Home Tour: Dining Room.

It's been a while since I did a home tour post -- I know it's shocking, but there's actually more to our home than just the outside, the entryway, the first floor bathroom, and the office.   

From the entryway post, you can see the staircase.  As you walk up the stairs, this is the view:

(why hello, neighbor's roof)

If you look down, this is what you'd see:

You pretty much walk up into our dining room.

We painted the walls a red in a flat finish, marked off the lines with tape for the stripes, and then did a coat of gloss poly in every other stripe.  The paint in this room is one of the first things people notice and they always love it.  This room was one of the first rooms we painted when we moved in (and one of the few rooms I haven't wanted to repaint . . . yet)! 

As I've mentioned before, I am nosy and am always curious where people get things.  So if you're like me, here's where the big ticket items are from:  the rug, wood table, chairs, buffet, and china cabinet are Pottery Barn; the upholstered chairs are from Ikea; the three large canvas prints are from High Fashion Home; the drum shade chandelier is from Restoration Hardware; the buffet lamps and mirror are from Z Gallerie. 

Here's a better look at the buffet set up.  {Random aside:  I pronounce the word "buffet" as "boo-fay."  I blame it on my mom (who pronounces "turquoise" as "ter-kwaz").  Anyone else out there say boo-fay?  Anyone, no?}

To the right of the mirror, I found this awesome vintage Vogue cover from Etsy.  I wanted something vintage-inspired and this cover had the cool blues from the fabric on the chairs, rug, and table runner and the red from the wall and rug.  And my awesome husband cut a custom mat for it. 

Isn't it perfect for that space? 

So there's the dining room (and as a bonus, you can see a sneak peek of the living room in the mirror in the previous picture).

The kitchen is up next!  And you can (finally) check out the rooms under the House Tour tab above. 

Hope you guys are having a wonderful week.  I am headed out of town for work, but will be back home in time for the weekend!

Truths and a Winner.

I came across these "truths" on pinterest and loved them all. 

Source: stumbleupon.com via Emily on Pinterest

A few that made me laugh a little louder than the others were 11, 13, 24, and 29.  Are there any that crack you up?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

And the winner of the Shabby Apple necklace is:  Emilia.  Congratulations!  I will email you about the details.

Don't forget that Shabby Apple is still offering 10% off! Just use the coupon code: NAME5THINGS10OFF.

Trip Recap: Rome.

I haven't forgotten about the trip recap.  After Paris and Cinque Terre, we headed to Rome.  We did all of the "touristy" things there.  I really enjoyed Rome, but probably would never choose to go back there.  I feel like I saw everything I needed to see (I would however go back just to enjoy the food!). 

We got to Rome pretty late at night and just had time to grab some dinner.  We had some of the best pizza we've ever had before, and we also had a nutella calzone for dessert.  Yum!  The place was called Pizzeria Dar Poeta, which was close to our hotel in Trastevere.  Our hotel, Donna Camilla Savelli, was very cool.  It was actually a restored 16th Century Monastery.  Neat, right?

The next day at lunch, I had maybe one of my favorite meals on the trip.  I had a simple spaghetti alla carbonara (they don't put cream in theirs, and who needs it when you have all of that pecorino on top?).  I recreated the dish when I got home, roughly basing it on this recipe and it turned out great!  (You can also see what's left of our cheese and honey plate.)

But we did do things besides just eating!  We headed to the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum.  I took 4 years of Latin in high school and we learned a lot of Roman history, so seeing the things I learned about was definitely interesting.  Of course Justin kept asking me what all of the things in Latin meant -- I had no clue for the most part! 

  

Then we walked over to the Colosseum.

Some shots from the Colosseum. 

And the Arch of Constantine, which is in between the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. 

We then cruised over to the Pantheon.  It is just amazing to think that it was built in about 126 AD.

How stunning is this church over by the Pantheon?  

All of this walking and sightseeing made us hungry and in need of gelato.  So we stopped at Giolitti, one of the most famous gelaterias in Rome.  Ordering was an experience in and of itself.  And the gelato (and the generous "scoop" of whipped cream on top) was to die for.     

Now that we had the energy to continue, we walked to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.  (If you look closely, you can see how Justin spilled gelato on his white shirt.  I am sure he will love the fact that I pointed that out.) 

We had a delicious dinner that night, but one of my favorite parts was the wall decor there.  They put wine crates up on the wall.  What a cool idea! 

Our next day in Rome, which was also our last, was just as busy.  We headed over to the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica.

View of the city from the Vatican museum.

St. Peter's was incredible. 

