Coffee Table Updates

Brass Urchin / Ceramic Pineapple / Faux Tulips (beautiful) / Striped Shirt Matches / Tic Tac Toe Game / Magnifying Glass / Sweet Pea Candle / The Grand Budapest Hotel / Harper's Bazaar Greatest Hits / Brass Tray / Coasters (love the pink) / Shell / Horn Statute / Great Houses of the South (this book is lovely) / Amethyst Point / Boxwood Ball / Ginger Jar Tray / Hurricane / Brass Swan / Triangle Candy Dish / Yves Saint Laurent: Style / Round Black Box / Leopard Match Box / Striped Ginger Jar / Vera Cruz Specimen
Seriously, how can it be only Tuesday? For some reason summer is always one of the slowest times at work. I think it has something to do with everyone taking vacations and trying to maximize the time spent away from the office during warmer months. I can tell that fall is near because work is really starting to pick up. To top of a busy work week I have a few fun things planned for the week like an art class. I am also finally getting a hair cut. I have needed one for a month but it is so hard to find the time to schedule it. My long hair has been unruly lately and I am thinking about getting something shorter like this.

I spend a lot of time in my living room in the evenings after work or when I have guest. Recently I have been thinking that the coffee table which is basically the center of the room is a little sad looking. My coffee table is a large circular table that I love but it is usually aside from a stack of book (this one being a current favorite) is rather bare.

I've decided that giving my coffee table a makeover will be a fun project to tackle this fall. I spent some time early Sunday morning browsing online for some ideas and my favorite are pictured above. I am obviously drawn to feminine pieces with a lot of pinks and golds. Even the natural elements I love are largely glamorous.

Do you have any helpful tips for styling a coffee table that I should know?

Bedroom Updates

Pendant / Pillow / Rug / Side Table (scallops!) / Headboard / Artwork / Catchall (love this) / Blanket / Bench / Vase
I recently cleaned out my entire bedroom minus my closet which still needs to be tackled. Now I am really wishing I could do a little (a lot of) redecorating. I would love to add some new lighting and change the colors in my room to feature navy, soft shades of blue, and pink. My favorite bedroom find though is this adorable catchall. Have you done any redecorating lately?

Simple Home Updates

Set of 2 Lamps / Pineapple Coin Dish (so cute!) / Lamp Finial / Topiary (love this) / Leather Stool / Basket (so useful) / Ice Bucket / Pillow / Dining Chairs / Blue Swirl Vase
My weekend was so busy. After this weekend I have positively decided that I hate painting. I spent all day Saturday painting my living room, kitchen, and hallway. Sunday my family got together for a Father's Day dinner and had a great time. I hope all of you got to spend some quality time with your dad over the weekend too.

The rest of this month is going to be busy but I am hoping July will be a slow month and I will be able to spend some time enjoying summer, catching up on a lot of blog related projects, and doing some home updates. It has especially gotten a little scary at home disorganized my bedroom has became. A few of my favorite recent home finds are above like these chairs (that come in numerous great colors) and this adorable pineapple dish that would be great for storing my keys in at the end of the day.

Art I Heart

Gray Malin - Bondi Beach / Typography Print / Red Coat / Max Wanger - Waikiki No. 6 / He and I / Gray Malin - Central Park Lawn
I never really had any interest in art work until recently. I contribute my new found interest in prints, paintings, photography, and drawings to the art classes Jessica and I have been taking. So far Jessica and I have attended several classes (with hopefully more in our near future) that have resulted in us creating 3 paintings each. While mine definitely are far, far, far from professional I kind of love them and I am proud of my creations. Now I am itching to start a collection for a gallery wall. I few pieces of art that I love are above including my current favorite.

Spring Furnished Wish List

Acapulco Chair (fun!) / Starfish / Table Topper / Striped Candles / Lettuce Ware Salad Plate / Throw Pillow (only $25!) / Tortoise Decorative Dish / Bamboo Accent Table / Faux Blue Coral / Round Pink Box / Baskets (chic storage!)
The temperatures have finally warmed up and that has me embracing spring. With spring comes spring cleaning. I hope to tackle my closet next week. I am also ready to do a little sprucing up at home. Right now I am loving bright pinks, blues, and greens. My wish list is way larger than my budget but I thought I would share a few of my favorite finds with you today like this incredibly fun pink chair, these useful striped candles, and this gold bamboo accent table.

Some more fun finds:

Dream Furnishings

Springtime Painting (love the colors!) / Ginger Jar Print (only $48) / Side Table / Agate Bookends / Gold Clock / Floral Jar (love this!) / Lamp / Basket (great for storage) / Sofa (so pretty!)
A few dream furnishings because every girl occasionally plans for her dream home even if ownership of that home is in the distant future and many of the items on her wish list are way out of her budget.

