Nifty...

Call me a little behind on this one, but I was at my parents' house looking through one of their catalogs and I saw an ottoman that folds out into a bed. I am not shocked that this has been invented, but I think it's an awesome idea for anybody who lives in a small apartment in NYC and frequently has out of town guests :)

Photo: Treehugger

Cutest Coffee Tables

One of the most useful pieces of furniture in our apartment (and I believe everybody's household) is a coffee table. I know this because sometimes ours gets overwhelmed with so much stuff and I have to clean it off at least once a week. It's also, most of the time, the center of the living room so it's important to have it looking tidy.  A lot of times when I think this place is so overwhelmingly messy, I start my cleaning on the coffee table and, once that's finished, it feels like I have already done 50 percent of the cleaning in here.  Oh, coffee tables, where would we be without you?

Lakemont Gallery

indulgy.com

I am totally loving the way these coffee tables are decorated.

losangeles-ca.showmethead

imarbletablest.blogspot.com

Our Quaint Getaway

So, for the hubby and I's first anniversary I made reservations out on the North Fork of Long Island for the summer because I have always been meaning to go there with my husband since we were dating and we totally had a blast.

We stayed at an inn right next door to a lavender field, so the whole entire time we were there we had the smell of lavender wafting up our nostrils and it was delightful.  I even tried lavender ice cream and it was the most awesome thing ever (although I think it might be more of a chick flavor because my husband hated it). We also hung out on the beach and drove around.  It was just a fun little getaway for the weekend and was only a couple of hours away. I now want to get a bunch of lavender candles so that the whole apartment can smell super nice all the time.

Colorful Quilts

I started having an interest in quilts ever since my husband and I were dating and I met my mother-in-law for the first time on Thanksgiving.  We were at my husband's aunt's house in Connecticut and my mother-in-law bought over bags full of fabric, which she was sewing together.  It turns out she makes quilts as a hobby and the colors she was using were just so pretty.

When I finally saw my in-law's house in Maine, I saw all of the quilts she made and they were gorgeous.  She made one for each of her son's (she has 4! can you imagine???!!!).  The first of her quilts I actually saw was at our old condo in Connecticut.  My husband had used it as his bedding and it was ripped up horribly and I did the best I could to repair it.  In retrospect, it probably should have been wall art instead of bedding.

Anyway, her quilts are amazing and next time I go to Maine I am going to have to take pictures of some of them and post them on here.  For now, here are some other amazing, colorful and beautiful quilts that I found on the net:

Photo: brendapinnick

Photo: Notes From The Quilt Lab

Ahhhh! Gerber Daisies...my fave!

Photo: Quilting Kat

And...hold the phone...I don't have any kids, but I always dreamed I would have a girl or two. That is, up until I saw this. Notice the little piggies on the corners?  Thanks, PokeyDotQuilting, for making me dream of having boys.

Photo: pokeydotquilting

A Zen Bathroom

I recently went to Kohl's and I saw all of the really cute bathroom decor.  I believe a bathroom should look clean (of course) and have a spa feel to it.  When I am expecting guests, I make sure to have plenty of clean towels and products to freshen up so that they can feel right at home. The bathroom is a place of rejuvenation and cleanliness, so the elements should be zen.

You know all that crap in your bathroom where you end up just putting anywhere because you don't really have a place for it? Well, getting one of these cute little wicker baskets is the solution for it.  You can throw all of that stuff in here, it will look tidy, and you can easily move it when you want to clean!

Above photos: Kohl's

A great and easy way to bring a zen feeling to any bathroom, no matter how big or small, is to add candles.  They will keep your bathroom smelling nice and, when lit, will give a romantic feel.

Photo: favim

Blown Glass: A Favorite

For as long as I can remember, I have been obsessed with blown glass jewelry, vases, plates, etc. This obsession grew since the hubby and I honeymooned in the Cayman's and we came across a blown glass studio where I picked up some really awesome items.  I still go to their website just to look at the awesomeness of it all.  Here are some awesome blown glass items from their website that I admire very much.

