IN HER SHOES: LA JEUNE MARIE

So my first encounter with blogger Sarah of La Jeune Marie could have gone one of two ways. Either she would think I was nutty and try to block me from her site or we would become great friends. I'm so happy that it's turned out to be the latter. You see when I first stumbled upon her blog I became an obsessed women. I read it from the very beginning to current day and was absolutely smitten by her. She was gorgeous, stylish, sweet, smart and Southern! I knew I had to become friends with this gal. So of course like any impulsive person with a crush I emailed her right away and told her how stunning, amazing, funny, etc I thought she was and how I really enjoyed her blog. I'm happy that I restrained myself by not telling her I would totally be her for Halloween. :) She emailed me back I very sweet email telling me that I wasn't scary at all and she really appreciated a little note telling her that I found her blog inspiring. Alas a friendship is born!

If you haven't already checked out La Jeune Marie yet you must then clear your morning and settle in for a good read. Sarah is currently living in Austin, TX and her blog followed her bridal preparations, the wedding and now her life as a newly wed and everything that goes along with it. It also includes Sarah's fabulous sense of style and ability to make amazing outfits from Forever 21 with some Jimmy Choo'sof course. Recently Sarah has started off on a new adventure as a wedding planner/interior decorator. It's given her an avenue to use all of her creative energy and and as her readers we get to join in on the ride and see her thought process.

So sit back, relax and enjoy reading about a typical weekend for Sarah. It starts off with a yummy brunch and ends with a good glass of wine and magazine. Ah whatelse could a girl want?

Mid Morning Derek and I have our Saturday brunch. Typically this consist of migas, Mexican Coke and other fun treats. Were not big breakfast eaters during the week, so on the weekends we like to spoil ourselves!

Around 1pm or so we decide to go furniture shopping for our master bedroom. I spot this cute little set up at the first store and have to take a photo. Everything is designer and way out of our price range so we decide to move on to our next stop.

We pop into Crate & Barrel and decide on a bed after much deliberation (were conflicted between the classic Colette and the modern Archer). Coin toss ensues. It's the Archer in pewter and we can't wait for it's arrival. I start talking about new bedding and Derek starts to have a panic attack. I ease his fears by saying I think I saw a duvet at Target that I liked and he starts breathing again (close one!). By this time I am STARVING but we still have one more stop on our list of errands.

After a recent trip to Houston where I picked up this gorgeous vintage dress and took it home in hopes my atelier could rework the fit a bit for me, I finally made it to the dress shop to see what could be done. Doesn't it remind you of the one in my Camilla Belle post!? And it looks perfect with a pair of gold Jimmy Choo's!! Anyways, we stop by the shop for a consult and the dress maker gives the thumbs up! Can't wait to wear this gorgeous frock!!

Head to the grocery store before getting back to the house, just need eggs and half & half for a quiche recipe but leave the store with wine, new dish towels, green tea, a magazine and oh yeah... eggs and half & half. (I ALWAYS manage to get extra stuff at the store, it's like crack!!)

It's around 10pm and I decide to get a work out in. Bust out the yoga mat and weights for 20 minutes of 30 Day Shred with Jillian Micheals. This is followed by cussing out Jillian and whimpering through the whole thing - this is hard!!

Reward myself with a glass of wine and new issue of Southern living. DYING to try that peach dessert recipe... Looks like were going to need to plan for some more work outs!

After wine and a little T.V. we wind down into bed. I catch up on all my blog stalking and answer some emails... then I spend some "quality time" with the hubby followed by nothing but sweet dreams! All and all an extremely productive Saturday at Chateau Jeune Marie, but you want to know about the shoes right? Well I could totally lie and say I spent the day in a pair of sky high Louboutin's, but between you and me... I spent the day in these flirty flats.

Thank you Camila for inviting me to share a typical Saturday with you, I admire your blog greatly and am so excited to have dropped by. Thank you for having me! Merci!!

Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget

I always want what I can’t have. Isn’t this the case for many ladies out there?

Especially in the high-end world of  home interiors it’s hard not to fall in love with items that will break the bank. Since my budget these days is not like it use to be I can only dream about filling my house with my latest must-have: Chevron.

