Archive for the ‘Pretty Things’ Category
Sneak peek
I’m getting close to finishing my Bohemian Swank Bedroom Makeover Project! This last weekend I *finally* received the wallpaper I ordered from UrbanOutfitters.com* after waiting weeks for it to arrive. I couldn’t be happier with it! I was super nervous about how the wallpaper was going to turn out because it’s “removable,” which in my mind had potential to look cheap. However, I really centered my entire vision for the room around this wallpaper and a painting I bought in Bali, so I was counting on this vibrant teal and gold accent wall being an integral part of my bedroom design.
This removable wallpaper, or renter’s wallpaper, is made by Tempaper who calls their product “self-adhesive, repositionable, temporary wallpaper.” It’s basically similar to a vinyl wall decal, if you’ve ever purchased one of those. It took me about three hours to focus on not rushing, lining up the pattern and cutting each piece correctly, and shaping it around the window and wall edges, but it turned out like a dream! Renter’s wallpaper is an easy way to add a pop of color without the mess of paint or committing to something you’re not sure is going to look okay (like a bright-colored wall). If you’re thinking of using temporary wallpaper in your home, here are a few links for you:
- Tempaper’s entire line of removable wallpaper (I’d recommend buying directly from them instead of UO). The pattern in my room is Honey Jade Marrakesh
- Sherwin Williams’ “Easy Change” wallpaper line
- Removable wall paper on Oh Happy Day (another San Francisco blog)
So that’s a sneak peek into my new Bohemian Swank bedroom. I’m still awaiting a few pieces, and need to install my chandelier, so I’ll share pics of the entire room when it’s all done!
*I had the worst experience ever ordering from UO and dealing with their customer service. While they have some of the best decorating items, I totally wouldn’t recommend them.
Currently Feeling: Ready for all the exciting impending changes on my horizon – possibly a new job change coming my way… I’ve been frantically interviewing, (hence the silence on the blog last week) and am really excited. Hopefully I’ll have some good news to share with you soon.
Currently Anticipating: Leaving bright and early Thursday morning to meet my mom, dad and sis in Maui to celebrate my 30th and my dad’s 55th birthday!
Currently Loving: 600 thread count sheets – such a dream! I haven’t wanted to leave my bed lately.
The Best of SF is a view you cannot beat at Fort Funston
The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea. – Isak Dinesen
You guys! Look at this view. I don’t think I need to tell you why this is one of the best places I’ve been to in San Francisco. I’m not religious, but this place is what I imagine heaven would look like.
Fort Funston is a state park located on the coast of California – the very western part of San Francisco. It’s about 20 minutes away from my house, and my new favorite place! Hiking trails twist through funky green plants overlooking the sea, San Franciscans walk their furry friends, eager for ocean air, and there are miles of beaches to stroll along.
After an hour spent hiking here, I was in the best mood all day. This place will be my “sea” saltwater cure here in San Francisco.
Currently Feeling: Anxious for my impending 30th birthday on Friday (the 13th, no less).
Currently Anticipating: Picking up my BFF Katie from the airport tonight for some birthday week celebrations she has planned!
Currently Loving: That I was able to find a couple bottle’s of Bachelor Ben’s wine in Sonoma to bring back for my birthday on Friday.
Bohemian Swank bedroom redecorating project
I’ve decided to redecorate my bedroom – hot pink be gone. (Never thought I’d say that!) But, I want something a little more chic, swanky and adult, but still feminine. I also want to incorporate the Bohemian/Balinese culture because I love it so much, and it reminds me of the best trip I’ve ever taken (and a special time spent with my sister). I’m calling my vision, “Bohemian Swank.”
Most of the images above in my vision board of the space, I’ve actually already purchased. Minus the expensive four poster white bed frame and the wicker trunk I’m saving for.
I’m trying to mix and match jewel colors and patterns, in true Bohemian fashion. Deep purple sheets, sequined, velvet pillows, a turquoise blown-glass lamp, ombred purple curtains and the most beautiful Moroccan wallpaper in a teal and gold pattern. But, I’m keeping some details simple for balance – white bedding, a white chandelier and a brown wicker trunk at the end of my bed for storeables. I’m most excited about the chandelier! I just need to figure out how to install it…
For my walls, I’ve purchased a world map in gold that you scratch off the countries you’ve been to! I’m super excited for that to arrive. I also have a painting I bought in Bali of a woman playing an instrument in bright colors and gold paint, and I’m purchasing a wrapped canvas print of a photo of my sister and I on our trip. I also have two woven sarongs in traditional Balinese ikat design that I’ll incorporate into the room – one at the end of my bed. I think these Balinese touches will be the perfect thing to make my room a serene, lovely space that makes me smile and relax, just like how I felt when I was in Bali.
