Keeping it Real

Dad said to me "Cameron, people are going to think you live such a glamorous, blissful life if they read your blog!" which could be true if you don't know me.  Don't get me wrong,  I have a wonderful, blessed and happy life, but it's not always roses and ponies.  In an attempt to keep it real, I present to you this...

couldn't be bothered to turn on the lights

Two days after I finally styled them to my liking, wham-bam-no-thank-you-ma'am.  Not to be dramatic or anything, but I told Andy if we can't fix this situation, I want a house.  I bet it will be fixed by Saturday.

Tablevogue

I'm in the midst of party planning and crafting in preparation of Andy's joint birthday celebration with Catherine this weekend, and one of the things I've been mentally wrangling is the furniture layout on the rooftop deck.  I need a spot for the bar and a serving area, and there's not enough outdoor furniture on the deck for this and eating.  We have an extra, wooden collapsible table, but it either needs to be refinished (not happening by Saturday!) or a table skirt.  That's when I remembered seeing these great table skirts for collapsible tables.  After a bit of googling, I found them-- tablevogue.


photo from tablevogue - bar

These table skirts are designed for standard collapsible tables (6', 8', and square card tables) and look so polished and crisp!  Unfortunately, the table we have isn't standard size, so I can't use one of these for this occasion.

photo from tablevogue - outdoor entertaining

But you better believe that I'll be ordering up a few of these and buying some standard collapsible tables when we have a house some day.  I think they are just perfect for celebrations and very reasonably priced!  Plus if you ever need a space filler in your house (with storage space underneath!), they even are attractive enough for every day living.

photo from tablevogue - everyday

Where It All Began



Thanks Mom and Dad for snapping a pic! See full story here.

What's Better than an Antipasto Plate?

An antipasto salad!  I absolutely love a good antipasto salad... cured meats, cheeses, marinated vegetables?  I'll take them all!  While I could easily just munch on these things for dinner, combining them with some pasta and a vinaigrette makes it a perfect weeknight meal.


Antipasto Salad

I was inspired by Martha and Claire Robinson of 5 Ingredient Fix but ended up doing my own thing based on what we like and what I had.

Boil the pasta in salted water.  I used rotini pasta but you could use whatever short pasta you like.  Chop up your toppings.  We did salami, mozzarella, roasted red peppers and red onion, but I think marinated artichokes, sundried tomatoes, pepperoncini peppers and olives would also be delicious.  Mix together a basic vinaigrette-- 1 part red wine vinegar to 2 parts olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste.  Chop up lots of fresh basil and/or parsley (whichever your preference... I used parsley but wish I had used basil).  Toss together the pasta, vinaigrette, chopped herbs and toppings, and dinner is ready!

Bookshelves - Before and After

So I finally finished the bookshelf styling project.  I use the term "finished" lightly-- is any home decorating project ever really finished?

Before

Most of the same players returned, but I added many more books and the lamps got a facelift.  I did refer back to my inspiration pictures quite a few times as I was rearranging everything.  I definitely realized that it's much easier to style a bookcase if you could go out and buy all new, coordinating accessories and books, but I was doing this project with an as close to $0 budget as possible.

After

Right after I finished rehabbing the lamps (new, shorter harps and a warm yellow paint job), I found an old to-do list dated November 10, 2010 that said "buy yellow paint and new harps for lamps".  I guess better late than never!

Weekend Recap - Holiday Weekend Style!

Andy and I took advantage of the long weekend and made a trip to Dallas to visit family and friends.  We certainly squeezed in as much as we could!

After arriving on Friday evening, we went straight to Fireside Pies for dinner.  We enjoyed cocktails at the bar with Mom and Dad while waiting for our to-go order.  I had the Ginger Vodka Soda which was quite refreshing. Andy's always up for recreating cocktails we enjoy, so he inquired about the drink specifics with the bartender.  This particular drink used a ginger puree-- something new to us!  He's made ginger infused vodka and ginger simple syrup but never a puree.  Hopefully we'll be able to recreate this cocktail at some point this summer.

On Saturday, we hit the ground running.  First stop, the priority of our trip, a visit with Mimi.  We had a great time chatting and looking through the photo albums that she's been working on.  It's absolutely incredible the number of pictures and the documentation that she has.  In one of her albums, she has her paternal grandparents' (so my great, great grandparents) marriage certificate.  On the back, it lists out each of their children (one every 2 years!).  Their handwriting was just exquisite, and of course I loved reading through my ancestors' names.

Next stop, a visit with Miss Penny and what a doll she is!

I'm so happy Penny made her arrival in time for us to meet her!  I couldn't get enough snuggles.

Joanna looks amazing and Glenn is such a precious dad.

More afternoon visits with Mimi, followed by dinner at Hibiscus with Mom and Dad.  After dinner, Andy and I met up with Drew and Caroline for a few cocktails at the Old Monk.  It was quite a nice surprise that they were in town and able to meet us on such short notice!  Then Andy and I continued our socializing down the street at Barcadia with Adriana and crew!  How fun it was to catch up with some girls I hadn't seen in a while and to meet Preston.

We were so fortunate that lots of friends were in town over the 4th of July weekend.  On Sunday morning, we had breakfast with Cynthia and Jordy at the Melrose.  They had a family wedding the night before, but an early breakfast was no big deal considering they're expecting a little one in October.  Cynthia is glowing and it was fun to catch up. Next time I see them, they'll have a little baby girl!

Mom and Dad picked us up with Mimi and Dickey's BBQ in the car, and we headed to Lake Athens for a day trip.

I wish we were closer so that we could spend more time at the lake!  But we'll look forward to visits.

Thankfully Camilla was back in town before we headed back to DC.  We met her at Buzz Brews for breakfast.  Rye introduced Mom to this 24/7 pop-art eatery, and I now know why it's a new favorite for Mom and Dad.  They have quite the extensive menu, but I opted to stuff my own crepes.

 

Ham, Monterrey jack cheese, red onion and covered with poblano creme sauce.  Yum!  Probably a good thing that I didn't know about this spot when I lived in Dallas.

Thanks for the intro Rye!  And thanks for the pic, Camilla.  So glad we could do brunch!

Andy and I returned back to DC safe and sound and in time to get back into the District before the firework craziness.  We watched the fireworks in a very civilized fashion-- on our street corner with some firemen.

Happy 4th of July!

Host and Hostess Gifts

With the holiday weekend upon us and summer in full swing, that means lots of us will be traveling to visit family and friends.  I did a little round up of host and hostess gifts that I'm sure anyone would be happy to receive!

 

Flowers and Vases

Flower Arrangement by Blossom and Branch // Z Gallerie Siena Vase // Crate and Barrel Large Evelyn Vase // Kate Spade Camelia Avenue Vase

Corkscrews

Artisinal Corkscrews from Apartment 48 // Jonathan Adler Brass Muse Bottle Opener

Candles

Jonathan Adler Shelter Island Candle // Seda France Japanese Quince

Cookbook, Etc.

Stripe Tea Towels // Anthropologie Trousseau Apron // Anthropologie Rococo Potholders // Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster