Family gallery wall

I've been playing around with the arrangement of gallery wall & art ledges in the stairwell. I tried to group elements of commonality instead of the randomness that was present before. This is the family grouping - some photos of me & the mister, my mom's senior portrait, a photo of my parents and Buffy's memory box. I also relocated my wedding bouquet to the ledge and incorporated our vintage iron monogram from the guest bath.

The arrangement still feels a bit cluttered and unbalanced. I find that even though I'm in the mood change, it doesn't always translate well. Creative block I suppose. I blame the weather- It can't make up its damn mind if it's winter or spring.

Hiding easter eggs...

The bunny came early.

My secret stash of Cadbury chocolate eggs in milk glass.

Happy Monday.

Fedorable

Happy Friday Readers!

I know I don't post kid stuff on here too often, but today will be an exception. I mean, who doesn't like cute kids? Furthermore...who doesn't like kids in super cute hats? My friend Kara Noel is rolling out a new line of fedoras for kids, appropriately called Fedorables. Yours truly came up with the name. I'm so happy I was able to contribute.

Kara Noel established Eli's Lids in 2006 while she was pregnant with her first child, Eli. Since then she's branched out with many hat styles as well as graphic tees. Eli's Lids really is a family affair- her 4 adorable children are often spotted modeling them on family outings.

Pssst...Guess what? Fedorables is having an early secret sale.

And while you're at it, don't forget to check out their full selection of hats for babies & children.

All photos by Marisela Photography.

Personal Shopper

Lilly Pulitzer "Lottie Dress" $198 as featured in Matchbook Magazine
vs. Old Navy chiffon maxi dress; $40

I'm a big believer in frugal spending when it comes to trendy pieces and while the Lottie dress isn't totally unattainable, I'm always on the search for a more pocket friendly option. A-line silhouettes tend to be the most wearable but I love me a good maxi dress, especially for summer entertaining. Luxe or less, both are stunning, yes?

You are obsolete

After we got the new TV I started going through a large bin of entertainment media that's been wedged under my sewing machine since we moved. To my surprise I found a handful of VHS tapes...

These were things I purchased on my own in my teens/early 20s, with the exception of the Young Indiana Jones one. Pretty sure that was my brother's. We have a VHS player sitting in the garage, and I'm sure these will be joining it soon. It's crazy to think...even my DVD collect is obsolete. Why go through the trouble of digging out my Buffy the Vampire Slayer discs when I can just stream it on Netflix, right?

...Or why bother going to a store to buy a CD when you can just download it from Amazon? This was the last physical album I purchased...

I remember going to Blockbuster Music when they had the audio stations where you could listen to an album before you bought it. I also remember CDs costing $18-$20.

And now with things like the Kinect it won't be long until I say things like "When I was your age, I played video games with a controller!"

Isn't it fun to go through old stuff and reminisce about a world that doesn't exist anymore? What are some of the things you remember having that are now obsolete?

Personal Shopper

Lately I'm crushing on barely there blush pink, gold + noir. A classically chic combination that's effortlessly feminine. A flowing dress with a sexy deep-v is a nice contrast to a structured handbag. Glitzy gold accessories really add some luxe to this ensemble. Enjoy + Happy Weekend!

dress // Asos; $80

watch // Asos; $63

pillbox hat // Asos; $53

belt // Ted Baker; $70

earrings // Forever 21; $4

handbag // Asos; $26

asymmetrical heel // Zara; $90

Style Parade 2.14.12

I hope you all had a good Valentine's Day - whether it be romantic or just being around the ones you love.

The mister & I dined at our favorite Italian spot. I decided to "dress for dinner" like fancy folks and what better time to wear my Velvet Heart Dress from Alexandra Grecco. I tell you, I felt like the Queen of Hearts!

This dress was in my etsy favorites for some time so when it went on sale I had to snag it. It was a splurge for me, but the material is so nice. Real velvet and silk lining that feels so nice on my skin. I detest cheap polyester lining. And...one of my favorite details - pockets!