I’m really excited, and will post pictures or a video of it as soon as it’s finished!
*You can see my entire Pinterest board of my bedroom redecorating project, with links to items, here.
Currently Feeling: Excited I finally made a small plan for my birthday – it’s Napa Valley Restaurant Month! I’ll be heading up for dinner, drinks and one night in a Napa B&B. Finally a good reason to have my birthday in January.
Currently Anticipating: A quiet weekend before a BIGGG week next week, for various reasons outside of just my birthday!
Currently Loving: A new salon I found walking distance from my house that straightens my hair for only $20!
How to Throw a Favorite Things Party
Thanks to the all-knowing, addictive, most amazing website to come out of 2011 – Pinterest – I came across a few blogs that shared the idea of throwing a Favorite Things Party. So, I decided to host one for my San Francisco girls. Here’s the gist of throwing a Favorite Things Party: everyone brings five (or whichever number you choose) of their “favorite things” under a price limit. We did five things for $30. Favorite things can be your favorite condiment, nail polish color, book, amazing product you can’t live without, etc., but it should be five different things, not five of the same thing. Each person “presents” their favorite things one by one, and after each, pulls a name (from a box/hat) for the person who will receive the favorite thing. At the end, everyone goes home with five different “favorite things” from everyone at the party, learns a little bit about each attendee, and learns a lot about great products! It’s super fun, and a great change-up to the usual white elephant party.
Here are a few details I added to my party to give you some ideas if you want to throw your own Favorite Things Party! (P.S. I did it as a holiday party, but it can be thrown year-round without a Christmas theme!)
I bought brown bags, printed out labels that said, “A Few of Our Favorite Things” (you can download the labels here) and tied the bags with string. This was to play off “brown paper packages tied up with strings” from the song, and each person had a bag to put their “favorite things” they received at the party.
I made this fabulous Cranberry Mojito cocktail, also found on a blog courtesy of Pinterest. This might have been one of the biggest hits of the party. Because of it’s festive red and green appearance, everyone took pics and shared it on the social interwebs.
In keeping with the theme, I asked guests to bring their favorite appetizer. One of my girls brought pigs in blanket (or as she said, “Pigs in Down Comforters”) – everyone’s childhood fav!
I was really grateful to my friends who put a lot of thought and energy into their appetizers and presents – it was so fun to just chat, nibble on good homemade food and sip festive cocktails. The holidays are for celebrating with those you love most!
One of the best parts about the party is how fun it is to learn about each other through your favorite things. Like your friends love to travel… or love Owls… or appreciate fine wine… sometimes if they’re new friends, like most of girls in San Francisco, it’s a great way to get to know each other even more.
Some of the “favorites” that made their way to my party were: popcorn box for watching movies filled with candy, chalkboard wine glasses, Mac lipstick in Ruby Woo (I scored this one!), funny suitcase tag, non-slip headbands, Trident layers, Great Lash mascara, e.l.f. lipgloss, Almond Champagne (!!!), Bath & Bodyworks True Plue Paraffin lotion (supposed to be the best for dry hands), Gap thong (supposed to be super comfy), plastic flask for outdoor concerts, massage oil, eos lip balm and a Christmas amerilious plant.
My five favorites were: Forever 31 earrings, The Carrie Diaries
What “favorite things” would you bring?!
One of my girl friends went home with Mac lip liner in “Cherry” and a lesson from a make-up artist friend on how to apply it – doesn’t she look fab?!
Again keeping with the theme (*cough* theme party whore *cough*), I made “warm apple strudel” (part of the Favorite Things song lyrics) for my dish and topped it with homemade eggnog ice cream! It was my first time making either, and they were quite the hit. Apple strudel is a crowd pleaser with all that butter and brown sugar, and eggnog is pretty much ready made ice cream mix in a carton! And of course, I had my “whiskers on kittens“ tied up in a pretty red party bow.
