Worldly Inspiration

Got the winter blues??

2010-02-24T19:23:00.000-08:00

Nothing makes it feel more like spring than fresh, budding flowers. Splurge a little and cure those blues! Add a little bouquet of fresh flowers on a table or stand that you pass often and remember spring is just around the corner....

Organic

2010-02-19T13:02:00.000-08:00

I am so in love with the organic look that has been around awhile and it seems its going to keep on being a favorite! And why not? It feels clean, modern, bright, yet earthy. Whites, natural woods in all shades, potted plants that give a splash of the green outdoors are all elements of this organic look. Add a splash of violet, bright yellow, or blue for some eye-popping contrast!

{Metropolitan Home}

{Elle Decor}

{Metropolitan Home}

{Gallery Home Design}

Need some organic accents??

{Greener Home Designs}

{Organic Fiore Bedding}

{West Elm}

{Josephine Organic Bedding- Pottery Barn}

{Pottery Barn}

{Pottery Barn}

It doesn't get more organic than a beautifully potted orchid!

{HGTV}

Invite a little nature into your home....

I feel pretty, oh so pretty!

2010-01-28T13:49:00.000-08:00

Celebrity closets to die over! So space-y and shiny... and how bout all the shoes crowding the shelves?! This one is totally do-able! Olivia Wilde

Nicky Hilton

Christina Agulera

Eva Longoria

Maria Carey

Paula Abdul

Download this closet makeover worksheet by gracemagazine.com and get your closet looking celebrity worthy!

{Images via Instyle.com}

Not JUST a bathroom!

2010-01-15T12:49:00.000-08:00

Being four months pregnant I am spending alot of time in the bathroom! {tmi?? sorry!} It is giving me some seriously time to think about how I want my future dream bathroom to be! Too bad my taste is so eclectic... my inspiration is all over the place! But maybe an image or two will appeal to you??

My friend's parents' bathroom looks very similar to this one...I love the cozy fireplace at the head of the tub! Soooo relaxing {here}

{house to home}

This is an environmentally friendly "green" bathroom. It looks very organic, thats for sure! {here}

You just can't beat the shiny, clean feel {here}

I feel like I stepped into Pride and Prejudice! And that's fine by me :) {This is Glamorous}

Rosy in the winter

2010-01-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

Bloomingville

I fell in L-O-V-E with this pillow of perfection the minute I laid eyes on it!! Generally I gravitate towards the more clean, modern feel but this rose makes me want to completely redecorate my bedroom in a shabby chic, white and pale floral ensemble.
Check out Brunch at Saks for more lovelies from Bloomingville.

Organizing

2010-01-05T13:35:00.000-08:00

I don't relish lots of my new years resolutions {watch what I eat?? boring...} but I have delved into my learn to organize resolution with gusto! I have been reading tips and tricks to organizing all morning and I thought I'd share a few of my favorite pointers that I penned down with you! Now don't expect all of these to be cited because I just read a ton of articles and these were a few that just kept coming up and standing out. {Nobody sue me please!}

~Store things where you use them. If you don't use something often, store it in the back room.

~Buy a mail basket. I have mail on my table, coffee table, car, and dresser. Why didn't I think of this sooner??!

~Set aside time each day or week to take care of the mail...that way bills don't pile up and your mail basket doesn't overflow!

~Use a cute notebook to plan and make priority to-do lists. Any excuse to buy a new cute notebook is good by me : )

~One of my favorites: Eliminate magazine clutter with this helpful tip from Ann Bingley Gallops (www.theorganizedlife.net). Go through magazines as soon as you get them, rip out the articles you want to read, staple them into a folder and tuck the packet into your briefcase. "It's like you've created your own magazine, filled with editorial content only you would choose," Gallops says. "Carry it around with you, read it when you have time and when you're done, throw it away."

I found some organizational authors and bloggers that I particularly loved.
Julie Morgenstern is a professional organizer and when I was going through the organizing section at Barnes and Noble today I noticed she had a few books on the shelf! But even better you don't have to pay to receive her pages of wisdom! She blogs about all thing organizing and you can check it out here.
HGTV has link after organization link for you to find exactly what you need to organize every room in your house.
My favorite organizing blogger so far though is Professional Organizer Karli at Organize with Style. She blogs about organizing everything from emails to wrapping paper. {I love her suggestion on making his and her baskets for the bathroom, bedroom, mail, etc to find out who the clutter culprit is in your house!}.

So if becoming more organized is one of your new years resolutions maybe you will want to check out some of the pros' advice! And please when you find some gem of organizing wisdom share it with me!!! Consider this your support group.

{image via here}

Welcome 2010!

