Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

I hope you're all enjoying your extended weekend! Here's a quick and simple lighting tip easily achievable by anyone who has a matching set of lamps. 

Tip: "Split up the pair of lamps on either side of your sofa. Buy a floor lamp for your sofa, and use the pair in different corners of your room."

There are numerous sites and stores where you can purchase lamps. CSN Lighting is a "go-to" for me and accommodates a wide variety of tastes. I've also found these lighting tips to be very helpful when trying to figure out how to light your dining room.  

GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT

imagine will be hosting a CSN giveaway this Wednesday, June 2nd from their All Modern site. 

*space by Sherrill Canet, tip from: House Beautiful

Fresh Find Friday!

Hopefully my weekend will look a little something like this...

...a ride by the beach, planting my garden, napping in the sun, lounging by the pool and sipping some red bubbly. Ahhh! What does your extended weekend look like?

*Fresh Finds: beach cruiser pillow bikini gardengloves tunic red bubbles

Thursday's This + That

Dress your window with this set of Anthropologie Breeze-Blown Leaves Curtains while floating around in that Banana Split Dress by Modcloth.

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up (American Style)

Memorial Day is the time to honor all the brave men and women who have fought and paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Many people visit memorials or cemeteries and fly flags at half mast. In addition to remember our brave soldiers, Memorial Day is also a time for family gatherings and picnics. If your Memorial Day activities include an indoor gathering or outdoor barbeque, impress your guests with this all American drink.

American Pie Cocktail

Ingredients

2 cups ice

1/2 cup whiskey
1/2 cup apple liqueur
1 cup cranberry juice
Sliced apples, for garnish, optional

Directions

Add to shaker, ice, Canadian whiskey, apple liqueur and cranberry juice. Pour into 2 rocks glasses, garnish with a slice of apple, if using, and serve.

*recipe from: Food Network

{Tuesday Thoughts}

Do you ever feel like you have no direction or what your next step is going to be? I'm feeling accomplished, yet anxious as my graduation date is rapidly approaching in a few weeks. The big question is, "Now what?"

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”

― Lewis Carroll

*photo: Lisa Lindqwister

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

After spending a few days in Vegas last week to attend the HD Expo, I've got chandeliers on the brain! Big red ones like these at Encore. Roger Thomas, one of Architectural Digest's 20 Greatest Designers of all time, designed Encore (and numerous other Vegas resorts and casinos) and I had the pleasure of attending one of his seminars during the expo.

Why not try this in your own home (on a much smaller scale)? Tip: "Find a tired old bargain brass chandelier at a thrift shop or antiques shop. Spray paint it white. Or a color — if you have courage." Update your own flea market find with this simple and easy upgrade process.

*tip from House Beautiful, painted chandeliers from Apartment Therapy

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up (Viva Las Vegas Style)

This'll be my last post of the week until next Monday. I'm Las Vegas bound; going to the HD Expo. I didn't want to leave you hangin' and be the only one having fun this weekend so here's your Wednesday Weekend Warm Up! Viva Las Vegas!

 

Elvis' Rum Punch

Ingredients
1 oz each of orange, pineapple and guava juices
1/2 oz lime juice
3 dashes of bitters
3 oz Mount Gay rum
Directions
Stir or shake with ice, then add an Amaretto floater and sprinkle with nutmeg.
*recipe from: Carribean Travel Mag, *photo from: Jerry Pippen

{Tuesday Thoughts}

Heading to Vegas tomorrow...wish me luck.

“In the long run, you make your own luck―good, bad, or indifferent.”

― Loretta Lynn

*picture via Getty Images

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

What's your favorite part of Vegas? I'm heading there this Wednesday through Friday for the HD Expo, and what I look forward to most is not the gambling, or the pools, or the casinos, or the buffets, or the shows, but the ROOMS and the SUITES! I love staying at different hotels every time I go to Vegas because they are all so different and so inspiring! This time we're staying at the Palazzo.

Here are a few more snapshots of some of my favorites:

Want to make your bedroom feel like a Vegas suite? Easy! Just follow these tips & tricks to hotel bliss:

1. 
   
   
   
   Step1
   Sheets - Choose high thread count Egyptian cotton sheets for the most luxurious feel. It's worth spending a little bit of money here for the best quality. Egyptian cotton gets softer with washing and wear, but can fade a bit.
2. 
   
