Boston Trip: Part 1

Although I've been feeling a little under the weather these past few days, I have to say this past weekend was such a great one for me and long overdue! My cousin, Katie, has lived in Boston for 6 years now and I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I've visited her! We also have a lot of family members in the area too, so it's really pretty sad that I let life get so busy that I've barely been up that way. My closest friend of 20 + years (yikes!) Bobbi Jo, also moved there more recently. So this past weekend, I made sure to break the bad habit and take the trip up to the Bean to visit 2 very special people!

 

I arrived Friday night after work and met the girls. After, we dropped off my bag at my cousins (who lives 2 blocks from Fenway Park...even though I'm a Yanks fan, still pretty cool!) and then grabbed a late bite to eat at this place called Eastern Standard to say hello to her friends. Two of which happen to work at Arhaus, a home decor / furniture store with gorgeous finds.
 

The following morning we met BJ for breakfast at a great bookstore/diner on Newbury called Trident. I got an Apple and Brie omelet that was to die for! The atmosphere was really cool, they carried an assortment of books and cards that we looked through while we waited for our text. (Yes, they text you when your table is ready!)



Walking by the Fens on our way to breakfast.  Prudential Center in the back...



Like I need this in my life!

After breakfast, we walked around Newbury and went into a few stores.  Ironically, as we were on Newbury, I happened to bump into my husband's cousins who were visiting for the day!  After a quick chat with them, we took a stroll through the gardens to take a break from shopping.  Nothing beats sitting outside by the water on a sunny fall day, and catching up with good company.

 

BJ had to head back for a little after the park, but K and I headed off to Charles St. where I ended up falling in love...with a store.

 

 

If you're ever in this area of Boston, you MUST check out The Flat of the Hill . They had the greatest finds and carried such an eclectic inventory of all things fabulous with price points that range from super reasonable to higher end. Regardless, it was a fun way to get inspired. Here's some of the goodies they had: 

 

 

 

 

 

my $14 purchase!

 

Here's some more fun stuff we found around Charles St.:

 

  

 

Loved all these patterns

 

After an amazing day, we headed back to Fenway to regroup and get ready for dinner. We went to BJ's place first and then we were off to have a drink at The Top of the Hub before dinner at Marco in the North End. 

It was so pretty seeing the city from that view! We were able to see all of Boston and and Fenway park. A great way to start the night.

 

 

We headed off to the North End where we enjoy an incredible dinner at a gem called Marco. Definitely visit when you're in the area and ask for Gil (aka our new BFF) as your waiter!  We had bruschetta, the freshest mozzarella we've ever tasted wrapped in prosciutto , and prosciutto wrapped figs that were warm and heavenly! We also enjoyed risotto , salads, and a lemon wine sauce linguini that was incredible!  I can go on and on about all that we tried but it will never do this place justice.  A must try!



60% off Rugs USA!

Last weekend, we decided that we have to, unfortunately, return our gray and white striped area rug to Crate and Barrel.  I'm so sad, I really, really love it!  The only problem is that the white part makes me nervous with what is going to be a high traffic area and we realized we needed something a little thicker.  I still think it's a great rug though, especially for a bedroom or sunroom.  Here's one of the wedding pictures that shows what we currently have (since I've already rolled it up!):

leilabrewsterphotography

 

Last Saturday, I went on Rugs USA to check out some alternatives since they typically have pretty amazing deals.  I found this trellis one (you've probably seen it before) that I think will work with our gray walls (BM Rockport Gray) and white wainscot.  I usually love the look of bold patterns, but because I like to change things so often, I decided to do something with a pattern that's a little more neutral. I figured it would give me more flexibilty for the future!

 

Rugs USA Moroccan Trellis Area Rugs

 

When I looked last week, the rug was about $300 or so... which isn't bad.  Luckily, because I waited until this Columbus Day weekend (totally not on purpose, haha), they were marked down even more to 60% off! You just have to use the code COL60.  Hurry up though, it ends tomorrow I think!

Actually, to be honest, if there's something you like, keep an eye on it, they have promotions all the time.

 

Showing the original price ($509.38) before 60% off!

 

The absolute BEST part about this rug is that it's 100% wool and cost me a whopping $203.00 (and free shipping!!) for an 8'6" x 11'6" size.  That's almost unheard of.  We were also able to check out through Amazon (where we use the Prime free, two-day shipping) so we should get it pretty soon.  I've never ordered from here before, just "window shopped", but when my girlfriend said she had good luck with them, I figured why not?!

