Ferris Bueller is still the shit. I’ve even renamed one of our office meeting rooms after him.  And another after Dong from 16 Candles, but that’s another story.

Available: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Poster by Claudia Varosio via Etsy

similar to my dressing strategies, i think i prefer simple color schemes that can serve as a palate for decorative accessorizing. love the simplicity of all these. especially the RUFFLE pillows and the casual pillar candle centerpiece.

{via thisisglamorous}

I have a couple odd neighbors who live down the hall.

When this guy first moved in, he moved in with a nice-looking young lady. They seemed to be a happy couple. Suddenly over the course of a week or so, she was gone and was replaced by another young lady. This one wasn’t quite as good-looking or classy-looking.

And the new one came with a baby.

So I ask myself (and you): Do you think he got a woman pregnant while living with another? Do you think he didn’t even realize it until the baby was born? Or do you think I’m making up a story in my mind?

The most annoying balcony of them all.

Anyway, once the new woman and baby moved in, the balcony got very crowded. She apparantly loves to decorate with no abandon. They both smoke, but I’m not sure where they stand on this balcony.

Now, my final point for disliking this crew. They take the baby’s car seat, attach it to a rope, and pull it up to the third flood balcony. I’ve seen them doing this several times.

A couple weeks ago, something was brought to my attention. Do you think the baby is in the car seat?

absolutely terrible photo of a cupboard i bought for 35 bucks to store all the useless stuff i buy at thrift stores.  turns out it isn’t close to being big enough to store all my useless stuff.  oh well.  i need to stop buying stuff.  but it IS a good quality piece of furniture.  and fits PERFECTLY in the back of my pantry.  it came with glass doors (not pictured here) and is “distinctive furniture by stanley.”  i am so very distinguished with my distinctive furniture. 

oh, it’s so christmasy outdoors now.

went to the movies and saw “an education” and was thoroughly entertained (despite the slightest, the very slightest “ick” factor storyline.)  had NO idea prior to going what the movie was about and this is the way i like to see a movie.  never saw a preview.  didn’t read any reviews (other than to check the score on rotten tomatoes.)  the story is good, the dialogue is great, the actors are great, the wardrobes are fun and the set decor is wonderful (especially the apartment of miss briggs.  well, all of it, really.)  a great way to spend my rainy afternoon.  and *bonus* – the theater was NOT crowded and there was NO-ONE sitting anywhere near me.  this always makes for a more pleasant movie-going experience. 

did i say i was going to stop buying useless stuff from thrift stores?  stopped into goodwill after the movies and using restraint, i only bought a couple items.  one of them being this:

a little reminder to myself to keep looking for a house to buy.  and keep looking for an additional job to earn money in order to afford a house to buy.  oh hard work.  it just gets in the way of having fun.

We are finally going to be getting new couches! At least, new to us. Hopefully.

We got two new couches when we first got married nine years ago – one that we won in a bridal show, and one that we bought at a bargain basement furniture shop. The burgundy leather couch from the bridal show arrived with a rip underneath one of the arms, and even the furniture shop’s “repair” didn’t really fix it, so it just got worse. It was never our style, either. We sold it to college students in Pittsburgh before we moved back to Michigan. The bargain basement khaki green couch, literally found in the basement of Art Van, was only $300 and remains in our living room to this day. It is comfortable, but it has holes where the staples (!) that hold the particleboard frame together are coming out and puncturing the fabric. It is not an heirloom couch, and it looks awful.

We’re not going to be able to spend thousands of dollars on new sofas, though. We want something sturdy enough for a while, either in wipe-clean leather or washable slipcovers. Leather is more expensive, but the clean up is just about as easy as it gets: baby spits up, mom takes a clean rag and wipes it up. Slipcovers involve removing fabric, washing, line drying, and stuffing the cushion back in. Not horrible, but not easy, either.

We’re thinking of two matching couches to frame the fireplace. Because of the layout of our house, it doesn’t really work to have one couch and chairs. Plus, with a family of six, it would be nice if we all could sit in the living room at once, which two sofas would allow us to do.

My first choice, of course, is to look for a sturdy vintage couch. I’ve been hunting Craigslist for months, but finding even one good vintage sofa is tough, much less two that match. I’m looking for mid-century, with wooden legs, so that I can replace the cushions with the material and fabric of my choosing and avoid the carcinogenic flame retardants that modern couches are treated with.

Because buying vintage has been so tough, I’m also hunting new. That brings me to IKEA, where not only are they affordable, but they also don’t treat their furniture with PBDE, a very toxic flame retardant that is still used in just about everything you bring into your home (especially conventional mattresses and furniture). Of course, to meet federal flammability requirements, IKEA treats their stuff with other flame retardants, but they are less toxic. We cannot afford organic couches, though I’d love to be able to.

