Window or aisle?

Posted in Travel by

Bon voyage

Bon voyage!

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a new love in my life that’s been selfishly taking up a lot of my time over the last year. And although this new love was the result of a forced, prearranged marriage thanks to my day job, it’s still found its way into my heart: TRAVEL.

As the demands of my day job grew and grew, so did the need for travel – to filming locations, premieres and film festivals.

Pre-flight cocktails!

Pre-flight cocktails!

Now before you get all starry-eyed, let me dash any illusions of grandeur you may have about the “glamorous Hollywood life.”  Yes, I’ve admittedly gotten to go to some cool places.  But I’ve also done a 48 hour round trip flight to Tokyo in coach, camped in the Australian outback in 110 degree weather under fear of dingos, snakes and wildfires and elbowed & fought through Times Square to make it on time to a meeting more times than I’d like to count.

Where to?

Where to next?

So why am I telling you this?  It’s a really long-winded way of announcing that I’m adding a travel section to the blog!

I haven’t had a ton of time lately to focus on the home front, so instead of letting my little corner of the Internet fade into obscurity, I thought there was a better way to keep it active and share this awesome new adventure with everyone.

Will all the mood boards disappear and make way for perfect carry-on packing tips? Hell no.  My love for shiplap, HGTV and flea marketing is still quite strong.  But the balance of the blog may ebb and flow so just bare with me as I figure it all out.

Packing ALL the black shoes

Packing ALL the black shoes

What kind of travel will I be covering?  Anywhere the job (or Jefe) may take me.  I’ve got plenty of stories from not one, but two recent trips to Australia.  I wined and dined for a week through Napa Valley.  I’ve also been self-appointed as the household Packing Magician; lucky for you, I plan to share my secrets.  Also – miles, miles, miles; I’ve learned the serious importance of frequent flier loyalty programs.

I’ve also got plenty to look forward to in the coming months – a ton of trips back to the East Coast for the wedding of the year (yes, mine!), a possible trip to Ireland (standby for more details to come…) and a 7-day honeymoon in heaven: PARIS!

So stay tuned for more fun and adventure!  #sledgeonthego

Up in the air

Up in the air

Fixer Upper Fascination

Posted in Beautiful Places, Visual Eye Candy by

In case you’ve been living under an HGTV sized rock, you may not know about their latest design superstars: Chip and Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper fame.  After watching way too many episodes of House Hunters, Property Brothers and Love It Or List It, I find their fun, quirky humor and cozy design style so refreshing.  For those that don’t know, Chip and Joanna are a husband-wife team that helps Waco, TX area families find, purchase and renovate homes.

Chip & Joanna

Chip & Joanna

Joanna got her start with a small home furnishing shop Magnolia Market (which now has an online presence) and they slowly graduated to more intense design and home renovations.  Their recent skyrocketing success has allowed them to purchase and renovate a whole complex known as The Silos that houses an updated, larger shop for Joanna as well as a place for vendors to sell goods on the weekend and they’re soon opening a bakery on premise!  You can read all about The Silos here.

Original Magnolia Market

Original Market

The exterior of a new location of Magnolia Market at the Silos, owned by Chip and Joanna Gaines, hosts of HGTV’s Fixer Upper, on Thursday, October 29, 2015 at Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, Texas. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)

New & Improved Magnolia Market!

Now in season 3, Fixer Upper showcases Chip and Joanna’s down-to-earth personalities and fun approach to home renovation.  What I find so refreshing is how genuine and honest they come across vs. some of those other HGTV personalities that feel SO scripted.  Fixer Upper is way more docu-series than how-to show.  You see them interact as a couple, a bit of their home life with their 4 adorable kids, their huge farm the family calls home as well as all the fun design stuff.

And Joanna’s style is taking the internet by storm.  Part shabby chic mixed with part rustic industrial, she finds a way to incorporate vintage style in traditional spaces with modern luxuries.  Her expertise is truly finding something old and making it new again in an interesting way.  Think old piping turned funky bookshelf or tobacco factory beams crafted into a beautiful dining table.  Jo’s also fantastic at finding old but interesting architectural pieces and incorporating them in new ways.