2010-01-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

Hello you all! It feels like such a long time since I have been on here but I hope you were so busy having fun and enjoying the holidays that you *hardly* even missed me. I know every minute of my past 3 weeks was jam packed with games, chatting, food, and fun.

How was your Christmas/Hanukkah/New Years?? What did you do? Where did you go? Traditions??

For Christmas I fled the snow and enjoyed a green Christmas in Arizona with my family.

Ahhh I can't get enough of the sun!! Especially after getting extreme cabin fever because I'm too scared to go out and drive in the snow! Is anybody else with me there??
For New Years we stayed in a favorite cabin in Idaho and rented a few snowmobiles and had lots of fun with my husband's family. All around it was a great holiday vacation!

So 2010...I'm ready for ya. I have so many plans that are going to make this year unforgettable!
One goal I have that is certainly appropriate for this blog is I am going to become specialized in home organization. I'm looking around the room at 3 half emptied suitcases and a dozen misc bags and realizing that I need to make this a priority!! I can't wait!
Some other 2010 plans I have include moving to a new state where my husband will begin law school; I want to really focus in on my interior design business and get it booming; I want to take a cake decorating class and become profesh and start a little cake decorating business; and last but not least we FINALLY announced to family and friends that we are going to have a little addition to our family come July! {so don't be surprised if my posts suddenly shift to nurseries and all things soft and cutesy}
Yes, 2010, I am ready for all the time you are going to bring me to learn new things and do new things!

Now I need to go catch up on my 100+ blog posts that I follow but have neglected during the holidays...for some reason I thought everyone takes a break to enjoy the holidays...hmm...weird...

Poise'n Ivory

2009-12-15T14:10:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for something soft, feminine, and floral for yourself or someone else this holiday season?? Poise'n Ivory recently started selling their lovely items online and are now available for the public! To make it even better, they are having some Holiday sales! Check it out!

Headbands

Necklaces

Embellishments

Belts

...And more!!

Did I mention this lovely site is my very own talented sister-in-law's?? Agh I envy such talent!

{Images via Poise'n Ivory}

Lusting for Purple

2009-12-14T07:39:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I set out looking for something like this:
Or even this:
But sadly I didn't find the lovely watch and was muy disappointed. But the trip wasn't a complete failure! I found and fell in love with this:

Jessica Simpson's purple luggage collection. For some reason I have just been all about purple lately! And these satisfy! I travel quite a bit since my family is a 12 hour drive away and I usually just use my husbands 3 piece black luggage which has seen better days (before 2 trips to Japan and many trips country-wide) and it poses a real problem when we are both flying together! Then we have to flip a coin on who gets the bigger bag and who gets the squash their stuff into the smaller bag. So really, I think this purple luggage perfection is a necessity for me!! ...right?

If the suitcase hasn't quite captured your heart, this carryon is sure to make you lust!And although the purple luggage wins by a roundtrip to Japan, this Rockland Giraffe luggage is pretty cute too!!

{Watch photos via nordstom.com}

A notebook, pencil, and vase of roses please!

2009-12-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

Its finally the weekend and my husband doesn't have anything going on! Of course that means I do...I will be spending my whole weekend studying for the final of finals in my student career. Naturally my mind {and computer} wandered while studying and I found these lovely offices...I think I would definitely get an A+ on my final if I had an office like these to study in...don't you??

Happy Friday my dears! I hope that all of you are playing your weekend away instead of memorizing a text book. Cheers to lovely study spaces!

{Image via fashiontribes}

All Wrapped Up

2009-12-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

My friend Katie M. is the pro-est gift wrapper I have ever met!! If she ever gave me a present I don't think I'd be able to rip it open! She practically scrapbooks each present with wrapping paper, ribbon, tags, and everything cute!
I am NOT like that. When I'm wrapping presents I imagine the recipient tearing the paper off in shreds. Hence, my presents come in little, lumpy packages.

How do you wrap your presents??

With a big bow on top?? {Citruslist}

With your own creative touches?? {Good Housekeeping}

Traditional?? {Lovetoknow}

Themed?? {Country Living}

In bags?? {Glasglo}

Nice and simple?? {flicker}

All matching?? {Annie's treasure trove}

If you are in need of tags for your presents, see here.

