House Beautiful

Santa Monica, Here We Come (Back)!


(via)

We can live beside the ocean
Leave the fire behind
Swim out past the breakers
Watch the world die

The hubby-to-be and I have juuust decided to make Santa Monica our permanent residence.  Ooooh how excited am I to have him in my home by the sea?!  Though this DOES mean giving up – for now – our beloved San Diego, which he’s called home for the past six years and has been mine since last year.

But with change comes new beginnings.  In our case it’s a new job for HTB and for moi, a new pad to decorate – GIDDY UP!  Think beachy, clean, comfy.  A place for our friends to hang in the summertime and drink cold drinks on our balcony after sessions at the beach.

And might I provide a peak at my inspiration for said apartment to be?

Drink it in: The linen couch, the gorgeous beachy print, the blankie. And that tile! Don’t you just look at this and feel you’re already living near water somewhere? Via Coco+Kelly by way of Mi Casa Revista.

Clockwise from top left: (1) Now that super sunshine-y kitchen just makes me want to sit at the kitchen table and eat a grapefruit with my mom Tina.  And I don’t even like grapefruit. (2) Notice the gorgeous, slightly orange/amber accents throughout this section of the kitchen?: The white back tile and buttery paint on top, combined with the amber-y teacups and gorgeous glasses and smattering of recipe books. Yum.  Via House Beautiful, March ’08. (3) I definitely wanna get a purdy, leafy plant like the one in this pic.  Is this a money tree?  Via one of my faaavorite bloggers, Nest Egg.

Left: This happy bedroom incorporates the color of the sea in a room that’s both serene and chic.  And those bamboo blinds bring an element of nature into the feng shui of the room.  Oh, and PS: Those curtains?  I die.  Via The Estate of Things. Right: I’m going to need some slick shelving for all our beauty products, like Tim’s La Mer cream. These take up little room, and check out that wallpaper.  Via Hello Gorgeous.

Rustic farmhouse with a lot of texture.  Minimalist, yet totally homey, homies.  Via Jill Brinson by way of House Beautiful.

And, most importantly, our little pad will hopefully be the kinda place you can come into and just curl up.  Via Desire To Inspire.  Happy weekend, everyone!

xoxo,

Always A Bridesmaid

For 16 years, yours truly has dutifully stood in line at the altar, watching friends and family recite their eternal vows while dabbing my eyes with a tissue and contemplating the trouble I’ll be getting into later at the wedding.  Ohohohohh, but not this time, my pets..  No, this time I’m the bride, which means I get to pick the ever-fun get-up of my bridesmaids for the day – a gaggle of girls and even one boy (!)  Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy.

But apparently, there seems to be no advocate in the wedding industry for the bridesmaid.  Y’all got left behind somewhere ’cause the dresses that are being made for you, oh hell naw.  Silky, bright blue messes that accentuate your pear shaped bodies and flatten your boobs.  Noooo thanks.  It’s time to make our bridesmaids look good.  Lesson #451 in wedding planning.  THERE IS SUCH A THING AS ADORABLE BM DRESSES.  Case in point: these gawgeous selections below:

(Venus dress via Modcloth.  Sadly, this dress is no longer avail, but… it’s still cute.)

(Isn’t this alternately cute and pretty?  Via Judith March)

(Love the twinge of country, the romantic floral… via Style Me Pretty)

(Source unknown.  Ooopsies.)

(via Net-A-Porter)

(via Once Wed)

(Ruffle Wrap Dress via Topshop)

(Pretty Penelope Dress via French Connection – and currently on sale, homies.  I mean CAN YOU HANDLE.)

(via Once Wed)

(Alice + Olivia Leighton Ruffle V Neck Dress.  Alice + Olivia, if you were two real women, I would ask you to take turns having my babies.  Because they would be gorgeous.)

(Left: A+O One Shoulder Drape Dress.  Right: A+O Faux Wrap Drape Dress)

(Via JeanBean 1909 Company on Etsy.  Steph’s current fave.)

(Glory Be to Saja for making these dresses)

(Fuuuuudge, I love you bridesmaid dresses. I love your color and everything about you)

Anyone have any favorites from above?  Other suggestions for great dresses?  As much as I’d like to make Stephanie wear a burlap sack to my wedding, even our girl deserves to look a little fabulous for a bit.

xoxo,