The Big 3.0

Posted in Life Stuff by Mallory

Ever since I turned 29 a few months ago, I’ve been feeling the big 3-0 fast approaching. It’s resulted in a lot of blogging, reflection and refocusing of my energies from thinking about my future career, to making a concerted effort to pick up the phone and call a friend… or five.

Keeping that in mind, I was pleasantly reminded of this little list (originally published in Glamour in 1997) by a friend on Facebook today:

TURNING 30: 30 THINGS EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE AND SHOULD KNOW

I’m proud to say that I can cross most of this items off the list but I’ve still got a few more to go before I hit that big number next December. Here’s to conquering numbers 1 through 30.

(Courtesy of One Kings Lane)

25Apr2013

If You Can’t Stand the Heat…

Posted in Redecorating by Mallory

I love me some chartreuse. But its days in my kitchen are numbered. I don’t think it ever REALLY fit in our kitchen space with the light wood cabinets and the multi-colored flecked granite counter tops.

(Please excuse the empty paper towel holder and the Tupperware; just keeping it real folks)

So after these little beauties caught my eye, I knew it was time for a change:

(West Elm Oven Mitt – Cafe Stripe)

(West Elm Cotton Apron – Cafe Stripe)

I’m obsessed with the old school stripes and I think the blue & white combo will look clean and simple. They also happen to compliment a lot of the red utensils we already own from Williams-Sonoma and have out on our countertop:

So what’s the next step? A rug for the floor obviously. I’d love to find one of those cushioned floor mats to help save my feet for the few times a month I actually spend more than 5 minutes at a time in there. But it’s rather difficult to find one that isn’t covered in grape leaves, flowers, or cartoonish chefs or doesn’t look like it was pulled from the kitchen of your local Olive Garden. So for now, in keeping with my life-long love of stripes (and sticking with my non-existent budget), I’m thinking of picking up one of these guys from Ikea this weekend:

For art, I’m thinking of going a little non-traditional. On a recent outing to our favorite brunch spot, Toast, Jefe and I saw this tea towel from Crate & Barrel underneath the glass of the tabletop. I’m thinking it would look great framed on the wall (not to mention helpful for this neophyte cook):

Lastly, I’m thinking of a little accessorizing for the counter area to the left of our stove top which is basically just dead space. There’s a solid 3′ by 2′ of counter space, however, it’s wedged in the corner rendering it completely unusable for use while cooking. So it’s really just a storage space for a wine rack, a bottle of balsamic vinegar that’s too tall for our shelf inside our cabinets, and my recipe box that admittedly hasn’t gotten much use in the last few months.

While meandering through Marshall’s last night, I came across some white ceramic canisters with chalkboard labels, similar to the ones below from Crate & Barrel that I think would be a great addition to that area (although mine would be filled with coffee beans, ground coffee, and Splenda):

Consider this kitchen on its way to being fully updated!

In other news, while walking past a pet store in New York last weekend (and lots of pestering on my part), Jefe FINALLY agreed that we can look in to getting a dog. We still need to do our research in terms of costs, finding the type of dog we want (Miss Sneezy here has to be a bit particular), and everything that’s involved in training a dog, but I can’t help but let my excitement get the best of me. So you may see an upcoming post or two that’s focused on aesthetically pleasing dog beds, leashes and food/water bowls. Consider yourself warned 😉

24Apr2013

Gloria & Harry’s Guest Bedroom

Posted in Redecorating by Mallory

In the ongoing project that is Jefe’s parents’ home renovation, we’ve hit our first serious deadline: his parents have company coming to spend the night in 2 weeks. The last time we touched that room you may remember (which was over two weeks ago thanks to my 36-hour jaunt to NYC), it looked a little something like this:

So it’s about high-time that I get my butt in gear and get to work. As I mentioned previously, the whole concept for this room revolved around a rug that Gloria, Jefe’s mom, brought home from a visit to her native Ecuador. The idea to hang the rug originated from a conversation about what to hang above the headboard on the accent wall.

Being a true East Coaster at heart, I’ve been fighting tooth and nail throughout the 5+ years I’ve lived in LA to disregard the fact that you shouldn’t hang anything heavy above a bed. But apparently earthquakes are a real thing… And as much as it pains me to admit it, Gloria and my Jefe are right: I’d much rather pull a lightweight rug off my face when the big one hits than fight with a glass picture frame that just came crashing down.

So Ecuadorian rug it will have to be. Between the rug and the carved-wood style of the bed frame, I decided to pull some inspiration from images of South American bedrooms as my starting point:

Courtesy of Washington Life

Courtesy of Houzz

From there, I just ran with it. So without further ado, I bring you my plan for the room:

Once we established the rug as the focal point and decided to keep the bedframe and nightstand, I set out to find some accent furniture pieces that would provide some much needed storage, fit in to a somewhat more traditional style and wouldn’t break the bank. I quickly found that trying to match the reddish-hued wood of the bedframe was near impossible so I chose to go with a few white pieces that would really pop against the accent wall.

