Let The Games Begin!

The decorating games, that is :) Our lease begins exactly one week from today and I have been running around like a madwoman trying to get all the things our new home will need before moving day!

Last week when I announced our big news I promised to keep you in the loop regarding decorating, since it's basically my favorite thing in the world (more than clothes, less than food). Today we're starting in an unlikely place - the bathrooms!

It's no secret to anyone that I am a total girly girl. I dream in pink sparkles. Currently my bathroom is not too far off from this:

Okay, fine, maybe my bathroom is not as bad as that. But it does have pink towels, pink rugs, pink trays, and a general pink aura. I am not going to subject poor Ram to that in his own home. So it's imperative that I come up with some new stuff that's both colorful (so I like it) but not too feminine (so Ram is on board.)

Our new place has a SICK master bath and I cannot wait to put all my stuff in it! It also has a TON of mirrors so to keep the natural light flowing around I think I'm going to go mostly neutral. I just bought two of these gorgeous Urban Outfitters bath rugs in grey, which will go nicely with all white towels, and for that little extra something special I have kind of fallen in love with these agate bath accessories... colorful, but not over the top. Perfect! 

We are also lucky enough to have a guest bath! This one is smaller and will likely be the one that our friends use when they're at our place, so it also can't be TOO girly :) Here's what I'm thinking for the second bathroom:

I bought two black & white Missoni for Target towels last year when I went a little overboard and have been saving them for my next place! They will go perfectly with a basic black rug and some mirrored glass bath accessories I already own. As for that little extra somethin', R has a really nice framed HUGE Manhattan poster - I think it will go great in here!

So that's what I'm thinking for the bathrooms. Now I need to know what YOU'RE thinking. You like where I'm going? Not too girly, right? Do you know of any other bathmats/towels that I should check out? 

Decorating is like raising a child - it takes a village :) So I want to hear your opinions!!!

You Can Call Him Rami, But I'm Gonna Call Him ROOMIE!

Well friends, I have some exciting news. Rami and I are moving in together!!!!

We signed our lease last night and got the keys! Our new place is gorgeous and we could not be more excited!

I have been searching all through my neighborhood since May and let me tell you, it has been a PROCESS. I am a picky girl and I hated everything we saw. Yall, there are some GROSS apartments out there. I very nearly lost hope.

But a week ago, I saw a condo for rent posted online and we went to see it a half hour before we had to go to the airport last Friday for San Francisco. As soon as we walked in, I knew it was the place for us, and on Monday morning, they accepted our applications!!!

The new place is awesome – there is a balcony, a pool, central air (AKA the best thing in the world)... but best of all, it's gonna be so nice to come home to each other at the end of the day. No more packing a bag and schlepping across town to see each other!

Let’s be real – in addition to my massive excitement, I’m nervous too. I’ve never lived with a boy before and I know it’ll be an adjustment. I will have to get used to Ram tracking in little bits of leaves and he will have to get used to me wanting to redecorate every forty five seconds :)

Speaking of redecorating, things around here will probably get VERY design-y. I have a list of things I want to buy for the new place as long as my arm! I promise to share them on the blog - and get your opinions, too!

If you need me, I'll be packing up my entire place and trying to convince R to let me buy leopard print bedding :) Wishing you all a fabulous weekend!

Out & About, Instagram Style: July!

It's been a while since I posted a little Instagram roundup and I thought I'd make it a monthly thing around here! In the past month alone I've been to Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco, and I've Instagrammed my heart out on the way. Hands down, this is my favorite app!

Lately I've stepped up the visits to Home Goods in search of... um, goods for the home :) I've scored some amazing furniture (I promise to show you soon!) but the real find may have been this sassy little sign:

At my cousin's engagement party last week, the caterer brought out a whole tray of these little baby rainbow sprinkle bundt cakes! I've never seen them before - have you? 

Speaking of wedding related parties, here is a cute picture of Allison, Alexandra, Nicole and me from Alex's bridal shower! I wore my mint green Baublebar necklace, ate French fries, and played wedding games - a truly blissful morning.

While cleaning out a drawer yesterday I found these two little magnets that I remember buying in high school. Sooooooo basically nothing has changed in ten years. 

Here's the easiest and most delicious dessert to eat when it's hot outside: roasted figs. Amazing with vanilla ice cream but I never make it that far - I eat them straight from the oven! I roast mine with a little truffle oil in a glass dish at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes and cover them in black Hawaiian salt as soon as they come out of the oven. DELISH.