 

Here are some other cool ones:

 

Homespun Inspire Charcoal Rug

 

My girlfriend El has this in her dining room
 

 

 

 Let's just hope after all this hype, I end up liking it in person! :)

 

 

 

 

 

Fashion Feature: Verano High Swimwear

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

On this rainy, fall day chances are you’re wearing a comfy sweater or boots…but today, I actually want to post about swimwear.  Nothing is better than being able to support a local talent, especially when you truly believe in their work.   With that, I’m so proud and excited to share with you my “cousin-in-law’s” very first swimsuit line called Verano High. 

 

My husband’s cousin, Maria, started off her career as an Interior Designer as well, but has followed her “passion for fashion” and, through hard work and natural talent, she is making her way onto the fashion scene.  She has been working on this swimwear line for a while now, and her website is now up! You can start to order through email now; however, you will be able to order directly online in only two weeks! 

 

I can’t say enough about this line.  I’ve seen the samples in person, and they are high quality suits that are designed so beautifully.  I say this as someone with a design background, not just as a family member!  Maria is someone who is so humble (too humble!) about her talent and has such a big heart.  She designed a lot of the fabrics herself and, of course, all of the swimwear.   Her first photo shoot was in Colombia, where she styled everything – even using some of her own pieces!  The final images are a beautiful marriage of architectural elements that frame her inspiring collection.  If you ask me, they are a perfect homage to her interiors background and bright future in fashion.  I hope you all enjoy her collections as much as I do, and please, spread the word! 

Of course, you will be able to see MUCH more on the website, www.veranohigh.com!

To follow her journey and Verano High’s upcoming collections, check her out on:

Twitter Twitter (@veranohigh)

Facebook (Verano High Swimwear)

or

Pinterest under… yup, you guessed it… Verano High. J

Congratulations Maria on all your hard work and best wishes on well-deserved success!

Carpet and a Cause

A few weeks ago, my boss said that our local Interface carpet rep reached out to her to see if any designers would be interested in volunteering at a local woman's shelter called My Sisters' Place. The goal was to get volunteers to take a few hours to go to the shelter, rip up the old carpet, and help lay down new carpet tile in the apartments.  My Sisters' Place provides transitional housing for women and children who are either homeless or have suffered domestic violence.  They have a great support team that helps to rebuild their lives so they can move on to permanent housing.  We all jumped at the opportunity to help such a great cause.  Today, my girlfriend and co-worker, El and I took the trip to lend a hand. 



Exterior Shot of the Old Factory turned Apartment Complex

 

Here's a pile of the carpet tiles that we used. They are about 20" x 20" and super easy to install.

 

Below is a picture of the tiles being installed in a quarter-turn pattern.

The great thing about using carpet tiles in apartments, and in general, is that if something happens to one (a spill, rip, etc..) you literally just "pop" that one out and replace it.  No need to rip up wall to wall carpeting! We had a lot of extras, so they could keep them in the storage unit if needed.

 

 

Another reason why carpet tiles are a great solution is that they are actually a floating floor.  All we had do to was use the "Tac Tiles" (the white strips shown in the pic) developed by Interface on each of the four corners of the carpet and simply align the tiles together. It went really fast and no adhesives needed!

 

My partner-in-crime hard at work!

 

It was great to see the apartments transform so quickly, just by using the carpet tiles.  They are the easiest thing to install and I would highly recommend them as a solution for your home.  Check out Interface's Flor division as a great solution for residential living. Here's a quick video that explains more about the Flor system.

To my city-living friends, check out the Flor stores in both NYC and Boston!

 

More importantly, be sure to check out My Sisters' Place to learn more about how you can help a good cause!

xo

Before and After: Entry

We've done so much to this home over the years, so I thought posting our "Before and Afters" would hopefully give you some inspiration.  I also thought it would be a nice "trip down memory lane" for us to see how much work we've done. I catch myself feeling like we "have so much more to do to this house", but when I look at old pictures and see how far it's come, I am so proud of what we (mostly, the hubby...) accomplished.  I'm so lucky to have such a talented, hard-working partner that puts up with all my ideas and is the main reason why any of this is executed!

(PS - To avoid boring you with text, I'll be sure to share how we did everything in a separate post!)

With that being said, let's take a look at the entry. 

Below is the before picture (I hope that would be obvious...hehe)
Doesn't really scream, "WELCOME HOME!" does it?

Entry / Before

The tile, carpeted stairs, and maroon paint with a "stucco inspired" texture really were, for lack of a better word, a HOT MESS.  There was hard wood underneath the carpet, so we ripped that up, cleaned up the stairs, and added some poly so the tone would stay the same as the banister. Below is a process pic, before we ripped up the carpet.







