Back to Nature: Neutral Color Palettes

The end of summer is nearing, and I predict that I will again retreat back to a love affair with warmer-colored interiors -- my tastes seem to change with the seasons.  So, we'll take a look at some neutral-hued rooms today and celebrate the last week in August -- Fall is right around the corner, people!  And I cannot wait!  :-)

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What is your favorite neutral color?

love,

maria

Friday's Fancies: Summer Sunset

I'm so excited for All Things Luxurious to be participating in a fun weekly series called Friday's Fancies, hosted by {av} from Long Distance Loving.  Every week, {av} sends out an e-mail with a theme, and then it is our job to come up with an outfit for the theme -- without price being an object!  We're supposed to dream big, if we want to!  Fun, right?

This week, the theme is Summer Sunset.  Here are my picks...








This J. Crew shift dress is just so cute -- I love the shape of it and the 3/4-length sleeves.  The color of the stripes is so soft, too -- and I love stripes!  :-)

The flower lattice necklace is also from J. Crew and I think it is so gorgeous.  I have never seen a necklace that is so pretty and makes such a statement, but also seems delicate.  And the lovely peachy-coral color is to die for!

I have loved this Kate Spade handbag for a long time.  And it is even prettier in person!  The creamy color is perfect for this outfit because it doesn't compete with the accessories!

And these shoes?  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  Be still my heart.  I just love them.  They're from Kate Spade as well, and they match the color of the necklace perfectly!  I think wedges would be great for a sunset outing because they are sort of fancy-casual and are comfortable, too!

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If you would like to join in on the fun and be a part of Friday's Fancies, click here and get the themes brought to your e-mail every week!  :-)  All Things Luxurious will definitely be a regular participant.  

What are your summer sunset essentials?

love,

maria

Linking up!

Pretty Summer Photography

August is here, which means there are only a few weeks left until the beginning of Fall.  For all of us in Arizona (and other parts of the world/country, too) the beginning of September does not necessarily mean cooler temperatures or layered clothing.  Usually by the beginning of October it is finally starting to feel nice outside, and I look forward to that first brisk day of Fall where a Pumpkin Spice Latte is a must-have (as my sister-in-law likes to say, the first "jacket-worthy" day; she is right!).

I have made great strives within myself to enjoy the months that do not have to do with Christmas trees and Holiday cheer...  I used to have a really terrible case of the after-Holiday blues once January 3rd rolled around, and those sad feelings would stay with me for a long time and only grow worse once the days began to get hotter.  This year, I promised myself I would find the beauty in each season... spending more time outside and feeling grateful to live in such a beautiful state with amazing weather and scenery for most of the year.

I can actually say now that I have begun a love affair with the summer months, and it feels amazing to be content and excited for what's to come, but not anxious.  I am looking forward to starting school in a few weeks -- a journey that I have wanted to continue for so many years but couldn't get up the courage to do so.  I thought that for today, I would gather up some summer inspirations, if you will; these pictures are a little snippet of what summer means to me.

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What does summer mean to you?

love,

maria

Summer Tablescapes

Hey, there.  :-)

Thanks for bearing with me in my absence this week -- my bestest friend was in town, so I wanted to devote as much time as I could to her.  We had a great time, and I'm so glad that I got to spend as much time with her as I did!

Today we're talking summer tablescapes.  Table-setting is an art that I am still learning. Being creative while setting a functional table is something that my mom is really good at, and I remember watching her set the table for fancier occasions while I was growing up and loving all of the thought that she put into it.  We're going to take a look at summer table settings this morning, but I'm excited at the prospect of re-introducing this post idea for the other seasons of the year!  :-)

Garden Retreat

In this setting, I love the hot pink table runner mixed with the neutral element of the burlap tablecloth, and pretty flowers in mason jars.

Elegantly Nautical

White slip-covered chairs, icy blue vases, and sea creatures abound -- a perfect beachy setting.

Polished Picnic

A lovely string of lights accents this adorable table, adorned with red lanterns and a pretty quit tablecloth.

Glam Soiree

Bright poppy red mixes with gold glitz and crystal stemware in this beautiful setting.

Sophisticated Barbecue

Simple wood folding chairs, happy-colored flowers, beer and wine -- the perfect elements for a casual party, yet still keeping with adorable elements.

Eclectic Affair

I love this setting for its sweetly-dyed mason jars, vintage-inspired mismatched place mats, and cutesy, colorful pendant banner.

Ornate Escape

Funky green lanterns, flowers in repurposed cans, floral table linens -- to me, this setting screams summer!

Cottage Chic

In this setting, lovely milky white dishes, blue and white porcelain and linens, and chippy chairs create the perfect cottage table setting while still maintaining an understated elegance.

