Wednesday, June 27, 2012

dine in style

styling via: Iris Rietbergen, photograph via: Jeltje Janmaat
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honeymoon photos

BEWARE a ton of happy honeymoon pictures are coming your way! the vacation was a cruise to the Bahamas with ports at beautiful, beach-filled islands. we had so much fun :)


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

splendid conversation & small space living

there are times when things fit together so nicely, it's as if it were planned. yesterday i was strongly inspired by this steve jobs quote below and i took some time to write it out and pin it above my desk. and last night, while browsing the web, i found this amazing little storage unit designed by sigund larsen which he designed to store "everything that is most private to you". it's the perfect little box for small space living. please take a look at the video below where sigund describes how The Shrine came to be.


(don't hate on my lettering ability - i did this in about five minutes)


video and image via architizer

Friday, June 22, 2012

kitchen updates

i came  across these two kitchen remodels and thought they were awesome updates. if you were to update your kitchen, what would you change? what would you keep?


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Thursday, June 21, 2012

happy birthday to me! + a giveaway

to start off my 26th year i'm having a giveaway! since today is also the first full day of summer, i thought of lounging by the pool with a cocktail in hand, served by a handsome bartender... okay, maybe i'm still in cruise mode. either way, these are some fun, summery items that i'm loving that can all be yours!


products: jonathan adler bottle stopper / mrs. lilien's cocktail swatchbook / target's colorwheel serving tray

how to enter: leave me a comment below telling me your favorite summer thing. it can be anything: a piece of clothing, a favorite dessert, a must-have beauty product, whatever you like!

extra ways to enter:
  • follow me on twitter (must leave me a comment with your twitter name)
  • retweet the link to this blog post (must leave me a comment telling me you did)
  • share the link to this post on facebook (must leave me a comment telling me you did)
  • be a follower of this blog (must leave me a comment telling me you are)
if you enter each way you should have five total comments!

giveaway info: the giveaway will close on Sunday, June 24th at midnight EST. i will post the winner by Friday, June 29th and will contact them via email.

background image from confetti systems

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

white bouquets {wedding details}

if there's anything i know balloons = party. as a kid the best part of birthday party's was running through the balloons thrown everywhere on the floor and waiting until the end when my dad would suck out some of the helium and sing "Follow the Yellow Brick Road". if you've never experienced anyone doing this... well, i'm sorry for you. let's just say anyone could be a munchkin extra with some helium.

so since balloons = party, it was sumamente important to have them at our shindig. i purchased the balloons from balloons.com in white and took them to my local Party City for them to blow up. they only had regular size and 36" ones but i wanted lots-o-balloons, so 36" was too big. purchasing them from the WWW ended up being the most cost efficient way (about $1 each!). i received them in the mail about two weeks before the wedding, dropped off the 7 bouquets at Party City a week before (with some extras, just in case!), then picked them up the morning of the wedding. i had borrowed our 15 passenger van from work and it's a good thing because balloons take up a lot of space.
i love the look of balloon bouquets. after we used them in the photos we tied them to the banister outside the reception site.


what do you think about balloons at weddings: a must? or a pass?

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Outdoor Lighting - Guest Blog Post

 *today's post comes from Joanna from Arcadian Lighting. she found some great exterior spaces for those looking for lighting inspiration for backyard bliss!*

Hi there! I’m Joanna, a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a great online place to go for lighting fixtures in all styles. I’m so excited to be sharing with you today. I spend each work day on the web searching for the most incredible interior design images and ideas. I see so many gorgeous designs I have a hard time picking just one for my own home, so you could say my style is very eclectic. I hope you enjoy the outdoor lighting I brought together below. Outdoor lighting is an often forgotten element of home decorating. However, it provides a chance to create an ambiance perfect for outdoor dining or to greet visitors as they enter the home. From glowing spheres to vintage string lights, there is lighting to fit everyone’s style and needs.
   
Outdoor Lighting   
 Not all outdoor lighting requires electricity. Can’t you just imagine dining al fresco in this beautiful setting with candlelight glimmering all around? 
   
Outdoor Lighting   
Three gorgeous ball pendant lights hang from a tree above an outdoor tea service. They add a lovely global feel to this outdoor space.

Outdoor Lighting   
 Lit spheres float on a pond outside a lovely country home. Aren't these lighting fixtures gorgeous? So whimsical!

Outdoor Lighting   
Otherworldly cones light the way up this path to a grand home beyond. Wouldn’t this be quite a sight in person?

