July 19th, 2011
{Floating vase (tutorial here): perfect for kittens that love flowers}
Since I’ve shown glimpses of nearly all of the rooms in my place (like my closet, guest room, office and living room), I decided to snap a few photographs of my kitchen yesterday before preparing dinner. I spend an inordinate amount of time in there and wanted to create a space that I truly loved. It’s become the center of our place, both literally and figuratively – where guests come for a glass of wine and where my fiancé and I prepare meals while listening to music. I tried to take into account all the elements that would make for an aesthetically pleasing, yet functional, space and here are some of the things I’ve implemented since we moved in.
{View from the dining room}
{Anthropologie bowls make fruit more appealing}
{Knives kept on the wall save counter space and look industrial}
{A chalkboard that’s perfect for leaving notes}
{Hanging pans fill an empty space over the stove}
{Squeeze bottles filled with olive oil and grape seed oil + different salts}
{Ikea canisters that hold a variety of tools}
{An iPod dock for playing music while cooking or cleaning}
July 18th, 2011
Forever 21 Hat, Marc by Marc Jacobs Sunglasses, Zara Top, 7 for all Mankind Jeans, Jeffrey Campbell Wedges, Orly ‘Frisky’ Nailpolish
The best weekends are the ones that feel indulgent – filled with all of my favorite people, foods, and activities all wrapped up into a relaxing couple of days. We took advantage of the nearly empty city by trying out restaurants that normally require reservations (and a significant amount of time in the car) and decided that we much prefer L.A. when it allows for such spontaneity.
July 15th, 2011
{White floral candles are my favorite for summer}
This weekend in L.A. has been deemed “Carmageddon,” which refers to the hysteria surrounding the temporary closure of the 405 freeway.* Apparently it’s a pretty big deal around here, so we’re planning on avoiding the car altogether. Since L.A. is such a spread out city that doesn’t usually have that cohesive, neighborhoody feel, it’s fun to see how a little construction can shift everyone’s outlook. We’ve been invited to a block party, we’re walking to breakfast on Sunday and hope to discover some of our neighborhood’s hidden gems that we’d normally miss while driving. And in the meantime, here are five things currently making me happy.
{Testing out buttercream recipes for my book – this one’s in the lead}
{New reading glasses c/o of Elizabeth and James}
{New addition to the breakfast table – vintage peacock creamer}
{A chic standing fan that doesn’t need to be hidden when not in use}
*True (embarrassing) story: When I saw Armageddon in the theater as a teenager (don’t judge), my girlfriends and I were sobbing so hard that the usher came to see if we were okay.
July 14th, 2011
Vintage Scarf, Marc by Marc Jacobs Sunglasses, Urban Outfitters Top, Theory Shorts, Coach Bag, Steve Madden Pumps
Yesterday morning was so gloomy that even the brightest pieces in my closet seemed overly cheery and saccharine. I stuck to an all-black ensemble, with a few patterned pieces, that kept it from feeling too drab. And while these pictures don’t do them justice, I love these tortoiseshell glasses I found this past weekend that are the exact balance of round-meets-oversized frames I’ve been looking for all summer.
