Style Lush

Caramel Brownies, All-things-Christina and a New Front Door

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

By Elisabeth

I have had such a lovely time coming here for the past three years sharing what I considered to be "stylish." Being the only female in a house full of three little boys, trying to maintain my inner goddess needs to be a major priority in my life. Style Lush has reminded me that I'm important and so are those ADORABLE SHOES. OMG, I MUST HAVE THEM RIGHT NOW.

I'd say my favorite post(s) came from Christina. If they had to do with painting anything in the house big or small, or simple DIY projects around the house using items you already had or additional items that didn't cost very much, I was hooked. I began day dreaming what I could do with my space and most of the time it sent me off to the races. Thank you Christina for giving me/us insight into your creative mind.

Funny enough, my favorite post I wrote had to do with food. Go figure. Before Food Lush came along, I posted what I believed to be the BEST BROWNIES KNOWN TO MAN. The caramel brownies I have been making with my mother since I was little have been crowd-pleaser for as long as I can remember. If you haven't had the chance to make them yet, get on that! The Superbowl is on Sunday! GO NINERS.

***

We replaced our front door a few weeks ago. Like Sara, we purchased our Craftsman door from Home Depot, but we did not, I repeat, did NOT, do it ourselves. (Way to go, Sara! Jaw-dropping impressed!)

We had some draft issues after we replaced our entryway with new hardwood floor. The old threshold and door had a space any bug could crawl through. We tried replacing all the right pieces, but, in the end, decided to get a new door and have someone else deal with sealing that puppy up. Plus, the old door had the tiniest of windows and was downright sad looking.

We ordered the "red" one and chose specifically what we wanted out of a huge selection. If you're in the market, I'd suggest grabbing some catalogs in the store and perusing at your leisure. When you're ready, head on in and add your specifics into the database. Weeks later some dudes will show up and get down to it. We love how it turned out. (Now, to just repaint the door frame again...)

 *****

And there you have it! We're still focusing on updating many parts to our '64 ranch house. Up next? Maybe replacing all the inside brown doors with white ones (ourselves) and a new bathroom? (ourselves?) Let's hope. I'll be updating my site, Little Miss Mel if you'd like to follow along. Oh, and those three little boys. (Plus a bigger one.) They'll be there too.

 

(photo credit: me)

Words Speak Louder Than Actions

Editor's note: For our last week at Style Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

By Leah

As a way of helping send this site out with a triumphant fanfare (even as I've wept myself into a puddle over the loss), I'm going to try to answer the question "What was your favorite Style Lush post ever?" Three-plus years of archives! So much incredible content! How do I choose? Here's how: Knowing a lot of things that surround me are thanks to this site, I just closed my eyes and pointed, and when I opened my eyes I was looking at my perfectly organized boots, courtesy of a tip from Sara, featured on Style Lush in December 2010. A little bit of genius, that.

As for pointing you to one of my best posts for the site, I'll go with the biggest crowd-pleaser, which is this Balloon Garland How-To, from January 2011. This is a big hit with the Pinterest crowd, and I love it so much we're doing another version of it for my son's fourth birthday party this weekend. If you can make a bigger, more festive impact for less money, I'll eat my aforementioned boots.      

***

Now onto my next, and final *sniff*, find:

Okay, I'm a little embarrassed this tip is something I picked up from a Pottery Barn catalog, but then you know what they say about inspiration: Sometimes you pick it up from a Pottery Barn catalog. 

I saw this image and was instantly charmed:

Seeing that simple note on the o.j. carafe would bring a smile to anyone's face.

My first thought was that this would be a lovely touch to add to breakfasts when I have house guests--I wrap their towels in ribbon and leave a cookie on the nightstand, so why wouldn't I wish them good morning via juice?--but a beat later I realized this is a perfect, easy gesture for any old day, and any old meal. Heck, bring home pizza and tie a note around the 2-litre jug of Diet Coke that says "I dig you, so dig in!" (When kids roll their eyes at Mom, it means they love her best of all, right?) 

Thank you, all of you, for reading and commenting here and helping build up a community of friendly faces that we're all richer for knowing. I dig you and hope to see you around!

DIY Christmas Coasters

By Elisabeth

A couple of years ago, I wrote about how to make your own ceramic coasters. Well, this year, I made myself a couple of sets, but decided on a holiday theme for one and used an initial stamp for the other.

We are still in a "not very friendly to coasters" home, so having tiles on display 365 days a year is unrealistic, but pulling out these special occasion numbers is more up our alley. Only a few weeks of making sure they're not played with like frisbees!

 

The coasters that use just a stamp, you will want to make sure the stamp is completely dry before spraying on the final coat. Don't be like me and spray too early. My "L" bled a bit, but luckily I kinda like the look. If you want a pristine impression. BE PATIENT!

Also, these would be perfect for teacher's gifts this time of year!

 

{photo credit: me}

Currently Coveting: Bar Carts

by Christina

I've been working on some tweaks for my dining room lately and I have the perfect corner for a bar cart. Seriously, this corner is begging for it. Nestled in the corner with my curtains as a backdrop, I can picture it. It would be perfect. But, I have kids, two boys, 2.5 and 5 years old. Putting my wedding crystal and booze on a cart, with wheels, is probably one of my dumbest ideas this week. But I want one, and I can dream, there are no shards of Waterford floating in a pool of gin on the floor in my dreams! Also, in said dream, I can afford a $1400 bar cart! HA! My dreams, they are delusional. Whatever, my dreams have good taste.

(via wayfair) (that price, wayfair, IS NOT)

This one is nice too, but not really what my dreams are made of.

(via hsn.com)

This has no booze, mine would have all of the booze. But I still love the styling of the cart and the cart itself. The flowers and the lemons would be a must if I had one of my own. Perfection.

(via the fabulous design file)

So, there you have it. I am obsessed, what do you think?

 

 

Hanging Frame

By Janet

Here's a simple idea that will result in tons of great photos at your next event. 

A little bit of rope, a tree branch, and a large frame--a perfect photo opportunity for weddings, birthday parties, family reunions, or just for fun! If the back drop isn't pictureseque, like the one above, hang fabric several feet behind. Then, simply provide a digital camera or some throw-away cameras--or just let people use their smartphones. 

{Photo by 1313 Photography}

Crafty Bridal Shower Dish Towels

By Blythe

Earlier this summer, I threw a bridal shower for a friend.  It was such a delight to celebrate her, and I wanted to give her an afternoon of joy and fun.  She's not someone who enjoys the limelight, so those goofy games where we would talk about her sex life or dress her up in toilet paper weren't really her style.   I did want to include an activity that would keep the guests moving and mingling, and to create something that the bride could take away as a reminder of the day.

Inspired by crafty tutorials like Natalie's Freezer Paper Stencil DIY, I decided to invite the guests to create stenciled dishtowels for our friend.  At a craft store, I purchased a set of Martha Stewart adhesive stencils, plus paint, brush sponges, and fabric fixer to make the designs colorfast when washed.  I bought plain white flour sack towels at Target.

I set up a stenciling station in my kitchen where a few guests at a time could create towels while everyone else hung out and drank champagne.  I pre-mixed the paint with the fabric fixer following the directions on the paint bottles, but you could make the process even easier by purchasing fabric paint.

Stencil art is great for people who don't see themselves as artistic - the blank canvas is much less intimidating when the images and colors are pre-chosen, and everyone gets to create something homemade for the guest of honor.  This could be a nice baby shower activity using burp cloths or onesies as a canvas.

After the shower, the towels simply had to be ironed to activate the color fixer and Voila!  Useful, personal, and pretty gifts for our bride.

A Stylish Gas Grill (And Yes, I Meant To Say That)

By Sara

Last weekend my husband and I had a rare night out with friends and before we headed home we stopped by their new place to check out some renovations that had recently completed. After we oooohed and aaahhed over the polished concrete floors and well-chosen paint colors we made our way to their patio and were stunned to meet this little beauty:

That, my friends, is the Element Grill by Fuego. Isn't she adorable? And modern? And almost like sculpture? Can you even believe I am waxing on about a GAS GRILL like this? The Element is the perfect grill for city dwellers who can't use charcoal (oh silly condo restrictions) or don't have the space for the suburban sized Webers. Our friends love theirs and have been putting it to good use grilling up steaks and using the optional pizza stone to crank out delicious grilled pizzas. At around $600, the Element doesn't come cheap but what good looking woman ever does?

You can find it here at Amazon.

(Photo from: Element By Fuego)

Tin Can Summer Lanterns

By Janet

Sometimes I go to Pinterest and am inspired by all the wonderful and amazing recipes and crafts and do-it-yourself projects that I find. On the other hand, sometimes I go to Pinterest and am completely overwhelmed by the projects, which often require all sorts of tools and ingredients and items that I don't have on hand or that will cost more than the project is ultimately worth. When I saw these Tin Can Summer Lanterns, they brought me back to the pre-Pinterest (pre-Internet even) summer days of my youth when a hammer, a nail, and a tin can were all you needed to create a fabulous craft.

Here's how to recycle a tin can into a pretty summer lantern. You probably already have everything you need to make these and the cost is practically nothing. Best yet, it'll remind you of crafting at camp as a 10-year-old.

(photo from Inhabit.com)

Welcome to the World Shower

By Janet

I am head-over-heels for this "Welcome to the World" baby shower. Full of map and globe themed details, the shower seems like such a lovely way to welcome a baby into the world.

Wouldn't it be fun to scour vintage shops for old globes, maps, and atlases? The atlases could be dismantled and used to make napkin rings, bunting, wrapping paper, and other fun crafts.

Speaking of welcoming babies to the world, the traditional baby shower concept is apparently being replaced (or added to) with parties that occur a couple weeks after the baby is born. These events are known as welcome-to-the-world parties (wouldn't the map and globe theme fit perfectly!) or sip-and-sees (as in: sip Champagne, see the new baby). 

(Photos from: You Are My Fave)

Bud Vases for Spring

by Leah

April showers bring May flowers, and I bring May flowers right inside where I can enjoy them. We have a handful of large vases for more traditional arrangements, but because I like to keep things quick and easy and cheap, I'm a major fan of wee bud vases for single blooms and tiny bouquets picked by my son (always guaranteed to include at least one dandelion). 

CB2 is selling these linked ones:

4-some bud vase, $9.95

links vase, $29.95

From Ikea:

Blommig, $3.99

Salong, $4.99

Oväntad, $1.99

At Target:

Assorted glass bud vases, $1.99

From West Elm:

Recycled glass bud vases, $6.00

And for the DIY crowd, check out these eggshells-turned-bud vases from Fleuretica. Click through to see some shots of individual eggs. Gorgeous. (Instructions here.)

I love a single bud vase on a desk, or row of them on a windowsill or mantle. Fancy ladies might put one on each guest's plate at a dinner party as a take-home favor. And crazy cat ladies will put them on high shelves where the kitties can't reach them and consume their contents (Linus and Eve, I am looking at YOU).