Oh hey! how are you? Long time no talk. I do that a lot don’t I? Go away and never come back! Well, it’s definitely summer here in Arizona. And, it’s hot. Too hot. Angry hot. The only way I’ve been able to keep my sanity lately is filling up this $40 Costco pool in my back yard. It helps me not complain. No warm, bath-temp water .. just cool, refreshing hose water each time. It’s marvelous, and the perfect size for Jace face, who I’ve yet to enroll in swimming lessons. He loves it as much as we do. I feel a little trailer-park-ish, but whatever, it cools us down when the temps soar over 110. And the pergola overhead is nice, too. It even has cuppies for beer and cushy seats. Pretty legit if you ask me. And it’s all ours! >D
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I’ve always dreamed of painting a door in my house a coral color. If we could all be a color in this life, I would be coral. Hands down, the best color in the world. Can’t you tell from my logo? ;) Since the color of my house is fairly neutral, actually I think it’s an “eggplant” color? Not really sure. Probably should go look at some of the extra paint cans lying around in our shed. But nonetheless, it’s neutral enough tint to allow for a happy coral color, so I did it! I painted the dang thing my favorite color! And I’m pretty pleased with it. Except whoever painted this door white to begin with did a horrible job, because there are still droplets of white that I can’t really get rid of around the glass edges. Oh-well. For now I’m going to enjoy this new accent to my back patio and find some comfy patio furniture to go with it … with some dark navy pillows!
Soooo … we bought a house. Wait, we bought a house?! Is this for real?! Yes!!! All I can say is it sort of happened out of no where, and it still feels surreal, but we really needed to get out of the rent life and into something we could actually put our money towards that was for us, and not someone else. Something we could call ours and grow our family in. And to be honest, we needed to be more central so we weren’t spending all our time and energy in rush hour traffic. So now we’re officially homeowners, and it all just worked out. We have a square of land and a house that sits on it! We’re in the old Village Grove neighborhood in South Scottsdale .. a little pocket of life right by Papago Park, the Desert Botanical Gardens, and .. a Burger King! Our street is really quiet and we’re just a block away from the Arizona cross cut canal (I think that’s the name), I’ve been using it for my night runs and I love it. The house is darling, and thankfully, was mostly move-in-ready. Not a lot of fix up or repair, didn’t have to buy any appliances. It even came stocked with rose bushes, plantation shutters throughout, an awesome sprinkler system in the front and back, and the cushiest carpet you’ll ever step foot on. It’s an older home, with a floor plan I’ve had my eye on since we started house hunting (which was only for like 2 weeks, ha!). I’m working on a little video of our new casa, but until then, here are some shots of my first to-do’s since being in our new house.
I’ve found myself spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately .. when Insta and Facebook get a little overwhelming, I take a break and head on over to Pinterest to chill out. It doesn’t stress me out, it just inspires! Pinterest is known for that, and has stayed pretty true to their original game plan (aside from the now sponsored and suggested posts, which I oddly don’t mind). And I also find myself making new connections with people I never thought possible! Recently, Douglas Elliman asked me to participate in their Florida Room style board challenge. I myself do not live in Florida, nor do I have a Florida Room (or what we tend to call an Arizona room here in these parts), but nonetheless, I can still day dream, right?! As part of the challenge, I was asked to personalize a style board around how I would design or decorate a Florida room if I had one, and provide any tips and tricks along the way. What I like about Pinterest is you don’t have to be a licensed interior designer to put together ideas and design elements, you simply have to have a vision! So, here goes .. Right off the bat I know my dream Florida room would be a mix between a beach bungalow and a southwest patio. Bright and happy, where summer lives all year long. You can see my full board on Pinterest, but in the meantime, here are some of my staples (or tips have you:
- Windows. Lots of windows. But more importantly, Bahama shutters. They’re so southern and beachy! Would also settle for some plantation shutters or wicker roman shades.
- Foliage all over, with a variety of tropical leafage and even a cactus here or there. Might as well as embrace the heat and humidity at this point!
- Coral. I would love this color to accent wherever possible. A door, a wall, some vases. Anything, my Florida room has to own this color.
- Comfy couches. Give me a sectional, some wicker furniture with fluffy cushions to lounge on and I’d be set. Preferably white, so all the colors around me really pop.
- Statment rug. There are so many to choose from, this detail would definitely take some time. It’s gotta be perfect, and encompass all the right colors.
- Wood. Whether it’s a custom art piece, a Bob Marley quote, or just a bunch of wood stacked up, I have to have a woodsy element. Distressed. White washed. Ocean washed. Whatever, I’ll take it all.
- Bar and bikes. My Florida room must have a great bar cart, as well as a beach cruiser near by to jump on. Truly what the easy life is about if you ask me!
- Directional signs. These are such eye candy to me! I think I’d always feel like I was on vacation if I had these in my Florida room.
- Last but not least .. wait for it .. a surfboard! Also love all the colors paired with this one. And dang it. Now I think I need a cattle skull, haha.
Again, for more on my Florida Room Style Board, check out my full ‘Florida Room’ Pinterest Board below. Now that I’ve started pinning, I don’t think I can stop! Thank you Douglas Elliman for including me in your challenge. Had a blast day-dreaming about my beachy, yet very Arizonan, Florida Room!
For continued inspiration check out some of these gorgeous Florida properties!
Hi friends. It’s officially time for Halloween things! It’s still in the 90s here, but that isn’t stopping me from planning out some fall adventures for us. I don’t have a lot of Halloween decorations, but I do love my vintage hat and gloves; I get them out every year. Plus, I can always rely on Trader for cute pumpkin porcelain vases with succulents. Here’s our plans for this Halloween season:
- Vertuccio Farms .. it was such a blast!
- Schnepf Farms .. next weekend!
- Pumpkin carving (no pineapples this year, just pumpkins with Jace!)
- Volunteering at the Great Pumpkin Festival at the Desert Botanical Garden
- Then a masquerade at our Casa, passing out candy and eating charcuterie (found our masks at the Dollar store!)
- And don’t forget movie night .. I can’t let this month go by without watching Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic
- We’ve also been busy making some of our favorite fall dishes, including turkey chili, beef stew and pumpkin spice muffins
What are some of your favorite Halloween traditions??