Bookshelf

pipe & board shelving

Pantry Doors

I’m OBSESSED with these doors! She turned them into pantry & laundry room entries

On top of their show and the renovations that come with it, The Silos and their family farm, they also have a realty company.  And because she doesn’t have enough to do, Jo has a great blog too (which is where I originally found her before I knew about the show).  All of this in addition to the new B & B they just opened which was featured as season 3’s Christmas episode.  They really have crafted a little Waco empire over the last few years!

So for your eyeballs’ enjoyment, here are just a few of my favorite Fixer Upper moments from season 3:

Stairwell

Knock a wall down, add an interesting iron railing

Bay window

Highlight the traditional beauty of original bay windows by making them a serious focal point

Loft turned library

Extra hallway space = loft turned library Map as art

An old map makes the perfect vintage artwork

Shiplap on shiplap

Jo LOVES her some shiplap.  #shiplap

european inspired entryway

A change of pace for the Gaines: a European-inspired entryway

colonial inspired dining room

Loving this colonial-like dining room.  Reminds me of historic homes in PA!

mantle turned art

Wouldn’t be a Gaines job without some added architectural detail!

Anyone else as obsessed with them as I am?  I find Chip quirky but hysterical and it’s definitely one of the few design shows I’ve got Jefe hooked on too!

International World Traveler… sort of

Posted in Product Review by

Everyone has a budget.  Some of us just have a slightly smaller or larger one.  Over the last few years, I’ve become pretty good at stretching our Ikea budget to match our Pottery Barn taste.

So what’s the secret?  Mixing, matching and looking for a sale!  You can buy 95% budget-friendly items, but you can’t get them all from the same place or everyone will know you just raided the entire Hemnes section of Ikea.  And when you throw in a few vintage finds, you can nail that coveted, eclectic style that’s all the rage.

Don’t get me wrong, we still buy a lot of Ikea; but it’s the pieces we mix in that make all the difference.  One of my super-secret budget friendly mix in spots: Cost Plus World Market.  (Note this post is NOT sponsored, I’m just obsessed with them!)

World Market Logo

I first learned about them when I stumbled upon the store at the Grove a few years ago while hunting for props for a short film; it had the perfect eclectic mix of home goods my place (and my short film) had been missing.  Since then, Jefe and I have become quite the World Market connoisseurs.

Why do I love it?  You can get an all-leather storage ottoman for $200 that has worn beautifully.  You can get every serving piece you could possibly need to host your first Thanksgiving and still have money left over for that festival fall runner.  And it all holds up beautifully; the furniture is definitely a step up in the stability department.

In the spirit of sharing is caring, I’ve taken the liberty of picking a few of my favorites for you.  It’s a great mix of items we already own with others I’ve got my eye on.

The Natalie Bed – I have to admit that this may have been a recent purchase as I’m so obsessed with it.  Our Ikea bed was not going to make its 4th move and this beauty caught my eye.  And lucky for you, it’s currently $240 off!

Natalie Bed

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Charcoal Oscar Chair – I have the prefect corner ready and waiting for this stylish arm chair.

Charcoal Armchair

Black Windowpane Andrea Mirror – Is your home a little dark?  Lacking windows?  Why not fill up an empty wall with this windowpane mirror!  Fake window and more light all in one.

Windowpane Mirror

Wood Parat Bowl – One of a kind and a beautiful accessory for a console table, a bookcase, or an entryway where you can stash your keys.

Wood Parat Bowls

Espresso Bi-Cast Leather Storage Ottomon – This updated version is the perfect multi-functional piece for any home.  Stylish nailhead trim, supple leather, and plenty of storage.  If it’s anything like the one we bought a few years ago, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Leather Ottomon

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Milk Bottle Vase with Wood Rack – Crushing hard on Joanne Gaines or is that just me?  I’m obsessed with Fixer Upper.  Sometimes her style verges a little on shabby chic, but her more rustic decor makes my heart pitter patter as does this milk bottle vase!

