Seagrass Interiors

For now....

2012-01-22T20:14:00.001-08:00

I can't imagine there are many of you left, still reading my abused blog. I've come to a tough decision, but one that I think is necessary. I'm going to temporarily put Seagrass Interiors on hold and do all of my blogging on Bixby & Ball. I'll be posting all of our design projects, you'll get to see Betsy's wedding and event projects and we're working hard to sprinkle in some personal stuff too. I would love for you to follow me there and update your sidebars if you'd like. : ) For all of you have followed me on this journey - thank you. This blog has introduced me to some amazing people (some of whom I've had the incredible pleasure of meeting in person and some who I have not - but feel like I have.) I'm going to try this for a bit, and see how it works. Until then, I'll still be blogging and hopefully more frequently!

Bixby & Ball Blog

"And then cried Max, 'Let the wild rumpus start!'

2011-12-04T16:31:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again - and this month (like all the others this year) has completely snuck up on me. Christmas is by far my favorite time of year. While I'm completely a beach girl - there's nothing I love more than snuggling up in front of a fire during the Winter. Normally I'm one of the crazy people out on the Friday after Thanksgiving picking out my Christmas tree (honestly I'd go on Thanksgiving if my husband would allow it.) This year, however, we hopped in the truck and arrived at Home Depot to find everything completely picked over and only the sad, Charlie Brown Christmas trees left. We're a little behind schedule this year but we have our tree! It's still outside drying (are we the only ones that hose down our tree before we bring it in??) but I wanted to post the beginning of Christmas around here!

My mom, sister, Jenn and I all made what I'm thinking will now be an annual trip to Roger's Gardens yesterday and I came home with two Euro trees for our mantel. I actually love how they look even after Christmas. The brass candle holders were a gift from my sister and Jenn last year, and they're one of my absolute favorite things. They found them in an antique store back East.

{Close-Up}

We keep it pretty simple around here - but that's the way we like it! : ) Happy Decorating!

'Round Here...

2011-11-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

Anybody there?? If you are - thank you for hanging in there with me. I've been struggling with my little blog and what to share. I've mentioned it before but we officially have a blog up and running for Bixby & Ball and it's been tough to merge, manage, fill, nurture both blogs for me. I started Seagrass Interiors as an outlet for everything in my head and in my life. David and I were just moving into our house and beginning to piece together our home. I've been building a career and trying to have some from of a life at the same time. Bixby & Ball has become a huge part of that life and the struggle comes with what to share there and what to share here. I'm probably about to step all over some sort of blogging etiquette but I recently shared a project that I finished over on the Bixby & Ball blog - but thought I'd share it here too (GASP!!! I KNOW!!) : )

This was a collaboration with a dear friend and fellow blogger, Amber of the blog The Girl is Craftee. Amber emailed me and asked if I would help her out with a game/family room is her house. She had an idea of the direction she wanted to go in but needed some help with the execution. Just because I love having the first photo on a post be a pretty one, here's a sneak peek of the after:

*Excuse the slightly blurry photo*

Amber had a vintage, paint-by-number painting that she had found while scouring a flea market and wanted to base the room around it.

{Photo via The Girl Is Craftee}

We came up with a plan and went to work.

The goal was to create a space that looked like it had been there a while. Amber wanted it to feel a little worn and not at all new. To help achieve this, we covered the drywall with horizontal planking. We used imperfect wood, that contained a few knots for character.

We also added a built-in around the main window for books, games and a little reading bench. (Have I mentioned that Amber has the sweetest daughter that made this project even more fun??)

Next up was flooring. We did a worn brick in a herringbone pattern.

{Photo via The Girl Is Craftee}

Check out that natural light!!

We finished off the room with a few vintage pieces, a new sofa and some fun fabrics that Amber had been collecting.

{Photo via The Girl Is Craftee}

For more photos (and facts) on these fun, vintage picnic baskets that Amber has been collecting, click here.

And for the BEFORE photos, click here.

Day Date

2011-10-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

I have a standing, beach cruising, day date with David today! We're off to Coronado to do a little cruising (and probably a little house stalking : )

How are you spending YOUR weekend?

Painted

2011-09-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

We officially finished the paint process downstairs and I could not be happier that we decided to do it. Just as a fair warning - this was NOT a big change so no dramatic "after" photo here. It's just a good example of what a little bit of tweaking can do. So, without further adieu....here's the after!

Not a huge change but made a huge difference. (David still can't entirely tell that anything has change. : )

The biggest difference is next to our painting. No more green fighting with our painting.

**Our painting still needs to be ru-hung so that it's not sitting right on our picture rail.

The color we ended up going with is Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl. Gray's are tricky because they can turn, blue, green and even pink very easily. Gray Owl is the perfect balance, and tends to pick up it's surrounding colors.

It looks much darker in this swatch than in reality.

I couldn't quite part with our "mystery green" that we had before. So, we kept it in our desk area but I think we're going to end up painting over it with the Gray. I'm just determined to crack the mystery and figure out what color it is. Until next time....

One Year

2011-08-29T22:48:00.000-07:00

David and I snuck away last weekend to celebrate our first year married. As cliche as it sounds - I can't wrap my head around the fact that a year has already slipped by. In May we actually celebrated 11 years together - and he still manages to give me butterflies. This time last year we had grand dreams of spending our anniversary in Paris (in our dreams!) Instead we went to one of our favorite places. We drove up to Mammoth where my family has a cabin and spent the weekend, just the two of us. It was heaven.

{Twin Lake, Mammoth Lakes}

We spent an entire day biking around all of the lakes, went on a sunset horseback ride, and had a lakeside dinner. I couldn't think of anywhere I would have rather been.

On our way home we drove off the highway to the Bristlecone Forest. It's the home of some of the world's oldest trees. Some even argue that the Methuselah Tree is actually the oldest tree in the world. The best part about our detour is that there wasn't a single person around. We stopped on the side of one of the dirt roads and had sandwiches for two.

While we're on the subject of anniversaries, I had to share these two gifts we received. Both are so incredibly thoughtful and are a great idea for anyone special you may know with an important anniversary coming up.

The first is from our dear, dear friends Kathy and Micky. They were the one's that gave us our very first wedding gift here. Micky was the officiant at our wedding that married us. To say they are important people in our lives would be an understatement. On the morning of our wedding, Kathy snatched up the paper from the day. She's been saving it and wrapped it up for us for our anniversary. It's such a simple, thoughtful gift. I love knowing that I'll be able to look back and read about what else was going on that day.

Our second gift was from my Mom & Dad and has a little bit of a back-story. Growing up , probably starting at the age of 7, my Mom pulled out an old demijohn bottle as a place to throw extra change. Over the years it slowly filled. It's where hot lunch money in elementary school, quarters for arcade games in Jr.High, and laundry change in college all came from. We always talked about what we were going to do with the money once it was filled. The jar is finally a few weeks away from being completely filled and my mom has decided that whoever is closest to guessing the correct amount in the jar gets to choose an activity the entire family can do.

The Friday we left for Mammoth we had a jar with a small pile of change in the bottom waiting on our doorstep. David and I now have our own change jar to fill.

David - Happy Anniversary. I love you always. zo

New York Gift Show

2011-08-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

Betsy and I just got back from a week of buying in New York at the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF.) We had such a fun time (probably a little too much fun!) I'm back though and will be back up and posting soon!

{image via Conde Nast}

French Bistro Chairs

2011-08-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have French Bistro chairs on the brain right now! I've gone into full-on house sprucing mode lately and I'm thinking these may be joining our household. I have been doing a lot of research on bar stools lately and French Bistros are quickly becoming the front runner.

{via Trad Home}

I was thinking about upholstered bar stools for a little while, but I feel like I need something to break up all of our upholstered seating. Our downstairs is essentially one open space where all of the seating except for our side dining chairs (the head and foot of the table are upholstered wing-back chairs)are upholstered. French Bistro's will break that up and add a new texture. However, the best part is, they're indoor outdoor. In other words THEY'RE DURABLE!! Which is a HUGE necessity in our house. Even though we don't have kids yet, I know in the future durability will only continue to be important.

