Inspired by // A Merry Mishap

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Do you follow A Merry Mishap's blog? Not only does Jennifer make awesome jewelry, but her blog and instagram feed are both daily inspiration. Her home is filled with bright whites and bits of contrasting black. It's just lovely. Who are your favorite instagramers + bloggers? 

shop update // driftwood lamps

We have two driftwood lamps in the shop (something we don't usually have stocked). The driftwood is from our most recent trip to The Sierras. I really love both of them, but am especially fond of the first one. You can take a peek at the listings here and here.

chiced / 6

We went to the swap meet today. It was a gorgeous day, we enjoyed lunch, and found a lot of things that were on our list. That is the key to shopping at swap meets or thrift stores: a well thought out list. Without a list, you are likely to get things that you don't need or have the money for. No matter where you're shopping, you'll probably find something awesome. But be honest, do you need it? Have you been wanting it for more than a few weeks? All of these items that we picked up today are things that we have been wanting for the house or that I need for a wedding that I'm helping out with in August. What did you do this weekend? Do you ever go to the swap meet?

greetings from palm springs

We are really enjoying our weekend getaway! Poolside food and drinks, live DJs, an amazing room, but most importantly, being together and away from work. This trip has been such a blessing! What did you do this Memorial Day weekend? BBQs? Enjoy the beach or a bike ride?

I'm truly grateful for what Memorial Day really means: celebrating men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Someone in our life specifically is our brother-in-law, Danny. Danny, we love you and are so proud of everything you do; not only for Kaleigh and Mary Jane, but for us and our country. You are in amazing man and we are proud to have you apart of our family.


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....As a last note, here are some randoms from around the web:

Jesse and Becky took some photos of the lovely Jessica Packard (and her cute little Bella). They also interviewed her. See it all here.

You definitely want to keep up with what Doug and Beca are doing. There's always something awesome happening in their home/ studio.

Rachel made a super cute outdoor mobile (I'm all about outdoor furniture and decor right now).

Speaking of outdoor furniture, how great is this handcrafted rocking chair?

home inspiration / house plants

I have a few house plants around our loft and no matter where they are, I feel like that space looks 10Xs etter! Even when I move them into the kitchen for watering, I think my kitchen instantly looks alive. I definitely plan on getting more, but I was extremely inspired when I found these photos. It's the home of designers Bonnie Ashley and Neil Downie of Bonnie and Neil. They design amazing home products, so of course their home is adorable. I love the draping plants displayed in their gorgeous shadow boxes. Such a great way to liven up a wall (literally).

Home tour via The Design Files

Photography by Armelle Habib

chic.ed // 2

"So, what's with this whole chiced series?" you may be thinking. It's kind of like this: "Look, I chiced it!" Yes, I know I just made up a word, but let's just go with it, ok?

Remember this post? No? Well, I can't blame you. It's one of those projects that I really wanted to happen, but it never did. Until yesterday. My original idea was to handmake the flowers myself. That would mean going out and deciding on fabric, then designing the flowers and putting it all together. That's what usually stops me from getting my endless list of projects accomplished (besides the obvious, that the list never ends). I usually choose the most time consuming process. Yesterday, I just decided to get it done. It wasn't that hard:

1. I already had the mounted antlers. I got them from Tumbleweed's Odd Shop when Doug and Beca (and their furry babies) still lived in San Diego.

2. I bought the flowers at Michael's instead of waiting to make them. I didn't let myself even look at the one's at regular price- only the ones on sale (which is a lot right now).

3. As soon as I got home, I immediately got to work. This was the key to my last chic.ed project. Do it right away! How many times have you gone to the craft store to buy all of your materials, but didn't do it when you got home? When you don't get to it right away, what happens? It stays in that plastic shopping bag (receipt and all) or becomes a small pile (which we see as more clutter or mess). This bag or pile is either sitting out, haunting you every time you walk by it or by now you've stashed it up in the closet because it's been so long.

There you have it. All of that wasn't difficult, it wasn't expensive, and now I can cross this pretty project off my list. (except for the part of where to put it.)

loft inspiration // living room

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Here's a little inspiration round up for our living room. I'm noticing a trend in our decorating ideas: grays, white, and black with touches of metallic. I want that scheme in every corner of the house. I'll make sure to add a little more color here and there so that we don't get sick of too fast. We are both so excited to move and start setting up our house, but I need to actually get the house packed up before that happens.

I'm hoping to have a really productive packing/ cleaning day today! Later tonight, we're seeing The Howls at The Casbah. It's their CD release show, so it should be fun! We also have an engagement shoot this weekend and a birthday gathering. Needless to say, it's going to be pretty busy around here. What are your plans this weekend?

inspired.

I keep telling Philip that I want some sort of deer head mounted in our next place and that I want to make paper flowers to go with it. (The thought probably came from seeing this.) Now, after seeing both of these pictures, I'm positive that it will happen.

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all in the details // christmas (part 1)

Here's our entryway as of last night. It was the final touches on our Christmas decor. I will share the rest of the house as soon as I get a moment to take decent pictures.


Francine practically lives in this window. She loves that white blanket and being up high, away from Patrick. Also, when I pick up the blankt to de-fur it, she follows me until I put it back. She's obsessed.

it's here!

