{2014 ikea catalog faves}

As much as I would love to furnish my entire home in high end pieces from places like Room & Board or Modernica, that's just not going to be a reality anytime soon.  From a cost standpoint, I love to mix in great Ikea pieces with our bigger ticket purchases.  While perusing the 2014 Ikea catalog, I came across quite a few pieces I was surprised to see in there since they look like they could cost double or triple the price! Here are a few of my favorites:

 {this amazing green sofa from their Stockholm collection would add a great punch of color to any simple room. I would love to see it against a deep navy painted wall}

{for a while I feel like I was seeing this striped Ikea rug everywhere and I feel like the trellis rug on the right hand page above is going to become similar in popularity- how could it it not with that great simple pattern?!?! And it also comes in a yellow/white colorway}

{I prefer an upholstered bedframe (see my choices here), but the clean lines of this new wood bedframe has a fabulous mid century modern feel.}

{I'm really drawn to the overall feel of this moody neutral toned masculine office/guest room, but I especially like the potential for the daybed on the right. Spiced up with some bright pillows and a colorful throw, it could be a great addition to an extra room or office.}

{the Malm console table pictured in the back is by no means a new Ikea product, but I do love the way they styled it in this catalog as a simple guest room desk.}

{that black & white striped tableware is just asking to be owned by me- I will definitely be scooping up a set once it is in store!}

Have you checked out the new Ikea catalog? What are your favorites?

{what i loved this week}

on instagram:  I just discovered that The Public hotel in Chicago's gold coast offers Bingo nights once a month which sounds like a great time mixing with their fabulous cocktails!  Over a 1000 paper cranes made by my friend Terra's family for her wedding today in Park City, Utah.  A gorgeous snapshot from Avery House at our wedding with Bliss Weddings and Events.

on pinterest: I absolutely love the look of concrete countertops and this DIY makes it look so easy.  If i had the room for it, I would definitely install a lawn bowling lane in an outdoor space!

on the blogs: These wall decals featured on Green Wedding Shoes make a great alternative to wallpaper, but I think they would also be a fabulous option for a photobooth backdrop

on the internets: I just discovered Texas home e-mag, Bungalow and I especially enjoying this floral arranging article.

on  my wishlist:  I love everything about this BCBG dress- especially the girly lace details on top mixed with leather skirt.  I don't always love dresses with cutouts on the side, but the sleeves on this one cut down on the aggressive cutouts- plus the color is amazing!  Most of ZGallerie's furniture is too over the top for me, but I do love their decorative accessories.  These gold trellis candles would look amazing clustered on our new coffee table and I would love to pick up a few place settings of this black dinnerware for a halloween dinner party.

{friday cocktail: classic mai tai}

I doubt there is a more tropical classic cocktail than a Mai Tai- even when it isn't sporting a cocktail umbrella this recipe just tastes like sitting on a beach.  That's why this cocktail is the perfect signature cocktail for Ben & Terra's wedding today as Ben is an avid surfer and the couple currently lives just steps from the sand in Venice Beach.  You can be sure I will be drinking my fair share of these during the cocktail hour tonight!

{packing for a park city wedding weekend}

I could not be more excited to be on my way to Park City, Utah to celebrate the wedding of two of my favorite friends, Ben & Terra.  Ben and I went to school together through elementary, junior and high school and Terra was my maid of honor.  On top of all that, Chris and I actually lived with Ben & Terra for two and half years in our Silverlake house when we first moved to Los Angeles so this wedding is really close to my heart.  Ben and Terra have been together for over 12 years so they aren't just having one night of wedding celebration, but a whole wedding weekend which meant that I found myself packing for a lot of different events!

I have been travelling quite a bit this summer and I don't normally do run downs of my packing list, but I am so excited to wear all these outfits that I thought it might be fun to share a little peek at my suitcase contents!