   
   
   Step2
   Pillows - Choose whatever kind of pillows you are most comfortable with, but have lots of them in different shapes and sizes. Not only does this look cozy, it's comfortable too. I like a variety of pillows - foam, synthetic and down to mix it up a bit. Maybe a bolster or two for added texture and comfort.
3. 
   
   
   
   Step3
   Blankets/Comforter - Like the finest hotels, a down or down alternative comforter is luxurious, yet simple. You can find a duvet to add a pop of color, texture and to protect your investment. Choose a year round weight - one that will keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Include a plush or cozy throw in a fabric like chenille or a soft yarn for added comfort on cool nights or to snuggle under while relaxing or reading.
4. 
   
   
   
   Step4
   At luxury hotels, a set of plush or thick and cozy robes are often waiting in the closet for guests to enjoy during their visit, or purchase and take home. Invest in a great hotel or spa style robe or some really soft and cozy lounge wear to enjoy at home.
5. 
   
   
   
   Step5
   Have you ever checked into a luxury hotel room and found a great CD or soft music playing when you arrived? Or come back from dinner to turn down service that includes music playing on an in-room CD player?
   
   
   *steps from ehow 

Fresh Find Friday!

Whether lounging beachside or poolside...

wouldn't a woven straw fedora with a hand-tooled silk flower be the perfect accessory to sit atop your pretty little head? I think it would go quite nicely with some pink bubbly or perhaps a mimosa. Available from Amy Hamilton at Granville Millinery Co.

Thursday's This + That

Hang this Rex Ray artwork from Jonathan Adler in your home for the upcoming summer season while laying by the pool and soaking up the rays in that Sugar Dot Bikini from lOlli beach candy.

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up

My ladies and I will be sipping on something like these as I host lOlli beach candy's trunk show at my pool this Sunday. Things are heating up around here! Summer is just around the corner and we're adding some fun new swim wear to our summer wardrobes! If you're in need of a little fruity concoction yourself, try one of these hurricanes (pool + bikini optional, sun + girlfriends mandatory). Try this Raspberry Colada Snow Cone for some more poolside fun!

Hurricane Cocktail 

Ingredients 
1 oz Vodka
1 oz Gin
½ oz Rum
1 oz Amaretto
1 oz Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1 oz grapefruit juice
1 oz apple juice

Directions
Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and pour into a glass. Add Crushed Ice and decorations of your choice.
*photo via here

{Tuesday Thoughts}

“Love is always bestowed as a gift―freely, willingly, and without expectation. We don’t love to be loved; we love to love.”

― Leo F. Buscaglia

*photo from: Unusually Fine

ASID Home Tour

I had the pleasure of meeting Suzanne Furst {ASID, CID} during lunch last Friday at the Legends of La Cienega event in LA. Amongst many affiliations and awards, Suzanne is a Past President of ASID/LA Chapter and I promised I would help spread the word about the ASID/LA Home Tour this Sunday, May 16th from 9:30am - 5pm. 

Home Tour Includes
A Self-Guided Five Home Tour featuring work by ASID Los Angeles Designers. The public is invited on a self-guided tour of five diverse and exclusive private residences throughout the Westside of Los Angeles. Each professionally designed by a top ASID/LA designer. (ASID) American Society of Interior Designers is the design profession’s oldest and largest association.

Proceeds from the tour to benefit PATH (People Assisting the Homeless), a non-profit community organization that provides integrated services and supportive housing for people who are homeless or at the risk of being homeless.

Each of the homes will feature the Designer on site to answer questions and offer inspiration!

Sunday May 16, 2010
9:30 am - 5:00 pm

To Benefit

People Assisting The Homeless

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

"Art in unexpected places can be a mood elevator. Put art in your bathroom or prop a small painting or framed print on a kitchen counter."

1) Blue kitchen from the Kitchen Vote.
2) Interior designer Suzanne Shaker's kitchen in Shelter Island, NY (architecture by Deborah Berke & Partners), features a framed photo by Maria Robledo propped on the counter.
3) A kitchen detail from Plain English.

4) Ted Muehling's New York kitchen, via Automatism; photo by Christophe Kicherer.
5) Kitchen from Living Etc.

*all content from this post via The Remodelista

On Friday, Ashlina (The Decorista} & I had the pleasure of meeting Janet Hall from The Remodelista at the Design Diaries event during the Legends of La Cienega. It was such a fun event filled with a great panel of bloggers such as Gregory Han of Apartment Therapy, Joy Cho of Oh Joy! and Cassandra LaValle of Coco+Kelley. They all have inspiring blogs and I encourage you to check them out!

