My Cozy Corner

Lately it has been raining in California and nothing makes for a better rainy day than curling up with a great book in a comfy spot. Between my bathtub, our bed and my latest cozy corner I've been relishing in the time I have been able to spend quietly reading some wonderful books.

My sister recently moved and has generously "loaned" me this beautiful vintage leather chair that she found a couple of years ago at a local consignment shop. I've always loved this chair and I have to admit that not only does it fit as if it were made for our bedroom it seamlessly blends with our dark furniture and bright white linens.

The tufted curved back of the chair and the slopped crescent shaped ottoman give this chair its charm and character. Paired with a pillow from Target and a Pottery Barn throw we've had for ages the combination of textures and the inversion of the colors on our bed make this chair come alive in its cozy little corner. 

A simple side table with a white top and artistically shaped dark base provide the finishing touches and practical working space for my new favorite nook. And, yes I am writing this post while comfortably curled in my chair. 

xo, 

Love. Love. Love.

In 7th Grade we had to select a single word to write a research report on, I chose love. It's no secret to those in my life that this word and all that it carries with it plays an integral part of my daily life. I learned through a tragedy very early on how exceedingly important it is to love those you hold close to your heart, to tell them so unabashedly and often and to never miss an opportunity to say, "I love you!"

To know love and to be able to give and demonstrate love to others is one of life's greatest riches. 

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and I was truly spoiled. I spent the day with friends whom I love and my girlfriend and I enjoyed a beautiful dinner at our house made by our boys. We're both incredibly lucky as the boys are exceptional in the kitchen!

 

I was so excited for our evening together! Our place settings were simple but festive, red place mats with red and white seersucker napkins...

The flowers were two of my favorites, white hydrangeas and delicate light pink roses, surrounded by candles...

It was a perfect evening!

A stunning reminder of the incredible amount of love in my life and how grateful I am for those whose friendships and presence enrich my life on a daily basis. 

With love, 

In the Box!

Some things are more difficult than others to organize.

:: One Hot Mess ::

For me I've always struggled to keep my bras, socks and hanky panky's well organized in a way that they can easily stay like that. When I designed my closet I didn't want to have drawers because I wanted to see my clothes! But, I did want to have daily items easily accessible and organized of course. I found these great crates at The Container Store and I have to say I am in love with how they keep me organized while also allowing me to easily access everything.

:: All Together Now ::

:: The Light & Bright Ones ::

:: On the Shelves ::

:: All Tucked Away ::

Whatever the project may it's always important to keep an open mind about the organization process and how things ultimately come together. It took me a while to figure out what would work best for me. A lot of times it comes down to just trying something, rearranging it, moving it or thinking a little outside of the box :) Or in this case thinking and keeping it in the box!

xo, 

Tidying Up!

I may not be able to cook very well but I can clean like it's no body's business...I love to clean! Maybe it's my OCD, maybe it's that it's always been oddly calming for me, whatever the case may be I really love to not just make things clean but organized too!

All of my nail polish is in a drawer organized in stackable plastic bins by color...

 The funny thing is I don't really care what I'm cleaning, it's the act of taking something dirty or disorganized or both and being able to make it neat, tidy and fresh that makes me satisfied.

My "daily" drawer has all of my essentials...I used small mercury glass votives from Pottery Barn to separate and organize my hair ties, bobby pins and hair clips...

I washed my face the other evening, and happened to have been wearing make-up. You would think I would wear makeup far more often than I actually do, but typically I go sans makeup. I've been using Dermalogica's pre-clense for years to take off my makeup, and like any other evening I used it to wash my face. I finished washing my face and didn't bother to wipe the counter clean (I thought it was just water) and so I went to bed, only to awake to multiple dark stains on my pretty gray granite!!!

My pre-clense was the culprit but it made me realize that I also need to be careful with my Moroccan Oil as well...

Thanks to Pinterest and Google I quickly learned that the best way to remove an oil stain from granite is to make a pumice out of acetone and baking soda. I know this sounds crazy, but let me tell you it really works. I should know, because while attempting to clean the original stains I managed to stain my counter three more times. So let me just tell you, I've really put this one to the test.