Walls primed, before we ripped up the carpet

Unfortunately, I don't have an "After: Part 1" pic to show the stairs. Although, I guess it really doesn't matter since they weren't that way for long! In Dec. 2011, I finally convinced Rick that we should stain our entry stairs a deep espresso brown and add wainscoting throughout the house, starting with the entry. The rest of the hard wood is light, but the contrast really works, and I still get my fix of the dark floors even if it's not throughout the house! A win - win! hehe..


 

Entry / After

This picture also shows Rick's first tile job that was done a few years before we stained the stairs and added the wainscot. The stain and the tile really work together, and I'm so glad he gave in! We still need to add the framing to the wainscot, but two little projects called "siding the house" and "planning a wedding" took precedence over this for now!
 

 

 

Wedding Photos are in!

I still can't express how much I loved working with Leila Brewster, our wedding photographer-turned-forever friend! Her laid back personality and thoughtfulness made wedding planning much more relaxing. I knew she "got" what I was looking for without having to explain anything. A truly amazing talent with a even better heart! Thank you, Leila, for capturing our special moments in such a beautiful way.

I also want to thank my good friend, Sarah, for not only introducing me to these great talents, but for helping me turn a vision(s... at times there were many!) into a memorable event. With all the events you had, you took time to help me and I can't tell you how much I appreciate everything! Working with you, I've always known you were amazing - but being the bride this time, it just proved even more that you TRULY are the BEST around.

So... with the sappy stuff out of the way... Here they are...

just go to the following website:

http://www.leilabrewsterphotographyclient.com/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&action=accessGallery


access code: natlo

Fall: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."

  Nothing makes the ride to work better than a crisp, fall morning with a hot pumpkin spice latte in your cup holder.  I'm so excited that this fall doesn't consist of any type of planning, so I started thinking about all the things I love about this time of year. 

 

1. Mums: There was a traffic jam on the highway yesterday when I left work, so I took the back roads home.  There is this cute farm stand that I always pass when I go that way and they always have great deals on flowers.  We (aka the Mr.) just finished siding our house, so I wanted to jazz up the front with some mums. I got 2 huge mums for $25 and they should bloom in a week or so.
 

 

2. Dark Nail Polish: Yesterday, a fabric rep came in and gave all the designers in our studio a fun dark purple polish called "Groovy".  It was so thoughtful and we love it! It got me excited to start going dark! 

Dark Nail Color



Have an iPad or iPhone? Download the OPI app and you can find fun colors that match you skin tone from your phone! Works great for us indecisive ones!


 

3. Ombre Hair: Love me some Ombre locks, especially in the fall! I had my sister-in-law add some more highlights underneath my layers this past weekend and already can't wait to add more!
 

 

 

4. Wreaths: I love dressing up the front door with an autumn wreath, but last year I decided to move the wreath from the front door to the dining room table. This wreath cost me a whopping $10 from my second home, Marshall's.  The mercury glass hurricanes were only $5 a pop on clearance at the same Marshall's. Both were steals! I actually used the same hurricanes at our table on our wedding day. The wreath is nice and full and would have cost a ton more somewhere else.  My only suggestion is putting a runner or a glass candle dish underneath the wreath so you don't scratch your table.   Here's an old pic from last year!  (sorry it's a little grainy)

 

 

In place of a traditional wreath, I've been drawn to the whole monogram look for the front door.  Check out these finds...

 



Style Me Pretty





Etsy



Etsy



 

5. Pumpkins: Of course, when you think of fall, foliage and pumpkins come to mind! Rather than carving pumpkins, why not add a fun design with some paint instead? All you have to do is log on to your Pinterest and you'll find tons of pumpkin ideas! Here's one I saw yesterday...

 

 

My Sweet Savannah

 

6. Candles: You really can't go wrong with Yankee Candles (I love Autumn Wreath and Trick or Treat).  However,  they can get pricey.  I've noticed that Home Goods sells them sometimes and they were less expensive. Actually, I've also fallen in love with the 3 Layer candles from Wal-Mart! 
The best part is, they are only $5 for an 18 oz. jar and smell amazing! Who knew?
 

3 Layer Pumpkin Spice



 

7. Scarves: I heard on the radio this morning that scarves are the best way to transition from your summer to fall wardrobes.  My Nonna makes the best scarves ever and I'll definitely have to post those for you to see. But for now, check out these cute Ikat scarves I just found Old Navy's website for $8!

 

Old Navy Ikat Scarf

 

8. Pumpkin Spice...ANYTHING!



Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes