Your Weekend

-image by jen ramos

Design: Graduation Gift Ideas

Hi MadebyGirl readers!  Sam here, from The Peak of Tres Chic, back for another decor post.  Lately my inbox has been full of graduation announcements and party invitations, which makes me reminisce on my own post-undergrad days.  

I remember being so excited to decorate my first apartment in the city, but also clueless about where to start!  Luckily, there are so many cute and affordable decor options out there for the new apartment dweller.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Shop This Board:

Kiwi Folding Mesh Cubes $2.99/ea/Candace Turquoise Table Lamp  $442/Amethyst Salt & Pepper Shakers $115/ Quips and Queries Notecards $28/Good Bones Great Pieces Book $20.69/Arianna Belle Hexagon Throw Pillow Cover  $67/"Measure Me" Measuring Spoons  $15/Shop Ten 25 Turquoise Nightstand $975

Are any of you in the process of decorating your space?  What's been your favorite purchase thus far?  Congrats to all the new graduates this year!

-post by samantha penner

Changing Your Home & Style

Some days I wish MONEY was no object. I would totally change my entire wardrobe & home decor once a year. For those of you who like to change things up, wouldn't that be awesome? To be able to just snap your fingers & BAM! -  new wardrobe, new decor & if we could take it a bit further, we could even look like a specific person. Hmmmmm?

Again, this is not saying you should be UNHAPPY where you are, but like vacations, it would be a cool change of pace, a way to remove the same ol' - same ol' from our everyday lives, but still be able to come back to it! Of course, this is all FANTASY - but the thought intrigued me so much, I thought about how I would do it. So, how would I change things up?

Well, it would have to be a STYLE that is totally OPPOSITE (somewhat) of what I'm into now. With that said, I chose a Bohemian-Chic look. I also chose to go BLONDE & look a little like NICKY HILTON. Not super attractive, not too ugly, right??!!? 

Besides, I thought she looked fantastic in this Boho style outfit, which I plan to sport this summer, you, just, watch! Ok, my picks for Bohemian Style, My way home decor.... would look something like this:

 

1. navy lacquer desk - shopten25

2. spot pillow - barneys

3. horse art - shop candelabra

4. cobalt throw - jayson home

5. agate bookends - high street market

6. marc blackwell glass - barneys

7. nikko ceramics - barneys

8. gold ampersand - the cross

9. elya pillow - jayson home

10. paulaina reyes pilow - west elm

11. velvet ikat pillow - sukan

12. frank ottoman - jayson home

 

However, in the REAL WORLD I'm a tall brunette who loves glamorous living spaces & large scale abstract ART in my home.

If you could change your home decor & the way you look for 1 year, who would you be & what style would you choose??

-top image via purodeco
-nicky hilton image via w.e.n.n
-bottom 2 images by jen ramos

Design: Tropical Glam

Hi MBG readers, its Amanda and I am back with two absolute summertime fave of mine: the iconic banana leaf print and the Massimo Vitali beach photograph. Not sure about you guys but there's no palm trees over here (in ohio) so I'm determined to bring the classic glam style of vacation destinations into our home.

And if you're not planning on any vacation soon, I've picked out a couple of pieces that will be sure to get you feeling the 'Palm Springs chic meets 1950s hollywood' vibe!

Elle Decor

Martinique Wallpaper | World of Interiors via Art of Interiors

1. Rio Wall Sconce
2. Faceted Pendant Light
3. Jacquard Forest Towel
4. Sunburst Mirror
5. Massimo Vitali Photograph
6. Ikea Sofa (Tullinge Gray Slipcover)
7. Palm Leaves Pillow
8. Threshold Toss Pillow
9. Basketweave Metal Accent Table
10. Bamboo Lucite & Brass Bar Cart
11. Stud Poof
12. Safavieh Courtyard Area Rug
13. Jo Malone Osmanthus


-post by amanda dietz

 

SERIES: my home, my space

 
What is your favorite area in your home and why?