{California Home Magazine, via Maison Gatti}

{via Elle Decor}

{House Beautiful}

{via Ashley Whittaker Design}

I'm doing a little bit of last minute price comparison and then I'm ordering!

**In other news - we finished painting and I've been trying to get a good shot of the paint, but our weather and my schedule has been a little funky this last week and I haven't been able to catch good light. Will post soon though!

Some Much Needed Time...

2011-07-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to have taken some time off, and without warning. I was feeling a HUGE need to step back, take a breath - and a break. This has been a crazy, whirlwind of a year and I still feel like I'm trying to fall into some kind of a routine. I realized that I haven't officially shared the launch of the Bixby & Ball blog. This has been another struggle and challenge. Some of you know that my blog hasn't always been the most (ah hem) consistent. : ) And now to think of keeping up with two feels just a bit daunting. At first I was thinking my posts on Bixby & Ball would be more "business-y" and less personal but let's be honest - first of all, who wants to read an all business blog (NOT ME!) and second, Bixby & Ball IS personal to us. Afterall, it holds a lot of our blood, sweat, and a lot of tears! We're sensitive girls! : ) I'm trying to focus on my reasoning for starting this blog in the first place, and that was a place to catalog inspiration and document the projects we work on at our home. Which is actually a fitting time to kick-start this blog again because we have a lot of changes about to happen around here. Tomorrow we're repainting the downstairs to kick-off the changes! I received quite a few emails asking about our current downstairs color. Right now it looks like this:

and this...

I love this color, and am actually considering leaving it in the office area of the downstairs but the soft green clashes terribly with this:

When we first re-did the house, we had not a thing in it. I generally knew the color scheme I wanted to go with and chose colors that I liked. Then my grandparents started cleaning out and giving us things they no longer had room for. This painting (of the Cyclone Roller coaster in Long Beach) has been in this house (pre everything being re-done) for as long as I can remember. The rich, bold colors just don't go with the soft, pale green.

Below is the original color palette I was planning on going with. These are the colors I always gravitate to for myself. But, as you can see, they just don't go with our painting - and the painting stays. Luckily, I'm flexible and love many different colors.

{Waterleaf Interiors}

Sadly, I absolutely love our current color and somehow misplaced the name. We have an organized binder full of all of the different things in our house (finishes, plumbing fixture brands and models, maintenance manuals, warranties, etc.) and somehow with all of that organization the color for our downstairs never made it in.

I will most likely have to wait to take photos this weekend and will post the after photos then! It won't be a super dramatic change but it definitely will no longer be green.

Home Sweet Home

2011-05-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

....for the week at least. To leave this place is going to be difficult to say the least. It is absolutely breathtaking here. It's quaint, historic, and simple. I have so much to share but I have to start with our humble abode that we're calling home for the week. Like, many of the homes here - it has a name: Treetops. Named for its' perch on a hill just grazing the treetops and revealing a sweeping view of the Atlantic. Welcome to Treetops.

The house was built in 1910 and functioned as a "tea house and ladies gift shop." The last part is in parenthesis as the current owner, Eric Drey who also happens to be one of the founders of the town's Historic Society, as well as others speculate on evidence that the building was actually a brothel.

The layout of the house seems to lend itself to that theory. There is one large middle room, surrounded by numerous, curiously small "bedrooms."

Eric has meticulously gathered vintage and antique pieces to furnish the home. Before he left us for the week, he added that it is still a work in progress.

The layout of the house is very unique. The large center room acts as the living room, complete with the original brick fireplace. The ceiling is two stories with exposed beams.

There is a small platform with a railing that runs around the perimeter of the second story with a small room at either end.

There is one teeny, tiny bathroom at one end of the upstairs.

The walk way surrounding the the second story was put to use as a well-stocked library.

Possibly one of the best features of the house is the original floors. I don't know if you can fully tell in this picture but you can actually see through the slates in the floors to the area below.

Below is the staircase leading up to the second floor.

The kitchen has the original wood, slat siding. No back-splash needed.

Although I don't believe that the lights are original to the house, they are definitely appropriate for the era.

It's going to be beyond difficult to say goodbye to Cape Cod, and our little house.

For anyone who is thinking about a vacation to Cape Cod I would HIGHLY suggest looking into renting a house. We went back and forth between a hotel and a house and by the time we did a little number crunching, a house made the most sense. There are six of us, which means approximately 18 meals a day. The house gave us the ease to cook - which was actually a ton a fun!

We traded off eating dinner on the enclosed porch and the family sized pine table.

Thank you all for your Cape Cod suggestions. I think we've done just about everything that was suggested. (I'll post pictures of those next!) The only thing we will be leaving without doing, is a trip to Nantucket. I'm really bummed but that just means we'll have to come back! : )

Cape Cod

2011-05-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

I'm popping in for a quick post and hello from.....Boston! I don't know how I didn't manage to post on this earlier. My sister graduated from her master's program at Salem State this week and the whole family made it out to celebrate! We've been in Boston where Heather lives for the last two days and tomorrow AM we're packing up the car and heading to CAPE COD for a week!!! I have never been and I'm so incredibly excited. If I had to describe my personal design style I would have to say Cape Cod is it.

This definitely isn't the time of year for lounging on the beach, but that's just fine! We have tons of exploring planned.

I can't wait to soak up every last minute and load up on inspiration!

I've gotta run! David has never been to the East Coast and we can't leave Boston without a trip to Fenway Park. The Red Socks are playing the Cubs and we're squeezing in a trip!

If anyone has any tips or must-visits in Cape Cod I'd love to hear them!

I Survived!

2011-05-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all of your Happy Birthday wishes and words of encouragement to get through the weekend! Good news - I survived!!! That being said, I don't think I need to do that again. : ) Having 700 people come through our house was a very bizarre feeling. We had 3 offers (and by offers I mean we were told that when we sell our house they would be buying it) to buy our house. It wasn't a bad experience by any means, just not one I think I need to do again. As some of you know, I'm not exactly known for having a green thumb. I would really really like to have one, but I just don't. It doesn't mean I don't try though. And I'm proud to say that I had a least one plant to be proud of for the Mother's Day Garden Tour.

I have discovered that I can grow artichokes.

....and a lot of them!

{I know I waited too long to harvest some of these}

This is actually not even half of them. In less than nine months we have grown a 6 foot artichoke plant. I'm actually borderline afraid of it. It's huge!

In other updates around here - it's been another busy week. Last Saturday Bixby & Ball hosted its' very first Pop-Up shop. And who better to pair with than the beautiful and incredibly talented Bianca of Bink & Boo! It was such a fun day and Bianca completely transformed our little patio.

We celebrated a successful day over Sangria and Bink & Boo pocketbooks (mine's on the left!)

On Sunday Grace, Amy and I hopped in the car and headed to the Pasadena Showcase house for the last day of tours. To say it was amazing would not be doing it justice. Pictures were not allowed but I was able to sneak a few here and there.

This is actually the outside of the guest house, which was hands-down my favorite part of the tour. The cottage was so well done, cozy, and classic. The gardens were stunning!

The little vignette above, was from one of the bedrooms in the guest cottage. I love the collection of old photos.

No visit to Pasadena would be complete without a little house stalking. This is Grace and Amy scoping out Pasadena housing prices.

We only set one property alarm off. Whoops!

Cinco De Mayo, Birthdays, and A Crazy Weekend

2011-05-05T22:12:00.000-07:00

{Happy Cinco De Mayo!}

We've got a busy weekend ahead of us. A quick Cinco De Mayo celebration tonight. Tomorrow is my birthday (woohoo!) and we'll be doing another quick celebration and then preparing for a LONG, BUSY weekend. David and I were asked by the San Dieguito Art Guild if we would volunteer our house for the annual Mother's Day Garden Tour. (Ironic since I'm NO gardener!) One of the artists is a family friend so we of course said yes. I'm a little nervous as we will have up to around 800 people coming through our house. Yikes. I'm beginning to wonder if this was a crazy idea. I'm thinking the answer is possibly yes. Wish me luck!

