my bff's getting hitched.

last weekend, i went to my best friend's bridal shower in pittsburgh.  what a lovely weekend it was.  i knew as soon as invites went out that i wanted to do the dessert table.  i'm not gonna lie, doing dessert tables is a personal fave activity of mine, so sam and her lovely momma really had no say in the matter.  i made carrot cake, double chocolate cupcakes, cinnamon roll pastries and hungarian wedding cookies (aka snowballs).  did i mention only 20 people planned to attend... am i crazy? pretty much.  the desserts were a hit and the shower went off without a hitch.

the beautiful couple.

floral crown.

floral crowns/garlands are allllllll the rage right now.  my trendy little sister, molly ann, obviously wanted in on the action.  after perusing the four-story topshop during my last trip to nyc, i regrettably left their garland due to the crazy price (not too crazy, but astronomical to the everyday diy'er).  naturally, i began googling/pinteresting away to find the best way to recreate this boho accessory.  little did i know, there was an excellent tutorial on one of my fave blogs, bleubirdvintage.typepad.com (thank you, whit, for introducing me to the amazingness that is james' blog).  straight to michael's i went, and, a few hours later, i created the below. obviously, we couldn't go without a photo shoot including the inspiration herself.
*disclaimer: the project was a bit more time consuming/trickier than i expected, but totally worth it in the end*

new home continued.

as promised, my living room.  my mom found me the most wonderful lane mid century modern sweetheart chest.  all of the original documents were still inside with the sweetest little catalogue of other mid century modern pieces available during that time period.  for some reason, i have been on an extreme mid century modern kick.  i can't wait to replace the cream color chair in my living room with this fabulous reproduction rocker (still searching for the best price).  until then, my living space is still slightly a work in progress, but i couldn't wait to share!  my favorite part is the small outdoor space through the sliding doors where, knock on wood, i have been able to keep a few plants alive.  my hummingbird visits daily and i have spent many an evening reading and enjoying the warm breeze.

Isn't that chest a beaut?  Momma did me good!

color and light... two of my favorite things.

sophia's baptism

today, i attended my first greek baptism for the lovely miss sophia.  i was given the privilege of creating the floral centerpieces and helping to coordinate the reception.  what a blast it was to see my sister's boyfriend's family in action... it all felt very familiar to my family's italian gatherings except for the wonderful greek language spoken amongst the family and friends that added another layer of excitement.  the flowers turned out beautifully, but sophia was definitely the center of attention in all of her baptism glory (seriously, can't get enough of those big, brown eyes!!).  thank you, angie, nick and sophia, for allowing me to participate in this special day!

lots of blooms.

lots of blooms.

exhausted from the ceremony.

seriously in love.

look at those eyes.

sister and boyfriend.

proud ma and pa.

new home. new chapter.

i haven't posted in quite some time, but i wanted to share a sneak peek into my new home.  after living in a dark apartment in short north (tinted windows get old), i have moved into a light-filled apartment in the suburbs of good ole' new albany.  after walking into my new place, my first thought was that of carrie's when she walked into "heaven on fifth" and exclaimed, "so THIS is where they keep the light!"  needless to say, i'm pretty darn happy.  after two long days, my apartment is situated and all of my old pieces look new in the bright light of sunshine (kitchen and living room to come).

gramma's beautiful secretary.

reading nook.

time to sleep.

childhood dresser, reinvented at least five times.

new table and chairs.

gramma and grampa's beautiful china cabinet in hot pink.

time to dine.

in a little over a month, i will be moving here.  yes, i am officially moving to the 'burbs and i couldn't be more excited.  this is the first home that i have lived in that will have a dining area (also doubling as my craft space), so a dining set was definitely in order.  i have dreamed of owning a farmhouse table but knew it was way out of my budget.  thankfully, this amazing woman, second to martha stewart in my book, saved the day with her free plans for any size farmhouse table a gal could possibly want.  her step by step instructions were easier than easy.  with the help of my super handy neighbor, jason, we built my dream table in a matter of hours.

naturally, i couldn't have my dream table without a set of equally dreamy chairs.  hence, the hunt began.  for those who don't know me that well, when i want something, i obsess until i find it.  ugliness doesn't scare me... i'm up for any challenge and am convinced that paint and fabric (and a staple gun) can save the world.  after scouring through many a thrift and consignment shop, i found my perfect chairs at a hole in the wall antique shop in columbus ($100 for four chairs? please and thank you).

yesterday morning, my chairs looked like the above (i must say, something about walnut stained wood makes me want to vomit).  yesterday afternoon, a few coats of spray paint brought these babies to life! turquoise dining chairs? why not!

today, i went to the fabric store in hopes of finding a colorful floral or traditional ikat.  of course, i instantly fell in love with this fabulous navy and off-white chevron.  i tried to erase it from my memory as i searched for something different, but my heart had decided.  chevron it is.  predictable? maybe. boring? absolutely not.

 i was feeling a bit of a disconnect between the fabric and the brightly painted chairs, so why not paint an accent chevron?  does that make me slightly less predictable? probably not.

at the end of the day, i am thrilled with my new dining set.  now, i have to patiently wait to put it to use in my new home.  lets hope this next month goes fast or i may planting a dining set in the middle of my current, 590 square foot apartment. 

hand made chevron shades (and a little peak into my old room)

handmade roman shades were a bit trickier than i imagined, but they turned out fabulous in the end.  the white and yellow chevron brightened up my room and popped against the dark woodwork.  i am now living in columbus, but, at the time of these photos, i was living in my tiny bedroom in dayton (many closets are larger than my room). the roman shades made it homier and blended in nicely with my eclectic array of furniture and decor.