{moroccan weddding blanket decisions}

The one thing I was most excited to bring home from our entire time living abroad was a Moroccan wedding blanket or handira from our trip to Marrakech.  I did a good amount of research before heading out into the souks to figure out what I should expect to pay for a nice wedding blanket.   Prices range from $100 to $300 based on how much embellishment the blanket has which is a steal considering back in the US these imported blankets start around $400 and go into the thousands!  I had my heart set on a pretty specific design of variated "stripes" of shag and paillettes which initially was proving to be harder to find than I thought when were first started roaming through the souks.  Eventually we stumbled upon a tiny shop that specialized in handiras and the owner took us back to his gorgeous home/showroom where he had hundreds more rugs and blankets.  I spotted my blanket within the first five blankets he showed us, but since no two wedding blankets are the same we continued to have him show us about thirty more styles just to be sure it was "the one."  

Now that we are back home with my find, I'm struggling with deciding where exactly is the best place for it in our home.  I'm debating between at the bottom of our bed or draped on the back of our larger couch.  I absolutely love how it looks in our bedroom, but I am concerned about having to constantly move it since it is just for decoration.  I also really love how it adds to our living room, but I'm wondering with all the colors and textures going on that room is it maybe a bit too much for that space?  

{see the bedroom before the wedding blanket here} 

 {see the living room before the wedding blanket here}

So what do you think? Bedroom or living room?!?

{new additions}

It's about that time again for a little round up of some new additions around our place and my closet! Check out previous round ups right here.

 {Target has a whole line of jewelry boxes like this one in a variety of patterns and sizes.  This one is the medium sized one of the bunch and I love that the gold is more subtle against some of the more metallic gold pieces in our home}

 {hard to see in the photo, but another great find from Target (seriously so much good home stuff in stores right now!) this glass bottomed black lattice tray.  We previously used a solid white tray from CB2 in this spot, but I really like how this one allows you to see through to the bottom shelf of our coffee table} 

 {while I would loooove to own a Chanel 2.55, the price tag is just insane to me at this point in life.  This purse is a great alternative that I stumbled upon randomly while shopping on Amazon and the affordable price doesn't make me terrified to bring it out of my home-plus its genuine leather! With Amazon's generous return policy I decided it was worth a shot to check it out and I was extremely surprised at how well made this purse is. }

{I am obsessed with bright pink lipstick and finally treated myself to this YSL one I have had my eye on for some time}

 {a vintage cocktail napkin holder my mom found for me in the estate sale wonderland that it california wine country}

{muji's new bowls from C. Wonder. dogs gotta get fancy too right?!?}

{new additions}

It's been a while since I did a little new additions round up on the blog and I have some fun things to share that I have picked up recently (in addition to yesterday's feature on our new piece of furniture!):

 {Over the past year or so I have purchased about 3 or 4 of this same case and while I do still love it- it was time for a change (maybe something not plastic that I end up breaking every 3 months!) and when I came across this new J. Crew case on sale this past weekend I knew I had to go for it! I actually like the Iphone5 colorway even better!}

{I have a weird obsession with rare or unusual pieces of vintage Gucci & Louis Vuitton (like this garment bag or this clutch). After I purchased my new Macbook almost 6 months ago, I started scouring eBay for a vintage blue Gucci portfolio shaped bag to use as a laptop case and one finally popped up last week! You can find a similar one here or here} 

 {This summer, I have been determined to finally figure out a set-up that I like for my office (you can see the previous set up here, but I have since decided that wasn't working for me!).  I picked up a few accessories for my desk recently including this gold frame from Target & a vintage hobnail milk glass candy jar}

 {all three of these new additions to my shoe closet were major sale scores- the two on the left were both from the last days of the Zara sale ($29 each! can you believe that?!?!)}

 {I bought my first pair of Christian Louboutin's a while back after searching for them on eBay for years (not exaggerating.)  While a lot of people think that Louboutins aren't comfortable, I beg to differ and think that these which are the "Declic" cut are the most attractive and comfortable cut he has.  Ever since I bought the first pair, I have been patiently waiting for another pair to pop up on eBay in my size/desired colors.  These dove grey suede beauties turned up a few weeks ago and I thought they would make for a more traditional compliment to my first pair!}

 {I have been coveting J. Crew'w tassel necklace from this season, but I ended up I picking up this similar version from Akira}

