new rug.
It is big (8*11) and $10 at Lowe's (here). I can't attest to the quality, but I figured for $10 I can give it a shot. It's more traditional and not the color scheme I normally veer towards, but upon closer inspection it has some of the grays and greens in my house already and I think I can make it work. I'll try to at least.
Of course, this fabulous dining room immediately came to mind (don't you just love Sarah Richardson?)
And so I started working on a design plan for the room.
I'm trying to find a way to make it less country and more modern since this new plan also has to work with a very modern (new-to-me) black leather couch in the adjacent (totally open) living room. Let's see how that works out. Not sure if I succeeded, but I think it sure is pretty. Thoughts?
It's an antique, solid wood and fits 10-12 when expanded (if not more). Perfect. The switch is scheduled to happen tomorrow. Eventually we will have it refinished in a darker wood tone, but for now, I think this will work just fine.
Of course, a new dining table means a new dining room plan. And today I found (and purchased) a new rug.
It is big (8*11) and $10 at Lowe's (here). I can't attest to the quality, but I figured for $10 I can give it a shot. It's more traditional and not the color scheme I normally veer towards, but upon closer inspection it has some of the grays and greens in my house already and I think I can make it work. I'll try to at least.
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I'm trying to find a way to make it less country and more modern since this new plan also has to work with a very modern (new-to-me) black leather couch in the adjacent (totally open) living room. Let's see how that works out. Not sure if I succeeded, but I think it sure is pretty. Thoughts?
Monday, November 12, 2012
Bar Cart Love
Early Saturday morning, for some reason, I decided to browse through craigslist and found a listing for a vintage bar cart for sale for a song by my mom's house. A quick drive later, and I was loading it into my car. It's brass with black accents, has two glass shelves, and is surprisingly sturdy for being on wheels. Behold my new-to-me bar cart (excuse my blurry Iphone pic, please!):
I'm super excited to style it up - I just have to find a place for it in my house first! In the interim, a few images of inspiration. I love it when bar carts house "bar accessories" and not just alcohol - makes it more interesting to look at and more practical.
Stay tuned for my final product!
I'm super excited to style it up - I just have to find a place for it in my house first! In the interim, a few images of inspiration. I love it when bar carts house "bar accessories" and not just alcohol - makes it more interesting to look at and more practical.
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Stay tuned for my final product!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Zara Home
I'm sure you've all seen a plethora of posts on the introduction of Zara Home for the US market, but I couldn't help myself but to look through the site and see if anything caught my eye. Lots of pretty, texture and goodness among the products and pricing seems pretty decent. I'm not sure that there's anything I absolutely have to have, but I definitely welcome another source for items for my home! Lo and behold, my fave Zara Home products.
Have you checked out Zara Home? Anything you're dying over?
Have you checked out Zara Home? Anything you're dying over?
Monday, October 8, 2012
Once You Go Black...
A few weeks (months? years?) ago, I picked up a gallon of black paint from the ooops pile at my local home depot. I think it spent a few days rolling around in my trunk, and then a few more (days? weeks?) stashed away in our garage awaiting the perfect project. Then yesterday, on a whim, I decided I was going to redo one of our guest bedrooms and quickly remembered that I had a gallon of black paint stored away. And thus, one of my walls went black (I don't have a before picture, but I had, at some point, painted some haphazard grey and white stripes on the wall). Excuse the crappy Iphone pictures too ;).
I decided to paint the sloped part of the ceiling as well so that the wall would read as one. The rest of the bedroom walls will be white since, this being a fairly small room, I didn't want it to feel too cave-like. Now I'm all kinds of excited for the moody, glam feeling I'll be able to create in here for my guests. Behold some inspiring images:
Of course, this being a totally impromptu project, I'm working within significant budget constraints - meaning I'll be using mostly things I already have around the house to pull the room together. Behold my inspiration board:
Stay tuned for the big reveal!
I decided to paint the sloped part of the ceiling as well so that the wall would read as one. The rest of the bedroom walls will be white since, this being a fairly small room, I didn't want it to feel too cave-like. Now I'm all kinds of excited for the moody, glam feeling I'll be able to create in here for my guests. Behold some inspiring images:
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Stay tuned for the big reveal!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Friday's Fancies - Short & Sweet
As part of my (non-intentional) blogging hiatus, I've managed to miss out on some fabulous Friday's Fancies themes. But I think I came back just in time, as this week's theme is Short & Sweet. I imagine a lot of outfits will revolve around shorts, but one trend I'm really loving lately is high-low skirts and dresses, and, in my mind at least, they are totally applicable to the Short & Sweet theme!
I would totally wear this out for dinner and drinks with Esposito or a group of friends, and love how the girliness of the skirt is contrasted by more masculine accessories. Head on over to Long Distance Loving to see the other Friday's Fancies posts!
I would totally wear this out for dinner and drinks with Esposito or a group of friends, and love how the girliness of the skirt is contrasted by more masculine accessories. Head on over to Long Distance Loving to see the other Friday's Fancies posts!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Loving Lately ~ Potting Benches
One of the best things about summer is spending time outdoors, and Esposito and I really try to make use of our yard by grilling dinner and eating al fresco every night that the weather permits. Though our patio area has taken a backseat to other house projects we have pending, now that we are making more use of our yard, we are starting to long for a prettier space to enjoy. Of course, budget considerations won't let us do too much too soon, but I am looking forwards to making it a prettier space no less.
