Favorites Friday: May

 Ann's Top Ten

1. This was my favorite piece that we received in this month here at SYS. It would have made a great addition to my daughter's room after painting it a light purple. (It didn't make it that far though). Too cute!

2. The best meal I had all month was at a bed and breakfast, it was absolutely delicious.  Eggs benedict over an english muffin with hollandaise sauce and tomato with a pesto, pine nuts and cheese. The presentation of course was lovely.

 3. I stumbled across this quote and thought it was too cool not to share.  Enough said!

4. For May my color was  mint green. It's everywhere and it is too adorable, and can go anywhere just flawlessly.  Clothing, paint color, flowers, appliances, jewelry! Such a refreshing color.

P.S.  I LOVE the site where you can get these fun "swatches" Design Seeds.  I can spend way too much time there! Great for inspiration if you need a color scheme.

5. My husband shared this YouTube video by SoulPancake with me, it has a great message and is nice and motivating.  Check it out:

 

6. The best new recipe I tried last month was a Cajun chicken pasta.  I can do hot food, but not TOO hot and this was perfect.  Get the recipe here

7. I really enjoy Memorial Day, not for the sales but for all the sacrifices our country has made. I go visit my friends that gave their lives fighting for our freedom.  A freedom I will never take for granted.  My brother comes in to town since we share one of those friends and then head out to eat breakfast.  It's become a nice tradition and even though my husband and daughter never got a chance to meet these heroes it's an appreciation we can most definitely all share.

8. I love this room, clean and crisp. The frames on the artwork is incredible, they add texture and reflect light.  The coffee table has a great mixture of rustic and contemporary.  The pillows add some pattern and the rug fades away into the background yet bringing just a little more texture to the space. The wall mounted lamps with a rotating arm is the perfect solution to a small space and will add ambient light or task light for reading.  The stream lined sofa is nice and transitional for the space, only the color makes a statement... minty green.

9. Spoiler alert! I'm about to reveal my age, but never again will I mention it! Haha. My husband threw me a wonderful surprise birthday party with a little help I'm sure. (Thanks everyone)! It most defiantly makes the top ten for May. It was at a winery nearby and I was SURPRISED.  (And trendy Diana wearing mint green).

10. As I was on the hunt for a pair of shoes worthy to make the top ten, I wanted to go with a wedge since nothing says summer like a comfortable pair of wedges.  Ready for on the go, summer BBQs and relaxing poolside, here a few I'd be happy to have in my closet.

 

Allison's Top Ten

1.  My favorite sofa we received in Style Your Space this month was this grey-blue undertone contemporary armless sofa.  Well, we actually had 2 of them and I loved it so much that one might have ended up mine.  After all, I am getting ready to move, and what's a home without furniture?  My future roomie and I haven't found a place yet, but it's a smaller-scale sofa, so I figure we'll make it fit somewhere!

  



 2.  Well, since we're on the topic of armless furniture, there was a chair that we had in this month that I was pretty obsessed with (and this one did NOT go home with me, I swear!).  The brocade fabric, neutral color, and shape give it an elegant feel, so it would work in a fancy-pantsy room or you could go for the shabby-chic look.

 

3.  I'm in love with this glass artwork that came in.  The colors are flawless, bright and the piece is just gorgeous.  It can be hung on a wall or used as a centerpiece for a coffee table...incredible and not a piece you see everyday.

 

4.  And another extremely cool artwork that came through our door was this vintage-inspired OVERSIZED Contratto piece in a gorgeous gold frame.   (This thing was literally taller than me-which I'm not very tall, but still, it was enormous).

5.  We get a ton of unique and different stuff in the store, and considering 5 of my top ten were items from the store, that's proof I was a big fan of a bunch, but this is the last one for May.  The vibrant teal and shape on these large tin vases were to die for...I really wanted one but they didn't quite fit in to my future home theme, so I figured they should go to a better home and just enjoyed looking at them every day until that time came.

 

6.  This could very well quite possibly be one of the cutest kitchens I've ever seen.  I'm loving the color green, teal and orange on the white walls...the copper pans, the adorable wall decal...and SERIOUSLY green cabinets?!  Somebody, please...please do this to my kitchen.

 

7.   Quality family time.  My lovely Aunt Nancy, and two of my beautiful cousins, Marie and Miranda, made a long weekend trip from Cincinnati to STL.  One of my favorite things about having out of towners visit is going and doing all the touristy stuff-  it's almost like a mini vacation in your own city.  We did dinner at McGurk's (they have a great patio and awesome Irish food), shopping at Women's Closet Exchange, and some lounging around Laumeier Sculpture Park.

Mom and Dad with Aunt Nancy at McGurks.

Marie, Aunt Nancy, and Miranda with Diana from Resale Royalty.

 

Dinner at Bar Louie,  all three of us wore our WCE finds from earlier that day.

 

Brother/Sister snapshot.

 Miranda and I hung out in Laumeier's treetent for a little bit and then there were the eyeball pictures:

8.  Mother's Day.  We are big fans of Mexican food in this family, so typically most of our birthdays/holidays revolve around Mexican restaurants.  Mother's Day was no excuse.  We went to a family favorite,  Chava's in Soulard.  I'm a big fan of their jenas and pomegranate margaritas.

 



9.  Like stated,  I LOVE Mexican food, and obviously Cinco de Mayo always falls in May, so it was a very Mexican filled weekend.  Diablitos Cantina had been on my list of places to check out for a while, so my dear friend, Marti, and I had a date night. 

