Hive & Honey at Piperlime

Suede trim blazer

The lust-worthy clothing at piperlime.com usually runs on the $$$ side - however, I recently stumbled upon a chic and reasonably priced line they carry: Hive & Honey.

I pulled the trigger on the suede trim blazer (pictured above) and was pretty pleased with the quality and fit (purchased my normal size, M).

A few other nice options in the Hive & Honey line:

 Maxi wrap dress ($29 on sale!)

 Poet blouse

 Button striped sweater

Tie-front blouse

HELP: den configuration

I love my husband - but sometimes he makes me nuts.

Case in point: one of his first purchases for our new cabin was a 55" tv (sigh).  Why we needed: (1) such a large tv, (2) a smart tv that will require an internet connection for full functionality, (3) cable in a home we're only going to be in 4 days a month - is a little beyond me.  Oh well, whatever makes him happy (right?).

The tv has caused a furniture configuration dilemma in the den.  My original plans (revolving around our camel leather love-seat) have been scrapped, and the outdoor chaises we used for our first movie night definitely are not a permanent solution.  A couple seating ideas:

Ikea Boliden Chair and Footstool

overstock.com Cleo Dark Brown Leather Chaise

Dawson Chair

(w/an ottoman?)

Do you have any ideas?  I'm really not in love with any that I've come up with.  Keep in mind: the room is pretty narrow, I don't want to spend a jillion dollars, and I'm not a huge recliner fan - but the right one could me sway me.  Feel free to send me links to any cool accent pieces (e.g. rugs, ottomans, etc) you come across as well.

Would you purchase a "vintage" (i.e. used) blanket?

When I saw a listing for a Pendleton Yakima Camp Blanket on Craigslist for $35.00, I was ecstatic.  I've been coveting Pendleton blankets, and dream of having a few around the cabin for super-cold winter nights, pops of color, and picnics - but brand new they're a bit out of my price range.  Even on ebay Pendleton blankets generally go for around $100.00 +, depending on the design.

When I told my friend Leigh I was buying a blanket from Craigslist, her immediate response was "Ewwww...someone could have died on it."  Hmmm...good point - but I still bought it.  I'm happy to report that it's unstained, smells fresh, and looks great draped on the end of a bed in our cabin (pictured above - the chain is for a light fixture that is yet to be hung).

Now the question is, would you buy a "vintage" (code word for: used) blanket?  If not, would you buy any used house-ware item (i.e. dinnerware, rugs, furniture).  Clothing? Where would you draw the line?

Are pricey towels worth the $$$?

As I mentioned on my FB page yesterday, my husband has an eagle eye.  You can't hide anything from him (e.g. when the cat knocked over a vase and warped our hardwood, the gouge I made in the hallway wall, when I accidentally spray painted our balcony window, etc).

So - of course he was going to notice that I had been systematically emptying our linen closet of towels and packing them away for a 2nd life in our Montana cabin.  Which meant, I needed to replace them sooner rather than later.

Luckily, Macy's is having a 4th of July sale.  These were the contenders:

Ralph Lauren Greenwich Collection Towels in Pebble

Hotel Collection Towels in Mercury

Charter Club Towel in Graphite

After much deliberation and a nudge from the sales associate, I ended up taking the plunge and going with the Hotel Collection towels.  They're super-soft, get great reviews, and the words "hotel collection" make them seem luxurious (darn clever marketing ploy).

However - dropping all that dough on towels made me question if pricey towels truly are worth the $$$.  What do you think?  Would the towels below be just as nice as the expensive ones?

Mainstay Essentials in Gray (Walmart)

Industrial Lighting

I'm not sure if you'd call the lighting pictured above "industrial" or "modern" or "rustic" - but whatever the style I know for certain it fits in with the theme I'm imagining for our new cabin.  It'll also be a great improvement over the fixtures that were there previously (before the place was gutted by the former owners).

1.  Fisherman Ceiling Fixture, $51.99 at overstock.com

2.  Firefly Pendant Lamp, $199.00 at cb2.com

3.  Calhoun Glass Pendant, $149.00 at potterybarn.com  

4.  Bronze Pendant, $84.06 at homedepot.com

The "before" shots (I'll post "after" shots once the lights have been installed)

Gray, gold, and white bedroom

As I mentioned in a previous post (here), the hubby and I bought a vacation home - which means I now have 4 bedrooms to decorate (among other things).

I'm planning to paint one of the bedrooms gray - and a recent Ross purchase (photo below) inspired me to go with a gray, gold, and white theme (inspiration board/details above).