Last, but certainly not least, we actually have a piggy that is very similar to this exact one that we bought as a souvenir for ourselves.

Getting the 1960's/Bohemian Chic Look

I am absolutely in love with the 1960's/Hippy/Bohemian Chic decorating styles. I would like to (and already sort of have) add a little of this into my own decor for this apartment.

On to some inspirations:

http://vi.sualize.us/view/7c506fa876dc9d2ae7379dce31e34023/

Photo: Arcadian Home

Photo: designsourcect

While looking at these photos, I realized that the best way to pull this look off is artwork, perhaps blown glass pieces, colorful abstract paintings and pillows. The furniture also has a major part in this, but I just bought leather couches and that's not changing.  

Bold and Beautiful

Here are some super bold lamp shades to spark up your living room or bedroom. A great way to shine some light on your lives!

Photo: Anna Donahue

Photo: homes-house

Photo: beldankradcliffe

Photo: accentshade

Photo: Lamps Plus

When All Else Fails...

The other day our electricity went out at midnight because the hubby forgot to turn off the AC when he was using the microwave.  Of course, when he went to ring the super's bell, the super didn't answer, so we were had to worry about a) sleeping in this heat and b) the $150 worth of food that we just bought sitting in the fridge.  When things like this happen, the hubby gets really frustrated instantly, but I like to keep cool because getting angry about something that is out of your control only makes it worse.

Our solution: we went down to the gas station convenience store (thank goodness we live in a place that has stores open 24/7) and got several bags of ice to put in our fridge and freezer. and then we cracked all the windows so that we can sleep semi comfortably.  The first thing in the morning, we rang the super's bell again and we got our electricity back.  I am happy to say that none of our food spoiled and we even have tons of ice in the freezer that we can still use. We also had to do this very same thing when we lived in Connecticut and the whole town's electricity went out and didn't come back on until the very next day in the afternoon.

The point of this post: When electricity is down and all else fails, 24 hour gas stations and bags of ice are your friends...

Photo: White Oak Ice

A Delicious Summer Treat

Summer is on it's way and, for me, this means I get to break the summer dessert recipes.  In the summer I like to make light and tasty desserts, so jello recipes are among my favorites.  I especially love any jello recipes with fruit in them (they not only taste really yummy, but look really cool!).  So, in honor of my love for jello recipes, I figured I'd share with you one of the easiest.  I got this recipe from Babble (I did very slightly change it, but anybody should feel free to experiment with the fruit or juice however they choose).  This is a truly tasty and fun and easy to make summer treat.

Fruit Gelatin 
makes 12


Ingredients
3 1/2 cups grape juice
2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
1 cup of grapes (sliced in halves)
1 cup of strawberries (sliced)
1 cup of mandarin oranges

• Pour grape juice into sauce pan.
• Sprinkle gelatin over and let it stand for 10 minutes.  Turn the heat on low and stir until gelatin is dissolved.
• Pour into individual ramekin bowls, muffin tins, or just use a glass dessert dish to eliminate the step of removing the gelatin later. 
• Add fruit to each individual dish.
• Chill in your refrigerator overnight or until set.
• Loosen the molds with warm water or with a knife.  Set a plate on top of the mold, holding both the mold and the place and flip upside down quickly to remove the mold. 
• Admire your hard work and enjoy this tasty and fruity treat!

Add Some Swag

Last summer I was helping my sister-in-law spruce up her apartment before she married my brother-in-law and became my sister-in-law. Besides all of the cleaning that we did to make their nest look amazing, she wanted to do the project of creating a swag lamp out of this awesome lamp shade she purchased at a garage sale. The project was a huge success and the space she wanted her swag lamp was the ultimate perfect space for it.  Looking back on this experience makes me totally want to put a swag lamp up myself.  I am not totally sure of that because there is absolutely no way that this space is as perfect for a swag lamp as her place is.  Either way, swag lamps are awesome...

