New Year's Eve has always been my FAVORITE holiday! It (for me) symbolizes a new beginning: to reflect on the last year and what I'd learned and done and to look forward to the new year ahead.

Some things I've been reflecting on:

• Moving to San Luis Obispo and meeting new friends and loving my job down there. (Doesn't hurt that I was 10 minutes from the beach!!!)

Winter at beach was AMAZING!

• The hubby and I picked up golfing!

• I went back to Bikram yoga after a 3 year hiatus.

• Moving back home for my hubby's new job that he LOVES!

• GETTING MARRIED!

• Losing my aunt to cancer

• Moving into a super cute house and decorating it

• Picking up blogging again

I hope for myself (and for YOU) that 2014 will bring positive things and happiness!

I hope to continue to blog about more things to come and to share them with you!

Thank you for reading! Happy New Year!

-Melissa

Looking for those last minute gifts to give your girlfriends? Here are a few suggestions that could help you!

I bought some of these socks from Tarjay and have been wearing them ALL WINTER! They're soooo warm and come in lots of colors to compliment your wardrobe! Infinity scarves are another great present! You can wear them doubled up or as a single loop and they're warm when paired with a slouchy sweater or jacket.
I helped my hubby shop for some of his staff and picked up a few wintery scarves and some really blingy Betsey Johnson pens.  I hope they enjoy their gifts! Lastly, I'm a giant fan of Archipelago candles and love the Bergamot Tobacco. It has a warm smell with Italian bergamot, lemongrass, patchouli, crushed nutmeg and its made of soy.

I guess I'm proof that little ladies can rock the runway? Or someone played a funny joke on me. :) Let me just preface that by saying that I am (on a good day) 5'5 and am a former commercial model. I must have done something right to earn the ability to walk runway!

Last Saturday night, I had the privilege of walking for Ronnie Escalante, a finalist designer that was on season one of FashionStar for the Launch Fashion Show, a 2 day art/fashion/music festival in Sacramento. I'd seen a few episodes that he was on and was thrilled to walk for such a talented guy! Ronnie is a SF native with an eye for design and an entrepreneurial spirit.

Call time was pretty early (3pm) for the show which started at 9pm. With 65 models, it was a fairly tight fit considering all of the hair, make-up and nail specialists and other people helping with the show.

His designs are modern with clean lines and are versatile for day and night looks. He also has an evening wear collection that is heavenly. I wore a gray bodycon dress that fit me to a tee! Here are a few pics from the show.

I haven't wandered around Target or HomeGoods much lately so when I found that I needed things from both stores, I happily jumped in the car and headed out that way.

Target had a variety of adorable nightstands to fit anyone's fancy!



I really liked this python fabric covered end table. We are currently trying to decide on how to decorate the master bedroom and I loved the cut, the color (its a gray/off white color)  and the adorable hardware on it.


I am looking for end tables for our office area and came across these lovelies as well.



After I galavanted around Target, I headed to HomeGoods. We received a Keurig Coffee Maker as a wedding gift and ever since we received it, I have not set foot in a coffee shop since...well, ok, maybe on special occasions or trips. With the individual coffees, milk and vanilla syrup (I drink vanilla lattes religiously), we clocked each cup at $1.45! HomeGoods sells the Green Mountain Iced Coffee in French Vanilla for $8.99 per box (of 16) so I purchased two!

While walking around, I noticed the horse trend. There were horses EVERYWHERE!





Have you noticed any trends in your furniture decorating adventures?

The Draper Room is almost complete! I've finished adding the major pieces to the room such as the brass etagere, nesting tables and the coffee table. There was one area though that looked blank. It sits in between our dining table (the only thing in the room that doesn't go with the decor lol) and the kitchen. I'd been searching up and down to find a skinny drawer/shelving unit or curio cabinet so that I could move our delicate wine glasses, bar accessories and other items down from the cabinet so that they won't be potentially damaged. I've always been a fan of faux bamboo pieces but couldn't find anything within my price range that suited my fancy. A few weeks ago, while searching on Craigslist for "drawers," I came across this lovely set.



