RugRat Update

Here's the Tarjay winner laying on my living room floor! Ha, I tricked ya! I didn't choose any of the ones in my previous rug board. (Please excuse all the wrinkles, it needs more time to learn to lay flat).

This purchase was not at the top of my super long priority list but I couldn't pass up the offer! I found so many great area rugs on Tarjay's site but this one caught my eye and I thought it would be perfect for this space. At 15% off and free shipping, I jumped at the deal. {Did you know that rugs are really freaking expensive?} Unfortunately, I don't know diddly-squat about rugs. Apparently there are lots of things to consider when buying one: Is it hand knotted, hand tufted, flat weave, low pile, naturally or syntheticly dyed? Obviously, I didn't care about any of that because I think this one is actually a patio rug! Oh well. All I knew is that I wanted to stick to the same color scheme but mix up the patterns with a bold geometric look against the pillows.

 

The pictures are confusing. The rug is a light beige with a teal green pattern and the size is about 5' x 7'. This room is not even close to being finished, but this rug was a fun addition to the space.

Gallery Walls

Jonesing for some personalization in our home these days. The only photos that we’ve put up in frames are about 3 wedding shots and a couple of cute pics of our nephew. The other frames still display a bunch of those strangers in weird poses and I keep getting asked who those foreign family members are. It’s about time I fill those up with pics of real people we know!

Thankfully, I have a huge empty wall in the family room that would serve as the perfect gallery wall. I’ve been looking for ideas and there are so many ways to showcase a gallery wall to make it the main focus of a room. I can’t decide on the style I want to go for but one thing I do know is that I want the photos to be large in scale and consisting of our own pictures of the places we’ve visited together. Kinda sappy, I know…but this should be a conversation starter while also telling a story on its own. So clever. :)

So, I’ve categorized gallery walls into 3 different styles. Maybe if I walk through it on here with you, it will help me decide.

Neat & Orderly: Better option for the anal retentive who gets creeped out by lines that don’t match up and colors that aren’t exactly the same. Everything is aligned perfectly and photos also all have the same look.

Organized Chaos: Exact opposite of the Neat & Orderly. Frames don’t match up but colors and mats complement each other nicely. Usually mixing art and photos, and frames are different sizes and shapes but yet still fit like a puzzle.

Scattered but Consistent: A mix of the two styles. Frames can be different sizes and shapes but everything is aligned and even.

Ok, that worked! I think I got it! Since I like all of the looks so much, I will try out a couple of styles on two separate areas in my house! For the family room I will shoot for the Neat & Orderly in a large scale with black frames and white mats. For the wall by the stairs I will go with the Scattered but Consistent look using different frames in different sizes. I don’t want to go gallery-wall-overboard so I want to keep this as minimal, clean and neat as possible. Time to dig up the photos!

All photos via here, here, Domino, here, and here.

RugRat

I love rugs! Small kitchen rugs, patio rugs, but especially area rugs! They pull the room together and complete the look. I've been doing lots of research and it looks like rugs are used in every room of a home, even the homes that have beautiful hardwood floors. But how do they do it? Area rugs can cost a fortune--sometimes as much as a mortgage payment! After looking at a few websites with cheaper alternatives, I realized Tarjay really does have great looks at affordable prices! Here are some of my faves, all at about $150 or less! Click on the image for a closer look.

I jumped the gun and purchased one. I took advantage of the special going on now and got it at 15% off with free shipping! The price will never compare to any others. Once I receive it, I'll show you how it looks. Stay tuned...!

Productive Weekend

Wow, what a weekend. Cleaning, upkeeping, installing, building, drilling...all jam-packed into 2 days! We had a few good weekends off from housework but had to hit up the to-do list that kept building up. The new peephole was installed {can you believe we didn't have one?!}, my beautiful mirror was hung up {more on that to come soon}, and we deep-cleaned the heck out of the place for 5. Whole. Hours.

Then, the list tripled! Hubby had a dream that I made him take me to Ikea and I thought it was a GREAT IDEA! I took my 'Things to Get at Ikea' list {I have a list for everything} and didn't waste any time. As much as I love getting a good deal there, I really detest the drive, the mobs, and the ginormous receipt I end up with because I can't control myself. This time I beat the system. Ha!  

