My Modern Farmhouse

It's been some time since I've last posted, but I felt like getting back into the swing of things! My new little addition, Crew, is almost 6 months old. While my not so baby boy, Luca, is 3 and in preschool! I feel like I'm finding a little bit of time to fit in blogging again, so we'll see! I've missed it! 

I have to say, it's so unreal how fast time flies! My husband and I moved out of our home so we could begin our remodel...or should I say new build! The only thing left is the foundation! I know we have a little time before we start picking the finishes, but I wanted to share with you all some of my favorite inspiration from Pinterest and Houzz for our modern farmhouse! Let me know what you girls think- I love hearing about your style, or what you guys think of what I'm trying to choose between! Happy November btw! WHAT?!?! Time- stop it! :) 

Loving this for our kitchen. Brass is definitely growing on me. And I am loving all the long pulls! 

Also loving this kitchen. That pendant is AH-Mazing!

This floor though! Maybe for the boys bathroom! 

Loving some type of Cement tile. The gold and silver/gray is gorgeous! 

Simple and Chic. 

Faucets coming out of the wall. A yay or nay? More brass- it really is growing on me. But is it too trendy?

Love me a big ol' fireplace! Especially a chic one made of cement! 

Classic farmhouse front door. 

Every farmhouse needs a little ship lap! 

Kind of loving the black top as opposed to the white counter tops that are always being done. And those lights are incredible.

As you can see, it's al little all over the place right now. But we have some time so I'll try to narrow down my favorites from my inspo. This is such an exciting project and I can't wait to continue seeing it all come together! xo

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Pump(kin)ed for Fall

I am one of those people that LOVES decorating for most major holidays. Fall, that's a holiday, right?? haha I made my monthly (alright, weekly) visit to Homegoods and found some incredible decorations for Fall. Granted they are mostly pumpkins, but pumpkins are great pieces of decor that will transition your home from Halloween to Thanksgiving quite easily and definitely get your home feeling fall festive! 

I am a huge fan of the fact that decorative pumpkins can be placed in many unique spots around the home and still look chic and not feel like you're really "decorating for fall" but more like you are just adding items that belonged there all along. On top of bookshelves, piled inside bowls, placed on top of a coffee table- the options are truly endless. Another fun thing about pumpkin decor is that the options of colors and what they are made of are endless. The velvet pumpkins I found at Homegoods were some of my best finds yet. (Yes!) I only found two while on my visit, but I found some more on amazon that you'll have to check out and snatch up before they are gone. 

Below I've shared some pumpkin decor that I'm eyeing at the moment. Hope you're all having an amazing Hump-day! How do you like to decorate for fall? Where's your go to spot to shop for Holiday decor? Let me know, I'm always on the hunt! xo

Velvet Pumpkin with Feathers (25-30% off site today only-Horchow)

Matte Black Pumpkin

Glass Pumpkin Candle Cloches

Harvest Gourd

Carved Wood Pumpkins (25-30% off site today only-Horchow)

Velvet Pumpkin

MacKenzie-Childs Beware Pumpkins

Brass Pumpkins

Velvet Pumpkins

The Monogram

There are really few things I like more than a beautiful monogram! Ever since college, when my mom sent me off to school with monogrammed bed sheets, pillow cases, towels & laundry bag, I fell into obsession with the monogram. She had told me it was so no one took my things, which really was a smart thing to do, but really it was my custom stamp! It was my name, my logo, my being. I love everything about a monogram. 

Now that I'm a little older, and a little wiser (and since I've gotten married and have tossed all my college bedding/towels, etc out-because who really still needs to hold onto pink and green twin size bedding?? haha) I have realized there is an abundance of things you can monogram! You can put your stamp on napkins, serving trays, candles, blankets, backs of chairs, pillow cases, makeup bags, tote bags, clothing, shoes, stationary, presents, etc.! That's just the beginning! The options really are endless. A monogram is beautiful, sophisticated and classic, so you really can't go wrong. 

Not only can you have one set of monogramed napkins, but you can have multiple sets- for different occasions or just to change the look and color palette of the table for a soiree. This goes with almost everything and anything you monogram. You can pick different colors, different font/type, even different size or location of the monogram. You can't leave out your men either- there are great items to get monogramed for your man, such as cocktail napkins for his bar, a leather toiletry bag, bar glasses, cuff links, or even sunglasses! When in doubt- monogram it! 

Napkins

Bedding

Striped T-Shirt

Belt

Cosmetic Bag

 Guest Towels

Luggage Tag

Dresser Tray

Robe

Cuff Link Box

Cooking Utensil Set

Sunglasses

Spring Forward

I've been busy these last few days doing my "spring cleaning." It feels so good to cleanse oneself of anything you haven't used in awhile or items that have no need being in your home. When I think of spring I think of fresh florals, uncluttered spaces, and crisp linens. Funny enough, while I was doing my usual perusing of online blogs and articles, I came across an amazing article at Vogue.com all about they best ways to freshen up your home for spring! It is a must read! It inspired me to go that extra mile and to really take that full transition into spring. The weather has finally cleared up, the sun is shining, and I think it is about time I throw my Uggs to the back of the closet and bring my wedges up to that front row spot. Are you an avid spring cleaner? It feels refreshing and like a weight has been lifted off my back. Cheers to rosè and fresh peonies (weather they be real or faux-flowers always brighten up the place)!! 

Project: Linda Ave. Staging & Remodel

I wanted to share with you all the photos we have of our remodel and staging from our last project on Linda Ave. It was a lot of hard work but it's so fun for us and it's what my husband and I love to do! We are a great team when it comes to getting things done and checking items off of our list. In the end, all our decisions came together wonderfully and we were so proud of our project. Hope you all enjoy!

