Notes

 Stationary and the written word really seem to be coming back in style, thank goodness! I absolutely love receiving mail in my actual mailbox rather than my inbox. Plus, paper goods; always so pretty! And the best thing is, they don't have to be expensive. As much as I love getting mail, I also like to send it. I think others really appreciate the thoughtfulness of a hand written note, so I am always sure to send them out, especially to all my C+I customers. So I sat down and got to work after my last pop-up! These fun and zesty notes with envelopes were a steal from Marshalls. Fifty envelopes and note cards in an assortment of colors and patterns for just $7.99!! Now writing and sending is even easier :)

I'm Famous

So way back in January, I won a trip to NYC to tour the Chloe + Isabel offices and meet all the woman who had inspired me so greatly to go my own way and run my small business online. The trip also included a little photo shoot with some of the new pieces. I was told it would be a little pic in the catalog that summer. Well, guess what, I'M ONLINE! When you check out the Terrace Blooms Collar Necklace there I am, modeling it just for you :) Harder to tell, but still me, is the arm model for the Terrace Blooms Toggle Bracelet, and the Abby Garden Wrap Bracelet in pink. I was so thrilled!!! Now I totally can't wait to see the summer look book with my face in it staring back at me.

So if you want to look as fab as me this summer, hop to! Go to the site and get your goods. I already bought the limited addition wrap and rhinestone bracelets because once they are gone, they are gone. I am so in love with them because they have gorgeous floral Liberty London fabrics wrapped between the jewels... they are stunning and so, so one of a kind! 

Breaking News!

You guys, I can't even! Excited doesn't even begin to cover it. I'm like a little girl on Christmas Eve who just found out she is getting a pony in the morning! Chloe + Isabel is launching their very own fragrance, TONIGHT! At 10pm EST/ 7pm PST you will be able to buy this amazing scent that has top notes of lush peach nectar, Italian bergamot and juicy mandarin, mid notes of jasmine sambac, white violet and orchid and a lovely base of mahogany and creamy musk.

I don't know about you, but I'm huge on the wood/musk base. It keeps me from feeling like a fruity floral air freshener since it adds a rich depth to the smell. I love the way it mingles with my skin and settles as if I just smell that great on my own and I'm not actually wearing something to achieve my princess scented status.

The other great part is that it is a eau de parfum over a toilette, meaning it is more concentrated and has more of the actual oils in it, rather than alcohol or water fillers. So in short it is stronger and lasts longer! Yippee! And naturally, being from Chloe + Isabel, it cost less than all the other eau de parfums at just $58 for a 3.5oz bottle. BANANAS! 

Get yours here tonight. I hope they have a lot on their shelves because I can sense it is going to sell fast... I am actually pretty stressed about getting my bottle! If you want a free bottle to give it a whirl, check out my Pinerest account for the pin it to win it contest!! Good luck :)

Pillow, Again

Happy Monday!! After all the pillows for my friend, I thought I'd share what I'm thinking for myself. My palette for the living room is the gold from the chair, the teal from the settee, and then black, white and gray to balance it all out. So I threw together these five pillows to keep in mind to tie my room all together.

My tips are loose, but a good formula to follow if you're super lost and want the eclectic feel. Enjoy!

Accent Pillows

I recently had a friend come to me wanting some help getting started in the decor department for her new place. She had just gotten this FAB grey velvet couch that had clean outer lines but was all tufted along the back and sides, much like the one I posted in my mood board the other day. It was amazing and made me drool. Anyways, she wanted pillows and didn't know where to start. She gave me a vague color scheme.. "maybe a greenish tone??" and knew she didn't want too many since the dog would likely drag them to floor.

I gave her a bunch of options, sticking to groups of three, mostly with some green in there. The key to mixing pillows is this, I'd say one solid, one large scale pattern and one smaller scale pattern. Also, if one of those patterns is organic and one is geometric, even better! Pretty simple ya? I also like to vary the sizes, so two squares and one rectangle for interest. If you hate 'boring solids,' you can do two matching patterns, and then a third different pattern too. Personal preference people!

I also gave her these options, using more pinks and browns. I did it because even though she didn't say pink, I happen to know it is her FAVORITE color ever, that she has a pink upholstered chair in the room, and also a chocolate brown ottoman. I really think any colors can go together in a palette if you just keep repeating them. And the best place to force them all together and say, "See, this goes!" is in those toss pillow people! 

She didn't mention pink because he hubby isn't all that stoked about the color, but I thought, add enough brown and maybe he'd buy it? I love doing visual options like this for roomies, or men you live with who just don't get your vision, or who can't seem to articulate what it is they want. This way they can see it, and say which they like best. Naturally, he liked the last option on the bottom right, mostly neutrals and browns. But hey, I did tried to sway him on the pink!

Living Room, Setting the Mood

As promised, a mood board! This is the direction my living room will be going in. I've seen so many drool worthy rooms on Pinterest, and was tempted to just start from scratch and try to copy a room for less (Does anyone remember that show on HGTV where they would literally copy an inspiration room top to bottom on a budget?!!) But in reality, I already had some big, large statement pieces that I was using, some by choice... others due to compromise with the BF.