Milk Bottle Vases

Campaign Desk – So stylish and versatile.  The color of wood is the perfect complement to the greenish-grey of our new home office walls.  As we haven’t finished unpacking yet, please excuse the old picture.

Campaign Desk

Office - Desk Detail

Blue Villa Stripe Table Runner – This needs to be spread across my dining table immediately.  It’s a perfectly classic linen for anyone’s space that can be mixed and matched with other linens.

Blue Stripe Runner

Antique Black Verona Bookshelf – You know how the world was heartbroken when the Expedit was discontinued?  Well ours bit the dust during the move.  Guess it’s time for a stylish upgrade to THIS beauty.  I definitely think it’s an improvement however I’m not so sure about my significant other’s decorating choices on those top 2 shelves (although his styling game on the bottom few make me so proud!)

Verona Bookshelf

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So there you have it, my full-fledged, undying love for World Market.  Anyone else a fan?  If that’s not  your jam, what’s your secret go-to for budget-friendly eclectic pieces?

There’s No Place Like Home

Posted in Design Challenges by

Let’s start off with a little update of good news – the refrigerator fit…. BARELY.  But it’s in and NEVER MOVING AGAIN.  I literally spent last weekend stocking and restocking the thing; I cooked up a storm!  It was glorious.

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And you know why I wanted to cook up a storm?  Because this place just feels like home.  From the first night we spent here, it just feels right; this is the place where we’re meant to be at this moment in time. Every day I wake up and I don’t want to leave my bed (more than usual!); at the end of the day I find myself rushing home.  I just want to BE here.  It’s definitely somewhere we can be for awhile.

This is a new sensation.  I’ve never lived somewhere in my adult life that just feels like home, especially since I’ve moved to LA.  It’s a great feeling.  And the french doors don’t hurt.

And as the home is not quite blog-worthy yet, here’s just a little sneak preview to tide you over!

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No Ice Ice Baby

Posted in Design Challenges, Renovation by

Today marks day #25 without a refrigerator. You read that right, we’ve actually been without a fridge since we moved. The space in our kitchen (and the doorway in to our kitchen) is so uniquely sized that there was only 1 fridge carried by Best Buy or Home Depot that could work and that was pleasing enough to the eye that we wouldn’t hate staring at it 3 years from now.

IMG_8839

That teeny, tiny cooler has been our “fridge” for the last month.

So let me rewind – for those of you unfamiliar with the LA rental landscape, it’s a fairly common practice for most landlords to not provide certain appliances to future tenants. Jefe and I have been lucky thus far that our last 3 places all came fully equipped with stove/oven, dishwasher, fridge and washer/dryer (which is like the white whale of apartment hunting).

But our new place was just so right for us that we decided to bite the bullet and rent a place without a fridge. We never in a million years anticipated we’d have to go a month without one.

When we first signed the lease, we immediately headed to Best Buy (Jefe’s version of heaven) to find something. We decided that we didn’t just want something that was the right price and size, we wanted something we could keep for years to come (and potentially move with us in to any future home). We found one that we loved, and it happened to be on sale.

Two days later we’re letting the delivery men in the apartment. They pulled out their tape measures and proceeded to walk right back out the door. We very carefully measured our rather small fridge opening but we never in a million years thought the doorway to our kitchen would be even SMALLER. Well, lesson learned.

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Who has a doorway that’s smaller than 30″?!

So back we and the fridge went to Best Buy. We managed to find one that hypothetically will fit with a clearance of over 2 inches (minus the doors). Today is D-Day as Jefe anxiously waits at home for delivery while I’m working the 9-5.

Really looking forward to that grocery run after work tonight where I can finally pick up ice cream, cream for my coffee and tons of cheese. Unless, of course, it doesn’t fit again in which case I’m going to down that pint of ice cream before it melts to drown my fridge-less sorrows….