Install Day

2011-04-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

I had to share some quick photos before heading to bed. For those of you who follow the Bixby & Ball blog - I apologize for the repetition. I'm so excited with how everything is turning out that I just had to share. I have been working on a project in Cardiff for a few months now and tomorrow is Install Day!

Our contractor installed all of the bigger items this morning and tomorrow we'll be bringing in all of the furniture and accessories!

We're having the space photographed in a few weeks and I'll share the "afters" as soon as we get them!

Brunch Recipes

2011-04-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

{Grapefruit Brulee}

*Cut a grapefruit in half

*Slice a small piece off the bottom (so fruit will sit flat)

*With a serrated knife, cut around the fruit sections for easy eating

*Sprinkle a mixture of brown sugar, regular sugar, and a little bit of cinnamon on top of the grapefruit

>do this step just before putting in the oven. I did this too early my first time around and the

mixture gets too juicy and doesn't broil very well

*Place grapefruits in a glass pan and set under the broiler for about 5-8 minutes or until just brown

*Serve and enjoy!

**One of my goals for 2011 is to learn how to photograph food!

{Grilled Toast with Scrambled Egg & Roasted Vegetables}

*The name pretty much says it all!

*Roast tomatoes, onions, and asparagus (the same as here)

*Scramble eggs with a little bit of milk, salt & pepper

*Add Gruyere cheese to the eggs just before they're done cooking

*Sprinkle bread (of your choice) with a little bit of olive oil

*Grill bread on bbq until just brown

*Assemble "toasts": eggs first, then roast vegetables, place asparagus spears on top

{Apple Cinnamon Muffins}

*Full recipe and ingredients HERE

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

{Happy Easter}

I'm off to finish making breakfast. Grapefruit Brulee, grilled toast with scrambled eggs and grilled veggies, fresh baked apples cinnamon muffins, and fresh fruit YUM! I'll share pics and recipes later!

Glamping

2011-04-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

First, I need to apologize to my blog for the abuse it has received in the last two weeks. I didn't pay it one single visit. Life got the best of me - but I'm back (again).

On to "glamping." Have you heard of this?? David sent me a link chalk full of glamping examples. Don't get me wrong - I was a girl scout and I have camped. Unfortunately, due to an incident with a bear, I no longer like to camp in a thin nylon enclosure. But a nice, sturdy, wood framed "tent" I can do.

This October my Dad will be celebrating a very significant birthday.  It's not one he's particularly looking forward to so we're planning a fun family getaway.  We'll be heading to Treebones in Big Sur, CA.  Treebones has been perfecting Yurt-style glamping since the 60's.  This July my  sister will be moving home from the East Coast after being away for 10  years. This getaway will be one of our first family vacations in a very  long time.

The original owner of the land was granted permission by the U.s forestry to collect "dead" wood from the surrounding mountainside.  He would then mill the wood and sell his found lumber.  The old, silvery wood that was collected and waiting to be milled, looked like old bones - or tree bones as it's now affectionately known.

Now stands approximately 16 yurts and 1 human nest: a man-made wood "nest" with a wood deck and a sleeping cushion.

{image via Treebones}

Big Sur is one of those places that will always hold a special place in my heart. It's one of the most pristine places in CA. I always imagine it looks pretty much the same as it did many years ago. I will never forget the Thanksgiving my Dad drove to pick me up for break at college in Chico and took 2 days to drive all the way down the coast. We listened to the same best-of Van Morrison CD on repeat for the entire 2 days. It was heaven. My family was one of the first families in the area and built one of the main bridges connecting one of the many hair-pin switchbacks. I always love seeing the places I've heard so many stories about.

{Bixby Bridge}

{image via Galaxy Tab}

I hope everyone else is experiencing the same summer-like weather we're having here.  Tomorrow I'm off to the beach!

Movie Star Furniture

2011-03-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Let's try this again......

A few days ago I received a message from Bianca informing me that my blog (or Photobucket I should say) was having some issues. I was out and about and only had my phone on me, so in a moment of panic I just deleted the entire last post I had done. Come to find out, it was actually my entire blog that was having issues. So, I'm now RE-writing that post. For those of you who read the post (sans pictures) hopefully it's somewhere close to the original.

Last week we had a visit at the store from two of our vintage furniture dealers. They are such fun guys with one of the most fun jobs. They, as always, pulled out all kinds of fun pieces but when they brought out one piece in particular, my heart almost fell out of my chest. It was the most perfect old pine table.

These guys have been granted special access to movie production studios, where they go in and clean out old movie props. The pieces are actual vintage pieces, they just aren't being used anymore.

The studios track the pieces with bar coded stickers. The fun part is, the guys always leave the stickers on.

My little pine table starred in some long-lost Dreamworks movie somewhere in its' lifetime. Truth be told - the first thing I checked when I got home was which production studio was behind any Nancy Meyer movie....unfortunately, not Dreamworks. The mystery continues...

This next picture is for you, Janet! Here's a wide-angle look at our entry : )

I was having a little "girl's night out" at our house and decided to spruce up our entry with some fresh flowers. It's Ranuncula season right, and with the Ranuncula fields right up the street - they're everywhere!

Also in full bloom right now - our lemon tree! It's the one thing I can actually grow. We have so many that I'm literally filling random bowls around our house.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and thank you for sticking with me through my technical difficulties!

REALLY?

2011-03-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

Well how tacky am I? Seagrass is temporarily down due to a Photobucket glitch. For some reason my account with Photobucket is not registering and is now replacing all of my photos with a lovely warning icon. Fun. Has anyone else encountered this problem? I'm hoping to be back in business tomorrow. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

{UNDER CONSTRUCTION!}

Photobucket">

A Peek Inside II

2011-03-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know why it has been so scary for me to post pictures of my own home. After all, that was the whole premise for starting this blog. After finishing recovering my desk chairs, I got my butt in gear and gave our desk area a little sprucing. I also thought I'd share some of the nitty gritty design details that went into building out this area.

First, let's start with the pretty pictures.....

Our desk area sits right off of our kitchen area. Our entire downstairs is pretty open and besides our bathroom, there isn't a single room that is completely sectioned off. For a reference, if you turned directly around from facing our desk area, you would see this.) Therefore, everything has to have a place and look nice. In other words - no messy desks for us. Yes, of course it happens, but the design had to be made so that it would be as easy as possible to keep it tidy.

Open shelves kept the area open and airy, which has been a theme around our house. The silver vase was a flea market find and it is patiently waiting for an orchid. The brown, craft magazine files are from Border's when they closed down there location here. They hold all of my design concept photos.

My grandmother has been doing a little bit of cleaning out, and asked me if I would ever want this little gold Tiffany's clock - of course my reaction was "YES YES YES!!"

Now on to the nitty-gritty details....

The shelf brackets are from Ikea. We painted them white and had two shelves made. It's a simple, clean, open look.

When designing this space we had to get creative with all of the small details (chords, printers, external hard drives, etc.) Because we went with a built-in top, there was no space left for chords to fish down the back of the wall. We had our installer cut a 3" hole and placed a plastic, chord fitting inside.

This keeps our chords bundled together and out of site. Moving on to the lower chords (underneath the desktop) - those are out of site as well. At first glance, you wouldn't know they're there.

From a standing position you can see one outlet with a single chord. We built a track system that sits right below the desk top. It's almost like a trough that cradles all of our chords. There is a small hole that runs between both sides our desk to run chords.

That whole mess - out of sight!

For all of the computer "extras" (remember - I'm married to computer nerd...who I love dearly!) we found a ledge that mounts on the back of the computer and offers a space for those extras to perch.

Again - out of sight!

