February 28, 2011

Hot In Cleveland House

I have been a huge fan of Betty White since she was on the Golden Girls (only the best TV show ever) and I love that at 89 years old she is still acting and is as funny as ever.  So of course I watch her new TV show, Hot in Cleveland which happens to be set in a very cute house.

Check out the Hot in Cleveland house; I love its cozy, comfortable, and eclectic decor.  In the first season of the show, the living room had a mix of new furniture with funky old pieces.


In season two, the living room got a more refined look, but is still a little funky with a mix of furniture that looks like it was collected over time and lots of bright pillows and fun accents.





Doesn't it look like an old friend's house where you can make yourself feel right at home?  The kitchen is cute too and has a charming country farmhouse look.


I recognize those kitchen chairs from Ikea.  I love the mismatched furniture in here too.


The Hot in Cleveland "house" also has a pretty and inviting front porch.  I'd love to sit out there with a glass of lemonade.


And of course hang out with Betty White!


I love when TV shows sets look realistic and like someone's actual house (like in Cougar Town too). Do you have a favorite TV show "house"?

February 24, 2011

Indoor Herb Garden

There might still be a few inches of snow outside, but I'm already in the mood for spring!  Last week, I went shopping at the Christmas Tree Shops (one of my favorite home decor stores) during an unseasonably warm 68 degree day.  Big mistake- I wanted to buy every piece of spring merchandise in the store.  I restrained myself mostly, but I did leave with a few things.  Namely, the thought of spring gardens tempted me too much and I bought these herb growing kits.

indoor-herb-planter-kit

For $3 bucks I picked up both the oregano and cilantro grow kits which came with a plastic pot, growing material, and seeds.  Similar to my amaryllis kit, once I poured water on that little disc of growing material it absorbed all of the water and filled the pot with planting material.

herb-planting-kit

Prior to adding the potting soil, I used my cordless drill to drill a few holes into the bottom of the pot for better drainage.
P1150329

Then I just added the seeds and in a few weeks I will hopefully have some sprouted seeds which I can move outside once spring actually comes along.   Until then, we play the waiting game!

herb-planter-kit

Any tips for growing an indoor herb garden?

February 23, 2011

Z Gallerie Field Trip

Since we're catching up about my Florida vacation, I wanted to share a very exciting part of my trip.  While in Florida, we went to a local shopping plaza, for what else but some fun vacation shopping, and I squealed with delight as soon as I saw this: z-gallerie

Z Gallerie!  There are no Z Gallerie stores anywhere near I live, so this was the first time I've ever visited this decorating dream in person. 

As soon as I walked into the store, I saw this stunning teal living room set up. It was just gorgeous!  The "room" looked so elegant and rich with bold teal furniture and chocolate and silver accents.

living-room-z-gallerie

Since I visited the store around the holidays, they had a few holiday table settings on display.  I just loved this silver place setting:

silver-table-setting-z-gallerie

The store also had lots of cool stuff, like these slanted glasses:

slanted-glasses-z-gallerie

And this beautiful gold capiz chandelier:

gold-capiz-chandelier-z-gallerie

Of course, even though I loved the store, I didn’t love every single item.  Like these rather odd tusk magnifying glasses:

tusk-magnifying-glass-z-gallerie

I picked up a few holiday gifts while I was in the store, but unfortunately because we had limited suitcase space (and the airline checked luggage fees would really have started to add up if I took the entire store home like I wanted) I didn’t snag anything for myself.  I guess that means I’ll just have to take another trip to Florida to check out the new spring Z Gallerie merchandise?  Or maybe I’ll just cross my fingers that they open up a store up North!

February 22, 2011

Amaryllis in Bloom

Back in January, I picked up an Amaryllis bulb kit by Smith and Hawken at Target.  The bulb kit was a steal at 75% off and was marked down to just $2.50.  Yup, under 3 buckaroos for the pretty cream ceramic planter, planting material, and the actual bulb of course!

The bulb started off looking like this:

smith-hawken-amaryllis-planter

But after a few weeks the bulb finally bloomed and it is Gorgeous (with a capital G)!

amaryllis-bulb-in-bloom  amaryllis-flower

The flowers are so stunning, I’ve had a few people ask if they were even real.  Well, they’re real and they’re spectacular!  It’s so nice to have this little bit of sunshine inside during the cold winter weather (especially as there are a few inches of snow on the ground again).