Image from Domino :( 

There will be no Madeline Weinrib rugs in my future.

There will also be no amazing  Rubie Green bedding or fabric in my near future.

On my tight budget I probably won’t even be able to sneak in some Linda and Harriett note cards!

Ok just kidding I tend to get a bit dramatic at times. I could afford the cards, but could I get enough to tape them all together and make myself a rug? I think not!

Instead of giving up on all the things I can’t afford at the moment I went in search of getting my cake and eating it too. Here are some cleaver DIY options that will not break the bank and fix your itch for Chevron.

For my little rug situation we can all follow Nick Olsen's advice and find an inexpensive jute or sisal rug. I’ve seen some 8 x 10 versions on Craigslist for $60 and go to town with paint and painters tape.

For inexpensive paint I always search the Oops section at the hardware store. The gray/beige that I have in the Florida room was only $5 for the gallon!

 

Image from Domino :(

To fix my desire for everything Rubie Green I found this amazing DIY on making your own Chevron fabric.

You can go from this:

Image from Flipt Studio 

To this:

 

Image from Flipt Studio

All you need is a little time, some fabric, scissors and a sewing machine.

I’m going to be trying out the Chevron fabric how-to! Don’t worry I’ll be sure to document once I do.

Last, but not least was another amazing how-to that only requires paint, tape, tacks, paper and oh yea a piece of furniture to do the painting on.

Featured in Sunset magazine you can now achieve this look in your home:

Have you seen any good DIY ideas lately? I love to be in the know so please share.

Plus misery loves company. So what items are on your must-have list, but your wallet doesn’t agree?

Look kids, Big Ben! Parliament!

I don’t know what it is, but I have a strong love and affection for all things that are British.

I’ve never even visited London, but I feel like I have with all the books that fill my shelves describing life in England along with of course everyone’s favorite, Love Actually making an appearance every couple of weeks.

So my idea of England is totally a mix of Hugh Grant movies and Bridget Jones books, but hey it’s cheaper than airfare.

In flipping through an old issue of Living Etc I was introduced to the work of Lizzie Allen. How did I not know about her sooner!

Lizzie designs and produces hand screen printed wallpaper. Amazing!

Lizzie grew up in Surrey and attended Winchester School of Art where she studied Printed Textiles. She has worked at Osborne and Little (swoon) and Paul Smith and in 2005 she was awarded funding by the Crafts Council to start her own business.

The paper is sourced from managed forests and the prints are ordered to be tailored made to the space, which means there is no left over paper waste. 

I love how the designs comes out looking like it was an illustration from a chic children’s book. The color and whimsy add such a touch of fun to a room and the street scenes all look quintessential British. Since Lizzie has traveled all over the world she has started to produce prints from other cities such as Central Park in NYC.

Images via Brilliant Asylum and British House and Garden

I’m now off to enjoy a cup of tea from Marks and Spencer while watching Rugby and doing anything else that is a v. good cliche of British life.

Cheers!

Home Improvement: Florida Room

Well I’m sure I still have paint somewhere on my body, but yesterday afternoon I finished painting the Florida Room.

To recap this is what the room looked like when we first moved in:

We lived with it that way more or less for pretty much a year and half. It just became a dumping ground for things that didn’t have a home.

Then on Sunday I went a bit nutty and by late Sunday evening it looked like this:

In the top right corner you can even see where Sunday night at around 10pm or so I knock over a gallon of white primer. We were painting the floor anyway so Jon just started spreading it around.

Monday morning we woke up early and continued the madness. Here is what the room looked like this morning:

Ah I’m in love. The floor just needs an additional coat and the then a coat of poly to seal it in.

This morning was spent searching my local thrift shops for a daybed. I didn’t find any, but I did find two other pieces that will now be residing in the Florida room aka den,office, breakfast nook.

This bench is going to be getting a complete re-do. I’m painting the frame and then finding some fabulous fabric to reupholster it it will also need a lucite tray for on top and voila a new coffee table.

It was only $38. Not too bad.

