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One Word: Hearts

February 12, 2013 Leave a Comment

Truth be told, I’ve never been a big fan of hearts as a shape. Well, I suppose I thought they were pretty cool back in middle school (especially with some crush’s initials curled inside the lines), but that’s a given. That said, they’ve taken on a new meaning for me as of late – More graphic than cutesy, and more modern than archaic. The thing that, excuse the pun, recently changed my mind and stole my heart was sweaters sporting the shape in bold scale and color. Me (can’t help but) likey. So here’s to Valentine’s Day 2013 and embracing this quirky little shape as part of our lives for the long haul.

^^^ (sorry…A little shameless self promotion of the cake and heart
toppers that I made for my OWN Valentine!!)

For more holiday inspiration, click over to my Pinterest board here.

Filed Under: DIY Projects, Features, Food, Inspired, Life, Uncategorized

Joss & Main Goodies

January 16, 2013 2 Comments

I totally forgot to tell you the final choice from last Friday’s Warby Parker post! Drum roll please……….I decided to go wiiiiiiiith Reece!! Thank you all SO much for your input and thoughts. Your votes really helped to solidify my decision and I can’t wait to get my new frames in the mail. But moving on…

A couple of you noticed a little something new in recent Instagrams…Although I waited a little while to spill the beans, everything is finally settled and in place, ready for the unveiling. First and foremost, the store. I bought my two new additions from a Joss & Main sale that The Everygirl recently currated. If you’ve never been to Joss & Main, I implore you to take a gander. I’m always a little blown away by the deals posted on this site. The gist is that Joss & Main hosts currated sales with input from some of our favorite designers, bloggers and creatives. The catch is that the sales don’t last long and the inventory is limited, but this just tends to add a whole bunch of excitement to purchases…

So what did I buy?

The first was a set of 2 ikat pillows. This lovely little gray and white duo cost $50, which sounds pretty steap, but not when you peruse the aisles of Target and see that their pillows ALSO sell for about $25 a pop. I fell head over heels with the combination of modern print and timeless colors. They are neutral enough to go with nearly any color scheme or style, which is always a plus in my book as I think into the future and my family’s possibly changing taste.

The other purchase I made was a new rug. I’ve been keeping my eye out for a good rug to put in our long-but-skinny master bathroom and, when I saw this beautiful Dash and Albert runner listed in the Joss & Main sale, I couldn’t say no. It’s actually an indoor/outdoor rug, making it a dream for the bathroom (when dealing with wet feet outside the shower), and the length spans the odd space perfectly. At $115, it wasn’t a STEAL per se, but I think we’ll get a lot of use out of this piece. I picture it in a hallway, laundry room or maybe even another bathroom in any of our homes to follow this one.

I was a little leery of the blue color as stated in the product description online, but the rug turned out to actually be more of a neutral gray in person. I can’t wait to buckle down over my long weekend this week and paint the room its new soft pink - The gray pattern in my Joss & Main rug complements it perfectly in my visions of the final product.

Unfortunately, the sale is over, but keep checking the site since they open new sales daily.

So what do you think? Are you as in love as I am? John’s about –>this close<– to committing me to Accessory Pillows Annoymous now that I’ve added a third pair of fluffies to our couch. But Rocky the dog sure isn’t complaining when he nestles up against that extra padding…

P.S. Click over to the Glitter Guide for a piece I wrote on monograms! Prepare to be inspired…

Filed Under: Interiors, Products & Reviews, Uncategorized

One Word: Accessorize

January 8, 2013 6 Comments

I’m ALWAYS looking for high end short cuts when it comes to our home. From thrifted furniture and lamps that attempt to match the collected elegance of an Elle Decor spread, to revamping a hand-me-down into something that looks on trend and matches my own personal style.

That said, I have a similar phylosophy when it comes to my closet. I am always looking for ways to build a wardrobe that, A) will stand the test of time, and B) LOOKS expensive but is within my meager budget. This tends to mean that I shop mostly in places like TJMaxx and our two J.Crew factory clearance stores (I am BEYOND lucky to live in the same neighborhood as one of the brand’s headquarters).