One look I'm loving lately is potting benches. Now, I don't have the greenest of thumbs so I don't do much gardening (you should see what my herb garden looks like now - poor plants!) but I think a potting bench could be so useful for entertaining as a place to put beverages, utensils, and food while still serving its utilitarian purpose when not entertaining. Plus, a potting bench tends to look so charming when staged. Behold:
One look I'm loving lately is potting benches. Now, I don't have the greenest of thumbs so I don't do much gardening (you should see what my herb garden looks like now - poor plants!) but I think a potting bench could be so useful for entertaining as a place to put beverages, utensils, and food while still serving its utilitarian purpose when not entertaining. Plus, a potting bench tends to look so charming when staged. Behold:
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I must figure out a way to make one of these ... stay tuned! Do you have a potting bench?
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Positive Affirmations Jar Favor
I created these favors for a sorority function last year, and it received such rave reviews that I was asked to create them again. I thought I'd pass along the idea/steps for any of you that may have events you are planning for. What I love about these favors is that they are easy to make, relatively cheap and also meaningful. There's little I dislike more than receiving a favor that just becomes clutter in my home.
I started off with a list of affirmations gathered from a variety of inspirational quotes websites. In this case, I used mostly quotes having to do with women and achievement as that was the audience. But the quotes can be tailored to be as generic or specific as necessary. I added the affirmations to a table in Word, and printed them out on colored paper. Each column of the table of affirmations includes the same affirmations, so that I only used half a sheet of each colored paper per jar.
I left the gridlines on the table in Word for printing, so that I had a natural template to cut across. This is probably the most tedious process of the entire project - cut each affirmation into a strip, and then fold into a tiny square and fill each jar.
I used a label template to find a circle that would fit the top of each lid (just google mason jar lid template) and also printed labels for each jar. Cut and attach (the jars I used had a removable top that I affixed the label to - you could also use a hole punch and ribbon to tie the label around the jar instead).
Assemble and display - a quick and easy favor that the recipient is sure to love.
I started off with a list of affirmations gathered from a variety of inspirational quotes websites. In this case, I used mostly quotes having to do with women and achievement as that was the audience. But the quotes can be tailored to be as generic or specific as necessary. I added the affirmations to a table in Word, and printed them out on colored paper. Each column of the table of affirmations includes the same affirmations, so that I only used half a sheet of each colored paper per jar.
I left the gridlines on the table in Word for printing, so that I had a natural template to cut across. This is probably the most tedious process of the entire project - cut each affirmation into a strip, and then fold into a tiny square and fill each jar.
I used a label template to find a circle that would fit the top of each lid (just google mason jar lid template) and also printed labels for each jar. Cut and attach (the jars I used had a removable top that I affixed the label to - you could also use a hole punch and ribbon to tie the label around the jar instead).
Assemble and display - a quick and easy favor that the recipient is sure to love.
Friday, June 1, 2012
And then it was my birthday...
So I know I've been a bit MIA... May was a crazy month. I went on vacation the first week (to the Dominican Republic, with my family) and then came back and had 2 weeks to prepare for a major work trip to Mexico City that consumed all of my time. And then I came back from Mexico City and it was memorial day weekend, and then all of a sudden it was my birthday (May 31) and I realized the whole month flew by and I had only blogged once! Ooooppss! But I'm back now, hopefully stronger than ever, and even one year older ;).
I had a fabulous birthday courtesy of Esposito, who for all the crap I typically give him still knows how to make a girl like me, who is rarely satisfied, feel special. A massage, lunch al fresco and a bit of shopping rounded up my day, and a fabulous dinner at a new local hotspot rounded out my evening.
Though I did the bulk of my celebrating yesterday (I like to keep things low key - I plan on being under 30 forever so there's no sense in celebrating getting any closer to that age!) I'm pretty sure my birthday fun will continue into the weekend. I'll be back Monday with some more snippets! Hope you all have a good one!
I had a fabulous birthday courtesy of Esposito, who for all the crap I typically give him still knows how to make a girl like me, who is rarely satisfied, feel special. A massage, lunch al fresco and a bit of shopping rounded up my day, and a fabulous dinner at a new local hotspot rounded out my evening.
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| Hi-low floral dress - LC Lauren Conrad // Shoes - Jessica Simpson via Marshall's |
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| Bloggers always look so cool posing backwards... not too sure it worked as well for me! |
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| Isn't my guy handsome? |
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| The only thing better than being in the city, is being right in front of it! |
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| It's only fitting to drink Mojito's if you're eating at a Cuban restaurant! I meant to take pictures of the food too, but alas the drinks got to me first! |
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| Needless to say, we were having a good enough time that we brought the nightfall in. |
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| And finally, my presents. A new computer (now I really don't have an excuse for not blogging) and flowers from my friend (I know, I know my arrangement isn't the prettiest, but hey - I never said I was a florist!). |
Though I did the bulk of my celebrating yesterday (I like to keep things low key - I plan on being under 30 forever so there's no sense in celebrating getting any closer to that age!) I'm pretty sure my birthday fun will continue into the weekend. I'll be back Monday with some more snippets! Hope you all have a good one!
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