Hey all, I’m finally feeling like I’m back on California time after a quick trip to New York City earlier this week, and what a fabulous place to visit this time of year.  I was there for an event sponsored by Lowes (yes, Nate was there!) and I’ll be sharing a few pics of the event tomorrow (plus . . . you know there’s a great giveaway coming!)

I’ve been to NYC many times in the fall and winter, but never in the spring, so when the invitation arrived in my inbox, I instantly hollered “Yes, count me in!”  I had the opportunity to explore the downtown area plus later hang with my pal Melissa from The Inspired Room, which made for the most perfect day. 

Wanna take a walk with me?  Here’s a glimpse of what I saw as I walked for hours and hours through two of my favorite neighborhoods: SoHo and Greenwich Village.

The morning started with a quick jaunt through SoHo (South of Houston).  Wow, what a chic place, there were movie crews and models everywhere, making me feel like an extra short girl from a very small town.  

I dare you to resist stepping inside here.

Plenty of other high end shops in SoHo too. 

I hoofed it over to Broadway to head north from my hotel, and I just had to pop into a place I’ve never been for caffeine: Dean & Deluca.  What a gourmet paradise, filled with fresh flowers, seafood, freshly baked breads, amazing chocolates, and all sorts of imported goodies. 

I grabbed a cup of coffee and “breakfast’” which was a lemon bombolone, otherwise known as a custard filled doughnut.  Allow me to translate.  Bombolone is Italian for irresistible decadent delight. 

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G’day friends!  I’m so happy to be back home in Cali, catching up with my family.   Today I welcome contributing writer Michelle from Ten June to share her insights on making the most of your outdoor spaces with ideas for stylish entertaining.  ‘Tis the season! 

This article is like a breath of fresh air for me, filled with images of beautiful spaces that are sure to inspire you for your own summer soiree, so take it away, Michelle! 

“It’s almost that time of year again. Time to bring out your grill tools, pull out your picnic baskets and grab the bug spray.  As our days grow longer and there’s more daylight to enjoy, the best place to spend your spring and summer is none other than the great outdoors.  One of my favorite aspects of spending time outdoors is hosting a great outdoor party.

Lonny Mag

Better Homes & Gardens, 100 Ideas

The key ingredient in outdoor entertaining is fun.  Whether laid-back or slightly formal, there should be nothing stuffy about an outdoor party!

 

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Hey everyone, I’m adventuring in New York City today, exploring the downtown area and enjoying the spring weather.  I’ll spill all the details of the event I attended very soon!

Today I wanted to share a recent revamp of a great little writer’s desk I recently scored at a thrift store.  This desk was a total bargain, marked at $49 at my local St. Vincent de Paul, but it was 50% off furniture day, so I picked her up for $25 dollars.  Solid wood, classic lines, rope detail around the desktop, and little pull out ledges on each side makes this the perfect writer’s desk.  How could I resist bringing it home?

The top was scratched and dented, so I thought with just a simple coat of white paint and a little distressing, this desk could be brought back to life, and would be so lovely.

Here is the desk Before:

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And After:

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Hey everybody, hope you moms had a relaxing Mother’s Day!  Last week, I spent a few hours constructing a media and storage center for our Alma Project.  I struggled for weeks on how to accomplish this task, at first scouring thrift stores and Craigslist for bookcases with no luck.  Why is it so hard to find two solid wood matching bookcases these days?  I contemplated either going to IKEA or having them built, but the bid came in at $400 which I was not willing to spend. 

My parents came to the rescue.   They moved all their belongings last week and they happened to have two solid bookcases they didn’t need anymore since they’re downsizing, so they generously donated them to this project. 

To create the new media center, I reused the existing TV stand and paired it with the donated bookshelves, one on each side.  Then I purchased two new pressboard shelves for the top and between the bookcases.  I primed the pieces, then assembled them all together and painted it all white to create one large wall unit.  And we did it all for under $60 dollars.

Here is what the family room wall looked like a few weeks ago:

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Here is the wall after we constructed a new media and storage center:

Fantastic right? 

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Hi moms, how are you today?  I do hope you are getting spoiled by your family ~ breakfast in bed and a pedicure at a minimum!  Abi and I teamed up to bring you a few inspiring links today, we hope you’ll enjoy another round of our continuing ‘Best of the Blogosphere’ series.

Chris at Just A Girl proved once again how white paint can brighten any piece, including this gorgeous china cabinet.

Emily A. Clark cleverly used chalkboard paint to add something special for herself and her kids to her kitchen.  

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