Anyone guess his piece? Yup, that gold, embossed velvet easy chair. I must say it has slowly grown on me, but man I would have liked just about anything else as a started point! Plus, getting it to jive with the love of my life, the crazy ikat sette top center, was a little tough.

Then I had a bit of an "ah-ha" moment with I finally framed up my drawing. It had gold, with little teal shoes. And plenty of black, white and gray. I knew I had found my color palette at last! So that's the plan, let's hope it works out like I think it will in my head. (I apologize for the crummy quality of the drawing, I really need to get a camera soon!)

C+I Spring Style

The weather in SF this week has been out of this world terrific! Sunny and 70 everyday, I've been busting out the shorts and trying to get a little color on my pale self. So I thought I'd style up a little outfit featuring the Chloe + Isabel pieces that I've been wearing all winter, and show them off for spring! The best thing about C+I is that there is a price point for everyone, with pieces starting at just $18! Enjoy <3

Happy Friday!

I got my latest order in from Chloe + Isabel and have been wearing the pieces non-stop ever since. I have to say, of all my C + I pieces, the "Be Mine" sterling nesting rings" have got to be my favorite! They are 100% sterling silver and super dainty. They look so adorable with everything and I basically never take them off. I'm thinking I may need to order their cousin, the "Best of Luck" sterling nesting rings next...

Every time I get an order in, the pretty packaging always puts a big smile on my face. Who doesn't like little felt birds and pretty tissue? Shop here to get your jewelry fix!

Dining Area

The new apartment has a decent sized eat in kitchen, which is great because there is no dining room! I brought my table from the last apartment that I found on the streets and refinished myself. I love the white and rattan chairs we found on craigslist for just $10 a piece. I think the rounded legs on both the table and chairs ties them together well enough, plus the curved chair backs mimic the curves in the tabletop pattern too.

I realize I never really posted the official after on this table, so here are some shots! I just sanded this baby down, stained it a deep mahogany and then got to doodling with aqua paint :)

 There's a subtle nautical vibe going on as I added some whales, anchors, seahorses and other aquatic creatures in amongst the random squiggly doodles.

I love that this is an awesome stand alone piece and an excellent conversation starter whenever friends come by. So next time you see a wooden freebie on the street, just picture it as your canvas and go nuts! What do you have to lose?

Heirloom and Pearls

I can't even say how gorgeous the new Heirloom Pearl and Undreamed Shores collections are! They are so amazingly transitional season-wise, layering in with early spring pastels and metallics, and then can go super bold statement status when you toss in a little neon and tanned skin down the line!

Shop all the collections here for a little midweek pick me up! Or contact me to earn some special pieces for free... Tell me now, who doesn't like free?!

Dinner Party

Last night my boyfriend and I had some awesome people over for a delish dinner and good company. Among the guests? My sister of course, her fiance, and two new friends that I feel like I've known for years. I was sure to grab some fresh flowers I arranged in a mason jar and two decorative water decanters to make the night feel extra special.

I love having our salvaged window above the dining table so I can draw something fitting for any occasion, or use it as an everyday memo board. The night's theme? Eat up!

Of course I needed a martini while I got cooking in the kitchen... Having a bartender boyfriend sure does come in handy!

The night most definitely called for some Chloe + Isabel jewels. I love the pearl and pike pieces, classic but totally edgy and effortless at the same time!

My sis and Abby prepped salad in the kitchen (thanks girls!) and then we all enjoyed an awesome lasagna I somewhat made up on the fly.

Here is the recipe, so feel free to give it a go! Lasagna is awesome in that the prep isn't all that tough, and then you just let the oven take over from there. Plus, leftovers... ;)

                           *Lasagna photo from theKitchn

                    Enjoy!

Refrigerator Problems

So you know how yesterday you saw the kitchen and it was pretty great for a rental... except for the fact that the appliances didn't match? Everything is black, the counters and the stove/oven combo that is, EXCEPT the refrigerator.... What to do.

I'm a renter. I am not investing in anything like that. But you know, there still are some options. Do you know about the stainless adhesive that exists?!

This was a black refrigerator, until it met a roll of stainless! You can find it on amazon or another such site by searching stainless steel appliance adhesive. Since I have never used this stuff I have no idea how or if it comes off, or if it will damage your appliance if you later took it off, so renters beware and do some research!

But I'm not thinking stainless anyway since nothing in this kitchen is stainless. I was naturally thinking black. Enter my pathetic photoshop rendering that I decided should take me no more than 20 seconds to create hehe...

The question though, "is it too dark?" That view is what you see walking into the kitchen, so I'm not sure if this big black beauty kinda smacks you in the face and sucks the light out of the room, or since it matches the other black would it fade away more? Hmmm. Then I thought, chalkboard paint! Like this cutie I found on the blog Genevieve Gail. It is so cute and sooo tempting...

However, I feel it would just end up this way... smeared, people writing all over it whenever they come by (I'm a tad to controlling design wise to roll with that..) and I think it would kind of just drive me nuts!! Any clue as to why some people's chalkboard paint looks so clean and other always have this white filmy fog going on?