{credenza makeover: part one}

At our previous house in Silverlake, we had a very small "bar", about 3 feet wide, that was always forcing us to re-arrange the bottles and glasses in order to get everything to fit. While shopping for a dining table at Pepe's thrift store (here), we came across this solid wood credenza which was in need of some work. We briefly debated trying to tackle refinishing and lacquering it ourselves, but Pepe offered to sell us the credenza and lacquer it in any color we chose for $250. I knew I wanted it to be dove gray, but we were afraid some of the detailing on the doors would get lost without some contrast so we added the white. I am really happy with how it turned out and I highly recommend Pepe for any refinishing and re-upholstery needs. Check back tomorrow for part two with the bar fully stocked! **UPDATE: click here for part two!

{nishe on asos}

{swallow embroidered dress}

Ever since ASOS launched their US site, I have been on it every morning checking out whats new and today did not disappoint. I am in love with the delicate colors, ruffles and girly details from Nishe (also doesn't hurt that the model has cute hair). Like Etsy, you can mark favorites to save for later which I highly recommend as Asos often offers deal codes to those who subscribe to their emails.

{draped tie-front blouse}

{scalloped edge blazer}

{swallow embroidered ruffle blouse}

Happy Shopping!

{all images via Asos}

{friday cocktail: old fashioned}

Since last Friday I posted one of my favorite cocktails, I decided this Friday should be dedicated to Chris' favorite cocktail, an Old Fashioned. This is truly a classic cocktail and there are many variations/opinions out there on the perfect recipe- I hope you enjoy our preferred version:  

I used Rittenhouse 100, but you can use any great Rye or Bourbon. Some others that we like to use are Buffalo Trace or Sazerac.  The ice cubes are made using a round ice cube tray which we bought in Little Tokyo, you can also purchase them from the Moma store here. 

 

Cheers and have a wonderful weekend!!!

{oscar bingo}

{via How About Orange}

Unfortunately I already have plans on Oscar night this Sunday to attend this little dinner party, but if I didn't then I would create an entire party revolving around these fun Oscar Bingo cards from How About Orange.  Some champagne cocktails, popcorn and bingo sounds like a fabulous night in to me.

{etsy favorites}

Etsy is by far one of my favorite sites, not just for shopping, but also for inspiration. I use the Etsy "favorites" feature to catalogue things to buy, wishlist items and DIY project inspiration. Here are a few of the shops currently added to my account:

{yu yu shiratori's shop}

How amazing is this braided dress?!? It has been in my favorites for a while and every time I see it, I dream up another way I could wear it. I feel like it could be perfect dressed up with some nude heels or dressed down with some gladiator sandals and a casual jacket for spring.

{lilac saloon's shop}

The colors used for this felt heart confetti are perfect for any celebration. I have added these to my list of diy projects; I think I will use them as an easy and festive way to dress up a dessert platter.

{brooklyn rehab's shop}

I am powerless to all forms of milk glass and white ceramics, its a problem. I would love to see this ceramic mushroom as decoration in our kitchen, but sadly we do not have the counter real estate at this point.

{yummy pocket's shop}

By far one of the best parts of Etsy is the direct communication you can have with the sellers.  I purchased one of these Iphone cases from Yummy Pocket and the seller made a custom sized pocket to fit my Blackberry.  She also added a small pocket on the back to hold credits cards at no extra charge!


More Etsy favorites coming soon!

{mini ice cream sandwiches}

We had some friends over for dinner on Sunday and I made up these mini ice cream sandwiches as a quick dessert.  I would consider most of the preparation of these to be "cheating" since I used both store-bought cookie dough and ice cream, but hey- I assembled them!  For the cookie dough, I bought a tub of Tollhouse Chocolate Chip cookie dough and used a teaspoon to measure out the cookies.  At this size, the cookies still took about 9 or 10 minutes in the oven at 350º.  After the cookies cooled, I placed a small spoonful of ice cream on each one and threw them into the freezer until a few minutes before we were ready for dessert. (Technically these are gelato sandwiches since we used Sea Salt Caramel flavored gelato by Talenti.)  Next time I make these I definitely want to use a few different flavors of ice cream and make each guest a "flight" of sandwiches on individual plates.

{nightstand makeover}

The bedroom in our new loft is much bigger than our previous place and we finally had room for nightstands! We quickly learned that finding a pair that did not cost over $100 a piece was not easy and I resolved to find some that I could makeover with a coat of paint.  We lucked out when we bought these at the Melrose Trading Post flea market for only $20 each (the seller is there every weekend and he had many others just like these). After giving them a quick sand and healthy coat of Kilz primer, I painted them with a rich navy paint by Pratt & Lambert called "Between the Stars." The lion's head drawer pulls were purchased from an antique seller on Ebay- these are fairly common pulls and you can almost always find some on Ebay or Etsy for around $10 (like these).

{alton's french toast}

There are few things I love more than a delicious Sunday breakfast and french toast is the top of my list for favorite breakfast dishes. Lets be honest, french toast is dessert for breakfast. Yesterday morning we tried Alton Brown's french toast (recipe here) and it definitely lived up to my expectations. The best part is you can do most of the work the night before so when you wake after a long night of drinking cocktails, you don't have too many steps to accomplish before breakfast is served....

{friday cocktail: the business}

On Friday nights, Chris and I like to try out new cocktail recipes and I thought it would be fun to share those recipes here. I decided the first recipe should be one of my favorite cocktails, The Business.

I first discovered this cocktail at the The Varnish, a speakeasy style bar in downtown Los Angeles.  This recipe is a variation on a classic cocktail called the Bee's Knees. The best part is that it is made with only three ingredients that are readily available and inexpensive...

Enjoy!

{glossy white frames}

A friend of mine worked for the production company that produced the movie "W." After production wrapped the company had rooms full of props for the taking and we lucked out with a bunch of awesome picture frames complete with pictures of the actors as the political figures from the film.

The bathroom in our loft has one wall that is useless for any type of storage, but is also starkly bare and was just asking for something. I used a simple glossy white spray paint to re-purpose the frames. Any brand of paint works if you are doing white or black, but if you want to use a color I highly recommend the brand Montana for their amazing selection of colors. Montana's paint will run you about $9 a can and only comes in a flat finish so you will also need to purchase a clear gloss finish spray.

{via aite media}

I had prints made using photos from flickr and our own photo collection from a trip to Europe a few years back. Since I knew I would be looking these photos all the time, I wanted to chose images that reminded me of some my happiest memories (Chris also instructed me it could not get too "girly"). I am happy with the result, but now that they have been up for a couple weeks I have been thinking how great they would look in a dove gray since we don't plan on painting the bathroom walls....