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The Ultimate Coffee Station

March 30, 2016 · by Maria · 6 Comments

You know those days that you wake up so wired and alert that the last thing on your mind is coffee?

Yeah, neither do I.

The first thing I did when we moved into this house (12+ years ago) was put together the coffee cabinet. It has changed a little, but many things have remained in the same exact spot. You know a system works for your family when it remains fairly well maintained. I am not including kid rooms in that statement. 🙂

For as much as I like entertaining and cooking, I consider my kitchen to be on the small side. It doesn’t appear that way at first glance but when you consider that a lot of the cabinetry is for pantry items, not much is left for all my other kitchen needs. I really have tried to use every inch of that kitchen (without it looking too busy) in order to house my many cups, mugs and dishes.

One of the ideas that I love is using the cabinet doors as a place to store small items. I purchased this large adhesive bin to hold larger items like agave or honey and also these two stainless steel shakers that I use for cinnamon and cocoa. I chose those specific shakers because they come with a plastic lid to cover the sifter top.

In the middle is a smaller bin that holds sugar packets. Below that are a few smaller ones that hold the spoons that stir our coffee in the morning. the cappuccino spoons and a few essential oils. Many people may not need spoons in their coffee station because they may have a utensil drawer nearby. In our case, our utensil drawer is across the kitchen. I purchased a set of spoons at Homegoods and dedicated them to this spot. No more walking across the kitchen in the morning just to get a spoon. Maybe this isn’t a big deal but considering that we are half asleep when preparing our coffee, I’ll take the convenience.

On the other side of the cabinet I place my cappuccino maker which I don’t use as often as my coffee maker – that one stays on the counter at all times. Next to it is powdered creamer which I rarely use but I like to have it on hand, just in case my guests request it. You may notice that I removed the wrapper and it looks like a plain white container. This little step may seem silly but keeping your cabinet as monochromatic as possible, makes it look less busy. That big label was red and yellow and now it’s just white and disappears into the cabinet. In front of it you may recognize that plastic container. It was a sweetener and I removed the label on that as well.

I used white plastic shelves throughout the cabinet which allowed me to double up on storage for my plates and various cups.

Then I have my two coffee containers that are really easy to access and to open and close.

I keep a coffee measuring spoon inside each container.

Behind the coffee you will see two woven plastic bins. There I keep extra coffee and frothing pitchers. These items are all concealed inside those 2 stackable bins that I found at Target.

On the other side of the cabinet I have another adhesive bin for more sugars. You should make sure that these bins will have enough clearance when the cabinet closes. In this case, if they were any lower they would crash against the coffee containers. I measured mine to fit above the canisters when the cabinet closes.

Right in the middle are my vitamins. I chose this stainless double tier turntable to hold all of our bottles. Be sure to measure your cabinet to make sure the items will have enough clearance. I have tried so many places to store our vitamins but if they are not in front of our face when we make our coffee, we forget them. Sometimes we still forget them.

In the very top there is a casserole set that I rarely use and that is why it’s so high up. Of course there are many different kinds of coffee mugs in the cabinet but the big ones in the very bottom are the ones we use daily. We keep our coffee maker next to this cabinet (besides the knife).

This system has worked so well for us. I can tell you that besides some minor touch ups, I didn’t have to do much to the coffee station to get it photo ready for this post. It pretty much stays looking like that.

You can customize an are of your own and even add flavored syrups with pumps, just like the fancy baristas have. You can add your touches to make it perfect for you! So are you a coffee or tea lover? How many cups a day? As much as we love coffee, we only have one. Also, do you have an area already dedicated to coffee items?

I love you a latte!

I have tried to link as many items in this post to their source, just in case you are interested. There are some Amazon links included which means that I get a small portion of the sale. However, you do not pay more because you purchase through the link. I wouldn’t do that to ya! Thank you for your support!

