DIY: Sunburst Mirror

Sunburst mirrors have been all over the design world lately. I love the interest they add to the decor in any room; from living rooms to foyers to bedrooms. These gold mirrors add just the right amount of glam to each space, don't you think?

Via decor8

Via little green notebook

 Via the decorista

After seeing these spaces, I thought a sunburst mirror would be the perfect addition to our then-bare back hallway.

Supplies:

                          1. Twelve inch bamboo skewers.  

                          2.  Round mirror. I used a 14" beveled mirror from Michaels. 

                          3. Gold spray paint. Krylon "Gold Foil" is a great one. 

                          4. Glue gun

                          5. Ten inch square craft wood. 

                          6. Gorilla Glue

First, you'll need to approximately position your skewers around your mirror. I decided to stagger mine by hot gluing them closer or further away from the edge of the mirror. I started with the longest "rays," 16 in all. Then I went back and evenly spaced the medium length rays in between, and the shortest after that. 

I used the piece of craft wood to finish the back and make the mirror easier to hang. Simply glue it on top of the skewers with the Gorilla Glue and weigh it down for a few hours to make sure it's secure. 

Next, it's time to spray. Tape off the front of the mirror and spray with gold paint. Make sure you cover all sides of the skewers--you don't want any of the wood showing through. 

Remove the tape and hang! I used picture hanging strips to hang mine.

Pillow Wheel

Pillows via One Kings Lane

When we moved into our new apartment we each brought a lot of large pieces. Lucky for us, we have similar taste and were able to piece together a cohesive floor plan and design aesthetic. Even though the bones are there, we are still desperately missing those finishing touches that pull a space together. Enter our latest colored pillow obsession. We love the idea of mixing and matching a variety of colors, prints, shapes and sizes to liven up our neutral loungers. One Kings Lane recently had a great flash sale so we pulled some of our favorites (though we wish we could have purchased them all) as well as some inspirational images from the blogosphere.

Via Zuhairah

Via Fabric Warehouse Direct

Via Sketch 42 Blog

Via Better Homes & Gardens

Via House of Turquoise

Girl Crush: RHW

                               Via Breakfast at Yurmans                      Via Super Cali Fashionistic

In the second installment of "Girl Crush," we thought we would share our favorite remixer, Rosie Huntington-Whitely. We not only love her because she has the greatest pout in the world but also because this model turned actress turned "It" girl, knows how to recycle basics and statement pieces to create different looks. We pulled some of our favorite street style shots of RHW that showcase how she rocked it on more than one occasion.

                                  Via Style Bistro                                           Via Model Candids

                                   Via Just Jared                                                      Via Sky Living

 

                                   Via People Style Watch                        Via Make Up Alley

                            Via Look Purdy                                    Via Cool Spotters

Friday at Five: Grapefruit Mint Fizz

As recent graduates now working in the "real world" we get pretty excited when Friday finally rolls around.  We've decided to celebrate the weekends with our new series "Friday at Five." In our first installment we mixed up a refreshing Grapefruit Mint Fizz.

Ingredients:

- Sugar (1 tsp)

- Fresh Grapefruit Juice (1 oz)

- Champagne (1 oz)

- Tonic Water

- Angostura Bitters

- Fresh Mint

What's In My Bag: Jet Setter

(From Left to Right: Sunnies, Lip Balm, Note Pad, Perfume, Water Bottle, Handbag, Charger, iPhone Case, Wallet, Lipstick, Ear Buds, Concealer, Protein Bar, Hair Ties, Kindle Fire, Kleenex, Make Up Wipes)

It's been quite the summer of travel and I've turned into a packing pro. Although I tend to be OCD and put more thought into the packing process than the actual dressing process, it proves to be helpful in a situation like this when I can share my must-have items. In the first installment of "What's In My Bag" I've laid out the accessories, techcessories and beauty products I absolutely can't live without when I travel.

Beauty Inspo: Bold Lip

Admittedly, we aren't huge on getting dolled up during the week. Tinted moisturizer, a little liner and mascara are about as much as we can commit to on any given morning. We also happen to be suckers to peer pressure. By 5PM it's likely one of us has committed to a happy hour (or two) and will inevitably need a little pick me up to carry our face from desk chair to bar stool. Our go-to is a bold lip. Some of our personal favorites include MAC's classic Russian Red or Revlon's hot pink Lilac Champagne which amazingly enough work for both of our opposite skin tones. From classic red to wine to nude, we pulled some of our favorite looks from Hollywood.

Fall Five

1. 7 For All Mankind High Shine Skinny Gummy Jeans, 2. Dooney & Bourke Dillen II Satchel, 3. Nasty Gal Kickflip Dress4. J.Crew Etta Cap Toe Metallic Pumps, 5. Essie Stylenomics

Even though we've been melting in the heat wave that is taking over Los Angeles, we've been dreaming about our future fall wardrobe for weeks. As avid online shoppers researchers, our wishlists tend to be quite long, but we narrowed it down to five of our favorite pieces from this fall's trends. From coated denim, to metallic accents to our favorite color of the season (Oxblood obviously), these five pieces can easily be incorporated into your current closet for a quick fall update!

Girl Crush: Poppy Delevigne

Via Vanessa Jackman

Between the two of us, we have a long list of girl crushes, it may even be longer than our list of real crushes. As such, we've decided that each week we'll feature one of our fashion/beauty/life icons. For our first week, we put the spotlight on a master of mixing hard and soft: Poppy Delevigne. Aside from being basically perfect in every way, this girl really knows how to pair edgy with feminine. It's obvious why she's a street style favorite and photographed on every corner. We just can't wait to see what she wears in NYC come September!

Via NY Post: Page Six

 Via Glamour Espana

 Via Sterling Style

Via Stylecaster

Via Who What Wear

An Ombre Affair

Via A Cup of Jo

We spent a lot of time putting together our new apartment but never had a real house warming party. What better excuse to invite all of our friends over to show off our new space than for one of our birthdays? We chose an ombre theme and sifted through the blogosphere for inspiration.

Via Oh Hello Friend

Via Wedding Aces

The Menu:

- Roasted Garlic and Tomato Bruschetta

- Crostini with Prosciutto, Goat Cheese and Fig Jam

- Avocado Wrapped in Prosciutto with Goat Cheese

- Caprese Skewers

- Ombre Veggie Platter

- Rainbow Fruit Skewers

- Pink Ombre Cake

- Funfetti Whoopie Pies

The Cocktail:

- Kir Royale

The Props:

- Ombre Polka Dot Napkins

- Dip Dyed Skewers

- Glitter Dot Swizzle Sticks

- Mustaches Photo Props

 

The Aftermath

Shaken not Stirred

via Atlanta Homes Blog

We've had a serious bar cart obsession over here for a while. We're sure that if you've been anywhere near a lifestyle blog or on pinterest then you've seen definitely seen the same. We pulled some of our favorite carts that inspired us to invest in our own. 

via Design Sponge

via Society Social

via House and Home

via The Everygirl

Finding bar cart inspiration was certainly not difficult, but finding one we could afford was a little more challenging. Most new carts we found started around $500 and even the antiques we discovered were outside of our post grad price range. After months of scouring thrift stores, flea markets, and vintage shops, we finally found this gold, glass and bamboo gem at Wertz Brothers Furniture in West LA. Painting the wood a glossy black to add a modern edge is still under consideration, but in the mean time we couldn't resist styling it up with some of the items we've been collecting since we moved.