To the pictures. Here’s an old pic of our living room. That big blank wall is now filled with five white bookshelves. The fireplace is painted white, with a black wood stove insert.  The couches will go perpendicular to the fireplace wall, framing the fireplace, probably with a coffee table in between. The wall color is a little brighter and creamier than in this pic, but this is the best I’ve got right now:

Here are the sofas (couches? What do you call them?) that we are considering. Keep in mind that our living room is a creamy golden yellow.

We love the clean lines and look of the Karlstad sofa. The base model, with a white slipcover, is only $399:

For the same price, we could get it with the long slipcover instead:

While I’m reassured that the slipcovers are washable, and we don’t eat in the living room, white still makes me nervous. (Even though, aesthetically, white is my favorite. I love the way it’s such a clean slate for decorating. I could get over the nerves, I think.) So I’m also considering a set in green ($499/ea):

Or light blue ($499/ea):

Or brown ($499/ea):

I think that white is my top choice, followed by green and brown. Or maybe one each of blue and green? Would that look dumb? I like color, but I don’t want a circus. Brown or white give me the most options, should we decide to re-paint or re-decorate in another scheme. Throw pillows and blankets will also change the look of any colored sofa we buy. And because IKEA rocks, we can buy new slipcovers at any time to change the look.

For leather options, there isn’t much. About the only one we can afford that I don’t mind is the Ektorp, priced at $699 for dark brown leather:

I really love the lines on the Stockholm, but it’s nearly $1500 (eeks!), so it’s not going to be an option:

But isn’t it pretty?

(I’ve also been hounding Craigslist for used leather sofas, which have less of the squick factor that usually comes with a used sofa, since they’re wipe-clean. But they’re either very 80’s looking, or way overpriced.)

Hm. What do you think? Slipcovers or leather? (Leather is so dark, and the living room area is already pretty dark. Which is why I’m leaning toward white slipcovers. But oh, how easy leather is to clean!)

Spend the entire morning surfing this site. Every time I am about to close the browser, images of superbly creative and crafted furniture or the hanging candles tug my heart. One more addition to my latest personal weakness – An Indian Summer. The ingeniously crafted home décor and furniture on this site would have you pining to do up your home once again.

I love home décor and wooden crafted furniture. Love everything about them – the creativity, the simplicity, the texture, the color, the design, the cuts, the emotions that they bring into a home. My ideal Saturday would be visiting a home décor store. Ikea, home décor at Fab India, the Wendell Rodrigues store in Goa makes me go weak in the knee.

My passion for home décor and Indian furniture started when I moved to India for my education. Since then everything I see, I save an imprint in my long term memory for my own house. Last nine years (education+work) life has been divided between crammed up hostels and single room paying guest accommodation. My weakness for home décor has prompted me to hunt for my own one bedroom apartment in Bangalore. Unfortunately that never materialized. Yes, I must confess, my 101 reasons why I should get married, one of them is home décor/ doing up the house. Well, joy multiples in sharing! No point sitting in my single room alone with hanging candles, exquisite linens and pillows on a Saturday night. Till I have my own house or find a better half to pay for the expenses, I will continue to sigh heavily when I see uber creative and artistic home décor.

The color yellow always reminds me of warmth and sunshine. Both are needed now more then ever during these upcoming cold winter months. Enjoy and visit these sites!! Show your Etsy Love!

1. Golden, Buttery Winter Scarf
2. Custom Wedding Cake Toppers
3. Ring
4. Hope for Better
5. Sleepy Owl Print
6. Neon flower earrings
7. Golden Pears
8. Golden Charm
9. Luxurious and Elegant Shawl

Rola esse fim de semana, no Museu da Casa Brasileira, a mostra “Arquitetura do Uruguai”. Serão apresentados 50 projetos que foram realizados no país e no exterior, feitos por arquitetos da Faculdade de Arquitetura de Montevidéu. Algumas das construções contemporâneas e das obras produzidas ocorreram durante os anos 50, 60 e 70.

Na mostra você poderá conhecer soluções criativas para suas obras  tendo como foco o orçamento reduzido e a praticidade.

Outro evendo imperdível para os aficionados por utilitários de luxo, será a mostra de cristais Moser.  Os cristais Moser são um símbolo na história da manufatura de cristais finos. Por 150 anos, e marca tem produzido luxuosas e sofisticadas peças decorativas e para mesa em formas clássicas e contemporâneas. Entre os admiradores dos cristais Moser estão a Rainha Elizabeth da Inglaterra, o Rei Juan Carlos da Espanha e Bill Clinton. Na mostra você pode conferir 15 peças da marca que marcaram a história da produção de cristais finos. A exposição acontece a partir do dia 28 de novembro, no terceiro andar da Villa Daslu.

What could possibly make Marley Majcher’s (AKA the party goddess) heart sing when she has seen and done it all?

Answer: an abandoned warehouse!

Tucked away in an obscure part of downtown Los Angeles warehouse district is the perfect setting to weave her magic and transform a 10,000 sq.ft.  dilapidated warehouse into a magical space celebrating the four seasons,  fall, winter, spring and summer.