The atmosphere was adorable, the margaritas were tasty, and our favorite part: THE SALSA BAR!  Unlimited chips and salsa with at least 6 salsas prepared fresh daily...A salsa party was in demand.

 

10.  Imagine Dragons.  Less than 24 hours before the show,  I heard they were doing a free concert at The Pagaent for the Yahoo! Road Tour.  I really lucked out.  Going from having no tickets, no way to track any down, to finding a friend who had plenty of extras.  Our view was awesome, and they put on an amazing show.

 

On Top of The World is one of my faves:

Photo credits: rachelevents.com, Trip Advisor, Tobi Fairley Interior Design via Houzz, Adriaan Louw Photography, Fresh Hues Blog, Kelsidagger.com

Favorites Friday: April

April showers sure helped bring the Mayflowers, and what a weird midwestern April we had (in St. Louis, you sort of expect the unexpected)!  Although we enjoy different things about each season, we're so excited to welcome the fun, spring colors and nice weather...Here are our top ten from April!

Ann's Top Ten:

1. My color combo for April is a bright orange and cobalt blue. I have a lot of orange accents in my home, and I love it! Secondly, there's nothing more refreshing than cobalt blue and being that the two hues are opposite each other on the color wheel, it's a no fail.

 

2. This chaise is exquisite! This is by far my favorite furniture item that came through the store this month. The finish on the wood trim is incredible, the nailhead trim, the pleating with the button detail and contrasting fabric. This piece says "wow"!

3. I'm totally loving this ring, I snagged it up at Modern Vintage Decor. Versatility must be one of my favorite words, it will go with anything.

4. There is something amazing about a simple leather strappy heel. Simple yet sexy. These will go with anything. Pair them with cute shorts and sparkly top for a night out on the town, with a breezy dress or even white linen pants.

5. If this doesn't make you wish you had a rooftop space, I don't know what will. I found this on Houzz and it was done by C. Marie Inc. Everything in this space is working for me. The built in flower boxes are fun, the flowers can bring an unlimited amount of color. The loungers for some reading or sunbathing and a little eating area too. The outdoor rug brings some warmth and pattern and makes the entire space cohesive. The trellis and lighting creates a little romantic area, can you imagine it at night?! I give it a 10.

6. I'm probably a little biased but the best event I attended was my daughter's first birthday party. We hosted at our house and the weather was decent and there was good food and lots of cake!

 

7. This would be the outfit I wish I had in my closet this month, it is super cute. The bright colors are great, and I love the bow.

8. Check out these decanters that we got in this month, the pattern is fun and the colors are nice and neutral. They can easily be dressed up or down.

9. Okay, one place I can't wait to take my little girl on a family vacation is Disney's new Fantasyland. Yes, she got her first Disney movie for her birthday, not that she cared at all, but my niece loved watching Cinderella. At the end they had a little bit about Fantasyland in Disney World, how fun! Some of the classics become a real place to walk through, see and feel the castle from Beauty and the Beast, have dinner in the grand hall, go to Dumbo's circus and much more. I think it'd be magical for anyone. She has to be old enough to remember it though, so we shall wait and I can start growing a new arm and leg to pay for it too! Haha!

10. Finally, there is nothing like family.  In April, my youngest sister had her senior show and will be graduating from a graphic design program in May. She had her portfolio and a few projects on display, so we took a little road trip and saw her work, I must say I am very impressed. She has already won an award for some if her work and I didn't even know it! I'm very proud of her. Congratulations Marie! (She also shares a birthday with my daughter, Happy Birthday Marie)!

Allison's Top Ten:

1.  My favorite piece of furniture that we got in this month was this beautiful bedboard entry cabinet by Ballard Design.  It has hanging space, storage space, all in one welcoming space-saving design. 

 



2.  I'm a fan of oversized mirrors...and when you add a fun, funky color to any mirror, you immediately have my attention.  This drew me in because I'm obsessed with the purple and the richness of the walls...a future home must-have!

 

3.  Room envy.  Prints, Dior, color, neutrals, textures...I want this.

4.  I'm kind of obsessed with this beautiful artwork by Leigh Viner.  It's modern, chic, and classic all at once...just stunning.

5.  My favorite accessory that we've had in store this month is this baseball cap.  Floral, sequins, pretty colors...I can't get over how feminine without being TOO feminine it is...This cap is definitely something I would wear even if I was having a really good hair day.  Throw it on with jeans, a basic tee, some cute jewelry and you're good to go.

 

6.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE mixing prints.  This look I absolutely adore...stripes and floral.  Yes.  I mean, seriously, how awesome does she look?

 





7.  This model screams "I need to be poolside with a Tom Collins in hand".  The ultimate retro-chic California-cool babe.  The black and white, major jewelry, oversized sunnies...I feel like this ensemble is a must for my San Diego escape.

 

8.  I came across this quote by Dr. Seuss that I 110% agree with.  I couldn't agree with him more.  Everyone is unique in their own individual ways and think some people try too hard trying to "fit in" or "be normal" rather than embrace who they truly are.



9.  My favorite DIY I came across this month was this tutorial for glitter ombre nails.  Although it was a bit messy for a first-timer, it was so incredibly easy, so I will definitely be doing this again soon.

10.  Paloma Faith.  The first time I had heard of her, she was being interviewed on a favorite TV show of mine, Chelsea Lately.  I instantly became obsessed with her personality and checked her music out as soon as the episode ended.  Instant fan...she's like all of my favorite female musical crushes rolled in to one.

 

 

Photo credits: Songofstyle.blogspot, lolobu.com, fabuloushomeblog.com, houseofturquoise.com, Pinterest, disneyworld.com, Houzz