Search Results for: behind the baubles

image by Ubackdrop

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!

Rings c/o www.MoonstoneShop.com

Happy Friday! This week flew by and I’m delighted the weekend is here again, especially since it’s finally over 80 degrees and I’ll be heading to the pool with Dave as soon as he gets home from work! But first, virtual thank-you hugs for all of the birthday wishes this week! We spent most of the day furniture shopping for our house. We picked out a couch that we’ll custom order in the next couple of weeks with a light grey tweed-esque fabric and walnut legs. I just love the elegant lines! And then we stumbled across this leather armchair in the “Classic Sahara” color on sale for $700. We were going to wait a week and see if we were still smitten with it, but two beers later I decided that we needed it in our lives and we went back to purchase it. It’s such a beautiful, classic piece that we’ll likely have forever. Now, my willingness to impulsively purchase furniture was partly due to the happy news that the seller of our house is willing to take on around $3,000 of the electrical and plumbing work that needs to be done. There’s still plenty that needs to be done eventually, but getting the must-dos taken care of by someone other than us was a huge sigh of relief. So, now we’re in the final throes of the home-buying process. It’s scary, but unbelievably exciting and we’re champing at the bit to to get our home blog up and running!

Weekend Reading:

• Comparing subway maps to their actual geography.
• I’d like to make this charred corn salad every weekend this summer.
• The psychology behind why you can’t stick to a budget.
• I don’t wear heels enough to justify the price tag on these, but I’m obsessing over them regardless.
• Temple St. Clair has always been one of my favorite jewelry designers, and the fact that she refers to herself as a “jewelry anthropologist” makes me adore her even more.
• It’s national doughnut day! If anyone wants to whip up these coconut raspberry doughnuts for me, I wouldn’t turn them down. 😉
• Marianne looks so cute in her nautical-inspired look. Those sleeves!
• My recent Sephora order came with a deluxe sample of AERIN’s Waterlily Sun fragrance. I don’t normally go for floral scents, but this one is light and dewy and, well, perfect.
• And, speaking of perfection, this mini dress is amazing! I love the flirty hemline, long sleeves for shielding arms from too much sun, and lace-up front. Better yet, it’s under $100.
• Ivenoven, a baker from Jakarta, made the most stunning cakes decorated with frosting succulents.
• A convincing reason to unplug from the office when you’re on vacation.

ICYMI:

• Another year older.
• How I spent my money this month.
• Pairing an easy summer dress with moonstone baubles.

I thought about keeping mum about this until after our home inspection next week, but I’m terrible at keeping secrets: we have an accepted offer on a house! It’s a diamond in the rough that was built in 1929 and, sadly, hasn’t been taken care of over the years. The owner has been living with his girlfriend and left this house all but abandoned. We were really lucky that he asked our agent’s firm to sell the house because we were able to get in before anyone else and put in an offer at asking without competition to drive up the price. It’s in our ideal area (in fact, it’s three blocks away from the house we lost last year) and has charming details inside, including original hardwood floors throughout. The big things in the house (roof, siding, windows, furnace, air conditioner, etc.) have been taken care of, but the interior hasn’t been well-maintained or updated. We’re in for an adventure together as we bring this gem back to life! This isn’t going to be an easy or fast project. We don’t have an endless bank account to go in and make all of the changes right away. There’s going to be compromises and patience and DIYs! It’s going to be a labor of love, and we’ve actually purchased a URL to blog about our journey. (It redirects here for now, but I’ll share it once our first post is live.) If you want to follow our Instagram account before we actually have content, it’s @curatedcouple. I know I’m getting ahead of myself because it could all fall apart after the inspection, but I’m cautiously optimistic. Send good vibes!

Weekend Reading:

• Love the look of Chanel’s classic cap toe pumps but not the price tag? Try an affordable alternative.
• Here’s the real story behind the Zillow listing that went viral earlier this month.
• I just discovered Orlando’s blog and Instagram last week and I’m absolutely obsessed with his aesthetic, personality, and refreshingly honest take on relationships and not having a picture-perfect lifestyle blogger persona.
• Can’t say I totally hate the idea of rompers for men, but I do hate the name RompHim.
• Whitney looks adorable in a bee-print dress. I never would have expected it was from the Victoria Beckham for Target children’s collection!
• My birthday is fast approaching on May 30! This dress would be the perfect frock to celebrate in.
• We’re considering a long weekend getaway to Atlanta in August. Of course, the first thing I looked into was the best murals for Instagrams and outfit photos. 😉 Let me know if you have any recommendations!
• I’m all about the gadget Jess found that helps keep her from murdering house plants. (I’m the worst at remembering to water them.)
• Speaking of plants, learn more about “the Blue Apron of agriculture.” Basically, there’s a company called Seedsheet that sells collections of seeds in a plantable weed-blocking fabric. The fabric eventually dissolves and you’re on your way to growing dinner.
• I never got on board with Bauble Bar’s Crispin earrings because I didn’t care for the fishhook post, but I’m crazy about this version with a hidden post backing.

ICYMI:

• Another nautical roundup.
• Perfect pineapple pieces.

image via Unsplash

Happy Friday! After touring a home last Saturday that left us both underwhelmed, we headed north to Dave’s parents’ cabin for an overnight stay. Even though it was brief, sipping beer on the dock and chatting by the late-night fire was the perfect mini getaway to start the week refreshed. It was also the maiden voyage of the Soludos slides above. They’re ridiculously comfortable so long as you don’t mind going without arch support.

This weekend also promises to be laid back. If the rain holds off, I’d like to go to the farmers’ market on Saturday and then we have two homes to see this weekend. Each of the houses have their pros and cons. One is a two-story home built in 1920 with a ton of original character and charm (and the smallest galley-style kitchen ever and no air conditioning). It’s $65,000 less than the other contender: a 1956 ranch that has been updated with a much larger and functional kitchen, a finished basement, larger bedrooms, and the cutest vintage bathroom with original tile and a turquoise tub. They’re both in good neighborhoods and close to the bike trail. I’m hoping that we’re drawn to one in person, and that we can have an offer accepted and put this whole hullabaloo behind us and start focusing on the good stuff: paint and furniture.

Weekend Reading:

• If you’re lucky enough to be in Los Angeles before May 29, snag tickets to the Museum of Ice Cream and take envy-inducing selfies in the pool of sprinkles.
• I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ll probably buy this dress just because it looks so cute on Allie.
• I’m all about this relaxed striped dress. It’s only $49, so there’s a high likelihood that I’ll snag it next month and wear it with my new favorite sandals and oversize earrings (in “warm sandstone”) every single weekend this summer.
• Hitha’s recipe for Indian black pepper chicken looks amazing. I’m adding it to our menu this weekend.
• These posters to raise awareness for pet adoption in Mumbai are brilliant.
• Grace shared her most recent reading list. I can personally vouch for Styled.
• I haven’t started reading this interview with Anna Wintour on politics and the business of fashion yet, but it looks interesting. (I helpfully emailed it to  myself two days ago with the subject line “read.”)
• We all know that I rarely don a pair of heels, but I’m tempted to add these to my collection in the red-orange hue.
• As if I didn’t already have intense wanderlust, a roundup of the prettiest beauty boutiques to visit is making me yearn to book a trip.
• Ikea issued the best response to Balenciaga’s $2,145 lookalike.
• The Met Gala is coming up on Monday, May 1. While you wait for this year’s looks to grace the red carpet, take a look back at some of the event’s best fashion moments.

ICYMI:

• The outfit I’ve worn pretty much every weekend so far this spring.
• Colorful favorites for spring.
• This month’s shopping confessions, er, budget update.