See you in the funny pages

I received a little press love from the Philadelphia Inquirer today. The newspaper gave me a shout out for turning old funky furniture into something worth keeping.

The tidbit that originally caught the writer's eye was my Ikea hack of an old TV console. It's still a really useful piece for me, and something that's become a part of my living room as much as the couches or coffee table.

It's nice to get a little recognition for doing something that's so much fun. A big thank you to the Inquirer and Samantha, the author, for including me!

The towel conundrum

Every time I think I'm done with the guest bathroom, a lightening bolt strikes me with an idea, and I HAVE TO DO IT RIGHTTHISVERYSECOND. Anyone else have that problem? Just me? Whatevs, when the ideas are as fantastic as this one, I can deal with the side effects: lack of sleep, racing heart, sweaty palms.

So here's what happened: Two nights ago, I couldn't sleep. All I could think about was how we have no towel storage in either of our bathrooms. Obviously, this is what one does at 1 a.m. on a Wednesday. And since this pressing matter simply could not wait until morning, I got my little butt out of bed and started Googling. I knew what I wanted--one of those towel racks you find in hotels, the kind where you stack the towels vertically on the wall, and they sit there all pretty until you need them. Functional art, I think. Unfortunately, my Google searches for "vertical towel rack," "hotel towel rack," and even "functional art towels" turned up nothing--or worse, nothing I liked. (I just kept finding this rack over and over again, and it did NOT make my heart sing.) So I turned directly to a few of my favorite sites where I looked through their bedding section. Anthro was a no go. Same for Target, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom's, Macy's, West Elm and pretty much every other major chain you could name. That is, until I got to Crate and Barrel, where I found this beauty. Not one to pay shipping EVER (or to wait for online deliveries to show up), I decided to put the purchase on ice and go in person the next day. And when I did, all my neurotic nighttime searching paid off.

Because my bathroom when from being cute, but cramped and smallish like this:

See how we used to store towels? We used that bamboo rack across from the toilet, which ate up precious floor space.

There's the bamboo rack again. This is what you faced when you used the loo.

And then it became this marvel of efficiency:

This is the view from the doorway. Towels are in the top right corner of the photo. And see how there's no bamboo piece of furniture staring at you when you use the potty? It makes this girl very happy!

Now we can even use the towel rack next to the shower for a shower-sized towel. Genius!

In case you were concerned about my adorable hand towel, she still has a place in my bathroom. As sweet as ever!

And now, ladies and gents, I swear I am not doing another thing to this bathroom, simply because there's nothing left to do.

The bathroom hand towel that could

I think I've done it! I do believe I've found the last item that pulls the guest bathroom together. Check out my super cute hand towel:

I love how it brings together both the cool and warm colors of the room in one tidy little package. Plus, how can you not adore a stitched tea towel? It's so adorable, I feel like I should invite Zooey Deschanel over to use my WC.

Confession time: This was a little expensive for a hand towel. I'm ashamed to admit it, so I'll just give you the link, and if you're really curious... well... at least I warned you about the price. And remember, this little guy has gold, knitted pom poms! I bought it for the pom poms!

And for a little more perspective on the area it's in:

Now that I've seen this, I really want a bigger clock, but I think this room has used up all of its budget for the time being. I think I'll just have to settle for recentering it for now...

Splish, splash, almost done with the bath

The brown shower curtain

Before I left for the honeymoon, the paint color went up on the walls in the guest bathroom. It made some serious strides toward jazzing things up. And while I love the color, I knew it wasn't perfect with some of the accessories. There was too much brown to make the room work. In fact, ever since the paint dried, I've been on a war path for a new shower curtain, hand towels and mirror.

The mirror has since grown on me quite a bit, but that brown shower curtain? It didn't work anymore. I knew I wanted a vibrant teal to pop off of the more muted sea salt. The problem is that the rest of the room has an earthy tone to it--khakis, browns, etc. The colors are great together, but they don't seem to be on too many manufacturer's color palates. Instead of a warmer neutral as an accent color, all I could find had bright white, which does NOT work with my country yellow cabinetry. I had some real searching to do, and none of my go-tos were turning up anything good--that is until yesterday.