 Outdoor Lighting   
Acrylic tubes with optical fibers are all aglow along this lake dock—looks like a garden of lights. These would look so cool lining a path too.

  Outdoor Lighting   
Often, when we think of Moroccan-inspired lights we only consider outdoor lanterns, but here pretty canister lamps with a Moroccan vibe light a city terrace. They’re perfect to bring a warm glow to dark corners such as this.
   
Outdoor Lighting   
Lagoon patio lights are a natural looking solution to outdoor lighting needs. These are made from bent wood in a beehive design.   

Outdoor Lighting   

Vintage-like string lighting would be lovely strung above an al fresco dining area or hung to light a patio or porch. This is a clever idea for small or large spaces. Outdoor lighting can beautifully enhance your landscape! Be sure to stop by Arcadian Lighting here to find a wide array of lighting fixtures for your outdoor design!   

Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8                      

Monday, June 18, 2012

I'M BACK! and it's my birthweek!

BOY oh BOY, did I have an amazing week plus off for the honeymoon! we had an amazing time together exploring new things, lounging in the sun, and eating a ton of great food. some pic's and a recap will come soon but i wanted to post right away about the posts for last week. we had a little technical difficulty and two posts didn't get put up as they should have but i will share them this week. here are the splendid posts that did get published, linked below.



also, it's my birthweek! to celebrate i'm going to do a little giveaway, so check back for details on that!

a honeymoon teaser!...

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Notebooks anyone? - Guest Blog Post


*today's post is from my awesome co-worker and DIY guru Monica. i've tried to get Monica to share her DIY's on a blog of her own but she won't give. keep your eyes peeled; you may find more of her goodies on the blog in the future!*

Hey blog world! Ever get some of the cutest cards and wish you could use them instead of hanging them on your tack board or office wall for a couple weeks then pitch them or store them in a box? I came up with a cute way to recycle them into a personalized notebook. 

I'm sure you have extra paper that has lost it's binding or left over from a craft paper. You can use this scrap paper with your cards to make perfect sized notebooks for your desk, purse, or car.

 Gather up the cards you want to convert.

...as well as that scrap paper.

Match up your paper to your card and cut down to fit inside. I left an 1/8" overhang on all sides. If you are adding a lot of paper, make sure to re-crease your card into 2 creases to allow for the stack thickness.

Next you will hand stitch it to the back cover. If you are using thick paper, you may want to pre punch your holes with a hammer and a sharp nail.
You can also staple it, depending on how patient you are.

TA-DA! Now you have a one-of-a-kind notebook. You could also do this for a friend by using a blank card and writing a special note on the back cover.

I'm going to use this notebook as my grocery list notepad... how appropriate for this card! ;) Enjoy!

have you made notebooks of your own? what's your favorite way to do it?

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Etiquette Role Models - Guest Blog Post

*while i'm out cruising the sea with my new hubs, a couple of people offered to share posts as guest bloggers. today's post comes from Mackenzie from Collected Eclectic.*

Hi there! I'm so excited Courtney invited me to be a guest on Splendid Actually! In the past few years, Courtney has grown into such an amazing women. I absolutely love her. :) And I'm so happy for her and the new hubs.

Shortly before Courtney got married her (then) fiancé said, "Courtney always knows what to do and what to say." First of all, that is about the sweetest thing I have ever heard him say. Second, he is so right! Courtney always knows just what to do. She has the absolute best etiquette of any gal I know—she's totally an etiquette role model. She writes thank you notes, brings delicious dishes to share to every gathering, gives the best gifts and most sensible advice! We need more young women to live like Courtney. So here's to Courtney and her graceful etiquette… a few rules of social behavior according to my parents (my original etiquette role models). 

-Mackenzie Faye



go show Mackenzie some love over on her blog here. what is your number one rule of etiquette?

Monday, June 11, 2012

gifts {wedding details}


hellooo friendlies. kjb and i are currently boarding the ship to take off for our honeymoon but i wanted to share a wedding detail for the week before the guest bloggers take over. today's detail is something that not many people saw but made our day special to us; our wedding gifts to each other.

we each bought each other a side-trip for the honeymoon.... a Braves game for me and a snorkeling excursion for him. but we also bought each other a gift to be opened on the big day, one that we didn't necessarily know about. okay, i knew i would get something from him, i'll be honest. he wanted to give me my "something new" so he told me not to worry about that. he didn't know however, that he would get something new that day, too.