There you have it - all of our desk area details! One of these days, I might be brave enough to share David's side. : )

Bamboo Chair Redoo

2011-03-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

This post is LONG overdue since the first time I did a post on my bamboo chairs was way back in April! The reason they have been sitting is that I just wasn't convinced that my original fabric selection was the right choice. I've been trying to be patient and wait until the right fabric came along. About a year ago I was introduced to a fabric that was the perfect fit but at about $65 per yard, it was the not the perfect fit for my budget. While poking around the Internet a few weeks ago I came across the same fabric for $10/yard!

It's soft and subtle with the perfect punch of my favorite green. I know that the ikat print is sort of a trendy thing right now but the covers are very simple to remove and could easily be swapped out in the future. But for right now, I love them!

Here's a look at what these chairs started out looking like, along with my original fabric selections. There were 3 layers of old fabric under that light blue floral fabric. It was fun to imagine the life these little chairs have had before us. That dark blue ikat ended up going here.

I bought the chairs for $5 each, the fabric for $10, and purchased new foam for about $15 (for both.) The grand total for both of our desk chairs{$35}

The rest of our desk area has received a little update this weekend - stay tuned for pics later this week!

We've Been Featured!

2011-03-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone - I hope you're all having a great start to your week! David and I received some exciting news last week.....our wedding was featured in Ceremony magazine this quarter!

We feel so honored to be included in their magazine. It was fun to relive that day again and seemed especially fitting since Monday happened to be our sixth month anniversary (WHEW we made it!) No - we don't really celebrate our month to month anniversary. : ) I know I've already shared most of these photos but here they are they are in magazine form.

{My favorite pic is still of the bridesmaids crying : )}

Breakfast of Champions

2011-02-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning in need of some inspiration and something different. Normally I would be sharing pictures of inspiring interiors or current design projects and ideas in the works. But, this morning I'm cooking instead. I find cooking to be extremely therapeutic. Some of my favorite moments are cooking in the kitchen with David who happens to be quite the chef. In college whenever I had late design classes - I'd always come home to wonderfully home-cooked meal. His signature dish was pork chops with an apple chutney. Cooking together always takes me back to our little tree house apartment.

I took inspiration for this morning's meal from Sara at Sprouted Kitchen. Reading her blog is definitely a treat. Her talented husband, Hugh is a photographer. Hugh happened to have gone on Semester at Sea with the Best Man in our wedding. We desperately tried to book him for our wedding but someone had already snatched him up. Lucky them! : )

The ingredients for this breakfast are pretty simple.

Whole Wheat Tortillas (you can use flour or even corn)

Eggs (or egg whites would be a good healthy option)

Jack Cheese (or any cheese)

Spinach (for big muscles)

tomatoes

onions

basil

avocado

Cut the tomatoes in half a roast them in the oven at 325 for about 20 mins or until the onions turn slightly brown. Do this in the beginning while you're preparing the rest of the meal.

I forgot about mine and they turned a little more than slightly brown - still good though!

I warmed the tortillas straight over the stove flame to get them nice and toasty.

Pile it all in and enjoy!

All photography by our incredibly talented roommate/dear friend.

You can find him at Trevor Vieweg Photography

Remember these? They were Trevor's handy work too!

Happy Heart Day

2011-02-14T13:13:00.000-08:00

{Happy Heart Day}

Hope your day is filled with LOVE

To Die For

2011-02-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

Is this little Sydney cottage not to die for???

{Image via Inspired House of Wright}

A Simple Day

2011-02-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

Today was complete bliss. Not a penny was spent, other than a quick bite to eat. As some of you know I don't have typical Monday through Friday work schedule. I'm at the store Tuesdays through Saturdays which leaves me with every Monday off. Normally I spend this day running errands and working on various projects that are in the works. I haven't shared this yet, but our schedule has changed around our house just a bit. We took the plunge earlier this year and David has decided to go back to school full time for a second degree. His heart and passion are in computers and at 18 years old when we were all asked to declare a major and choose what it is we're going to do with our lives - he didn't know that yet. After months of talking about going back, life threw us a curve that launched us full swing into our plan. One of the good things about our new schedule is getting to spend TWO full days with my partner-in-crime. We haven't had this schedule in a long time and it's simply blissful. I'm lucky enough to have a husband that's always up for an adventure - even if it involves antiquing. We hopped in the car and headed south to Architectural Salvage - a rusty, crusty, chippy, heavenly shop in downtown San Diego.

{Bin full of old chandelier crystals}

{This pair of doors was the most beautiful shade of sea green}

{If only I had a spot for a pink tub!}

I'm off to make a delicious Quinoa salad for one! : )

There's Just Something...

2011-01-29T17:48:00.001-08:00

....about this pic that I CAN'T get out of my head.

{The dining room/entryway, office of the talented Holly Mathis}

The color, the black & white tiled floor, old weathered table, bamboo blinds, funky floral curtains, soft gray cabinet....I could go on and on - perfection.  You know those times where a picture just sticks with you and you can't get it out of your head?

A Stylish Award

2011-01-26T21:06:00.001-08:00

I'm completely honored and speechless to receive the Stylish Blogger Award from Kelley over at The Polished Pebble. On a side note, Kelley is one hilarious, talented woman that I seriously feel like I know (blogging has that affect on me.) : ) The rules of the game are - List 7 things about yourself and then pass the award on to other stylish bloggers. So here it goes.

1) I'm actually very shy. My husband who ironically is known more as the "shy one" is our social coordinator. I'm a pajamas at home with a fire and a movie kind of girl.

2) I've known what I've wanted to do since I was little. Rearranging my childhood bedroom and the rest of the house was a very normal occurrence at our house. My roommate in college and I figured out that I averaged "space planning" aka rearranging our room once a month our freshman year.

3) I love the smell of new shoes, a box of erasers and sadly gasoline. Yes, I know, bizarre.

4) I sit and drink a cup of coffee at our coffee shop down the street every morning and I go for a walk every night. It's my prep-time and wind-down time. I feel off without either of those times.

5) I married my Jr. High sweetheart.

6) I have played field hockey since I was 10 years old. I almost went to University of the Pacific to play.

7) I truly believe I was born in the wrong decade.

And now to pass this on to other Stylish Bloggers in no particular order...

Thank you again Kelley!

A Little Sprucing

2011-01-24T12:05:00.001-08:00

I've been chipping away at our master bedroom for a while now. I started with the "house plan" that I was going to focus on one room at a time. Well....that sort of went out the window. When I started this blog, one of my very first projects was my master bedroom re-do. While my last post of that was QUITE a while ago, I have been slowly adding to it. Additions and projects went un-posted mainly because of this and this, so I thought I'd do a catch-up post on some of the changes.

Window treatments were not only desperately needed but definitely added the biggest change to this room. Keeping our super-budget in mind, I had to hunt for things that wouldn't break the bank but that would also be of quality.

I went with my favorite look: bamboo, woven blinds layered with simple curtain panels. I did hours and hours of research on the best options for bamboo blinds on a budget. We had two challenges that we faced when it came to bamboo blinds. The first is that our windows are old and therefore are not standard window sizes. The second is that when we gave our house a "face lift" a few years ago we trimmed out all the windows in thick casing that we didn't want to cover up. That meant that we had to go with inside mount blinds. It also means that it ruled out standard, pre-cut blinds that are found in Lowes, HomeDepot, and other stores like that. Going with a custom size meant going with a "custom" price tag. Enter JCPenny. JCPenny was having a sale with 60% off all made-to-measure blinds plus free shipping (I'm sorry I didn't post about that at the time!) A victory lap was made around my entire house - twice. When I put my deposit in for the color sample of the blinds we were going with, the sales woman let me know that an additional 5% would be taken off my order with my receipt present. Another victory lap was made.

While they are certainly no tortoise shell, bamboo blinds they are perfect for us and where we are in our lives and our budget.

Another challenge came with the curtain rods. Our master bedroom has an uneven ceiling. This is no complaint as it's actually my favorite feature in the room. The tongue and groove is the original ceiling in the house. I wish it still existed throughout the entire thing, but it's sadly only left in portions of the house.