It was truly a night filled with our favorite things – each other, great food, drinks, conversation and the little things in life that make us smile. All recipes for an awesome holiday party with close girl friends!
Happy holidays, blog lovelies!
Currently Feeling: Like the holidays are even MORE crazy when you have to squeeze in meeting up with everyone you don’t see all the time. Whew – I’m tired! But it’s so much fun too.
Currently Anticipating: A girls night tomorrow night – dinner at Pearl and a tour of Snowflake Lane.
Currently Loving: Spending so much one-on-one time with my high school girl friends – it’s been awhile since so many of them have lived back at home, and it feels so special to catch up and stay good friends after all these years.
My Christmas Card
This year I sent Christmas cards for the first time (another Bucket List item I crossed off!). It was super fun to mail something to all my friends and family, and receive their texts and phone calls after receiving my card. Snail mail is such a rare things these days with all the digital communication, that it seems extra special, and even more important when you’re living hundreds to thousands of miles away.
I went down to a park on the North side of the Golden Gate and enlisted some strangers to help me take my Christmas card picture. (Can you believe this sunny, gorgeous blue water picture was taken in November?!) With a little help from PhotoShop and VistaPrints - voila! My 2011 Christmas card:
<disclaimer> If you’re reading this and consider yourself in-person friends with me – know that I only printed 30 and had to send the majority to my family (and only sent to those outside of San Francisco), so please don’t get your feelings hurt! I love you too! </end disclaimer>
Currently Feeling: So happy to be home for the holidays and have so much good time with my family. I miss them so much!
Currently Anticipating: Decorating cookies tonight with some of my high school girl friends.
Currently Loving: My mom’s homemade pie! Can’t stay away.
Holly jolly jolly
The tree is up! My apartment is festive and ready for a holiday party I’m throwing this Sunday for my San Francisco girl friends. It will, of course, be a theme party, and I’m really excited to share the details with you once it’s over. But I’m MORE excited for the party. Holiday parties are a good excuse to eat potluck finger food and drink tons of wine. Two of my favorite things.
This year I got rid of the red bulbs and went with a jewel-tone Christmas tree. I added a few special ornaments to the mix that are really “me” – a couple sparkly butterflies, a painted peacock bulb, a platform heel, and a glass of wine.
Growing up, we always had “themed” trees that looked like they belonged in a department store. I used to get really frustrated with my mom and complain that we didn’t have one of those funky, kitschy, eclectic trees that had ornaments from a family’s collection through the years. I loved looking at those ornaments as a kid, and friends and neighbors trees felt more homey and special. (By the way – I feel super bratty writing this. #firstworldproblems) My mom would always say to me, “When you’re an adult, you can do the tree anyway you want.”
Turns out I’ve gone with a mix of a themed tree and some sentimental ornaments through the years, strategically placed and matched. Best of both worlds. 
How does your family, or you, decorate your tree – themed or eclectic?
Currently Feeling: Like the master cook these days – I can’t lose with any of the recipes I try off Pinterest, and it feels awesome.
Currently Anticipating: Coming home to the sparkly lights of my tree for the next two weeks before I go home for Christmas!
Currently Loving: Totino’s Party Pizzas. So gross. Yet so, so delicious at the same time.
Let The Sun Shine In
I bought this silk screen printed poster last summer from a cute couple who sold them at a outdoor market in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle (That link is to their Etsy shop if you want the print too!).
I loved it for it’s optimism (in Seattle, at least) and because it epitomizes my love affair with the sun, which I talk often about probably far too often. I suppose I can’t help it… to me, there’s no happier feeling than a day of sunshine, toes in the grass, squinting your eyes, the glare off metal, the glint of hot pink toenail polish, the sparkle and shine it gives to the city, the trees, and the sky, sunroofs with a breeze, summer fruit, barbecued beef brisket and corn on the cob, sandy beaches, water logged bathing suits – all of it because of the sun, sun, SUN. Is anybody ever in a bad mood in the summer? There’s something to be said about this Vitamin D theory…
It took me nearly a year to get this baby framed and up in my house – I think it’s much more suited for my life in California, so it makes sense. But no matter the location, and whether the day brings grey or shine, I love the idea of waking up and shouting, “LET THE SUN SHINE IN!”
