Mary’s Picks

• These quilts by Meg Callahan featured on Design Sponge this week are completely amazing. You know I love quilts because they’re such a fantastic work of art. This quilt above, entitled Caddo,  is stunning and I want it for my bed or just to hang on the wall. Beautiful!

• This 1960s stereo cabinet turned portable party machine is amazing. I still have such a love with old record players to gutting one makes my heart a little sad, but if it’s not irreparable then totally understandable. (via Apartment Therapy)

• Cupcakes for two? Yes, please. I’m always wanting to make dessert but with only two of us in the house making 12 servings of something is a no go. So this vanilla cupcake recipe from How Sweet It Is is awesome. I made it the other night. I may or may not have eaten both cupcakes.

Jess’s Picks

• Great news! We got the house we wanted! We’ll be packing this weekend and moving in next weekend. Everything still feels like a total blur, but at least I know we’re moving in to a beautiful, comfortable house.

• One of the things I’m already planning to do is display all of my pretty scarves! I know these aren’t scarves, but I think this corner display at Oh Joy!  will be great inspiration. Oh Joy! also got a facelift! It’s beautiful.

• This deepstorage organizing solutiont IHeart Organizing is also totally inspiring. I’m not sure that I have any deep drawer storage, but it’s still pretty great.

Mary’s Picks

• There goes that Emily Henderson again being super awesome. I love this post on helping out couples with their differing styles of decor. Fortunately, Brendan and I comprise like champs (sometimes him more than me, because he’s awesome) but this post from Emily has some great direction. Also, this line “I mean, if this thing were in hot pink it would be amazing and i would be divorced.” totally made me laugh out loud. (The image above is her living room.)

• The City Wide Garage sale is in Austin this weekend. Pro tip: if you plan on going snag up a Vintage Around Town Guide from a local vintage shop. There is a free coupon to CWGS in there. You should go. For reals. I wrote about it here and I mean, those tables piled high with linens are worth the trip alone.

• Last week I wrote about Ashley Ann going to China to finally meet her daughter she is adopting. It’s a beautiful story and she’s posted about it all week. Hope on over and read. Also, grab a tissue because you’ll need it. Love.

Jess’s Picks

• I got some really big news this week! I just accepted a new position at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, so I’m finishing up some things in my current position but by the end (or middle) of next month, I’ll be blogging from Kansas City! Lots of changes coming up very quickly. I’ll admit, I’m a little stressed.

• I think these Punchy Patterns from illustrator Caitlin Keegan, featured at 2Modern Blog are just great. I especially love the color palettes! Beautiful!

• Wow! This Quick and Easy Outdoor Lighting tutorial is super cheap and has some great results! We might have to turn this into a solution at whatever rental we end up at in the next few weeks. The neighborhood we’re looking at has some cute insides but not as much curb appeal. These little lights are a great way to add a touch of us to the exterior.

Jess’s Picks

• It’s starting to cool down a little here, but popsicles are still perfectly refreshing. I’m going to have to give these Grown-Up Ice Pops For The Young At Heart from NPR a try!

• Whoa! I love these Colorful-to-the-point-of-trippy housewares from French Bull featured at Offbeat Home. They’re briiiiiiight! But they’re bright without really being neon which is a kind of nice change after all the neon madness lately.

• Poppytalk’s DIY: Belt + Board really shows what a little accessory can do to a project. Cork boards are so good for organizing, but I have never thought one looked good in a room by itself. Turns out, this little bit of function can benefit from good form just like anything else.

Jess’s Picks

• I don’t read Freshome that often, but when I saw the article about this Chenequa Residence featured while I was logging in to Feedly, I had to click through and share it: Hypnotizing Curving Lines and Intensive Use of Organic Materials: Chenequa Residence at Freshome.

• Scissors+Thread has had two really cute summer sheet upgrades. The first is a  Summer Sheets diy dip-dye from Design Love Fest. The second is a Scalloped Edge Pillowcase tutorial from House Of Earnest.

• I guess I’m all about comfort right now because my other favorite find is from Man Made DIY. This how to gives you an easy way to make a new t-shirt feel vintage soft. I was recently given a new tee as a thank you for participating in a camp and that seems like the perfect shirt to try to soften up for my own comfort.

Mary’s Picks

• We’ve decided to start eating a bit better and I’m really trying to do my best to incorporate raw foods as much as possible into my diet. But, hello, Pinterest is the worst thing to look on while doing a diet change up. Chocolate Cobbler? Um, I might just have to make you this weekend. (by Karen Gentry)

• This is a great post by Gardening Clan on 20 plants for garden pathways. I love brick and moss. I wish I could afford to brick all the pathways in my backyard, but for now I think I can at least afford the moss.

• Make your own concrete planters! These are awesome and this tute really makes me want to fill my backyard with stylish planters. Maybe that’s a great DIY for the fall when I don’t feel like a lobster just for stepping outside for 5 minutes.

Jess’s Picks

• Today at 5 p.m. marks the start of my vacation — which includes a trip to Austin to move my brother into his new co-op and several days to play around in Austin. It also marks the end of my July 4 – Vacation alcohol fast. Needless to say, I’m in the mood for a little frivolousness right now. Perfect timing for 10 Clever Multi-Purpose Furniture Ideas Meeting the Needs of a Modern Lifestyle at Freshome. I think this wine table is my favorite. The glass window in the top is excellent!

• This Mint, Coral, and Pink style palette at Making it Lovely has some great accessories for vacation. I don’t think it’s cool enough to wear any of the clothes yet, but I’m looking forward to the day this heat wave/drought breaks and a 3/4 sleeve sweater feels perfect. (I think this will be the first autumn in my lifetime that I’ve looked forward to more than the return of football.)

• Maybe instead of pink, mint, and coral clothes, I’ll go for pink, mint, and coral hair chalking. I’m a little late to this party, probably, but I just discovered hair chalking this week and I’m anxious to try this CHALK IT UP tutorial from The Beauty Department. I want something a little dramatic and rebellious for vacation.

• One last tutorial as you head to your weekend: Poppytalk had this beautiful DIY Ribbon Loom Flowers Gift Topper + Broach tutorial. The flowers are so pretty and would make a great broach or headband! Need to make some time to try this.

Mary’s Picks

• I’m loving these color palettes based off Wes Anderson movies from Whorange. The Rushmore palette is my favorite. Love the saturated colors. (via Making it Lovely)

• The Makeshift Society sounds amazing and I wish it was in Austin. I’d love to sit around with women who are talented, creative, and encourage one another in their creativity. (via Design Sponge)

• This week Rachel Denbow from Smile and Wave shared her addition to her tattoo. I love it! I really want one in the same spot but I’m just too indecisive. Maybe eventually. I think her’s is beautiful though.

 

Mary’s Picks

• First off, our thoughts and prayers today are with those in Colorado. These tragedies not only create so much turmoil for the families but also everyone else that’s involved. My hope is that fear will not take over.

• Are you familiar with the website? matrix.itasoftware.com It’s the absolute best way to search for airfare. You can’t buy directly from the site but it lists where the prices are the lowest. We are attempting to plan a couple of trips this year on a really tight budget so it’s helping us make those happen. Also, their smartphone app is the best.

• I’m starting to really educate myself on health and the kinds of foods we eat. Honestly, it’s a lot of inconvenient truths but I sincerely believe it will be better for our health in the long run. One of my favorite blogs during this process has been Food Renegade and the reoccurring article they do called Decoding Labels. Last week she decoded the label of V8 Fruit Splash. Eye. Opener.

Jess’s Picks

• I think this tutorial for a wrapping paper center at IHeart Organizing is so clever! I try not to have much wrapping paper around, mostly because it’s so hard to store well. This would be easily rolled in and out of storage and hold all of the supplies I needed perfectly.

• These summer berry tarts at OhJoy look delicious! I had a wonderful tart at Justus Drugstore in Smithville, Mo. last week, and I really think it’s up there with my favorite desserts. 

Mary’s Picks

• This beautiful watertower is by artist Tom Fruin. I love public, city art that decorates an otherwise concrete colored landscape. (via Design Sponge).

• Emily Henderson’s new redo of her guest room is amazeballs. That’s the only word that I can come up with because I think this room is so awesome. Caveat- it’s definitely not a color scheme that would work in my house or something that I would normally gravitate toward, but I inexplicably love it.

Jess’s Picks

• I think I often forget how much branding detracts from the home. I hide most things with ugly labels, butsome things do come in pretty packages which makes the idea of removing the labels so great! (via You Might Find Yourself)

• Apparently, I haven’t worn out on ombre completely yet. This DIY tutorial for dip dyed ombre skewers from Somewhere Splendid is perfect for my next bbq!

• My final find is something I am so pumped about I might just do it this weekend! HomeJelly shared this Michaels DIY toybox for a pup. We spoil Oats like crazy but all of her toys are just in a smallish wicker laundry basket. I bet she’d appreciate it!