Set Your Easter Table

March 23, 2016 · by Maria · 2 Comments

You know how I have always told you that I like to buy neutral pieces that are not particular to any one holiday? That way the pieces are versatile enough to use year-round? That was true until these little bunny plates went on sale. My resolve and practical good sense went out the window.

The dinner plate version was also available, but I told myself that these salad plates would take up less room to store. That was me easing my conscience. 🙂

I am so glad that I picked them up! I purchased 9 of them, as I usually buy an extra plate just in case somebunny breaks one.

I found the plates and the tablecloth at Homegoods. The tablecloth could use a few more inches all the way around and I am thinking about adding a green border all around the tablecloth, so that it feels more sizable. Tablecloths and comforters should be made a little larger than they currently are. Don’t you agree?

I have had my eye on these gold utensils for over a year! Finally they went on sale last year (after Christmas) and I purchased 2 sets. I was also considering this one from Amazon but decided on these from CB2. I love them and the only critique that I have is the size of the little fork – it is unusually small. Maybe it would be perfect as an appetizer fork, but kind of small for salad.

There was a lot of color already on the table, especially with the busy pattern of the tablecloth, so these linen napkins were my go-to. I paired them with a simple gold napkin ring that matched the chargers and the utensils.

You all know how I love fresh flowers but I had this little yellow arrangement by my bed and it fit perfectly inside Mr. Bunny. To make this more substantial, I sat him on a pretty blue cake pedestal.

I had these faux eggs in my kitchen. Don’t they look real? I placed them on these tiny bunny plates. I also thought of filling them with jelly beans.

Flanking the yellow flowers are these two potted plants (not real). I like how the pots even have some weathering, which make them more believable. From far away all the greenery and flowers look real.

So will I be using this table for Easter? I have no idea! We have yet to really make plans but I am glad that the table is set and ready to go just in case we do some last minute hosting. #JustAddTheHam

Will you be hosting Easter at your home this year? Is it a holiday that you decorate for? All I do is set the table but not too much more decorating. I would love to hear about your traditions on this special day.

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Living Room from Scratch with Wayfair

March 18, 2016 · by Maria · Leave a Comment

Hello Sweet Friends! Besides the Tastemaker Awards post from yesterday, I have been a little MIA these past few weeks because everyone in my home came down with the flu…one-by-one. We are all better now and I can’t wait to share with you some of the things that I have been working on. To make it up to you I am sharing with you some real eye candy.

Move over George Clooney and enter beige tufted chesterfield style sofa!

So what’s with the sofa? Well recently Wayfair reached out to me and asked if I would style a room from scratch and what pieces would I use. I welcomed the challenge and below are my pics of the picks :-). But before we dive in, I wanted to share with you the reason and perspective behind the pieces that I chose.

My favorite rooms are those that curate over time. Those rooms have the most character, depth, interest and even practicality. So when I chose the pieces from the Wayfair site, I didn’t want them to match perfectly – on the contrary. Also, keep in mind that I am styling this room as a space that isn’t necessarily the one that gets the most use. I say that because the couch is…well…probably not one that is the best choice for the kiddies. My home has a family room that houses practical leather couches and a really small formal living room – that’s the one I thought of as inspiration when curating this space.

So like I said, the gorgeous couch above is already a linen color, and in my home I have 2 chairs facing the couch. In this case, I would pair the couch with 2 of the chairs below (that are also available in linen) but I would choose a dark gray so they stand out a bit, but not too much. We want our couch to be the star. So how about this beauty?

I kept imagining a small living room (like mine) so I didn’t want too many colors in the room. Not super match-ey but definitely not busy. The rest of the pieces as you can see are fairly neutral and the “drama” piece, besides the couch, is the art piece. It was available in multiple sizes but I would definitely go with the largest size that your wall can take. One or two statement pieces in a room create the “designer” feel that we are after. Everything else was the supporting cast.

