Sunday, June 28, 2015

Let's Go on a Picnic!

Today I've teamed up with ShopAtHome.com to bring you my colorful shopping list for my upcoming picnic excursion. There are so many great finds here for your next summer fĂȘte! One of ShopAtHome's many retailers is one of my favorites, World Market! Check out how much money I'm saving on my colorful picnic finds through ShopAtHome's coupon codes and cash back program!  As a bonus, ShopAtHome even awards "Shop Gold Points" when you purchase which you can use toward award shopping on their website!  







































































This is a sponsored post featuring ShopAtHome.

1. Bungalow Stripe Insulated Picnic Basket - World Market -$17.49 regular price // 10% off  + 4% cash back 

2. Melamine Large Square Sufi Tile Serving Tray - World Market - $11.89 // 10% off  + 4% cash back 

3. Melamine Sufi Tile Appetizer Plates, Set of 3 - World Market - $5.22 // 10% off  + 4% cash back 

4. Melamine Square Sufi Tile Dinner Plates, Set of 4 - World Market - $13.96 // 10% off  + 4% cash back 

5. Acrylic Pacific Tumbler Glasses, Set of 2 - World Market - $5.98 // 10% off  + 4% cash back 

6. Melamine Turquoise Sufi Tile Serving Bowl - World Market - $9.09 // 10% off  + 4% cash back 

7. Fuchsia Stripe Pandan Tray - World Market - $16.09 // 10% off  + 4% cash back 

8. Picnic Time Leaf Cheeseboard and Tools Set - JCPenney - $69.99 // 15% off + 7% cash back

9. Kiwi Green Stamped Wood Cutlery Set - World Market - $5.99 // 10% off  + 4% cash back 

10. Tiki Toss Game - The Original Ring Toss Game - $29.95 // + 318 "Shop Gold Points" for purchases on ShopAtHome

11. 2013 Tied Knot Riesling - Wine Insider - $14.99 // 30% off + 12% cash back

12. Mykonos Blue Sufi Tiles Rio Indoor-Outdoor Mat - World Market - $9.99 // 10% off  + 4% cash back 

I always search for coupon codes before making online purchases, but ShopAtHome.com has really made my shopping even more efficient!  ShopAtHome.com provides coupon codes for over 1,400 retailers with over 100,000 discounts available!  With ShopAtHome you will receive perks from 2% cash back to up to 15% cash back depending on the retailer you're purchasing from. Discounts vary as well so it's always worth stopping by ShopAtHome.com before you make any purchases.  I hope this is a helpful resource both for your online shopping and for enjoying a colorful picnic with your friends and family!

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Decorating with Silver Tones

Hi everyone! I'm Adriana from Daily Dose of Design.  I live in New York and blog all things fashion, interior design, DIY, and lifestyle.  For the past couple of months (more than I would like to admit) I've been doing a bedroom makeover! For this makeover I decided I wanted silver decor and accents instead of gold, which can be more typical to decorate with.  I thought silver would go together nicely with my room color, a light turquoise tone.  I also have some black accents in my bedroom including a fantastic black chair, which I've also utilized silver decorative accents to highlight.  Decorating with silver decor really does add a luxe feel to your space.








Designer Stacey Cohen, Image from Style at Hone, Angus Fergussun Photography

This insanely gorgeous living room (above) is designed in a minimal color palette with black, white and silvers - but the pops of pink and turquoise make the silver tones stand out and give such a glam feel!  I am loving the silver nailheads as a glam accent on the sofa as well, along with that fab silver beaded chandelier.  This space uses silver minimally, but it goes a long way.  Interested in a furniture with silver nailheads?  Look herehere and here.  


Since I've become somewhat of a pro (or so I like to think) on decorating with silver tones, I decided to round up some gorgeous silver home decor pieces that are perfect for a bedroom or living room, so stay tuned for that at the end of this post.  Adding a metallic color like silver can brighten up a room and looks extremely elegant whether you're decorating a large space or small.  


Refined Chicago Townhouse, Designer Kim Scodro, Image from Luxe., Werner Straube Photography

While many metals are silver in tone, you can create a silver motif using silver paint as a fresh and surprising way of decorating with silver.  In the luxe space above a silver frame featuring a fine-art photograph is placed elegantly above a custom, silver-painted console.  So elegant and unique!  Want to break out the silver paint and begin creating?  Get a few pointers here and here


Silver can also be made more feminine or masculine depending on the colors you pair silver tones with. For example, making a room more masculine using silver could be achieved by adding charcoal gray, cream and blacks. To make a space more feminine, mix in silver with pinks, turquoise or lavender shades.