 {dress from ASOS, INC jacket (similar here), vintage gucci clutch (similar here), Target belt, Zara shoes, Forever 21 shoes}

 {bridesmaid's dress from fashion district in DTLA, Zara leather jacket, Bibi Lou heels (similar here), vintage glitter clutch (similar here), Forever 21 necklace, Flutter Fetti}

{Akira maxi dress, Forever 21 fringe top, Akira floral shorts, Zinke one piece swimsuit (other color available here)}

{easy summer side: grilled radicchio salad}

You guys. THIS recipe is why I love The Chew so much.  It tastes amazing and it took me a grand total of 20 minutes from start to finish to make.  About 90% of the time my husband, Chris, cooks the dinners around here.  I like to think I am an active participant by helping to chop veggies or simply supervising the playlist of music and setting the table, but let's be honest- he is doing most if not all the work.  Since Chris has been travelling a lot for work recently, I have been left to fend for myself as far as meals go and Trader Joe's salads can only get you through so many nights of cooking for one.  After watching the clip below of this grilled radicchio salad, I felt pretty confident I could prepare this meal for myself and since it tasted great, I would like to think I was successful!

This salad was the perfect amount for my dinner and would also make for an amazing side dish for a grilled summer meal.  It's got great charred flavor from the grilled corn and radicchio plus added sweetness and crunch from the candied walnuts.  And for extra credit this dish is also a low calorie and healthy option according to Daphne on The Chew.   See the full recipe instructions here or watch the clip below (note: I omitted the asparagus since it just isn't my thing but you do you.)

Tune in: Fresh Daily. 1e|12p|c on ABC

The Chew celebrates and explores life through food - from cooking to food trends, restaurants, holidays and more all aimed at making life better, fuller and more fun. Featuring celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Michael Symon, and Carla Hall, lifestyle expert Clinton Kelly and fresh face of healthy living Daphne Oz, “The Chew” is a leap forward into a delicious new kind of talk show.

Watch The Chew Weekdays at 1e|12p|c on ABC!

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by ABC via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of ABC.

Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Mint Love Social Club possible! :)

{affordable Slim Aarons artwork}

I have been obsessed with the fabulous images captured by Slim Aarons for what feels like forever. He captures another time and place in a way that makes like you are sitting right inside the image.  Adding a Slim Aarons print to our art collection has been on my wishlist forever, but for the size of print I would want the price is pretty steep.  Also on my wishlist for a while now are the Slim Aarons coffee table books which I had never actually seen in person.  Recently I found out the books are pretty massive (as in 11" by 14"!!) with a lot of full page photos in them that are void of text or captions.  I thought maybe if I could find a used version of the Poolside book for a good price, I would be willing to cut it up and use my favorite pages for a little Slim Aarons gallery shelf in my office.

I purchased a used version of the book for only $25 that had some dust jacket damage, but was otherwise in perfect condition!  After spending almost an entire evening enjoying the gorgeous book, I took note of some of my favorite shots and then picked up some corresponding frames.  All the frames (except for the one on the far right and very middle which are vintage) are from Target right here.  I would have preferred to have them all in white, but Target doesn't make the larger frame in white so I figured I could buy the black and paint it later on if it bothered me (for now I sort of like the contrast).  You can find all white frames in practically every size at Ikea right here- I was simply not willing to spend half a day going all the way to Ikea for 4 frames.

Besides the time I took selecting my favorite images, the most time consuming part of this little project is to use an exacto knife to "cut out" the photos from the book.  In order to use the full page photos in an 11" by 14" frame you will need to cut the pages as close as humanly possible to the binding.  Using an exacto knife, a ruler and a cutting mat makes this entire process relatively easy. Simply push back the book binding as much as you can, place the cutting mat under the page and then place the ruler close the binding.  Slide the exacto knife in between the ruler and the binding while using the ruler as a guide for the knife you can easily cut out the pages.

I am pretty obsessed with how this turned out and love that I have such beautiful images to get lost in while sitting at my desk!

 {slim aarons poolside book available used here}

 {exacto knife and cutting mat will make this project significantly easier}

 {it was so difficult to narrow it down to only five choices!}

 {frames from Target: smaller one here and larger one here}

 {displayed in the office on shelves from Ikea}

{target lamp from right here}

{inspired living with Delta- part one}

Today I am really excited to share part one of a three-part post series sponsored by Delta Faucet! Delta has generously offered to help me upgrade my kitchen with a brand new faucet from their Touch2O line.  This is particularly exciting for us since we are renters and little improvements such a new paint or a shiny new faucet can make all the difference in making our place feel personalized while not making severe permanent changes to our place.