And I just KNEW that was the piece I had been searching for!

In my beedroom inspiration board on Pinterest, I'd pinned several images just like her. Here were some of my favorites:


Curious to see how original she really was, I found a great blogger who talks about the Dorothy Draper "Espana" dresser here. Per Dayka Robinson (who has AMAZING STYLE BTW) "A true Espana dresser will have a finished back" and mine does not. A true Espana dresser is also extremely expensive and the chances of me stumbling upon a set like that on craigslist for $65 is slim to none. Nevertheless, I fell in love with that dresser online and then when I saw her in person. She is beautifully lacquered and has no damage to her! After asking the store manager about her, he said that she was leftover from an estate sale. (I love finding out the history of each piece I buy)

So, I excitedly hauled her home and placed her in the desired spot.

Man... 2 weeks without blogging is like murder in your stats. In my defense, I've been sick. Like, laid-up-in-bed sick. I couldn't even do housework! BUT, i'm back to normal and ready to blog again!

Tomorrow (Friday), is my 35th birthday. YIKES! I remember, in my 20's, I used to invite everyone to the club and party it up. So is NOT the case now. My hubs has taken the day off and we are headed to Napa to do a little wine tasting and fine dining (and hopefully shopping!!!!!).

I believe I had posted something like this when I was 25 and 30, so another "things I've learned post" is due at 35. So, here are the things I've learned thus far:

1. Friendships aren't forever. They are like tides. They come and go. Some stay and some don't. Some come back later. That's life.

2. Weddings are hectic to plan. Be sure to take time out to remember why you're doing it all.

3. Cancer really sucks. Take care of yourself: eat right, minimize stress, drink water...

4. Be comfortable with YOU. If you're not, don't be afraid to fix what you don't like.

5. Siblings are a PITA. I love you dearly, but you know who you are.  :) <3

6. Sometimes there are things you just want to keep to yourself (and those who were there) and not share with the whole world on social media.

7. Its a good thing to pull away from the interweb once in a while.

8. Family can be a PITA, but they are there for you.

9. Do not have roommmates when you are a newlywed.

10. If you want something done right, do it yourself.

11. Politics nowadays are a dime a dozen.

12. People fall out of your life for a reason.

13. Learn to cook 3 decent meals.

14. Having a clean house is so much easier to maintain than a dirty house.

15. Being a housewife isn't so bad. And don't let people make you feel bad if you are.

16. Rap is horrible nowadays.

17. GIRLTALK is necessary.

18. So are date nights.

19. Doing what you love may or may not have a price tag to it.

20. A perfect golf swing takes forever to develop.

21. Macarons are a fussy dessert to make but still achieveable.

22. You may have a plan in life to go in one direction but life will take you in another.

23. People are afraid of small dogs, like they are big dogs.

24. It is important to take time out for yourself and reconnect with YOU.

25. Starbucks isn't the best coffee in the world. Nor is it the cheapest.

26. Know your boundaries. When you've had enough, say so.

27. Blogging take A LOT of time and patience.

28. Get outside. Walk. Bike. Whatever. Just go outside.

29. He who has the best toys does not always make him the winner. He may just be poorer.

30. Love isn't a fairytale. Its just love. :)

31. Making your bed makes for good bedroom feng shuei.

32. Step outside of your comfort zone. Talk to people you've never talked to. Do something new.

33. You don't always have to do what everyone else does.

34. TREAT YO'SELF!!!

35. Celebrate your birthday every year even though you feel like you don't want to.

Since I've moved back from SLO, it seems as though my weekends have been non-stop! Its Sunday night and I'm pretty beat as I've tried to cram as much stuff as I could into 2 days. Tomorrow starts a new week and am pretty excited as I'm going to continue my hunt for items to decorate my house with.


The rest of the weekend was fun! We played a round of golf at our nearby executive course and I whooped the mister. Normally, I'm a few strokes behind but I was ahead by about 10. I even hit my first birdie! I'm excited to get back out tomorrow to hit some balls and keep this good golf juju going! I'm also learning how to cook and made ginger and broccoli beef which came out uh-MAZING! I paired my meal with this Crispin cider that had Belgian hops and maple syrup. I thought it would be sickeningly sweet but was pleasantly surprised that it had a mild flavor.