Silver also looks SO gorgeous when used to add texture to your walls (see below) or as a surprising element in a glamorous bathroom, like this silver bathtub shown below.

Image via Decor Pad 








Florida home, Designer Melanie Turner, Image from Domaine, Photo by Mali Azima

And if you can't commit to silver all the way, silver actually looks quite nice with gold.  Take a look at this silver space below with pops of gold.  Silver really can be a neutral!






























Image via In-Style Decor Furniture & Decor retailer

Silver Decor Round-up!


This round-up is the best of silver decor accents! The silver accents I've rounded up (above) are perfect for any room. Pair these silver accents with your favorite pop of color to acheive a gorgeous space. 

I created a mood board of spaces with silver accents, as well to show exactly how silver comes together with pops of color.  Creating mood boards for any space is helpful when designing and decorating a space. You can find tips and tricks on those here!








Thank you to Jacquin for letting me guest post on this lovely blog! I hope you enjoyed this post everyone!  See more of my personal design style on Daily Dose of Design or Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Unique & Stylish Kitchen Finds

The kitchen is the heart of the home and a place for creation and inspiration! So, if you’re feeling low on inspiration in the kitchen, you may just need to jazz-up your kitchen accessories to get excited again. These stylish kitchens are sure are sure to delight (and inspire)!   






































When your kitchen is well-organized, bright and full of style, you’re sure to feel more inspired and creative!   Here are my chic (and useful) selections toward a well-styled and well-organized kitchen!






















































































Unique & Stylish Kitchen Finds!

1. Cuisine Couture Apron $32 - Anthropologie
2. Hobnail Pitcher $78 - Anthropologie
3. Old Dutch Copper Beating Bowl Set $89.99- Wayfair
4. Kale and Herb Stripper $7.95 - Sur la table
5. Fruit Ket Tapping Kit $19.99 - Uncommon Goods
6. Cast-Iron Oyster Pan $31.96 - Sur la Table
7. Chef’n Butter Maker $14.95 - Williams-Sonoma
8. Rustic Wine Shelf $99 - West Elm


Wednesday, June 17, 2015

A Recipe for Watermelon Limeade














































Brooke of Be Fed Again is back this week with another great recipe for us!  Just in time for Summer, it's a simple recipe for Watermelon Limeade.  Perfect for a backyard barbecue with the family!  Stop by the twitter or facebook page and let us know if you try this recipe out.  Enjoy!

WATERMELON LIMEADE

Ingredients:
7 cups watermelon cut into chunks
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon simple syrup (how to make simple syrup)

Put watermelon chunks into food processor and process until mixture looks soupy.  
Place a strainer over an empty bowl.  Pour watermelon mixture into strainer, and strain out all of the juices, pressing on the solids.  You should have 4 cups of strained watermelon juice.  Discard the solids.
Stir in lime juice and simple syrup.

Serve over ice and garnish with fresh limes, watermelon, and a mint leaf.

If you missed Brooke's recipe for orange-cranberry scones, it's a great one to go back and check out.  See you all on Friday!

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Bloggers at Home: Julia Konya

Hi I'm Julia from the blog Cuckoo 4 Design.  I'm a German expat who loves design and raising my family here Stateside.  I enjoy decorating my home with an eclectic mix of different styles, especially including pieces from different eras.  I also love midcentury modern, Hollywood Regency, really old antiques, boho, and in-style modern pieces all mixed together.  I've designed my home utilizing all of these eclectic, yet stylish elements!


Julia's creative foundation...

I attended art school in Germany as my foundation and I was able to learn different approaches to design and creating artwork.  I find that sometimes I need to refocus on my creative foundation amidst the everyday struggle of keeping my blog afloat.  I miss the carefree days of just creating and not having to put it on paper/web for the purpose of presenting it to people.  But that carefree spirit is the best for creating beautiful things, so I try to keep a healthy balance.


From Germany to the American Dream...

The thing I miss most about Germany is the beautiful old setting with rich history, street cafes and being able to visit different countries on a whim.  But I do have to say that I just adore Americans which is one of the main reason I love it here.  Americans are so friendly, open and welcoming which is so different to the general German way of life.  This is one of the reasons I adore Jonathan Adler so much.  He has that perfect fun, open and colorful style I so adore.  Happy Chic is what speaks to me.  But Emily Henderson definitely reflects this as well with her eclectic and fun style.























































I have to admit that German interior design does not inspire me much.  I can't exactly put my finger on what it is or put it in words for you but it just doesn't provoke much creativity from me.  Here's a little story for you... 