The kitchen in our Chicago place is pretty great as far as rental kitchens go since it was recently renovated a few years ago with all new appliances, granite countertops (not my fave countertop choice, but still better than some gross tile!) and new cabinetry.  After hearing from neighbors in our building about units that have our same layout, we also found out that our owners tore down a big wall that would completely separate the kitchen area from the dining/living.  In that wall's place they put in a huge island with room for seating which is is so perfect for us since we entertain so much.

The photos above show where the sink and faucet situation is currently- it's not bad, but it could be so much better!!

I used the design tools on Delta's site to help steer me in the right direction for our faucet choice.  After taking the style quiz, the results (above) were that our home and kitchen is a "party place" - big surprise there!! Haha.  I debated between two faucet choices forever and ultimately ended up selecting the Cassidy design (below) since I like its classic style and a high profile to allow for more room to deal with our oversized cutting boards, drink dispensers and serving pieces in the sink.  The coolest part about the line of Touch2O faucets is that they all use similar technology to touch screen phones and allow you turn them on by simply touching them- you can even use the side of your arm which is perfect for when your hands are messy or have been handling raw meat.

Make sure to check back in a couple weeks for part two of this series where I will show some my inspiration for our kitchen improvements including a fun pinterest board!

Delta Touch2O Technology for your kitchen and bathroom is precisely in tune with your every touch. Take the quiz to learn which faucet style best describes you at www.deltafaucet.com

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Delta via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Delta.

{what i loved this week}

on instagram: I love these watercolor inspired invites with the bold knocked out white text- definitely storing this idea for something!  Gold dipped plastic "crystal cut" glasses from @aruffledlife would definitely kick up the fancy factor at an outdoor party.  I love the idea of doing an engagement shoot in a studio rather than an outdoor locale as most as. 

on pinterest: This DIY lemon basil salt sounds delicious and would also make for a great hostess gift.  I absolutely adore these gem cake toppers- especially the unique color combos!

on the internets:  Robin Thicke turned Icona Pop's "I Dont Care" into a sultry little live performance. 

on the blogs:  I just discovered A Ruffled Life through a feature on the Golden Birthday she threw for a friend.  I am in love with all the details at this themed party, but most of all the little gold flower crowns. 

in real life:  While spending last weekend in Vegas for my girlfriend's bachelorette party, I was introduced to the Songza app which suggests playlists based on whatever activity you are doing (available on the web and as a phone app).  I know many people already know about this app, but it was definitely new to me and I am OBSESSED!

on my wishlist:  Asos always has the best selection of affordable cute dresses like this little one shoulder pink number.  This striped Halston Heritage dress would be absolutely perfect for a casual summer wedding or fancy BBQ.  We received a custom address stamp as a wedding gift and I use it all the time so I would love to add another monogram stamp to my collection that could turn any simple notecard into personalized stationary!

{friday cocktail: whiskey ginger float}

While watching a recent episode of The Chew that featured a line up of burger recipes, Michael Symon also whipped up a ginger beer whiskey float to go along with the summer recipes.  While I have definitely heard of alcoholic root beer floats, I have never heard of substituting in ginger beer.  We always keep a stash of ginger beer in the fridge and since the temperatures in Chicago have been insanely hot and humid now seemed like the perfect time to try this recipe out!

It has been years since I have had any sort of float and this one is truly refreshing especially with the spicy kick from the ginger beer.  I would love to make up a batch of these in a mini form for a summer BBQ which would help out in the ice cream not melting before guests can finish their drink.   If your guests don't particularly love whiskey (like yours truly) then you can easily substitute in dark rum.  Make sure you check out The Chew so you don't miss out on more of their awesome recipe ideas and hilarious banter among the hosts!

You can check out the full episode of The Chew right here that features this recipe along with some delicious sounding burgers!


                 


And check out the next cocktail recipe I want to try from The Chew in this clip where Mario Batali makes a Summer Shandy!

Tune in: Fresh Daily. 1e|12p|c on ABC

The Chew celebrates and explores life through food - from cooking to food trends, restaurants, holidays and more all aimed at making life better, fuller and more fun. Featuring celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Michael Symon, and Carla Hall, lifestyle expert Clinton Kelly and fresh face of healthy living Daphne Oz, “The Chew” is a leap forward into a delicious new kind of talk show.

Watch The Chew Weekdays at 1e|12p|c on ABC!

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by ABC via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of ABC.

Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Mint Love Social Club possible! :)