Blue Vacation

Portland experienced a summer heat wave this past weekend; I’m talking 80 degrees & solid blue sky. When this happens, Portland feels like a different city. I pulled out my summer wear, slathered on sunscreen & enjoyed plenty cocktails on more than one patio. Not to mention, multiple leisurely walks. And a cat nap in the park. My computer was not in sight for 3 days and it was a glorious feeling. It truly felt like a mini vacation. I was so blinded by the sun, I nearly forgot reality existed; and that, my friends, is an amazing feeling. Until summer truly does roll around, I’ll dive into these luscious blue & sun drenched photos instead.

Pinching myself for not splurging on this Groupon Getaway: 7 nights, $399. What was I thinking?!

Clearly I can not surf without this Louis Vuitton surf board. Duh.

Christian Chaize is one of my all-time favorite photographers. I want to live in this photo. Instead, it can live in my house & I’ll just take a mental breather when looking at it.

Fasano hotel Rio De Janeiro. Not a screaming deal like the Groupon getaway, but that’s irrelevant.

Girly blue dress with a leopard print belt & an arm party. Perfect summer attire.

Step out & just breathe. What I did all weekend.

I’ll take this infinity pool & view any day.

Pure bliss.

Carpe Diem,

Mandy

Splurge Vs. Steal

Phillip Lim 3.1

Shoe Mint Spring 2012

I’m on the hunt for an every-day pair of flats for this spring and summer. I’ve spotted both of these lately and adore the chic & timeless style that will go with virtually any outfit.

Phillip Lim 3.1 $395

Shoe Mint $79.99

Do I even need to tell you which one I’ll be purchasing?

Have a fantastic Friday & happy weekend!!

Carpe Diem,

Mandy

Upgrade: Gold Flats

These flats used to be pink and were purchased at Target probably 5 years ago for about 30 bucks. They have been an amazing pair of shoes; we sure have been through a lot together! One fateful walk  home from work last summer, I got stuck in a serious torrential downpour which meant my favorite suede shoes died and went to shoe heaven. Kinda. Until I decided to spray paint them with leftover gold paint from other wedding DIYs. This is what happens with a short attention span and an affinity for painting anything gold. Now, I just wonder if I look like the crazy chic whose shoes are clearly spray painted OR the genius DIYer rockin’ a sweet pair of repurposed shoes. Hmm…good thing I don’t care because I get to wear my favorite shoes again!

Required Materials:

1. Old shoes

2. Spray paint (I used Krylon Brilliant Gold).

3. Blue painters tape

4. Paper towels

5. Painters tarp or newspaper

Before

Line interior of shoe with blue painters tape and fill with paper towels to protect the edges and interior sole.

Shake paint, spray at least 12″ away and don’t inhale!

Tape the exterior soles. Don’t forget the underside & double check to ensure all areas are sufficiently covered in paint.

Et Voila!

As you can see, this is super easy. You just need some imagination and a well ventilated area; two crucial elements!

Carpe Diem,

Mandy

Bo Phut, Koh Samui, Thailand

Our honeymoon resort on the island of Koh Samui was right next to this adorable fisherman’s village. Although our resort was beyond fantastic, it was great to get out and explore a nearby village. There is one main street along the ocean in Bo Phut, filled with restaurants & boutiques. The ocean front buildings were actually right on top of the sand, allowing the tide to flow beneath. This side was mostly lined with restaurants that, needless to say, had spectacular views! We enjoyed a leisurely afternoon strolling along this main street, wandering into boutiques and making pit stops for lunch & drinks. We’d love to go back to Thailand someday and island hop, exploring more of these villages bursting at the seams with culture. Hope you enjoy the photos- the ice cream sign is my favorite!

Carpe Diem,

Mandy

Vintage Travel Bridal Shower

Real life travel inspiration board!

Sister & Matron of Honor

It’s no secret I love to travel and love anything vintage. I also love champagne; therefore my bridal shower was fairly easy to plan. My sister rented a special banquet room in the Hotel Delux; the ultimate glam vintage hotel in Portland. With a few DIY’s and plenty of sugar later, she created a vintage-travel oasis. As mentioned in this post, all requirements were met for a fantastic bridal shower. Goodies included compass cookies & sparkly boxes wrapped in leopard print ribbon filled with surprises. I even had a real-life travel pin board!

This candy bar was a bit more sugar-induced than most. Every one of my favorite desserts was present, which meant it was quite large! November was perfect timing, considering I love anything pumpkin, so there were plenty of pumpkin flavored items (including home made pumpkin whoppie pies), along with caramel corn, peanut butter goodness & color coordinated M&M’s.

Side note: did you know Cupcake wine has a Red Velvet wine? Go, run & get it now if you’ve never had it. It is delish!!

My sister adorned the space with a few vintage accessories such as planes, cameras, globes & suitcases and vintage blue mason jars were filled with pink-tipped roses. Map garlands were created by cutting triangles from used maps, hole-punched & tied with ribbon. Maps, maps and more maps everywhere!

Can you tell we have too much fun planning parties?

Don’t forget to check out our Moroccan Themed Bridal Shower featured over on Ever Swoon today! I stumbled upon Tamra’s gorgeous blog and instantly fell in love; she’s obsessed with Boston Terriers AND owns sequin pants. Boom- insta blog friends!

Carpe Diem,

Mandy

Hot Pink Monday

Taylor Sterling of Glitter Guide

Kunstoffhaus furniture design, 1968

B. Jones Style Blog

Pink ombre cake & gold glitter. Perfection!