Plus, it is back to reality and back to work today so a little daydreaming may help me get through the day. Are you also headed back to work today after an extended break for the holidays?

Fall Home Updates

Pom Pom Throw / Leather Valet Tray / Star Glass Pendant / Leather Chair / Library Scone / Tartan Mugs / Wooden Salad Bowl / Suede Throw Pillow / Boxwood Wreath / Hardwood Stool / Antique Mirror Tray

A round up of a few fall updates to make your home cozy for fall. For fall I love to bring in natural elements like this boxwood wreath, gold accents like this library scone, a touch of tartan, and tan leather like this chair. I also think it is nice to keep several warm throws within reach for chilly evenings. A light like this beautiful star glass pendant has been on my wish list for a couple years now.

Decorating for the Festive Season

The leaves are changing, the days are getting shorter, and pumpkin spice lattes are in full bloom. Yes, Fall is here, and that means one thing...it’s time to start planning for Christmas! You may think, “Well, isn’t it too early”? To that I say it can never be too early to decorate your home for the best holiday of the year. Here are some handy tips for Christmas decorations around the home his year.

Make a good first impression

Whether it’s the in laws coming, or a friend you haven’t seen in a long time, start off with a good impression with a well decorated entrance. One way to do that is with an array of paper luminaries, lined up along front walks for a brilliant welcome. Simply pop some tea lights into old jam and bell jars. You can go a step further with snowflake patterns or a holiday message painted on the jars. Just be sure to blow the flame out when no one is around.

Don’t forget the mailbox

The mailbox is often forgotten when it comes to holiday decorations, but it shouldn’t be. A simple red bow adds a distinct, but subtle, flair to your mailbox. If you have a square mailbox, top it with a bouquet of winter plants. You can even have it look like a Christmas tree by tucking in ornaments and pinecones into the bouquet.

Match the windows

This is a case where a little goes a long way. Matching windows, whether it’s an evergreen wreath hung with a simple red ribbon, or color coordinated lanterns, lend an elegant appearance to any home.

Use a basket as the tree base

Your tree and home will be tastefully decorated, but what about that eyesore of a metal stand? Clean up that look with a woven basket to hold your Christmas tree. You’ll likely still need the metal base, but at least it’s hidden inside the more aesthetically pleasing woven basket.

Christmas is a time for family and good cheer, and a well decorated home adds to the experience. Plus, by starting early, you’re able to save more money to spend on presents and seasonal food.

Image by Daniel Nugent, used under the Creative Commons license.

2 Easy DIY Halloween Garlands

Halloween gives Christmas a run for its money as my favorite holiday. This year me and Jessica are hosting our first Halloween party so we have been busy making plans and decorating. We made the two garlands in under an hour and I think the bat garland is adorable.

Supplies for Ribbon Garland:
Several Rolls of Ribbon in desired colors and patterns
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun

Directions:
This is just like the ribbon garlands you made as a child. Simply cut the ribbons into pieces about 8 inches long. Create a loop and glue it together. Make the next loop through your first loop and glue the ends together. Continue until you have the desired length.

Supplies for Bat Garland:
Black Twine
Mini Wiggle Eyes
Black Foam or Felt Sheets
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun

Directions:
We used foam sheets but you could easily substitute felt. We made a template on a sheet of paper and used it to cut our bats from the foam. Hot glue the twin to the back of the bats skipping a little space between each bat. Allow to dry. Then on the front of the bats glue two of the wiggle eyes and allow to dry.

Easy DIY Halloween Spider Picture Frames

We love Halloween. It is odd but I love Halloween so much more now as a grownup than I did when I was a child. I started almost a month ago planning our upcoming Halloween party and have had my Halloween costume for a few weeks already. We started last pulling out our Halloween supplies last weekend to take stock of what decorations we currently have and what we want to purchase this year.

I saw a photo of spider picture frames decorating a home somewhere last year and when I remembered the image last weekend I knew it would be so easy to recreate. It barely took 10 minutes and only a few dollars worth of supply to make these two spooky spider picture frames.

Supplies:
White Paper
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun
Plastic Spiders/Bugs
Picture Frames

Directions:
1. Cut the white paper to size to fit inside the picture frames.
2. After placing the white paper inside the picture frames use the hot glue gun to adhere the plastic spiders/bugs in your desired location on the outside of the glass.
3. Allow the glue to dry.

Stylish Vases

Quartz Grand Vase (love the gold) / Prism Vase / Scalamandre by Lenox Zebras Vase / Kate Spade Daisy Dots Vase / Barnacle Vase / Waterford Vase / Yellow Ceramic Vase (love the texture) / Celestial Vase / Gem Oval Vase / Copper Vase / Stoneware Vase / Blue Ceramic Vase (so pretty) / Metal Vase / Jonathan Adler Vase
Flowers are a household staple for me. I am always picking up inexpensive bouquets at the grocery store (Trader Joes has the best). Recently I realized that although I have numerous vases each of them are clear crystal. In an effort to change that I have been shopping around for a few alternatives. I recently picked up this tiny gold bud vase for only $11. I also think any of the above would be a great addition to my tiny collection.