The staging furniture I have is very rustic traditional in an array of nude colors and all the items look great with the colors we picked for our finishes inside the home. We went very farmhouse/traditional with clean finishes. White subway tile is always a fave of ours because it looks sleek and blends well. I don't love when finishes scream too loud-we want the buyer to feel like this could be their own home and if the finishes are too much then it could turn them off. One area where we did a little something different was to do the wood effect Italian porcelain tile in the master bathroom. It's our new favorite! Looked so great, not slippery, and really does look like rustic, worn in wood! 

We also usually choose a Carrera Marble for the bathroom counter tops and kitchen Island. It makes for great pictures and looks so clean and crisp. Just remember to always get it sealed so that it can't get ruined because they are very delicate. For this exact reason we used black granite around the outside because it's a lot more durable. But for the design aspect, the Carrera island counter top had to happen. It just makes me happy! The last house we did had an all white kitchen but for this one we decided to do a walnut island and man did it make the Carrera counter top POP! 

If you have any questions for what color, style, brand, etc. we used for this project, just ask! Would love to help! Also, if you're in the bay area and need any staging done or interior design, let me know! 

Have a great day! xo

Surfer Themed 1st Birthday

The Smash Cake from Suzie Cakes. 

The table top center piece or as I like to call it the Candy Bouquet, made with tons and tons of lollipops! 

This is the Birthday Boys Throne! I had seen these kind of throne creations on Etsy and loved them so I decided to make one myself! The best part is that it went perfectly with the theme and also the extra ribbons were used for presents and to tie on other various items! 

Each guest took a lei at the beginning of the party. Helped set the surfer/aloha mood!

We brought some sand home from Carmel and used it in various places. The forks, spoons and knives were not sticking out of the jars like I had wanted, so I added some sand and that did just the trick! I also got these really cool vintage Hawaiian print fabrics from Joannes Fabrics and made table cloths and banners.

Candy galore! I bought tons of M&M's that guests could snack on or bring home in little plastic baggies! 

I got driftwood while on vacation in Lake Tahoe and painted them with fun surf lingo! I also ended up buying a couple signs on Easy as well! 

 I made a chalkboard sign that gave some fun facts about the birthday boy! 

At the cocktail station we made Mai Tai's for the adults. Along with pineapple infused water for everyone else. We served the drinks in mason jars with fun straws we found on Etsy! 

My sweet Birthday Boy! He had just woken from a nap and didn't understand why everyone was looking at him! haha 

The birthday cake from Suzie Cakes. It's an ombre blue tone with surfboards on top; perfect for the surfer theme. The cake was so scrumptious!!

For the Thank You's I made Surfboard Sugar Cookies for the guests! I wrapped them in clear baggies tied with a tag with a vintage VW van and surfboard on the front and Mahalo! written on the back. I think when you can make something it shows you're putting in effort and really care which I love! 

Luca is wearing: 

Shirt: Happy Family

Shorts: Janie & Jack

Shoes: Polo Ralph Lauren

I'm wearing: 

Dress: Soft Joie

Shirt around Waist: Rails

I still can't believe it-my (not so) little baby just turned one! I still remember taking him home from the hospital like it was yesterday. My hubby and I couldn't wait for him to smile, wave, walk. And now he's doing all these things and we can't believe how quickly time is going by!

We celebrated Luca's birthday the other weekend and I wanted to share a few pics from the soiree we threw for him! It was so much fun throwing him a Surfer 1st Birthday party! I did as much research as I could on Etsy and Pinterest and also came up with some fun stuff to do on my own. I think making a lot of stuff by hand and from scratch really added that special touch and unique quality.

I was a nervous wreck getting all the finishing touches to line up, hoping it would all come together like I had hoped, and thank God it did! From the Leis that everyone wore when they arrived to the yummy dessert from Suzie Cakes- the party was beyond anything I could've imagined! I just hope I can top this for Luca's 2nd birthday! (Thankfully that's a year away, so plenty of time to begin planning!) What are some of your favorite baby/child birthday themes you've thrown or been to? Would love to hear! xo

Boxwood Wreath

I just love decorating for Christmas. I decided I'd try and "Martha Stewart it" with a few decorations this year and I think the wreaths I did came out pretty great if I might say so myself! My whole place is mostly decorated in black and white, so I thought- why not wrap a boxwood wreath from Trader Joe's (mine is real but you can buy faux one's here, here, and here) with a simple yet stunning black and white ribbon from (One King's Lane). I also decided to hang the same wreath on our bar cart. How have you decorated for Christmas this year? Do you like tons of red or do you go with the silvers and greens? I love everyones unique take on holiday decor. Hope you are all staying dry! xo, Alida

Gift Guide: The Jet Setter

Relax Eye Mask | Leopard Jewelry Portfolio | Leather Passport Case | DVF World Travel Adaptor | Cosmetic Case | Smythson Textured Leather Notebook | Theory Cashmere Eye Mask & Blanket Set | Luggage Tag | Deep Sleep Pillow Spray | Jonathan Adler Travel Neck Pillow | Quilted Leather iPhone Case | Leopard Travel Laundry Bags

Happy Monday! Christmas is definitely in the air! We spent the weekend getting our Christmas Trees and doing a little decorating. We all definitely got a kick out of our old ornaments- so many memories! I just can't get enough of the Holidays. It's my favorite time of year by far, especially now that we have our little one- everything we do is a first and he just stares at everything with wide eyes! So magical.

I have compiled a great jet setter gift guide above. We all have that friend or relative that is always on the go. Traveling from one place to the next, almost non-stop. These items are perfect for that individual who has been bitten by the travel bug! I hope you all have an amazing Monday and I also hope you've been watching your favorite Christmas movies- they always put a smile on my face just like I'm sure they do for you! xo, Alida