The first on the list was the BIRKELAND 3 drawer dresser from Ikea. And by positioning it on one side of the bed, it could serve double duty as a nightstand.

Unfortunately the BIRKELAND series does not have a lot of variety in the line, so I had to look elsewhere for a coordinating bookshelf. Most things from Ikea were either too modern or didn’t fit the space we have available. I coincidentally happened to stumble upon the Threshold Carson bookshelf when I was picking up baskets from Target while Jefe assembled the office furniture a few weeks ago.

Although on display in black, they didn’t offer the 3-shelf version in white in store so Jefe and I had to order it online. As we have yet to assemble it, I can’t comment on my first Target furniture purchase so I’ll have to update you all on that later.

From there, I knew the bedspread had to be next. In working with what you’ve got, I knew it had to be something more traditional that also helped to tie the existing color palette together. Initially Gloria and I were skewing towards a flowery paisley from Bed, Bath and Beyond:

But Jefe, the adamant flower loather, insisted we head in another direction. So I turned to all things paisley: Pottery Barn. I found the Charlie Organic Duvet Cover (shown in the mood board and in detail below) and am thrilled that it’s actually on sale right now as we hope to pick it up this weekend.

For artwork, I’ve been scouring Etsy for great photography of Ecuador that will be complimented by some simple white frames from Ikea. As for artwork for the rest of the room, that’s still a work in progress. Thankfully, overnight guests don’t necessitate a fully finished room (although that’s the goal).

Lastly, Gloria suggested hanging a mirror on the wall opposite the foot of the bed which I thought was a great idea. I’m looking for something simple, possibly in a curved shape. I don’t know if Jefe will let me get away with it, but I’d love to go with something along the lines of this one from Target:

There you have it. The latest and greatest from Sledge with Style. In the coming week, I’ll be featuring some reader Q & A’s, a NEW recurring feature based on my love of all things film, as well as an update on Operation Homify.

23Apr2013

Too legit to quit

Posted in Uncategorized by Mallory

You’re not legit until you’ve got a business card to flash:

17Apr2013

Nothing but love

Posted in Uncategorized by Mallory

This weekend I jetted off to meet Jefe in NYC thanks to some frequent flyer miles. I started writing today’s post on Monday about my top 10 favorite things about New York…. but it quickly became clear that I just didn’t feel like talking about New York anymore.

I, like, the rest of the world, was glued to the TV, Twitter and Facebook for updates of any kind. My best friend lives in Boston. I knew 3 people running the marathon. It is by far one of my favorite places on earth and I just couldn’t believe what was going on in such an incredible place.

Luckily everyone I knew was safe. But I couldn’t stop thinking about those that weren’t and can’t shake this feeling of helplessness as I watch from 3000 miles away. But as Mr. Rogers once said “find the helpers.” And there were plenty.

So today I want to spread the love for a city that I would love to some day call home. Amidst the chaos that’s still going on, the questioning of who did this and why, and the constant news cycle speculation, I wanted to offer a little glimpse in to why I think this city ROCKS and I know will pick itself up and get right back on it’s own two feet. And then run another marathon.

Here are my top 10 reasons why I love this great city:

The people. They can be rough around the edges but they all have hearts of gold. They are a unique breed and unlike anyone I’ve ever met before. They can go from swearing like a trucker in a snow-storm to swaying arm in arm during “Sweet Caroline” in 5 seconds flat. Those Boston rebels were the one’s that dumped the snotty English’s tea in the harbor. And high-fived each other afterwards.
The Sox. Baseball fan or not, there is something magical about attending a game in Fenway Park. It truly is breathtaking. You step foot in that stadium and you can just feel the incredible history seep in to your bones. I wasn’t even a fan in 2004 and I still get choked up watching anything about that year’s World Series; it’s impossible not to knowing the history a team that toiled for so long. From “Sweet Caroline” to the teeny tiny seats to the Green Monster, there’s no place like it.
Jefe & I at Fenway for my first Red Sox game
The history. Follow the red brick road and the Freedom trail will take you all over the city for the nation’s greatest history lesson.
Paul Revere looking badass on his horse
The architecture. Red brick everywhere. They embrace the old and only integrate the new when necessary. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Cambridge. The home of Julia Child, Harvard, and my first Hong Kong scorpion bowl. And my bestie who is just as important.
Julia Child’s home (Courtesy of Out and About in Paris)
The T. Any city with such smoothly operating public transit is a-ok with me. They just need to extend the running time to last call and they’d really be on to something.
The food. Clam chowder. Lobster. Cannoli’s from Mike’s. I’ve eaten my way through this city more than once.
The accent. I will pahk my cah in the yahd any day of the week if asked by a Walhberg, Damon or Affleck.
The attitude. This is similar to #1 but there’s just something about the unapologetic yet openly welcoming attitude that the city just exudes and invites you in.
Fall. You’ve never seen foliage until you’ve walked along the Charles during autumn.
Courtesy of Virtual Tourist