My life savers!

Many tutorials advise against using nail polish remover as it may not be pure acetone. This one happens to be pretty pure and worked well for me. After allowing the mixture to sit it would sometimes look darker than before so I simply covered it in a pile of dry baking soda and allowed it sit and it pulled up the stain and whatever remained EVERY time. 

Hope this might help you too!

xo, 

An Afternoon of Fun

My "gay husband" produces events around the world for some really incredible clients. At a recent event with Anthropology they had the adorable activity of creating miniature succulent gardens that guests were able to create and then take home. If you follow me on Instagram you know I'm just about useless in the garden, but I've always thought succulents were cute, and I've always been drawn to their varying textures and colors. Not to mention my GH told me they are nearly indestructible. 

What we began with...

We've been talking about creating some miniature gardens of our own for several weeks now and just hadn't found the time. As time went on we decided this would be the perfect activity to surprise my mom with as she loves gardening and I knew this was something she's never done before! And so on an unassuming Tuesday, with what my mom thought was a BBQ dinner at our home my GH came and surprised her with this little project. 

First step, make sure you have good drainage...

Add soil nearly to the top...

Make sure to get the proper type of soil, a mixture made especially for cacti, succulents and desert plants will make your succulents happy little plants. 

Be creative and have fun as you plant your micro-garden!

 GH helps Mom to neatly pack her gravel...

Use the remaining gravel to fill in the gaps between your succulents.

Make sure to give your new garden a hydrated start...

The succulents will only require a few teaspoons of water a couple of times a week! Check the texture of the leaves to know if your plants are thirsty, they'll loose their firmness when they need water. 

My boy and I were great helpers throughout the process! 

 Hope you enjoy!

xo, 

Pink!

Who doesn't love a little freshening up, especially with Spring right around the corner. There's something about this time of year that makes me loves reorganizing, tidying things up and making changes. I recently decided that I wanted a touch of delicate pink in my life and now I just have to decide which lovely shade of pink suits me best. I've narrowed it down to a few...

:: pouf of pink ::

:: sweet memories ::

:: rose hips ::

:: calique ::

:: rose point ::

:: spring rose ::

:: her majesty ::

Any favorites?

xo, 

:: Memories :: Traditions :: Love ::

Slowly, incredibly slowly, things are beginning to come together. One space that makes me smile and that I see and walk past nearly all day long is the entrance to our master suite. 

My favorite painting "The Depth of Peace" & a beautiful vintage bottle adorn the entrance and serve as daily reminders of peace, tradition & love 

I delight in the hidden symbolism of these objects and enjoy how this space combines old and new. It is a reflection of our personal style, a reminder of love and honors my childhood memories and traditions.    

Everyday as I walk past, I smile and think of Grampsie

Growing up my Gran and Grampsie always had a beautiful ceramic vase, more sculpture than vase, that sat at the end of the hall by the entrance to their bedroom. As little girls my sister and I would take turns dropping coins into the vase. We were told it was our "college fund" and so we delighted in adding to it. My Grampsie however was the primary donor as he would empty his spare pocket change daily before entering into their bedroom. The vase of my childhood remains at the end of my Gran's hallway, but since my Grampsie is no longer with us I don't think it's been contributed to in quite some time.  

From the Rocky Mountain Water Company I was drawn to the texture and design of this bottle

 My husband and I love tradition and it's important to both of us to carry on and continue those of our families but also to create new ones of our own. I love seeing this old glass bottle with coins whenever I walk by. While it may not be the stunning ceramic piece of my childhood, it's vintage flair is mine and my husband's modern day adaptation of this memorable and very special childhood tradition. I love passing by and look forward to filling and refilling this bottle many times in the years to come.  

Do you have any favorite traditions?

xo, 

I ❤ You a Latte!

When I was very young, probably around six, my Grandma introduced me to café lattes. They were her morning drink of choice and so naturally I had to drink them too. Not only did I drink them but I really enjoyed them and we could frequently be found sipping our morning lattes and watching Captain Kangaroo. A few years later my Grandma's latte habit and mine as well gave way to tea and I really did not begin drinking lattes again until I was in college. 

:: Captain Kangaroo & Mr. Green Jeans ::

For the last five years or so I would have a latte a few times a week but I was never one of those people who ran to Starbucks or Peete's every morning. My mom on the other hand is another story. She had actually never had a latte or any form of coffee up until a few months ago, but one day I made her take a sip of my venti, half soy, half non-fat latte and low and behold she liked it. What I never anticipated however was that I had just created a monster. My momma literally in a matter of weeks went from never having touched coffee or espresso to easily drinking a latte and sometimes two daily! Needless to say as her Starbucks consumption increased so did mine as she would often grab one for me while ordering hers :) 

:: nom nom nom nom nom ::

Up until a bit ago our little Starbucks habit was a bit pricey but I figured what the hell. I've always had the Gold card from Starbucks and so we never paid for the additional soy. When Starbucks revamped their rewards program they got rid of free soy and so instead of  $7.70 a day for lattes, my mom and I now found ourselves paying $8.90 and that's if we only had one latte per day. Needless to say this price hike didn't keep us from our coffee but it did make us think long and hard about other viable options.

:: meet Miele - our new best friend ::

After some preliminary research we decided on this puppy and we've already fallen in love. I purchased espresso and soy milk from Starbucks as I needed to ensure that I would be able to replicate our drinks or really what's the point? One of the main reasons we selected this machine is because it allows you to customize everything from the temperature of your coffee or espresso, to the brew strength as well as the portion size of the shots and coffee. Not only is it a breeze to use, but it makes exceptional espresso, coffee, fluffy steamed milk and it cleans itself! We've only had our Miele for a little over a day but I'm not going to lie, I think it's going to be really hard to go back to Starbucks when I'm now able to enjoy my lattes in my PJ's before I even shower! I've also found that since it's so convenient I don't think twice about making myself an afternoon latte! 

:: you know I love to accessorize and our new coffee bar is no exception ::

:: I came across these adorable containers and knew they would be perfect ::

I'm also really excited to be able to make coffee for people when we entertain as I've never owned a coffee maker or known how to make coffee :) 

Do you have a guilty pleasure? What's your favorite drink? I'm always intrigued by what other's drink, half the time I have no clue what they're ordering! 

xo, 

A Hawaiian Dee Lite!

Hawaii has always been a very special place for my family and I. Since before I was able to walk the Hawaiian Islands have been like second home. Some of my fondest childhood memories are with my Gran and Gramps on Oahu, particularly with my Grampsie eating Guava cake! 

A light whipped cream frosting and Guava jelly top this delicate and delicious cake, and it's PINK!

My Grampsie passed away from pancreatic cancer five years ago, from the time he was diagnosed to the day he passed away it was only six short weeks. The one thing I tried to get him before he died was Guava cake from the Dee Lite Bakery on Oahu. I told them I would pay them anything, send a courier etc, but they refused to help. I'm a very determined person and rarely do I encounter a task that I am unable to accomplish. This remains one of my greatest defeats. I have not had this delicious cake in over five years! This week a dear friend came from Hawaii to visit and she hand carried a Guava cake from Dee Lite Bakery and SURPRISED me! Just short of getting engaged this has been one of the best surprises of my entire life!

This cake is SO SO light and fluffy, made with Guava puree it is truly my FAVORITE cake & I'm not a cake person at ALL! 

Bitter sweet none the less because while the cake is every bit as sinfully delicious as I remember it to be it was also the first time I enjoyed this delectable treat without my sweet Grampsie by my side. I literally cried while I cut the first piece. I've slowly been eating my way through the entire cake and now only a single piece remains. I know it is silly and won't change that my Grampsie is no longer with me but there is a part of me that feels guilty about eating the last piece without him. :(