{new sofa console table}

A couple months ago, we purchased the Malm Occasional table from Ikea intending to use it under our wall-mounted TV in our new living room set up, but once we placed it there we decided it looked absolutely horrible and not how we envisioned.  Since the table wasn't that pricey and was already put together, we opted to try it out in other spaces in our place rather than hike it all the way back to Ikea (which is quite the trek from our place!).  It lived in our guest room/office for a while, but a few weeks back I tried it out behind our large sofa and absolutely loved the result! The reason that behind the sofa wasn't the next place it went to once it didn't work in our initial vision was that I was concerned it would cramp the feeling of the room, but after living with it for a little while I felt that the ability to have a place to display some items and give guests and additional spot for their drinks to rest was worth the loss in space (about 14 inches).

The best part about this table is that it is so versatile in different spaces so I know that it will have a home even in future apartment set-ups. I particularly love when its more visible as a sofa table like in this space plus it doubles beautifully as a party table!

 {read all about our gold coffee table here & our bar makeover right here}

 {trophy bowl from ZGallerie}

{muji clearly loves it}

{gold + glass coffee table}

We had our previous Ikea coffee table for almost 5 years, it followed us from our first place in Silverlake all the way to our loft in downtown Los Angeles.  When we moved it to the loft, we actually bought a second one of the exact same table and pushed them together to make one massive table.  It wasn't even a coffee table, it was technically a tv stand and it worked really well for a long time....right up until it didn't.  After making a few small purchases for our living room like this art, these ottomans and these pillows, I suddenly realized just how long we had owned this crappy $40 table.  It was definitely time for an upgrade and given our smaller space I definitely wanted something that would make the space feel more open while still providing ample space for our guest's cocktails. 

We decided on looking for a two tiered gold and glass coffee table inspired by images like this and this.  I figured we could easily find a table like this at a vintage store or estate sale- even if it wasn't the right color I was more than willing to spray paint it.  My mom actually spotted this guy at an estate sale in California- took apart the frame, shipped it to us and I had two new pieces of glass cut for it. 

I really love how open this table makes the center of the room look plus the ability to actually see the items on the lower level is really welcome change from the previous table. 

{new additions}

This past week, I brought home lots of fun things and somehow all of them are metallic gold or silver! Here are few snapshots of some new additions around our place (and my closet!):

 {the Nate Berkus collection at Target is really great, but most of the stuff doesn't quite fit in with our decor- until I spotted this gold dipped bowl which is perfect for storing our remotes}

 {if you wanna be sneaky you can see a peek at our new gold coffee table in this photo which 

I promise to share just as soon as I get a piece of glass for the bottom}

 {I have been hunting for a vintage trophy champagne bucket forever.  Obviously these exist everywhere, but I really wanted to find a vintage one to give it that old school charm.  My aunts actually spotted this one at a vintage store in California and shipped it to me. Thanks aunties!}

{two sequin dresses to add to my collection: the one on the left is by Parker and the other one is vintage.  Both were purchased on Ebay for $50 each! Spring and summertime is the absolute best time to search around on Ebay and Etsy for great sequin party dresses for the upcoming holiday season.  While most people are thinking about bikinis and sundresses, you can be scooping up some jems for all those social gatherings that need a little glitz}

{mmmmm sequins.}

{new in}

Spring flew by in a heartbeat and with the first official day of summer right around the corner, I thought it might be fun to round up some of the new things around our place (and by "our place" I mean mostly around my closet)...

 {statement necklaces from Zara & Forever21}

 {little studded quilted cross-body bag}

 {new coffee table books from our wedding registry: Laduree's Sucre & Savory recipe books, Coco, Palm Springs Living}

 {even though Chris wouldnt let me buy this, I still have this little vintage swan vase from Etsy}

 {beautiful serving bowl or ice bucket off our registry from Zgallerie}

 {lucky find at Nordstrom: Sam Edelman peep toe bow heels- yes, I do have them in two colors}

 {summery dresses from Tobi.com and the downtown LA fashion district}

{some new additions}

With the holidays and some recent shopping, we have lots of fun new additions around our place (and my closet).  I thought I would share a few of my favorite new things with you...

 {mint green embossed leather clutch from Etsy & Othelia Grace grey "stone" necklace- gifts from my mom}

 {Tom Ford book which I have been wanting for years - a gift from Chris' parents}

 {the second Scrappy's Bitters gift set to complete our collection - a gift from Chris' sister}

{Zara plaid swing coat- a gift to myself!}