I stopped by West Elm on a lark and peeked into the bath section. Lo and behold, almost immediately, the curtain jumped out at me. I actually think they had a spot light on it or something, but it felt divine. And the color? Oh, it was beautiful: the right shade, no bright white, and a bit of flax as a background. I was hooked instantly.

I turned to grab it off the shelf and couldn't find the right pattern. There was a similar one with an ice-colored background, but c'mon, I wasn't going to settle at that point. So I hailed down a sales rep, who went on the hunt with me. Her search turned up nothing. Zilch. Not even available online for her to order one for me. Things were not going well...

But this kind, kind woman offered to call the Princeton store to see if they could send one for me. While she was on hold, her manager decided to compete for my affection, and suggested selling it off the wall, if I was OK with that. Was I OK with that? I was so thrilled, I could have done cartwheels out of the store.

As soon as I was rung up, I raced home to put this bad boy in its spot:

Cute, right? I love the bold color and the strong pattern. It truly changes the entire room, and helps lighten things up quite a lot. Unfortunately, I don't think you can get this particular curtain anymore, but you can find a similar one here.

The bathroom is almost finished, methinks! I'll let you know as soon as I get the hand towels, which is the last item on the list.

Our Peruvian honeymoon: From the Amazon to Machu Picchu

We visited lots of Inca sites, including Saqsaywaman (almost pronounced: "Sexy Woman")

After 10 incredible days trekking through the Peruvian Andes, the new hubby and I are back. That's right folks, for our honeymoon, we went to Peru for one heck of an unforgettable vacation. I've never felt so indulged, inspired, and excited in such a short period of time.

We started out in Lima, the costal urban center known for its ceviche. Unfortunately, we only had a night there, and most flights from the states land pretty late, so we didn't get to explore much. We did, however, get our first taste of Peruvian architecture with the hotel. We thought we were indoors once we checked in. But a quick tour showed us we were staying in a maze of indoor/outdoor hallways that tricked your brain into never knowing if it was sea breeze blowing past or just an illusion. Pretty cool stuff.

 Next, we took off to the Tambopata Reserve in the Amazon basin. We stayed for several nights in one of the most glamorous huts you could dream up. Don't think of "glam" and "hut" in the same sentence? Neither do I, but it was both at the same time. Mosquito netting around the bed was both useful and so chic that I felt underdressed for bed.

One day we toured the Madre de Dios river, which feeds into the Amazon. There, we were basically on a water-based safari, where we spotted cayman (mini alligators, more or less), macaws, and capybara, the world's largest rodent.

We also hiked through the rainforest by both day and night. During the day we saw everything from army ants, which can make a boat out of their own bodies in the event of a flood, to a tarantula. We even heard wild boar, which thankfully we never saw, because apparently they're quite vicious. At night, we walked a short trail in the dark, which culminated in turning our lights off for a full minute to observe the sounds of the jungle. It was one of the most intense experiences of my life. You couldn't see a thing, but you could hear insects and birds calling out to each other from every angle. Absolutely incredible.

After that, we jetted off to the Incan capital of Cuzco. This mountain-side city is filled with both Incan architecture and Spanish colonial work. The mix is intoxicating and unlike anything else in the world. If you go, and I recommend you do, the food is unbeatable, but so is the history, the nightlife and the textile shopping. If I could have had more days, I would have spent them here.