But things are shifting a bit now that I’ve made the committment to quit shopping for garments for an entire year. Accessories though? These are fair game in my book, and lucky for me because they can change the entire look and feel of an outfit – From night to day, from office to play, and from spunky to sophisticated. I’m taking a cue from these inspiration images to make the absolute MOST out of the wardrobe I have now – And adding a few must-have accessories to my 2013 list.

For more style ideas, click over to my Pinterest board here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

One Word: Travel

October 16, 2012 8 Comments

Believe it or not, I was never much for traveling. I was a complete homebody and dreaded the idea of being away (with the exception of a week spent on Hilton Head Island – A family vacay tradition). But that all ended when John and I jet-setted away for our honeymoon to Punta Cana this past May. It was a stressful journey (two Type-A planners on a flight out of the country for the first time did not make for calm travel), but it was all worth it in the end, laying amongst the palm trees on our own private cabana. Now I’ve got the travel bug and can’t wait to fly somewhere new. Although the reality of our future travel plans are all state-side, there’s no reason I can’t dream the dream of a European adventure. Someday…

For more pins from my “Beautiful” board, click here.

P.S. Check out my latest post for Glitter Guide here - Today, I’m listing 6 fun craft projects using washi tape!

Filed Under: Exteriors, Features, Inspired, Life, Uncategorized Tagged With: Art, Holiday, One Word, Pins, To-Do List, Tour

All in the details…

October 11, 2012 2 Comments

And now for today’s REAL post…As you may already know, I accidentally jumped the gun on a post I had been planning for a couple weeks from now. Oh well! Like I said, I knew it had to happen ONE of these days…If you missed it, check it out here, otherwise let’s move on to today’s “All in the details…” feature.

Source

First things first – WOA, that light! The natural rays pulsating from the gorgeous stained-glass window pull me in, and the white walls soak it right up (yet another example to convince me just how good white walls can be). But aside from the light, the other main reason I chose to feature this space is the layered rugs. I am craving, treasuring, coveting the idea of an animal skin rug in our own house. Unlike some trends blazing trails through the design world (hint: chevron), the natural lines and organic feel of skin rugs has been a mainstay for ages and ages. This is one trend that will stand the test of time. But since these rugs tend to be a little low on square footage, I love the modern twist of laying it on top of a large-scale jute rug. Let’s talk some more specifics…

FURNITURE

How perfectly does that sofa sit in the window nook? Like it was made for it…Plus, the straight lines (a look you know I love) keep it from looking too cramped or unintentional. Although there’s a great mix of texture and material in this space, it’s all done in a cohesive way with subtle pairings. The metallic legs on the coffee table go with the silver side table. The wooden coffee table top goes with the wooden bases of both the sofa and ottoman. The black leather of the ottoman ties into the black legs of the two occasional chairs (in the foreground of the top image). And finally, the orange pouf carries through the honey tones of the coffee table and wood floors.

ARCHITECTURE

Stained glass, crown molding, built-ins, oh MY! Keeping all of the accent details a crisp, uniform white is something I would probably never have the restraint to do (as you saw in last week’s feature, I’m a sucker for color against white trim), but I DO love the way it looks here. So clean and fresh. While you can fake good architecture, I don’t think anything beats the real deal.

RUGS

As I said in the beginning of this post, I am head over heels for this layered look. Contrast in texture and contrast in shape make for this great feeling of coziness. While spending a little quiet chit chat time in the living room last night, I described the layered rug proposal to John and he actually seemed interested! I’ll keep you posted in case we adopt this look in our own home…

So what are your favorite details?

For all of my top inspirational spaces, click here.