A few weeks ago Ram and I spent a glorious day laying by the pool in my backyard for like five hours straight. I happily read issues of US Magazine, Lucky, and Allure while sitting on the edge of the pool dangling my feet in the fountain. No better way to spend a summer afternoon - and I got tan to boot! 

I can't go a week without going to my favorite sushi restaurant, Kushiyu, and the first thing I always ask for is an order of these spicy tuna biscuits. Grilled rice, spicy tuna, creamy avocado, green onions, and a little smelt eggs... my mouth is watering while I type, I swear. 

And finally, a true gem. I kinda want to have this printed on a shirt. Or a poster. Or maybe on little cards that I carry around and hand out to strangers:

That's all I got! Haha. But if you want more, I'm @queenjord! Leave me a comment with your Instagram name so I can follow you!

San Fran Fun

We are back from San Francisco and we had a great time! Even though we were gone for just 48 hours it was really nice to get away. The weather up north was actually perfect - tons of sun and not a cloud in the sky! Idiot me packed sweaters but it all worked out in the end :)

After checking into our hotel late Friday we lounged around for a little bit before heading out for a special little date night dinner at Park Tavern. Y'all, if you're ever in SF you must go! My friend Floff lives there and recommended it and we had one of the best meals of our lives, including some unreal wild mushroom pate on toast, prawns wrapped in bacon (sorry Rabbi E), roasted brussels sprouts, caviar fries, and their famous deviled eggs...

We slept late on Saturday (love me a hotel bed) and then ventured out to the famous Ferry Building, where we sampled our way through the farmer's market, bought some cheese at Cowgirl Creamery, and ate lunch at the Slanted Door while enjoying the beautiful weather. Plus, I have been on a real oyster kick lately so I was delighted to be able to slurp some up :)

Here we are after lunch...

With the best Floff! Miss you already :)

And then it was time for the main event - the wedding! Ram's friend from childhood Aaron's wedding to Jenny was at the Palace Hotel and it was gorgeous. Jenny looked beautiful and the two of them looked so happy - I love weddings. (I cry through them every time.)

I wore my new mint pleated dress and it was basically the comfiest thing ever and I felt like a princess :) (someone give me one good reason why I shouldn't go buy it in purple!) Ram looked very handsome and we had the best time eating lamb chops and choreographing our own dance moves while our friends looked on in amusement. I'm so glad we found each other :)

Hands down my new favorite photo of us! Big time framer.

More dance moves - this time with the S sisters!

I have another SF rec for you - Wise Sons Deli! This adorable little restaurant was actually started by two pals of Ram in 2011 and is now famous in San Fran for their AMAZING deli food. One of the owners, Leo, was at the wedding and after chatting him up, I knew we had to go there for Sunday lunch. We ordered the special chicken schnitzel sandwich, pastrami fries, and a corned beef sandwich -- my mouth is watering just typing it!

It's not a successful trip without a little shopping - my darling boyfriend let me drag him all over Union Square while I shopped my little heart out the rest of the afternoon. My best score? The J.Crew glitter espadrilles - originally $118, but I got them for $29.99!!!! I was basically shrieking in the middle of the store. Can you blame me!? 

(Yes, I had to take OFF my J.Crew glitter ballet flats to put on the J.Crew glitter espadrilles in order to take this photo. #glitterproblems #sorryimnotsorry)

Our plane ride back home was not exactly uneventful - without going into the gory details, our flight was delayed, we were put on stand-by for another, and a whole lot of nonsense happened which resulted in yours truly having a brief temper tantrum - but we were each rewarded with a $100 Southwest voucher for our troubles which eased the pain somewhat. We got back in LA super late Sunday night and I all but collapsed into bed.

All in all, a great trip! I love traveling with Ram... we have so much fun! 

What's In My Bag: San Francisco Edition!

Continuing my whirlwind summer of many travels, tonight Ram and I are off to San Francisco for the weekend! The occasion? Another wedding! Tis the season, indeed – I have FIVE this summer (and I’m a bridesmaid in TWO!) Craziness.

For a city such a short plane ride away, I haven’t explored San Francisco as much as I should have. I’m really looking forward to visiting the Ferry Building, eating in some delicious restaurants, walking around cute little hilly streets (and not complaining too much, hopefully!), seeing some of my pals who live in the area, and of course, sleeping in a nice big comfy hotel bed – one of my favorite things to do EVER.

I’m always surprised when I go to SF and it’s so cold outside, even in the middle of summer! I’ll make sure to pack some cute sweaters to keep me warm, along with some of the following…

I’ll try and stay warm in my favorite leather jacket from Anthropologie (this one is similar).

