Monday, August 1, 2011

it's the little things...

ever since we bought our new home last year, i haven't stopped decorating.  it seems like every week i buy something else for the house.  when we first were looking at homes to buy and model homes, i thought i'd be overwhelmed with the daunting task of decorating an entire house and trying to make the entire space flow.  i remember trying to explain my style ideas to my husband and the best ways i could describe it was in terms of what i DIDN'T want.  in the end, together we are continuing to make the house into our own personal home.

as this blog continues, i will show you bits and pieces of our home coming together in what i've started describing as "modern victorian/hollywood regency/shabby chic" style.

when we bought our house it came all standard by the builder.  before we moved in, we had our own team go in personalize it the way WE wanted it.  ever since then, we've been continuing to personalize the space even more.

one little thing we've been doing is changing up knobs.  for a while i've been looking at the Anthropologie knobs and been wanting to buy them, but when we lived in an apartment i didn't see the point in changing those cabinets up.  one of the first things we did in our home was pick and choose which knobs to change.  i didn't want to overdo it and change all of them, so i did a few in the kitchen and then a few on different furniture pieces.  (i am not implying that i'm done changing knobs in the house...just that i'm taking a break for now.  i am still thinking of changing some from our master bath cabinets).

when changing our kitchen knobs i wanted to do it in a way that made sense.  we have many cabinets and drawers at different heights. i decided to change all the drawers that are at one height (the ones that are at hip-height).

these are the knobs i used:

i got these knobs from Home Goods (my favorite home store.  i seriously go in there once a week.) in packs of 4 for about $5.  such a great deal! 

Next knob change came to this piece of furniture in our family room.  i purchased it from Home Goods and loved all the colors in it.  however, i wanted to accessorize the piece a little.  so i went to Anthro and bought one of my favorite knobs of all time ($12): 







...and last knob-change came when we got our office book shelves built in.  we waited about a year before we finally decorated our office and i must say, it's quickly coming along.  when it came out to find knobs i knew i wanted to use several different ones.  I went to Anthro and dug around for about 45 minutes - putting them together in different ways - seeing which go with each other, trying to envision the style of the room, etc. these are the knobs i used for the office: 






...and here is the finished product...


i love how these little objects can add so much personality and style to any piece and any room you put them in.  this is likely going to be the easiest DIY project you do!

here are a couple of more knobs i love and i'm still trying to find a place for:







...these ones are from Anthro's website. however, if you are looking to change a lot of knobs, check out your local Home Goods, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls to see if they have the little baggies of them.  Happy hobKNOBbing!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

=STRIPES=

We Love Stripes! 

Thick, thin, pinstripes, chevron, color blocked, ombré, vertical, horizontal, etc...There's something that can work on everyone.


Halfway through the 13th century, some Palestinian monks showed up in Paris wearing brown-and-white striped cloaks. This was not OK with the French, who only wanted white, no brown, and certainly no mixing. These other monks were nicknamed “the barred brothers,” and — though Pastoureau can’t totally prove it — that must be how prison stripes, meant to signify cell bars, were born.

Horizontal stripes weren’t just for monks, either, but various outcasts in medieval times: prostitutes, bohemians, clowns, ruffians, Jews, “the condemned” and hangmen.

Four centuries later, the French revolted, and stripes — now tri-colored, and a symbol of the new order — went vertical. In the 19th century, up-and-down bars belonged to the rich and fashionable, distinguishing them from the poor and the prisoners.

It was Coco Chanel, but of course, who changed everything. Legend has it she borrowed a blue-and-white, thinly striped sweater — the Breton, established in 1858 by the French navy — from her lover, tailored it to herself, et voila! It became the most timeless and tireless emblem of Gallic chic.

Prison stripes broke out further in the ’80s, first among the New Romantics and Vivienne Westwood’s pirate crew. Way later, they appeared as a mall-punk staple. In higher fashion, Hubert de Givenchy re-arranged the black-and-white bars to make brilliant geometry.

Indeed, the last available rebellion in stripe-wearing is to ignore the rules and mix them with abandon: with other stripes in other widths or directions, or with other patterns — like florals or plaids or polka-dots — or, sure, all the above.

















Source: flickr.com via Estera on Pinterest



















Source: toms.com via Estera on Pinterest











Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Weddings, Weddings & more weddings

even though the weather out here in Southern California is anything but sunny and bright and summer-like, believe it or not, summer is just around the corner.  and that can only mean one thing - wedding season is about to get in full swing! if you're anything like me, this is your favorite time of year when it seems as though everyone tries to out-do themselves in creativity and originality and, usually, this pays off.

however, it seems as though for some, the traditional "covering the shoulders" type of gown is still important.  this might be due to a parent who insists on it, a church which requires it, or just personal preferences.  i've started searching some websites to see what i can find in terms of traditionally-acceptable dresses and this is what i have found.  please comment if you know any other places where our readers can find these sought-after dresses.  i'm sure there are many who would appreciate guidance in this department.

as i was searching for wedding gowns for this blog, i was surprised to find that some "mainstream" stores carried special wedding gowns (bride & bridesmaid dresses). here are my findings: Ann Taylor, JCrew, BHLDN (the Anthropologie wedding site), Costco (i know, surprising, right?), Nordstrom, and White House Black Market.  please let us know if you know of any more random/surprising/unexpected carriers of wedding attire.

JCrew

Source: jcrew.com via Estera on Pinterest


BHLDN

Source: bhldn.com via Estera on Pinterest

Lela Rose Gown



CymbelineUsa.com


CymbelineUsa.com



Zuhair Murad


Elizabeth Filmore lace beauty



Elizabeth Filmore lace beauty II


...another option that many brides choose is to wear a cover-up of some sort for the ceremony and possibly go strapless or with small straps for the ceremony. i have found some beautiful cover-ups to share with you all...

BHLDN - i want to buy this for myself to wear with everything from jeans and white tank top to a plain dress for some visual interest

Source: bhldn.com via Estera on Pinterest


White House Black Market


BHLDN

Source: bhldn.com via Estera on Pinterest


This cape from BHLDN is so beautiful...seems a little vintage-inspired and it's another one of those pieces that can actually be re-worn after the "i do's" have been said.  it would even be great for the honeymoon to throw over a Little Black Dress!

Source: bhldn.com via Estera on Pinterest

Monday, May 16, 2011

Bows...

Both Picu and I (Esty) are huge fans of bows.  Here are some of our favorites and even some of our own items with bows.

Pretty flats

Eva Franco Anthropologie Dress

Irregular Choice Oz Shoes

Cool hair



Bow headbands are super cute

Americana Skirt Anthropologie

Picu's Kenneth Cole Reaction Shoes she is actually wearing today at work :-)

My own Forever 21 bow headband
I bought these beauties on Ebay last winter
Super cute bow clutch

My own bow leaf Forever 21 Dress