Currently Feeling: Ready to close my laptop and sign off for a 3.5 day weekend! Woot! Wishing everyone a fun and safe Fourth of July weekend!
Currently Anticipating: 85 degrees, my first tan of the season and my first Fourth of July spent at Lake Tahoe!
Currently Loving: Gummy vitamins. Those things are crack – can you overdose?! Oh great. That last sentence is going to bring in some interesting Google search traffic.
Tiny Bubbles
Ladies and gentleman (but let’s be honest, very few males read this blog), you should know already that I’m completely obsessed with lip gloss.
I’ve previously written about my obsession with keeping empty lip gloss tubes just cause I can’t bare to part with my favs when they’re gone, and I’ve also shared a pic of my ridiculously full drawer of lip glosses in every color, flavor and brand.
It’s taken my well into my 20s to find the perfect lip gloss – but I HANDS DOWN recommend Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush gloss. It wins in flavor, sparkle, color, consistency and price. A few of my favorite go-to flavors that I purchase over and over are Cupquake, Strawberry Fizz, Mocktail Hour and Slice of Heaven.
BUT, recently a friend of mine pulled out of her bag a Beauty Rush flavor I hadn’t seen before – Tiny Bubbles! It’s the most amazing, high sparkle glossy pink gloss that makes my knees weak and my heart swoon. Turns out it was a limited edition only around for Christmas, so I did what any lip gloss obsessed girl would do – I found that shiz on eBay and bought six back-up tubes! Natch.
You can too, if you’re so inclined – it’s even cheaper than the price of tubes in the stores! Tell me, if you’re a lip gloss lover – what’s YOUR favorite brand? Lord knows, I could use another tube.
Currently Feeling: Kinda restless lately… ugh.
Currently Anticipating: Sushi dinner tomorrow at a place I’ve never been! Love new sushi restaurants.
Currently Loving: The new Survivor: Redemption Island season – anyone watching?!
Artistic and whimsical and free spirited
Last week, I signed up for ShoeDazzle.com – are any of you members, blog lovelies? If you haven’t heard of it, ShoeDazzle was started by Kim Kardashian, and is a monthly shoe membership for $40. Each month, you’re given a hand-picked “show room” from top Hollywood stylists, and can choose one bag, jewelry set or pair of shoes for $40. I’ve yet to receive my first pair, so I’ll let you know what I think of the quality and comfort when I do.
When you first sign up, you’re asked to take a “style quiz,” picking shoes that you love, celebrity style that most represents your own, etc. After taking the quiz, the above image was what they sent me. My style is… artistic, whimsical and free-spirited. This couldn’t be more spot on! There’s even peacock feathers in the image – a top favorite of mine (and you can tell from my blog header!), and a butterfly, which I have a tattoo of!
If you’re a ShoeDazzle member – let me know what you think!
Currently Feeling: Relaxed – got some reading in this weekend, some organizing and cleaning, some good meals, and some family and girl time. Success!
Currently Anticipating: The opportunity at a fun, “column” writing opportunity I received today for a new magazine starting in Seattle. Back to my dating writing roots!
Currently Reading: Just Kids
A pretty peacock hair clip and the winner of my contest
A girl friend of mine gave me this pretty peacock hair clip for Christmas. The best part about it – she made it! There’s a serious resurgence of DIY Christmas gifts this year, and I love it! I didn’t think the hair clip was really my style, but I wore it to dress up a black skirt and grey sparkle cardigan for two Christmas parties I had last Thursday, and I received no less than 10 compliments on it from friends and strangers. Best part about the compliments is I got to respond with, “Thanks! My friend made it!”
Second best part? It matches my blog. I love peacock feathers!
P.S. I finally used Random.org to pull a winner of my 12 Goodnesses Wrapped in a Party giveaway for a lifetime supply of Lean Pockets, and the winner was Kelly Clay! Kelly is a cute, bubbly, smart cookie I know through the social media scene in Seattle. Congrats Kelly! Thanks to all of you who played along.
Currently Feeling: Slow pokey today. It’s amazing how much food affects your mood – I ate a HUGE sandwich on French bread for lunch from my favorite East Coast deli, and I’ve been tired ever since. Ewww white carbs.
Currently Anticipating: Seeing one of my best guy friends who’s in town this week from L.A. I love Christmastime when all my friends come home from out of state!
Currently Reading: The Missing by Tim Gautreaux.