P.S. My latest post for Burlap+Blue went live today. Click here for my tutorial on a “DIY Glitter Gourd,” just in time for Halloween. Oh, and you won’t want to miss the first half of the post where I explain the origination of that spectacular name…Hint: You’ll never guess who came up with it…

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: All in the details, Pins, Tips and Tricks, Tour

Pinspiration Monday: Counter top styling

March 19, 2012 4 Comments

Time for another installment of “Pinspiration Monday” – This time we are talking about the kitchen counter and a couple of quick ways to dress up those every-day things that we need to have on hand that aren’t exactly the most stylish of kitchen accessories.

The first is a “pretty” way to corral the usual won’t-ft-in-the-cabinet-because-they’re-too-tall suspects – For us that includes a coffee French press, an assortment of bottled vinegar and oil, a jar of napkins and my owl measuring cups (although that last one isn’t an eye-sore at all – You know me and my hoot obsession…). To remedy the situation, I took a cue from this pin:

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

The idea is to put all of the random pieces inside a simple wicker basket. Having a special spot for these seemingly-unrelated pieces would allegedly bring a sense of order to the counter top. SPOILER ALERT: It worked.

Here’s a quick peek at those kitchen essentials in question (oh, and please ignore the open upper cabinet doors – I did some paint touchups and they were drying):

They aren’t the most unsightly pieces in the world (again, isn’t that little owl just adorable?? – Thanks to my bff, Beth, for that sweet addition to your kitchen!), but I’m the kind of homemaker that likes “a place for everything and everything in its place.” For whatever reason, putting it all inside a basket would alleviate my stress just a touch and that’s good enough reason for me. Anyone else out there just as crazy and agree??

First, I needed a basket.

When I went out-of-town two weekends ago to visit friends and my sister for my bachelorette party, I ended up getting my first chance to check out a Hobby Lobby. I had a blast curling around each and every aisle looking for fun things to decorate and/or organize the house. One thing I came home with was this pretty rectangular basket – At only $5.99, I couldn’t say “no.” I thought the angled weave was a tad unique and modern – At least as far as baskets go…

Taking yet another cue from my Pinterest image, I tucked a patterned linen napkin inside the basket, a gift from John’s mom at my bridal shower last month.

Here is the newly arranged basket, full of our favorite kitchen accessories! I really do feel like they look a bit better grouped together in an orderly way – I know…My OCD is clearly out of control in this moment…

The next Pinterest counter-related project I worked on was pretty easy and not mind-blowingly creative, but I love it nonetheless. I wanted to join the bandwagon of folks who keep their dry pasta in pretty glass jars on the counter. It looks good, keeps noodles fresh and empties out a little extra room in the pantry – All good enough reasons for me to give it a shot.

Source: beach bungalow 8

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

These three glass jars below, complete with brushed nickel metal screw tops, also came from my maiden adventure to Hobby Lobby. I walked out with one tall jar for only $4.99 and two medium, shorter jars for $4.79 apiece. Definitely didn’t break the bank on this project.

Here’s a quick look at our pantry, one I’m embarrassed to show you since it’s not very organized. Hopefully someday soon I can tackle it, armed with Tupperware and my label maker. But that’s another day…As you can see, we have a pretty good collection of pastas going (to the right of the photo).

Once I got all of it onto the counter, I was able to take stock – We’ve got an assortment of long pastas (is there a technical term for this?) such as spaghetti, fettuccine and angel hair, and then we’ve got the bite-size options like rotini and penne. We are trying to weed out our plain pastas to make way for whole wheat options (read up on our new dietary goals in this post from last week), and you’ll even see some gluten-free options from that phase of our eating habits.

The penne and rotini got their own jars (to be revealed in full in a moment), and the tall jar was saved for the long pastas. Now to decide who to put in there…So many varieties to choose from!

In the end, I decided to dump all of the boxes except for the gluten-free option into the jar. With the exception of the rice, gluten-free pasta, the rest were too similar to segregate. Our pasta dishes might look a little wonky until we run out of our multi-shaped supply, but I’m happy to get rid of all of those boxes. The jar had more than enough room to fit the four boxes-worth.