Technically, this flower isn’t even an amaryllis, but is actually called a hippeastrum.  This is my first time growing these flowers, any tips for keeping them blooming?  Do you grow any winter bulbs?

February 16, 2011

Florida Vacation Photos

Back in December, I mentioned that Rob and I snuck away for a week and headed south for some warm Florida weather.  But with the hustle and bustle of the holidays I didn't get to share much of my trip with you guys, so here's a belated look at our Florida vacation.

For the first part of our vacation, we went to South Beach, Miami.  I absolutely loved South Beach and its warm weather, beautiful beach, art deco decor, and lively atmosphere.  But most of all, I loved the gorgeous beach with white sand and turquoise water!


We stayed right on Ocean Avenue in South Beach at the Beacon Hotel.



The Beacon Hotel was built in 1937 and still has a very 30s art deco look.  Although, the hotel also had this pretty modern looking courtyard.  After dealing with a New Jersey winter, it was so refreshing to see flowers in bloom!



The 30s hotel structure meant the rooms (and elevators) were modestly sized, but we didn't mind.  We had a very cute and clean looking room.



As always, I love to mock up my own version of the hotel rooms I stay in to recreate their looks.  Here's how I'd recreate the look of this Miami hotel. (You can also check out my recreation of a modern hotel room in Las Vegas, traditional hotel room in San Francisco, and modern hotel room in San Fransisco).


After a few days in Miami, we drove about an hour north to our next destination in Delray Beach, Florida.  In Delray, we stayed at the Colony Hotel.  The Colony is also a historic hotel built in the 1920s with a self-described "Old Florida" style.



The hotel had very pretty historic details, like beautiful hardwood floors throughout the premises.  We stayed in a pretty simple room with bright orange walls and traditional furniture.


 

My favorite part of the room was the bathroom.  It was all white with pretty white tiles and a white marble shelf.


 

But the very best part of this hotel was the access to their beach club!  We spent a few days looking at this:





(Funky 70s looking photos taken using Instagram app for iPhone)

This vacation already feels like it was so long ago!  Looking back at these photos definitely brings back great (and warm) memories though!

February 14, 2011

Valentine's Day Heart Shaped Pillows

Happy Valentine's Day!  
(Love Park, Philadelphia- about 30 minutes from Casa DIY Newlyweds)


Whether you're channeling Cupid today or taking a more low-key approach, I hope everyone spends some sweet time with their loved ones today!

We don't go too crazy celebrating Valentine's Day, but Rob and I did celebrate over the weekend with a casual Mexican dinner and he spoiled me with flowers and sweet treats (I returned the favor by baking up a batch of muffins).

Decor-wise I don't decorate much for V-day and I'm not usually a pink and frilly kinda gal, but Rob's mom made us these very cute heart shaped pillows that I can't help but love. (Please excuse the grainy camera phone pics.)

valentines day pillow

They're just so cheerful I can't help but smile every time I walk past them.

heart shaped pillows

But my very, very favorite Valentine's Day decoration is my furry little Cupid:

heart pillows

He may nibble on the heart shaped pillows when we're not looking, but he's still my sweet Valentine!  

How do you celebrate the special day?

February 02, 2011

Your Best Projects: January 2011

Yesterday I shared some of my favorite projects from January, but there are a ton of projects I saw on other blogs last month that I just loved.  Here are just a few of the beautiful transformations I bookmarked for my idea file last month:

Kitchen Makeover from Odd Girl Out:


Office Makeover from Honey We're Home:


Mirrored Closet Doors from The Lettered Cottage:

Aren't these rooms gorgeous?!  Did you come across an amazing projects?  Please share them by leaving a comment!

February 01, 2011

My Favorite Projects: January 2011

February already?  January flew by, but I don't mind since we're now one month closer to Spring now!  This year, I’m going to take a look back at the end of each month to check out what I’ve accomplished and to remind me that I still have a number of things to do on my New DIYear Resolutions list!  Here are my favorite accomplishments from January, I’m happy to say I got a lot of organizing done!

 In January, I…

organized my spice cabinet:
spice_cabinet_organization_before_and_after[1]

…installed a Pottery Barn knock-off mail organization system:
 mail_organizer_pockets

…made DIY storage boxes:
kitchen_cabinet_organization

organized my kitchen utensil drawer:
organized_utensil_drawer

…and partied like a rockstar:


Not a bad start for the new year! How was your January