Mind My Beeswax

Mar 18, 2012

My Dream Dining Room

I can't believe I've never really blogged about my dining room--it's one of my proudest spaces in our home! We've been adding pieces little by little and finally got closer to pulling it all together with a new rug. You wanna hear something funny? While reading one of my favorite blogs, I noticed that she did a room makeover for a client and coincidentally, I had all the same furniture! Same dining set, same mirror, and same buffet console...I know, so crazy. But seeing it together with a few other pieces, I knew I wanted that same look! Gotta love bloggers with great taste! Here is the dining room that inspired me:

Source: alamodemaven.com via Melissa on Pinterest

And here's mine so far...you likey?

I obviously need to add more color to this room. It's still a work in progress, but please allow me to fill you in on all the details of the pieces I do have. :)

Dining Table, Chairs, and Bench: West Elm's Terra Dining Set
I knew I wanted this set before I even closed on my house. It's simple, not too fancy--not too casual, it's perfection. I waited a LONG time for it to go on sale and I snatched it right up. The Overlapping Squares chairs are no longer available.

Chandelier: West Elm's Glass Links Chandelier
This was my Christmas present. It's actually no longer available, and right before it went into extinction it was on super-clearance. I must have called about 15 West Elm's and finally got it from the Manhattan location!

Buffet Console: Home Decorator's Reflections Cabinet
Love the mirrored doors and loved the price...Especially during Black Friday's crazy sale! It's actually on sale now too. I keep all my place settings and entertainment-ware in there--it's so roomy! And it does a fine job of holding up my wine rack!

Shelves: Ikea Lack Floating Shelves
Simple floating shelves to showcase some accessories.

Mirror: QVC
This is a knock-off of the Williams Sonoma Home version. It's really heavy and humongous, and awesome. But no longer available. I've seen other copies of it at HomeGoods, though.

And last but definitely not least, Rug: Z Gallerie's Aquamarine Ombre Rug
Stalked this rug for a long time and found out on Friday from my Pinterest buddy :) that it was finally on sale at 50% off! I ran to my nearest Z Gallerie to get the last one in stock! Soooo happy!

So, this room is closer to being complete! On the hunt for aqua accessories now!

A Perfect Tiffany & Co. Bridal Shower

Yesterday we celebrated my sis-in-law's bridal shower and it was beautiful! Not only because of the awesome job us bridesmaids did {ha!}, but because the bride was glowing, happy, and dressed to perfection, the location was bright, the food was delicious, and the theme was pretty. Success! The theme was Tiffany & Co. but not going too overboard on details and mainly sticking to matching the colors perfectly.

Here are some photos showing you how pretty everything looked. {P.S. Photography by my hubby :) }

The Bride with her Bridesmaids

The Dessert Station

The Sign-in Table

The Cake & Flower Centerpieces

The Table Set-Up & Favors

And I just have to show these beauties because they were so very awesome!

Mar 15, 2012

Palette Pairings: Neon + Neutrals

I'm on the fence about the neon trend these days. I hate the fact that it seems like we are running out of fashion ideas and we're resorting to the worst fashionable era in history, but in a way I like that it reminds me of bright & sunny summers. I wouldn't splurge on expensive neon items or buy a whole new neon wardrobe, but I do admit that there are some ways where you can keep up with the trend. Neon works best when used really subtly on accessories or little embellishments, and paired with neutrals!

Source: matchbookmag.com via Molly on Pinterest

Source: lovemaegan.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: greenweddingshoes.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Source: bettys.com.br via Melissa on Pinterest

I have yet to jump on the neon train, have you?

Mar 8, 2012

Chip Chip, HOORAY!

In my world, you know you made it big when a national company contacts your blog for a product review! You can't imagine how great my day went when I received an e-mail from Sara at POPCHIPS asking for my address to send a 'chip'ment of samples! A few days later, I found this cute bag-o'-deliciousness waiting on my doorstep!

If you aren't too familiar with POPCHIPS, you just need to head to your nearest grocer, pick up a bag, and try them for yourselves. They are lo-cal, non-fried, non-baked chips that have tons of flavor. They developed a way to "pop" real potatoes using heat and pressure to make them a healthy and TASTY snack.

I will admit, I am a HUGE POPCHIPS fan. I follow them on Twitter, I rant & rave about them to my friends, and I can't walk by them at a grocery store without picking up my favorite flavor: Barbeque. So when Sara asked me to try out their new 'Sweet Potato' flavor, I jumped at the chance! I thought it would be fun to have my friends and I rate each flavor, and the results are in!

It's official--Barbeque deserves 5 stars! After tasting 8 of the POPCHIPS flavors, we can honestly say that Barbeque is the best tasting and continues to be the best sandwich companion. {And I ate a whole lotta sandwiches the last couple of weeks!} The runner up was the Original flavor with a nice crunch and overall yummy neutral taste.

POPCHIPS, I love you! Please continue to make more flavors {white cheddar, perhaps?} and I promise to keep showing you off! I can be your taste-testing professional!

Feb 29, 2012

Chanel 101

Source: iwantbigcloset.tumblr.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know much about Chanel whatsoever. I know...the shame! I like the bags just like the next girl, but never really been too interested in them. Last weekend, my sis and I visited the Sak's Chanel shop-in-shop pretending we were rich girls just to play dress up for a few minutes. {If you've never done this--try it! It's so fun! } While asking to see the gray clutch behind the counter, we got a quick little lesson that I had to share. Some of you might already know this so you're welcome to say "duh!" at any point while reading this.

There are two classic Chanel models that are used in creating variations over and over, each and every season. The Classic Flap is the most popular with its famous CC on the closure and leather intertwined in the chain handles. The Reissue has the original "Mademoiselle" lock {name comes from the fact that Coco Chanel never married}, and the regular chain handles. The Classic Flap's interlocking CC closure was introduced in the 1980s with Karl Lagerfeld's variation, making the Mademoiselle lock much more vintage and just plain old cool in my opinion. Coco Chanel grew up in an orphanage and she took a lot of inspiration from there to create handbags: the chain link straps are similar to those that the caretakers would use to dangle keys from their waist, the red color on the inside was the same color of the children's uniforms, etc. You can read lots more about the differences in the two styles here.

Catching these little tidbits of history makes me more interested in learning more about the fashion house. Hey, it also almost made me want to spend a whole mortgage payment on an "investment piece" but then I snapped right back into reality... Here are a few of my most favorite Chanel bags I played with. As you can see, the Mademoiselle locks won my heart.

Feb 27, 2012

Palette Pairings: Minty Fresh

I can tell that Spring is soon approaching when all I see everywhere on everything is pastel colors--and I'm not just talking Easter eggs and bunnies. It looks like this Spring's number one color is mint. From mint jeans and handbags, to mint rooms and furniture--mint is the fresh new thing. When worn, it looks best with a tan; when used in the home, it looks best with metallic pieces. Here's some minty fresh inspiration: