House Beautiful

Monthly Archive for July, 2013

Page 5 of 6

Holiday Staycation

Published on July 8, 2013 in Deals & Steals, Decor, Design Projects, Fashion, Gus and Holiday. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

THIS is what it looked like in Columbus for the long 4th of July weekend.  Mmm hmm.

Which meant no basking by the pool (sniff)…  no sunny BBQ’s (double sniff)…  no fireworks (who wants to post-up 3 hours early in the rain?)… and no sunkissed tans (sigh).  But alas…  we made of the best of it shopping, cooking, eating and partying our way through the 4th.  Here she blows in pics (!)  Good recs ahead…

SCORED THIS GEM

at the local Goodwill for $3.99.  Have you scoured yours lately?

MENTALLY REDESIGNED THE BEDROOM

FABRIC SHOPPED

at Calico Corners with my new Fairy Godmother (what up, Sandra!)… and loved Swaying Palms Aloe (left) and Vari (right).

DELIBERATED ON WHERE TO USE SAID FABRIC…

…perhaps the swaying palms print as throw pillows on our all-white bed (???)  Or better yet, on me, Rose & Blanche’s Lanai.

FOUND THIS AT CALICO ONLINE WHEN I GOT HOME

and would absolutely d-i-e to make long, dreamy drapes out of it.  $100/yard is steep though when you need a whopping 10 yards.  That’s a flight to Europe, yo.

HIT UP A HOUSE PARTY

on Wednesday night and Snoopy-McSnapped a pic of this VERY cool wedding invite on the host’s fridge.  Unconventional but super fun and super sweet.

RAINY-DAY-SHOPPED

at Easton with my main squeeze and stumbled on these steals:

Petal Cutout Tee – $78 | H&M skinny jeans – $39.95 | Tracy Reese heels ($64 and sold out)

Perfect Summer Wedges at Aldo – $70

Anthro top by Lil – $23 (similar to shown here) | H&M Skinnies in Black – $29 and SUPER SLIMMING/AMAZING – go get them NOW, in umpteen colors | H&M Grey Denim Button-Up on Hot & Sleepy Arm Candy Matt – $29.  It’s this one, but in the store they have it in grey.

Mila Cap Toe Leather Ballet Flats – got mine on crazy 4th of July super sale for about $30

UNWOUND POST-SHOPPING WITH A STIFF CUCUMBER GIMLET

at local hotspot Ocean Club.  This place is my *official* Columbus fave.  Requested the live jazz man play “You Are the Sun” (Lionel Richie) and then sang along WAY, way too loudly from our perch at the bar.  #whoops

(Appetizer recs: Surf & Turf with Scallops + Short Ribs, Goat Cheese Ravioli, and by all means, Oysters on the Half Shell.  Best Oysters I’ve ever had, and that is no lie.)

NURSED GIMLET HANGOVER WITH HOMEMADE MINI-QUICHES

Loose recipe: chop up whatever veggies you have handy (I did sun dried tomatoes, zucchini and spinach) into a ramekin…  whisk together 2 eggs, a splash of 1/2 and 1/2, some chopped herbs (I used rosemary this time), and a dash of salt & pepper…  then grate whatever cheese you have handy (I used Pecorino Romano) into the egg mixture and pour over the veggies in the ramekin.  Bake on 375 degrees for about 20-30 min with foil on top, then about 20 more with foil off.  (Bake time depends on the size of the ramekin, so you’ll have to watch ‘er.)  Cool about 10 min and serve.

WATCHED MOVIES WITH FUZZY

…who hides under the coffee table when it rains.

WHOOPED IT UP AT LINDEY’S

…another local fave (Appetizer rec: Beef Carpaccio | Dinner rec: Grouper | Vino rec: Peregrine ‘Mohua’ Sauvignon Blanc)

RENDEZVOUS’D AT THE PEARL

with Matt’s mom (aka Sunny D) + her beau-friend afterward.  Great, hustly-bustly atmosphere at the bar…  great service…  very see-and-be-scene-y right now…  and feels kinda south-uhn.  (App rec: House Smoked Salmon)

I especially loved the photo bomb selfie our adorable, Kate-Winslet-lookalike bartender took.  Bahhahaa.

GARDENED MY FACE OFF

…and pruned more mint than Heinz has pickles.  Discovered new uses for it by: a) Freezing it in ice cubs for cocktails and iced tea, b) Toss it into a Watermelon & Heirloom Tomato salad with basil and feta, c) Make Mint Pesto…  who knew?

FOUND ANOTHER GOOD SAUVIGNON BLANC

at Whole Foods for about $10.99.  How often do you try a good wine you like and then forget what it is?  Had to share.

The weather aside, it was dee-lightful to sleep in, see some good friends and putts around all weekend.  Hope you guys got some good down-time in, too!

Is it Friday again yet?

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Steph’s Picks! 75% Off at Rugs USA

Published on July 2, 2013 in Decor. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

I never fully appreciated what a HUGE difference a killer rug can make in a room until I bought this Overdyed Grove Rug in Violet last year from Rugs USA for my dining room (below is a shot from when I first unpacked)…

…Probably because I had always been deterred by the price tag on a great rug, and therefore never bought the ones I wanted.  I always bought the ones that were “just ok” and would get the job done… (Yeah.  Ask me how many of those I still have? Zero.)  Anyhow, when I rolled this bad boy out, I was delighted to see it was FAR more beautiful in person. Below is a pretty accurate representation of the color:

So anyhow…  I know.  Rugs are pricey.  But Campers (!)  Right now, Rugs USA is running their big bad 75% off sale again, which means if you’re in the market for a rug, you can score some pretty great ones for not a lot of coin.  So I am urging you to sprint over there and check it out.  Or better yet, since there are about 2,000 rugs on sale, save yourself the time and peruse my faves, since I sifted through all 2,000 of them last night.  Because I am nuts.

These are my crème-de-la-crème, jaw-dropping faves.  Nomnomnom:

Overdyed Purple – I’m speechless.  I would trade my left nut for this one.  Surely my dad would call it “beat to hell, and like someone threw bleach on it.”  I call it Utter Perfection.  Parents just don’t understand, Jazzy Jeff. | Serendipity Beige Rug (80% off!) – I dig the zig zag. | Overdyed Multi – um, heaven.  I love when the colors are a bit indiscernible. | Overdyed Teal – Dreamy. | Metallic Splattered Cowhide – um, love.  My girl Cates had these at her wedding reception (she’s swanky).  I want one in my office.  Under a pretty lucite coffee table.

…or girls too.  Whatevs.

Satara Chevron Daredevil – Maybe someday I’ll have a rotten little boy, and maybe I’ll put this in his room. | Tuscan Palace Ikat Trellis – I almost want to sing “Prince A-LI, Fabulous HE, Ali-a-bahhb-wahhhhh” when I see this.  | Serendipity Ivory – Would also be great in a beach house or bedroom.  | Serendipity Emerald – Pantone Color of the Year, y’all!

I can’t help it.  It’s the prettiest color in the wwwwwworld!

Tie Dye – my 16-year old self loves it.  My 32-year old self would love it in pillows. | Overdyed Pink – STUNNING.  All that happy pigment.  Would be a great statement piece. | Prescott Natural – I like the asymmetry.  | Tuscan Palace Ikat Trellis – same pattern as above, but great in a girl’s room.

Need something a little more grown-up, a little more masculine (or at least gender-neutral?)  Check out these austere beauties.

Loloi Nyla Slate – uh, yum.  Great in a gender-neutral household.  Nutballs – I just realized this one ISN’T on sale.  My bad. | Beaumont Adileh Natural – this one looks like something you might find at Pottery Barn or Restoration.  All the reviews said how incredibly soft it was to walk on. | Cowhide Chevron – Literally, in 50 Shades of Grey.  This is just gorgeous, intricately done and probably exquisite in person. | Satara Ananda Trellis Nickel – I’m not super into graphic stuff, but I think this is cool.

…or cabin in the woods.  The top two in particular scream “Dad’s Country House” to me…  very Pendleton-esque.  I am having visions of deer heads and antiques and shot guns & such.

Homespun Rockville Beige – Would also look great juxtaposed against florals. | Montero Plymouth Red – so cozy.  I see it in the living room, in front of the fireplace, at Christmas time. | Shyrdak Felt Hanson Red – Kinda tribal and fun…  and Anthro-esque, but it looks a little more unique.  And worldly. | Shyrdak Felt Concord Grey – I feel like I should expect to see something like this when I walk into Jayson Home & Garden in front of a leather sofa.  Or draped over the foot of the bed if it’s thin enough.

Overdyed = my favorite kind of rug.  Maybe it’s the hazy, dreamy look of them… the rich, gorgeous pigment… or maybe it’s that you can spill just about anything and no one would be the wiser.

Overdye Indigo – (sigh).  It looks like a pair of perfectly worn-in jeans. | Overdye Magenta – I don’t usually do reds, but I’d do this one.  I love the faint violet colors in the middle. | Windsor Overdyed Violet – This is what I have in my dining room.  It’s stunning.  The color is PERFECT.  Most of these overdyed rugs are pricey (and I get why… they’re beautiful, and most are 100% wool and hand knotted).  This one is synthetic, but I’ve never minded.  It’s a STEAL.  Because of which, it runs in & out of stock often. | Overdyed Aqua/Indigo – I see sea glass.  Yum. | Overdyed Green – Love the fading, love the pattern. | Overdye Verda Silver Rug – I love that this one also has a bit of a design to it.  And it’s not a run-of-the-mill pattern I’ve ever seen.

The good ones *will* run out of stock quickly, so if you are in love with one of them, NOW IS YOUR TIME!  Also, a word of advice:  Buy the largest one you can afford.  Unless it’s a little guy for a kitchen or an entryway, bigger is almost always better.  I’ve done a lot of 5×7’s or 5×8’s in the past when I didn’t wanna spend the extra money on the bigger size, and I’ve always lived to regret it.  Big guys can anchor any room.  I’ve found that the medium-sized ones get lost underneath things and you can’t see ’em.  Rugs USA is pretty good about doing sales, but I only see the 75% off sale about 1x/year.  Don’t forget to enter IND75 or IND80 at checkout to get the savings!!  Which one is your favorite??

xoxo,

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