Category: Lifestyle

  • Room Lust – Bathroom

    My bathroom is currently undergoing a bit of a makeover… formerly a bright (hideous and nauseating) blue, I painted it a deep high gloss chocolate brown. I hung a dramatic chocolate brown painting of Marilyn Monroe on the wall. I bought a deep brown wicker basket embroidered with “Laundry” in gold thread and a simple brown and gold décor set.  I normally don’t like things that are so “matchy,” but the simplicity of the set works.

    The items below would complete my bathroom by adding drama, glamour, femininity and whimsy… essentially the elements that a woman should be able to incorporate into every room.

    1. Bustled Shower Curtain $118
    I’d use it as a curtain for my french door that leads outside to the pool. So feminine. Love it.
    2. Isola Bella Bathmat $38
    Cozy and elegant for wet, shower scrubbed toes.
    3. Lock & Key Hand Mirror $32
    I’m dying. It’s a hand mirror. And a key. I love this kind of stuff.
    4. Crystalline Bubbles Perfume Bottle $48
    Ideal in the windowsill… old-fashioned and will grab a ton of sunlight.
    5. Provence Society Perfume Bottle $38
    So sophisticated.
    6. Nestled Ring Dish $10
    A lady always needs a place to put her baubles when she washes her hands.  Adorable.
    7. Diving Bell Trinket Box $38, $78
    Great accent pieces.
    8. Fairy Tale Jewelry Holder $128
    Too cute. Great statement piece for the counter.
    9. Kailyn 5 Light Chandelier Lamp $299.99
    Every girl deserves a chandelier.  Why not have one in every room in the house?

  • Lemon Twist Cupcakes

    I had to whip together some birthday cupcakes in a hurry. Mostly because it was my birthday and… being the type-A hyper-neurotic person that I am… I insisted on handling every detail myself.  I realized there was no time for some from-scratch lemon cupcakes (my favorite), but I needed to pull it together and it needed to be lemon.  Betty Crocker lemon cake mix to the rescue and pre-made vanilla icing.  The last thing left was to cover these quick creations with a festive silver cupcake foil and top them with a fresh lemon twist.

  • Elysium of Santa Barbara Turns 25… Okay, or I turn 25… Same Thing

    I hand-painted this little block of scrap wood in my signature color (pink!)… crafty isn't just for grandmothers and lonely divorcees with cats… it's for fabulous young women, as well

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgcaLzlWIoI]

    Enjoy this video from my 25th Birthday Party… The entire event was put on by my event design and coordination company, Elysium of Santa Barbara.  It was a perfect summer day in sunny Santa Barbara, California.  Attendees mingled in an open patio at Cafe Buenos Aires while surrounded by lush foliage and drinking (bottomless!) mimosas and sangria.  Guests ordered their brunch off of a custom designed menu threaded with grosgrain ribbon.  Yellows, blues, pinks, polka dots, stripes, bright roses, and three foot balloons (shipped all the way from New York!) set the care-free and playful tone of the day.

    [slideshow]