So I thought I'd have my first furniture restore blog post to you by Thursday of last week but I was SORELY mistaken! My DIY nesting project still remains unfinished but am hoping it will be completed tomorrow. If you follow me on Instagram (@littlemissorangeblossom), you'll know that my repainting of my nesting tables has had setbacks (bubbling of the paint due to my close painting) so I've had to sand a few places and try it again. This is what a spot looked like after it had bubbled and I had to scrape it off and re-sand. :(



While you're waiting for that post, I'd like to tell you a little bit about my weekend since it has to do with furniture and food!

The hubby is gluten intolerant; something we have been trying to learn and adapt to since we both love some carbs in our lives. Once again, I've taken to Pinterest to find some yummy and mostly healthy things we can eat.


Enter the Chia Pizza!

Ellie's blog at homecookinginmontana.blogspot.com gives a great recipe using flour tortillas. While telling the hubby about this deliciousness, he suggested I find a gluten-free brand. Mi Abuelita Corn and Chia tortilla was the result of my find! You can find them in the Tortilla section at most Nugget stores.

I also made the pizza sauce since I was too lazy to go back to the store to get a can and since I'm trying to learn how to cook, I made a little adventure out of creating my pizza sauce. In the first image, I had cut small circles in the tortilla (I was able to cut 3 of them per tortilla) so they were about the size of a good, large chip. I added pizza sauce, cheese and stayed light on the toppings since the tortilla was light and could not withstand too much weight.

In the second image, we decided to use the whole tortilla and make a mini pizza which was much more efficient at using the entire tortilla. We baked both at 500 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until crispy.
uh-MAZING. It was like a thin crust pizza...or many thin crust pizzas! And we didn't feel that bloated feeling after taking down a normal pizza. This is perfect if you have guests over or for kids!

On Saturday, we had hit up a couple of estate sales. We found some GORGEOUS items and I believe this person had some SERIOUS taste.

 This was an item I was hoping to score. I'm in search of a bench for our bedroom. $125 was too pricey for me though.
 This cool tufted and cane couch was $210.
 I don't know much about Eames chairs but at $145, I was told this weekend that this price was a steal!
 I fell IN LOVE with this couch when I walked in the room! The colors were so vibrant! If only Goldie (my humble Honda) could have held that greatness in her trunk...
And this bar cart was what I had really come to see! She was only $125 and solid brass! She wasn't quite what I was looking for though...

Today (Sunday), we drove over two hours so that I could purchase a brass and glass etegere for only $30! We borrowed Granny's SUV so we could haul it home! It needs a little work and cleaning but a blog post will definitely be in the works for this beauty! Here she is being taken home!

On the way back, the previous owner of this etegere had told us to stop on the Skyway Vista Point to check out the "mini Grand Canyon." We were definitely in awe when we got there...

Check out that view! The canyon seemed like it went for miles. Oh, and we like to play with the panorama by making sure we are in the shot at the beginning and at the end. :)


Hope you had a great weekend!

-Melissa

It all started with a bar cart. And I'm still on the hunt for that. 

Since "The Draper Room" has a modern vibe, it was decided that our current furniture needed assessment. Chris's coffee tables were from his twenties: an old, scratchy wooden number complete with matching scratchy, wooden and outdated end table. I debated on trying to give them a facelift but ultimately, we decided that we needed some new ones.

Keeping with the "Hollywood-Regency-meets-Don-Draper" theme, I began searching for glass and brass furniture on Craigslist, estate sales and wherever else I could find said table without breaking the bank. Most brass tables go for about $150+ in my area. I'm looking to spend $100 or less. Full priced items online were way out of my price range, running as high as several thousands of dollars. Sheesh.

I'm a GIGANTE fan of Pinterest and find a lot of inspiration as I'm sure all of you do too. I came across some really great Ikea hack ideas and decided that (for now) I would purchase a glass and metal coffee table and transform it into brass!

I chose the Ikea Vittsjo Nesting Table because when extended, it was just about the length of our previous table. I especially love that there is a second level where I can put magazines, vases and flowers.

