Anniversary Redux

Thanks everyone for the beautiful wishes and thoughts on my wedding video.  They were so sweet and were the icing on the cake to what turned out to be a wonderful day.  My 3 year anniversary started out with some gorgeous surprise flowers from my husband!

Of course, I had a surprise in store too-a heart shaped double layer strawberry cake.  The idea was to use our wedding monogram (a variation was substituted) with pearl sprinkles, because pearls were incorporated into our wedding decor.  It was touch and go for awhile whether this cake would actually ever come into fruition, but here it is:

I got the mail to find I won a Jonathan Adler luggage tag from a give away I forgot I even entered.  This is a BIG deal.  I never win give aways, raffles, etc.  Maybe my luck is changing, or maybe I get an extra dose of luck on my anniversary, or everyone that entered received a luggage tag.  Either way, I will decide to believe in the former:

Topped off with a dinner at Five Sixty atop Reunion Tower.  The food was delicious and the view from the rotating restaurant of the nighttime cityscape of Dallas, spectacular.  Any reader of this blog knows that I absolutely go weak for panoramic views.

To reminisce one last time, I must include this:

Image via here

I started seeing this pop up on multiple blogs and was delighted since this stationery is from my wedding venue, The Westgate Hotel, and I adore the romantic sentiment.


Have a great weekend!

Guest Post: The Iconic Blog

Recently, I posted about a fabulous new line of monogrammed accessories: Luxury Monograms.  Melanie, the creator of Luxury Monograms, is kicking off her guest series showing how bloggers would style these products with my guest post here.  Head on over for some summer inspiration...

Inspirational Arches

As much as I pushed it off, I had to decide on the fate of the arches.  Should we keep the arches in our home or square them off?  That is the question...

I had first been drawn to our home because of the architectural detail of the arches, but then a little concerned as my house would not reflect a Spanish/Mediterranean feel.  As much as I like to embrace mixing different time periods and styles as far as design, I didn't know if this would be too of the mark.  When looking for inspiration I decided that arches could be decidedly Moroccan, as Moorish architecture reflects a Spanish influence.  I always gravitate to a Moroccan flair whether it be a rug or pillows, which is certainly reflective of a global aesthetic that is influenced by my travels:

Images via Elle Decor

I remembered this Elle Decor feature, and noticed the arches in this Moroccan abode.

Then, there was this Elle Decor feature of a Marrakech home:

Images via Elle Decor

And Dar Les Cigognes, a luxury hotel situated in Marrakech boasts intricately carved arches and archways throughout the property:

Arches don't even have to reflect a Spanish/Mediterranean style at all I discovered.  Moving in a completely different direction there are carrera marble arches in a plush bathroom suite:

Image via This is Glamorous

Cased archways leading to a modern all white kitchen.  My kitchen will have all white cabinets (except for the dark gray island) with carrera marble countertops, so this image struck me too:

Image via Cococozy

Then, there is Meg Ryan's home that features double arches leading into the living room.  This is reminiscent of my space where double arches flank the passageway between the kitchen nook area and the windows to the courtyard:

Images via Hooked on Houses

Now I wonder why I was ever in doubt!

Pictures of our House Progress is coming, arches and all...

3-Year Anniversary

Today, three years ago I married my soulmate and love of my life.  Even though we have professional photos and a video, this montage created by my Uncle and set to our first dance song, always manages to stir up the same feelings I had at my wedding and transports me right back to that magical day again...

Weekend Finds & a Dallas Visit

Besides having one of my best friends in town visiting over the weekend and indulging in a lot of Dallas tourist activities--read: Texas BBQ, The Sixth Street (JFK) Museum, nights out on the town, and eating our way through every Tex Mex restaurant in town--her shopping karma (she is the best bargain shopper around) must have rubbed off on me.

My Dallas tour is not complete without a stop at Wisteria.  To my utter dismay the deeply discounted suzani pillow I had eyed a few days before and had hoped to purchase was gone, but an internet search led me to find it online.  It is my first purchase for our future guest bedroom in hopes of taking it from beachy Southern California to global sophisticated all with one pillow and a few other choice accessories.

Before-Our old guest bedroom in Orange County:

The pillow will be replaced with this one: 

After a stop at Hard Eight BBQ (my first foray into experiencing Texas BBQ as well), we headed to Neiman Marcus Last Call nearby.  Everything in the store was buy one get 50% off the second item and after some creative purchasing with a friend I ended up with a pair of Cynthia Vincent wedges for a steal:

Hard Eight BBQ in Coppell, Texas

Hopefully, she doesn't think Dallas is all that bad and will come back soon for more than just the shopping!

Monday Escapes

For this Monday's Escape I'm taking you on a hike.  Not just any old hike though, one that will end here:

For those of you who don't enjoy camping, the other plus of this hike is that you won't be sleeping in a tent...

 And your legs won't hurt at all in the end, because it's virtual, so sit back and enjoy the scenery:

We will be weaving through varied climates and topographies: finding ourselves in balmy forests, freezing valleys, and seeing a few more ruins along the way...

We are almost there I can see the crowning glory of Machu Picchu in the distance...

And we made it...

That wasn't so hard at all, was it?



Hope you enjoy the view from the top...

Images via Travelmoon

Equestrian Art

Equestrian art is always a classic choice to adorn your walls.


If you have an unlimited budget, you could splurge on an original Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Andrew Smith Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Or an original oil painting from a Canyon Road Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Or, for the budget conscious, you can order this piece from ZGallerie.

Driving by horses often as I make my way around the outskirts of Dallas, has given me a new affinity towards these gorgeous animals!

* Blogger was experiencing some technical difficulties, which explains the late post.  It erased yesterday's post (which I reposted) as well as comments, so I apologize if I am not able to respond to those comments as they were all lost!