With just a few short days until Easter I am wondering what to cook and how to decorate my table. This tablescape with pretty pink flowers and contrasting bright lemons has inspired me. I thought these other ideas would coordinate beautifully-
I think back to the end of my freshman year in college where my roommate and I had decided we had had enough of the dorm life and wanted to move off-campus. But we needed furniture. We would follow around the graduating seniors to see what furniture they would discard. Furniture that we could inherit on the cheap. We scored two sofas, a dining set, bookshelves and a club chair or two. Everything was kind of mismatched and unattractive but because we didn't know any better it kind of stayed like that for the the next three years. We didn't have anything to pull all these random things together. I would have surely loved a concept like Remodo's where they offer a whole array of coordinated accessories in the color scheme of your choosing in ONE box. What a convenient concept!
Remodo offers the cutest accessories that will finish a room off without a major effort because everything comes together in a set. What a great gift for a graduating high school senior! You can chose your box according to color and the kind of bed you have (twin bed sets here or queen bed sets here). Forget about running around to different stores to get all the individual items. A boxed set comes with sheets, a blanket, a picture frame, an agate coaster, a little trinket tray, a little pouch, two storage bins, and a throw pillow. Pretty much everything you will need!
They wanted me to style a room with one of their sets and I chose the twin black and white set. And this is what I came up with. It is so much more fun to be a college freshman thse days I think. Anyone can have a stylish room now with solutions like Remodo.
After seeing this photo all I want to do is go buy purple carnations and make a pretty flower crown for my table! I love the medley of fabrics, patterns and colors. Well, happy Friday! Here are some links for you to peruse during the weekend.
[ pink dresser | flower napkins | pink and orange clutch | sunglasses | pineapple skirt | pool photograph | pink sofa | wood stools (on sale!) | rug (on sale!!)]
It's been hot here in Dallas. We went from cold and rainy straight to hot. All of a sudden it feels like summer and we haven't even started April. With the warmer days always comes the longing for color and vibrant prints which is exactly what I have on my mind today. The pink dresser could not be any cooler. I could design a whole room around it. It comes in blue as well. These pretty and colorful napkins are $22 for a set of four. This sounds ideal to me. Now let's talk pineapples.
Let me introduce you to the genius behind this magnificent chair aptly named the Madonna chair. Gaspar de Jesús is a Venezuelan born artist and furniture designer that is taking the furniture design scene by storm. I strongly believe this jaw-dropping chair will soon grace one of the famous interior design magazines at some point because it is just too good. The chair has a flair for the dramatic while at the same time communicating strength, innovation, confidence and femininity. He created a limited edition of only 10 chairs, so if you want one of these stainless steel beauties you must act fast.
Gaspar studied design at the Pratt Institute in New York, where a few years in a row he was chosen by the faculty to represent Pratt's best student work at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, which is quite the honor. Gaspar has also experienced one of the most exciting phenomenons of our time- reality TV! He was one of the finalists in HGTV's Ellen's Design Challenge which aired at the beginning of this year. Gaspar's design mantra is “Things have a magic way of speaking, make sure your creation has something to say”
Gaspar studied design at the Pratt Institute in New York, where a few years in a row he was chosen by the faculty to represent Pratt's best student work at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, which is quite the honor. Gaspar has also experienced one of the most exciting phenomenons of our time- reality TV! He was one of the finalists in HGTV's Ellen's Design Challenge which aired at the beginning of this year. Gaspar's design mantra is “Things have a magic way of speaking, make sure your creation has something to say”
And this is true. I feel like his designs are alive and have fully formed personalities. Here are some questions I asked Gaspar as well as more photos of his pieces-
My good friend introduced me to Jean Liu's portfolio last week and I fell in love right away with her style. I love how she mixes traditional with modern pieces and can easily navigate between a contemporary sleek home to a more bohemian eclectic styled home. Make sure you notice the fabulous neon pendants she chose for the the kitchen below. And she is here in Dallas. It's so nice to discover the local talents of my now adopted city.
Finally I have photos of our trip to The Galapagos Islands in Ecuador. This trip was a feast for the eyes and soul. It was incredible to visit such an important place and get so close to the wild animals in such a spectacular backdrop. It was amazing for the kids. The Galapagos are is an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Pacific ocean off the coast of Ecuador of which they are a part. These islands are well known because it is where Charles Darwin made observations which contributed to his theory of evolution. We had been planning this trip with my college roommate and her family for some years. We were just waiting for our kids to be old enough to appreciate the experience. This added joy of sharing this trip with such good friends made the trip extra special. We reminisced about those unforgettable college years non-stop. Nothing like getting together with your old roommate which I'm lucky to count as one of my best friends!
Some photos were taken with my Nikon D5100 and others are iPhone photos. I'm sure you will be able to tell which are which. I will have some travel tips at the bottom.