I don't want to spend a ton of money decorating a place that's not our primary residence - so I've been scouring our storage space, thrift, and discount stores for items.  My goal is to keep the decorating budget for this room below $200.00 (I must admit the art ate up 25% the budget, but I couldn't resist).

Other gray & gold inspiration (via Pinterest)

apartment therapy

the glamourai

Pinterest

Lately the blogosphere has been buzzing about Pinterest, a website where you can "catalog the things you love."  Rolled up in the site is all the fun of saving, clipping, and tearing out your favorite photos from magazine and websites - without the unorganized chaos (and tearing). 

While I'm waiting for my "invitation" to join I've been perusing the boards.

Searching "rustic modern" brought up this pic (among others)

"Cow hide" gave me this:

I have a feeling Pinterest is going to be addicting.

Western Art

Most people, well - smart people, focus on the big items when they're decorating a new home (e.g. sofas, beds, appliances, light fixtures).

I, on the other hand, like to focus on the art.  Impractical, I know, but it makes me happy.


A couple intriguing pieces:

Little Cowgirl w/Pistol via MollyMuse's

Days Gone By via Cowgirlimagery

 

Tuna Fish Butcher Diagram via TheWordShop

Libby via PeacockGarden

(a girl can dream)

Modern Rustic

It's official, as of the end of this month Ed & I will be proud owners of a cabin in Montana (eek! and yay! see a couple pics here).

Good thing I have a memory like an elephant - because a long, long time ago Ed promised that if we ever got a second home, I could decorate it as I see fit (yipee!). 

Of course, we're poor now so I'm going to be doing a lot of thrifting and shopping at Ikea, and the cabin is actually a bit bigger than our condo (x2) so I'll have a LOT of rooms to furnish - but I'm up to the challenge!  My plan is to decorate the place "modern rustic."

Some inspiration:

 (the inspiring piece was the sheepskin rug you can barely see)

 (cowhide rug here I come!)

 (one room already has olive walls)

Warby Parker

Warby Parker (an eye-glass shop that I think of as being the "TOMS" of the eye-glass world) first seduced me with their virtual try-on app.  One Saturday I uploaded a photo and amused myself by virtually trying on a bunch of frames I'd never considered before.

They then reeled me in with their free home try-on kit.  5-pairs of glasses, 5-days, free shipping both ways.  Lovely.

And now - they've topped it all off by offering frames + lenses for $95.00.

Warby, you had me at try-on app.

 Monocle anyone?

Quick snap of my Warby's

(darn glare)

(one look away shot, to reduce glare)

Montana

My friend Mo and I are headed out to Montana (Kalispell) this weekend to check out a couple cabins the hubby and I have an eye on.

While I've been praying for sunshine and warm weather for our trip, it looks like we're bringing the clouds, cold, and rain with us.  Sigh.  So while I'd love to wear this...

I'll probably be wearing this...

REI Kimtah Jacket

Columbia Traverse Hoodie

(it's water resistant)

And my trusty hiking boots

Short Hair

One of the first things I did when I got to college (upwards of 10 yrs ago) - was chop off my hair and dye it jet black.  Sigh.  What a mistake that was - seeing how I was also dealing with the dreaded freshman fifteen.

Needless to say, when I grew out of that phase in my life I let my hair get longer and longer and longer - sometimes snipping off two inches or getting bangs "for a change."

Well, a couple days ago (on a whim) I took the plunge and chopped it off again.

Before

After

I got a little inspiration from here.  My stylist Tamara, who has been cutting my hair since I was 21, also gave me dark brown highlights.

(p.s.  I bought yet another striped shirt on Saturday and its so swingy and chic - you can find it here)

Where to buy royal icing flowers (and other edible cupcake toppers)

A pretty icing flower or fondant/gum paste topper can really add pizazz to your cupcakes.  A couple suggestions on where to buy:

mochasof lovely Etsy shop

fondant animal toppers from cookiecovers

 edible gum paste forget-me-nots from sweetdejavu

peas in a pod from cookiecovers

You can also check out:

Cake Art (I bought pretty royal icing violets from here)

Wilton 

Confectionery House

I'll post pictures of my purple-velvet cupcakes with royal icing violets next week!

Red Pants

I have no idea why I've been so obsessed with red lately, but it may somehow be tied to the movie Body Heat (thanks for making the connection Leigh).  The movie + a fever + illness induced hallucinations made me open to a color I don't even really like.

I mean, I'm really open.  I just bought red pants.

Go-Getter Pants from Anthropologie

Some other options:

Moto Red 7/8ths jeans from Top Shop

Trousers L Sigro from Mango

Jet Pocket Slim Cropped Pants from Asos

Women's Slim Leg Cropped Chino from Land's End Canvas