It's been ages! While I've been off working, traveling, wedding planning, kickballing, and waiting for the good weather, I've missed quite a few major events. I could just pretend like I was on top of it (oops, totally wasn't), or forget they went by altogether, but I'd rather give a quick shout-out to the lastest spring happenings.
Here are a few of the things I've missed: (let's do this oldest to newest, shall we?)
Earth Day came and went. Have you been doing your part? Photos from We Heart It, as spotted on Lavender & Lilies
Easter / Passover / the start of Spring came. Oh and the cutest bunny ever - hello, cutest bunny: Photo also found on Lavender & Lilies, from Baby Animal Photos
And now that those happenings have zoomed by, we have even more to look forward to. The St. John's/Naval Academy Croquet Match, Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, nice weather - I can't wait!
A little margarita / Mexican food combo never hurts: Photo by This Modern Romance
And don't forget to thank votre mama for all her hard work:
Today is Election Day. Get your tuckus out there and vote. It is your civic duty (and if you don't, you have no room to whine or complain when things aren't going the way you want them to).
The last time I asked for help from you all regarding home decor (remember my shell question?), I got some hard answers. Namely, don't waste my money on a giant shell if I didn't need it. And you all were so right. (I haven't bought either of the giant shell options, btw.)
Well, readers, I need your help again! This time the question pertains to my windows. I'm realllly not a curtain person - we've never had them, we don't really need them (top-floor condo, baby!), and I just don't really know how to pick them - plus we're renters.
Anyway, our living room has been feeling a little bland to me lately, and I thought some fun curtains would be a good way to bring in some color and pattern without too much effort (and without bringing in any more throw pillows - I'm still banned by B).
I saw these Augustine panels at Crate and Barrel the other day and loved the colors. The palette would work well with our current furniture and accessories, but I'm not sure if they're too flower-y/grandma-ish. Plus, I've never had curtains, so this just weirds me out a bit in general.
What do you think?
I love the close-up view:
And here's a very, very close-up view to show you the pretty palette:
But I'm just not sure about the look when zoomed out: Does it get a bit more granny chic? Because that's not the look I'm going for - at all.
So, peeps, whaddya think? Please comment with any thoughts - naughty, nice or otherwise - I really do want your feedback!
I realized the other day that this blog is getting very...product-driven. Do I love packaging? Yes, yes and yes. I am a design nerd. Am I a shopping whore? Maybe - I do love the thrill of a sale and snagging a good find. Do I buy all the stuff I show on here? No way, not even close. Usually I'm just window shopping and not actually buying anything. It's a recession, people! I'm sure you're not buying all this stuff either, right? (Though I am seriously hooking up my friends and family with continual gift ideas, so they can thank me.)
Anyway, with all that being said, do you want me to slow my roll on featuring new stuff to peruse and possibly buy? Is it a slap in the face in hard economic times? Or are you like me, and love to look at some of the cool stuff out there, even if you're not going to spend a dime on it?
Let me know...
In the meantime, here's some more schwag to eye (hey, you haven't told me to stop yet):
Aren't these Polaroid scarves cool? Available here, as spotted here.
Lovely readers, I need your help! I know most of you don't have time to comment on here regularly, but if you could take a second and give me a simple "option 1," "option 2" or "you're a crackhead - I say neither," that would be so appreciated!
Here's the conundrum:
I absolutely love Sherry and John from Young House Love, and am so impressed with how they've renovated their 50-year-old house - not to mention their awesome design skills on a budget. Ever since I saw this photo of their kitchen(below), I've been totally into their clam-shell-as-fruit-bowl. See it peeking out from the counter on the right-hand corner?
Here's a close-up: Pretty cute, right?
I don't need a fruit bowl (we already have a tiered thing-y [that's the technical term for it] that we use for fruit), but I love this clam shell dish nonetheless and am sure I could find a home for it somewhere. I even saw the exact same one on Cougar Town last night as a mail bowl in the front hall (crap, did I just admit that I was watching that show?).
So my question is this: I have a few options for buying this seashell bowl, but can't decide which way to go. I need your help!