Scored this Kenneth Jay Lane necklace on Gilt a few weeks ago – love the bright tangerine beads!

A comfy pair of shoes for day – I don’t do sneakers so sparkle flats will have to do :)

Hands down, my FAVORITE mascara. I can’t find it in stores anymore so I order in bulk online!

This gorgeous mint dress may be a contender for the wedding itself – and look at the INSANE PRICE!
On my nails right now – a no-name shimmery coral/red polish. This one is similar!

Another wedding ensemble option: an LBD I bought for my birthday last year. Clearly, I’m feeling pleats right now (similar here).

The world’s comfiest skinny jeans – on sale! I own them in pink and bright blue.
If I go with the mint dress, it just so happens I have the perfect pair of Kendra Scott earrings to go with it!

Like seeing what’s in my bag? See what I’ve packed for a few recent trips:

Dallas – Chicago – Las Vegas

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! I’ll be tweeting and instagramming so follow along on our little trip if you’d like!

Still Pinning Away

It's been a couple of months since I caught the Pinterest bug and you better believe I'm still obsessed! 

I like the site for a couple reasons, namely anytime I need inspiration, all I have to do is visit the site for a couple minutes and I'm immediately re-inspired. Plus, it's amazing for keeping track of and organizing the million things on the internet I want to remember or come back to! I know I'm not telling you anything you didn't already know but I just think it's totally genius.

I figured today I'd show you some of the things I've pinned lately that I'm obsessed with!

Not to brag but I am kindaaaaa a little famous for my Stuffed Shells. I pinned this recipe for Parmesan Chicken Pesto Stuffed Shells and I cannot wait to make them. A new spin on an old favorite!

via 

Call me a crazy person but a few years down the line when I'm pregnant and trying to decide how to decorate my baby's nursery, I'm going to be real glad I pinned all the ones that I love. Look how sophisticated and colorful this nursery is!

via 

My mom is about to start redecorating her office and was looking for some inspiration. When I showed her an old InStyle magazine featuring Jewel's home a few months ago, she fell in love with Jewel's office... so much so that we're going to try and recreate it! Pinterest will be infinitely helpful with this project :)

via

French. Onion. Soup. Potstickers. I love ALL those things. Not gonna lie, I'm a little intimidated to make them but I've gotta try, right? (Not to mention my boyfriend would literally worship me forever if I pulled it off... his love for onion soup knows no bounds.)

via 

Last month I wrote about my plans to create a gallery wall featuring a beautiful Michelle Armas print I recently bought. In searching for other pretty prints, I came across this one and snatched it up too! Can't wait to see it up on my walls!

via 

I am dying over this combo - a black & white striped tablecloth with hot pink accents? SO ME. My birthday is next month and if I have any say in it, any party will include this color scheme for sure!

via 

Are you on Pinterest? I'd love to follow you, just leave me your user name! And if you're not already following me, I'm @queenjord. We can inspire each other! 

Saturday Night Mini Golf

This weekend FLEW BY. I'm happy to report it was jam-packed with lots of fun events - I finally got to visit Ram's beloved camp, had a fun day of mani/pedis with my mom, scored some awesome furniture at Home Goods (for the new apartment I don't have yet), went to my cousin's engagement party, and even squeezed in a trip to the Farmer's Market too!

All of those things were great. But by far the best part of my weekend? Mini golfing!

I don't know about you but I hadn't been mini golfing in YEARS. Probably at least seven or eight years, to be exact. But when our friend Samantha sent out an email to the group suggesting it as a fun Saturday night activity I was allllllll about it!

You guys. It was SO FUN! Eight of us broke into teams ("Shoes" vs "Sandals" was how we divided up the group, and it ended up separating all the couples too, which added a nice competitive edge) and played all 18 holes.

The gentlemen at Hole #1 before the fun began!

Checking out Eric's form...

My turn! Taking it very seriously, obviously.

True or false: I may or may not have hit the ball a little TOO hard and it ricocheted off the course and over onto the grass, causing everyone to shriek and duck down frantically. Rami mayyyy or may not have had a slight heart attack. I say he can't blame me for being enthusiastic.

Ari came too! Jenn and Eric's new baby is only 3 weeks old... but he was such a champ the whole time!

I insisted on a group picture after we had finished with the last hole:

 

In the end, "Shoes" won, thanks to Cory, who scored AT LEAST four hole-in-ones. In a strange coincidence, Ram and I ended up tying with 62 points each! 

Win or lose, we had a great time - I can't wait to do it again soon!

Having A Turquoise Moment

It all started with this dress:

Pssssst, $29.99 on sale online RIGHT NOW! What are you waiting for?!