When I moved to the U.S. my parents gifted me a cuckoo clock because they knew how much I disliked them growing up.  They represent old stern German's with dark interior to me.  My parents thought they were being very funny.  That's when I thought about painting them to lighten them up a bit.  It's been done so many times now by other people but I swear I was one of the first ones to do it years and years ago!  I still have several in my house and they really grew on me and add that fun quirky element that I adore to lighten up my mood.  And of course they are the reason for my blog name and logo.

Julia's favorites...

I love adding DIY elements to my home!  My favorite DIY project to date is still my black and white "cross" hallway, where I created my own black vinyl crosses on a crisp white wall.  My DIY cross wall is next to a black accent wall, which really allows my cross hallway design to pop. Check it out below! 


One of my favorite vignettes in my home is this nook in my living room (below) where I enjoy playing the constant "pillow shuffle".  You can totally change the look of your sofa by refreshing your throw pillows! 


Thanks so much for having me Jacquin.  I really enjoyed talking a bit about my past.  Next week I will finally combine my past and present when I will become a US citizen!  It took me so long to finally accomplish this because I didn't want to give up my German citizenship and I am able to keep it after all.  Follow Julia's latest design creations via her blog, twitter, or instagram.

Fashion meets Interior Design: Featuring Brooke Guerra + Pet Piggy Maebelle



Well, hello darlings! My name is Brooke Guerra of Basically Brooke blog and I am originally from the beautiful Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee, but most recently I reside on the Gulf Coast in Mobile, Alabama. I've lived abroad for short periods of time and find myself very inspired by international fashion, especially the French and Italian! 

My personal style is somewhat eclectic, often mixing vintage pieces with newer trends. I absolutely love anything girly and am not scared to wear some funky shoes with large stiletto heels to even the most mundane outings. I always aim for balance though and while I may be wearing some crazy shoes; my outfit would be plainer so I could let the best pieces shine! I love a fun print (as you can see!) and I am never scared to branch out as long as I am feeling confident in my look. I would say that I am also drawn to clean, classic looks though and I have no shortage of little black dresses I can wear at any given time. I think my love for fashion began when I was young, when I would watch all the old Hollywood sirens like Grace Kelley and Elizabeth Taylor completely take over the scene with their beautifully fit clothes. They had a true way of being feminine and powerful all at the same time. 


I have always thought about doing some creative writing and along with my love for photography and fashion, the idea to start a blog just came together. There was also some encouragement from friends and family who need their current updates on all things Maebelle, my pet piggy! She is always into something and we have some really fun adventures together. On BasicallyBrooke.com, you will find a variety of things such as fashion, travel, Maebelle, and wedding ideas.


This design just called my name out as soon as I saw it! I love anything pink and I even have pink Victorian chairs in my house. I could totally see this design for my own home! I also felt like the starfish on the mantle gave this room a feeling of an uptown, glamorous beach house. 

Since we live on the Gulf Coast, it was very easy to imagine spending time in this room rocking my flamingo skirt! The thing about our location is the weather is still in the 70s and 80s right now while the rest of the country starts to see cooler temperatures. I am always trying to create looks that take more summery pieces and transition them into fall since we don’t have a reason to suddenly wear sweaters. One of my favorite things on trend that helps this transition is booties! They give a little bit of a boot while keeping your skirts from looking bogged down. I also love wearing skirts with longer sleeved shirts and of course, darker accessories complete the look. By having the balance of a cute flamingo print with the Jimmy Choo purse and patent leather booties, the outfit has more of a fall feel but still reflective of where we live. I actually really like bright prints even in the winter time, although some may shy away from them.  

For this interior design, I felt like the bright pink flamingos complemented the pink chairs and ottoman well.  The fun vintage photo over the mantle also fits well with my retro midi-style skirt! Even MaeBelle got into the swing of things with her chic, matching Flamingo scarf!


This skirt can be styled so many different ways! I had even thought about gold accessories instead of pearls and wearing some hot pink studded pumps (Think Valentino Rockstud pumps…) if you wanted to glam it up for a night out. Those are always the kinds of pieces you want in your closet to get the most use out of them.. The link I included for the Jimmy Choo purse is going to take you to resale site for designer goods. I personally love a good deal and will always opt for designer on a dime. If you have never heard of Tradesy, you are going to love it!


Shop the look!



Pet piggy Maebelle was launched to stardom when she appeared on HGTV's Property Virgins! Maebelle is also the mascot for Phi Kappa Phi and the American Diabetes Association's "Kiss A Pig" campaign 2014.  So basically, Maebelle is kind of a big deal. :-)

Learn more about Brooke and her love of fashion at her fab blog, Basically Brooke.  Maebelle will be there to greet you too! 

Saturday, June 13, 2015

TOP 100 INTERIOR DESIGN WEBSITE & The Etsy Craft Party!

It's Sunday and I'm starting the week with some exciting news!  Interiors by Jacquin blog has been selected as a Top 100 Most Influential Interior Design Website of 2015! This blog has only been up for 8 months, so I'm honored to be included on this amazing list of interior design tastemakers. I've added their official award badge in my sidebar to the left and I'm looking forward to bringing you more exciting home & design content.  Thank you so much for reading!  



















































Last weekend I attended the annual Etsy Craft Party and it was a blast!  I met some amazing women, all of whom were awesomely creative and equally interested in crafting. So, a win for me! 

Etsy hosts several of these parties across the country once a year, so if you like crafting you'll definitely want to catch you local Etsy craft party next year!  In the meantime, get a taste of what this fun event is all about.  I hope to see you at the next one!
































Here are some of the fab ladies I met at the Etsy Craft Party in Southern California!  I met a blogging duo, Michelle and Andrea (above) of iFavor123 along with Stephanie Payan, the SoCal Etsy Guild coordinator (that's her below).  Take a look at some of the crafts we created while at the party!


















(Above) Collage Journals - We stitched together our own mini journals and then they encouraged us to make geodes from different shades of paper by Break + Remake.



There were several great artisans and vendors at the Esty Craft Party.  The coordinator, Stephanie, also has a hand-crafted jewelry shop!  Take a look at her awesome engraved necklaces below.  You can find more of Stephanie's jewelry here



Another artisan and vendor I met at this fun event was Linda of Linda's Art Spot.  She creates beautiful and extremely intricate clay polymer jewelry and accessories. She also teaches art and is a creator within many art forms. She was such an interesting and warm person to chat with and I'm hoping to catch one of her art classes this summer!  

Linda creates her polymer clay designs by combining various colors of clay in large block form, intuitively placing colors next to one another to yield a specific design once the clay is rolled down.  Then she cuts the block to expose the center artwork in the middle.  It's a quite a fascinating process!  I'm glad to have had an opportunity to learn about this special art form.  

In the photo below, Linda shows us how her larger clay forms are worked down to the final design, like in this beautiful leaf design.  Many of Linda's polymer clay designs are jewelry items like the special earrings you see me modeling at the end of the post, but she can create just about anything with this intricate technique.



Here I am chatting with Linda and taking a look at her unique polymer clay accessories (above).  This was a fantastic event, but I must admit that chatting with Linda was one of my favorite parts, so it's only fitting that I end this post on the Etsy Craft Fair with a photo of me modeling Linda's one-of-a-kind earrings.  These earrings matched my dress perfectly!  



This was my first time participating in The Etsy Craft Party and I will definitely be back next year.  These parties take place across the country so be sure to check out their website here for information on the next party!

Monday, June 8, 2015

9 Ways to Update Your Bedroom for Summer!

Now that the weather is warming up, transition your bedroom for the summer season with my nine great tips!








































(Above) Parachute Home Linen Blend Duvet Set - perfect for summer! (available in 2 colors)

One of the best ways to ensure your comfort this summer is by changing out your bedding for lighter weight cotton and linen.  I recommend Parachute Home's luxury linen bedding, shown below. You'll find that linen bedding breathes better and will keep you from sweating at night. 














(Right) Parachute Home "The Venice" Bedding Set - Egyptian cotton made in Italy (several colors available)


























































These finds are sure to keep you cool and comfortable this summer!



via Anthropologie - Sol Linen Duvet



























(1) Duo Quilt Cover Set - Aura by Tracie Ellis
(2) Tasseled Jacare Pillow - Anthropologie
(3) Linen Decorative Pillow - Parachute Home 

Do you change out your bedding for summer?  This summer could be the perfect time to start!  Have a great week!