Normally I like to hang curtains dropped about 3"-4" from the ceiling, giving height to a room. I had the option to do this with only one window, but it would be off from the rest of the windows. I decided to keep them all at the same height to create almost one continuous line.

The other addition to our room is a hanging pendent light. I searched high and low for the right sized, hanging drum shade. In case any of the rest of you are searching, the answer is Pottery Barn. There are plenty of other large, hanging drum shades but they come with a hefty price tag. I also didn't need anything fancy since the plan was to cover it up anyways. I found a neutral (I change my mind and our bedding A LOT) lattice print fabric.

It sits in the corner of our room above one of our hand-me-downs from my grandparents. If you've been reading for a little while you know that my grandparents have a passion for mid-century modern furniture as well as Danish teak. Eventually I'd like to replace this chair with an overstuffed, comfy, cozy chair but in the mean time, this works.

The latest project for the Master Bedroom sprucing I actually finished just last week, so I'm not too far behind on my posting for that one. For those of you that follow Grace, you'll know that she made an amazing find with some blue, ikat fabric. I first posted about it here. But, instead of recovering our desk chairs like I had originally planned(I'll post on that later this week) I decided to go with pillows for our bed instead.

Great minds must think alike. Check out Grace's latest post.

{via Grace Happens}

Here's a look at what our naked windows looked like pre-sprucing.

I'm off to finish re-upholstering our office chairs! Pics coming soon!

Loving Right Now....

2011-01-21T15:11:00.000-08:00

Oy Vey it's been 2 weeks since my last post!!  Atlanta was a blast!  It was freezing cold, but that was kind of fun for a Southern California girl who doesn't experience as much weather as she sometimes would like to.  With that said, I couldn't have been happier to be welcomed home by the heavenly Summer-like weather.  I have some fun things to post about coming up here soon - but I haven't quite gotten my pictures together.  In the mean time, I just stumbled upon this sweet company and had to share.  Meet the Dupps Family.

"Kathy, Rally and their two small children decided to hit the road when the economy bit the dust and relocated to the island paradise of Bali, Indonesia." With his background in architecture and her background in interior design, they created one killer textiles company named KatherineRally.

Their color palette and patterns are tapping in to my Summer craving!

Happy Friday!

Back to Business

2011-01-05T21:50:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone! It's been a busy week, but in keeping up with my New Year's resolutions (one of them is to be MUCH nicer to my blog and keep up!), I wanted to squeeze a little post in.

We just got back from a heavenly few days away in Mammoth. Mammoth is a little mountain town in Central CA. The house above is not where we were staying - we're more of the 1950's, retro, A-frame, every room leaks and is freezing kinda people (shown below). My grandfather built the house back in the 50's and to say it has a few problems would be an understatement. We like to think it has LOT'S of character!

My mom and I are going to be starting a fun little loft makeover at the house in the next few months. It will be a little while before we get started but I promise to share pics once we start.

In other news - Betsy and I are off to Atlanta next week. We're going to the Atlanta Home & Gift show and we're beyond excited. I'm going to try and sneak a few pics of our fun finds while we're there. Anyone have any suggestions for fun shopping and dining in the Atlanta area??

Have a great week everyone!

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T18:12:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone! I thought I'd kick off the new year with some eye candy from the 2010 Princess Margaret Showhome featured last month (December) in Canadian House & Home. Enjoy!

{I've been seeing more and more black kitchens pop up lately? Am I sensing a new trend?}

{Dining room: Looks like they took some inspiration from the SGG house, no?}

{LOVE these curtains in the master bath!}

{How's THIS for a dressing room!?}

Hopefully everyone is having a successful kick-off to 2011!

DIY: Last Minute Christmas Table Sprucing

2010-12-24T17:11:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is ready for Christmas! I squeezed in a last minute DIY project this afternoon. We're hosting Christmas dinner tomorrow night for 17! YIKES! I needed a little something festive to add to the table.

I decided to give a quick and easy sprucing to my favorite, go-to water jugs. They're only $2.99 at Ikea and fit with any decor.

I had some extra plaid flannel fabric laying around so I cut a strip about 5" wide.

I then took bottle #1 and started rolling it over the fabric to cover the circumference of the bottle.

Next, take twine, ribbon, twill tape or anything else you have lying around. I used baker's twine for mine and wrapped it a few times to hold the fabric in place.

To make them a little more festive, I added some greenery (I stole it from my wreath!) You could also add some holly berries or anything else festive! (**OK, truth be told..I just wrote twigs and berries....I don't think that would have gone over very well! : )

And the final product....

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas Eve!!

Storefront Windows

2010-12-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

I have to say, this Christmas is going to be a little bitter-sweet for me. Sweet, in that it will be my very first Christmas with my husband! I'm so excited for us to create traditions and memories of our own. But, it will be a little bitter in that my sister will be missing Christmas at home for the first time - ever! We hold strong to our traditions each year and it would be an understatement to say it will be weird to not have her here. Instead of being in sunny CA, Heather will be in (hopefully) snowy New York City!! She has promised to take LOADS of pictures of all of the storefront windows decked out for Christmas. I'm beyond jealous as this is on the top of my bucket list to experience. Here's what's waiting for Heather in NYC!

This was hands down my favorite.  Barney's New York teamed up with The Food Network and created a jaw-dropping window display made of "Illy" products.  That dress is made completely of foil coffee bags!

Bergdorf's theme this year was travel.

I love Henri Bendel's take on The Nutcracker. Never has the Mouse King looked so elegant!

No offense to Lord & Taylor, but the mannequin's in their depictions of favorite Christmas memories just came off a little creepy.  Anyone else?

John Derian's fun and funky window - love those lights!

A funky vignette in Gump's (San Fran)

No post on window displays would be complete without the Godfather of all window display-ers.  Definitely not the best of the season, but as always, creative.  Anthropologie's eco-friendly Christmas window display.  **Fun fact - I applied to be a window designer for Anthropologie.  I soon realized that my creativity isn't "out there" enough.  The interview process was VERY interesting!

Heather - I so wish I was touring all these window displays with you! Maybe next year! xoxo

To check out more of the Bergdorf window display process, check out this video.

Tis' The Season

2010-12-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

Once again I've been MIA. I was completely taken out by bronchitis last week and am just now catching up. I haven't completely finished our Christmas decorating, but have managed to get a little bit up.

I came home with two Euro Trees after a trip to Roger's Gardens on Monday. If you're ever in the Corona Del Mar area (especially during the Christmas season) you must stop by. It's an incredible nursery that turns into a Christmas spectacular every year around this time.

Cozy (faux I promise!) furry blanket. You can see a little snippet of our new console table. I've been meaning to post - I promise I'll do it soon!

The Christmas tree is up and decorated!

Mama Seagrass made our stockings a few years ago out of scraps of plaid flannel fabric.

Tutorial: The Blanket Stitch

2010-11-28T19:12:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone! I hope you all have recovered from Thanksgiving. We're still working on leftovers here at our house. YUM!

I had a couple of questions on the blanket stitching that I posted here. So, I thought I'd do a tutorial post. Hope this makes sense and helps!

1) Start your first stitch by inserting the needle through the backside catching just a small amount of fabric.

2) Pull all the way through.

3) Start your second stitch about 3/8" from the top of your fabric, and about 3/8" to the right of your first stitch. (Or as far apart as you would like your stitches to be.)

4) Loop your thread behind the needle before pulling your needle all the way through.

5) Pull your thread through leaving a small amount of "give" at the end.

6) Gently pull your stitch directly up and then to the right. You don't want your stitch to be pulled completely tight - there should be a small amount of "give."

7) Begin your next stitch equidistant from the first. Make sure your thread is behind your needle before pulling it through.

8) Gently pull up and to the right so that your vertical stitch is straight.

9) Continue until complete!

There you have it!

This makes an excellent movie project. I don't know about you, but I'm the type that can't just sit and watch a movie. I did this pillow in about an hour. I'm thinking next up will be a set of napkins!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving! As you can see, I didn't get my act together to post a day-of post. I was busy rolling....

Cutting...

And baking....

Now I'm off to eat a salad and go for a run! : )

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Pillow Talk

2010-11-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

My sofa has desperately been needing some love in the pillow department. So bad in fact that I won't show the before's. I re-did my parents living room this past Spring, and anytime I was hosting something at our house, I would steal my mom's pillows. : ) So, last Monday it was off to the fabric store- and I completely scored!!

I found this red fabric for $3 a yard. And yes - I bought the entire bolt. Which means you will be seeing this in the form of a Christmas-y duvet very soon.

I thought I'd mix things up a bit and tie these stripy pillows with twill tape. I scored this fabric on the remnants table - 7 yards for $5...TOTAL

The plaid pillow received a red blanket stitch edge. I found a 2 yard bundle of this cozy plaid on the remnant table too, and the sweet woman at the fabric store threw it in for free!

There you have it! My new wintery pillows!

This and That

2010-11-07T22:09:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd share a few snippets from the week. I'm trying to get better about my posting, but the week just seems to slip away from me.

My week started off with a surprise package. Actually, I had ordered it back in July but had completely forgotten about it until this week. This sweetly wrapped packaged arrived from John Robshaw.

Inside was my new business card holder.

I feel so official!

David and I took full advantage of our beautiful weather we're having here in SD and spent almost the entire day outside. We kicked off our day with a bike ride and tacos at Bull Taco. If you're close by - this hidden gem is a must! It's tucked away in the Cardiff campgrounds, perched right on the cliff overlooking the water and has killer food! (The view's not bad either!)

We headed South towards Torrey Pine.....

...and headed off on a four-mile hike!

On a WHOLE different note, I have a new project brewing. Welcome to the Shed. This shed is attached to our garage and has been everything from a gardening shed to a workshop shed, to most recently a storage shed. I have had big plans for this little shed since the day we moved in. A craft shed.

I am so intrigued by the spaces creative people create for themselves. My mom has always had her "sewing room." I have so many fond memories of that room. Many Halloween costumes have been constructed, matching dresses for my sister and I sewn, and clothes have been patched in that room. I even vaguely remember receiving the birds and bees convo in that room. : )

I have been having an extreme craving for a creative outlet lately, and it seems like the perfect time to finally get this room on its' way. This room has never really been finished but I actually love the open framing and only plan on painting.

I'd love to eventually replace this little window with french doors.

For a look at another insanely creative space - take a look at Alexis's Art Barn.

{via Fern+Feather}

I'm off to dream of paint colors!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

This is one of my favorite images. You may just see it every year around this time! : ) PS I always sit on a little dock in the middle of a lake and carve pumpkins...don't you??

Hope everyone has a fun evening!

A Peek Inside

2010-10-25T22:13:00.000-07:00

I have been avoiding posting pictures of the rooms in our house for a long time now. I think it has something to do with the fact that I want things to be perfectly put together before I put them out there for all to see. Architecturally, everything is pretty much done. But, as far as furniture and decor goes, I have a long ways to go, and I'm beginning to realize that this will be a project that is never truly done. Getting married and starting a business mixed in with a few small DIY projects have bought me a little bit of time but the truth I have come to realize, is that I just need to post. I'm starting with a room that doesn't need many "finishing touches." With the exception of one wall this room is pretty much done. So here it is, our master/one and only bathroom upstairs.

Our upstairs is pretty small. It's only three bedrooms and a small bathroom. There isn't an official Master Suite or Master Bedroom for that matter. There is only a bedroom that is slightly larger than the other two. To give you an idea of how small the bathroom is, the above picture was taken by me standing IN the shower.

The mirror below was a Home Depot Expo clearance item before they officially went out of business. It was an awful faux gold, with a little bit of antiquing, finish. I gave it a makeover with a little bit of high-gloss white paint.

The wall on the left (pictured below) is where I'm stumped. I have a few ideas, but nothing is just jumping out at me.

{A view of the ceiling}

Well there you have it. The first official room tour. This has been a scary first step but I promise to keep going!

**Many of you commented on my new header (thank you!) It was done by the incredibly talented, Caleb of this company. He completely "re-branded" my blog, and I love how it turned out! You can also check out some of his work here (it's an adorable farm in Oregon that he did the branding for.)

New Boots+Stew=I Love Fall

2010-10-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

In an effort to keep this blog fresh, I'm bloggin' about two things I've rarely, if ever, blogged about. Fashion (which I am not!) and food (which I consume often!)

I don't know what kind of weather the rest of the world is experiencing - but around here I think we're having our very first Fall with actual season appropriate weather. RAIN! I may be one of the few that feels this way - but I love the rain.

{Target Boots - $34}

Monday was my first day off so I celebrated with an outing to Pasadena (I know - I have some strange thing with that city. But, I just love it and needed to get out of town for a bit.) Anyways, these boots are my new favorite fall item. I found them at Target for $34! And they have officially received the they-really-are-comfortable stamp of approval. I walked all over Pasadena in them, and worked all day today in them.

I came home still in the Fall mood. So, I made the mother of all Fall dinners - Stew! I had the whole fam over, lit a fire, and had a perfect Fall night at home!

My go-to stew recipe is a Mustard-Herb Beef Stew via here.

They've Arrived!

2010-10-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for all of your sweet comments on Bixby & Ball. It's definitely the scariest thing I've ever done. But, if I don't try it I'll never know! On another note...we have received the first of our wedding pics!! I know I didn't share a lot of the details of the projects I did for our wedding - but you can see a lot of them here!

These are all via Stephanie William's blog. She and her husband Issac are amazing, talented, and so incredibly fun to work with! Check out her post on our wedding and the rest of her talent here.

Big Announcement & A Long Post

2010-10-12T13:37:00.001-07:00

I'm going to apologize in advance for the length of this post...it's going to be a long one. I was going to post Part II of the honeymoon (but who wants to read about that anyways????) : ) I can't wait any longer to announce the big news. Bear with me - this may seem a little random....

I have been collecting these pictures for a while. I've always been intrigued by storefronts.

In design we always talk about first impressions and small details. A front porch, a walkway, or a small entry can set the mood for the rest of the house.

For a store, it's the first thing you see when you walk by, and usually (if you're like me) I make up my mind from the sidewalk, whether I'm going to like the inside or not.

Most of these are stores I have never been to - but would love to visit. And a few are one's I've been to.

That last picture is particularly near and dear because......it's my storefront! Or I should say OUR storefront. I have had the extreme luck, fortune, blessing of meeting my business partner, Betsy. We have both had the idea of having a retail space, stored in the back of our brains for a long time now. For me, I thought the reality of my dream coming true was pretty far into the future.

Over a glass of wine with Betsy, Bixby & Ball was born. However, it still felt like something that was going to take quite some time to actually happen.

Later that week, Betsy discovered that a little historic cottage located in the design district of Cedros Avenue in Solana Beach, was available. Unbeknownst to either of us, this was a spot that both of us had always loved and eyed for a retail space.

{A peek inside Bixby & Ball....}

We called the owner of the cottage and she told us that she already had two people interested in the space and was just deciding between the two of them. We pleaded with her to just sit and meet with us, and hear us out.

{You can see the top of our fireplace!}

We got the space a few days later. : )

We moved in August 1st. Worked our tails off everyday. I got married August 28th. Left Betsy alone for two whole weeks to honeymoon (it was planned before we started this venture - I promise!) I came home, and hit the ground running again, to open last week. Which explains the lack in blog posts!

I would have blogged about this sooner but we were waiting for our own blog to be up and running. It's still in the process of being designed and I couldn't wait any longer! We celebrated our opening with a little cocktail party with our friends and family that you can read about here.

There are so many people that have given so much support to me throughout my career and this process that I could not have done any of this without. There are too many to list - but you know who you are and I am beyond grateful.

As soon as we launch the Bixby & Ball blog, we will post all about the moving in and setting up process. Plus, as a bonus, we have our first design project up and running, and I can't WAIT to share pictures.

