Holiday Decorating

This is the first time I have been in a home to actually decorate over the holidays.  Last year, we put our house on the market and moved from California to Dallas so holiday decorating was out.   I decided to keep it very simple with a garland over my fireplace mantel ($5 at Home Depot) with votive tealight holders placed throughout.  There are so many great and affordable options out there when it comes to votive holders this year.  Luckily, I had a gift card that allowed me to purchase 2 sets of #1.

1. Z Gallerie Votive Holders (Set of 3) $7.99
2. Anthropologie Votive Holders $8
3. Wisteria Votive Holders (Set of 6) $28
4. World Market Votive Holders (Set of 3) $8.97
5. West Elm Votive Holders $10

Nursery Bathroom Hardware

If anyone knows a better go-to place for decorative hardware than Anthropologie, please pass it on!  When you are looking for some fun hardware, especially in glass, Anthropologie is always my first stop.  I decided to purchase some fun knobs for the small portion of the Jack and Jill bathroom off the nursery.  These were my top contenders, before I finally settled on #5 (really wish #2 came in pink and white).  

Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  Hope everyone has a wonderful day full of great food and company!

Image via Pinterest

Image via Lonny

Image via Sweet Paul

Image via Martha Stewart

For me, this season means I get to indulge in anything pumpkin flavored.  I finally got ahold of one of my friend's famous pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipes she always makes this season, which I made another batch of last night:

Around here...

When we moved into our house we had managed to furnish most of it save from our bare walls and a few pieces of furniture here and there.  We decided to slowly acquire art and the like.  Except for when it comes to my closet, I declare that I am quite the minimalist so I only want to put things up that I absolutely love.

I have plans to put some travel photography of mine on canvas, and then I will finally be able to post photos of the completed family room.  For now, I am excited that our second chair arrived from Crate & Barrel.  The first chair took 5 months and it was an 8 month wait for the second one.  Needless to say, there were lots of headaches, but I am glad they are finally both here:

When this West Elm throw I blogged about here went on a 20% off sale, I ran right to the store to purchase one.  It is incredibly soft and has already been a cozy addition to the room as the weather cools down.

While at West Elm, I discovered that this ottoman was being discontinued so heavily discounted.  I had been waiting to buy one for our very unfinished game room and it just arrived:

I have managed to keep my succulents alive (well, almost all of them), so I decided to add some more to our kitchen.  I picked these up at Ikea:

And I haven't yet shared our guest room--here is a peek:

Those are our latest additions.  Hope everyone is enjoying the week and is ready for their Thanksgiving feasts!

Fantasy Wedding

Finally got some much needed things done on my to do list that had been weighing on my mind, so I apologize for my absence yesterday!  Here are the photos of the wedding I talked about last week.  I can't wait to see the professional pictures, which the bride promised I could share some when she received them.  There is no way I could capture the details and scope of the beautiful ballroom or the grandeur of the event.  But here is my best attempt: 

Let the Wedding Extravaganza Begin...

I wanted to share the wedding that I went to at the end of last month.  It almost took me this long to recover!  There were 3 days of parties all lasting into the wee hours of the morning followed by a farewell brunch.

We dined on Middle Eastern fare, followed the bride as she was carried to her Moroccan wedding ceremony, throwing flower petals and passing out desserts.  She had three outfit changes!  There was henna (we didn't have it drawn on) and an endless amount of dancing to the beats of the music and the drummer and saxophonist who came into the crowd.

For the rehearsal dinner, they rented out the entire Ghost Bar at the W, which overlooks the skyline of downtown Dallas. We were treated to a dinner surrounded by modern decor and simple centerpieces that made a big statement!  I got up and gave a speech in front of some 300 people with a couple other friends sans alcohol, so as fun as that was, it was quite a relief when we finished speaking as well. 

There was so much to share I couldn't fit it in one post, so I will post photos from the wedding next week!  Have a great weekend!

My Lucky Day

It's my lucky day!  I actually won a giveaway.  I really don't win these types of things, so I was so pleasantly surprised to head to one of my daily blog reads The Enchanted Home, and see my name as the winner of a Scout Tote. I did a triple take when I looked at the winner's name just to be sure:

The Enchanted Home is a fabulous blog that documents all things interior design and every week Tina shows the progress of the building of her dream home.  The details are truly exquisite, and she is nearing the finish line.  Her posts are always so well researched and comprehensive, and I am constantly impressed with all of the thought and detail that goes into her blog.  Thanks again for the giveaway win!