I was invited to the fun and festivities and joined her the day before the party to share in the set up and transformation.  Imagine a nondescript entrance transformed by an awning covering a red carpet and potted trees welcoming guests with a gobo light on the wall that said  ”Yes, you are in the right place!”.  A contemporary, all white welcome/check in area greeted guests with lit bars and varying heights of Jeffrey Latham inspired floral arrangements.

 Inside, each room depicted a season.  You first entered  fall” – full of  pumpkins and fall decor  with a life-size “Mayflower” ship anchoring the room. 

“Summer”  was all beach and surf boards, picnic tables and palm trees. The loading dock was a perfect stage for the 8 piece band that rocked the night away. A raised platform made for a great area to add striped awnings covering beach chairs to sit and watch the action on the dance floor.

“Winter” greeted you with a life-size gingerbread house. Shots of white chocolate Godiva and vodka kept you warm while you waited your turn for a hunky santa and his elf photo-op.  A winter vignette featuring a sled and real pony delighted the children and completed the winter wonderland!

Upstairs, “Spring”  was an oasis of calm. Chirping birds provided a quieter area to enjoy butterfly displays, neck massages, and  lipstick sampling from an exclusive brand sold in boutiques.

Just when you thought your senses were full and the party was in full swing, out appeared a scarecrow on stilts cutting a swath of Michael Jackson moves on the dance floor.  Dancing in the midst of flying beach balls and dancing guests, this scarecrow makes Gumby seem stiff as a board!

A sumptuous buffet included  3 different kinds of turkey, stuffing and  mac’n cheese in various flavors. And for dessert, why settle for one birthday cake when you can have…- 4 – one for each season! A witch and her cauldron, a cheeseburger, a peppermint patty and a layered cake with flowers.

  How about that for celebrating in style!

Happy Holidays!

Yvonne Szikla – Owner/President – Affairs with Flair -  www.theaffairswithflair.com

I love the McPherson, and I love the thought of drinking tisane tea out of these!

Available: Mr Wiggles Cup, Saucer and Mini Print by Tara McPherson via ClickForArt

found all this loveliness at {this is glamorous}. thanksgiving has come and gone {though the leftover chex mix and pie certainly hasn’t} and now it’s acceptable to think about christmas!

I’m back!

Between working two jobs, taking 16 credits at college and just adding on a wedding I’ll be doing completely on my own for a lovely woman getting married this coming summer my blog has been the last thing on my mind these last few weeks. But here I am! I finally caught a day (or most of a day) to myself to sit and write and share some photos from a recent dinner that was absoloutly delicious.

SO, we finally did it. We finally tried Winfield’s. For those of you south-Jerseyins, Winfields is right on high street in Millville right next to the clay college. It’s fairly small, just one long room with the bar and kitchen in the back. They decorated with all light color woods and left the ceiling in the original square pattern. The decor was well thought out for a local place, I thought. There was a really interesting balance of geometrical elements and organic patterns and the bar area was very interesting as well.

We both got fairly obvious things for us. Frank got the filet mignon, of course, and I tried the lemon chicken.

The filet came with red skinned mashed potatoes which were fantastic and I must learn how to re-create them! The filet itself was very good as well, I even tried a piece and was impressed.

The chicken was so tender which is the only way chicken can ever really be good, no matter what you put on it or with it – if it’s dry, just throw it out. But no, it was very tender and was covered in the lemon sauce which wasn’t overly lemon-y but definetely had a kick to it. The asparagus and potato wedges were also good (although most of the potatoes made their way over to frank’s plate, while his asparagus found their way to mine. The chicken actually had two servings of chicken on the plate. Honestly, if I was going with a friend who wanted chicken as well, it would be a perfect plate to share as there was no way I was going to fit a second piece of chicken in my stomach.

The desserts were absoloutly, down right, kick butt! seriously, they were awesome.

I had the Tiramisu (which ties with pumpkin pie as my favorite dessert ever – someone should find a way to mix the two…it”d be the ultimate dessert for me!) it was so great. It was served in a large margarita glass (so funny since thats always what I put mine in when I make it!) and it was perfectly light and fluffy and so good. If I have to be honest, it’s not quite as good as Positano Coast’s but it is a very close second.

Frank of course went right for the Chocolate Lava Cake. I of course couldn’t help stealing a taste. It was made with a very dark chocolate and was super warm and gooey and just how a chocolate lava cake should be.

It was a great meal, and after talking about it we both agreed that Winfield’s is our local favorite, even over Lucia’s which was also very good. If you live in the area and haven’t tried it yet, you should go!

I’ll leave you with a photo of the last bit of Tiramisu I had to push to the opposite side of the table so I didn’t completely over stuff myself (in my opinion, nothing ruins a good meal more than feeling like you can’t walk afterwards!)