Well, there's the big announcement! I'm hoping now that we're open, and we have set some-what of a schedule for ourselves, I can give this little blog a little more love than it has been receiving for the last couple of months. Have a great week!

Honeymoon Part I

2010-09-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

I know it's been far longer than the two weeks that I said it would be - but it has been A LOT harder to get back to life since returning home. Here's what I've been up to:

I got married. And it was probably the most fun night of our lives. Everything went perfectly. And even the parts that didn't, (our cake apparently had a little bit of an accident in transit and had a crack in it - I looked at it, as a cutting guideline) didn't matter.

David and I had to decide between having a videographer and having a photobooth for budget reasons. We went with the photobooth and we're so glad we did. We had to drag people out at the end of the night. We made the background (shown below) from an old pile of fencing that we found in my parent's backyard. My mom made those bunting flags. They ran along the whole perimeter of the garden. These are the only pictures we have right now but I thought they'd be fun to share!

{Groom & Bride}

For those of you wondering how the pick-your-own yellow bridesmaid dresses turn out - here they are. My sister unfortunately could not be found for this particular picture, so we have one missing bridesmaid. (PS I'm the one in white!) : )

After getting married, it was off to Italy! We landed in Rome and headed straight to the Amalfi Coast. Hmmmm who thought we'd end up somewhere near the water?? It was absolutely stunning.

{Amalfi Town}

We stayed in Positano, which is just south of Amalfi Town, but still part of the Amalfi Coast - confused?

We stayed in a hotel called Hotel Royal Prisco. It was run by the most kind couple. They run the desk, handle the luggage, concierge suggestions, and even make the most delicious breakfast in the mornings (on your porch if you'd like!) It honestly felt like we were a guest in their home. We had the most incredible view from our balcony!

{Positano at Dusk}

Here's another view of the town at sunset.

I don't think we had one bad meal in Italy. We ate pasta twice a day most days and washed it down with gelato. No wedding dress to worry about fitting into anymore! : ) Because the whole town is built into the cliffs, all of the restaurants have amazing views!

{Dinner in Positano}

Before heading back to Rome, we spent one night in Capri (the small island right off the Amalfi Coast) The big attraction on Capri is the Grotto Azurra - or Blue Grotto. It's a HUGE cave filled with water with a tiny opening. The opening is only wide enough for one small rowboat, and those sitting in the rowboat have to lie down to get in. Inside, the bottom of the ocean is bright white sand. The light through the small opening hits the water just perfectly and creates this unreal glow of bright blue. David and I had heard that the Grotto gets absolutely packed. There's a huge line to get down the cliff just to get on a boat. Inside the grotto there are typically about 12 to 15 other boats, and you're usually in a boat with about 10 other people (and yes, you all lie down together to get in.) We decided to go a half hour before the grotto opens, thinking there would be others waiting. We were the only ones. The first boat showed up to set up and asked if we wanted to just hop in and take an early peek. Of course we jumped at the opportunity. So with not another soul around (besides our boat guide) we got a completely private tour of the Grotto Azurra. Our boat guide even sang us Italian love songs. Besides our wedding itself, this could quite possibly be the most romantic thing I've ever experienced!

{Inside the Grotto Azurra}

We had so much fun on this leg of our trip - the food, the architecture, the view, and the people were incredible.

After Italy....it was off to Greece!

To be continued....

The Big Day

2010-08-23T21:42:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone for hanging in here with me while my life gets crazier and crazier! There is a possibility that this will be my last post before gettin' hitched and riding off into the sunset (to Greece!!) for two weeks!!! : ) Not that going two weeks without a post would be all that abnormal for me these days. I promise that will get better when I get back.

I say "possibility" because I have a few fun details of our wedding that I wanted to share before I sign off for two weeks. For now - thank you for all of your cheering while I've been going through this crazy whirlwind of a year!

(Fonts via: Jessica Hische}

Speaking of graphic design - I need to make a huge shout-out to my dear, dear friend Caleb who is an amazing graphic and interior designer, who just moved to So. Cal from Oregon, who has been a HUGE help with wedding projects (he stayed up all night the other night), and who happens to be a new blogger! Check him out here!

**Regular blogging and BIG announcement coming after the honeymoon!**

Back on the Face of the Earth

2010-08-03T20:48:00.001-07:00

I've fallen off - but I'm back! I don't know how many readers (if any) I have left! We're at 3+ weeks and counting until our wedding and have been in FULL swing with tying up odds and ends. I have a MAJOR project and announcement (coming very very soon!) that has been taking up most of my time (and NO I'm not pregnant!) : ) Here are a few other things I've been up to:

Last weekend I slipped out of the house for a few minutes to go through an open house, of a house I have been eyeing since as long as I can remember. It's on our same street, and I remember as a little girl drooling over this house. (The design bug bit me at a very young age!) When I heard that they were having an open house, I jumped on my bike and headed out!

{Front door}

I unfortunately could not take many pictures of the rooms - I had to sneak the few pictures I did get. This is the best overall picture I could get, but check out that light!

The floors were an amazing, worn, reclaimed wood with the most perfect faded color for a beach house.

Aside from the house itself, the owners have AMAZING taste in furniture. Again, I could only sneak a few pictures. These were just the tip of the iceberg of their collection. Unfortunately, the furniture does NOT come with the house.

I was plotting a way to take this gorgeous, old pine table out the door, into my bike and home with me!

On my way home I stopped by another open house, that is being represented by a dear friend of mine. This is another amazing home - but it deserves a blog post all its' own. I do have to share the killer oven in the kitchen!

In other random updates: I have been working on a pair of bookcases that I got an unbeatable deal on - FREE!! I was driving home the other day, and saw these sitting on the side of the road with the best sign on them....FREE! I screeched my tires, pulled over, and called David with his truck. Ok, so by "the other day" I actually mean 3 months ago and have been meaning to work on them, but they keep getting pushed t the bottom of my to-do list. I finally have a place to put them so they have jumped to the top. They're not quite finished but I will post "afters" as soon as they are.

Last update for the date: Here is a sneak peak at a project I have been working on. I'm very excited about this one! Keep in mind this is just a very small snippet of a look!

Hopefully it won't be another two weeks before I post again!

Under My Umbrella

2010-07-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

I'm a little hesitant to post this post - especially with what the East Coast is going through. My sister lives in Boston and just moved her entire bedroom to the front of her condo where her air conditioner is because it has been so unbearably hot! But here - it's been COLD!! Yes, it is July 8, and it's cold. While the East coast has been experiencing some record highs, we've been experiencing record lows (for the month of July.)

This weather has me longing for the bright and sunny days that we are supposed to be having!

{Santa Barbara Umbrella Company}

{WW&Co.}

{Z-Gallery - Love the classic stripes!}

{via CocoCozy}

My wedding shower is this Saturday and hoping hoping hoping for some sunshine!! Hello? Summer? Where are you??

Too Much?

2010-07-06T11:16:00.001-07:00

...or so over-the-top, it's cool?

{image: Eric Roth}

Happy 4th!

2010-07-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

{image: Coastal Living}

{our festive abode}

Speechless

2010-06-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

We have officially received our first (non-wedding shower) wedding gift. Our dear friends Kathy and Micky came over for dinner this weekend. Micky will be marrying David and I, and he wanted to discuss the certain things we would like him to include (and NOT include) in our ceremony. They took the evening to give us their wedding gift. To say the least - it left me speechless.

Kathy knit this herself - Micky helped by holding LOTS of yarn. The detail is incredible.

I still don't know what we've done to deserve two such incredible people in our lives, but we are beyond grateful!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend - I have a few exciting bits of news to share next week!

Father's Day

2010-06-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day Dad!

{No this is not my Dad & I - I just like old B&W's}

To a Dad that can fix anything, listens to any and all hair-brained ideas, is kind, smart, and a great Dad!

{No this is not my Dad & I}

Guilty!

