Saturday, September 28, 2013

LOVING: H&M HOME



I'm having a bit of fun nesting into our apartment. We have been there a year but with all the wedding plans and a busy year in general, I failed to make our house a "home", if you will. I'm apparently really late on the H&M home bandwagon (let alone H&M now being online -what!) but am in love with their current choices. A little industrial, a little rustic, a little glam, affordable - sold. My favorite picks at the moment include:

1. Hand Towel $72. Hanger 2-Pack $10
3. Linen Pillow Cover $18
4. Clear Candle $7
5. Fox & Owl Candles $4
6. Linen Tablecloth $50
7. Storage Basket $15
8. Metal Jar $13

Saturday, September 21, 2013

BUILD A BRASSY BAR // FAB $15

One of my favorite 50s revivals has been the bar cart. I don't know, maybe it never really went away but I do love how they are popping up in stores all over the place over the past few years. A few years back I found an old one at a yard sale for $7. It's nothing special, but I always have fun stocking it and styling it. It's the perfect way to display great glassware and to get people gathered around at a party to mix up a cocktail. I dream of someday owning one from Society Social but am loving the new bar cart collection they have going on at Target right now. If you have read this blog for any period of time, you know I'm a sucker for all things gold, brass or copper and these foxy bar-tastic accessories are no exception! All accessories (sadly not the cart!) are under $15. Cheers.


Buy these gems for yourself:

ONE: Bar Cart, $130
TWO: Faux Marble Coasters, $15
THREE: Brass Fox Wine Accessory Set, $13
FOUR: Brass Dot Cocktail Decanter, $15
FIVE: Brass Fox Cocktail Shaker, $13

Thursday, September 12, 2013

THE CAN CAN CLUB


Some days, you just need to let out your inner Martha. A few weeks ago I was invited to my friend Melissa's canning club. Having never been a canner myself, but always being intrigued by the process, I made sure to clear the day for it. 

First, let me tell you - Melissa is the hostess with the mostest! Not only does her fabulous bungalow set the perfect background for a gathering, but the girl knows how to entertain. The guests were lovely, the drinks were flowing, the food was somehow simultaneously simple and over-the-top good and she still managed to be a great canning teacher for us newbies.

On this particular day, the menu consisted of Prosecco Passionfruit (fresh from her backyard garden!) Jam and Brandied Cherries. For the jam, I've had it on toast, on cheese plates and maybe even snuck in a few spoon-fulls of it by itself - it's wonderful. For the cherries, we've so far mixed them into a few Old Fashioned drinks and plan to keep playing around with them in other cocktail recipes. We used the oven to seal the cans and it was so simple once it got going. Thinking I might do a few batches of each for Christmas presents!

Lucky for us, Melissa has graciously shared the recipes with us (end of post) and my friend and uber-talented photographer, Angie, the lady behind the camera at Infatuated Eye Photography, has shared some of her beautiful pics from the day. Thank you ladies, you really are the best!

Enjoy.




Saturday, September 7, 2013

HARVEST MOON // FAB $50 PICKS



Although Fall may not yet be "in the air" with this 90 degree weather every day, I'm certainly happy it's here and I'm ready for all it will bring. There are the certain things that Fall always brings - and I look forward to these things.

Pumpkin-spiced everything // wearing sweaters even though it's still 70 degrees because you feel like you should // the excitement of the holidays being right around the corner // and having a legitimate excuse to eat pizza and drink beer every Sunday and Monday while I casually whine to Kim about how much longer the football game will go. This October I'll even get the treat of going to the Midwest for a brief weekend where I will with no doubt soak up every ounce of that crisp air.

It's so close I can almost feel it! To hold me over until this heat subsides, I've pulled together a collection of some items that have been getting me into the Autumn spirit.  Oh, and they are all under $50! We shall call this new series... Fab $50 - obviously!

What sends you over the (harvest) moon about this time of the year? (Pssst. I'm obsessed with the Poolside version of Harvest Moon - it was the theme song to my summer.)

My Fab $50 picks include:

1. Love this dress on Etsy. Pair it with a cute scarf and it would be perfect-o for a San Diego Autmn.

2.  Simplistic leather ring designed by Jet van Dril via byAprilandMay.

3. A mug that is cute AND useful by Yield Design.

4. Simple cape from She Inside. Ordered this beauty last week and can't wait until she arrives!

5. Classic & stylish pair of ankle boots from Target.

6. Hey, your couch needs to feel like it's Fall too.  I think this kilim pillow on eBay would do the trick.

7. I'm in the major mood for a house re-decoration party. This hexagon hook from Urban Outfitters would definitely be a good addition to our guest bathroom.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

SO MANY PLANTS, SO LITTLE SPACE

You know how they say your house turns into a tornado of a mess before your wedding? Well, I recently found out the same is true for the weeks (ok, the month!) following it. While we rented a lot of the items for our big day from Kim's company, we also bought a boat load of vases, candles, vintage accents and plants on our own - all of which are still in boxes scattered throughout our place.

What to do? A garage sale or 100 Layer Cake's Marketplace seems like a perfect way to sell the vases, etc. but I want to utilize the air plants and succulents in our house as much as possible. We seriously have tons. Those pretty little suckers live forever and I'm not willing to throw them out.

I have no more room on the surfaces of our home so am on a serious hunt for hanging vases and orbs to display them in. I came across these beauties (below) on Etsy last week from HRUSKAA. Once the wedding funds replenish themselves, I will definitely be picking up a few of these to hang around the house and keep at least a few of these little wedding momentos alive.

Have you seen any cute ideas for displaying air plants or succulents around the house? Please do share!