Category Archives: home design

tech savvy: logitech ue mobile boombox

Working from home can be a solitary life, friends. Sure, I chat with you all day on Twitter, share snaps of my splurges (and my cutie dog) on Instagram and generally try to make it out for my daily cappuccino, but it gets a little quiet around Casa SMC from time to time. Plus, hey, sometimes a girl just needs to bust a little Britney Spears to get through a pile of laundry, am I right?

Alas, the highly-complicated tech setup The Hubs has installed makes it a 10-step process to tune in to my tunes (despite him repeatedly telling me how “easy” it is). So, I went in search of an option. I wanted small, easy, wireless, and – obviously – chic. Read on

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eye candy: comma workshop quilts

{Before I forget, do you want to know which of those beautiful blue bags made it onto my arm? Check out my sweet new lovely on Instagram!}

I’m a quilt lover from way, way back. My grandmother made them for me from the time I was a wee thing, so I have a longstanding appreciation for the art, skill and work that goes into making one. When I got an email from Kerry, the mastermind behind Comma Workshop‘s stunning quilts, my jaw fell flat on the ground.

Each one can be customized with colors, names, or even a whole piece of prose or poetry, or you can go with the truly inspired words from Kerry or one of a few talented creative writers she works with. Can you imagine what a divine baby gift this would make? Or even better, can you imagine how stunning this would be on my bed?

I’m madly partial to the Aspens quilt, but Joy is a very, very close second. Do you have a favorite?

PS: You can take 20% off any of Comma Workshop’s goodies through tomorrow (2.5) with code WHITE.

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make over my house: the perfect side table

{Random aside: Was there ever a more boring post title? Hubs has been telling me to make my titles more search-engine friendly. “SEO” may be the least sexy phrase ever uttered.}

I think it’s safe to assume you’ve all seen the house by now, right? And I bet not one of you noticed that there wasn’t a side table to be seen anywhere in that beautiful new living room. But I can tell you that the Hubs and I noticed. Every single day. Side tables are one of those things you take for granted…until you don’t have one and you’re setting your water on the floor and the dogs are drinking out of it, or you knock it over and have to clean a whole glass of water out of a shag rug.

So. Side tables. They’re important. But for some reason, our new living room was side-table-challenged. Like Goldilocks, positively nothing would work. We tried those ceramic garden stools everyone loves now. We tried my great-grandfather’s antique tables (which I’ve used in every house I’ve ever lived in). We tried poufs. We tried virtually every option at West Elm. Everything was getting in the way, impeding traffic flow, and generally standing out instead of fitting in.

What we finally ended up with was kind of a genius little number from Restoration Hardware.

Read on

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SMC on huff post

Remember when my dear friend, Melissa, told us all about that amazing project she did to create a gorgeous space from her impossibly tiny closet? Well, I just got word that it was featured on Huffington Post.

You know, no big deal. (Squeeeeeeeeeee!!)

Check out a pertinent snippet below, or the full post (with loads of other amazing closets) here.

 

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get gifting: the perfect host

If you ask me, a Martha Stewart wannabe is the easiest person in the world to buy for. Give them something beautiful to display, something they can use at their next party, or something they can drink at this one, and you’re done.  Trust me: tote along any of these surefire hostess gifts, and you’re guaranteed a repeat invite.

Read on

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make over my house: my new saatva mattress

{First of all, can we talk about that pretty, pretty new bedding from my friends at Crane & Canopy? It’s so luxe and inviting, I can’t even stand it. And since all of their options are so stunning, I even let the husband pick it out because he literally couldn’t go wrong.} saatva mattress review

For all my love of retail, friends, there are three things I absolutely hate to shop for: cars, houses and mattresses. Because there’s no fun in it at all. It’s all “have to” with no “want to”, it’s high-pressure sales at its worst, and you know – you just know – you’re being taken for a ride. The whole experience is so adversarial, so exhausting, that by the end, I just want to give up. Which, of course, was their plan all along.

