Give it a Go

Personalized Stationery

I’ve had several instances come up in the last week where I really could have used personalized stationery. I debated purchasing standard thank you cards, monogram cards, or fully personalized cards. I searched high and low on the internet and put together some of my favorite findings. 

One thing that jumped at me is just how cutesy stationery quickly becomes. Here’s my advice when searching for your own stationery: don’t select “feminine stationery” options. In fact, select “masculine stationery” and you will find many more classic and elegant designs. 

My favorite sites to peruse were tinyprints, Minted, Papyrus, and Paper Source.

Ever the budget-conscious shopper, I stuck to Vistaprint. Even though this route may not be as quick to use as Minted, a little extra time can still produce cards that are simple and elegant. I found that Vistaprint takes much longer to sift through designs, but I am very happy with my final result.

Hope you enjoy!

Long Beach Flea Market

Perfect Sunday = Dragging the boyfriend to a flea market so you have someone to carry your goodies.

We both had fun and snapped photos of our favorite finds. Not necessarily purchases, but finds nonetheless. 

HIS TOP 3:

 railroad lantern

extinguishers as coffee table base

railroad locks

HER TOP 3:

rawr

 microscope and fan

finished with a dorky pic on the beach…

Jane Aldridge Apartment

Even though it doesn’t look 100% finished, I am coveting her new apartment all up and down. See her blog at seaofshoes. 

If I had Pinterest, I would be starting a collection based off of this right now.

Recent Reads

A few highlights from recent blogs and mags I’ve been reading this week…

1. The Jackie Astier dining room in Elle Decor. I love the glossy walls and peacock blue chair upholstery! Yum

2. Temo Callahan’s interview in House Beautiful. I was giggling at his every answer! Favorite quote:

“HB: Those pajamas-let’s be honest. You sleep in them?

TC: Okay, I bought them for the shoot. Otherwise, you might have pulled back the sheets to find me wearing a smile.”

3. Judy Aldridge’s (Atlantis Home) new dining room set is scrumptious. No surprise there. That family drips with fierce style. 

Table Lamp Crushes

I work at a lamp manufacturing company and some days I feel like I’ve seen it all. It’s days like these that I like to peruse Lamps Plus for inspiration. Today, I loved the following table lamps…

Craving Some Wild Things

I find panther/leopard use in homes to be tacky 97% of the time. I think I could, just maybe, pull it off though. This week I’m craving large scale, black and bronze wildcat action. How delicious would it be to have a bronze tiger coffee table base? A panther, leopard, or cougar would also do, but a tiger screams grrrr to me. Can’t you picture it? Combine the two pictures below and just close your eyes for a bit.

Obviously, this table would only work in a lush, 1970s glam rock living room. A girl can dream though…

Karly Hand at Design Crisis gets the closest to my dream table. Props to her creativity! After finding this black panther table base on Craigslist, she painted it metallic gold.

Some other photo inspirations:

His - Valentine Gift Guide

Not to be overlooked, a manly man’s gift guide for Valentines…

Hers - Valentine Gift Guide

Scrumptious Ideas for your Valentine Shopping….

Sensual and Authentic Candles

I’m on the hunt for candles that don’t smell like your standard candle. I’m not a “Yankee Candle” kind of a gal. I like mine to smell like earth: musky, warm, and real. I can quickly rule out anything smelling like cookies, white floral, or fruit. Same with generic vanilla and ocean scents.

Tokyo Milk candles at Anthropologie are a good start. However, I just know that there is something better out there. After trolling the internet, I found Manifest Destiny. 

How perfect are these?!

Hunter’s Reign: bourbon, moss, leather, pouch tobacco

Ruins: cedar & birch smoke, night blooming jasmine

Vintage Velvet: amber, cognac

Now that I know what appeals to me, I’m ready for a full-on weekend of scent sniffing at LA boutiques. All I have left to figure out is who I’m dragging along…

Masculine Anthropologie Bedroom

I was brainstorming with my boyfriend on how he could decorate his studio apartment. We both came to an “ethnic textured” aesthetic that would reflect his travels. I’m calling this Masculine Anthropologie.

The bedroom is casual, organic, and cohesive. It’s something I (a diehard girly-girl) would also feel comfortable in.

How would you change this? Thoughts?