DIY Nautical Invitation

Lately I've been inspired by the sea. As always I'm a lover of all things nautical in design and I apologize to those readers who are not because clearly that's all I've been posting here and on instagram lately. With our backyard nearly complete I've been jonesing to host an outdoor meal. What better day than Father's Day? I got all fancy and sent my family this invitation in the mail. I found the exterior lobster folded card at Michaels in the dollar bin (last year) and design the insert card myself.

If you're interested in making your own, you can download my template for free from MediaFire. Just open in your favorite photo or text editing software to add your own party details. Enjoy!

Father's Day Card - Click here to download the PDF template
Finished size: 5x5"
Fonts used: Elephant + English Essay (both free)
Notes: This template is for personal use only. Do not redistribute in any fashion.

Great minds think alike

Me (left) + Atlantic-Pacific

That's one heck of a dress she's wearing. The hemline and backless detail are stunning.

But I'm still pretty happy with my budget friendly version.

Nautical living room update

If you are an avid decorator like myself, where do you keep everything when you're not using it? Ours takes up most of our linen cabinets, while the holiday decorations live up in the attic. A little while ago I decided to organize the small items into linen bins by category. It certainly makes things easier. Most of what you'll see in this post was in the "seaside decor" bin, along with a few new items.

If you've been following me for a while you know that I update our mantel somewhat regularly. This coming from the girl who had the same mantel decor for 3 years in her last apartment. I blame the blogosphere and pinterest for my recent need to always change things up. 

Any-who, you may recognize the coral print candles from one of my more recent posts on the Shops at Target. I also scored some nautical melamine plates from Michaels for a dollar each. They remind me of these ones from Thomas Paul.

This copy of The Great Gatsby is the most gorgeous book I own, so I display it every chance I get. One of my favorite tricks is repurposing cocktail glasses as candle holders. Earthquake putty keeps this gilded tumbler from tumbling.

The side table got a mini makeover as well. I changed out the display on the lamp and added more of the nautical plates.

Nautical with a glamorous twist

If you're looking to refresh your living space for the summer season, here's some nautical inspiration with a glamorous twist. I've incorporated a bit of this inspiration into our living room, which I'll be sharing with you all in just a bit. The bright coral shade works perfectly with the subtle woven neutrals to create a seaworthy space. A little white spray paint turns this ever so popular Ikea mirror into a cottage creation. Links below. Enjoy!

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight

Style Parade 5.18.12

I've been holding onto this little gem of a dress, hoping that the perfect occasion to wear it would come around. Well even though casual drinks in Downtown Fullerton was on the agenda for the evening I made it work. I mean it's always better to be overdressed than under dressed, right? It was my friend Matty's birthday. We celebrated at The Spirit Room again, which is quickly becoming our favorite spot for drinks. The vibe is so stylized and secluded that you forget where you are. Like walking outside after riding the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. I compare the two since both are in fact underground an cave-like. No really, the walls look like a cave.

Have you seen the film, In Time? It's a futuristic flick where the new currency is time off your life...and it gets more involved after that but the future fashion is fabulous. The ladies of class and wealth sport black gloves like these as everyday wear in order to hide the display of time counting down on their arms.

Not only did the gloves keep me warm, but I felt extra fancy strutting the streets and sipping cocktails at the bar. I took a page from the Blair Waldorf style book and paired a lacy frock with lacy knit tights. 

Dress: H&M; $49

Tights: Forever 21

Necklace; Leather Gloves, Mary Janes: Target

Look who's on Instagram {finally!}

{You should see what came inside!} 

{Color blocking my closet}

{A sweet little ring from one of my favorite shops}

You can follow me at...

or click here.

Vintage mint-dot french manicure

My lastest nail art creation. I used Forever 21 polish in vintage mint and a Sally Hansen nail art pen to create the dots. So fun...I'm addicted.

Style Parade 5.05.12

This is what I wore on Cinco de Mayo in Palm Springs. Bright & festive - that's me! You may recogize this dress from this personal shopper post. Such a fabulous dress for 30 smackers. I just need to say how much I love maxi dresses. They are the perfect mix of laid back & fancy, plus they're perfect for hiding your full belly after eating a plate of mexican food. haha. We were able to squeeze into a last minute reservation at Rio Azul with the help of my new friend Sara. I swear she has magic in her voice that hypnotizes people to bend at their will.

If you like mexican food Palm Springs has some of the best I've ever tasted. We had it at near every meal. Rio Azul's salsa negro was divine and unlike any I've tasted. I had the Enchiladas del Mar, which had shrimp & crab with bell peppers and red sour cream sauce. So yummy.

