help + phillip lim for target

 :: H E L P ::

Friends, I need your help!  I have been working diligently on our living room, and I am so happy with the fabrics I've found to round out the space.  Except...this beautiful navy and white pattern.  I broke the cardinal rule and fell in love with this fabric without looking at the price.  Needless to say, I have been on the hunt for a similar fabric for the better part of the week, and I am hoping someone out there can help.  I don't need much (only about 2 yds), but since I will be attempting a DIY with the fabric, I want the price point to be one that won't be too painful if I mess up.  Anyone out there have a good fabric source?  Or have a couple yards of this stuff lying around?

john robshaw for duralee bindi fabric

:: P H I L I P  L I M  F O R  T A R G E T ::

In other news, thanks to my friend TB for letting me in on the Philip Lim for Target event starting Sunday.  I had heard rumblings about this way back when I was studying for the bar, but it completely slipped my mind until yesterday when T reminded me that it was this weekend!  While I can't say I am enough of a die hard to shop online at midnight (and certainly not die hard enough to line up at the store before the doors open), I do think there are some pretty great pieces coming out.  Although I've been disappointed by Target collaborations in the past, don't be shocked if you see me at Target on Sunday (during normal daylight hours) checking this one out.  And, just to get you all inspired, here are a few of my favorites from the look book.  

Anything you have your eye on?  

Happy Friday!

xo,

house updates

In the past few weeks, I have finished unpacking (most) of the boxes that have been lingering around our house, and I have started attempting small house projects.  We have decided to hold off a while longer on any major changes to the house, but in the meantime, I am working on little ways to make the space feel more lived in and personal, despite a few empty rooms here and there.  

nothing like fresh flowers, framed map prints, and a gold tray to give a little life to an entry

I can't claim to be a true DIY pro yet, but I am pretty proud of my work with a little black spray paint

We will add a little height when we actually fill out planters, but I was super excited to find these in the clearance section at target.  The before picture shows the old brass lanterns that flanked the door on the day our roof was redone (sorry for the poor quality photo- this was the only picture I had of the front of our house before)

Next up: new paint and maybe a few pieces of furniture for our living room.  

Hope you enjoyed a little peek into the new space.

xo,

PS: I'm not sure why the caption on the gallery wall photo is in all caps?  Please let me know if you see other format issues when you open in your browser or device.  Thanks!

weekend surprises

Happy Monday!  Will you judge me if I say I am a little relieved Monday is here?  I think it's because Monday brings a little certainty to my life.  I know when my classes are, when my appointments are, and how I will spend most hours of the day.  And, while I always enjoy weekends at home, this one brought a few unexpected surprises that have added to the "to do" list.  Here is a quick recap:

Mac had an allergic reaction to something.  We are not sure what it is, but he is doing much, much better. SO, after too many hours at the vet and too much $$$, we have:

lots of medicine and a VERY drugged pup...yes he is about to fall asleep with his head on top of his toys.

With a sleepy, sleepy puppy we had some extra time and Josh was sweet enough to hang some pressed hydrangeas in our dining room for me.  Lauren Lachance does beautiful flower pressings, and knowing how much I love them, Josh replicated them for me with flowers he got in Cashiers, NC.  He did a set and they go perfectly on either side of our dining room windows.  That's right, he picked the flowers, pressed the flowers, framed the flowers, and hung the flowers..multitalented hubby alert!

a little competition for lauren lachance...

We also managed to finishing unpacking from Christmas Break.  BUT, have you all heard of the "make me move" function on zillow?  Basically, you list your house at the price it would take for someone to make you move out tomorrow.  Josh listed our house with a "make me move" price just to see what would happen and someone contacted us!  (I can't believe this happens often...maybe it does, but I just can't imagine there are that many people out there "making people move" on a regular basis.)  Anyway, the potential buyer is coming to see our house this week...so we busted out some more boxes and starting packing extraneous things up.  While it's not a pretty packing job we are showing the house in less the 48 hours and might be making a move...soon...  CRAZY!

just a quick peel at the mess we made in our "quick roundup" of stuff in the kitchen...where did all of this come from!?

Last but not least I have to share this picture from a friend's birthday dinner earlier in the week.  We all went to a Japanese steak-house to celebrate with her.  BUT, as you can see, she is so popular we had to sit at multiple tables...four to be exact.  Feeling extra thankful for great friends today!

friends celebrating dania

How was your weekend?  Fabulous I hope!

xo,

thankful for christmas break

I have been so off my proposed blogging schedule with the holidays!  So, today I am bringing back the original "thankful thursday" idea.  While I enjoy these posts, I sometimes think that they are a little self-indulgent (sort of like the highlights of 2012 post from earlier this week.)  I do hope they inspire you to think about the things in your life that you are thankful for- from family supper times to small things like a favorite fruit being in season.

Today I am thankful for my last Christmas break as a student!  There is something so wonderful about the school schedule- work hard for 15 weeks followed by a 3 week break.  And let me tell you, we packed LOTS into a three week break...

