Friday Grab Bag

Our first Grab Bag Series! We have so many things to share  so why not just lay it all out there!? We collect all this awesomeness and eye candy while scouring the internet and making our way through our reader articles.... SO. MUCH. STUFF! No sense in keeping you waiting. Hopefully you like this new installment and come back to visit for our next GBS. We plan to do this grab bag series every few fridays. 

1. Pack your bags! Mini guide to L.A.... and New york!

2. adding to the art collection...amazing technicolor print

3. Need this Rock bling!

4. any girl can love raw diamonds

6. A precious Sweet Pea Necklace

7. Clutch this bright yellow diy project

8. Polly want a parrot figurine!

9. gushing over more raw diamonds

10. Bathroom organization

11. In love with this 100 yr old home makeover

Get your hands Dirty: Terrarium

This weekend, I am planning on getting my hands a little dirty and doing some planting and gardening. On my to do list is finally making a succulent terrarium for the house. I'm trying to spruce up my green thumb and I'm thinking this low maintenance project will be the right start. I've scoured the Internet researching instruction, care tips, and creative ideas for a terrarium. Succulents have a such a special place in my heart and they always look so cute and lovely so I have decided to use succulents over other plants such as tillandsia (air plants). You can choose to do any kind of terrarium and from all the research I've done, it seems like the same type of materials are needed. Check them out below

Make the Terrarium your own by choosing a unique container. There are tons of options. I personally love cloches and West elm's wide selection of terrarium glassware.

As for the "How To", here is the diy that I am following from Birdhouse Diy + Design. I chose one that was simple and straightforward. Be sure to read the care and watering instructions. Very helpful! Feel free to share ones that have been successful for you. 

Bronze Terrarium, $60 Apothecary Jars, $30 NYBG | Shop in the Garden, $108 Set of 3 Glass Canisters, $60 Small Clarus Display Box, $50 Pebble Terrariums | west elm, $29

Good luck! and Happy Planting!

UPDATE!! See our Finished terrarium from this weekend HERE

xoxo
Annaliese


{All boards created by me}

My Bookshelf: Paris in Color

It took me all of 5 min from first seeing this book on pintrest, to going to amazon and hitting the "complete order" button....its mine!!!

Cant wait to dive in! oh and did I mention that it was only $12...yup!

Thank you Nichole Robertson for capturing one of my favorite cities this beautifully.

The Wrap Around: Neon Belts

Today I am wearing a  black and white print dress with a scoop neck bodice top and A-line skirt. I wanted to add some separation and definition by adding a belt and was looking for my bright Yellow belt...which unfortunately...I couldn't find!! So I settled for a braided brown leather belt instead. I hate compromising my outfit =( This made me come to think of where I can get some great bright colored belts since the only one had is nowhere to be found. I stumbled upon many amazing choices most of which are very affordable! I plan of scooping up most of these. enjoy AND.... HAPPY FRIDAY!!

CC SKYE bracelet, £135 J Crew belt, $33 With Love From CA belt, $13 Belt, $12 Juicy Couture belt, $25 Oasis belt, $20 H M belt, £3.99 Kate Spade belt, $98 Roberto Cavalli belt, $1,195 Vince Camuto belt, $38

Getaway: San Diego

This past weekend, the hubby and I escaped to our Home away from Home: San Diego. 

Beach time, waves and ocean breeze, shopping, foodie-ness, bright colored outfits, local art....was just what this girl needed.

We ate at a bunch of new places...SD is always popping up with newer and yummier places to sip and eat. We tried a cute brunch place called cafe chloe in downtown. One night we opted for a much needed dose of lucha libre mexican food. The other evening we chose Urban Solace for our wining and dining experience. This place is tucked away in trendy North park and has a great ambiance and wonderful food.  

I decided to try the pork belly entree and Daniel got the chicken and dumplings. We snacked on their cheddar biscuits with yummy herb butter....Those biscuits were amazing and my pork belly was the best I ever had. I would recommend this place for a great dinner out. We had a private table but they also promote communal dining where you can share a table with other smaller parties. We thought that, that was pretty fun. I have to point out that there was a glaring art piece of Ron Burgundy (Anchorman) behind the bar...this was actually my favorite part!