Book n Breakfast Group #2

2009-12-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

LAST MONTH

We had our Book n' Breakfast reading group this past weekend and it was very fun! The book for the past month was Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I think everyone who read it really enjoyed it! Here is a short synopsis in case you didn't get to read it. The book is based on a true story where Greg Mortenson attempts to climb the K2 in Pakistan but becomes lost and stumbles almost dead into a small impoverished Pakistani village where the people nurse him back to health. He then returns home but promises to return to build a school where they had never even held a pencil or seen a sheet paper. True to his word, Mortenson begins one of the largest humanitarian efforts and eventually brings peace to the war stricken Taliban home of the improvished Pakistani village through education and books.
This story had a very Christmas-y feel to me. Not because of the ice and snow covered peaks of the K2 Himalayas, but because of the selfless giving of Mortenson and those who aided in the educational humanitarian efforts of everyone involved. Its an amazing testament of how much people can accomplish when they pull together in an effort to help those in need.
Three Cups of Tea inspired me to use my limited resources to help someone that was in even greater need. My husband and I found a single mother of four that would not be able to afford Christmas this year. The story touched me and we decided to put our Christmas money towards their Christmas. When we told my sister and brother-in-law about what we were doing they immediately caught on to the Christmas Spirit and offered to chip in and help. I am so excited to see the faces on the four children and their mother when they find out Santa found his way to their home...early!
This is seriously what Christmas is about- finding someone else, whether its family, a friend, or stranger, that could use a little lift and Christmas cheer and then finding a way to bring that about.
Anyway, to get back to point, if you didn't get a chance to read Three Cups of Tea with us last month, try to find some time in the future to read it! You won't be disappointed.

COMING MONTH

This coming month we are going to read Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan.
I have never read it but I'm excited! To read a summary on the book, see here. You will actually have 2 months to read this book (so maybe you want to get it cheaper on Amazon??) as the end of this month will be Christmas and New Years and I know I won't be around to host a book group! So our next meeting will be the fourth Saturday in January and I'll of course announce the new book on here!
Please if you have any book suggestions leave them in the comments!!! I want to read a diverse selection of books and will try to get to all your suggestions!
Have a lovely month enjoying some down time {when the relatives have gone home/hotel for the evening} cozied up with a good book!

Toasty Cozy

2009-12-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

This picture is small, but doesn't the lit fireplace make the whole room look so cozy and inviting?? I would place a mug of hot chocolate with a peppermint and lots of marshmallows in it on the side table and cozy up with a favorite book, An Old Fashioned Girl.

{Image via Lorrie Browne Interiors}

Christmas Tags

2009-12-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

My very talented Mother-in-law professionally designs original and festive sticker
Christmas tags every year and they are just too cute {and price happy} not to share with you!

o Glossy and glitter finish

o 12x12 sheet with 20 stickers per sheet
o $2.50 per sheet + $1.50 s&h (for entire order)
o Available in bulk quantities (s&h may vary)

To order, select the amount of sheets you wish to buy below and then click the Buy Now button. Then shoot me an email with the quantity you ordered and your address. They will ship out within 3 business days of your placed order! If you have questions or would like more than 50 sheets, shoot me an email and we'll take care of your order! Thanks, and enjoy!!

Note: If you live in or around Provo, feel free to pick them up free of s&h!

Have a Very Metallic Christmas!!

2009-12-03T18:01:00.001-08:00

{Macys}

{I'm not sure where this picture is from but it is so sparkly!}

{Country Living}

2009-12-03T17:53:00.000-08:00

Where do you draw the line??

2009-11-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

In the past I would shop the Black Friday sales with my mom but this year there is nothing important enough to wait in this line. We did most of our Christmas shopping in Japan and this year we drew my niece and nephew to shop for. Pay an extra few bucks to sleep in and shop later?? I think so.

How was your Thanksgiving? Are you running around trying to snag this and grab that today?? Where do you draw the line to day after Thanksgiving mayhem?

For those of you who want to stay in and still get your shopping done with Black Friday sales, check out this site. Save $100's and free shipping on so many items!

{images via Champagne Living}

I'm Baaaaack!

2009-11-25T13:39:00.000-08:00

Wow its been a long time since I've blogged! I wish I could say that my absence was due to a dream vacation that I won by being the 31st caller but sadly thats far from the truth. My baby and I have been under the weather so we cuddled and watched lots of movies together. Even feeling yucky has its good times. But I couldn't miss wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving!! We are spending it at my in-laws and my food assignment is munchies, a jello salad, and the dressing. And because I'm an over achiever and have to get my homemade sugar fix, I'm also making an Amish peanut butter pie and a 2 foot braided bavarian cream and almond danish pastry. Yummm!

{Country Living}

Where are you spending Thanksgiving?? What's on your menu??

The Blooming Button

2009-11-18T13:10:00.001-08:00

I first came across Nicole Drysdale's little cuties at the Bijou Market {Mmmm so much inspiration all in one place!}. The Blooming Button carries everything from crocheted caps and flowers to button clips and jewelry! They have something in every size too so your Christmas shopping can begin and end here.