The thrift store I went to has another location in a town about 20 minutes away so I took the drive and came home with this:

It is a slipper chair and ottoman that of course needs new fabric, but it was only $18!!!!!!!!

Still need a daybed and some sort of desk, but I’m happy to see it coming along.

I was totally inspired by Rory’s pool house that I guest blogged about today. So I’m in search for some fabric in the pink, green and yellow family.

Once I find the perfect fabrics I only need to worry about learning how to sew. Hmm let's hope it's not too bad and I can talk my MIL into helping me out!

I will keep you all posted on my progress!

Forget Paris

So the lovely, stylish, talented and world traveler Alek is off on vacation with her hubs to Paris! I imagine that she is enjoying the  sights, shopping lots and eating even more baked goods.

Of course I’m totally jealous. I’ve always wanted to go to Paris and let’s just say it’s not high on Jon’s list of places to go.

I’m not in Paris this week, but I am over at From the Right Bank to the Left Coast guest blogging today.

Go check it out and see another one of my guilty pleasures on TV. Not only do I catch this show everyday, but what I choose to guest blog about inspired me in my new Florida room re-vamp!

Since I’m so sore from painting that even my hair hurts and my allergies are already driving me nutty today I’m so happy that I have a guest post that you can all check out, because at the moment it’s hard for me to even type my name.

All images of Paris via Rita Crane Photography.

Low-key weekend?

Ah does everyone remember that I mentioned on Friday’s post that I didn’t really have anything going on this weekend?

Well due to that this nutty lady woke up Sunday morning and decided that she was tired of seeing the Florida room the same exact way for a year and half.

You see we always wanted to turn the room into an all season room and make this my office. We would get rid of those windows and switch them for new French doors onto a new deck that we wanted to built as well, put in bamboo floors, mount flat screen tv to the wall, etc.

Well due to the economy we are trying to tighten our belts so we decided to wait on this project for the time being. We were just going to leave it as is until then, but I came up with a plan and after a $90 trip to Lowes we started working on the new in between look for the Florida room.

Here it is in it’s current state:

Ok so it still doesn’t look so great, but I swear I have an amazing idea for it. I just need a bit more time. I was painting last night till 10:30pm. I pretty much painted myself from head to toe, because I’m such a messy painter and did I mention I was a bit clumsy? Towards the end of the night I tipped over a gallon of white primer and it went everywhere!

Ah today’s another day and up early and ready to continue my painting.

I hope your day is filled with BBQs, sunshine and fun, because mine will be filled with paint fumes, painters tape and rollers.

Happy Memorial Day!

xoxo

Camila

With a lemon twist…

I can’t tell you how exciting it was to receive an email from Alison of My little happy place asking me to participate in a post she was putting together on designer/decorators personal homes.

Woo hoo! How thrilling to be included with a group of women that I truly admire.

I knew exactly what room I wanted to feature that described my personal style….my master bathroom!

Master bathroom makes it sound grand, but I have a tiny home hence my bathroom is teeny tiny. I wanted to make an impact on a budget so I painted it black, kept the existing tile, and added some accessories.

I love it and hope you do to!

Please go check it out and let me know what you think.

IN HER SHOES: Blueprint Bliss

You’ve heard me say it before, but I have to say it again. I think I was meant to live in the south. I love those beautiful houses with their wrap around porches, monograms, and all that wonderful southern hospitality!

Another reason for my desire to be a Southern belle and all the reasons that I keep showing my husband houses in Alabama is due to all the wonderful bloggers from that region. You already learned about my love for Marianne, but I have all sorts of love for another AL blogger know as Brooke from Blueprint Bliss!

Ms. Brooke is sweet as can be and has an amazing sense of style that keeps me coming back for more and more and more. (you get the idea) She blogs about all her favorites in the interior design world and works as a commercial interior designer along with doing jobs in her very own home as well.

So sit back, relax and enjoy I day in the life of Brooke:

5 am- My day always starts off at this time and in these shoes...

6:15 am- Arrive home from my run and start getting ready for work. In the meantime, I fold a load of clothes and check a few emails. I take a few minutes to read a devotional in Streams in the desert.

7:15 am- Out the front door with a banana and cup of coffee in hand.