We finally found a house! We will be calling this lovely gem home until we buy a house in a few years. It is situated in an older community which is a change considering we lived in a college town for a year. Peace. Quiet. Weird. I'm definitely getting older and enjoy less rowdy neighborhoods. Although, it was funny to hear 2am drunken debauchery every weekend.

Our new humble abode is almost twice the size of the condo that we lived in. I am in LOVE with the white kitchen and am currently trying to find a fun rug to give it a giant pop of color.

We also have a FABULOUS backyard with fruit trees, a pool and spa! The mister has already created yummy concoctions  for me with the grapefruit that is growing in abundance (recipe post will follow soon!). I definitely foresee backyard dinner parties, happy hour cocktail nights and other social events here very soon! Chris and I love to have people over and are very excited to start picking out backyard furniture!

I am currently obsessed with decorating our new digs. We have two living rooms and have already designated two different feels: one is the TV room (even though we really don't watch TV) where we could host movie nights and the second is my baby... I'd like to call it "The Draper Room." Those that know me know I'm a Mad Men junkie. I love the story lines (well, Don Draper's line really needs to change - but that's for another post), the styling of the sets, and what everyone wore. Since this living room is connected to the kitchen, it is all white and faces into the backyard. It has that Hollywood Regency-laidback-California-lifestyle feel. If Don Draper lived in California, this would be his house hands down!


Here is my inspiration board for said room. I've already found a couple of tables and am working on posts for them.

After a 3 month hiatus, i'm back! I had way too much going on in life to blog. In a nutshell:

I lost a loved one to cancer.
My fiance and I moved.

AND!

My fiance and I got married (a week after we moved)!

I have some free time now and will be recounting my experiences here!

Talk soon...Melissa :)

I've been in the mood for a new living room. As if it were that easy. :)

While I do love the condo that we currently live in, it lacks the light, space and features I crave. Things such as a hardwood floor, large windows and a mantle for the fireplace are features I think that will make a living room.  I love white living rooms. They look so elegant. As my own special touch, i'd add soft muted colors like grays and khakis. A cable throw here, tufted chair there...

I've found a few inspirational images on Pinterest. Throw in printed chairs, quatrefoil pendant lighting, pillows... and you've got my attention.

Here are a few of my favorites.

I've been on a design kick lately. It makes me wonder why I chose Marketing & Advertising over Graphic Design as a major in college. While designing a beer logo last week, a girlfriend of mine who is engaged asked me to design her wedding monogram. Natually, I jumped at the chance! Her style is more of a vintage charm and includes shades of mint green. After studying her Pinterest for a bit, I came up with this monogram that I think incorporated her style. I had also incorporated a few hidden images in the design that represent a part of each of their lives. Since she (and I) is Sigma Kappa alumna and he is currently in the Air Force, I added them subtly. Can you find them?

Enjoy!

There aren't many fashion bloggers around the Central Coast, so when I saw that Ambiance, a super adorable clothing store in SLO, Ambiance, had a blog, naturally, I had to scope it out. And thennnnnn, they had posted that their book club was going to meet about the book "Grace: A Memoir" by Grace Coddington, I had to attend!

I'm a big fan of Grace Coddington since I had watched "The September Issue" and had admired her work in Vogue but didn't know that it was her work until the movie. With only a few days before the club was to meet, I went down to my local Barnes and Noble to buy the book. 

I've read a few books in the last few years but have been busy on the go so I thought this was a good time to pick up reading again. This memoir was a FANTASTIC read! I absolutely loved her tone in the book; as if it were a nonchalant discussion on her life (in a non-conceited way). Her friendships and work relationships stem back to her time as a model with iconic people or parents of now iconic people. I enjoyed that she talked about her triumphs as well as her failures. And I love that she has a true love of the clothing and not who or what is wearing them. The book also contains pictures of Grace through the years as well as her work. I stared at these pictures for a while after I read the whole thing. Oh how I would love to direct photoshoots like that!

Here are my favorite pieces of her work. Absolutely stunning images. I love that they tell a story or show movement. The Versailles picture is just amazing to me. The model's pose/clothing/environment... I could go on for hours...







This is a must read for any fashion lover!