Derby Decor and more

Wouldn't want to head into the weekend without a proper send off! For you the recipe for the race-day's infamous cocktail.

Mint Juleps

4 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 ounce (1 bunch) mint leaves, plus another additional bunch, for serving

Kentucky bourbon, such as Maker's Mark

Crushed ice
Directions
Stir sugar and water in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer gently for 10 minutes. Place 1 ounce fresh mint leaves into large bowl; pour hot syrup over leaves. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
Using a slotted spoon, remove mint leaves from syrup and discard mint. Pour mint syrup into large pitcher. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Set out pitcher of mint syrup, bourbon, and crushed ice. Arrange additional mint sprigs in a bud vase with water to keep them fresh. Allow guests to assemble their own cocktails, adjusting measurements to suit their own preferences. In general, fill glasses with crushed ice and add approximately 1/4 cup bourbon and 2 tablespoons mint syrup, then add as many mint leaves as desired and stir to combine. Garnish with a sprig of mint and enjoy.

You could sip them from these silver Julep Cups

And serve them up on the ubiquitous orange Hermes tray
(images courtesey of: simplifiedbee, undeniablestyle, Country Living , the enchanted spoon , leesa_fashionista)

Talk Derby

non baby or decor related post ahead :)

Mint Juleps, Thoroughbreds, Blue Grass Music, Churchhill Downs, Jockeys, Seersucker Suits, Silks, Betting, and rain? Sound the bugle - the Kentucky Derby is this Saturday! 

The Denver Derby Party at the Botanic Gardens is a blast, the ticket prices continue to rise and rain always seems to threaten the party but it is a GOOD time. 

Check out the action in the tents where everyone gathers to watch the race.

So... what did I miss in my list? HATS! When else do you get to wear a big, fabulous hat? If you still need hat here are some suggestions:  Nordstrom in Cherry Creek was ordering extra hats just for this occasion (finger on the pulse people), Neimans has some amazing creations and there is always Macys and TJ Maxx for you bargain hunters. These are my online picks-too late to order now but maybe for next year.

Pink with a dramatic swooping brim, love it! Hat-A-Tude has a huge selection and Kathy is super nice and has great customer service. I bought an ivory one with a peach peony for myself and an apple green hat with white hydrangeas for Brittany about a year ago. There is PLENTY to choose from on this site.

This is something totally different from Eric Javitz. Back in my tv days, our little style show profiled this company for a segment and they were a delight and really take pride in their product.

You could use this one from Neimans for the Derby now and at the beach during the summer.

Another from Hat-A-Tude

Are you gonna pick a winner? Lookin at Lucky is lookin' good, but the is the best part of the race- anything can happen!

Glee- Decorator's Edition

Sue Sylvester to Mercedes and Kurt:
"How do you 2 not have your own show on Bravo?"

Did you see Glee last night? I know Megan and Tim did (Brittany's In-Laws - hi guys :) because we were texting about the episode. It was good, I liked it better than the Madonna episode because it advanced the story, there was a roller rink, Kurt had the best one-liners, and KRISTIN CHENOWITH!
It was also a design related with Kurt doing a little re-decorating, complete with a mood board and an assortment of gray paint swatches.

Kurt asks Finn for decorating advice-

"Toile? Really? I pegged you as Chinoiserie."

(spell check doesn't even know what to do with toile and chinoiserie, awesome :)

What kind of toile do you think Kurt was going for? This black and cream toile?

or this blue and red toile ?

maybe it was this one?

or perhaps this chinoiserie

Good times. Decorating with Glee.

Mercedes image from here

Lose the Shoes

This sign reminds me of the "A Women's Right to Shoes" episode from Sex & the City where Carrie and Stanford attend the baby shower at a friend's home and are told to take off their shoes. Carrie is appalled and pleads with the hostess for the sake of fashion but has to agree in the end. Big mistake. Her Manolos are snatched up by another guest. Carrie then "registers" at Manolo Blahnik and asks her host to reimburse her for her loss, her friend thinks it is a ridiculous request. Carrie persists, totalling up all the money she has spent on this friend over the years for wedding gifts and baby showers. Alas, the friend breaks down and Carrie gets a special delivery.

If you have little ones crawling around asking your guest to remove their shoes is reasonable because the crawlers will pick up anything in their path and inevitably put it in their mouth.

So, you could buy this at Target for $29.99

But I think this is a much better idea, from designer Samantha Johnson , it makes the request but stylishly and discreetly. It is also an easy DIY project. images from here, here and here

Chic Bohemian Bedding- Rikshaw Design

Rikshaw Design is some of the best of the best of bohemian baby bedding. The designs are created through the traditional wood block printing from India. The beauty of Rikshaw Designs is two part, first the saturated palette and then super soft Indian cotton voile that just gets better with age. While it may seem expensive you have to remember that these designs are all done by hand. Even if you can't splurge on an entire crib set maybe you can pick up one the many other items like pillows, baby blankets, burp cloths, kurtas and sleep sacks.

Easily my favorite piece is the Bombay Elephant Pillow

and here are the wonderful variations available in the crib bedding

Bombay Crib Bedding Set

Jaipur Crib Bedding Set
Notice the Moroccan pouf

Lali Crib Bedding Set
Check out the ceramic elephant stool

Udaipur crib bedding set

The Taj Blankets

Jaipur Burp and Bid Set

Baby Booti Sack $44

Get your green on!

In honor of Earth day we are posting a green nursery. The color blocking in the curtains flowing right in to the stripe on the wall is so precise it is almost an optical illusion.

Giraffes!

image courtesy of http://www.designnconquer.com/

Zulily

Zulily is an e-commerce site for busy moms that don't like shopping at big box children's stores. The company was started by the same guys out of Seattle that were behind Blue Nile (discounted fine jewelry) and is in the same vein as Rue La La, Ideeli and Gilt. The sales are private (it is a members only site) so the sales doesn't show up in Internet search engines.

Once you are a member you can view/buy discounted, upscale children's products during three- to five-day sales. Members receive daily e-mail alerts on new deals. What's for sale? Here are some products they offered in the past: $1,190 Italian crib marked down to $600 or a $64 seersucker sundress by actress Tori Spelling's Little Maven line for $28.49.

Hung up

The exterior of my house was power washed yesterday. Spring cleaning took on a whole new meaning with that little project. It is great if you need to paint but don't have funds in the budget for that just yet.

The next project on the list is to clean out my closet. No. This isn't my closet. Mine looks much better than this but I do need to swap out my wool sweaters and boots for tank tops and flip flops. And get rid of some stuff to make room for the lastest and greatest from the likes of JCrew. So full disclosure here. I actually prefer the wire hangers from the dry cleaner and that is what I use.

Horrific huh? I know, I mean I am just scared of Joan's (aka Faye Dunaway's) eyebrows in the picture but imagine if I had to make this confession about wire hangers directly to her. I don't even want to think about it(shudder).

Anyway... I was thinking my closet would look something like this when I finished. Just ignore Paula, I do. Wait.

There, that is better. First step in this glorious transformation=new hangers. I heard about these beauties via the blog world and so I went to pick mine up at Homegoods (18 for $12.99). They are awesome. Yes, it is true, they are total space savers, clothes don't slide off and now everything is streamlined.

As for the cleaning out, all it seems I have managed to get rid of are, um, the wire hangers. Hmmm...

Images courtesy of Apartment Therapy, The Cinema Source and InStyle

Nursery of the Week: Sneaky

Lacking space in your nursery? Or are you just one of those people that likes everything tucked away? Here is your solution from Area Interior Design - built ins! This closet hides the changing table and storage behind a set of uniform closet doors. This design can also "grow" with your child as you can make it a desk area or a media cabinet when they are older by removing the changing area element.
found via cococozy

Gigglebugbaby

Are you looking for a fun shower gift? How about these sweet treats? No, it's not candy, they are the essentials packaged in the cutest possible way from gigglebugbaby.

The products can be purchased through Etsy:

"Sweet Treats Baby"! Baby necessities-like blankets, onesies, diapers & more-made into deliciously adorable little treats sweet enough to eat! They make fantastic new baby & baby shower gifts."

Check out the Jumbo Cupcakes
Ingredients:* 2 Pair of Socks (0-6 M)* 1 Pampers Size 1 Diaper* 2 Soft Washcloths* 1 Burp Cloth* 1 Bib* 1 Onesie (3-6 M)* 2 Flannel Receiving Blanket * 1 Soft Tip Spoon (Headband for Girls)
No need to wrap, they are almost too cute to undo and use.

Gigglebugbaby is local too! She is a stay at home mom to four kids here in Denver.

Sunny and bright

Where have we been? Good question! Spring is finally here and to help celebrate we thought we would show you an adorable little nursery in a bright and sunny combination - yellow and orange!

This rocker is an antique that was recovered in yellow cotton duck with white piping, such a great shape. The bedding is modern and fun with the orange sherbet color and the white squiggle design.

These plastic woven storage containers are one of our favorite organizing tools, especially for the changing table area. Here they become an accent to the overall design theme since they incorporate the color palette of the room.