Dress: Alexandra Grecco; sale $120
Bow jacket: Erin Fetherston for Target
Heart tights: Tabio
Heart ring: Diament Designs; $10
Secret love earrings: Mon Cadeau; $15
Leopard bow heels: Candies for Kohl's

This year's Valentine

The mister really loves this site xkcd which has all these computer and math related jokes that normal people like myself just don't get. So that was my inspiration for this year's homemade Valentine. I Googled, "How to say I love you in binary code" and made a heart shape out of 1s and 0s. I hope he likes it.

In case you missed it, here's what I did for Valentines past...
2011 Valentine
2010 Valentine

Living room, rearranged

Last weekend the mister was like "You wanna go with me to buy a new TV?"

We've been talking about purchasing a new television for years but there really wasn't anything wrong with our old one other than it was a monstrous CRT that weighed 200 lbs and took up a huge corner of the living room. We ended up with a shiny new 46" Samsung LED and other than some audio kinks we still need to work out, I'm pretty happy with the upgrade.

A new TV also required a trip to Ikea for a media stand. Oh darn, you know how much I hate going to Ikea. haha. The TOBO was the clear choice. It's so sleek and matches our adjacent dining room perfectly.

We moved the arm chair into the corner where the old TV used to be. It really opened up the room. My only complaint with the new setup is that the back of the TV is the first thing you see upon entering the front door.  I love all the light the living room gets and how open it all is but it limits our options for furniture arrangements. I did add a new print on the tiny wall space that we do have in this room. I've been stalking this New York neighborhoods print at Ikea for a while now so I'm pretty excited that I found a good place to hang it.

3 cameras; 1 place

Somehow I ended up bringing 3 cameras to Lake Tahoe and I got a little snap happy.

I'm glad I did.

photos taken with Vignette (droid app), Canon Rebel & Sony Cybershot

Happy Weekend.

Twin Peaks

I heart David Lynch, but can you believe I've gone all this time without watching Twin Peaks? Thanks to Netflix streaming I was able to watch the entire series in a two week sweep. So you can imagine how happy I was when I stumbled across these buttons from the talented Jen Oaks. Perfect wit & presentation...

Interesting fact about Kyle Maclachlan...Did you know he's the mayor of Portland?

And an interesting fact about David Lynch...Did you know he has his own brand of Coffee?

And if you're jonesing for more Twin Peaks stuff, here's some blogger link love:

Design Sponge Living in: Twin Peaks

Hello Giggles 5 Things I learned from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

365 project: 12/3-12/17

Let's go back back back in time!

(Knott's Berry Farm Kingdom of the Dinosaurs voice. Do you miss this ride? I do!)

...to December 2011

Holiday mix for loved ones.

 Oma's & Melinda's Advent cookies are a real treat.

 All I want for Christmas is a kiss under the mistletoe.

Stepping out for Peter Murphy of Bauhaus with She Wants Revenge.

Dinner + drinks with friends at the Karl Strauss Brewery.

Sage sausage. Yums.

Loving my candy cane manicure. 

Big sky on the dry home.

Monochromatic love at Ikea.

Finding myself fixated on power lines + perspective.

Holiday bokeh.

Dewy sunrise. 

Kodiak cakes with blueberry compote.

Typography-inspired Valentine mantel

I don't usually decorate the house for Valentine's Day, but I found myself needing a bright pick-me-up and I literally had these things laying around...

Typography, oh how I love thee...let me count the ways...

1. The "I love you" heart print is from The Love Shop

2. I received this gorgeous illustrated card as a gift with purchase from Eva Juliet. I usually craft Mr. Poli's Valentines so I thought the card would make a cute framed print.

3. The XO were scores from the Michael's dollar bin.

4. The February print is part of a leftover letterpress calendar I purchased a couple years back from Orange Beautiful.

I spruced up the woven vases with some crafted paper hearts & tissue paper flowers. Here's to easy updates!

Do you decorate for Valentine's Day?

 Share in the comments below & include a link if you've blogged about it. I'd love to see what everyone is up to.

I carry your heart

It's officially "love" month and I'm swooning over all these lovely bits of inspiration...

click pics for links.

...And in case you're looking for a gift for a loved one, stop over at my shop. I'm offering a special edition LOVE LETTERS set of rustic garden votives.

And just for fun...my favorite fictional couple. OMG did you see this week's episode of Gossip Girl?
I won't spoil it if you haven't, but here's hoping Chuck + Blair have a Happy Valentine's.

source

xoxo