Holiday gift ideas for Moms

I am not posting many GIFT guides this year, but I will do a few. 

For starters, I wanted to put together one for moms. You see, this year, I became a first-time mother....so, I know just how challenging motherhood can be.   Every so often it's nice to receive a little something new ....ya know.........like a gift!   What better place to-go for gifting to mom than Sur La Table ? Below are some of my favorite items over at Sur La Table for moms. 

Heck, or for anyone that loves to entertain or enjoy a nice hot chocolate at home.  Which gift would you buy your mama friend or your own mother?

 

Have a great weekend!!! 

P.S. on another note, I am currently working on a blog re-design, stay tuned! 

-post by jen ramos

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Updating in all Places

Thank God it's Friday right?? It is like the rainiest day here in NYC. With so little sun, I'm seriously in need of Vitamin D!!

On another note, do you sometimes feel like updating a 'little bit' of everything from your 'home TO your wardrobe'?!?!? That's how I'm feeling lately, so of course I decided to pick a few pieces to - so let's get started. I'm pillow obsessed and although my new sofa doesn't have cushions (only bolsters) it doesn't mean I can't LOVE these right?? 

What pieces could you see adding to your wardrobe & home??

1. les touches arianna belle
2. greek key border arianna belle
3. leopard velvet arianna belle
4. channels arianna belle
5. salad bowl barneys
6. salt & pepper cellars jayson home
7. gold flatware DWR
8. cococozy throw
9. gold scallop pillow caitlin wilson
10. jonathan adler meurice table lamp
11. tibetan rug calypso st. barth
12. 'slow fade' art calypso st. barth
13. michael stars maxi dress
14. leather sandal calypso st. barth
15. women's panama hat jcrew
16. rocco satchel alexander wang
17. 24k goldplate double-skull bracelet MadeByGirl
18. pour la victorie veronica heel

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Before & After Kitchen Renovation

Welcome back! It's Monday & it's back to work! Today.....one of my readers, Meaghan Taylor sent over her amazing Kitchen renovation. 

She described the before pictures by saying, "it looked like a crack den." Ha! Well, I'm not going to disagree with her on that but let's just say the after pics are amazing! 

As many of you know I L-O-V-E a white kitchen & this one was done so nicely...... from the white subway tiles to the black counter tops! I can hardly believe it's the same place....can you?? Let Meaghan know what you think of her reno!!

BEFORE

 AFTER

 

BEFORE

Here's what Meaghan had to say about the renovation project:

We purchased this home in September of 2009 and planned to first concentrate on:

 

- Removing all the 1970s wallpaper (on unprimed walls!) and painting

- Removing the popcorn ceilings and re-plastering

- Removing the carpet and replacing with hardwood

 

We also planned to paint the kitchen walls and cabinets to spruce things up a bit while we saved up for a new kitchen (WITHOUT carpet!)  Unfortunately, we were so tired after 10+ rooms that by the time we got to the kitchen (we were planning a wedding at the same time!), that never happened.  

 

FINALLY (2 years later), we can say that we are DONE!  Let's decorate (ideas welcome!)

 

 

-images by Meaghan Taylor

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Where Did I Get That?!?! (Made By Girl)

I often get emails from readers asking where I purchased certain items in my home. One of the most frequently asked questions is, 

"where did you get those pendants in your kitchen?!?!?!?" 

I CAN'T BELIEVE that after all this time it didn't occur to me to post this on my blog....duh! So, below I'll name as many things as possible from my kitchen along with their sources in case you're ever wondering!

• Hicks Pendants by Thomas O'Brien available via Circa Lighting. They're actually available in a few different finishes & sizes. (I have these)
• Lucite Bar Stools via Ebay from this vendor.
• Floors are by Provenza Antico Collection in Vintage. The floors are actually eco-friendly/engineered floors. 
• Kitchen hardware was all purchased at Home Depot.
• Counter tops are by Corian in Rain Cloud. They look like marble minus the expensive price tag!
• Backsplash is a relatively inexpensive honed Carrara Marble from HomeDepot.
• Green Apples from Trader Joe's - j/k

-image by jen ramos


 

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MIKASA....Chevron Plates & Mugs (Via Made By Girl)

I've been looking around for mugs lately & came across some on the Honey We're Home Blog. Of course, I had to buy some! I'm thinking of getting the matching set of plates as well. The chevron mugs & accent plates are all from a store many of you know called MIKASA. They have a ton of dinnerware for you to browse through. If you go to their site you'll also notice they're offering 20% OFF as well as FREE SHIPPING on orders over $99! 

You can check out the cool CHEVRON items by going directly to this link. Happy Shopping!!

images via mikasa

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Sixx Design's Home Kitchen....

I've been watching "9 By Design" on Bravo tv pretty much every Tuesday night since it premiered and I am soooo in love with Cortney & Robert's kitchen! Seriously, they have my dream kitchen, all white, built-in automatic coffee maker, gorgeous wood floors (or are they??) and cool dining table & chairs.  For those of YOU who don't know these two, (rob & cortney), they're the famous husband & wife design team known as Sixx Design. Apartment Therapy's the Kitchn featured their kitchen yesterday & I wanted to share a few of the shots with you.  

Does anyone know where their kitchen floor is from and is it hardwood or eco/engineered???!?!? 

For the interview & the full set of pics go here.

images by jill slater

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All White DREAM Kitchen....Elle Decor

I CONSTANTLY have dreams of an all white kitchen someday! Here is my list of MUST haves: Carrera marble on a center island, Sub Zero fridge, Thermador range or rangetop, wood floors, a cappuccino station, a built-in wine cooler for guests & amazing recessed & pendant lighting! My inspiration comes from a gallery posted on Elle Decor's site called 'white kitchens' which I ran into yesterday! Enjoy... 

Do you have a dream kitchen?? What does yours look like?

images elle decor

Do you have a dream kitchen?? What does yours look like?

Enjoy your Easter weekend everyone oxoxo!

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Reader's - Dream Kitchen in Malaysia...

One of my readers, Sonja, sent me these amazing pics of her kitchen! (It's also the kitchen I hope to have one day- modern & all white).  She just moved into this super modern condo in Malaysia with her husband & is now in the process of decorating it to fit her style. Did you notice the unbelievable view & how much light comes in from the floor to ceiling windows in this kitchen??  It must be so peaceful to live up that high. I am now going to be visiting her blog to see the progress of her decor and how it all turns out.

You can visit Sonja's blog, Tied with a Bouw here.

(click on photos for larger image)

These DIY book covers (below) were made by Sonja.  I really love how they add some color & personality to her sleek & modern kitchen!

images: sonja

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