Well, I certainly didn’t expect to take a week-long hiatus from the blog! We spent just about every waking hour Saturday through Wednesday painting the house, did additional painting Thursday evening, and again Friday afternoon. We’re going to swing by the house this morning to do some small touch-up work and then clean up the house so that we’re ready for the floor guy at 7 a.m. on Monday, and then we’re off to Summerfest in Milwaukee for the night! There’s still plenty more to paint (upstairs hallway, all the trim upstairs, and doors), but we need a break and floor refinishing couldn’t have come at a better time. I can’t tell you how excited we are to spend the next week relaxing, not inhaling paint fumes, and getting a good start on packing up the apartment. Plus, I miss having time to blog! We’ll have another Curated Couple post up soon with photos of our painting progress.

Weekend Reading:

• I just love this dress on Lydia.
• Hey, Gilmore Girls fans, Scott Patterson is developing his own brand of coffee. We’re thisclose to basically being at Luke’s Diner.
• With sales falling flat thanks to the Greek yogurt craze, Yoplait had to learn to manufacture authenticity with its latest effort: French yogurt.
• And, it seems that Yoplait might be on to something given the billion-dollar industry around the “French girl.”
• Exercise leggings with pockets! Finally!
• Did you know there was a Dior cookbook?!
• Catharine Becket has any bauble-lover’s dream job as a jewelry specialist at Sotheby’s.
• The latest earrings to capture my fancy.
• Ceiling fans don’t have to be ugly.
• There’s a new theory (with possible photographic evidence) that Amelia Earhart may have survived.

Five Under $50:

• A pair of earrings that combine classic hoops with trendy thread-wrapped balls.
• I’m all about swingy camisoles on hot days.
• A chambray shift dress with a flattering shape.
• A vintage-inspired souvenir scarf.
• The latest book on my must-have list.

 

I’m taking a bit of a blog hiatus while we get some more work done in the house over the weekend. My parents are coming to Madison this weekend to help paint and tackle a handful of other projects in the house for us (like changing all of the outlets and switches to white, teaching us to take door handles completely apart so we can try to get the paint off of the brass hardware, and repairing the rope in one of our sash windows). It seems like everywhere we look, there’s another project looming. It’s hard to keep it all in perspective and remember that all we really need to get done this weekend is paint the rooms with hardwood floors — and if we don’t, then we just cover the newly finished floors and take extra care in keeping them pristine. In any case, I probably won’t be back on the blog until Wednesday or Thursday of next week. I extended the holiday weekend through July 5 and took a few days  of PTO at work in order to dedicate time to the house. If your curious about the progress, I’ll be adding snapshots to the Instagram story over on @curatedcouple! (We put one coat of paint on our wood paneling — er, “vertical shiplap” — in the office last night and it already looks better than I imagined! We’re going all white in that room with the walls and trim, which was going be the case with the wood paneled master bedroom, too. It looks gorgeous, but I’m going to add a deep peacock blue or navy accent wall in the bedroom to break up the monotony.)

Weekend Reading:

• Have you tried Noosa Yoghurt yet? I’m all about yogurt in the morning and this has quickly become my favorite brand. (#NotSponsored)
• These pencil shaving earrings are more for admiring than buying (unless you have $9k floating around). They’re so unique!
• Paper straws are great for an Instagram, but not so much actually sipping on a cocktail.
• There’s an extra 30% off sale items at Anthro this weekend! As you’d expect, I’m scouring the home section. I just love the colors of this serving platter.
• African American girls are viewed as less innocent as their white counterparts as early as five years old.
• Thirteen summer wedding trends to avoid.
• If you’re color shy, here are a few ideas to add a bit of pigment to your home.
• I’ve been itching to go to D.C. over Labor Day weekend if our budget can swing it, and I’d love to see the exhibit on Marlene Dietrich at the National Portrait Gallery. This piece touches on her androgynous appeal.
• This dress would look so cute with a pair of casual slide sandals and oversize earrings (love these!).
• Sip on pineapple rum punch this weekend. Best of all, you only need three ingredients!
• Nail art usually borders on tacky, but this Independence Day manicure is ultra chic!

Five under $50:

• These raffia earrings are the perfect way to add a bit of color to your summer wardrobe.
• The painterly stripes on this tank top are so good. Tuck it into a fit-and-flare skirt.
• The metal ring handle on this bag makes it look more expensive than it is.
• Pretty embroidery elevates a simple sundress.
• Get in on the circle beach towel trend!

ICYMI:

• We’ve made a lot of progress on the house already! Peek into some of our rooms and see where things are at over here. (The fun stuff like decorating seems so far away right now!)
• I managed to buy only two things this month.
• Baubles on a budget.

What a week! On Tuesday, we closed on our house. It was actually kind of anticlimactic to receive the keys after signing off on all of the paperwork. I think I was expecting to feel intensely elated and while I was certainly happy, I was mostly just ready to move on with it and start working! We’ve made some pretty impressive progress for the first week (after we were able to actually get into the house — some of our keys don’t work and there’s a trick to opening the front door). We removed the kitchen cabinets in the upstairs bedroom from when the house was converted into two apartments, pulled out remaining carpet, removed carpet finishing staples in the staircase, primed and painted the wood part on the front of the house (scroll over to see the original), and primed the railing and column on the front porch. We’ve been working for a few hours on the house after work every day and would like to finish those outside projects today so that we can start painting inside before our floors are refinished in two weeks. And I wish I could say that the walls and floors were all we needed to do in this house. There are a lot of projects that I’ll be documenting over on Curated Couple (and the blog once I have time to sit down, pretty it up, and add content). It won’t be the most glamorous Instagram feed, but I really wanted it as a way to document our progress and our mini successes. In more exciting house news, I ordered this jewelry cabinet for my closet. ::heart-eyes:: It arrives on Tuesday and while it’ll sit in its box in the kitchen until the floors are done, I can’t wait to start seeing the place come together.