Next, I went to order something from Serena & Lily I put off last week and saw they were having a 20% off friends and family sale.  Sometimes procrastination does pay off.

I hope my good luck continues!

San Diego Part 3

Good-bye San Diego...until next time:

Images via Travelmoon
Balboa Park

San Diego Part 2

Since I no longer live near the ocean, I want to soak up as much of it as I can when I'm here:

Yesterday, we spent a few hours in Solana Beach--eating at Zinc Cafe and wandering the shops on Cedros--one of my favorite San Diego locations.

Succulents growing by the beach

And for one reason or another ran all the way across town, treading a lot of ground:

Hang gliding in La Jolla
Images via Travelmoon

Today is my last full day in San Diego before heading back to Texas!

Monday Escapes

I'm back in San Diego...for a visit:

Yesterday, I met friends for brunch overlooking the ocean in La Jolla, and we walked around after basking in the sunny weather.

Cute House in La Jolla
Images via Travelmoon

I will share some more snippets and photos over the next couple of days.  Hope everyone has a great week!

Nursery Design Board

Crib

Basket

Art

Car

Crib Bedding Fabrics

Window Fabric

Pillow

Glider Inspiration 

Pink Pouf

Blabla Doll

Ceiling Inspiration

Nursery Inspiration

I am excited to share with you my nursery design board tomorrow.  First, I want to show you some inspiration I pulled from when dreaming up how I would decorate:

My #1 inspiration: this room looks clean, bright, girly, with shades of pinks.
Not to mention that Madeline Weinrib rug in hot pink--what a dream!
via Ohdeedoh

Feminine & more pink tones via Babble

Pink tones with a pop of yellow
via decorpad

via Lay Baby Lay

Source Unknown

Since first laying eyes on this photo long ago, I knew that a striped ceiling is a must!
via Domino

Especially in pink!
via Kiki's List

I'm very excited to finally translate my love for stripes in fashion and interiors into my home.

via Babble

via Caitlin Wilson Design

I really love these example of window treatments, which a version of will be making an appearance.

Most of all, this photo really captures the essence of what I am going for in terms of the color palette--varying shades of pinks:

via Simply Seleta

Booties Splurge v Steal

These Isabel Marant booties are so cute and chic.  While they may be worth the splurge, you can't beat the price of these Old Navy boots that give the same look.  Old Navy has some great shoes right now--not really a place I looked to as a go-to for shoes but some of the boots they have on sale right now might change my mind!

Isabel Marant Dicker Suede Ankle Boots $615

Old Navy Faux-Leather Ankle Boot $22.99

Swiss Army Knife Apartment

I caught this segment on The Nate Berkus Show and became obsessed.  This married couple (who are both architects) managed to make their small NYC space into a masterpiece of hidden storage.  This appeals to my acute sense of organization--here, in 650 square feet everything has a place with more storage space than much larger abodes.  Not to mention, I love the sleek, minimal look of the apartment, all of the walnut wood, the floor to ceiling blue tiled bathroom, and the hydraulic table that doubles as kitchen counterspace.


Their apartment was originally featured in Dwell Magazine here.  In the article, the owner described her space, "our apartment is like a Swiss Army knife: a compact, well-designed, functional thing of beauty." I think this is such an apt description and also explains its broad appeal to me.  I have always been drawn to miniature items that fold into something smaller:

The kitchen table is on hydraulics and can raise to be used as counterspace.

They space saving Murphy Bed also has surrounding storage space.

There are drawers in virtually every piece of furniture.

Behind the bathroom wall is a laundry hamper.

You can see the clip here--where you can really get a sense of all of the organizational space and apartment configuration.

*Images via Dwell Magazine

Monday Escapes

Exactly a year ago we were here:

In Bali!

(Also, see HERE)

Part of the reason I enjoy taking photos (and I take many!) is because just one detail years later can bring you right back to a blissful trip.  For a moment, you can evoke all of the feelings of actually being somewhere exotic and far-flung.

Our next vacation might look a little more like this:

Images via Travelmoon

Have a great week!