1. Expedit bookcase: I've been wanting a bookcase since before I moved in so that I can showcase a fun display. I decided on the Expedit because I wanted something cheap to be able to hack. We'll see how that goes...

2. Minut light: We have a bedroom that is just used for storage for right now. We had ripped off the fugly ceiling fan when we moved in but then realized that the light went with it. We wanted something simple to serve the purpose and this one was our best bet.

3. Kajsa curtains: I've gone to Ikea about 5 times in the last 3 months and have never come across these curtains. We have a very long pair of sliding glass doors in our home office and Ikea seemed to be the only place I was able to find an afforable alternative with a cool design at the length I needed. Perfect!

4. Fejka artificial plants: Stocked up on 3 artificial plants to spruce up some lonely bathroom vases.

5. Torka dried bouquet: These are for my beautiful floor vase given to us as a housewarming gift.

5. Lack shelves: Turns out they're too wide for the place I want to put them. So back to Ikea I go...dammit!

Sweet & Salty Salmon Recipe

Deeeelish! My cousin loves to cook. I want to love to cook. I've been trying to get a little creative in the kitchen lately and I asked her to send me some of her favorite recipes for a lil inspiration. This one was just up my alley.

Sweet & Salty Salmon

Ingredients

• 1 lb. salmon fillets
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, divided {I used light brown sugar}
• 1 tsp. lemon pepper, divided
• 1 tsp. garlic powder divided
• 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, minced {I didn't use this and it was perfectly awesome without it}
• 1/3 cup orange juice

Prep for Marinade
Rub salmon with about 1 tbsp of brown sugar. Lightly sprinkle with lemon pepper and garlic powder; rub seasoning into fish.

Into a small saucepan set over medium heat, pour soy sauce and olive oil. Stir in ginger and remaining brown sugar, lemon pepper, and garlic powder. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in orange juice.

Place fish and marinade into a resealable plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 3 hours.

Time for the Real Deal
Preheat broiler. Place fish in a foil-lined baking pan. Reserve marinade.

Broil fish 4 minutes. Remove from oven and baste with marinade. Return to oven and broil 2 more minutes. Turn fish and broil until fish flakes easily, about 4 more minutes. {I had to do an additional 4 minutes} Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with brown rice and steamed broccoli...and wine of course!

Thanks Artie :)

I found my new Martha

UGH! I'm so jealous of all these furniture refurbishers who are able to create a kick-ass piece of hidden awesomeness for just a few bucks. But SHE is my #1 favorite. She is...even better than Martha Stewart! {omg, did I just say that!} Check out the latest masterpiece she refurbished from an old, broken bamboo dresser she scored at a thrift store for just $25! I love that there's a possibility that there could be some history to this piece because of its age and it makes me daydream about where this little dresser was probably sitting and who owned it in its heyday. {...still daydreaming...} Anyway, a little peacock color paint and some lovin' turned into the most fab dresser I've ever laid my eyeballs on.

It still has its vintage feel but with just a brand new make-over. {my fave!}

I would love to see if maybe I can pull something like this off. But I've got 3 big problems:
#1. There are no real vintage furniture thrift stores in Miami {damn this young city!}
#2. I've never done anything like this in my life and I don't think I have the knowledge, patience, or cojones
#3. I'm a clutz. period.

Best Kept Hair Secret

My hair is long and mostly wavy. While most people have an average of 100,000 strands of hair on their head {yes, I looked it up}, I swear I have triple that number at the very least! It's deceiving though, it doesn't look like it would be that much but if you ask any hair stylist that has ever worked on my head, they can confirm that without reservation. It's actually very annoying... I get charged more than the norm, hair stylists dread the day I have to return, etc. The only plus I see is that I'll never go bald :) Phew!

So with that said, I don't have the time during the week to upkeep this monstrosity. Enter J.Crew's life-saving hair accessories! They have the very best clips, headbands, pins, and so on! I'm so picky when it comes to these things because of the mop I have on my head, and I can attest to the fact that J.Crew's hair accessories rarely break, they hold the hair up properly, and they have the cutest styles that don't make you look like a teenage wanna-be.

They are a little on the spency side so I wait for a sale to stock up. This weekend I bought 3 leather studded headbands {for those bad hair days} all for $12! These were on super sale and not even available for purchase online so drop by in person and see what's left. Keep up the good work Jenna Lyons! You never let me down.