7:35 am- Arrive at the office (I work for an Architecture firm) and into my cubicle (glamorous, I know). I spend a few minutes checking emails, drinking coffee, talking to coworkers. Disclaimer- I am usually not this messy. I am what my husband calls a bit OCD. But when I am busy at work- my desk ends up looking like this…..

8:00 am- Staff Meeting to discuss all that is going on this week.

9:30 am- Meeting with an electrical engineer to discuss a current project I am working on.

11:30 am- A quick run to Target to pick up a few things, then finish off a lean cuisine at my desk while catching up on my daily blog reads. This is when I usually figure out what I am going to blog about for the next day….

1:15 pm- Leave the office to head to a meeting. Pick up marble/stone samples on my way. And also a quick stop for a large diet coke from McDonald’s (FYI- I don’t like McD’s… just their DC’s!)

2:00-4:00 pm- Presentation to client to show floor plans, finish selections, lighting plans, etc.

Project: Senior Center

4:15 pm- Back at the office. Catch up on emails, return missed calls, etc.

5:40 pm- Leave the office and head home. Call my mom for our daily chat and we talk until I pull in my driveway.

6 pm- Arrive home. Nice to be home from another long day at work. The husband pulls up (this is early for him) and we have happy hour in the front yard with our neighbors while the dogs run around and play. A good way to unwind from the day.

6:25- 6:55 pm- In the kitchen preparing dinner… roast (which cooked all day- so nice to come home to the main dish ready to serve), mashed potatoes, and green beans. I have something to go to tomorrow night- so I mix up some chocolate chip cookies and put some in the oven.

7:00 pm- Dinner with the husband. Catch up on what all went on today.

7:30- Finish dinner and clean up the kitchen

8:00 pm- Downtime for both of us- reading magazines, watching tv, playing on the internet….

9:00 pm- Lights out.

My day was spent in these shoes….

That’s a typical day in my life. Hope you enjoyed a peek into my world!

___________________________________________________

A big thanks to Brooke for joining in on the fun! She was a bit afraid that her day was too boring, but I loved every second of it. I also now think that I wake up way to late! Must start to get up early with Brooke! I also must know where Brooke got those gold flats, because they need to come home with me!

Hope you all have a lovely Memorial day weekend. I wish I had something super fun going on this weekend, but I don’t. Totally low key weekend, but should be fun anyway!

Message in a bottle

We all know that in the styling of kitchens many designers go to designer glass water bottles in order to add a pop of color and give the room a lived in feel.

The usual suspects are normally:

Perrier, San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna

There is nothing wrong with using these, but to me it’s a bit BORING! There are so many other choices you can go with so why settle with what everyone else is using.

Below are some picks that I think would add a bit more fun and really add a punch of color!

My favorite go-to summer drink that I’m constantly bringing to BBQs and getting people hooked on is:

Rieme sparkling lemonade

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My favorite has to be blood orange, but throughout the summer months I’m stocked with lemonade, blood orange and pomegranate. I leave them on my kitchen island and even display them empty once I’m finished.

Staying with sparkling lemonades another favorite has to be:

Lorina sparkling lemonades

I’m loving those last two bottles in the shades of pink!

On my recent trip the local Mexican restaurant I fell in love with all of their soda choices. Talk about a pop of color with Jarritos and they had a variety of flavors including watermelon, lime and guava. No need to pick them at a restaurant just cruise the International food aisle at your local supermarket.

You can also find vintage favorites on the web like Moxie,Nesbitt and Boylan.

Moxie:

Nesbitt:

 

Boylan:

If you are a Dallas local you can even make a stop at The Soda Gallery at choose from 200 colas from around the world!

Image from Southern Living.

Even staples from your bar can make for interesting display pieces in your kitchen or dining area.

Fever Tree:

 

Stirrings:

I really love all the thought that goes into packaging from the shapes of the bottles, the fonts, the labels and color combos. They all look like mini works of art and for only a couple of bucks a bottle you can give your kitchen a mini-facelift by adding a couple of them and as an added bonus you get to drink them as well!

Do you have a favorite bottle that I didn’t list? Please share!

All of the bottle images came from Google.