As much as I loved Cuzco, the real gem of the trip was next. The hubby and I set off with 12 other people and 24 porters, cooks and guides to hike the Inca Trail. Let me be clear that even though we had a big team helping us, the act of hiking the trail was one of the most gueling things I've ever done. The uphills were steep, and the altitude left healthy 20-somethings with blue lips at noon. (Truly, and it was pretty scary.) But the most intense part was the downhill, which required some skilled scrambling, and blind eyes to the incredible drop offs just inches past the trail. There were parts that I couldn't have finished if I didn't have my husband's hand to hold. Literally. I actually held his hand to get down some of these insane steps. But the fear and exertion were worth it. Every step of the way was gorgeous. One morning, we woke up to a floor of clouds slowly creeping up around us and the mountain peaks. I swear to you, I've never seen anything as majestic as that in my dreams.

The hubby and I at Dead Woman's Pass--an elevation of 13,000+ feet.

Of course, the real pay off was the last day. We woke up at 3:30 a.m. to hike the last 5 kilometers to the Sun Gate, which looks over Machu Picchu. The big draw is to catch the sunrise over the ancient Inca city, but because of its location over mountains and rivers, clouds usually make visibility nill. But somehow the hubby and I picked the one day in five months (since the start of the rainy season) that was absolutely cloud free. Knowing that what we were seeing was incredibly rare brought tears to my eyes. (Ok, ok, the tears might have also been inspired by the exhaustion, pride, and relapsing-remitting fear of heights I'd developed.) I don't ever expect to see a sunrise as magical as the one that my new husband and I watched that day.

 We then had a private tour of Machu Picchu and had our minds completely blown by the detail and determination that went into this New Wonder of the World. There are places (usually holy places) where the stonework is so precise that you couldn't put a knife or a credit card between the stones. I can't fathom how long it would have taken someone to create stones that fit together so well, but I can tell you that they were breathtaking.

And those, my friends, were the highlights of our trip. It was terrifying at times, and I don't say that lightly. But it was also filled with some of the best food I've ever eaten, as well as the three most exciting hikes of my life, and some profound views. In short, I don't think a vacation could ever top this one. But I sure will try with the next one ;)

Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate, just as the sun was beginning the rise--an incredibly rare treat.

If you want more photos, I have them posted at the Facebook page. Check 'em out.

Indoor garden gets some love

We picked up a new purchase for the living room before the wedding. I had already started funking up the living room, with some new plants and an unusual candle but I knew something was missing. I wanted something to ground the coffee table collection--something that would pull it all together.

Forgive the blurry photo, but this shows how things were just kind of thrown together. There wasn't anything cohesive about it, except that these little bits were put next to each other. A collection of quirk that does not make.

See? Something was missing, and not just the focus.

Then almost out of nowhere, I found it. (For the record "nowhere" means Home Goods.) It was a giant square basket made out of raffia. It had the space for my mini garden, and even a remote control or two. And it was to scale for our massive coffee table. I was hooked. And the $24 price tag, which was actually in my budget, sweetened the deal.

Here's what things look like now:

Are you as in love as I am?

On the road to Machu Picchu

This feels a little strange, but I'm writing this post for the future. (That's right, you're reading from past me. Or am I writing to future you? Or are they the same thing? I've never been good at time travel...)

Anyway, by now I'm on my way up the Inca Trail to see Machu Picchu. If you aren't familiar with it, this is the famously lost Incan city in the heights of the Andes. It was unknown to people from outside of the region until 1911, when it was rediscovered by the world. And thank goodness it was. Look at this place:

Yeah, that's real.

My new hubby and I are hiking for days to get there, but hopefull we'll soon be doing a little of this:

I can't wait to tell you all about it!

My latest purchase

I did a little shopping a few weeks ago that I haven't let you in on yet. I picked up this gorgeous vase at HomeGoods for $24. Not bad, huh? It reminds me of the fermenting bottles that I fell for at Terrain.

For not it lives next to my bookcase, but I have grand visions for it. I'd like it to be somewhere prominent, with a green display that you just can't ignore. I'm thinking of something along these lines:

Gorgeous, right? What's not to love about that? Graceful, but commanding. Impressive, but not gaudy. It's a delightful balance.

