House Guest // My Favorite and My Best

Today's House Guest needs no introduction. I've bragged on her plenty here and here, and you can verify her awesomeness over at My Favorite and My Best.

Quite frankly, when Jenny said she wanted to try her hand at our Where/Wear column, I was tempted to turn her down. I'm no fool. I know what she's capable of. After taming the ego a bit and agreeing, she came back with this:

rug (similar) // tealight holders // brass peace sign // lamp // lacquer box // pouf // leather console

Jenny original (similar here)

hat // suede & stone cuff // caftan (similar) // sandals // earrings // friendship bracelet cuff

Stupid good.

I want all of that, don't you?

New Mom Must Haves // Technology

Switching it up to baby talk today, mmkay?

Awhile back, I surveyed a few of my nearest and dearest new(ish) moms on their 5-10 absolute must haves for mommyhood. Now, I understand that a lot of these things are totally subjective and often depend on the nature of your own lifestyle and your babe's unique preferences, but I was fascinated to see a few of the same things popping up repeatedly. So I figure they're universally practical great-to-haves at the very least. I'm going to break them down by category starting with (refer to post title) technology.

And don't worry - these will not be super extensive lists. Many of my peeps are "minimalists" when it comes to baby.

Cloud B Sleep Sheep // Motorola Video Monitor // Soothe & Glow Seahorse // Galaxy Note Tablet

Would love for you mommies out there to weigh in and/or share your own recommendations. New and (ahem) expecting moms can never get enough reccos! Plus, I feel like this is a good reference for non-mom friends that have no clue what to gift. (I still fall into this category, too!)

Shop Love // Read Between the Lines

You guys. I have been so so anxiously awaiting the chance to talk about one of my new favorite product lines from Read Between the Lines. It has seriously been killing me to wait for their launch! Now that it's finally here, let's talk about them!!

Inspired by their awesome card line, the fine ladies behind the brand decided to offer playful, quippy prints with gloriously simple type and fun phrases. They were kind enough to give me a little sneakity peek (which I'll be showing you styled in mi casa over the next few months) so I can attest to the quality and presence. At 16"x20" these beauties make quite the bold statement.

I. Love. Them. All. And you might, too...

 images via Read Between the Lines

My fave is probably you are the best and the mostest.
Can you choose one? Tis tough, I know.

Monday Blues // 40

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I have to say, we had an awesome and productive week off. A little bit of time out of town...a lot of progress on things we just couldn't get accomplished (who knew you had to shop for daycare years in advance in this city?!)...and even a few late mornings in bed. Amazing! Guessing I won't get another week like that for...oh...18 years :)

Wish I had more news to report on the dining room front, but I'm still working on the table bu'niss. I both love and hate Craigslist for the back and forth and coordination it often requires. This is where it pays to be patient, I guess. I did like one suggestion of finding an awesome base and then figuring out a tabletop afterwards. Sort of like this mayhaps:

 Lonny Magazine

I know hubs would loooooove to see a geometric concrete base.

Pretty sure I would love to see one of those Apparatus fixtures hanging from the ceiling.

Where/Wear // Society Social Inspired

With the launch of Society Social's latest Manifesto Magalog (have you seen it yet??), I am all about bar carts. Well, okay, when am I not about bar carts? Roxy always inspires my girly side, so when Gaby and I decided to style up the Draper Accent Table for this installment of Where/Wear and she suggested a floral top and tulle skirt, I went super fem all the way. For starters, every bar needs a proper tray. I am completely smitten with this floral beauty from Biscuit Home! Just. Too. Pretty. How gorgeous would it be with a set of those lilac glasses lined up on top? Add a little bit of lighting (SUCH a great shape to that base!), gold striped napkins (great complement to the floral tray -- because two patterns are always better than one) and a beautiful vintage decanter, and you have yourself a perfectly pretty little bar situation, amiright?

