Bookshelf Styling 101

Bookshelves are great for any room in the house...for storage and to display items. I have 4 IKEA shelves in my home. I have 2 Billy's in our "office" (actually one wall in our bedroom) and 2 Lacks. I think it's a waste of money to spend a lot of money on "quality" shelves. They don't have moving parts and you never actually have to "use it" (i.e. sit on it or open or close it) like other furniture.

Here are some styling tips for the shelves in your lives...

I love displaying hard cover books.
I threw away all the dust jackets and sorted by color to make it look more organized.

Inexpensive storage: On the right, we have white storage bins from IKEA and on the left, HERMES boxes (the smaller was a wedding gift and the larger once housed my mom's birkin). The HERMES boxes had such a vibrant, gorgeous color that I couldn't throw them out and now, they add a really nice pop of color to my shelf!

In baby A's room, I used baskets from Land of Nod to store her toys and random knick knacks.
On the top shelf, I displayed her little books and a piggy bank and on the bottom shelf, I used Land of Nod boxes for more storage.

Please share your own ideas for bookshelf styling with me! :)

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Easy Homemade Granola

I love yogurt parfaits and snacking on granola so when my sister shared with me this super easy recipe, I jumped at the chance to try it. Here are some suggestions when making this...

• Add pecans and walnuts on top of the peanuts (the more nuts, the better!).
• When adding wet ingredients, add oil first and use same measuring spoon to add honey so the honey doesn't stick to the spoon.
• After it's all cooked and cooled, add dried raisins and cranberries.
• You can omit the wheatgerm if you don't have it on hand.
• You can control the amount of sugar that goes in to make it less fattening (you won't be able to tell the difference!).

Buy a big tub of yogurt (so much cheaper), add some fruit and voila! Delicious, nutritious, and filling breakfast! Oh and NEVER skip breakfast...you'll end up overeating the rest of the day!!

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Chiasso Warehouse Sale...

The semi-annual Chiasso Warehouse Sale was this past weekend. I meant to blog about it before the event but with a newborn at home, I don't always get around to doing everything I mean to do. What you can do though is sign up for their email newsletter so you don't miss the next sale.

I went the last 2 years and ended up with some really great, affordable finds! I don't remember the exact price of some of the items so I'm posting approximations.

• Thomas Paul pillow, $20 (pictured above)
  
• Accent table, $40 (pictured above)
• Lamp Base, $15 (pictured above)
• Jonathan Adler plate, $2 (pictured below)
• White ceramic bird, $5 (pictured in previous post)
  

I had an extremely busy weekend and missed the sale myself this year but I'll be at the next one and Chicagoland people, I hope to see you there!

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Real Art for Real People

Everyone remembers being a freshman in college and going down to the poster store to pick up some "art" for your dorm room. In my case, I believe it was a "Breakfast at Tiffany's" poster. Then, my junior year while studying abroad, I "upgraded" my art to prints of my favorite Monet's, Manet's and Van Gogh's.

It is cute and all but I think once you're out of college and live in your own place, you can do better than movie posters and prints of famous art. There are many options out there for people like us who can't afford to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on artwork.

1. Frame wallpaper

Ours is "French Dot" by Nama Rococo Wallpaper Studio and is actually a combination painting/screenprint. The black part is screenprinted but the colors are hand painted on so each sheet is absolutely unique and one of a kind. The colors used in each print are unique as well so you will see that mine looks different than the one on the website. This is the most expensive item on this list at $220.

2. Original Illustrations

Mine are by AshleyG on etsy. They are original illustrations that are digitally colored. They are adorable and have a lot of character! These prints are $20 each!

3. Unique Photography
I'm slightly obsessed with these Alicia Bock photos that my sister found. They are so dreamlike and have all the charm of vintage photographs. I'm desperately trying to find a home for these pieces somewhere in my condo. These are $35 each!

4. Stretch fabric over a canvas frame

My sister in law saw this beautiful fabric in Domino Magazine (ugh...still soo upset that they went out of business!!) and stretched it over a canvas frame to make a large and dramatic focal point for their living room. She has a beautiful home that is chock full of personality and detail. Maybe she'll allow me to do a home tour on this blog someday..?

Any other ideas for affordable art? Please feel free to add to this list! :)

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Update your denim!

Current Elliott boyfriend jeans $206

One of the biggest trends in denim right now is the boyfriend jean we saw everyone from Katie Holmes to Rachel Bilson (my fave!) rocking from 08.

Some things to keep in mind when wearing this trend:
- Roll up/cuff the jeans to make it look intentional (no walk of shame here!) and break up the boxiness.
- Pair the baggy, boyfriend jeans with a more feminine top and heels if possible (like shown above) so you don't actually end up looking like a boyfriend
- Try a ton on and see which are flattering on you! This trend is teeter-tottering on "ick" unless you get the fit exactly right.
- If you have a pair of straight leg jeans that are several sizes too large lying around (or your bf/hubbie is just a few sizes bigger than you....not the case in my household. I tried on dear hubbie's and after buttoning up, they literally fell to the ground. Sorry streak frites for ousting you!), you may want to try just rolling up the hems to see if it works.

AG ex boyfriend crop jean $225

Another big trend in denim is the distressed look. I don't think it's worth spending a lot of money on ripped up jeans. You can either distress a pair of old jeans yourself or pick up a $20 pair at forever21 like I did.

Distressed denim tips:
- Roll up/cuff the jeans
- Pair with something simple and clean (like a plain white v-neck) and cute simple gladiators. There is a lot going on in your pants and you don't want to overdo it.

If nothing else....get out a pair of straight leg jeans and roll them up for a fresh look this spring/summer!

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Fashionable diaper bags....is that an oxymoron?

Since A's arrival, all my precious handbags have been stored away and in their place is dun dun dun...the diaper bag. It just doesn't make sense to carry both a diaper bag and a separate handbag. Lucky for me, a dear friend from Mia Bossi gifted me with the Reese bag in blueberry. This is about as nice as you can get for a diaper bag!


But since I will be pretty much exclusively using my diaper bag for the next, oh 5 years or so...I decided I need some other options as well. Just like how we have different handbags to go with different outfits...I need different diaper bags. Now, Miabossi is about as good as it gets in terms of diaper bags...so I had to venture out to non-diaper bag land.

Here are my top 2 choices for now...

1. Goyard St. Louis GM

pros
+ very lightweight
+ durable material (can throw around w/o worrying)

cons
- no zipper closure!
- not sure about bright colors but don't like how the black looks

My favorite is the white but not an option since it will get dirty quickly as a diaper bag.

My other favorite colors are orange and blue but wondering if I'll get sick of the bright colors.

2. YSL downtown tote

pros
+ large and purty!
+ zipper closure

cons
- heavy leather and hardware!
- I'd be nervous about getting the leather wet or damaged
So help! Which do you think is the better option? and if you chose the goyard, what color is your favorite?

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Cork Board Project

Awhile ago, I bought a plain cork board from the Container Store to tack up odds and ends like invitations or bills that needed to be paid. It was such an eyesore that I decided to try my hand at a simple DIY cork board makeover. This is honestly soo easy and anyone can do it!

You start with a plain corkboard and paint the wooden frame white. If I had to buy my own paint, I would have bought high gloss white paint to make it pop even more. I just ended up using leftover white paint we had from when we first moved in.

Next, you measure out the cork board and cut out that exact amount of your favorite wrapping/decorative paper. Use permanent double sided tape to attach the paper to the cork.

Tada!!

After I completed mine and tacked things up, I realized a more simple, repetitive print in 1 or 2 colors would have made a bigger impact. Here are some examples of paper that would work great! The first is a Wooster & Prince paper sold on paper mojo and the second is from paper source.

If you decide to tackle this DIY, please send me before and after pictures so I can post them up! :)

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Valentino: the last emperor

I finally got to see the Valentino documentary last night and it was fantastic! I was completely captivated by the meticulous process of creating a Valentino masterpiece, starting from just an idea in his mind all the way through to the runway show.

The movie was a fascinating glimpse into Valentino's life...the dresses, the villas/chateaus/yachts, the 5 perfect pugs, the celebrities, fashion shows, and even the business side of the industry.

But, at the core of it all, this movie was a sweet love story about Valentino and his business partner of 45 years, Giancarlo.

It is a must see!!!

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What to save, what to toss...

The outfit on the left is from shopbop and currently retails for about $350. The picture on the right is me from last summer wearing a top from a "clothing swap" party and cutoff jeans I made over 5 years ago in college. You never know when things will come back in style!

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Onesies...for grown women

Ever since I saw this picture on The Sartorialist back in 2007, I have been OBSESSED with rompers/jumpsuits/onesies. Rompers can come off very juvenile and contrived but she just looks so effortlessly chic. Last summer, I searched high and low for a cute, affordable romper and finally settled on one from Urban Outfitters that was just okay.

This year, the trend is back and there are a lot more options out there!

Rag and Bone Teddy Romper $450 (shopbop.com)
This is the more glamorous side to rompers. I love the color and subtle detailing.

Urban Outfitters Onesie $68
Military trend at play here with a flattering fit.

Forever21 Denim Romper $29.80
I would switch up the belt here to a leather one to break up the monotony. Actually, I would probably add my own belt to each of these rompers.

I have my eye on one that I'm planning to get next week and then, Baby A and Mommy will be rocking the onesie together!

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