Happy Friday! I hope to have some photos of my trip next week. It has been difficult to sift through them and chose the better ones and then edit those that need it. I may or may not be super excited to finally go and see Cinderella with Little Miss A. Let's see how that pans out. I hope you have some wonderful plans this weekend. Here are a few fun links for you-
[ dining room | necklace | clutch with tassel | butterfly clutch | evil eye box | black floral top ]
I loved the simplicity and organic feel of this dining room. The chairs are beautiful and the casual pendant gives it that earthy vibe. Also, I was really inspired by the artwork by
This recipe is extra special because it is my friend's grandmother's recipe. I was lucky enough that she would let me share it with you. They are gluten-free (they use no flour) and since they use egg whites they really taste like oatmeal clouds. They are light and sweet and good for you. My daughter and husband love them and are all kind of obsessed with them. These will be joining my regular repertoire since they are so delicious and easy to make.
Chocolate is one of my favorite things in the world. I love chocolate and strongly believe I cannot live without it. I think I may be addicted (or simply #obsessed). It doesn't take much to keep me happy, a small piece a day is all it takes. So, you can imagine how excited I was to find out about Maggie Louise Confections, the prettiest, chicest and most fun chocolates that I have seen. Her creations are original, inventive and a feast for the eyes- like works of art actually. A box of these would make the most delightful and unexpected present for that someone you love and whom you want to WOW.
Maggie Louise trained at Le Cordon Bleu and even went to Harvard Law School previously. In her words she wanted to create "modern, chic candies that tasted
like my memories" Each gorgeous
piece is hand-crafted in Austin, Texas, from the finest
ingredients but you can buy them online here. Take a look at more of her creations-
Happy Friday!! We are particularly excited because we leave for our trip to the Galapagos islands today. One of my best friends lives in Ecuador with her family so we are all traveling together. We are beyond excited to have this opportunity to go to such a special and singular place with such good friends. Most of all I'm thrilled that Little Miss A. gets to develop this second generation friendship with my friend's kids (she has four!!). She has met them twice already, but I think it takes time to really cement a strong friendship and I hope these family trips help. I'm excited to rest and relax, to see wild animals, to learn more about the island's historical importance where Darwin's work for the his theory of evolution began with his collections of species and observations, to soak in some sun, to spend time with my family and to catch-up with my friend and her beautiful family. Follow along on instagram. We are ready with binoculars, animal pocket guides, camera, and tons and tons of sunscreen. I did not leave anything programmed for the blog next week but did however, have plenty of links for you to peruse at your convenience-
[ fringe clutch | pineapple trinket tray | lemon placemats | Moroccan wedding baskets | giant inflatable Koons dog ]
This dramatic over-sized clutch with white fringe is too cool for school. It would be the ideal accessory to wear all year-round and even has a decent price point. I love the white and black combination but it is also available in tangerine with white. The locally made handbags are designed by Erin Shaffer. They are chic, minimalistic and different which is what I love most about them. See some of their other handbags here. And these Moroccan wedding baskets from West Elm are dreamy. Unexpected and simply fabulous. They are perfect for magazines, toys, shoes.....a small tree. I have a small indoor tree my husband gave me for Christmas which would be much beautified by this basket beneath.
I just love the look of framed chinoiserie panels. I have had them in mind for my daughters room so you can imagine my excitement when I saw that on One King's Lane they are having a Paul Montgomery Studio sale!!! They have an amazing assortment of colors, styles and budgets. From hand-drawn to prints so there is sure to be something for everyone. Dying over this lilac set. Of course this pink one is framed and ready to go. Let me show you some fabulous panel inspiration-
[ black and white bathing suit | earrings | beach dress | aviator sunglasses | heels | straw clutch | bikini | white ruffle tee | yellow shorts | jeweled sandals | straw tote ]
This week is all about getting ready for our upcoming vacation which means an extra long list of to-dos. And this time around it's a really long one. It's only Tuesday and I'm already exhausted. I feel like I accomplished so much yesterday and just hope today is filled with the same sense of accomplishment. I'm happy to report the sneakers I ordered specifically for the trip arrived and they are SUPER!! We are going somewhere sunny, and far and really, really interesting. I will share it with you later on this week. But for now, here are a few bright and cool things to consider for any upcoming getaways.
When I went to meet my friend Elizabeth's new baby I naturally got a tour of her precious nursery. And one of the things that caught my attention was her choice for a feeding chair- Eero Saarinen's womb chair. I never realized just how comfortable this chair actually is. Designed in 1948 under Knoll's task to build a chair where he could "curl up in" Saarinen came up with this iconic design. The premise of this chair is that it will provide comfort by its shape and not by the depth of the cushioning. Saarinen and Knoll collaborated with a ship builder who was experimenting with fiberglass to help develop this chair. Now I'm obsessed. This photo above is not helping matters either. Now I want a pink shaggy rug like that and a pink womb chair to go with it! I guess for now I will need to settle for my pink sheep skin coziness.