"Hi I'm Edie from Life in Grace blog! The multitasking type of room has long been a dream of mine.  A room that’s like me - that reads and does laundry and blogs and dabbles in paints and maps and printing and child-rearing and bird watching.  We’ve only lived here two weeks but I can’t even  count the hours we’ve already spent in here. 

My girls’ new favorite pastime is to watch nail art videos and make their art come true whilst listening to me read “Gulliver’s Travels.”  It’s the first room we use in the morning and the last room we leave in the evening.   It never looks this clean.   There’s usually books and nail polish and writing projects strewn about.   We clean the green table off 27 times a day, only to make room for more art."

You can see more of the renovation here.

-images via here

Your Weekend

-image by jen ramos

Cocoa & Hearts

Thanks to Cassidy for sharing this gorgeous pic of her workspace - that happens to include one of my Cocoa & Hearts paintings! Love it!  I will be adding more new pieces this month stay tuned!!

Do you have a photo you'd like to share with your Cocoa & Hearts painting?? I'd love to see it!  Email me.

Floral Trend - Yes or Hell No?

Here in NYC I've been spotting the floral trend in pretty much every store in town. In fact it looks like this may be in full bloom this Summer! Even though I haven't made the jump to this TREND, I'm really digging these styles below. From skinnies, leggings to trousers, they all come in floral prints these days. I can get a bit wild, but sometimes I think I'd feel like a spectacle if I was walking down the street with some bright pink flowery jeans. 

How about you? Do you like this trend? Which could you see yourself wearing, floral pants, bathing suits or tops?

1. shopbop
2. shopbop
3. mother via shopbop
4. peg trousers via asos
5. current elliot via shopbop
5. floral leggings asos

Fashion: Jumpsuits

Hi everyone!  It's Kat from With Love From Kat. Today's post is all about jumpsuits.  I recently purchased this jumpsuit from Theory and have already worn it to lunches, cocktails and meetings. It's so comfortable, yet flattering, and can easily be dressed up with a pair of heels or dressed down with a scarf and flats.  

Jumpsuits look best with a tie or belt around the waist.  If it doesn't come with a tie or belt, add this obi belt from Lafayette 148 or this thin leather belt from B-Low The Belt.  I try to stay away from wide leg + strapless jumpsuits and lean towards sleeveless/short sleeved versions like below.

1. Theory jumpsuit

2. Arden B jumpsuit

3. Diane Von Furstenberg jumpsuit

4. Catherine Malandrino jumpsuit (in turquoise)

-post by kat tanita

Domaine

Have you guys seen Domaine?

Domaine is a shoppable online magazine spotlighting stylish homes for hip & trendy consumers. It was launched by the creators of WhoWhatWear, and led by Mat Sanders (Domino, Apartment Therapy), the site is a fantastic place to visit when you're looking to get home decor inspiration & ideas. 

The online mag was recently launched in 2013, & is located in one of the world’s most exciting design capitals, Los Angeles. Sweet! I very much enjoyed the entire site, as you can see below are a few of my favorites. How cool is that drawer pull made of skateboard wheels? Enjoy!

-images via domaine

SERIES: MY HOME, MY SPACE

What is your favorite area in your home and why?

"My name is Carmeon Hamilton and I'm a designer out of Memphis, TN. I'm and avid follower of Made By Girl, and today I'm happy to share my fave space with all of you! I share a decent sized apartment with my hubs and 4 year old son. We're on the tightest of budgets so 95% of our furniture has been from a thrift/consignment/antique/junk shop or was created by my own hands. 

Seriously, our biggest splurge was our IKEA Kivik sofa & chase. I built the parson's style bookshelf and navy blue dining table all by myself. Here is the link to the DIY I did, I think you'll love it! I love for the thrill of a good find, but if I can't find what I want, I create it!"

-images via nubi interiors

Nursery by Nest Design Studio

Sometimes I think about what it would be like to decorate a nursery & what kinds of art & decor I would add into the space. 