Alicia, Sara & me at Rio Azul

After dinner we walked a mile to the Ace Hotel for some after dinner drinks. The evening sort of fizzled after that. Oddly the place was dead with the exception of 2 very large groups of bachelorette parties. Kind of a weird mixed bag, but it made for some interesting people watching while we waited to catch a glimpse of the Super Moon in the desert sky.

Dress: Old Navy; sale $30

Sandals: Payless

Bracelet: Forever 21

Clutch: Ann Taylor LOFT

Dangerous Beauty

The mister & I took our niece to the Aquarium of the Pacific on Saturday. My favorites were the various species of sea jellies. I could watch them for hours I think. As beautiful as they are I'm always reminded of when the mister got stung by one while snorkeling on our honeymoon off the shore of Maui. I made another little short featuring these dangerous beauties...

It was nice to visit the surrounding  area of Shoreline Village again. We haven't been since our engagement shoot on the Queen Mary. We stopped for lunch at one of my favorite places in Belmont Shore - La Creperie. So good.

Like I needed another reason to love Target

I've got another color crush and his name is kelly green. Have you seen this spread in Martha Stewart Living?

This image was minty-fresh in my mind when I hit up Target yesterday, coupons & birthday gift cards in-hand. I was a wee bit giddy to check out the new Shops at Target, hoping that my Target would be one of the lucky ones to carry such an assortment of goods. I'm not gonna lie, I spent a good hour walking the entire store, carefully browsing over the curated collections. I eventually left with some Privet House patterned candles.

In general, Privet House had the most extensive selection. I talked myself out of purchasing these chalkboard stands (twice, mind you) but perhaps I'll get them if they go on sale. I did however pickup some green patterned placemats from Target's Home line. Even though the greens are a little off I still love the look. Big time pattern mixing going on...I think Martha would approve.

Style Parade 5.06.12

I'm back from my weekend in Palm Springs. We had a fabulous time and I'll be sharing some photos of our adventures soon. But first - some outfit pics. I was so inspired by the mid-century architecture and the colors of this city. I really felt that I could do no wrong fashionwise.

Top: Old Navy; sale $14. Shorts, necklace, bracelet: H&M. Sandals: Payless. Bag: Gap. Sunglasses: Nicole; $20

A holiday in Palm Springs

I'm off to Palm Springs for the weekend with some girlfriends. Poolside Cinco de Mayo festivities are sure to be a fabulous time. I'm beyond excited to be staying at The Saguaro hotel. It's such a bright and colorful space I couldn't help but bring a suitcase packed to match...

Easy breezy fabrics in pink and orange, bold patterns and notes of nautical chic. The dress on the bottom right was a birthday gift from my mom. I'm simply in love with it. 

kisses, lovelies!

A thousand times Yes

My dearest friend Gina of 25 years sent me this card in the mail. Such a thoughtful way of asking a friend to be in the wedding. Of course I said yes. We joked how the title of "matron" made me sound old. haha. The wedding is in October. Just another reason to love that month.

Speaking of October...I've been digitizing old home movies from VHS in my free time. This is us in October 1991. I cherish this because not long after Gina's family moved up north. We kept in touch over the years through handwritten letters, back when 11 year olds didn't have email accounts. Occasionally we were allowed to make long distance phone calls and go on vacations with each others families. This card will go in my keepsake box with her other letters that I've kept over the years.

Birthday Girls

I kicked off my birthday festivities with dinner at my parent's house. My mom made her fabulous spaghetti and basil meatballs. Instead of birthday cake we had decadent desserts of dark and white chocolate macaroon bars and cannoli. We toasted to 31 with orange infused champagne (divine!). After such an amazing meal I was tempted to take a nap but we pressed on to our next destination, meeting friends for drinks.

My friend Britni and I have birthdays 2 days apart so we did a joint affair this year. At the suggestion of another friend we met up at The Spirit Room in downtown Fullerton. This place is amazing! It's a cozy little speakeasy tucked away below street level. Dim lighting, big booths and an amazing attention to detail with turn of the century and prohibition-style libations. 

source

I love how their menu listed the origin of each recipe, for instance The Aviation, from Hugo Ensslin, Hotel Wallick. (New York 1910) A chilled mix of gin, fresh lemon juice, maraschino, and Violet liqueur.

 

Everyone was sharing sips of heavy hitting drinks. The "one and done" rule pretty much applied here, particularly with the absinthe infused cocktails. I kept things mild most the evening with the French 75 comprised of gin, lemon syrup and champagne.

We pretty much had the run of the joint. It was nice, like having a private party without the hefty price tag. It was such a treat to actually be able to have conversations with friends without shouting and always have somewhere comfortable to sit.

Here's one of me & the mister and another great group shot: