Wait.........WHAT??

Blame the nerd in me but occasionally I fall for a cute kitschy item. I'm not into weird pieces of furniture or off the wall art (excuse the pun) but I like little conversation starters tucked around the house.

I found this cute plate yesterday while checking Outblush. You can actually purchase it on Uncommon Goods. I'm kind of a sucker for items that can only be used for one purpose and one purpose only, you know like random expensive rain boots.


This plate was just so cute I decided to search for other fun home items that fit into the same category, weird and kind of useless but oh so fun!!!

I'm not so sure about this one, I've seen it numerous times on different sites and came across it again while searching....could be cute for a fun party! This one can be found on Perpetual Kid


This Face Mug is so cute....I think it's perfect for kids, hot chocolate and cookies on a cold day.


I absolutely love this Candy Dish!


If anyone finds any random, fun, house items let me know! I'm always up for new things!!

A Few of My Favorites Fridays

I have very long thick hair that I straighten every other day. It is a chore but I'm only truly happy when my hair is straight. It's not super curly but does get quite frizzy if I do nothing to it. About 12 years ago my cousin gave me this amazing brush that I have not only grown to love but also can't live without! Today I would like to share this amazing tool with you. I am on my second brush now, I wore through the first one in a few years and moved on to the next....I currently need a new one and you'll see why at the bottom of this post when I show you what my looks like now!

This amazing wonder of a brush is called THE MONSTER VENT!!! I use the biggest one they carry, the 5".

If any of you have thick, somewhat curly hair, try this out....I guarantee you will love it! Oh and here is what mine currently looks like....on it's last leg:(



Happy Weekend!!

Inspiration From Oscar

Oscar de la Renta that is. I know I am a little late posting a blog on the Golden Globes but my husband and I had a last minute, 11 hour trip to NC to make which put packing and cleaning the house on the top of my priority list so let's discuss Sunday night!

I don't know about you but my absolute favorite dress of the evening was the Oscar de la Renta dress Lea Michele from Glee wore. She looked stunning! Now I am partial to pink but this dress would be amazing in any color. The ruffles and flow of the gown was so feminine I was just waiting for the camera to pan on Lea every chance they could!!


I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but Lea also had on a beautiful Lorraine Schwartz ring and bracelet. The ring was breathtaking with a stunning turquoise stone surrounded in a dusting of diamonds.


The combination of pink and turquoise started my home decorating wheels turning and I just could not get enough of the two colors together. Thought I would share some of the inspiration I found and my desire to throw out all my furniture and start over....if I can only talk my husband into more pink around the house!!


{Inspired Redesign}


{Trisha Brink Designs}


{House of Turquoise}


{Uptown Country Home}


{House of Turquoise}

All this pink and turquoise may seem a bit over the top but I can't get enough!

A Few of my Favorites Fridays

So it's FINALLY Friday!! This has been a really long week for some reason does anyone agree?

I have been dying to share my new food passion with you all. Amy's!! This lines is all organic, some options are even all vegan and vegetarian. I was first introduced to the pizzas and then I just had to try everything else. I love the burritos. They really are so much better than your typical microwavable options. The line's frozen meals are really great as well, especially the mac and cheese!! I have also switched all my soup choices to them. The tomato bisque is amazing and at least twice a month I do grilled cheese and tomato soup night....this makes it so much yummier!!




Check out the website. They have great diet plans and information on organic products. The story behind their cute little business is in there as well.

Happy weekend everyone!!

So Tired.....

It's been a long week. This is how I feel....
With that being said, I will not blog much today but meet Peju, my husband and my sweet Great Dane!!

See you tomorrow!

Bedside Discussions

No not that kind silly, bedside tables!! I don't know about you but I am loving the idea of a cute, vintage style chair as a bedside table. I would say I have pretty eclectic taste when it comes to decorating. I love some modern fun pieces but I am also a sucker for antiques. The idea of a chair as a bedside table is not only cost effective but also eclectic and fun. I pulled a few I've found over the internet that seemed so feminine.

I love this idea from Citified.. Look at the stack of books beside it...makes me want to stay in bed all day!!

This "table" from Real Simple is so cute.


I found this fun idea that would be perfect for a guest bedroom.


So let's pick out a chair and accessorize!!

I saw these chairs about 4 years ago from Pottery Barn and fell in love. About a year ago I spotted them on Home Decorators for much less. The rustic vintage feel is divine.


And of course you need lighting. I would go with a wall sconce to save space on the small seat of the chair like these two choices from Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware.




How about a cute alarm clock, I found this one on Etsy.


Last but certainly not least, you will need something to hold those sweet nothings. You know, your chap stick, the earrings you forgot to take off before bed or any little memento you like to keep close. I personally enjoy milk glass for this. Check these out I found surfing the web. The vases would be nice as well to hold a single rose your sweetie brings home.




So grab a few books or magazines you've been reading and a small picture frame and you're all set!

Green with Envy

If those reading this know me at all you know I have a small obsession with all things pink, ok an unhealthy obsession. I have loved pink since before I could talk. I have decided over the last year or so to broaden my color horizons. I can't go very far, bright, vibrant colors are always what I choose but I have moved past pink and am so proud! Recently I am loving kelly green. Now I know this color may not be booming right now in the clothing industry but it seems to be poking around quite a bit in the home decorating world.

I've chosen a few of my recent finds that I just love. Let me know what you think about this fun color!

I have no clue how much this costs, found it on a blog, but LOVE it!!


This was just too beautiful not to add. Currently at Anthropologie.


This Joie dress would feel like I'm wearing a jewel! You can find it at Saks.


I'm not a huge Lily Pulitzer fan but this iPhone cover is really cute.


Kate Spade always delivers when it comes to bright colors and this green vase would be so fun with some peonies floating in it!

Last but not least....have I gone too far? What do you think of this Essie polish in Palmetto Green???

Weekend Brunch

I just had to blog over the weekend to share this awesome french toast recipe with you. I made this recipe years ago with peaches, I found it on Barefoot Contessa's recipes on FoodTV.com. For some reason I could not find the recipe again so I winged it but I must say it turned out amazing! So since peaches are obviously not in season I decided on strawberries, could not resist these beauties in the grocery.


Below is a picture of all the ingredients you will need.

Katie's Stuffed French Toast with Strawberries
Serves 2-4
4-6 large slices of soft bread (I used Challah)
1/2 container fresh strawberries
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. sugar
pinch of salt
~2 Tbsp. butter

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Slice the bread about 3/4 in. thick. Make a small slit in the bottom of each slice large enough for strawberries to fit. Stuff each piece with thin slices of the fresh strawberries.
3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and salt.
4. Melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a pan large enough for a few slices.
5. Dip the stuffed slices of bread in your egg and milk mixture and cook in the melted butter until brown on each side. This should take about 1 minute on each side.
6. You may need to keep adding more butter depending on how large the pan is and how many slices you can do at one time. Once all the slices are cooked, place them in a baking dish and warm in the oven for about 15 minutes until the strawberries are warmed through.

I served mine with a bit more butter and syrup but they are great with just some powdered sugar as well. Hope you enjoy and let me know if you try it with any other fruit choices. There is also an option for cream cheese in the stuffing as well...might be fun.

Enjoy!

A Few of my Favorites Friday

So I haven't updated my favorite things in awhile. I know the last one was a skin care product but lately that's what I've been into, make-up and skin care.

In August I officially hit "late twenties." I'm now 27 and I am seriously obsessed with taking care of my skin. I remember back in high school the girls would pile in the car, we would drive 2 hours to Wilmington and sit on the beach for hours with nothing on but Banana Boat SPF 4. I would come home with my face looking like a stop sign but do you think I cared? I knew it would fade in a few days and I would have a super cool tan.....if I could take those days back, I would. Now, I never go on the beach without huge sunglasses, nothing less than SPF 50 on my face and my favorite J. Crew beach hat that will knock anyone out sitting within 5 feet of me. I drink tons and tons of water, I try to do everything I can but I know it's inevitably that one day I will get.......might I even say it.....wrinkles. It honestly terrifies me.



I have recently done quite a bit of research, and like most things I want, all the wrinkle creams and preventative lotions were quite pricey until I came across this little gem in my local grocery store AND is made right in Durham, NC!

I love Burt's Bees products, all of them. The chap stick is wonderful, I won't use any other brand. They have wonderful hand salves that came in quite handy when my husband and I were working on our historic home in 30 degree weather. But those items are for another day, today I want to introduce you to "Burt's Bees Naturally Ageless Intense Repairing Serum," long name for a small bottle but this stuff is amazing.



Granted, I didn't see much results the first few weeks but I have been using it for about 2 months now and my skin is so smooth and I honestly can see results. I don't believe it is just the serum. Like I said, I do drink a lot of water and I try to stay away from foods that will break me out. Combined with a healthy diet and enough sleep I really believe this stuff is amazing!

It set me back a whopping $25, can you believe how cheap it is? I use 3 drops and night at 3 drops in the morning under my make-up along with my daily moisturizer.

Try it, let me know what you think!

If diamonds are a girl's BEST friend.....

Then fur is her super cool pal who she always knows she will have a blast with! Fur may not be that every day accessory like diamonds and pearls but you know you will be noticed and have fun when you are wearing fur. Whether you choose to go with the real deal or a super cool faux, fur is always a fun choice. Here are some fabulous fur choices available this season.

Love this beret. I saw it in the Raleigh Saks over Christmas in purple!!


How adorable are these Ugg gloves???


Here are some super cute Tory Burch boots. Not sure if you can still find them in stores but you can find a few pair left at Willow.


This Sofia Cashmere fox fur vest will only set you back $2200, get 2!!!


So I don't know about you, but fur just always seems to brighten my day!

Resolutions

WOW!!! It's been awhile....I do apologize. After Thanksgiving the days went by so fast I didn't know if I was coming or going and my little blog got put on the backburner, but I'm back!

This time of year is so depressing to me. The holidays are over and they seem to go on longer and longer each year. I LOVE Christmas, love is actually an understatement, so this time of year is kind of a let-down. Nothing super great to look forward to, it's cold and dreary outside and I always feel a bit tired and run down after all the fun holiday events.

I normally don't do resolutions, and if I do they are never to lose weight, exercise more, or save more money....all things I know I WON'T do. So this year, I decided I would make a few things I KNOW I can keep!!

1. Add more Housewives episodes into my ever growing DVR. I currently never EVER miss Beveryly Hills, but have recently added Atlanta and am planning to add New York in Febuary. It's going to be hard but I think I can do it;).



2. Dry clean dishes and put them away!!! I HATE dishes in the sink so they are always washed but so many times I (or my husband) lay them out to dry and then they never get put up....that is going to change!!



3. Like I said, I do not say "exercise more", "lose weight", I simply want to live healthier. Cary and I have been doing this since August but since I know I can do it, why not add it to the list? We rarely eat meat of course, I DO NOT eat fast food and have cut out soda all together. I live on La Croix now, you must check it out! I have the occasional sweet tea while back in NC, coffee in the morning and other than that water (and wine of course).



So that's it! Doesn't sound too hard does it? That's the way I like it! I have a feeling 2011 is going to be an awesome year for many reasons! Happy New Year and let me know what some of your fun resolutions are!!!