Here they are all filled up:

And they are now happily gracing the corner of our counter top. I love the balanced symmetry and there’s something really organic and natural about seeing plain dry pasta outside of those brightly colored and labeled boxes. I feel like Giada would approve.

All together now!!

All in a good day’s work…

What have you guys been organizing lately?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Before and After, Big Box Store SCORE!, Gluten-Free, New Uses, Organization, Pins, Simplify, Tips and Tricks

Confession time: Healthy living

March 16, 2012 6 Comments

I’ve got a lot to catch you guys up on…

So a few months ago, I made the big announcement that John and I were going gluten-free with our eating. This new pact was based on the assumption that, after years of upset stomachs, a gluten allergy must be our culprit. Except for one blatant disregard for that new promise (as seen here), we were doing pretty well, even choosing to eat out only at restaurants that offered gluten-free options (for locals in the area, this meant Mangia and La Villa).

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Then something pretty major happened that, in a way, helped us to explore the REAL root of the issue…John lost his job.

By no fault of his own, John was forced to reconsider goals, routines, finances and the direction he wanted to take in his life. In fact, what could have been the biggest let down of the year, ended up being a major blessing in disguise. Suddenly John had all the time in the world to really get to the bottom of the dietary issue, so he made the appointments and got tested for gluten allergies once and for all.

What we didn’t really anticipate though was the negative result…I think we were so stuck on the idea of a gluten allergy, that the sudden reality of it NOT being the case was a little bewildering. All-in-all, the real issue was nothing more than nutrition. (As a sidenote, I wasn’t able to undergo testing and doctor appointments, but John and I are pretty symmetrical in discomfort so I’m just following his lead.)

Enter Jessi Haggerty of Bee Rooted. Our second major God-send was a random message I got from Jessi, a Registered Dietitian, Personal Trainer and Movement Instructor from Boston, MA.

Source

A blogger herself, Jessi approached me in the hopes of helping John and I out with finding better and healthier balance in our lives in terms of what we eat. Since then, I have learned the ins and outs (no pun intended) of good food and just how much of an impact diet has on our lives, moods and energy.

As I am by no means an expert on these things, and since Jessi is, I’ve gotten her permission to share some simple tips with you all here on DG-DIY to possibly help you along with your own nutritional journey. She started me off by listing some “do”s and “don’t”s for good digestive health:

Things to increase:

-Soluble fiber: whole grains like oatmeal, barley, and brown rice, starchy vegetables

-Omega-3 fatty acids from whole plant sources: walnuts, flaxseed meal, small portions of fish

-Antioxidants: berries, green leafy vegetables, foods high in vitamin C & E like citrus fruits and strawberries

-Sprouted foods: sprouted quinoa, grains, beans, breads and tofu. Sprouting is a process of soaking and rinsing the seed, grain, or bean for a number of days to literally ‘sprout’ it, and works to pre-digest it making it easier for your body to breakdown. It also allows the nutrients to be more available to your body to use.

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Things to decrease:

-Large portions of concentrated fat: oils, butter, lard, most processed foods

-Concentrated sweets: juices, sugar/sugary foods like cake and cookies, large portions of dried fruits; can cause excess water to be drawn into your digestive tract

-Dairy: it just doesn’t do good things for the belly!

-Meat/animal products: stick to no more than 3 oz. portions of fish, meat, chicken, etc. per meal.

Source

Quick Tip:

-When you are cooking beans and grains, try soaking them overnight, then drain them and cook as directed. This helps pre-digest the fibers and prevents excess gas build up.

Who knew?! This first feedback email was incredibly eye-opening. I proceeded to print it out and race home to show John all of the fun new things I had learned. Not kidding. I literally ran inside, practically jumping up and down. In the course of my nutritional health journey up to that point, I had been told what not to eat but not really what TO eat. Well Jessi’s quick “Things to increase” list was only a taste of (again, no pun intended) of what she was to help me understand in terms of my future diet.