And then I came across this shoe. Holy mother of god. I'm already begging my mother for odd jobs that I can do around the house in order to get her to buy them for me. It's like, forget the sparkles for once, that turquoise color is INSANE!

It's not like I didn't already love the color, but now I'm freaking obsessed. Everywhere I look there is something turquoise-y and summery that I am convinced I NEED. You agree, right?!

Turquoise and red is such a snazzy combo :) this bracelet is great for layering with others!

Does this not look like the world's comfiest shirt - and the color is INSANE!

Pretty sure there's nothing cooler than a turquoise leather journal

Talk about a statement necklace - turquoise with brass!

I'm DEFINITELY buying these loafers. We all know my love for a tassel!

If you're gonna drop the big $$$ for a fancy tote, why not get it in turquoise ostrich!?

My go-to summer nail polish color - Essie Turquoise & Caicos. Perfect for fingers AND toes!

A little minty bling for your ears - what's not to love?

I have seriously loved this necklace for months. I should just bite the bullet and get it already!

Off to go drool over those Kate Spade heels and paint my nails in the very color above... I'm so productive in the summer :)

Booze Bouquets

So I want to share with you a cool thing related to the wedding that we did when we were in Dallas!

When I arrived late Wednesday night in Texas the week of the wedding, Gerrick had a list of last minute errands and assignments to do before everyone started arriving. We had to pick up her dress, alphabetize the placecards, get spray-tans, finish making mustache-shaped chocolates for the guest bags, you name it! 

And one of the things on her list was “Finish groomsmen gifts.” Knowing that we are crafty goddesses, she had saved this task for me and Julie, who shall henceforth be known as the “Do It Yourself Consultant” (DIYC for short - HA!!!), so great is her talent for all things creative.

Gerrick knew exactly what she wanted to give her groomsmen. She had seen it on Pinterest months before and had already bought the supplies - she just needed us to execute it. So without further ado, I give to you - Booze Bouquets! 

Your eyes are not deceiving you. You are, in fact, staring at a bouquet designed specially for a guy. Instead of a basket full of flowers, these flowerpots are stuffed with mini alcohol bottles and cigars!

They were super easy to make, too. Here's what you need:

mini flowerpot
square piece of sytrofoam 
chopsticks (or dowels cut into manageable pieces
moss or colored confetti 
mini alcohol bottles and cigars
ribbon

Stuff the styrofoam block into the bottom of the flowerpot (you may want to glue it to make sure it stays in firmly.) Using your hot glue gun, carefully glue each bottle of alcohol or cigar to the chopstick/dowel and stick them inside the styrofoam. Cover the block entirely with the moss or confetti to camoflauge the styrofoam. Finally, tie a ribbon around the top of the flowerpot!

PS. I have to confess... Gerrick originally bought dowels to use for this project but the day we were supposed to make them we all had lunch at Pei Wei... 5 minutes into the meal we realized that chopsticks were way sturdier and wider than the dowels - they were perfect!!! I may or may not have caused a distraction in the restaurant while Julie stuffed chopsticks into her purse. Here's the evidence :)

Note: Gerrick also gave her groomsmen personalized kippot (yarmulkes) for the guys to wear during the ceremony, so that's in the basket too, but if you aren't Jewish and wanted to add a little extra thing in there, what about a little box containing cufflinks? Also, she had a huge bridal party, so each of the 13 baskets contained 4 bottles and 1 cigar, but the flowerpot was definitely sturdy enough to hold more so feel free to go crazy!

Here we are the day of the wedding in full hair and makeup about to deliver the little bouquets to the guys....

They LOVED them! The whole bridal party - minus the bride - a couple hours before the wedding!

I am certainly not taking any of the credit for this - Julie is a master DIYC and it was all Gerrick's idea - but I thought it was super cute and wanted to share it with all of you. The groomsmen loved it and I think it would also be a great gift for the dad or boyfriend who has everything!

Booze and cigars? Any guy would love it!

My Best Friend's Wedding

You guys. It was perfect.

When something is in the works for a while, there are expectations. There are hopes. There are plans. When that something is a wedding, it’s an even bigger deal. We had been looking forward to this weekend for 18 months. For a year and a half, we’ve been talking about it and looking forward to it. 

It lived up to all our expectations. It was amazing. It was emotional. And it was so FUN!!! 

Gerrick was GLOWING. Daniel had a smile on his face for four days straight. Everyone - from college pals to Memphis childhood friends to the camp crew to family and parents - was in such a good mood the entire weekend. We were there to celebrate two of the best people on earth - what was there NOT to smile about!?