Good Luck Charms

I know, I know...here's more confirmation of my superstitious-craziness! You must be so tired of hearing about it. But I <3 good luck, don't you??

Sitting on a faux crocodile tray in the foyer, are my 2 new good luck charms {well, 3 if you want to count my adorable baby nephew}. My mom gave us both the cute owl and the crystal elephant. I couldn't find too much info about owls except that they symbolize wisdom, so I'll just pretend that it's good luck and watches out for us with it's mighty-awesome wisdom. :)

The crystal elephant is more special. She brought it back from Prague on her most recent trip because she's a firm believer of good luck charms too. My mom has always had an elephant figurine in our house. I never paid any attention to it. But when I moved into my own house, she said we needed an elephant. I looked it up and it actually has a nice story behind it. The elephant represents loyalty, good luck, and fortune. Apparently, it's extra lucky if the trunk is raised. In Feng Shui, it is said that elephants protect the household and bring fertility luck to those wishing for babies. {Hmmm.... Now I'm wondering what's the real reason this gift was meant for.}

Then she told me that I'm supposed to place it facing backwards at the entrance of the house. No idea where that came from but I'll do it anyway for extra points. This better not have been some prank I just fell for!

Happy Birthday Sister!

Had lots of fun celebrating my sister's 30-something birthday this weekend! We started off with the usual mall-strolling {including an extra companion this time}

then a delicious dinner at Atrio at the chic Conrad Hotel.

We couldn't help but swoon over the awesome decor. Now that I know what certain things really cost, I know that this designer spent a pretty penny on the Hilton's tab. We have stayed here a couple of times and it's definitely luxe with beautiful views. Perfect for a celebration!

check out those wooden X benches!

Happy birthday Sister! I <3 u!

Design Star is Back!

It's that time again and I'm so excited! The new season of HGTV's Design Star will be debuting this Monday, July 11th at 9 pm. {YEAAHHHHHHHH!!!} I was hooked into the last two seasons and have been so happy with the winners Antonio Ballatore and Emily Henderson. This year they're cranking it up a notch by including Mr. Color Splash, David Bromstad, into the mix as a mentor, and some undisclosed celebrity judges. The same panel of original judges remain: Vern Yip, Candice Olson, and my ultimate fave, Genevieve Gorder. The contestants are a crazy mix of professional interior designers, retail merchandisers, stylists, and artists. Read about them here and cast your vote for your fan fave. 

The drama, the competition, the great exaggerated design obstacle courses...I love it all! Let the games begin!

All in the Family

Here's our family room in all it's yellow & gray glory! We waited 3 long months for these couches because they were on back order but I. needed. gray. couches. There was nothing else out there that I had a sofa-crush on; trust me, we looked everywhere. But it should be obvious by now that I like the hunt. I stalked every Target in Miami for these Dwell Studio flower pillows on my lunch breaks, and those smaller yellow pillows from Ikea were the perfect addition. Thrown on the side is the softest, most yummiest blankie which is also reversible. I scored this one on sale during the Christmas season, and I can't wait to get a back-up because I use it every day. The coffee table was a generous donation from my sister and sitting on top are a couple of W.E. collection items. {I'm thinking of starting a W.E. museum here one day}

A gallery wall on that big empty blue space is in the works. Time to do a little inspiration research!

Loving all the wrinkling on the sofas...it means we're definitely breaking them in!

Granny's Skills

So excited because today I picked up my brand new dining bench cushion from my favorite seamstress, my granny! I love my dining set, and I waited months and months for it to go on sale. It finally went on sale in June and I jumped at the opp {apparently it only goes on sale once a year!}

 ...but I wasn't a fan of the $60 cushion that came with the bench. I opted for switching to another cushion, except that it was nearly impossible to find cushions in this size anywhere! I finally found one in an ugly outdoor fabric and chose this embroidered trellis fabric from curtain panels. Granny put it together and voila!

We have lots of fabric left so the hunt for chair cushions begins now!

{thanks Wela!}

Cause Baby You're a Fiiiiiiirework!

Sooo ready for this long weekend to celebrate the good 'ol U.S. of A.! In preparation for the abundance of fun I plan to have, I will be...

Sipping on this,

Munching on this,



With this on the nails of my phalanges,

Having fun at this pool,

And blowing up some of these somewhere TBD!

Happy 4th of July classy bees!