The fab sale started this morning on Philip's lamps! Most of the book lamps sold out immediately. [I think there's one style left if you're interested ;) ] If you aren't signed up for Fab, you can do it here. It's free, but you have to be a member to see their sales.

Also, Philip got his website up and running this week (yay!). I'm really proud of how hard he's been working to get all of this done. Let me tell you, he deserve's a break!

Now on a random note, here are some things I'm loving from around the web:

Krista threw the most glamorous party for her "littlest sister's" big 13! Seriously, UH-mazing!!! A big happy birthday, to Kameryn (who look absolutely fabulous in her Anthro ensemble)! ...what's even better? Krista is sharing the DIYs from the party :)

Rachel from Smile and Wave has a new-ish series on her blog called Home Sweet Home where she shares pictures of some very beautiful homes. I loved this picture from her latest post.

I kind of have a crush on Moorea-Seal (I mean, did you see her cute nails this week?!). I always enjoy reading her blog (she's always really honest which I appreciate) and her Etsy shop always has wonderful something's in it. I'm currenty loving both of these pieces.

Hope you enjoyed your Friday so far. I'm getting back to making more lamps (because that's our life now) :)

pinterest picks // pretty closet inspiration

One of the things on our house project list is a more organized and pretty closet. As of now, it is crammed with too many clothes (there are more Goodwill trips in our future). We don't have enough space for a decent sized laundry hamper, shoes, or purses. Also, our poorly designed closet doesn't open all the way, so there's a middle section where dresses and coats get forgotten (so sad, I know). I've rounded up a few ideas for an organized closet (all from this pinboard):

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Our first plan is to build a garment rack for my dresses and coats. They take up lots of space in our little closet and I would definitely wear them more if I saw them. Also, who doesn't like seeing their dresses all displayed together?

If you are using an exposed rack of sorts as a closet, sometimes it can look a little bare or random on a big wall or in a big room. You can always hang clippings, framed pictures, numbers or words around or above it to section it off as it's own space.

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Huge mirrors propped against the wall: they always look awesome, right? The mirror makes your space feel larger (never bad for a closet) and (duh) you need a mirror when you're trying on clothes.

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A fun way to store your shoes is by not storing them (wha?). Shoes are pretty and make us feel pretty (well, mine do). It's for that reason that they should be displayed. Shelves, ladders, mounted crates, neatly on the floor, or on fancy armoires- get creative.

prints.

Here's some prints that I want desperately for our home from three different artists.

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These first three are from Lizzy Stewart. I really like the colors she uses and all of the pretty details in each piece.

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These prints are by Jon Contino. I could see all of these hanging above Philip's work space (one day, when we get around to making him one).

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These three prints are by Emily Martin aka The Black Apple. I have a few prints from her shop and just adore them. There's something about her work that is haunting, but innocent all at the same time.

life lately.

Most of our days involve some of the following: cutting wire, staining handles, cutting out the insides of books, soldering, buying drill presses, doing photo shoots, building websites, and wishing we were sleeping more. It's been busy, but the end results have been worth it.

All of Philip's lamps are turning out beautifully. In a few weeks, he will be selling them through fab. It's so exciting, but lots of work. Guess what? When it's over, we're taking a few days off to relax. We haven't decided what exactly, but have discussed a few things: staying in a fancy hotel, riding bikes on Coronado, getting massages, eating out every night, seeing a few movies, or maybe a little shopping...and we can't forget: sleeping in.

my dream patio.

Isn't it gorgeous?! I fell in love with everything about this patio the instant that I saw it. The color pallet, the chairs, cushions, materials, everything. The best part about it: Jaime did it all herself or found very affordable pieces for this project. She lists the sources here.

the entry way finished.

So I joined Project ReStyle a while back, but haven't posted anything yet. This was a group created by Elsie and Rachel (it was actually Rachel's New Year's Resolution).

"One of the big purposes of the group is that it encourages green living and is budget friendly. You can use items from your own closet/ attic that you no longer love, thrifted finds, or hand-me-downs."

Technically, I didn't revamp the ladder or shutters (besides the good spray wash they got), but I gave them a new purpose. If not, they would have just been tossed. Also, I forgot to take a 'before' shot of the entry way, but I'll do a better job at sharing my next project, ok?

Each step is like a shelf for displaying something. I wanted to have lots of wood and metals mixed together for that rustic feel:

Before, we had a small table here. It was getting really cluttered and the drawer was full of junk. This is why I decided to spruce it up a bit. The entry way needed to remain functional. When we come home, the first thing we do is hang up our keys, drop the mail somewhere, ditch the sunglasses, and hang my purse. I mounted the key rack above the ladder for keys and sunglasses. The shutter (shown in the first set of pictures) is somewhere to put mail. We have a rack mounted on the wall opposite of this one for purses, coats and hats.

I have a few owls that I started collecting around the house. When I worked at Starbucks, one of my sweet customers found out about my collection and slowly gave me hers! She had so many beautiful vintage owl pieces (decor and jewelry)! I always think of her and her son when I see these little guys all over our house.

You can read more about Project ReStyle and "pledge" here. You can see more projects shared in the Flickr group here.

I was planning on posting a giveaway today, but didn't have time. It should be up tomorrow!