Fresh Find Friday!

I wanted to share this great find with you all. I received an email yesterday letting me know about 'The Joinery', a Portland based custom hardwood furniture company that emphasizes sustainability and traditional woodworking techniques. I receive numerous emails regarding design products and this one really stood out to me. I appreciate that they finish all their furniture with an environmentally safe (food safe even!) natural oil, hand-rubbed finish and do things like use locally sourced and FSC certified woods for their builds, run their business on 100% windpower, and run their delivery truck on Biodiesel. In short it is a really great company that is making some truly beautiful pieces. I'm totally digging that stool made of scrap wood! For more ideas about how to use scrap wood, take a look at last week's Fresh Find!

Thursday's This + That

Wear this set of Well Rounded Earrings while covering your walls with that Mod Green Pod wallpaper.

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up (Cinco de Mayo Style)

Pomegranate Margarita

Ingredients

2 oz white tequila

1/2 oz Triple Sec

1 oz fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fresh pomegranate juice

6-8 oz or one scoop of ice

Garnish with lime wheel or wedge

Directions

Mix all the ingredients in a blender until smooth and frothy, garnish with lime.

I hope you have fun celebrating Cinco de Mayo! If pomegranate is not your thing, try this classic margarita recipe!

*from: Marie Claire

{Tuesday Thoughts}

“A good home must be made, not bought.”

― Joyce Maynard

photo via It's Mary Ruffle

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

1)"Replace your ten-ton coffee table with two stools or ceramic Chinese garden seats. Or a big ottoman with room for everything and your feet, too. "

2)"Every room needs a little skin: Add a pillow, rug or ottoman in an animal print."

*advice from House Beautiful, room by Jeff Andrews

La Verne Real Estate

Nick Abbadessa, Realtor

www.SoldByNick.com

As some of you may or may not know, my boyfriend Nick is a Realtor with RE/MAX Masters. Being born and raised in La Verne, California, has given Nick the advantage of knowing La Verne like the back of his hand helping make him the #1 Realtor in the La Verne RE/MAX office and the leading expert in the La Verne Real Estate market. La Verne is a close-knit community nestled in the San Gabriel-Pomona Foothills, 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Even though La Verne is located in Metropolitan Los Angeles county, La Verne has been able to maintain it’s “small-town” traditions and virtues. If you’re looking for the perfect place to raise a family, look no further! La Verne was named one of the best 10 towns to raise a family according to Family Circle in 2010. La Verne is home to a large number of school-age youth as it is the host of the University of La Verne, Bonita Unified School district including the highly ranked Oak Mesa Elementary School and many other fine public and private schools. Mountain biking, golfing, hiking, dog parks, horseback riding, orange picking, farmer’s markets, family owned restaurants and “boutique & vintage” shopping are all in abundance in this charming, bustling burb.

 

Nick has held his Real Estate license for over 6 years specializing in Residential, Investment and Commercial Real Estate. He actively serves and markets in the California cities of La Verne, Claremont, San Dimas, Glendora, Arcadia, Pasadena, Phillips Ranch, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, Chino Hills  and all other Foothill Communities in the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire. During the past two decades there has been and influx of new upscale housing communities like Marshall Canyon, La Verne Heights and La Verne Oaks which has been an attraction for move-up buyers, professionals, business owners, a few professional athletes  and growing families.

 

I also have my Real Estate license and am able to help out with Nick’s Open Houses on the weekends and showing properties to his clients. Much of my i m a g i n e design clientele and interior design business comes from Nick’s residential clients who are in need of kitchen or bathroom remodels, color consultations or entire home makeovers after they move into their new home. Nick also enlists me to stage all his properties once you list your home with him. Look for the new feature on i m a g i n e (Design Blog) called “Sold By Nick” which will highlight Nick’s latest Real Estate listings.

 

Whether you’re buying or selling Real Estate in the San Gabriel Valley or Inland Empire, contact Nick with all your Real Estate questions. You can also fill out a “Dream Home Request” on Nick’s website and get listings emailed to you daily, weekly or monthly based upon your dream home criteria!

www.SoldByNick.com      (909) 292-7888       nick@soldbynick.com       Facebook      Twitter

RE/MAX MASTERS La Verne Office
2120 Foothill Blvd.
La Verne, CA 91750