WEEKEND READING:

• We’re a long way off from hosting parties at our house, but I just love this flamingo ring toss game! I’d love to spray  paint them gold instead.
• Why has the statement earring grown in popularity?
• Take an extra 30% off sale items at Tory Burch with code EXTRA30. Obviously I have no money now, but if I did, I’d spring for these shoulder-dusting earrings.
• Start planning your Fourth of July menu. I’m all about corn salad.
• Photography tips for shooting in crowded places.
• Skittles gave up their rainbow colors for a limited time.
• It’s not often I fall in love with something from LOFT, but this has captured my fancy (and soon, my money).
• The story behind the world’s largest watercolor painting.
• The best U.S. cities for an affordable getaway.
• Disney has the best paint color for camouflaging unsightly things on their properties.

FIVE UNDER $50:

• An unexpected bow detail in back makes this striped tank a favorite of the summer.
• How great are these raffia tassel earrings? They’re a steal at just $10.
• I love the look of this dress, but Old Navy is always hit or miss for me (and usually a miss). Has anyone tried it?
• This vintage-inspired bag is too cute.
• Update your pajama drawer with this charming set.

ICYMI:

• We bought a house!
• I finally wore the jumpsuit I bought last November.
• Rounding up the best woven bags under $100.

It’s our last weekend of R&R before we’re homeowners! I have packing tape in bulk and piles of boxes to pack, but we’ll likely spend as much time as possible this weekend lounging by the pool and going for walks. We’re not actually moving out of our apartment until the end of July, so we may as well relax before we need to spend every weeknight and weekend working on the house. In the meantime, I’ve spent hours looking at furniture and decor to figure out what direction our house will go in. We love a lot of Scandinavian and mid-century modern pieces, punctuated with unexpected, cheeky or glam details (think brass pineapples, a tufted bench, or this print that I want to put above a bar cabinet). I’ve jokingly dubbed my style “Glamdinavian,” but it totally fits.

WEEKEND READING:

• Are you washing your hair often enough?
• Kayu partnered with Net-a-Porter to create exclusive fringe totes. I love the turquoise one!
• How perfect are these locations for Wes Anderson films?!
• Reimagining iconic art subjects in the modern world.
• To say that I’m obsessed with these earrings would be an understatement.
• Tips to help yourself become more of a morning person.
• Itching to book a trip abroad? Megan shared her guide to Rome and Fran shared travel tips for Ireland.
• Shimmering fabric and tassel trim make this top a showstopper.
• Zendaya dances through nine decades of fashion in 90 seconds.
• This cactus-themed party is too cute.

FIVE UNDER $50:

• Pink satin slides for $20.
• I just placed an order for this dress in the dark floral print. I found reviews indicating that it runs large, which should make for a comfortable, breezy dress on hot days. Plus, the color scheme will transition to fall nicely. (I know, I know. Let’s not talk about autumn yet.)
• A pair of statement-making gold drop earrings to wear with all of your summer dresses.
• Tory Burch’s nautical rope-print scarf is being price matched right now.
• This pinstriped peekaboo-shoulder top is preppy perfection.

ICYMI:

• You have a few days left to enter to win a new phone case! Good luck!
• Wearing a striped dress lakeside.
• A jewelry designer who will help you achieve your dreams of wearing oversize gemstones without being the heir to a fortune.
• The items I can’t stop thinking about this week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

We’re in the final steps of the home-buy process. All that’s left ahead of us is the confirmation that the agreed-upon repairs are done, the final walk through, and then closing day. It’s hard to believe that after a year and change of looking, we have just 11 days to go until we’re homeowners! Though, I get the impression that that’s when the real work begins and the rest of our summer will be spent working on the house! We’re planning to spend most of this weekend packing things we don’t need right now (like winter clothes and books), taking breaks at the pool, and putting our grill to good use. I hope you have a wonderfully relaxing weekend!

Weekend Reading:

• It’s Anthro Day, which means that AnthroPerks members get 20% off full-price purchases. Sign up free here and then get shopping. I’m in love with this tassel keychain and this jumpsuit.
• Serve vegan Greek nachos at your next soiree. (Or just eat them yourself for dinner. No judgment.)
• Add a touch of glam to your kitchen with the most chic measuring spoon and cup sets you’ll find anywhere.
• The amazing amount of work that artists do to colorize vintage black and white photographs.
• This vibrant fit-and-flare jersey dress is the perfect way to freshen up your summer work wardrobe. The print is also available in a pair of statement-making palazzo pants.
• In-flight beauty tips from those who know it best.
• DIY a color-blocked, pom-pom trim basket.
• This necklace is everything. (It’s also expensive, but a girl can dream.)
• With busy days and evening events, vegetables have been missing from my diet over the last week. That needs to change starting today. I’ve bookmarked this list of 18 summery salads for side dishes this season.
• This article about the Apostle Islands made me so happy to read. Visiting Bayfield every summer is one of my favorite childhood memories. (I grew up in nearby Ashland, Wisc.) I take Lake Superior’s proximity for granted, but we should really plan a long weekend trip up north this summer.

ICYMI:

• A budget-friendly floral dress that I’ve worn twice this week.
• This week’s covetable collection takes a moody turn.
• Enter to win a new phone case! (I recommend the pineapple print version that I snagged!)
• Relaxing poolside.