Today I'm over at Made By Girl participating in Jen's fun new series One Gift Under Your Tree. Click on over to read my answer to the question:
Dear Santa,
10 Things That Make Me Happy During the Holidays
Here's what I'm looking forward to this enjoying this season (in no particular order):
1. Outdoor Christmas Lights
Every year my family and I take a walk down "Christmas Tree Lane" in the historic area of my hometown to see all the over-the-top outdoor Christmas lights and decorations
2. Christmas Decorations
I started taking some out yesterday from their storage box. I can't wait to put them all up!
via martha stewart
3. Warm Sweaters
I particularly can't wait to put Little Foot in one. I'm currently shopping on Etsy --my top picks so far: this one, this one, this one, and this one.
4. Ice Skating
This year we'll probably heading out to The Lakes in Thousand Oaks. I love going in the evening/night -I love the lit up atmosphere.
via allegra tumblr
5. Holiday Drinks
Abuelita hot chocolate, apple cider, all the special Starbucks varieties...
Abuelita hot chocolate, apple cider, all the special Starbucks varieties...
6. Holiday Baked Goods
Peppermint and chocolate, cupcakes, sugar cookies, gingerbread...
via martha stewart
7. Snow (or something like it!)
Someday I'll to spend Christmas in a place where it snows for real (I've dreamnt about that since I was a kid!) but for now I'll enjoy the artificial snowfall at the Americana in Glendale here in Southern California.
Someday I'll to spend Christmas in a place where it snows for real (I've dreamnt about that since I was a kid!) but for now I'll enjoy the artificial snowfall at the Americana in Glendale here in Southern California.
8. The Fireplace + Cozy Blankets
I love cozying up by the fire on a cold winter night with a luxuriously soft blanket, my husband and Little Foot :)
9. Christmas Movies
A few personal favorites: Miracle on 34th Street, Elf and Love Actually
A few personal favorites: Miracle on 34th Street, Elf and Love Actually
10. Christmas Music
A few personal favorites: Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra, and Harry Connick Jr
What are you looking forward to?? Share your list with us! Post your own list (short or long -whichever format you like) on your blog and email me your link (ariannavargas@gmail.com). I'll include the links of everyone who emails me in a post early next week :)
Giving Thanks
I'm signing off early this week to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with family.
Thank you sincerely to each and every one of you for stopping by my little blog for a visit every so often. I hope you have a delightful Thanksgiving with the people you love! :-)
Beautifully Organized Space of the Week
Since this week is a short one due to the upcoming holiday, I thought I'd post this week's beautifully organized space a little early.
This is space is from the perfectly put together home of Martha Stewart Living's Kevin Sharkey. Check out how orderly his kitchen is:
He took optimized cabinet space by working vertically and taking advantage of adjustable shelves. To maximize space in your own cabinets, try utilizing organizers like these.
Also take a peek inside his dining room credenza:
Sunday Morning
in weekend
via Lonny Mag June/July 2010 (Deborah Lloyd's home)
I'm happily enjoying a lazy Sunday morning, about to head over to the kitchen to make brunch :) How's your weekend so far? Can you believe it's only a few days til Thanksgiving?
A Little Inspiration...
...or shall I say a lot of inspiration?....
Take a look at these beautiful accent walls....
...guess what?!? It's not wallpaper! Read on...
The living room in the first set of photos is from the home of Jesse of Good Girl Gone Glad. Jesse used a stencil she downloaded from Jones Design Company and painted on the pattern using a small craft paint brush and a high gloss paint one shade lighter than the main wall color.
The master bedroom in the second set of photos was designed by Rethink Design Studio. They created an accent wall in lieu of a headboard by designing a graphic template, repeating the design, printing it on a large scale printer, and tracing the outline with a gold metallic Sharpie marker.
The living room in the third set of photos is from the home of Maria of Layers of Meaning. Maria and her husband created the chevron wall using painter's tape and three coats of paint (main color was Sherwin Williams Amazing Gray and accent color was Glidden Smooth Stone).
Genius Idea
in budget, decor, diy, office space
When Jen of Made by Girl, shared a few shots of her new home office, I was instantly drawn to her luxe mousepad...
Can you believe it was actually a little DIY project?? She made it using a piece of an old handbag pasted onto an existing mousepad! What a creative way to upcycle!
Birthday Cupcakes and Flowers
Last night my husband surprised me with pink roses and baked me a dozen pink birthday cupcakes. He's the sweetest!
Thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday yesterday on facebook, twitter, etc.! XOXO!
Source for Affordable Art
Have you heard of Zatista.com yet? It's a great source for original and affordable artwork. Here's a few of my favorites from their Under $250 section:
(1) Yipes Stripes painting, oil on canvas $70; (2) Wise Math Print, digital on paper $35; (3) Sunrise Over the Peninsula painting, oil on wood panel $150; (4) You Should Think On painting, acrylic on canvas $250; (5) Scattered Light painting, oil $250; (6) Quiet on the Lake painting, acrylic on canvas $125 (7) Viola painting, acrylic on canvas $125; (8) Summer Roses painting, oil on wood panel $175
Inspirational Quote
Two Red & Black Libraries
Loving these two library rooms filled floor-to-ceiling with books and injected with black and red for an element of drama.
via traditional home
Beautifully Organized Space of the Week
Beautiful boxes, a basket, and vintage suitcase provide ample storage and keep the color story consistent. A white stand near the door keeps umbrellas contained and readily accessible. The dark wall colors (love those stripes!) help the TV and DVD player"disappear" and keep them from being eyesores.
via lonny mag
Idea for the Kitchen: An Open Cubby Unit
Little bright spots of order can be transcendent, especially if they're resolved in a stylish way :-)
photo by jen siska via sunset magazine
You can tell everything in the cubby is purposefully there. With open units like that, belongings need to be edited down for it to look that good.
Beautifully Organized Space of the Week
This week's beautifully organized space of the week is the home office of interior designer Melissa Warner.
Metal locker baskets with labeled tags contain and organize her many fabric swatches. The bookcase makes use of vertical space.
On the other end of the room, closet doors covered in a bold over-scaled poppy print wallpaper make the room feel lively and hide more storage. A skirted glass-topped table provides a surface on which to lay out swatches and plans for her designs, while a Lucite chair helps keep the space looking uncluttered by taking up little visual space.
images via House Beautiful
Beautifully Organized Space of the Week
An unexpected closet in the master bath with a library ladder for reaching items stored in high shelves and cabinets.
image credit: home of jill robertson via design sponge
House of Honey
Currently swooning over the design projects over at House and Honey. I love the way designer Tamara Kaye-Honey uses updated classics to create elegant yet very livable interiors. My favorites from her:
photos via house of honey
Did you notice the marble countertop in the kitchen that runs down the sides of the island? That's definitely going in my dream home inspiration file! What about you, any favorites?
P.S. She also has a decor shop in South Pasadena. I hear it's filled with a beautiful selection of wallpaper and fabrics, whimsical and playful accessories, and unique pieces of furniture. I must visit!
Beautifully Organized Space of the Week
This week's beautifully organized space of the week is from the home of fellow design blogger, Bryn of Bryn Alexandra Interiors. Bryn recently created four beautiful bulletin boards to post and organize her inspirations, sketches and fabric swatches. I love the idea of having multiple boards -one for each project. Great for us visually oriented types!
If you haven't already, be sure to check out Bryn's blog. She's a very talented interior decorator in Charlotte, North Carolina who regularly blogs about her design projects, DIYs, inspirations, and pieces of her life :-)