Yours truly over here cried the ENTIRE WEEKEND. I’m not kidding. I got there Wednesday night and the tears started Thursday at her final dress fitting. I then proceeded to cry during the bridal luncheon, during the rehearsal, during the open house dinner, during the rehearsal dinner, during my entire speech, during everyone ELSE’s speeches, and don’t even get me started on the day of the wedding. I cried while we were all getting ready, when she put on her dress, when her mom blessed her and all of us in the room, during the ketubah signing, all the way down the aisle (what a great bridesmaid, right?), as SHE walked down the aisle, during the entire ceremony, back up the aisle, and into the cocktail hour. I WAS SO HAPPY. I’m not even kidding, I’m tearing up just writing this. Also, everytime we’ve spoken on the phone since then I’ve cried also. I’M EMOTIONAL, WHAT CAN I SAY?! 

Words won’t do it justice, so pictures will have to do. Get ready for an onslaught - I took more than 300 pictures in four days!!! 

First up: most of the bridal party at the bridal luncheon at Neiman Marcus on Friday afternoon

The happy couple posing with their Bride & Groom beer kozies! 

My cute boy and I at the BBQ Open House Dinner Friday night

Bridesmaiding it up! 

Total framer - me and Jul matching in seafoam :)

Gerrick is glowing from happiness. I am glowing from a spray tan :)

We spent Saturday lounging, having lunch, walking around the Dallas Galleria mall, laying by the pool, and relaxing. And Saturday night the Conroys hosted a beautiful rehearsal dinner complete with a photo slideshow and a million speeches dedicated to the bride and groom! As I mentioned above, I cried through most of my speech, which you read last week. Don't worry, I cried through everyone else's speeches too :) 

I had planned on wearing that colorful chiffon dress but that day in the mall I came across this electric pink sundress from H&M and couldn't say no! 

The L.A. crew :)

My OTHER best friend named Gerrick :) Jessica! Gerrick's sister is getting married in October and is seriously my new favorite person on earth. If you need a wedding coordinator she's seriously your girl - even though she's a nurse! 

My best pals :)

Jacob. The best.

I was like in a dream the day of the wedding. After hair and makeup we snuck down to see the room being set up - and yes, the bachelorette shirts made a comeback! 

Bridesmaids looking good! (Note to anyone engaged or looking for bridesmaid dresses: I wasn’t the hugest fan of this dress in the beginning but I am now. Comes in a million colors, flattering on anyone, tight and flowy at the same time, easy to dance in - I recommend it!)

Posing, as always :) Look at my pretty summer bouquet!

Finally putting on her dress. Cue the tears.

Opening her gift from Daniel - a beautiful strand of pearls. This is AFTER she put on her "something borrowed" - Daniel's late grandmother's necklace. Trust me, everyone in the room was crying.

Bracha took this great shot of us posing for the photographer! 

Here comes the bride! Yes, I was weeping from the front.

Do I not look totally dazed and overwhelmed up there? Cuz I was.

You may now kiss the bride!!!! 

MAZEL TOV YALL!!!

During the cocktail hour - Ram looks so handsome in his suit!

Beckles, this one is for you :) the famous bridal portrait shot!

After we had all headed into the reception room, the new couple was announced! They headed to the center of the dance floor for their first dance and swayed happily for about a minute... then all of a sudden, the record stopped and they BROKE OUT IN A FULL FIVE MINUTE CHOREOGRAPHED DANCE ROUTINE. I shit you not, I could not stop screaming. I have talked to Gerrick approximately five times a day every single day since she got married and she KEPT THIS A SECRET THE WHOLE TIME!!!!!! I can say nothing except WATCH THE VIDEO. It's amazing!!! 

An impromptu conga line turned into this great shot!

Dancing with my Jake :) he has mooooooooves!

Cutting the cake!!!

When the wedding was over, Gerrick (Gerrick C!!!) called for everyone to go downstairs to the hospitality suite for the after-party and everyone obliged. My friends were the first to head down there and when we opened the door, we were in for a HUGE surprise - they had surprised us with boxes and boxes of In & Out burgers! The boys were so happy they were fainting! 

Not gonna lie - I killed it with a burger. Or two. Hey, I was dancing up a storm! :)

And now it’s over. A week ago last night I watched my best friend become a Mrs! I can’t believe how fast it went by. I still can’t believe it happened.

To the new Mr. and Mrs. Conroy, I love you both more than anything and I was so honored to share in your special day - and special weekend - with you both! To a million more happy occasions together!!!