I ask myself things like would the art pieces be educational or purely aesthetically pleasing to the eye? Would I paint the walls or add wallpaper? Would I fill the room with unnecessary toys? (hope not)
With that said, I wanted to share this gorgeous nursery for all you moms-to-be so that you would gain some inspiration if you're stuck on what to add into the space! This space was designed by Nest Design Studio using one of my Gold Love prints - which looks fab, don't you think? Belinda of Nest Design in Australia, put it all together for her client's baby! 

-images via nest design studio

Design: Matchbooks

Hello, hello my dears!  Sam from The Peak of Tres Chic here, back to share a fun decor idea to spruce up your space.  One thing about me:  I happen to be a collector of sorts.  When I was in kindergarden, the obsession began with rocks.  

I once tried to take home a sack full of artificial rocks from the school playground for my personal rock collection.  Here we are 20 years later, and my tastes have elevated a bit.  Nowadays, I prefer adding to my coffee table book and throw pillow collection.  I also love to collect matchbooks from my favorite local restaurants and from my travels.   The diverse designs, typography, and colors on each book look lovely arranged in a bowl together:

{Katie Armour}

{Rue Magazine}

{Tommy Smythe}

Are you more of a minimalist?  No problem. Buy a dozen matchbooks in the same style and arrange together in a pretty bowl, like these ginger jar matches:

{Design Darling}

Ready to curate your own collection?  Here are a few gorgeous matchbook designs to get you started:

Top Row: Palm Tree Matches $7/Blue Crab Matches $4/Barney's Odalisque Matches $12

Bottom Row: Flamingo Matches $7/Coral Matches $4/Twigs & Flint Matches $32.50

Demijon Glass Bowl $78

-post by samantha penner

FOOD: Strawberry & Vanilla Mascarpone Tart

As we get closer to those warm, sun-drenched days of late spring and early summer, there's nothing I, Lauren, crave more than fresh fruit and lighter meals. One of my all-time favorite desserts is to eat fresh strawberries with vanilla mascarpone--in fact, our wedding cake six years ago was a modern-day take on strawberry shortcake, with layers of "naked" pound cake, mascarpone, and strawberries. 

I really love that combination. So for today's recipe, I thought I'd turn my favorite sweet flavors into super simple, individual tarts that you'll be wanting to make all summer. The recipe yields two servings, but you can easily double or triple it for sharing with friends! 

Macerating strawberries is really easy. Most people just use a bit of sugar and water, but I added orange juice and zest for a subtle citrus kick, and some seeds from a vanilla bean to pick up the flavor of the vanilla mascarpone. 

Remember the spring tarts? I used the same frozen puff pastry for these tarts--that puff pastry is so versatile! In this case, I just added extra strips around the edge of each square to make higher borders for keeping the mascarpone, berries and brandy syrup inside.

Ingredients

1 large handful strawberries, tops removed and sliced in half

1 tablespoon sugar

1 orange

1 fresh vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

1 sheet of store-bought puff pastry, defrosted

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1/2 of a small container of mascarpone

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

1 cup water

4 tablespoons brandy

1 cup sugar

Instructions

1. To make the brandy syrup, place the water, brandy and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Set aside and allow to cool.

2. To macerate the strawberries, place sliced strawberries in a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar, juice and zest of an orange, and half the seeds from a vanilla bean pod. Mix it all together gently.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut two squares from one sheet of pastry dough. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cut 1/2-inch wide strips from the remaining pastry dough and place the strips around the pastry squares to form borders. Brush the tops of the borders with the egg, then bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden. Don't forget to pierce the middle of each square with a fork before baking, so they don't get quite as puffy inside as mine!

4. To make the filling, place the mascarpone, powdered sugar, and remaining half of the vanilla seeds in a bowl. Combine thoroughly with a fork. Set aside.

5. To serve, spoon the vanilla mascarpone into the tarts and top with the macerated strawberries. Finish with a little extra orange zest, and serve with the brandy syrup. Makes 2. 

-images and post by lauren craig