A Stylish Dressing Room

The lovely Mai - a fellow blogger who blogs at A Cup of Mai, emailed me photos of her new dressing room! She put it all together on a budget & WOW is it it pretty or what!?!  It's super girly & fun! I really like how she incorporated the shopping bags into the frames!  I think I saw this first on Moth Design & was so impressed with this idea! I love name brand shopping bags, don't you?? 


It really gives Mai's dressing room a boutique sort of feel. She said she put the whole space together on a BUDGET & that the most expensive piece (which she purchased at full price) was the mirrored vanity! 


Let Mai know what you think of her space! Leave a comment! 

Source List:

Mirror Vanity Table- Pier1 Import
Louis Chair- gift
Storage Shelve- Home Depot
Clothing Racks- Target
Owl Tray- Urban Outfitter
Hand Astrological Jewelry Stand- Urban Outfitter
Frames- Ikea and Michaels
Floor length mirror- Home Good
Chevron Rug- RugsUSA

Walls- Benjamin Moore Feather Grey

Art Print - Holstee

-all images via a cup of mai

New at MadeByGirl...

Welcome back! Hope you all had a lovely weekend! This Monday I'd like to show you what's new at Made By Girl

Lots of colorful clutches just in time for SPRING! In case you haven't noticed - this season is ALL about color & patterns! Definitely making these fold over leather bags a must-have item in your wardrobe! 


Get one for yourself.... or as a gift to a friend! Check them all out here!

All bags designed by: ksladmade

Photographer Wanted....

Are you a professional photographer? 
 

If so, MadeByGirl is looking for someone to shoot our new apartment here in Manhattan as well as some of my products listed on MadeByGirl.

I'm open to ideas & negotiable on what you'd like - whether it's pay, just a paid hotel room etc. , a piece of art .... as long as it's not my dog OR my husband, we're good. Ha! 

All photographers interested MUST have an extensive website where I can view your work.  This is a great opportunity to work with an established blog & company in the biz! Must live in NYC or be willing to travel here. Please be professional & would prefer a photographer that's done some type of residential & product shoots. Love creative photos with lots of personality & color!
 

We'll get back to those we're interested in....thanks a bunch! Email your info here. 

-image by jen ramos

Molton Brown...

I never tried Molton Brown until recently....& now I'm wanting everything in their shop! I'm now keeping my eye out for their scented candles - so next time I'm shopping, I'll try & pick one up! 


They seem to have a wide variety of products on their site, like soaps, shampoos, men's fragrances, lotions & lots more. I thought the women's travel size toiletry kit was perfect for you women who are always on the go!

Have you tried their products? If so, what?

Here's my set below. I got the NEW Rok Mint soothing hand lotion & the Rok Mint liquid hand wash. They both smell really great! You can get Molton Brown here or any high end shop for that matter.   


They're a little pricey, but definitely good quality + you can impress your guests by having these in your guest bedroom! That's what I'd do if I had a guest room here in the city...

However, for me, this luxurious lotion & wash will be kept in our kitchen!

-bottom image by jen ramos

Design: Decorating with Green

It's almost springtime and I'm pretty sure a lot of you have green on your mind. Drew here, showing you one of my favorite color trends going on right now. I can't seem to get this brilliant shade out of my head.
 

I mostly think of Cassandra over at Coco Kelley whenever there is an abundance of kelly green. So, I guess you can say this is a dedication to her favorite color and all of you other kelly green lovers!
 

What's especially striking is when a room is filled with an assortment of green shades. The contrast between a mint and hunter green is so charming and lush, while a jade and chartreuse can have you yearning for more of this natural hue. Check out how these rooms portray green in its utmost perfection!
 

Tobi Fairley

Vintage Luxe

Shelterness.com

The Decorista

House Beautiful

        House Beautiful   

Want to turn your favorite room into a green room, now?

Here are some pretty spiffy pieces to get you started!
 

   

1) Branca Armchairs

2) Fotki Curtain Rod

3) Hive Modern Table Lamp

4) C Wonder Elephant Plate

5) Figuier Candle via Nordstrom

6) One Kings Lane Pillow

7) West Elm Rug

8) Moroccan Prestige Pouf via Amazon

9) Ikea Plant

10) Anthropologie Ikat Bowls via Real Simple 11) Fotki Box12) One Kings Lane Couch

-post by drew humphries

Fashion: J. Crew's Bright Colors

Hello loves! Lauren here from L.A. in the bay. NYFW came to an end a few weeks ago, and I'm STILL overwhelmed by all the amazing collections that were presented. One of which is J. Crew's Fall 2012 Ready to Wear Collection. 

J. Crew is one of my all-time favorite stores, mainly for their boldness with color, patterns, mixing of textures, and exceptional quality of fabrics. This Fall 2012 RTW Collection is saturated in color. You'd think Fall meant resulting to browns and creams, but not for J. Crew. 

{all images via New York Fashion}

How exceptional is that yellow coat? May be a little daring for some, but what a statement that would make.

Now, time to take some style notes from the fashion genius that is J. Crew...

Cheers to stepping out of the box and embracing new things. After all, isn't that what fashion is all about?

Please Meet My Nespresso...

I don't normally BRAG but a good friend of mine sent me this Nespresso CitiZ D120 automatic espresso maker & milk frother as a gift.

I fell in LOVE with this machine when I first walked into the Nespresso cafe here in Soho. Ever been there? Anyhow, I knew their cappuccinos were pretty good, but I never thought their machines would actually give me the same coffee taste I had at the cafe.  So, the gift arrived a few weeks ago & I've been using it almost every other day.

In my opinion this machine creates crema like a professional barista would & the best part is you can use soy milk! Finally. Another cool feature is the milk frother, this little side gadget will froth milk super fast & like magic! Nespresso also has a TON of different coffees to try out, from decaf lungo (my fave) to super dark strong ones! There's still a few flavors I'd love to try....

The machine rocks so much I had to post about it. So, this is basically how you get a cool, frothy cappuccino from this bad boy, so check it out!

pretty sleek & shiny no?

placing the coffee pod into the easy flip up & down top.

Aaaaaah soy dream. I'd say this is the best soy milk to use, really creates a thick froth.

You can fill the milk frother according to how many cups you'll be drinking!

remember to close that lid...easy stuff.

press the button on the frother to start up the milk frother! This is the magic button, I swear. Froth ready in about 15 seconds...

select your cup. lungo or espresso? For my cappuccino,I selected lungo.
 

There it comes. Nice color right? Oh & the smell of coffee...ahhh!

The hot steam is clouding things up here, but still smells great!

If you want a bit more, just press the green button at the top again..Red light on frother means it's not done yet, when it turns off, we have froth.

Red light off....ta da! FROTH.

just pour it into your coffee and don't be shy, use a small spoon to scoop that froth out if it's too thick.
 

 Add sugar, I use splenda and then add a little something sweet like a Jovial chocolate cream filled cookie on the side! Gluten free & delicious! 

There you have it! I tried to make a HEART with the cocoa...what do you think?? A bit crazy looking?!

Frothy & pretty no matter what angle I shoot it from...

Speaking of cocoa powder, I use one called Barefoot Contessa, which is actually a hot chocolate mix. I believe I got it at Sur La Table.

If you're looking to have a top notch machine right in you're home that's fast & easy to clean, I'd definitely recommend the Nespresso. This machine totally delivers, I love it!

P.S. and NO, I did not get paid to write this. In fact I've NEVER been paid to write anything on my blog. If you know me, you'll know I LOVE coffee.

-images by  jen ramos