I woke up this morning and it was chilly. It felt like the seasons were just starting to change. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I love the heat! I love Summer! I love wearing shorts and burning my legs on my leather seats! Alas, in no time, we will be wearing boots and jeans and squishy, comfy sweaters and jackets. Ok ok... so fall won't be that bad after all. :)

While we are savoring the last moments of summer. I wanted to share with you a delicious sangria recipe I found on...yes, Pinterest! This recipe is different in that it uses champagne (or Prosecco) and not a red wine. I find red wine sangrias to be less flavorful. One with champers though... oh hell yes!

First, add 2 jiggers of orange liqueur or Grand Marnier to a cup of sugar to a glass jar. Also, have a chilled bottle (or 2) of champagne ready to go.

Then, cut up fruit and add it to the mixture and stir thoroughly. You can even mash the fruit a little so the juice will macerate.

Place the concoction in the refrigerator for no less than 45 minutes. When your guests arrive, open up a bottle of champagne and pour! Depending on how many people I have, I'll add another botttle. With 1 bottle of champagne added, it serves 4 wine glasses.


Have a fabulous weekend!

-Melissa

The other day, I was browsing in a used furniture store and came across this guy...


He one minor blemish on him and for only $16, I couldn't resist! Have you ever had one of those moments when you're just browsing and you find "IT" and you just know that's the one? That was one of those moments! I love the lines on the mirror. It just makes it even more Hollywood Regency looking!

Even the hubs was intrigued by it. He then asked how many celebrities in the 70's  partied with this tray... (oh my). We both took turns styling the tray and this is what we came up with

He chose:
A simple decanter with his favorite whiskey and a souvenir glass from his favorite beer event.

She chose:
Flowers and a textured container

Two totally different looks with 1 tray. How do you style yours?


Cheers!
-Melissa

I've been searching on Craigslist lately for all things brass and glass. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a set of faux bamboo inspired "brass" nesting tables within my price range. They were about an hour away so I jumped in the car and headed out to get them! They had been spray painted over in white so I knew I'd have to strip the paint to get to the "brass"... or brass-plating as I now know. I know that a solid brass piece would cost a pretty penny so brass-plated furniture would be my next choice.

Here they are "as-is" when I bought them



I met @west23rdstvintage (aka Kristy) while browsing her awesome Craigslist finds on Instagram (check out her IG, she finds the BEST stuff!) who told me of Citristrip, a gel-based paint stripper. My hubby went to our local hardware store and came back with this...




I was slightly skeptical as I looked at the bottle. This stuff is going to take off paint?! It was gooey, smelled really nice and didn't look menacing at all like paint stripper should look.
Boy was I WRONG.
I painted the orange goo onto the first table and by the time I got each leg covered, the paint on the first three legs started to bubble and pucker. Since this was my first time at the rodeo, I had a small scraper and was unequipped to deal with the aftermath that was the shedding paint off the brass.


The next day, I bought the after wash that Citristrip sells. Once again, I was inequipped and used a thick pair of rubber gardening gloves which lead to a minor chemical burn on my left thumb. After my project, we were having guests over and I thought I had dyed my thumb red from all of the cherries I'd chopped to go into a sangria (that post is definitely coming soon!)!!! Nope. I'd successfully peeled off a couple of layers of skin. I dressed it daily with Aquaphor and a festive band-aid and it has successfully healed after a week. LESSON LEARNED: WEAR THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT!


After my thumb fiasco, I tried to polish them since the brass was worn in a few spots. Did you know that ketchup can polish brass? Thanks to Google, I also learned that Coca-Cola and lemon juice can also do the same. The citric acid eats at the tarnish.



After realizing that this would take forever and the tarnish is actually rust in some places, I'd decided to spray paint them. And the finished product...




HOORAY!!! My first furniture restore! I have had this striped box/basket that I bought from The Container Store and since I'm incorporating stripes into this room, I thought this would be a good place to store throw blankets.

More to come... :)

-Melissa