I have been away....

Wow...almost a month and a half without a post. I have neglected my blog and I am sorry! It has been a crazy month and a half with events and just life changes for Sienna and I.

One of the big events that happened since I have not been posting was a Bridal Shower for my best friend Alyson. She and Chris are getting married in Hawaii next month!! We started planning the shower about two months in advance.

The first step was choosing a place to host the shower. Of course money was a concern so we decided to have it outside in Debbie's courtyard at her condos. It was a nice, large and open space with a great little gazebo to put all the food under. There were lots of chairs in the space already and a few tables.

The second stop was to decide on a "theme" for the shower. I don't think this was really decided until I started picking things up randomly at stores. I think napkins were the first thing I bought!! Brooke and I had chosen some cute mis-matched plates at Party City so once those two were chosen we decided it would be a brightly colored, mis-matched, Anthropologie inspired shower. This would be easy since we are all obsessed with Anthro.

I thought it would be cool to make a table runner out of pretty paper or wrapping paper. My first stop was Paper Source in Carlsbad. I could literally spend HOURS in this store. Brooke and I decided on this gorgeous Marigolds Wrapper paper.

I then had another idea of what to put in the center of the table. I did not want the tradition short glass containers with flowers in them. It just seemed TOO traditional for what we were planning. Someone an idea of using wine bottles popped in my head. We all drink a fair amount of wine so I asked each bridesmaid to start saving their bottles (I think I asked about a month in advance). We had a perfect amount on the day of the shower!

The morning of the shower we went to the Wholesale Flower Mart here on Morena Blvd and picked up lots of gorgeous flowers to put into wine bottles. We lined the bottles down the middle of the two long tables. They turned out great!

I also scored some very cool red and white striped, biodegradable straws from Anthropolgie about a month and a half before the shower. We had a TON of wine glasses that we had used for Brooke's birthday a few months prior. These were perfect so we did not have to use plastic cups. We did use plastic silverware however but Debbie tooks out her jewels and bedazzled EVERY piece of silverware that we had. It turned out adorable.

We also decided to make a White Sangria as the drink of the shower. We made it with White Wine, Blood Red Orange Italian Soda and some chopped up fruit. It was a huge hit and was so delicious.

All-in-all the day turned out exactly as we planned. I think Alyson was very surprised at all of the special details that were put into this special day.

Now for the PHOTOS:

This was the table setting before anyone sat down. I forgot the mention the fans we made that are sitting on each plate. We put cute LOVE sayings on each fan (they were all different), and on the stick at the bottom it says "A+C, Super in Love, 9.19.10".

Of course the important part! THE FOOD. We had back wrapped Artichoke Hearts, hummus and pita chips, chicken salad, fresh fruit, Salad, some DELICIOUS desserts from Chris' mom. All of the food was a hit.

This is our White Sangria. We also had non-alcoholic choices for those who don't drink.

This day was extra special because Alyson's mom was able to fly in for the event.

Then it was time for some games. We asked Chris a bunch of questions about himself and Alyson. Each time she got and answer wrong she had to shove another piece of gum in her mouth.

She did not get as many right as she thought she would!!

Her bouquet after all of the gifts were opened.

We finished the day with a photosoot for Alyson and her bridesmaids, mom and then the entire group of girls that came for the shower.

So the day was a successful and a ton of a fun. Now the countdown to Hawaii begins!! 34 days until we are in HAWAII!

Thank you to everyone who helped with the shower and to everyone who came to make it an extra special day for Alyson.

Obsessions....

I am currently obsessing over MANY things at Graham and Green. Here are a few of my favorite things....

This Yellow Globe would be so perfect in my apartment!

These Baroque Bookshelves are sooo cute and would look good on my walls, like the big blank wall over my bed!

Hello beautiful pillows, how I adore you and need you in my home!

(all photos via Graham and Green)

Photos of the new apartment....

WARNING.....I have a very crappy camera, it's just one of those point and click digital cameras so I am sorry for the horrible quality of these photos. I tried to take photos at all times of the day but all the photos still turned out crappy.

BUT, I can still share some photos from the move and from my new place. It is not the entire apartment because I still have a lot of unpacking and org

anizing to do, then I will do a full shoot with the entire place!

So here it goes:

This is my little Sienna Bear after we pulled the camera out from behind the insanely heavy bed. It had been stuck back there for 2 or 3 months and it took four of us to lift the bed enough to get it out! Sienna was overjoyed to have her camera back.

This is my new bed. Everything is from West Elm, except for the little birdie pillow which is from Target. I love, love my new bedding....my Euro Pillows are on back order so there will be new shots of this once I get them....also searching for some great art work for that gigantic white wall!!

This is my living room with my new Stella Sofa from Z Gallerie, my $25 antique coffee table find from Craigslist, and yes, my lamp with NO shade on it yet. I actually got that lamp about a year ago at the swap meet for $5!!! It was such a steal! I am thinking of painting it white and finding a cool lamp shade with some color for it. Right now my side table is that little yellow storage ottoman from West Elm with a cute tray, also from West Elm. The mirror in the back ground is from Ikea, and I have had it for quite awhile. That will not be staying there but going over my dining room table (as soon as I can get someone to come over and hang it!!)

This is my favorite find. This is Sienna's new dresser. I was driving in Hillcrest one day and saw it outside an antique store. It caught my eye immediately and I knew I had to have it. A few negotiations later and it was MINE! I think it is a little weird that the mirror is on the side but it made a perfect spot for the random frames and other things I had. Yes, the frames are empty, I have such a hard time deciding what to get, but they will be filled eventually with just the right photos and prints.

A few details from Sienna's dresser. I just found the cute little silver antiqued Winnie the Pooh piggy bank on the left at the Salvation Army. It just had the cutest little charm to it, I could not pass it up for $1. The books are all gifts from different friends and family. The bird is from Marshalls...of course, another item I would not pass up (is there a trend here or what?). I am a sucker for a great deal.

So there you have it....those are the photos I will show for now. The rest will come as more things are put together. The kitchen and bathroom are almost done. Just some more details to finish before I share.

The Floral Palette...

So I know I have not posted about my big move over the weekend...I am exhausted, still unpacking and dealing with so much. I will get pictures up and photos of my new place...

In the meantime....I came across the cutest little shop in Rancho Santa Fe last week. Because of my obsession with wedding things, beautiful flowers and wedding design, I make a quick stop into The Floral Palette.

They are a gorgeous floral and gift boutique and they sell some amazing products in their store but also do wedding floral arrangements.

Their photos are gorgeous, check them out when you get a chance. Below are a few of my favorite arraignments...

photos via The Floral Palette

MOVING DAY IS HERE!

The day has come and I can finally get a move on it! Wish me luck, it is going to be a long day but I will have Cali Mocho's waiting at the end :) See you on the other side (or as Sienna's says, In our new Castle).

photo via flickr

The night before moving day.

I am exhausted from all the packing, organizing, throwing away, shopping, etc. that goes along with moving into a new place. I am very excited and even more stoked that my place is getting all new carpet, that definitely makes me excited.

I am excited to have my best girlfriends to share my weekend with and know it will be a great time with the girls. I am excited to unpack and put my new place together and have it feel like MY home. It is going to be so cozy, inviting, girlie and just wonderful.

One of the first pieces of furniture I bought for myself was this awesome antique table for $25! Such a steal. I just could not pass it up. With thrift stores selling things at antique store prices I turned to Craigslist and found this beauty:

I had been swooning over a very similar table at Horchow but was WAYYYY out of my price range at $1200. So this will make due, maybe a little paint job...or maybe I will leave it how it is....we shall see!

More pictures to come after the big move tomorrow.

Welcome to my blog!

For so many years I have been reading blogs and following other people's lives and living vicariously through their posts. It is now time that I start my own blog. I am entering a new time in my life and I feel I would love to share this with my friends and family and whoever else wants to read my posts.

I am a newly single mom and moving into my VERY OWN apartment. As a lover of all things interior design, I cannot believe I have this complete blank slate to put my stamp on. I have so much to share and hope to keep this blog up and running with new posts as often as I can. The first parts will be a lot about moving into my own place (which is happening this weekend!!), and the process of designing on a dime. There will of course be a lot about my little princess, Sienna Grace. She is the love of my life.

Thanks for visiting my blog and stay tuned for more updates soon!!