Sweet Summer Brunch

Bright yellows and delicious blues, egg cups holding sweet oranges, and a tiny bowl of berries create a brunch setting to admire.

Which setting is your favorite?

love,

maria

Decorating with Seashells: Summer Ideas

Decorating with seashells is something I have never done before in the summertime.  But when I found myself with a slew of leftover seashells after I completed my Grapevine Seashell Wreath, I knew that there was no time like the present!

Every summer, my mother-in-law uses seashells here and there to decorate her home.  I had always looked at her centerpieces and thought, Why don't I do that?  But before I knew it, the season would escape me, and it would be time to decorate with garlands and sparkly ornaments.  I am making a point to do more seasonal decorating this year, and seashells just make sense for summertime. :-)

In my kitchen, I half-way filled a clear green glass jar from Crate and Barrel (a gift from my best friend several Christmases ago) with some of the shells.  This sits on a shelf with my cookbooks and a few other goodies.  I love having a little bit of summertime in my kitchen.  One of my favorite things to do is implement seasonal decor in each room -- that means your bathroom, your kitchen...  Those rooms that you wouldn't think to add a little something to.  You don't have to go overboard, but I find that putting a seasonal nod in many areas of my apartment just makes me feel good.  It's a friendly feeling, hard to explain.  But you'll feel it, too -- trust me.

There was one rather large shell in the bottom of the bag that I bought, and when I carefully removed it from the package, I carried it around with me and placed it here and there until I found a spot that I liked, atop my DIY coffee table book with a pitcher of fresh flowers.  Don't be afraid to do this trial and error method -- it's the best way to see what looks best where. Sometimes I just know where I want to put a piece of decor; and other times, it takes a little re-working. But that's one of the sweetest things about decorating -- finding the most balanced, lovely spot for something you care about.  This shell collected flower petals that were falling out of my birthday arrangement for a few days, and now it sits clean next to the pitcher filled with new daisies.

Something I love to do is take items that are supposed to be for one use, and re-work them a different way.  For example, I'll take a glass egg crate from Crate and Barrel, and I'll stand chocolate chip cookies up in it for easy grabbing.  It's a little different, but it's the unexpected that I love.  In this centerpiece arrangement, I took one of my Duralex glasses and filled it with seashells, then set it atop a heavy glass candleholder, bought from HomeGoods a couple of years ago.  The crystal "color" matches, and both objects have nice ridges that keep it quite uniform.  

Using pieces like apothecary jars, decorative trays, pretty bowls, or even vases to display your shells is great -- the point is, use what you have!  The only thing you should have to buy is the bag of seashells; and some of you may already own some, or the beach may be right in your backyard.  I can't think of anything sweeter than using shells that you have collected in your travels.  :-)

How are you decorating for summertime?

What's your go-to decor item for this season?

love,

maria

Wednesday Wishlist: A Porch, Please

These are the days in Arizona when it starts to get hot.  And by hot, I don't mean warm.  Oh, no.  I mean upwards of 110;  I mean no less than 95 degrees in the middle of the night.  Yeah -- like I said, hot.

While some people really love this heat that is coming straight for us, I have never loved it, never liked it, never been excited for summer.  Even when I was a little girl, while the rest of my friends would be out playing in the hotter-than-heck heat, I would be in my room playing with my dolls, or spending time indoors with my mom, or making my brother play school with me in the living room (he's awesome -- he always played along).  But these days, as the summer is finally here and the temperatures have reached the one-hundreds, I am happy.  Maybe it is the Vitamin D, maybe it is the fact that I am still reveling in my newlyweddedness (that should totally be a real word) and the reality that my husband is a total babe.  Ahem.  Anyway, regardless, I have consciously decided to make a true effort this summer to see and feel the beauty in the season, and enjoy these months rather than waste them away wishing for winter.  I have found that the majority of my former years have been spent pining away for December.  Imagine my disappointment when December is over...

When January came upon us and I was left in a decidedly blue state, I thought -- enough!  I promised myself that I would not waste another spring complaining about allergies and spend another summer mad at the weather while pouting indoors.  Allergies -- no problem!  They mean that things are blooming and there is growth and renewal all around us!  The heat -- whatever!  If I want to spend the day indoors, I'll spend it crafting, or reading, or connecting with all of you!  The point is, my goal is to enjoy each moment I get to live this life.  And so far, this goal has proven to be life-changing.  :-)

Now, all that being said, I do have a major design crush on porches, and I want to take a look today at some really beautiful examples.  If it were cooler out, and if I had a glass of lemonade in one hand and a fabulous beach read in the other, I think a day spent out on the porch would be just what the doctor ordered.  ;-)

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What's your favorite (or least favorite) thing about the beginning of summertime?

love, maria