Photo: justamodernguy

Photo: DaveysVintage

Purses!

It's that time of year where I usually swap my old purse for a new purse.  I like my purses to make a statement about myself and my life and also be something that I can live with for the next 6 months to a year.  These are some of the purses that I really like:

Not only are these Urthbags trendy now, they also happen to make a huge statement about what I do for a living to actually put money into my purse...

Photo: urthbags

Photo: Handbag Heaven

Photo: zappos

Betsey Johnson? For real? Send this way, please!

Photo: zappos

DIY Headboards

I've never had a real headboard before, so when I saw some of these DIY headboards, I was all about making one of my own.  I think this is an excellent way to make a statement and, if it's also functional, even better!

Photo: hgtv

I really love this led lights headboard, but since we have plenty of street lights shining into our room already, I decided against it.  It is a very great way to bring a romantic and warm feeling into your bedroom though.

Photo: Apartment Therapy

This is what I call a functional headboard!

Photo: Sunset

Photo: bhg

From Shanty Chic to NYC Chic

The kitchen is finally done and I couldn't be more ecstatic because now I can concentrate on making the rest of this place into a place we can call home.  We put a new floor down and it wasn't much trouble and it wasn't costly at all. We went to home depot and they luckily had one out on the floor that was the exact length and width of our kitchen. This only costs us about $40.00 and we put it down with glue tape which was also very cheap.  I am so happy I can actually walk around barefoot in my own place...yay!

In NYC, to make the most of your space, you stack up, and that's what we did with the coffee grinder and coffee machine.

We got this little guy from a little gift shop in Maine; we call him pick. We like odd things and piggies.

Spending Summers in Brooklyn

As I may have said in the past, I was born and raised in Queens in a town much closer to Long Island called Bellerose.  For anybody who is familiar with Bellerose, it was the Queens Village/Bellerose borderline.  I also spent a lot of summers as a child in my grandmother's apartment in Brooklyn.  Her apartment is what most New Yorkers would call huge.  I have vivid memories of my sister and I playing hide and seek in her apartment, which had tons of hiding space.  That's right, while my husband was spending summers in a cabin in the mountains of Maine, I was spending mine in Brooklyn, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.

I also remember her delicious Croatian cooking, going to Manhattan Beach and bringing a picnic and sitting on the picnic tables under the trees, going to the amusement parks, going to the park to play in the unbelievably huge sprinklers, buying fish at the pet store and just walking around aimlessly around the streets with my grandma who bought a change purse full of quarters so that my sister and I can ride the quarter pony rides and get prizes from the mystery clucking chickens (anybody remember them?!!!!).

Growing up in the city sure is an adventure. It encourages you to use your imagination to have fun and to make the best out of what you have.

Photo: beehivehairdresser

Photo: high street art

Photo: liveglamordie

The Pesky Fly

There was a small house fly living in here for about a week.  Try to open the window, it wouldn't go out.  Cat tries to catch it and wasn't successful.  I give the apartment a full cleaning, and then it decides to bite the hubby and I.  For a small fly, it sure was the most annoying fly I've ever seen.  So, we bring in the big guns, the fly zapper.  That pest deserved every last second of what he got!

Photo: indoorelectricbugzapper

Psssst....Best Bagels in NYC

As a NYC native, I feel obligated to tell anybody who is coming here to visit or lives here and hasn't discovered this gem yet about the best bagels ever in the NYC area.  Actually, they are in Long Island. A&S Bagels are the sh*t! Made on premises, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, a large selection and absolutely fabulous!  They also have all different sorts of cream cheeses and cupcakes which are also really frickin awesome!

Photo: A & S Bagels

Photo: Yelp

Here's another little secret: if you just buy bagels from the grocery store, a real New Yorker uses Temptee Cream Cheese...