Stylish For Less: Home Decor Under $25

Fish Bottle Opener (so cool) / Textured Vase / Elephant Throw Pillow / Octopus Tea Towel / Mini Basket / Jewelry Tray (adorable nightstand accessory) / Arrow Candle Holder / Crosshatch Basket / Coasters / Bowl / Grid Napkins / Jellyfish Matches / 3 Piece Starburst Mirror / Hedgehog Candle Holder (only $3!)
What a week this had been! I feel like I have barely had a break all week so now I am counting the minutes until Friday evening arrives. This week I have rounded up a few finds for the home that are under $25 dollars like this basket that is great for storage, this adorable tea towel, these coasters that would be great for entertaining, and these candle holders that would be beautiful for lighting outdoor dinners. I love sprucing up my home in the summer months. What about you?

All Work: White Desks

After years of really needing a new desk I am finally beginning a much needed search. Last week one of the drawers in my desk collapsed really driving home the fact that a replacement desk was in order. As the pictures above indicate I have my heart set on a white desk. White desks are so clean, fresh looking, and everything pops against them. This, this, this, and this are current options I am considering. I have never shopped for a desk before. Any thoughts on the options I have chosen so far? Do you have any suggestions on where I could look for quality products that would be within budget?

via: 1, 2, 3, 4

Sprucing Up

Maybe it is because I have been spending so much time inside this Winter that I have been daydreaming about sprucing up a lot of areas of my home. Although it is not in my current plans or budget it has been hard resisting some online shopping for items to freshen up the house. This chandelier, this lamp, and this bar cart are topping my list of favorites. Do you have any upcoming plans for decorating or sprucing up your home?

Gold Chandelier / Temple Jar / Mirror / Bed / Lamp / Hurricane / Coasters / Floor Screen / Arm Chair / Rug / Bar Cart / Peony Bouquet / Side Table / Nesting Tables / Print / Tall Votive / Pink Throw Pillow / Diptyque Candle / Floral Petite Jar / Scallop Pillow
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Apartment Love

I am in love with Lauren Mizrahi's small San Francisco apartment. The mix of feminine vintage and modern details combined with all of the natural light from all of the beautiful windows in the apartment have me ready to move in. A few of my favorite details are the zebra rug, the geode, the trunk used as a coffee table, and the gallery wall. Plus, there is no denying that I would love to live in San Francisco.

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Holiday Table Top

During the last couple years I have a developed a huge love for the color gold (which I also shared here). I personally cannot think of a prettier way to host Christmas dinner than on a table decked out in gold that is sparking in candlelight. Included on my perfect table would be gold flatware ( this is also a great option) that I have longed to own for so long, these mugs, this table runner, and for a touch of festive green these rosemary topiaries (similar to the one I shared here). What are your Christmas dinner plans this year?

Ice Bucket / Flatware / Vase / Rosemary Topiaries / Glass Hurricane / Dinnerware / Servers / Mug / Napkins / Garland / Salt and Pepper Shakers / Table Runner / Leaf Platter / Flute Set / Napkin Rings
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Deck The Halls

Have you began decorating for Christmas yet? I started a couple weeks ago and I am looking for a few finishing touches. I am obsessed with stargazer lights. I would also love to have this, these, and this.

Bay Leaf Wreath / Owl Lights / Flameless Candles / Snowglobe / Jungle Christmas Cocktail Napkins / Holly Garland / Rosemary Cone In Burlap / Noel Wreath / Knit Tree Garland / Stargazer Lights / Christmas Pom Pom Garland / Bougie Joyeux Noël Candle / Jungle Christmas Matches / Table Runner / Curled Wood Wreath / Plaid Throw Pillow / Plates
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Gifts For The Homebody

This gift guide includes gifts for the girl who believes home is where the heart is. Consider items like this robe, these mugs, and these cocktail napkins for your friends who although love a night out also treasure the quiet nights at home sipping hot chocolate or hosting intimate dinner parties. Two other things I want to point out are this dreamcatcher and this bar cart that is only $130.

Robe / Dreamcatcher / Agate Bookends / Canisters / Tartan Mug Set / Coasters / Cocktail Napkins / Throw Pillow / Piggy Bank / Elephant Match Strike / Fox Doorstop / Gold Vase / Crystal Votive Holder / Ring Holder / Tartan Throw / Gold Feather / Moose Head / Glass Shadow Box / Umbrella Stand / Owl Desk Calendar / Bar Cart / Accent Table
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