 

The inside is so elaborate.  It really is hard to convey just how beautiful it is.

This is one of the coolest pictures from the trip.  Look at the way the light is shining through the window right on the cross.  Amazing.   

After St. Peter's, we headed back to our hotel, grabbed gelato one last time, and headed to the airport.  I should mention that the entire time we were in Italy, Justin said everything he could in an awesome Italian accent.  It made me crack up every time he did it.  But I was secretly glad we were off to Greece, where I knew he couldn't even pretend to do the accent!

P.S.  Don't forget to enter the Shabby Apple giveaway!  It ends Wednesday.

Giveaway: Shabby Apple.

I sure am glad it's the weekend!  In case you're curious, I won my pro bono case on Thursday!  I've successfully worked on another asylum case before, and winning these types of cases is so fulfilling.  So to celebrate, I've got a great giveaway for you!

Shabby Apple is offering a beautiful necklace to a lucky reader!  Isn't this vintage-inspired black cameo necklace (called "the duchess") just lovely? 

And in case you need any further encouragement to enter the giveaway, the Zhush just had a post about how cameos are making a comeback.    

To enter to win:

(1) Be a follower of Name 5 Things; 

(2) "Like" Shabby Apple on facebook; and 

(3) Leave a comment here saying you did so.

(Please note that the winner must have a US shipping address and there will be no exchanges for the winning piece of jewelry.)

The giveaway will end on Wednesday, November 2.  The winner will be announced on Thursday, November 3.  Good luck!

Even if you don't win, Shabby Apple is offering 10% off to N5T readers for the next 30 days! Just use the coupon code: NAME5THINGS10OFF. 

Happy weekend, friends! 

Cheap Art - Paris Print.

Back in my office post, I mentioned that we needed something to hang over the daybed. Well, now I can cross that off my list! Check!

I love it for multiple reasons: (1) it's Paris related; and (2) it was done on the cheap.



The "print" is this wrapping paper from Paper Source.  It was a whopping $3.95.  The frame is the Ribba frame from Ikea, which is $24.99.  So for less than $30.00, we got a large piece of art to fill the space (and remind us of our fabulous time in Paris).  Thankfully, the paper fit perfectly in the frame.  The colors work well in the room too.  

This last picture of Riley and Zoey snuggling on my lap was too precious not to share -- and it shows part of the Paris print, so it's somewhat related! 

Hope you're having a wonderful week.  It's flying by for me -- I have a trial on Thursday for a pro bono client that I'm prepping for, and tomorrow is ice cream social day at the office.  Jackpot! 

5 things . . .

Here are 5 things I would feel guilty about withholding from you any longer:

(1)  Anthropologie-inspired spray painted paper mache letters.  What a genius idea.  I am always amazed at what you can spray paint.  These would make a great gift!     

Source: 346living.com via Emily on Pinterest

(2)  Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies.  Make these.  Now.  They are super easy to make and are some of the best cookies I've had in a while.  Make sure you have a cold glass of milk handy.    

Source: divine-baking.com via Emily on Pinterest

(3)  Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner.  Seriously, I can't tell you how many eyeliners I've tried -- they all end up either fading away or smudged under my eyes or on my eyelids (or both).  I've even tried the fancy $18.00 ones that the folks at Sephora recommend (Too Faced and Urban Decay) with no luck. 

So while at Target the other night, I decided I would try Revlon ColorStay.  And for only $5.00, I wasn't going to be too bummed if it didn't work.  But it works perfectly!  I get home from work and my eyeliner is still exactly where it is supposed to be.  I've even been going up to Justin and having him look too so that he can be impressed!  Boy is he thrilled.  

(photo: target)

(4)  The Brazilian Peel (a glycolic acid facial peel -- not to be confused with the waxing)!  I splurged on it a couple months ago and will definitely buy again, especially with Sephora's Friends & Family Sale starting soon.  

I don't use it every week as recommended because that's just ridiculously expensive.  Instead, I use it about every 3 weeks.  It really does brighten my skin and makes it so soft.  I have super sensitive skin too and I've had no problems.
 

(photo: sephora)

(5)  Shellac.  Specifically, the color Rock Royalty.  I've been a Shellac fan for sometime now and this color is going to be one of my go to darker colors.  Shellac is a gel manicure that lasts 14+ days with no chips, which is especially key with dark colors.  In the picture, the color almost looks metallic-y, but it's not.  My nails are just super shiny after coming home from the nail place.

And how funny is Riley?  He saw me holding my phone taking a picture, and I swear he thought I was taking it of him!  Too cute.

Have you discovered anything that's too good not to share?