From Gaby // With the bar cart angle in mind, I created an outfit around the idea of entertaining at home. This whole outfit came to life thanks to that tulle skirt, isn't it absolutely gorgeous? It's called the Spring Romance tulle skirt and I think the name couldn't be more appropriate! Oh, and let me tell you that you'll love the price too, just saying! Well, I couldn't resist to pair it with this linen floral tee that I love, and to dress it up a little bit and add a pop of color, I chose these red/coral sandals that in my opinion go beautifully with blush, don't you agree? To complete the look I added this gorgeous pendant necklace and a denim clutch to tie it all together! What do you think? 

Loving Lately // Knitted Mobiles

I mean, please. Just PLEASE. I can barely handle the cuteness!

images via Patricija

The elephants, right? Or the bunnies. But the foxes are pretty adorable....Holy how is one to choose????

here.

House Progress // Dining Room Part Deux

So I played a little game a couple weekends ago and pulled our eat-in table into the dining room. As suspected, I found that I really like the contrast of a white table in our dark blue dining room. Especially with them chairs. The idea of adding another layer of brown to the floors, credenza and chair fabric just isn't sitting well with me. And I know a rug would break things up, but I'm not crazy about adding a rug with a tot on the way.

Holy half-assed room pic. I wasn't actually planning to post about this. Also, this room is currently our first floor catchall so no judgies on the randomness, please.

Aaaaaaanyway, so I try and I like, but I'm not entirely sure where to go from here. I need at least a 54" but much prefer the idea of a 60" round. And I can't very well have two white modern tables in adjacent rooms. So I've been scouring Craigs for interesting traditional/transitional-ish pedestal tables with great shapes that could be painted/lacquered white. (Poor husband can't catch a break, can he?)

You get a lot of this when you search for round dining tables in Kansas City. Like, a LOT of this:

Which is fine and all (I actually grew up with a very similar setup), but not what my Baughman chairs have their beautiful little hearts set on. I'm liking some of these options, but can't seem to commit to any of them:

Am I over-thinking this one or am I right to hold out?

Remember, shiny and white. But it's gotta play ball with those chairs.

Or maybe this is going to be one of those pieces I need to pony up for and buy new??
Kinda like my dream sectional (le sigh).

 
Update: The clear favorite with the square base is 48" (read: too small to seat 6). Sad face.
Another one of you KC peeps should go for it! It's such a great shape!

What say you?

Monday Blues // 39

Happy Monday, party people. Are we ready for another week? I actually have this week off with the intention of getting as many things knocked out as humanly possible....things like a waaaaaaaaay overdue eye appointment (I'd been putting this off because I heard rumor that your vision can change during pregnancy, but I'm supremely delinquent on the pair of contacts I've been wearing)...touring the hospital...looking into daycare...finding a pediatrician....working on the nursery (and now the office that is frighteningly overrun with homeless items previously in the nursery)...you know, all of the fun stuff that's hard to tackle on top of regular life.

I might sneak some fun in there, too.

What we WON'T be tackling anytime soon is our master bedroom. I knew this would be the case from day one, but I still itch to make our room a sanctuary. I have been dead set on charcoal grass cloth, but can't seem to pull the trigger because of the price tag. It's just too extravagant when there are so many other things draining the bank account. So we will continue to hold out until that can happen....or until I change my mind on the grass cloth. Whichever comes first.

I came across this master bedroom designed by Emily Henderson recently, and I really love the look and feel. Fresh, bold, and the right mix of old and new. Definitely going into the inspiration file.

Those geode lamps were overdone in blogland with a quickness, so I haven't considered them despite the assortment of delicious candy colors....until I saw the picture above. And now I really want one! A burl wood campaign dresser perch wouldn't hurt either.

Emily Henderson, photography by David Tsay

Love how she faked larger windows with the curtains. Also sort of obsessed with the gold curtains and curtain rods. Delicious contrast with the blues. Well done, Emily.

Not that she needs my approval. I think we already knew she was awesome, didn't we?

Ch-ch-ch-changes

 Sally King Benedict (similar painting available here!)

