Buildable Wardrobe: Neutral Staples

October 27, 2015

Drapey Shirt // Shopbop (sold out but similar)
Necklace // Moorea Seal
Zip front skirt // Topshop
Nude Heels // Similar
Black Heels // Madewell c/o
Clutch // Moorea Seal c/o
Book: How to be Parisian

As I have been purchasing with more caution, I tend to select items (or keep) items that work for more than one occasion, and can last beyond trend patterns. Cue ivory and nude. Here are my latest finders and keepers that I’m adding to my #BuildableWardrobe (you can follow or add to this hashtag on instagram!).

Hope you all are having a great start to your week and are keeping warm and dry. Super cold and rainy here so I am off to tackle the weekend’s laundry mound.
x, Anna

Shop the Post:

*Flatlay photo and styling by Rosemary Wild

Adding bold colors to your home.

October 22, 2015

You can tell by the way I have decorated our home, that I am a sucker for bold color. Almost every room in our house has a good strong color in some way or form. For National Color Day today, I am sharing a few ideas of ways you can infuse some bold hues into your own home….

(our dining room, photo by Chelsey Heidorn)

I used an overdyed peackock blue rug in our dining room to work in some color, and you could also use a good all purpose paint + primer or cabinet paint to add this color onto your kitchen cabinets or an accent wall. (Pacific Pleasure is a great color!)

(our bedroom reading corner)

I’ve always dreamed of an ochre yellow door or couch, but for now, blanket throws will have to do! Here is an example of a great way to add some deep yellow to the inside of your home or maybe even on a bedroom door! (Valspar’s Squash Blossom VR011B is a really good hue!)

A cool thing about Valspar paint is that they have a color guarantee which allows you to return paint if you aren’t satisfied with the color. Since I tend to be wishy washy with color decisions I find this extremely helpful. 😉 Their interior paints have served us well so far! We used some light greys in our living room and guest room that lifted so much light compared to the dull brown it was before.

What color are you itching to try in your home? I say go for it! It’s National Color Day after all!

*This post is in partnership with Valspar!

IHOD Spotlight: Love41

October 21, 2015

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share with you a company that has me completely captivated! I’ll never forget the first time I read about the Rwandan genocide…..it haunted me that there was nothing I could do for these suffering people. I didn’t even know the depths of it until I saw the movie Hotel Rwanda and read the book Left to Tell. And here we are in 2015, with many still suffering the affects of this nationwide devastation, and Love41 is weaving an impactful net of love, shelter, and empowerment to serve the suffering. I am so happy to share their work today.

VIEW FULL POST

Travel Diary: Charleston – Exactly like nothing else.

October 20, 2015

(Tote from Rust and Honey)

Last weekend Gabe and I headed to Charleston with little Rocco for a weekend in partnership with the new Grand Bohemian Autograph Collection hotel. This is a favorite city of ours (last time we went was for our babymoon!), so we felt really lucky to return with our creative caps on to capture our perspective of the stay in the hotel as well as the city. VIEW FULL POST

Baked Apple Cider Donut Recipe

October 19, 2015

I have a severe hankering for donuts these days. So now come Monday morning, I am pulling out ingredients to make this mouthwatering recipe by the talented Abbey of The Butter Half. Read on for the recipe!

Baked Apple Cider Donut Recipe

Prep time: 25 minutes
Bake time: 7-8 minutes
Yields: 1 dozen apple cider donuts VIEW FULL POST

Rocco’s Birth Announcement.

October 17, 2015

I have been a freelance graphic designer since college, and I really miss diving into a design project and coming up with something I worked hard to reach. It felt so good to get back in the seat after a long baby break to create something personal. I teamed up with HP to try their Sprout HP technology. I wasn’t quite expecting to discover all of the options it holds! I was more than impressed. Here’s a re-cap….

Some of my favorite features:

Touchscreen – I thought it was brilliant that you could use the all in one desktop as a touchscreen. You can swipe images from the desktop to the touchscreen pad and vice versa. It is a very intuitive and interactive. It also has a bluetooth mouse you can use as well.
A 3D scanner touchpad – The touchpad that you place in front of the computer can scan objects and documents, and instantly store them on the screen for you to re-size and manipulate. A breakthrough technology that allows you to capture any physical object and reimagine it digitally.Way too much fun!
Draw tool – you can hand write text right onto the touchpad. You can add it to your work or even color and shade in certain programs. Fascinating!
3D turntable – I was always trying to find affordable or free graphics as a designer to use in my projects. This turntable allows you to scan objects which re-creates 3D digital shapes to use however you like. (Rotate, shrink, stretch, combine, etc.)
All-in-one PC – This whole device works like a desktop computer which includes a bluetooth keyboard or touchscreen keyboard option. Internet explorer, educational kids programs (that Gabe and I may or may not have spent two hours playing the other night…), organizational tools, etc.
Favorite programs – Illustrator and Sketchbook

So after getting to know the Sprout, I decided on my first project. I had been really wanting to come up with a more personal Birth Announcement for Rocco so I decided to scan some things that were significant to me to include. Loved being able to create it all quickly and hands on. Once I had all the items scanned, it only took about 15 minutes to assemble. We are looking forward to mailing this to some family members and friends who live afar.

You can check out more ideas in the gallery. There are many of them!

This post is in partnership with Sprout, and all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!

10 Favorites: Pucker up plaid.

October 15, 2015

I don’t think plaid has ever been out of style, although currently it is everywhere! I look at is as more of a cozy staple that I love to work into a layer scheme. And maybe it reminds me of Molly the American Girl Doll, who hello, was THE coolest. Anyways, I rounded up 10 favorite perfect pieces of plaid (say that 5 times fast), and they are all 25% off today only. Shopbop is having their friends and family sale so your entire purchase is 25% off.

One // Two // Three // Four // Five

Six // Seven // Eight // Nine // Ten

Which piece would you sport? Do you dig plaid? Nay? Yay?

Happy almost weekend!