If you are interested in “shopping the look” and getting more specifics on each item, you can click on the pictures below and you will be taken straight to items. One of the things that I love about Wayfair is that you will immediately see a ton of options that fit within the same style of the item that you clicked on.

Carthusia Tufted Button Sofa – Beige I love the low back, the rounded corners and the beautiful tufting throughout. I recommend pairing this couch with simple side chairs so that it can remain center stage.	Colette Chair – Charcoal Gray I love how understated this chair is! It can complement almost any couch without competing with it.
Eye-Catching Zebra Patterned Throw Pillow – Grey Beige Adding a few gray and beige pillows to the couch will really bring together the two neutral colors that we are incorporating in our room design.	Gray & Off White Shag Area Rug It’s no secret that nothing anchors a room like a good rug. I love a good shag rug and this one incorporates both off-white and gray. The diamond design and neutral background makes the rug interesting without being busy.
Mallory Coffee Table This mirrored top table has a beautiful satin nickel sweeping base and it’s the perfect addition to this room. I love how versatile this coffee table is – all that’s missing is a beautiful faux arrangement of peonies, a stack of books and pretty candle.	Gold Diamonds Faded Graphic Art on Canvas A blank wall is an opportunity for a dramatic piece like this beautiful canvas of a gold chandelier! There are so many sizes available, but I would definitely go over-sized for this piece. It is absolutely gorgeous!

As you know, my living room sofa is a really light color like this one. Admittedly, we usually hang out in the family room, so it gets very little use. I’m glad I did it though. It’s the first thing that you see walking into our home and I love it! Would you ever place a linen color sofa in your home or does the light color scare you a bit? What are your favorite pieces from the ones pictured above?

Let me know your thoughts on the room. Next on the blog will be some ideas for Easter. Yup, it’s around the corner.

Wayfair 2016 Trade Tastemaker Awards

March 17, 2016 · by Maria · 1 Comment

Remember last year when I shared about going on the Sailing with the Scotts HGTV cruise? It was a blast and I hope they do it again this year. Well aside from that, I don’t attend many events that I get invited to as a blogger, because they usually require travel and time away from the boys. However, when there is a local event, I am there like a bear (not sure what that even means). So this past weekend I attended the Wayfair Tastemaker Awards here in Miami and I had a great time! It took place in a beautiful, historic South Beach hotel called the SLS Hotel.

We all gathered in the outdoor terrace part of the hotel which was beautiful, as you can see. The picture does not do it justice.

We sat around, enjoyed drinks and delicious appetizers. Seriously, the apps were so yummy that they are worth mentioning and even photographing but I forgot to. There were dates wrapped in bacon, ceviche, gazpacho (I actually don’t like gazpacho but it looked good) and other little morsels of goodness.

I made a lot of new contacts for the blog. Not really. I just kept eating the appetizers.

This was the cool bar area. These bartenders were like out of the Tom Cruise movie, Cocktail. They would throw the shakers and mix multiple drinks at once. Kind of impressive. Of course, they were still not as popular as the guy frying the bacon-wrapped-dates. That guy won.

They (Wayfair) also had a photo booth set up and a bunch of props for the pictures. I always do really well in the first picture but then I don’t know what to do for the other 3 shots. Do I just keep smiling? I can totally make a funny face as the second shot, but I only have one funny face that I know how to make so that still leaves another 2 pictures. I inevitably come out with one of the shots talking as I ask the person next to me “what do we do now?”. Does this happen to you?

You may recognize the picture below from my Instagram. Here I am with my friend, Diriet Diaz, who is not only a great friend and a sharp dresser, but also happens to be a luxury real estate agent in the Miami area. Not the best quality photo but it was a good hair day so it made the cut! 😉 It’s always a good hair day for Diriet.

Here are some of the Wayfair peeps, the winning designers and presenters.

Here I am with the super talented designer, Barclay Butera. He was so sweet and was nice enough to take this picture with me. Although his choices were limited because my friend already had the camera phone pointed and waiting. Say cheese! Seriously, all the designers were incredibly approachable and happy to be celebrating with all of us.