2010-06-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling so guilty about abusing my blog! I have officially reached wedding overload! Somewhere along the line I thought it would be a WAY better idea (and that I would have PLENTY of time) to make my own invitations than to have them made. After numerous trips to the printers, about 17 printing attempts, and I don't know how much wasted paper - I'm really starting to re-think just how good of an idea it was. However, they are printed and cut (invitation assembly party is Tuesday) and I do have to say, that I love how they turned out. I'll take pictures Tuesday to share!

In the meantime - I had a blogging BLAST last Thursday!

I know we all know how crazy this blogging world is - but it still amazes me with the people it affords you to meet. Case in point: the incredibly talented, Catherine behind Rikshaw Design. After a long roll of comments from Alexis (Fern & Feather) and Grace (Grace Happens) regarding a photo shoot for Vogue in our hometown involving a certain hot surfer boy - Catherine was on her way to San Diego for a little R&R, and offered to do an impromptu trunk show. No one seemed to be able to host it, so I volunteered.

{Me, Grace, Catherine, & Alexis}

To say that night was "SO fun!" would not do it justice! Catherine is beyond talented (not to mention hilarious and down to earth!). She started her career as one of/the textiles buyers for Pottery Barn - HELLO!!!!! DREAM JOB!!!!!!!! Her job found her traveling to India researching fabrics (insert above statement here) and she fell in love with the country and the art of block printing. Through this love, Rikshaw was born.

Her textiles are beautiful and quirky rolled into one. (She has one design that are little monkeys)

A few other friends/local bloggers came for a whole evening of shopping, chatting, champagne-ing, and snacking. That's just about my perfect evening!

Sweet Grace (Grace Happens) came early and set up a full on spread! We had cheese & crackers, petite cupcakes and fresh strawberries. And of course a stunning bouquet of peonies (my hands down fav flower) in a vintage milk glass vase!

The best part was getting to meet everyone - seriously, blogging makes you (or me at least) feel like you really know the person. So, when you finally do meet them - it's like you've already met!

{me & Bianca of Bink & Boo}

I had so much fun re-meeting Bianca! We have actually met a couple of times prior at various local events, but we finally got to really meet. This. Woman. Is. Hilarious!

Everyone else was equally amazing and talented!

*From the left: Alexis(fern and feather), Alexandra (Rustic Rooster), Haydee (happenstance), Heather (La Feem), Kendall (Kendall K .), Bianca (Bink and Boo), Me!, Catherine (Rikshaw Design), Grace (Grace Happens) + two friends of Grace's that we were enthusiastically encouraging to join the crazy blog world!

Art

2010-06-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Art can be a tough detail to handle. It's hard to have a collection that feels cohesive and makes sense together. Another challenge - art is plain expensive! Luckily for me, in addition to some pieces of my own, I have a few hand-me-down pieces as well.

This first piece is of the "Cyclone Racer" in Long Beach. My family has a lot of history there and my grandparents purchased this at an auction years and years ago. I'm not crazy about the blue frame, but that's an easy change!

My eye tends to go to oil paintings with bright, bold colors - especially against our white walls!

This triptic painting is by an artists out of Laguna Beach named Donita Lloyd. I would go to the Laguna Beach Sawdust Festival (a quaint artist's show) every summer with my family and have always loved Donita's work. She's the sweetest woman who has lived in Laguna Beach almost her entire life. My parents surprised me with a giclee when I graduated from college. I'm still working on where to hang it.

This next set of paintings is another hand-me-down, and is a little bit of a while card in my tiny art collection. I haven't decided where these guys will end up either (there's actually 3 all together) but I'm thinking they may end up in our upstairs bathroom.

Another all time favorite artist of mine is Kenton Nelson. He falls in that bright, bold oil painting category that I love. You may already be familiar with his work, since a couple of his pieces were featured in everyone's fav - Something's Gotta Give.

I love their simplicity - and of course the vintage feel!

This collection is probably my favorite of his. The bottom painting is the famous print from the movie.

Love this cover he did for the New Yorker.

Hopefully I didn't lose any readers on my art tour! : ) I'm also hoping to not leave you hanging for yet another week before my next post! I'm in full wedding mode right now - and things are starting to pile up! YIKES!

Answer

2010-05-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

Sooooo definitely wasn't planning on leaving you hanging THAT long! I was in Chico this past weekend for my (future) brother-in-law's graduation. Since Chico is my alma mater and this was possibly my last excuse to go up there, I decided to live it up big. My body is certainly not 21 anymore and it couldn't handle it. I came home with a MAJOR cold and was out until Thursday!

Here it is: my biggest purchase on a single item to date. A hutch!

We have a guy that does amazing custom furniture at the store and I have been going back and forth on having him make a piece for me. I was more than willing to be patient and find a piece at a flea market or craigslist, but the problem was that the wall that it now sits against is HUGE! It needed a LARGE piece to fill it up. We also registered for a lot of large platters, and with fairly narrow cabinets in our kitchen, we needed a deep place to store them.

The nice part was, I got to design every last detail. I left plenty of room for a "buffet" space. You can see the corner of our dining table poking in the first picture. I wanted an area big enough to have wine, or a cake plate. Most hutch's have a tiny little buffet area - I wanted PLENTY of space!

All of our serving ware that we registered for is white, so I wanted the top to be glass so that you could see all of the stacked, white dishes.

I have our hutch pretty centered on the wall right now, but eventually I want to shimmy it down to the right. We have a large space to the left that I want to fill with a bench. I've had my eye on an amazing five-board bench with its' original chippy paint. I can't justify the $300 price tag, but the last time I visited it, it had dropped to $250, so you never know, it may drop more!

Plus, I need to find something to cover our eye-sore in the floor!

That grate would be our in-floor sub woofer (what? You don't have one??) And that wood grate was David's solution to "making it pretty."

Hope you all have a happy Memorial Day!!

Growing Up

2010-05-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Last week I bought my first piece of grown-up furniture. As I've mentioned before, I am bit by bit replacing my Ikea purchases from my college years along with my hand-me-downs (not the good ones!) with pieces that really fit our house. **This is part of the reason I haven't posted too many pictures of the rest of our house. I'm revealing as I complete a section!** I haven't taken pictures yet but I'll leave you with a few hints as to what it is!

Here's another hint: We've registered for a lot of this....

Bookworm

2010-05-13T17:25:00.000-07:00

We are a house full of book nerds. We love to read. I grew with a librarian for a mother (she later was a teacher) and David was the kid who never did his homework, not because he was playing video games but because he was reading. Yes we are a little nerdy! : ) So when I was designing our house I knew we had to have bookshelves wherever possible. This wall-o-books....

....sits directly across from this

When we moved in, we were so sick of living in dust, and so ready to just get our stuff in that I never really took the time to arrange the shelves the way I really wanted them. Our books, and eventually other "stuff" accumulated on our shelves. I've been meaning to re-do them for quite a while now. I was reading the latest Pottery Barn catalog and was admiring the handy work of their very talented set stylist and was instantly inspired.

Janet has also inspired me to get creative and not run out to buy things I really don't need. I still went shopping, but did it in my own house. I collected little "fillers" for the shelves to keep things interesting. I was actually pretty shocked with all of the stuff I found in my house!

{You can see our stairway to the right}

What? You don't keep your iPhone SDK programming book on top of your Apartment Therapy book?

I still need to find a picture for this frame. The brown binders are a must for me! They are recycled paper binders (sold at OfficeDepot) that hold all of my inspirations from magazines. It makes it WAY easier to find things!

{Please excuse our circa 1980's track lighting - we had issues installing lights due to the awkward pitch in our ceiling, and we had minimal room for a j-box}

Here's the "before's." It may not look all that different (or maybe it does.) But, I can promise you our shelves were a little scary!

{Before}

Here's a few inspiration pics

{I would have LOVED to have the space for a library ladder}

{Love this wall to wall bookcase}

{A little more natural}

I've been seeing this more and more. I understand that an all white palette lends a much more consistent look but really - how practical is this?? You'd have to REALLY know your books! : )

{How's this for some wallpaper!}

Hope everyone had a great weekend!