for him, i purchased a box of cigars which he likes to indulge in with his best buddies every couple of months. i'm not a fan or supporter of this indulgence but i figured this was a special, once-in-a-lifetime occasion. and i really surprised him! our lovely photographer also loved them, she took several shots with our rings and the cigars! i love that this detail is shown so well in photographs because they didn't make an appearance on the actual day.

for me, my honey gave me a beautiful strand of pearls. in the photo above you can see my sister putting them on me. they are so gorgeous; easy to wear dressed up and down. i love that he gave me a gift i can have my entire lifetime. and i can't wait to pass them on to my little girl on her wedding day.

all of our wedding details are what made our wedding different from others. but this particular wedding detail made our wedding especially unique to us.

will you/did you share a wedding gift with your partner on your wedding day? tell me about it below!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

New Kids

received an email with Arc-Com newbies that will be released at NeoCon this year. sad that I will miss these beauties in particular. i can't wait to see and feel the texture on the new products! hopefully my rep visits soon with these in tow!

easy as...


 three easy pieces together to make a DIN-O-MITE dining room.

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Wednesday, June 6, 2012

curvy

John Wayne Airport. Designed by Gensler Architects.
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paint by pic {xix}

a bright and cheerful children's library for today's paint by pic. i don't often share many commercial interiors on the blog but since 99 percent of my work in this exact type of project, i decided to share more. residential interiors are still the main inspiration for my work because i want all the projects i work on to make the consumer/clients/patients/students/public feel comfortable; like they are at home.

 [via]

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

daydreams

i'm currently imaging these two places together. a rustic cabin right on the sea; we can hear the waves crash against the rocks while napping on the window seat, a warm breeze blowing through the screen. campfires on the beach at night then to the woods to catch fireflies in mason jars.

what a happy little daydream...

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come SAIL away

next week is honeymoon week and the honey and i are suuuper ready and excited. i thought i would share the items i'm packing in my bag for the cruise. a lot of throw on sundresses for strolling the ship, some casual wear for exploring the islands, date-wear for the evenings, and of course, swimwear for the pool. can you see any clothing items i missed? (other than PJ's, workout clothes, and undies of course) i may have gone overboard in the swimwear category... heh, get it? ;)



Zigzag dress, $18 / Strapless dress, $25 / Green Sundress, $29 / Green One Shoulder Dress, £25 / Navy Ruffle dress, $37 / White top, £9.99 / Cardigan, $49 / Long tank top, $175 / Pink top, $48 / White coverup, $20 / Polka dot bikini, $12 / Tankini, $25 / Pink and Green top, $18 / Pleated skirt, £20 / Cutoff shorts, $185 / Blue bikini, £7.99 / Ivory sandals, $98 / Braided sandals, $14 / Silver shoes, $20 / Brown leather wedges, $179 / Cross body bag, $128 / Jason Wu clutch handbag, $15 / Coach metallic clutch, $108 / Michael kors wristlet, $68 / Floppy straw hat, $15 / Summer shawl, $45 / Retro sunglasses, $50 / White shades, $139 / Black & White top, $20 / Jason Wu scarf

*ps. another post is coming with all the misc. items i've packed!

Monday, June 4, 2012

te amo you little spanish cutie

we FINALLY had our cable and internet installed and we are both ecstatic. kjb for the cable, me for the WWW. the installer probably thought us nuts-o because we were both just sitting, in a twiddle-our-thumbs kind of way waiting for him to leave so we could indulge. anyway i came across an image of this bedroom:


and started to do some research. i looooooove the ceiling here and the eclectic furnishings. i discovered the house was used in the filming of "it's complicated" with Meryl Streep. such a cute movie. and i'm pretty much loving this Spanish style home.




do you love this home like i do? it's currently on the market for 12 million dollars. would you spend the money if you had it?

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Friday, June 1, 2012

20 shades...

potentially awkward post that i'm sharing anyway

did anyone else ever watch the Brady Bunch and think that those cute pajamas that Cindy Brady always wore had to be the most comfortable thing ever? you know, those one piece, shorts + tank top type of bodysuit? well i did. i always thought they were so cool but i never knew where to buy them. plus my pajamas were always a big over sized t-shirt or sweatpants and a tank top. then the miraculous day came when i discovered where to buy those cute, one-piece shorts + tank bodysuit. let's just say i felt like Cindy without the ponytails. so even though it's kinda awkward to share my pajamas with the world wide web, i'm going to anyway because i think other girls want to feel like Cindy Brady. (let's get real: who doesn't!?)


1 red pinspot / 2 floral / 3 tulle trim / 4 blue pinstripe / 5 lace trim

lewis says...

garden