Life

Life lately.

I’ve been missing on the blog for the past week because life has been busy! I had some relaxing time on the Cape with friends, traveled to NYC for work, and hosted my mom and sister at my apartment for the weekend for some wedding planning. When life gets busy sometimes the blog gets put on the back burner, but I was still snapping away pics on instagram to capture a few moments like dinner at Eataly in NY, my pedicure color of the moment, a special delivery for my wedding day attire from Kate Spade, and my new Madewell bracelet making an appearance in the bracelet mix.

Home

Behind the shelves.

Sometimes I think I’m over chevron — but let’s be serious — I just can’t shake it. I love the idea of using wallpaper behind bookshelves; the black and white pattern here is such a graphic balance to the traditional style of the room. Now — where, oh where, can I get some shelves like these in my apartment?

Image via House Beautiful

DIY

Flower arranging.

I’ve been thinking about DIYing our wedding flowers, and one of my lovely bridesmaids found  a class on floral arranging nearby that we attended this weekend. It was so much fun learning a few techniques for creating bouquets! I can’t wait to practice what I learned with some other types of flowers.

Life

Bright summer espadrilles.

I’ve never owned traditional espadrille flats; but after slipping into a pair while browsing at J.Crew this past weekend, that may not be for long. I love the bright colors they’ve chosen for this quintessential summer shoe. plus they were oh-so-comfortable. Now, which color would you choose?

Life

Purple and Red.

Lately I’ve been experimenting with bold royal purples and bright tomato reds in my closet. I snagged a light silky purple blouse from Old Navy last week and paired with some of my favorite red chino shorts; then I spotted a purple and red necklace on the sale rack at J.Crew this weekend and scooped it up! I usually associate these colors with the rich hues reserved for the Fall, but pairing them together in light weight fabrics is working for me this Spring. What do you think of this color combination?

Sources: K.Slademade clutch, Old Navy purple blouse, Loren Hope necklace, red blouse, Loren Hope necklace, purple shorts, red shorts, tote

Entertaining

Sunday Brunch.

I snapped a few pictures of brunch at our apartment this morning before anyone arrived. I broke up some supermarket bouquets and dispersed them into my collection of mini jadeite vases for a centerpiece at the breakfast table, and put a little extra effort into displaying my fruit salad by layering melon and berries in a round vase.  It was feeling extra bright and Spring-y inside despite the rainstorm outside! Did you have a nice relaxing Sunday too?

Home

Art in the kitchen.

I was digging through some old inspiration folders from when I first started this blog and found these two pictures of kitchens filled to the brim with collected artwork. I love how homey each of these rooms look. Slightly cluttered but artfully arranged, they  both look like places that are truly lived in. What do you think of putting art in the kitchen, do you prop up paintings on your countertop?

Via Living Etc, Marie Claire Maison

DIY

Easter eggs.

I haven’t dyed Easter eggs since I was a kid, but something made me stop in the aisle of the grocery store this week and grab a kit. Of course being the DIYer that I am, I couldn’t stop at just dunking the eggs in colored dye. I broke out some of my neon washi tapes and went to town decorating them with stripes. I’m enjoying the pop of color  seeing them in a bowl on my counter top!

Home

Kitchen drawer upgrades.

On the surface my apartment has lots of details that make me proud, but please don’t open my kitchen cabinets. You’ll find pint glasses that were most likely carried home from the neighborhood bar and a mismatched drawer of silverware I collected across several dorms and collegiate apartments. So, needless to say, I’m looking forward to upgrading a few of those items when wedding registry time rolls around. Recently flipping through the Sur La Table catalog to get some inspiration for these kitchen upgrades, my eye caught the gingham pattern on these paring knives — and at just $9, they’ll feel at home next to my mismatched silverware.

via Sur La Table