 

To end our night and walk off the wine, we strolled through the "Ray St. @ Night" art walk. and listened to  live indie music with their own dancing kids. All the art studios were open for any of our art viewing pleasures. I got really drawn to the geodes and rocks that were popping up in a lot of the galleries. I couldn't resist and bought a piece of green calcite which is the stone of "Letting go and moving on" and very cool piece of petrified wood which was collected and polished by artist "Orion Jewelry & Lapidary". He travels all over to collect pieces and cut and polish them to make dramatic pieces. The hubby was super sweet and bought me a handmade blue octopus patina necklace made by Zedena Designs. Her work was displayed in the Striving Artist Gallery where they showcase local artists. She actually made the octopus by hand by making her own mold. This piece is so fun and I love why Daniel thought of buying it for me. He says, an octopus reminds him of me because I am always doing so many things at once, have different projects going on and am able to balance it all. Such a sweety!

Check out our spoils from the Art walk below!! 

Isn't the octopus cute?! Such a fun weekend! San Diego will always be a home to us. So I hear the weather here in Northern Cali will be beautiful...Here's to another great weekend. What do you have planned?

xoxo
Annaliese

Try it Out-fit: Long Cardigans and Shorts

Pairing a long cardigan with some sexy and flattering shorts is perfect for spring. You get to show a little leg while staying demure and a little bit warmer up top (for those sometimes chilly+sunny days). I was inspired by OPs look pictured above (looove her) and hopefully you try this outfit style yourself. 

One tip: make sure the sweater hits below the hem of the shorts and pair with some demure heels...not too high.

I would love to wear a bold cardigan with some neutral shorts and blouse with a played down heal.

Here are some pieces to help inspire your versions of this outfit

Have fun with it! Show some leg!

xoxo
Analiese

Instagram Blog Hop!

We're in ...our very first blog hop!Join in and follow us. The rules are below!!See you on IG

Again, here are your hosts: 

Ashlyn @ Let It Be Beautiful 

Emily @ The Pink Elephant 

Kimberly @ A Night Owl 

The Rules: 

1. We would love for you to follow your hosts:

@missashlyn

@mrsemshhh

@anightowlblog

2. Check out and follow a couple fellow IGers. 

3. Spread the word! Especially for our new Android folks! 

(The more the merrier! Grab a button and add it to your blog, Tweet or Facebook about the link up.)

Go to Ashlyn's blog to ALL THE DIRECTIONs,  get more info and for a button for your blog!!

What We Love: Home Edition

Here are some great pieces I've found that have really sparked my fancy. I will be slowly trying to curate them one by one for the home as I try to save some moolah for all these goodies. First on my list is the number one item...Gold Flatware from West Elm!!

I was so excited to find these doggy bed duvets from Molly Mutt. They have such cute and stylish colors with great patterns you can coordinate with your home. The two pups are up for a new bed.

Click on the links below if you are interested in more info on any of these goodies.

Happy Friday my Lovelies! Have any special plans for the weekend? The hubby and I are traveling to San Diego for a little R&R. I would say "fun in the sun" but it seems like we can't escape the cold weather that is covering California. I tell you, I'm done with the cold weather....I'm sorry, I thought it was spring!

1. Gold Flatware 5-pc. Set  2. Rugby Stripe Bins 3. 20x200 | Well-being 2, by Valerie Roybal 4. Pierre Faceted Terrarium Large 5. Z Gallerie - Marquette Taper Holder - Silver      6. Molly Mutt dog bed duvet cover, 7. Glass Cloche 8. Gray Chevron Throw 9. Pillows

xoxo
Annaliese

Join the Arm Party!

Who doesn't love a great arm party?! layer up your bling, add some color and get creative. Here are some awesome pieces that you can add to your collection to make an arm party to match any outfit and any mood. I love Tory Burch's leather wrap bracelets with the right amount of gold detail and color options...its perfect for layering and mixing with your chunky metals. Kate Spade has a vibrant array of bangles and bracelets. All of them look so chic and fun!