To begin the nitty gritty part of the process, Jessi asked me to keep track of what I ate with a food diary spanning the length of three days.

Source
(and no, that’s not me, but I’m all about the visuals today and wanted you to see how poised and focused I MIGHT have looked while keeping my food diary)

After the three days were up, I had a pretty keen awareness of my normal diet, which is fairly consistent. This is (or was) my typical day’s worth of food:

fried egg cooked over extra virgin olive oil
piece of whole wheat toast (no butter)
blueberry muffin
cup of fresh fruit
cup of plain cheerios
8 saltine and peanut butter cracker sandwiches (homemade/assembled, not packaged)
brown rice with asparagus, almonds and soy sauce
3 Hershey’s kisses
a few handfuls of lightly salted peanuts
1 oatmeal, chocolate chip cookie
Homemade pizza subs (fresh French bread, mozzarella cheese, pepperonis, pizza sauce, shredded turkey lunch meat)

Right away, Jessi was able to point out the aspects of what I ate that might be giving me some trouble. Here’s a quick overview of her suggested “this-instead-of-that” changes:

Do away with the egg, toast and muffin since it’s heavy on the saturated fat and a little light on the fiber and plants
Instead eat a bowl of plain whole rolled oats (add things like fruit, nuts and a touch of honey for flavor)
.

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Do away with the saltines in the peanut butter cracker equation because saltines tend to be more processed
Instead eat Triscuits with a bit of peanut butter since the only ingredient is wheat
.

Source

Do away with salted peanuts
Instead eat an unsalted trail mix combo with an assortment of nuts and dried fruit rather than chocolate
.

Source

Do away with lunches and dinners high in dairy and meat
Instead eat a whole grain wrap for lunch with things like hummus, avacado, lettuce and tomato; for dinners, focus on beans and grains (check out these recipes on Jessi’s blog for delicious-sounding and healthy alternatives to a meaty, cheesy, buttery dinner entree)

Source

Since reading over Jessi’s advice, I have been super focused on transforming my diet. I now start every morning with a bowl of plain oatmeal with honey, brown sugar, bananas and strawberries added to it. For the first time in years, I am able to get to work after breakfast without feeling sick. The other thing is that I’m actually full. I used to get to work at 8:30 a.m. after my fried egg breakfast and feel the need to start munching on snacks right away. Now though, I am able to stave off the hunger until around 10:30 a.m. – This feels like a small miracle to me. I’ve also worked hard to all but eliminate meat and dairy from my daily routine. So far, I don’t even miss it!

I think we are well on our way to regaining control over our food rather than allowing it to control us…

Stay tuned!! I hope to continue to get advice and guidance from Jessi as we work towards our health goals – We’d love to have you guys along for the ride! Also, feel free to provide your own input, advice and/or experiences with us in the comments section.

P.S. In case you were wondering, John is now happily employed and our routine and outlook on life is better than ever!

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Want more information and advice from Jessi? Be sure to check out her blog, BeeRooted.com, for TONS of helpful thoughts on food, diet, exercise and general healthy living. In case you were curious, I am not being paid to talk about her blog – I am just so thankful and appreciative of her help and want to pay it forward. Maybe she could be the answer to your prayers as well!

Speaking of, if you DO need a some guidance, Jessi is offering her readers (and now mine!) a super sweet discount on her consult – Instead of $125 for an initial personalized consult, she’s only charging $50. The consult can be done via phone or skype. If you want to take the first step to a healthy lifestyle, then I highly recommend getting in touch with her. This is starting to sound like an infomercial (which I assure you, it’s not meant to be), so I’m going to stop here.

