09
Today, I'm excited to share some fabulous items from Lulu & Georgia with you all. They are one of my absolute favorite places to shop for home decor online! Everything from lamps to furniture to accessories to rugs, they have it. And their selection is goooood. It's all gorgeous and stylish, but at the same time it's quirky and fun. I think that's the best balance--beautiful, but not stuffy. If you ask me, every room should have at least one cheeky item that makes you smile. You're not boring, right? So your home should have some personality, too!
For this post, I picked out a few accessories that I wanted for myself--but would also make great gifts. My favorite is that Jonathan Adler phone dock. It's SO CUTE, right?!? And it totally makes me smile every time I look at it. I've also been wanting the metallic zebra dish for awhile, so I got one of those too.
Now let's talk about that candle. The scent is teakwood & tobacco and it smells sooo good. I would have never guessed that I'd like a tobacco-scented candle (I think cigarettes stink), but I smelled one out of curiosity when we were on our trip to the South and really liked it. I regretted not buying it then, so I was glad when I saw that Lulu & Georgia had the same one!
I also got a few things for our dining room. My favorite is that “fancy another?” tray. I love it! And I'm pretty obsessed with the glasses and pitcher too. Give me everything pink and gold.
I also thought it would be fun to share the recipe for the drink I have in these photos. I made it after Thanksgiving with some leftover Martinelli's and cranberries, but it would be good any time! It’s quick and easy, refreshing, and not too sweet (and did I mention, really easy?). If you prefer something a bit sweeter, you could always add sugar or lemonade.
Ingredients:
One can of cranberry juice concentrate
One bottle of Sprite or ginger ale
One bottle of sparkling cider (or sparkling wine)
Fresh cranberries
Just mix together the top three ingredients and top with cranberries! Easy.
Whether it's something you picked up on a memorable trip, a funny art print, or a cheeky accessory...what are the items in your home that make you smile whenever you see them?
Plus, use the code AHIL20 to get 20% off at Lulu & Georgia!
Thanks to Lulu & Georgia for partnering with me on this post! Be sure to check them out for more awesome gift ideas and home decor with personality.
08
Ben and I have actually never done holiday cards together. I guess I always thought that we’d start sending them once we had kids. But when Allie from Allie Way Design offered to hook me up with one of her pretty designs, I thought “why not?!” My friend Corlana of Lana Jenae Photography took some photos for us, and I got the cards printed at Mpix.
I think they turned out super cute! Now I just need to get these all addressed and sent out. If you’re still looking for a holiday card design, you should definitely check out Allie’s shop. She’s super talented, and also the sweetest. And I’d totally recommend Mpix for printing as well!
Plus, I thought I’d share a few of the other photos that Corlana took of Ben and I. She does photography for weddings, engagements, family sessions, and all that jazz…hit her up if you’re looking for a photographer!
Plus, look how pretty she made my hair! Corlana is the best at braids.
Have you done your holiday cards yet this year??
P.S. Enter today’s 24 Merry Days giveaway today on Design Crush. And in case you missed it, my giveaway was yesterday…so enter that too. Pluuus, I wrote a post for Bali Blinds about creative gift wrap ideas. You can check that out right over here!
07
It’s time for my 24 Merry Days giveaway! YAY! I’m super happy to be teamed up with Artsy Modern, one of my favorite shops for unique home goods and accessories. They’re giving away a $150 shop credit…so I thought I’d do a little virtual shopping and show you what I would get if I won this. Unfortunately for me, I can’t enter…but fortunately for you, you can! And you totally should. I’m already jealous of the lucky duck that wins this.
1. One of the first things that caught my eye were these ”Drinks are on me” coasters. They’re exactly my sense of humor.
2. I’m also OBSESSED with these Gran pillows and would definitely get at least one. The only question is, which color? Black / Pink / Blue / Green
3. I looove this ”You look amazing” tote. It would be fun to fill it with some extra goodies and give it to a girlfriend.
4. These ”blah blah blah" glasses are so chic and pretty! They also have an ”Easy tiger” version that I would totally get for Ben.
5. This wildlife espresso set is so freaking cute! I think the owl is my favorite…no wait, maybe the otter…no wait…I can’t decide. Good thing I don’t have to, because the set comes with all four.
And that’s how I would spend $150 at Artsy Modern!
Enter the giveaway below…PLUS, you can get 15% off orders of $100+ with the code MERRYAM15 from now until 12/20.
This giveaway is open to people worldwide. Must be over 18 years old to participate.
P.S. If you’re new to 24 Merry Days, there are 24 awesome giveaways going on this month on 24 different blogs. If you head to the website, you can click through and enter the previous giveaways to get caught up. And you can also like the 24 Merry Days page on Facebook to make sure you don’t miss any of the future ones…cuz that would be tragic! They are all too good to miss.
05
I saw a quote one time that said, "The first five days after the weekend are always the hardest." That's definitely how I felt this week! It's always hard to get back in the swing of things, but it’s especially hard after a long holiday weekend. So much to catch up on…so little time. I feel like this holiday season is slipping through my fingers so quickly! I keep seeing all these photos of Christmas trees and wreaths and ornaments filling up my Instagram feed…and I still have my acorn garland up! Whoops…#badblogger. Oh well...I’m really glad it's Friday! Maybe I’ll get a lot done this weekend and cross a bunch of things off my (ginormous) to-do list…or maybe we’ll just relax and hang out with friends. Either way, IT’S FRIDAY. And today is even better because I get to share a gorgeous house tour with you guys!
I love this eclectic, colorful home. But it wasn’t always so cheerful and inviting! Melissa and Josh wanted their Brooklyn brownstone to have a fun, young vibe…but with all the antiques they own and the way their place was set up before, it felt stuffy. So they hired Kevin, a Homepolish designer, to help them out. In case you haven’t heard of Homepolish, it's pretty awesome. Instead of commissions and product markups (which are typical for the design industry), they charge a flat hourly fee, so it’s really flexible to your needs and budget. And their designers are all amazingly talented!
For this project, Melissa and Josh purchased a 20 hour package for their living room and dining room. They told Kevin that they wanted their antiques and heirlooms to feel less stuffy and more cool. And by the looks of these photos, I’d say Kevin totally rose to that challenge!
He started by switching everything from the dining room into the living room (and vice versa) to better take advantage of the “initial perspective” (what you see when you walk in the front door). Changing the focal point of the room from the dining table to the seating area made the space immediately feel more inviting and cozy. As he says, "Before it was all, 'You’re intruding on our dinner.' And now it’s all, 'Hello! Come sit down and join in on our riveting conversation!’"
I love how something like flipping your floor plan can make such a big difference! And it’s a great way to stay on budget, too. Before you go out and buy a bunch of new stuff, try rearranging the stuff you already own to make your home feel more inviting--and use the most comfortable dining room chairs you can!
P.S. How great is that bright orange hutch? It makes me want to go paint something...
What do you think of this home? Do you have a favorite detail?
Photographer: Samantha Goh
Designer: Kevin Clark, Homepolish Designer.
P.S. Be sure to enter today's 24 Merry Days giveaway on Apartment 34. And in case you missed yesterday's, enter that too--over on Little White Whale. I'll be posting my giveaway this Sunday...so I'll see you then!
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