Forever 21 has so many bracelets and all at an affordable price. They range from tribal, to edgy, to modern and all under $10. Cant beat that. I love Stella and Dot's selection of arm candy as well. They have a ton of high end style with affordable price tags.

I'm sure you have all seen the friendship bracelet trend that has been going around...and for good reason! they are a great way to add an effortless and nostalgic feel to any fancy outfit and not to mention all the great diy projects that result in shop worthy pieces. If you don't have the time to make your own...head on over to Asos for some great selections. My favorites are pictured above.

If you've seen any of my instagram pics...my fav go to arm party pieces are my leather Tory Burch studded wrap and my vintage Monet chunky link bracelet. If I feel real spunky, I'll add my gold Michael Kors Classic watch to mix.

Do you have favorite pieces?

xoxo
Annaliese


P.S. Sorry for all the weird single posts from polyvore last night...for some reason my blog was linked to my polyvore account so whenever I uploaded images to add to my boards for the upcoming blog posts, it would automatically post here...geez! glad I caught and fixed that!

In a Nutshell

Happy Friday everyone! For once this week has gone by super fast. I didn't get to post on Wednesday like I would have wanted to so this will be a double header Friday! The hubby and I got a lot done this past week and I think I actually did an adequate job documenting most of it. Here is to another fabulous weekend and hopefully a fabulous week.

1. Re-arranging our entry way console table. Some of my favorite books
2. Tulips at the farmers market
3. Whos-its and Whats-its galore at the Alameda Antique fair...which is HUGE!

 

1. My favorite snack: Garlic Naan with Pesto baked in the oven
2. Catching up on blog reading while waiting for an oil change
3. Our new brass Greek horse found at an antique store in
4. My winnings from the Alameda Antique fair: a pair of mini vases, pink oriental tea jar, art deco necklace, vintage glass drop earrings, pearl earrings, vintage Schick razor (hubby's cool find)
5. Our new favorite cheap snack in Berkeley...$2.00 ice cream sandwiches at Cream
6. Outside Cream. They have wonderful vegan cookies!

1. Rainbow chard at the Farmers market...picking up our essentials

2. Gold Angel cabinet handles from the Alameda Antique fair

3. Awesome vintage Typewriter

4. Brass Animals galore!

5. My new cute mini vases...love the malachite green!

Have a wonderful Easter weekend everyone!

xoxo 

Annaliese

Joyus & HD Buttercup Event

 

This past Tuesday, I had the privilege of attending the Joyus + HD Buttercup event @ the HDB headquarters in SF. Joyus is a revolutionary online shopping experience that harnesses the power of video to reach out to their customers and make the shopping experience more personal. It was an event to celebrate the launch of Joyus' home edition as well as their first annual designer challenge. They challenged 7 well known designers to make over a bare room using items that were pre-selected from HD Buttercup. Have you heard of HD Buttercup?...Well let me tell you! this is a furniture, home design, eye candy heaven.

we walked into the event and I was instantly taken away by all the layout, the wonderful, genius design and the seemingly endless amounts of home decor and furniture. We were greeted by an enormous plate wall, which I couldn't help but look at. There was open bar with flowing champagne, a clever concoction called "Joyus Juice" which was joyously delicious with peach, lime, vodka and jalapenos...yummy!

 

 

There was so much to see and so much to look at but the highlight of my night was getting to meet and talk to Erin  Hiemstra the creator of Apartment 34. I'm such a big fan of her blog! Erin was one of the designers who participated in Joyus' Designer Challenge. Watch her transform her room here! and don't forget to vote. She is such a great down to earth person. I'm hoping to connect more with her and other local bloggers in the future. 

Joyus and HDB definitely put on a great event. Great space, great people, great activities like a design your own room photo booth. They had a table of all these home accessories and a blank room space. You had one minute to decorate it however you want and then talk about your design and take photo in your room. It was pretty fun...a lot of pressure though lol! Did I mention that they had free food trucks there that were serving some bite size snacks? It was great!

I would highly recommend checking out HD Buttercup if you are looking for unique, great quality pieces for your home...or even if you need a little inspiration and don't forget to look for awesome finds and shopping events at Joyus.

xoxo
Annaliese