I don't want to think that August is around the corner and the start of school is after that. We are fully immersed in all summer activities like canoeing, going to the beach, eating absurd amounts of ice cream! And I hope you are too! A few links for you for this weekend-
Looking for an easy, chic and inexpensive way to spruce up a room? Paging though Alexis Bednyak's fabulous portfolio ( a must see!! Check it out here) I loved the effect of this quote on a little girl's bedroom and thought it would be an easy and inexpensive DIY to try.
With friends and family coming in and out to visit during summer vacation we do a lot more cooking these days. We love bonding in the kitchen and even discussing the next recipes to try and comparing cooking techniques. We pour over our cookbooks and study which recipes we should try next. It's funny because some of my friends and I end up with the same cookbooks and it's fun to learn about the successful and popular recipe choices. Here are the cookbooks I have my eye on lately....and let me tell you I may or not want them for my coffee table as well-
[ travel bags | blue flats | tropical clutch | tassel necklaces | marble bookends | black and white trays ]
Etsy has so many amazing vendors. I'm always amazed at the cool things I find there. I'm kind of addicted to perusing the site and always end up spending more time than is good for me. Take for instance the cute tropical clutch (it's only 45!)? and these cool neon horse hair tassel necklaces? I'm so glad we are living through a revival of handmade items. I find creativity is booming everywhere!!
I get inspired to work harder with new and cute office supplies. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one! Back in April I got a few Cynthia Rowley items at my local Staples (whaat? Staples has something cute? I was very surprised as well!) and I have been using the items so much I thought you all needed to know about it too in case you weren't aware. I have that 'Yes' three ring binder and the file folder set which I'm in love with. I almost want to have them framed, but I'm crazy like that and want to frame pretty much everything.
I adore a bright white kitchen. I think it may be the sense of purity that really attracts me and inspires me to cook in a space like this one above designed by Amber Interiors. She knocked it out of the park with this super clean look. Take a look-
I know it's the middle of summer and the last thing we want to think about are winter coats and sweaters. But sometimes, when deals are good we need to take advantage. Tomorrow Nordstrom has their yearly Anniversary Sale, which is their largest annual sale event of the year. For a limited time, you can shop Pre-Fall 2015 for discounted prices. After the sale period ends on August 2nd prices will return to full value. In sales like this I like to look for those classic pieces that are good investment and you will wear all season and long after as well. Here are my picks-
You all know I love cooking and having friends over for dinner. I love trying out new recipes and pampering my friends with special dishes when they come over. My cookbook collection keeps growing and I just love planning the menu and setting a beautiful table for them. However; dinners during the week are quite a different story. Plastic placemats come out and the dinner menus are simple and predictable (think pan-seared salmon, a steamed vegetable, and a carb like rice or pasta). Week in and week out this is pretty much it. After a while weeknight dinners can get repetitive and boring. I have gotten stuck in a rut with the same easy, tried and true recipes. But let me tell you how our weeknight dinners received an upgrade this last week thanks to Blue Apron.
Recently, Blue Apron reached out to me to see if I was interested in trying their meal service....Fresh ingredients, with chef-designed recipes delivered straight to your door? Yes, please! I was really excited about this collaboration and could not wait to see what it was all about. We received recipes and ingredients for two yummy meals for four, and they were life-changing! Blue Apron helped us break up the midweek routine. The meals were divine and the whole dinner experience was elevated from boring to exciting. Both dinners felt like a special occasion- with menus like 'Crunchy Pork Chops with Summer Squash Slaw and Roasted Potato Wedges' and 'Seared Cod and Miso-Roasted Japanese Eggpgplant with Cucumber-Soba Noodle Salad' it felt like we were dining at a restaurant. We all LOVED it! Weeknight dinners all of a sudden became exciting and more like a treat, so much so that I even found energy to create a beautiful table each night to showcase the delicious meals.
Here is how it works-
[ marble shelf | gold pendant | iron and brass four poster bed | gold flatware | gold trash bin | leather Sayulita chair | Mongolian lamb stool ]
Aside from the mountain of bills I came home to there was also a huge mountain of catalog. And as I flipped through them quickly before tossing them there was one catalog that kept me flipping through....all the way to the end. It was the CB2 catalog. There were so many beautiful things that caught my eye. The first was that amazing four poster bed with brass corners. So chic and with such a nice price.
[ lawn chair | koi tray | playing cards | I Am Busy notebook | monogrammed straw tote | watercolor paintings | brass bar cart | pajamas | outdoor mat ]
So I have been gone a while, but I'm kinda sorta back. It's #Summer so I will be in and out until the official school year starts because it's hard to blog when the kids are out of school. Am I right? But, I do hope you are reading today because I almost fell over when I saw those super chic Pucci inspired lawn chairs on super sale! I mean only $59? Not even Target has such an amazing deal. Plus, they have plenty of them so you could buy a set of four even. Imagine your summer soirees!