So, when it came time (way past time, really) for a new mattress at Casa SMC, my usual mattress-shopping anxiety kicked in. But I started doing some online digging, and came across a company called Saatva. Now, imagine this: no mattress store. No annoying salesperson. No ad jingle stuck in your head. You’re feeling calmer already, aren’t you?

Read on

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falling for: a cup of tea

Here’s a little something you don’t know about me: I’m a mug-a-holic. While some girls binge on lipstick or chocolate during times of strife, it’s a hot cup of tea in a brand new mug I adore that makes me feel whole again. And so, as you might imagine, I have quite a few.

To be clear, there’s very little to recommend my mug collection on appearances. It’s not stylish or hip, or fancy in any way…it’s quirky at best, sometimes even downright odd, with mismatched specimens from favorite diners, weekend art festivals, and even, in one case, pilfered from an airport coffee shop. But it’s also a pretty perfect reflection of my personality. My current favorite was a holiday gift from the hubs last year, and I get excited every time I open our kitchen cabinet and see it perched there, waiting for me.

There’s something so comforting and tactile about the right mug – if the shape and heft are just so, and if it’s a design that makes you smile, all you need is the radiating warmth from that hot tea (peppermint from Smith Tea is my brew of choice), and you have something that will cure just about whatever ails you.

When fall drifts in, I always seem to be more in the mood for tea. Also, when I’m stressed. Since I’m both this season, I’ve found myself obsessively hunting for a new addition to the mug collection, and so I was thinking: maybe we should all make it a fall tradition to treat ourselves to a little something to make us excited about the fall weather. Sure, if a new lipstick is more your thing, godspeed. But if you’re a cozy-phile like me, whether you’re after something to make you feel comforted or just to make you laugh, I have a feeling you’ll fall (pun only intended after the fact) for one of these picks, any of which would be warmly welcomed into my collection.

 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

What do you say…are you in the mood for a spot of tea?

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friday finds: a glamorous morning

Happy Friday, friends! Today’s list is all about turning those dreary, dragging weekday mornings into something a little more extraordinary. Enough with fumbling blindly for our iPhones and staggering toward the shower…it’s time to add some glam to your morning routine.

Brace yourselves: I’m about to recommend a $6 shampoo. No, really. Heidi Klum has been schilling for Clear Haircare, so I decided to give it a try (celebrity endorsements: they work, people). And though I was the skepticalest of skeptics, I kind of love it…more than my usual $30 shampoo, in fact. I’m sure it’s packed full of sulfates, but I can’t even remember why those were so bad for us. As promised, it does a great job of improving scalp health – my hair sheds less, my scalp is less itchy on non-wash days…I’m a happy girl. Stick with your old conditioner, though.

Strong Lengths shampoo, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, $6

In some alternate reality, I’d spend the morning hours lounging in La Perla while my butler brings me tea. But the reality is, it’s a stretch to make much of anything feel glam before 8 am. But now imagine you wake up and make yourself tea in this mug, then add a slow drizzle of organic honey from your beautiful teak honey jar. I’m feeling more glamorous already.

Harabu House Gold thermo mug, $30 & Teak honey jar & stick, $38

It was like at first sight when I came across Lola James jewelry. Every piece is so easy – a complete no-brainer to wear or even to layer. And they’re so fun and cheerful, it would be impossible not to smile when you put them on. Then I saw the prices. Now, it’s love.

Luck Necklace, $45 / Protection necklace, $45 / Pebbles necklace, $45 / Smokin’ Hot bracelet, $30 – All, Lola James Jewelry

Nothing adds that final piece of cheery polish to an outfit like tossing on a gorgeous scarf as you head out the door. Our fabulous sale spy, Roxanna, introduced me to a new line, and I’m obsessed. I suspect you will be too. They have a bevy of beautiful options, but this sunset-inspired palette is easily my favorite.

m0851 modal/cashmere scarf, $295

And before you head out the door, a pretty, pretty Pinterest pick to put you in a happy mood: Oscar de la Renta, fresh from his spring 2013 runway. How can you help but be happy in the face of turquoise, feathers and tulle?

Oscar de la Renta spring 2013, via Style.com

I feel better already. How about you?

Have a great weekend, friends, and I’ll see you back here next week!

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