Heart Garland

It's Valentine's Day and I'm all loved up!


I mentioned that we are going to be staying in tonight, making dinner, and probably watching an episode of Dexter (nothing says love like serial killers), and so I've been adding little Valentine's Day touches to our house all week (those heart shaped candles?? amazing).

I have also been working on a mini makeover on our wine hutch this week, and while I was waiting for the paint to dry last night, I also decided that the mirror that hangs above said hutch was begging for a little Valentine's Day flair.



With no materials for crafting, I got creative, and used an old book.  Have you ever read any of the True Blood Sookie Stackhouse books?  If you haven't I highly recommend them - VERY entertaining, but they aren't fine literature... so I sacrificed one of the books for my little heart garland.

Side note: the book I ended up using is called Dead as a Door-nail, so I had to do a little strategic cutting to ensure the title didn't make it onto any of my hearts.  Yeah, the content doesn't match the sentiment of this project, but who really cares... right??



Aside from the books, all you need are scissors and tape.  Holla!

I started cutting out hearts like a mad-woman and taping them together willy nilly (Kris hates that saying, I've recently learned)...

Now I have two adorable little garlands adorning the mirror in the living room.  They make me smile when I see them, and I won't feel bad tossing them out tomorrow.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Fun Find: Heart Shaped Candles

How cute are these little heart shaped candles??  I went into Ikea for the two pack of $24 white curtain panels, and snagged these little guys too!



How cute are they???  For $4, I'm totally going to get our use out of these in the next few days!  The problem is they drip like crazy - in the 3 minutes these were burning last night, they already dripped in my cute white tray.  I had a little idea... I grabbed an old book, ripped out a few pages, singed the edges (btw, I'm a total pyro) and laid them out on the bottom of a tray.

It looks adorable, and now I'm not at all worried about the dripping wax!  Win win.

Valentine's Day Gifts... for her

Valentine's Day is upon us, and if you are looking for a little last minute inspiration of what to get your sweetheart (or better yet, what to treat yourself to) I've pulled together a short list of things I'd love!

Nothing over the top, but pretty little somethings to add a little spring to your step.

Poppy colored Skirt - nobody does preppy like Banana Republic.  I actually treated myself to this skirt yesterday, and aside from being the perfect length for work, the pleats are ultra flattering!

Pink Leather Handbag - hello ladylike.  You could wear this bowler as a crossbody bag, or use the handles for the ultimate ladylike look.

Pretty Lace-trimmed Nighty - how cute is this with the black and white stripes, and the little bit of pink?!

Pave Chain-link Bracelet - yep, this bracelet will pretty much top my list for any occasion... I am still in love!

Lacquer Bangle - a fun addition to your outfit on a gloomy February day.

Leopard Clutch - I am LOVING animal print now, more than ever - wear this as a neutral!  I swear it goes with everything you own!

Pink Clarisonic - I have the blue one, and it's amazing.  Treat yourself (or your girlfriend)... it's worth every penny.

Bouquet of Peonies - because these are the most romantic flower out there...

Coral Studs - for a little something sparkly...

Steamed Lobster Tails

Happy Monday ya'll!  The weather has been beautiful here in San Francisco after a bit of rain last week, and it's all bright blue skies, and crisp cold air!  Yesterday, my parents came into the city for the day, and we took a long walk on the Marina Green down to the Golden Gate Bridge - we really do live in the most incredible city in the world.

How can you say no to that view?!


Last night, the Grammy's were on (did you end up watching??), and we wanted to stay in for dinner.  On the menu were lobster tails!  Sounds daunting, but they were the easiest thing to make IN THE WORLD.

Our lobster tail feast came about because they were on sale at the market - $5 each!  Kris came home with them to surprise me, and since I'm still a novice in the kitchen, I was more than a little worried about not messing them up.


After discovering that our broiler didn't work (awesome news) I turned to Google, and found out that steaming them was the easiest way to go.

Here they are - perfectly steamed and begging to be eaten!  In case you are thinking of tackling lobster (perhaps a good idea for Valentine's Day dinner this week?) here are the instructions - so easy, and SO delicious!

How to prepare perfectly steamed lobster tails:
Fill a pot with about an inch of water, salt the water, and place in a steamer (in my case, we didn't have a steamer, so I used a small colander with legs).  Once the water comes to a boil, toss in the lobster tails, and put the lid on tight.

Set the timer for 6 minutes, and do NOT take the lid off.  While the lobster tails are steaming away, melt some butter in a pan.  I tossed in a few whole garlic cloves, and a few red pepper flakes to flavor the butter.

Once the timer goes off, rescue your little lobster tails - they should be bright red, and curled up a bit.  Do not let them go longer than the timer!  Overcooked lobster is tough, and chewy, and not very good.

The lobster is easy enough to take out of the shell - but if you don't want to deal with it after it's cooked, you can also run your knife along the shell before steaming.  We dipped it in the butter, and feasted like kings - I kept the sides simple, some roasted broccolini, and mashed potatoes, but these would be amazing with polenta, on top of a salad, or even just with french bread.

TV Stand with Storage... and Height... and Style...

I have been looking to replace the TV stand in our bedroom for a while now, but it seems like my list of requirements is a mile long... thus making it impossible to find anything that will work!  The current TV Stand was a Craigslist find from a few years back - it's dark wood, low to the ground, and really nothing too special.  I think it may have come originally from Target. It does the job, but we need something taller, and it NEEDS to have storage.

To add onto this equation - it also has to be narrow, since our monster King size bed moved in with us, and the way our room is laid out, you walk between the TV stand and the bed to get to the SINGLE bathroom in our apartment.  Awesome.

Anyway, I had been thinking "console table" but it's rare to find a console with storage, and most dressers are too "fat" for this space - we need at least several feet for the walkway, otherwise it is just going to feel WAY too claustrophobic.  I hadn't been having much luck so far, so my hunt had nearly come to a halt... until I discovered this little gem at Ikea!  The Tarva 6 Drawer Chest.  Hello lover!

I know, I know... it doesn't look like much, but when I'm done with it, this simple little guy is going to look phenomenal!

Don't believe me??  Look at a few of these Tarva hacks I dug up online...

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Look at this lovely white number... that high gloss paint, really transforms it into something fabulous, and the greek key appliques covered up the holes where the original pulls went, so each drawer could have a single middle pull.


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This is another super cool take on the original - painted drawers - ombre no less - unique pulls, and a stained top and legs??  Talk about a transformation!


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No clue how they pulled this off, but they make this brand spanking new chest of drawers look old, and cool, like wooden shipping crates...


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And... it's official... this may just be the most versatile piece of furniture, since it serves as a kitchen counter here!


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Finally, my favorite hack (I think) - this one draws inspiration from Hollywood Regency, and I love loovvveee LOOVVVEEE it.  The gold border and the large gold pulls??

Fabulous!

Can't wait to get started on my own version!!