I am LOVING all the tropical designs that seem to be jumping out at me at every turn.
It started with a couple great vintage fashion posts I found on Pinterest:
And people must have agreed, because they immediately re-pinned these like crazy!
It’s the trend of the summer season, and rightfully so. While you could include the bright colors of tropical fruit or flowers, it’s the various shades of green leaves and fronds that range from deep to bright to almost-blue that I am enamored with. Thinking of jungle views and palm-lined beaches is immediately calming, but there’s also an air of excitement and adventure to them. Why wouldn’t you incorporate these looks in your home decor, even subtly? Or your outdoor living space?
And this current obsession is also seen in graphic design as well. What a perfect design motif for a tropical destination wedding or a backdrop for a beachside eatery.
(1 – Branding and print elements for Holly Burger in Spain, via Behance; 2 – Tropical Glam Wedding Invitation Suite via PaperSnaps on Etsy; 3 – Wedding invitation for Angela of Saffron Avenue via Style Me Pretty ; 4 – Beverly Hills Gold Foil Thank You Card via Olive+Jude on Etsy)
A friend of mine and I used to enjoy a little service called “Julibox.” It was a monthly box service, like so many today, that delivered fun cocktails to your door. And by “fun”, I mean awesomely delicious. We’d get together each week, mix up a couple different drinks and chat while watching trashy television shows.
Then one day, Julibox announced that they were suspending all memberships. Since then, I have visited their website religiously, the equivalent of walking up to the brick-and-mortar building and shrieking, “Whhhyyyyy?????” I just went to check out their website now, and…with a heavy heart I must announce that…it is no more. The skeletal remains of their Twitter account still sway in the breeze. I highly recommend you check out what has been left behind.
Truth be told, I got the first shipment filled with little airline bottles in the carefully padded and artistically decorated box and quickly noticed that the fancy shipping alone had to cost a fortune.
In any case, part of the shipment included recipes. In that way, Julibox will live on, as I discovered many a favorite cocktail through these monthly surprises. One of these gems was called an “Old Dublin Mule.” An Irish take on the standard Moscow Mule, this mule is centered around Jameson and ginger beer (and I will spend another post on my current love of ginger beer) rather than vodka. Combine that with the Royal Rose Cardamom Clove Syrup, some lime and mint, and – WOW! This one’s a keeper…
Image via RosemaryOnTheTV
In any case, besides Julibox, there are so many mixology blogs and liquor snobs doing interesting things today. I plan to keep you posted with what I find. However, if you have a creative drink you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about it!
Hiya. Remember me? Feel free to look around and get a feel for the new place. It’s still a work in progress, but I have a lot of great ideas on the horizon. So hang in there. It might be a bumpy right until we get a bit more settled…
What better time is there for a personal renaissance than Spring? I love Spring. Especially in Arizona, when the wildflowers start blooming and the days start getting longer.
I happen to think that succulents are the perfect plant. Hardy and versatile, they grow practically anywhere with minimal care. I love the look of them. Ranging in hues from green to blue, red to pink to deep purple, they are gorgeous, geometric little alien-like life forms that add life and character to whatever space they are placed in.
Full disclosure – I need a plant that can take care of itself, pretty much. One that can deal with a forgotten watering here and there without whining. My succulents not only flourish in my care, but actually high-five me when I’m on my way out the door. True story.
So mix up some sangria and get busy. Because it’s 80 degrees here in Tucson in mid March…
TiffanysLivingArt on Etsy
Seriously. Don’t tell me you don’t love that, because I know you do. That up there is a succulent frame you can hang on the wall. Yes, yes, y.e.s.
These low-maintenance beauties can be planted pretty much anywhere and make perfect little gifts.
Grand little gifts. Photo by Mary Swenson via the Sweetest Occasion
A gorgeous use of succulents for wedding cake decor.Subtle and absolutely lovely.
But perhaps the most, I love to see succulents planted in rustic planters of cement, tin, or copper. And so easy to create and maintain!
Succulents in gilded terra cotta pots. Image and DIY via Design*Sponge.All-essentials.com. Love the metallic copper with the organic green hues. Très sexy, no?fox & ramona, via downthatlittlelane.com.au
So you there. The one without a green thumb. Ditch the plastic palm tree, and bring real life into your place. And in true ‘Courtney’ fashion, I will roll this post out with an infographic to answer some planting questions you may have…
And there you go. Image via theartistandthearchitect.com
Pantone may have picked a soft tropical hue for the 2014 color of the year, but with this winter season being what it has been over most of the country, I’m just not feeling it yet. It seems the color of choice in current design trends continues to be a moody, deep, dark azure. All the peace and tranquility of blue, deepened to a level of utter quiet sophistication. It can be both simple and complex, feminine and masculine. Beautiful with white, it creates a truly elegant setting when paired with gold or brass tones.
Welcome to 2014! Now that your headache has subsided and you’re back to work, let’s talk about one of my latest great loves: the bar cart. The portable party. Have you noticed it’s everywhere lately? And why not? What a great little accent piece! Perhaps it became popular again in recent years due to shows like Mad Men. Could you imagine having a stocked bar in your office?
Image via Newsweek.com
And I feel like the classic cocktail culture is coming back like CRAZY, lately…Oh, and bachelors especially take note of this design trend…
Anyway, I got my very own bar cart for Christmas – the one from Target! And I looooovvvvee it.
I wish this was my picture, but this is via Target.com
Bar carts are just so very chic. Especially stocked with gorgeous colored bottles and long, sexy-stemmed glassware. I don’t even like gin, but you can bet my cart will have a big bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin because of that incredible blue bottle. And finally, a proper setting for my St. Germain, currently stashed in the pantry behind some Ruffles.
Oh, but that’s not all. People have dedicated areas to their beloved bar carts, some decking them out like a prized poodle with pom poms and lighting and such. I also love to see how people decorate an otherwise plain canvas of wall space behind them. Amazeballs, People. Really. You inspire me.
Image credit: Courtesy of the New Traditionalist via HGTV.com
Holy DIY project! Check this one out! Image via DailyHaley
Rustic/refined, traditional/modern, metal/wood, delicate/massive – there are options for every home and every decor. And teetotalers! Deck yours out with tea, artisan waters and juices…maybe some potted succulents – voilà!
Not sure how to stock a bar cart? Here are some ideas!
For more great bar cart inspiration, see my Pinterest board. I add to it often, so be sure to follow me!