Enter option 1: This is the exact clam shell from Sherry and John's house. It's from Z Gallerie (here) and costs $49.95. It's made of resin and it's 12" x 20". Don't mind all the filler-junk (bark, ephemera, etc.) shown in the above photo - just think about how cute it looked in the Young-House-Love-ers house.
Option 2:
Okay, admittedly, this one probably looks pretty gross because it's set up with ice and actual oysters in it. Ew.
Here's a close-up in case all the crap on the table above is too distracting: This one is from Pottery Barn (here) and was originally $139 (woah there), but is currently on sale for $99.99. Before you freak out over the exorbitant price tag for a knock-off crustacean, consider that I have an $82 credit to PB (that I haven't found anything else pertinent to use on), so that makes this shell only $18 for me. Just got a whole lot better looking, right? This one is sand cast of aluminum with a polished finish and is food safe (I'm not sure the Z Gallerie one is).
Option 3: neither. Why buy a giant shell for the home without a solid use in mind first?
So whaddya think? Option 1 - the Z Gallerie shell at 50 bucks; Option 2 - the PB shell at 12 bucks (with my credit); or Option 3 - neither, and I am pyscho for being that into shells...?
Looking forward to hearing back from you on this or any what-is-sure-to-be-entertaining commentary on my thought process and shell obsession. :) Thanks for any help!
A quick thanks to those of you who left comments yesterday after I said I missed hearing from you all (and I love that they were scattered about, and not just on that one post - it made reading them fun!). :) I know you're all really busy with life and working, but please do jot me a note once in a while if you have a moment - all kinds of thoughts accepted here, even the most random.
Hope you all have a fabulous Thursday morning; I'll be back in just a bit with more stuff for you to check out!
Morning, everyone! Might you have a few minutes to leave a comment and let me know what you think about this little blog thang? If you want more info on why I'm asking or what I want to know, click here. Otherwise, I look forward to hearing from you - I'm dying to know who you are and what you want to see!
(And more regular blog posts to come later today...)
I started this blog with one direction in mind, but now I'm not sure if these new posts have me veering off into strange waters. So, dear readers, I'd love to hear from you about this.
I know you're all super busy with work, life, preparing for the holidays, and hopefully enjoying some merriment, but in an effort to get some info from those of you stopping by, could you take a moment to leave a comment and share your thoughts?
I'd love to know who you are and what you'd like to see here on sea*life*style. Is it trends and fashion-focused posts? Stuff for the home? Silly things like grammar correction labels or how to properly load toilet paper? Or do you want baby gift ideas and green cleaning product recommendations? Do you hate it all and wish I'd only post on the comings and goings of Justin Timberlake? Or are you happy with whatever it is, as long as it gives you a five-minute break from work? Are you 15, 25, 30 or 60? Are you a man, woman, puppy or other? Do you read daily or stop by every few weeks? Or, is this your first time here? (If so, welcome!)
Please, please, pretty please share some of your thoughts with me. I would so love to hear from you.
And thank you all - for reading, for commenting, for stopping by!
Imagine that you're coming to stay in our guest room for a night or two. Welcome!
Now, would you rather stay here: (Photo originally from Domino, RIP) This sumptuous peacock wall color with white and black accents (and of course the vivid orange and white duvet cover) is so moody and glamorous!
Or here? (Photo from Apartment Therapy) This room is a bit more airy than the first, but still dramatic with the bed frame and large black-and-white photography. Recognize a certain orange duvet cover?
I know you probably wouldn't choose room #3 over the first two: Photo by me. Hmm, same duvet cover, very different room. That's right, this is our actual guest room, which clearly needs some work (and I know the frame above the bed is hung way too high).
Say it with me now: waah waah waah waaaahh (sounds like a game show let-down sound).
I was bowled over when I saw the top photo, where our funky Ikea bedspread looks so rich, and the second photo, where it looks so refined. I'm inspired to do something with our guest room (slash man cave...Brian is going to kill me).
So readers, which do you like better? Room 1 or room 2? Or neither? Any thoughts on which direction we should go with the guest room / man cave? If you leave me a comment, I'll keep you all posted on the decorative direction...