And while this is a little smaller than the scale I have in mind, I think the branches in this pictures are spot on. I love how they wend around and seem to get lost in themselves. Kind of like my wedding centerpieces, no?

I can't wait to play around with this once I get home from Peru.

DIY bridal sash

When it comes to weddings, everything is more expensive. Don't believe me? Call up a car rental company and tell them you need a limo. Get a price. Then tell them it's for a wedding. Watch how that price inflates. (Presumably for a bottle of champagne and some glasses. I don't know about you, but I can bring my own bottle, thankyouverymuch!)

No where is wedding inflation more abundant than in the fashion end of things. Eight dollars for a foot of tulle? Call it a veil and you'll have to try $800! So when my bridal consultant dressed me in a sash, I fell in love with the look in the mirror, but steeled myself for a harsh reality. And I wasn't disappointed. The ribbon sash with a removeable crystal brooch that transformed my dress into something stunning cost a jaw-dropping $600.

No, ma'am. Not on my watch.

So I did what any reasonable woman with a sewing machine would do. I made it myself.

The first thing I did was pick up a sash from Jessica McClintock. At $30 it was overpriced, but something I could live with. If you can't, just go get some /8" satin ribbon. In hindsight, that's what I wished I'd done. My sash was too wide, so I ended up having to sew it into a tube to halve the width.

Then I picked out a classic looking brooch from a mall kiosk, pinned and stitched it in place, and tied a pretty bow in the back. All in all, it took about 15 minutes to make, and saved me more than $550. Not bad, huh?

It's a ridiculous photo, but you can see me in all of my DIY glory here:

And that, friends, was the simplest money saver of my big day. The other projects I did either took more time, or had a lower return on investment. I definitely recommend DIYing this bad boy!

Some more highlights from the Philly Garden Show

Before I dive into all of the wedding DIY projects, I wanted to take a second to really enjoy the Philadelphia Flower Show. The place is magical, and if you're in the area while it's in town, it's worth the trip. In fact, it's worth it even if you aren't in the area. Fly here next year. You'll thank me.

This year's theme was Hawaii, and all of the plants and displays featured varieties that grow in the islands. There are table top displays, entire garden vignettes and so much more. But my personal favorites were the flower boxes. Did I mention that I'm exclusively a container gardener? Because I am.

Anyway, here are some of my favorites:

Another form of container gardening are cold frames. These make it possible for you to keep your greens (or blues or reds, or whatever you're growing) vibrant for much of the year, depending on your locale. This cold frame is filled with edible plants like lettuce, kale and enough herbs to keep Bobby Flay happy. 

 And then I took a few pictures of what my dream garden would look like. Here are all kinds of edible plants grown next to flowers and other stunningly beautiful plants. It's enough to make this girl swoon.

Of course, the show has much, much more to offer than I could ever show you here. If you can swing it, try to stop out next year. You could easily spend an entire day walking through the displays, listening in at demonstrations and shopping from the garden vendors. 

Meet the new couple!

We're married! The big day was Friday, and it was nothing short of perfect. Here are some quick snapshot of the day--not the pro ones (those are coming). These are just pulled off of Facebook. Thanks to everyone who took pics so that we can enjoy the memories forever!

I'm not Jewish, but my husband is, so we had an interfaith wedding. While I've danced in circles during the Hora, I'd never been in the chair before. So much fun--and so terrifying! Thank you friends for not killing me!

Oh yeah, I made that! No, not the mustache (that's the handiwork of a friend). I made the sash I was wearing. The dress shop wanted to sell me an identical one for $600. I said no and bought some ribbon and a brooch for $30.

Me and my groom!

These were our centerpieces.They had orchids, white branches, hanging crystals and candles a plenty. They were also lit from below, which made them sparkle. I loved designing them with the florist, and it was such a joy seeing them come to life on the wedding day.

We're heading out for our honeymoon to Peru, but I'll keep posting some fun things from the wedding, so stay tuned!