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Gluten-Free, To-Do List

Newest post for Breathe Magazine

March 15, 2012 2 Comments

I’m over on Breathe Magazine’s blog today getting a tad bit emotional - At least for a Thursday morning! Read up on my legacy as a DIY-er and why I am the way I am by clicking here. Also, feast your eyes on some tree trunk coaster eye candy while you’re there…

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Beginning, Gift Ideas, New Uses, ReadBreathe.com

Simple card art

March 14, 2012 10 Comments

This year for Valentine’s Day, John and I decided to save a little moolah by forgoing a gift exchange. Instead, we simply swapped cards to express our L-O-V-E for one another. After getting a brilliant recommendation from a blog (one I have since forgotten the name of and can’t link to…kicking myself) I went ahead and purchased this little beauty to give to my beloved:

Simple. To the point. Perfection.

It originated from My Little Buffalo Design – Affordable and oh-so-cute, the assortment of cards and art listed on this Etsy shop are worth your time even if you just gaze longingly at them…

But I digress. So after writing a little something special inside the blank card and giving it to John the morning of February 14th, I decided that I wasn’t done with it yet. While John isn’t the type of guy to toss my cards in the trash after reading them, I knew I wanted to put it on display rather than let it be put in a box for safe-keeping.

Enter one of the extra painted frames that we recently made over for the wedding:

This fun, punchy yellow frame was the perfect little place to memorialize the card. All I did was cut a piece of white computer paper to fit in the back of the frame since the card was a bit smaller than true 4×6 dimensions. I layered the card on top, put it behind the glass and tucked it all inside the frame – Voila!

I love the combination of the rose-colored text against the pale yellow frame – Pastel hues are sooooo pretty together. The perfect way to celebrate my Valentine and how we really do go together like bread and butter…

UPDATE: Right as I was heading off for wedding weekend, I grabbed this little framed card thinking it might be a sweet addition to our favors/gift table. It worked like a charm!

Photo credit: Kate Stoop Photography

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Art, Before and After, New Uses, Simplify, Tips and Tricks

Pinspiration Monday: Brass bed

March 12, 2012 12 Comments

I must sincerely apologize if this blog post is (#1) much shorter and to-the-point today, and (#2) slightly erratic. Whether it was the fabulous, ubber-girlie bachelorette party my dear girlfriends threw for me over the weekend or this DARN time change, I am absolutely exhausted this morning. It’s a miracle I’m posting at all!

Okay, mini selfish pitty party over and on to the good stuff…

So. You all know that I am crushing hard core on brass right now (as evidenced here). I just love that extra glint of rich warmth brass gives a space – Balance is obviously key as we all know how brass can easily turn “bad,” but when done right it can be soooooo good. One thing I’ve really been craving is a brass bed, as you can see from this recent pin on my Pinterest board:

Source: The Blooming Hydrangea

Yum – LOVE that pop of rustic gold. I decided to go in search of a twin bed brass headboard for the bed in our studio guest room. The one in there has been in our family for a looooooong time and just screams “child’s room” to me. There are no children in our immediate future, and this room is a beloved adult getaway space for me and I wanted it to read “sophisticated feminine” instead of “kid-y.”

With a look in mind, John and I made a quick trip to our favorite local estate shop and I was able to pick up the perfect brass headboard for only $25! It didn’t come with a foot board or an actual mattress frame, but I knew I could use a plain metal mattress frame and just sandwich the thrifted brass headboard between the bed and wall.

And here’s the bed with its new crown of brass…

After giving the new set up a long hard look, I decided that I loved the brass headboard but that the bed space still looked a bit adolescent for my tastes. Maybe it was the combination of the bold flowery fabric and canary yellow bedspread, but I just felt like it needed to be a little less match-matchy.

So I took my beloved wrapped canvas art down and put it in storage for future hanging, and instead filled the space with a few pieces of random art for a more ecelctic look. I also folded the yellow blanket to the foot of the bed and covered the rest with a pretty quilt my aunt gave me as a gift. I think the look is much more subdued and mature. I can definitely understand if it’s not everyone’s taste, but having lived with it like this for a week or so, I am falling more and more in love with it every day.

Here’s a look back to what the bed looked like before, with its wooden bed frame – And then afterwards, with new spontaneous art, brass headboard and colorful, vintage bed coverings.