{Photo via The Blooming Button on Etsy}

These are little clips and I'm sure they are what inspired the name The Blooming Button.

So head on over to The Blooming Button here and check out all of their darlingness for you and your girl friends!

Christmas Inspired Living Room

2009-11-17T09:36:00.001-08:00

Hello all! I know its Tuesday, but here is an {eclectic} Christmas inspired living room to help you get in the Christmas spirit.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend..and Monday!

Handmade Christmas

2009-11-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas is right around the corner people!! And I am so excited!!! I know we haven't even hit Thanksgiving yet but I'm the type to get a little carried away with Christmas...say...early November. I can't help it! Carols just pop out of my mouth!

So in case you are getting a jump start on Christmas this year or just looking towards the future, here are some of my favorite handmade Christmas decoration ideas:

I love the monograms! {chicmommybags $40}

Mmm... I can smell it already! {NHWoodscreation $10}

This little gingerbread man soap would make great Christmas party favors or stocking stuffers! {fairybubbles $3.75}

{Bloomingcouture $70}

Feeling not so traditional? {TraceyAnns $3.25 for 3}

This is so cute and would be so easy to make! {Ochristmastree $38}

Candy wreath- festive AND yummy! {Sweetgreetings09 $8}

I think these paper mache primitive snowmen are kinda cute {Krafty Chic Designs $4}

How cute are these handmade decorations?? {Snowfish $29.90}

When will you start decorating??

Japanese Gardens

2009-11-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

I spent 4 months over the summer in Japan. One of the things that astounded me the most was that they do not have yards, they have gardens. At least in the area I was in, everyone had giant gardens surrounding their good size homes and they ate what they grew. We had fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, Japanese onions, pumpkin, lettuce, and squash everyday. But, for the most part, they didn't grow their gardens in nice little labeled rows...they grew something here and something there and in between the vegetables they grew huge beautiful flowers that towered over the garden. I was surround by thousands-yes thousands- of the most beautiful orchids in all different colors. Many of the people around us also grew rice patties that were cultivated in large square patches and these too were surrounded with orchids or sunflowers or whatever was in season.

That is something I miss the most about Japan. I wish that American's took a little more time to create beautiful flowery gardens at the scale Japanese do. Although, I must say, grassy yards are a wonderful thing. But there is something magical about always being surrounded by healthy plants and beautiful flowers. And more often than not, Japanese have about as many plants inside their homes as they do outside. With the would floors and the straw tatami mats and potted plants, their interiors were really an extension of the exteriors.

Here are some lovely pictures for you to enjoy :)

Spread the Love

2009-11-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

Britnee Fullmer is an ingenious cook and makes jams and jellies in every flavor...yes, even ones you would never dream of. Some of these include mango jalapeno, cranberry habinero, and balsamic strawberry and pepper. My personal favorite was the strawberry basil jam. It was increadible! And who would've ever thought that strawberry and basil go together?? Well they do, quite nicely in fact. Of course all these jams and jellies don't just go on toast, you can put them on meat, fish, crackers, and chips!

For more information on Spread the Love and to get a your own taste of these delicious concoctions in lovely little jars, head over to Britnee's website here. Enjoy!

Where I'd like to...

2009-11-10T13:15:00.000-08:00

...cook a simple, organic meal. Zen style is made up of clean, crisp lines and infused with energizing colors found in nature, such as sky blue, leafy greens, and wooden gold hues. Often it feels like someone brought in pieces of nature and set them in contrast with a clean, white canvas. I think a zen kitchen like this could inspire many savory meals.

~~~~~~~~
For information on virtual decorating services, see here.

Kihei Coconut Syrup

2009-11-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year, my family and I spent 2 weeks in Hawaii. One of the places we stayed was in Kihei on Maui. Down the street from our beach house was a little cafe named Kihei Cafe and it was divine!!! We probably went 8 times out of the 10 days we were there. One of their top sellers is coconut macadamia nut banana pancakes. The coconut syrup was just to die for and luckily I have the recipe. It is so easy to make and even my husband who never strays from maple syrup {even when there's strawberries and whip cream!} asks for this syrup every time! Yesterday we had it on german pancakes...Mmmmm!

{Sorry about the poor quality picture...I am NOT a photographer!}

Kihei Coconut Syrup

3 TBL butter {I use 1 to make it more figure friendly...still tastes delish!}
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp coconut flavoring {can get at most food stores}

1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp almond flavoring

Combine butter, sugar and buttermilk in a sauce pan and stir over med. high heat until sugar dissolves- but don't boil! Remove from heat and add baking soda and flavorings. Enjoy!