Sincerely, Jules Blog

Raspberry Beer Cocktail

Think about it.

Lately, hot pink has been popping up almost everywhere I look…and I don’t mind it one bit! I am ready to fully embrace this ultra-feminine, yet spunky trend. Next stop is a hot pink article of clothing & a hot pink cocktail! Recently my favorite hot pink suede flats were no longer hot pink after a walk home in torrential rain, so they got a coat of gold spray paint instead; DIY coming this week! For now, these are just a few photos I’ve found inspiring and I hope they brighten your day as well.

Carpe Diem,

Mandy

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 

Everyday Emily

I’m guest blogging over on Everyday Emily today! Have you seen Emily’s adorable blog? She curates the most fabulous photos from fashion to travel to adorable dogs that just make you smile. A definite every day read for me (and should be for you too)!

Emily just made the jump across the pond from London via Portugal to good ol’ Portland. Frustrated with the local shopping scene she graciously asked me, the Portland native, to share my top 5 shopping locations. The more I thought about it, the more I realized Portland is not the best shopping city. I shop a lot when I travel for this very reason. But, we have great beer so I’ll take that any day!

Head on over to Everyday Emily to check out my top 5 shopping hot spots. That fabulous feather skirt & those leopard print pumps above are from 2 of the shops on my list. Just a little sneak peek for y’all.

Besides Emily’s ridiculously amazing blog, you can also find her on Pinterest, Twitter  & Instagram.

Thanks again Emily! xoxo

Carpe Diem,

Mandy

Photo by Niki Rhodes Photography.

$13.50 Booyah

Atlantic Pacific Blog

Cupcakes & Cashmere Blog

The Daybook Blog

Sincerely, Jules Blog

ExploRED Blog

Yesterday will go down in history as the day I found these fantastically-amazing & to-die-for black booties for THIRTEEN DOLLARS & FIFTY CENTS. Yes, it’s necessary to spell that dollar amount to fully grasp how much of a screaming deal this was. My sister is the bargain shopping queen & has been raving about the new Crossroads on NW 23rd lately. I popped in for a hot minute & nearly left skipping with these bad boys (and if you must know a pair of hot pink spandex with black zippers up the sides; another life essential). My size 9 skis for feet rarely win the thrift store lottery, but yesterday they finally lucked out. I love how these fabulous bloggers styled their black booties & now have confirmation they can be styled in endless ways.

If you have any epic thrift store finds, please do share! They are far & few between so I just love hearing other history-book-worthy discoveries.

Carpe Diem,

Mandy

Images: 1,2,3,4,5

PS. Find more fashion inspiration on my Pinterest board!

Upgrade: Vintage Chairs

Before

We spotted these chairs a few weeks back at our favorite local vintage store, Lounge Lizard. Gorgeous lines, fantastic craftsmanship & superb quality; the upholstery just needed some tender loving. Per Mr.Riggar’s suggestion, we went with a faux-white leather (I knew I married him for a reason!) from Kravet’s Sta Kleen series. Sometimes a vintage piece just needs a simple upgrade! This was not a DIY, rather I took the chairs to a local upholsterer so he could work his magic instead of me butchering our pretty new chairs.

I’ve always loved the idea of fancy head-table chairs at a dining table & these can serve that purpose someday. They somehow always look stylish, yet eclectic. Until we move out of our cozy 700 sq.ft. apartment, I’ll drool over these dining vignettes instead. Gorgeous, right?

Carpe Diem,

Mandy

Images: 4,5,6

Happy Monday

Life has been very busy lately and I like it! It amazes me how many photos I take a day on my iphone without even blinking an eye. I don’t look at a calendar anymore to reference events, I typically check my photos. Sometimes I wish this gadget wasn’t attached to my hip 24/7, but other times I am grateful that I can document my life so easily with technology. I’ve always loved having photographs & now I can have them with the click of 2 buttons photographing my entire day. Anyone else an avid Instagram user?  Here are a few snapshots of inspirations & events lately. Enjoy!

Spring has officially sprung in Portland! Warm evenings, sunshine & people bustling about. Portland really is a wonderful city when the sun comes out. Myself & the rest of the population are crossing our fingers the weather will stick this time around.

I have accomplished one of my New Year’s resolutions of becoming a good wife: I perfected the chocolate chip cookie recipe! All you bakers can laugh at me, but refrigerating the dough is seriously the most important step. Chewy cookies for an entire week? Boom- wife points. Recipe found here.

I have many girlfriends who live all over the US right. This week, one was home from Chicago & another is in town temporarily after living in North Carolina before moving to San Francisco AND I had another surprise visit from a friend who used to live in New York and is now in Southern Oregon. Phew! Most of these fabulous ladies (and a few more) lived on the East Coast temporarily, which meant an East Coast adventure was due. Chicago, NYC, Boston & Charlotte in 10 days with a back-pack & this little lady. But more on that later!

Easter was spent enjoying 70 degree weather with some fresh flowers & mimosas (duh)! Not to mention, plenty of delicious food & some awesome quality time with the family.

After much debate mentioned here, I decided upon this gray/blue Moroccan Trellis rug for our living room. It finally arrived & boy am I glad I went with it! Our space needed some spice and this rug knocked it outta the park. It’s the little things in life, right?

Spotted this card and fell in love with this too-cute for words quote. Enjoy!

Carpe Diem,

Mandy