So they say consistency is key with blogging. They also say that staying active is tres good for you when you're pregnant. So I'm going to guess that being on my bum for 8 hours a day and then coming home to be on my bum for another 3-6 hours is no good for little bambino...or for my own well-being.

And so -- back to keeping a regular blogging schedule -- I have decided to consistently NOT blog on Fridays until after Baby Reed arrives and I am well adjusted to our new lifestyle. I know this is rocking everyone's world right now because you LIVE for each and every one of my posts (haha. hahahaha) but this will keep me sane. Plus, I honestly do have a few things in the works that I just need a few extra hours a week for, and this might do the trick.

So happy summer (schedule), Baby!

And happy Friday to you as well. ox

Girls Night // Smirnoff Sorbet Light Mixology Party

Over the weekend, I had the extreme pleasure of co-hosting a night of fun, food and adult beverages with the lovely ladies of local decor shop Coveted Home, all courtesy of our friends at Smirnoff Vodka. With mere months before Eric and I have a new little bundle in our lives, I'm starting to realize just how different things are going to be -- at least for awhile -- and I've taken to soaking up as much time with girlfriends as possible. If you know me at all, that usually involves drinks (even if I couldn't partake on this particular occasion. Booooooo. But that doesn't mean my girls can't play).

Here I am with some of my favorite ladies and a sippy cup.

When the folks at Smirnoff asked about trying out their new Sorbet Light infused vodka, I immediately knew a mixology party was going down. Professional mixologists' recipes were provided to make sure we didn't mess things up, which meant that the girls weren't the least bit intimidated to mix their own drinks.

Okay, well maybe just a little :)  But everyone caught on pretty quickly and word is, the prescribed cocktails weren't overly sweet like expected, but perfectly light and refreshing. Everyone raved specifically about the Lemon Mojito (link to recipe card below, designed by yours truly). Apparently that lightness has everything to do with the fact that these vodkas are infused with natural flavors, not flavored with sugars and syrups like most. Which equals less calories as well. BONUS.

The food spread was pretty amazing, and the girls at Coveted Home graciously agreed to bring a few new items from the shop to zhush up the patio in true boheme style. And holy smokes if these two don't know a thing or two about pimping out a patio!

I was OBSESSED with the striped rug and those lanterns! INSANE.

I drew inspiration from the gorgeous John Robshaw pillows when designing the recipe cards. They add so much warmth and color to the space! Festive and chic.

 Of course, we played well into the night...

all photos by Jason Hanna Photography

Download my Smirnoff Sorbet Light recipe cards here:

Tropical Screwdriver Punch // Lemon Mojito // Pomegranate Berry Punch // Raspberry Lemon Punch

Decor sources:

blue zig zag pillow // coral triangle pillow // blue dot pillow // yellow dot pillow

suzani napkins //  striped rug // marble cheese board // small lantern (inquire with CH for large)

mercury tealights // succulent cachepots

This post was sponsored by Smirnoff Sorbet Light. All reviews and opinions are my own (well, or they're the opinions of my friends since I was unable to drink alcoholic beverages).

Huge thank you to Coveted Home and Jason Hanna Photography for helping to make this post possible!

Shop Love // Easy, Tiger

 

Seriously, you guys, any shop with the tagline "cards for awesome people" is a dead ringer for a feature on this blog. And that's without examining the supreme awesomeness of the card line itself.

I can't pretend that I'm just now learning about Easy, Tiger. They're a local Kansas City operation that sells badass little cards out of refurbished vending machines. I may or may not know the co-founders personally (serious bragging rights).

How freaking fun is that?!?

They're in the startup phase, so have one permanent location at Quay Coffee in the Rivermarket (for all of you Kansas City folk), but are planning for additional locations in the near future. Of course, you non-locals can't be left out. All of their cards are available online as well.

Hilarious writing and stupid good designs. A few of my faves include (errrrr...sort of hard to pare down. Sorry):

all images via Easy, Tiger

Soooo good, right? "We have a lot in common" is obviously my fave.

Would love for you guys to check out the site and tell me what your faves are.