One of my favorite things about Christmas is seeing the old houses in my childhood neighborhood decorated.  There are lights on most houses and people strategically place their trees so the lights twinkle through the windows each night.  I think one day I might make a coffee table book with images of Christmas trees through windows at night...something about it make me so happy.  

I love being home and shopping in our little neighborhoods.  San Marco, just across the river, goes all out and has a beautiful Christmas tree in the middle of the neighborhood, wreaths on every door, and great shops full of gifts for everyone.  While some cities can boast better shopping, I do love our little boutiques and restaurants tucked right into the neighborhood.

A newer tradition has been to bake sugar cookies with my nieces and nephews.  This year we made more than 200!  It was so fun to see them get excited about how to decorate each cookie, concentrate hard for a minute on the decorating, and then just dump the sprinkles over the top of the cookie.  I think the idea was the more sugar the better!

As I mentioned here, Christmas Eve is one of my favorite holiday traditions.  We usually eat dinner with our extended "Cuban family" and we have piles of authentic black beans and rice, pulled pork, plantains, and flan.  After dinner we head to midnight services and struggle to stay away through a candlelight version of silent night with our FULL bellies.  

Christmas morning is full of more food with egg casserole, broiled grapefruit, and sweet rolls.  After we have all opened our stockings, we usually take a break to enjoy one of our favorite meals of the year.  Afterwards (and with full bellies again) we make our way back to the tree to exchange gifts.

This break was a wonderful chance to spend some quality time with the pup.  After weeks of exams and studying I think he had forgotten who I was!  We had a great time throwing the ball in a yard big enough to really run and letting him play with his "cousin" Chester.

One of my goals for this break was to learn to sew pillow covers.  Luckily for me, my mom is a sewing whiz and she helped me whip up new pillow covers for our couch.  Check back soon for a "how to" post on making these super easy pillows...and maybe even a giveaway?!

 

Most important this break was the chance to relax!  While our time at home is always packed full of family and friends (which we LOVE) it is also nice to have a little down time and just do nothing.  This picture is my "calm before the storm."  It was taken on Christmas Eve before dinner and church. The presents are wrapped, the cooking is done, and there is nothing to do but lay in the hammock and enjoy some sweet, sweet down time.  

xo,

2013 goals

Happy New Year!  I hope you had a fabulous night ringing in 2013!  We had a great time over dinner with some friends and a very low-key champagne toast at midnight.

For many people waking up today, resolutions are running through their head.  For some it is a vow to be healthier, to workout more, or to eat less of something.  For others, it is a vow to be kinder, to volunteer more, or to spend more time with family and friends.  While I can appreciate all of these (and actually hope to incorporate many of them into my life in 2013) there is something about the word resolution that seems overwhelming to me.  I think it is because the word resolution conjures up images of deprivation and immediate, all or nothing, change.

So, in 2013 I am not making resolutions.  I am, however, setting goals for myself.  I think the idea of setting a goal lends itself to the mindset that you can work towards it in baby steps - much less overwhelming to me.  While these goals are not immediate, overnight changes, I do think they will be helpful to keep in mind as I move into my final semester of school, take the bar exam, move from North Carolina and (hopefully) start a new job in 2013.  With all these changes on the horizon, here are a few more I hope to make...

1. Spend some quiet time each day.  

2. Learn a new skill.  I'm thinking needlepoint...maybe new Christmas stockings?

3. Drink more water... and maybe less coke.

4. Eat more of this...

5. And these.

6. Use more of these- but in moderation so I don't get hurt.  Tarheel 10 miler anyone?

What about you?  Did you make any resolutions (or goals!) for 2013?

xo,

advent calendars

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is having an advent calendar.  There is something about the anticipation and excitement as each day builds to Christmas that has always appealed to me.  I guess the saying that "anticipation is often greater than participation" really does apply to yours truly.

Growing up, our family advent calendar was a "Noah's Ark" theme.  Each day we would open the door to the ark and pull out the animals, two by two, and line them up.  It was simple and beautiful and something we looked forward to all year long.

via 

When Josh and I got married, we searched for the perfect advent calendar for our tiny house.  We didn't have much surface space, so a "Noah's Ark" wouldn't work, but we did find a calendar that can hang on the wall.  While it does leave something to be desired, the anticipation and reminder that Christmas is coming is never lacking.  

While I love my Christmas tree advent calendar, I am always on the search for a new one and this year I have seen so many different options that I love!  BUT, my very favorite (and one I would like to use in the future) requires a little more work on the front end...

Step 1: buy or make 24 tags.  

via

Step 2: write a different treat or activity on each tag

Some of my favorite ideas include:

 "eat donuts for breakfast" 

"go look at Christmas lights"

"take a gift to a neighbor"

via

Step 3: create an advent calendar display

The tags could be displayed on a cork board, hanging over a mantle, hanging from a miniature Christmas tree, or even just in a display that has pre-made pockets.

via

Step 4: get excited for Christmas!

via

What do you think?  Am I crafty enough to make this happen?  Do you have any favorite advent calendar activities?

xo,

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