The evening came to a close after finally presenting the winners. Before giving the awards we were all shown slides from the rooms that were submitted as entries. They were all so original and with such fresh perspectives.

So we hung out a little longer (that’s me beside the lady in the blue blouse) and then called it a night. My boys were all home waiting for me and greeted me at the door like I had been gone for 24 hours.

One of the bonuses about blogging has been being a part of these cool communities and being able to go to events that are both fun and inspiring. The other bonus was not having to make dinner because the husband was holding down the fort. So thank you Wayfair and thank you husband. And thank you pizza delivery man. And thank you bacon wrapped dates.

Feeling grateful –

Maria

The Spring Table

March 6, 2016 · by Maria · 24 Comments

If you follow me on Instagram then you know it’s no secret that I love tablescapes and flowers. Every time that I host a get together, I think of the table setting before even planning the menu. I actually like to set my table 1 or 2 days in advance so that I can choose and move pieces around without being in a rush.

Even when I am not hosting an event, I try to set a pretty table for us to enjoy, although we rarely sit in the dining room for weekday meals – we usually sit in our kitchen table. Many times I will have a versatile faux arrangement (usually just greenery) as the centerpiece and I change around my chargers and plates to create a different look. I will leave that out for a month or so and then remove everything, throughly clean the table and start again.

My favorite table settings are when the flowers go on sale at the market and I can really get creative. Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s tend to have reasonable prices for quality flowers. Sometimes they will have a “Value bouquet” that you can purchase 2 of and create a really full and interesting arrangement.

Below is the arrangement and table setting that I set up for spring – fun, bright and romantic.

What I love about the mixed value bouquets is that they usually include at least 3 types of flowers that you can mix with some roses and create something really special at home. Something that looks like it came out of a magazine.

The rest of the table was a nod to the flowers. I chose the napkins and plates in Spring colors that would complement the flowers. I love having an assortment of linens to choose from when it’s time for dressing the table. These napkins were less than 2 dollars a piece (from Sur La Table) and they really play off the yellow flowers.

I added 2 egg wreaths to cage some candles since I may keep this setting throughout Easter. If I change it again, I will be sure to share it with you!

Because my table is so formal (more than I would like) I add earthy elements like the woven charger and the terra-cotta napkin ring, to make the table setting more dimensional. Also, because the rest of my home is no longer as formal, I like to add casual touches to this formal space.

Although most of my dinnerware is white, I do have a few colorful accent pieces that I can use throughout the year. Usually it’s accent plates which take up less room to later store. These rope design blue plates were found at Homegoods. The dinner plates underneath are white with a green border and a gold rim. They are from Williams-Sonoma and I purchased them on clearance after their Easter sale last year. I love those clearance buys because while these plates were considered “Easter” plates to them, they are simple enough to be used in almost any tablescape – Christmas, Mother’s Day and even Thanksgiving.

Don’t shy away from the “expensive” stores as they sometimes have steep sales that can help you build your entertaining inventory. If you don’t have the space or desire to have a bunch of plates, simple white dinnerware is beautiful. Just be sure to purchase a few extra plates to account for breakage over the years. White dinnerware is classic, timeless and food looks great on a white backdrop.

These green cups have been in my arsenal for over 15 years. They were on a mega-clearance and I purchased like 15 of them, thinking that a few may break over the years. All 15 are still standing – so to speak.

Of course, these flowers will eventually wilt and I won’t create this sort of arrangement weekly (although I wish I could!) but then I will keep the rest of the table setting and replace the flowers with a faux arrangement or some other less-opulent flower combo. Nonetheless, I enjoy having them while they last. I love walking by the dining room everyday and having a pretty table to greet me and my family.

Ready for some more Spring love and ideas? Hometalk is hosting a #DIYMySpring Blog Hop and you will love all the inspiration!

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