August Favorite Finds

As we are nearing the end of summer, all I can think about is the fact that cooler months are on the horizon (thank goodness!).  DC has been a sweaty humid microwave for what honestly feels like forever.  It's been tough being cooped up inside for much of the summer due to the excessive heatwave.  I have definitely developed dog mom guilt because we haven't been able to take Dolly out on walks longer than 5 minutes for fear of her overheating.  While I am certainly looking forward to the impending Fall season, I have still had many moments over the past few weeks (when not glued to the TV cheering on Simone Biles of course) to discover a few new favorite finds to share with you all today.  

Healthy Water Bottles

In an effort to reduce my carbon footprint and add to my healthy living, I have been on a mission over the past month for the perfect water bottle.  I know this sounds ridiculous, but it occurred to me one day while trying to shop for a water bottle on Amazon that I had no clue what I was looking for and what bottle provided the best value.   I knew I didn't want a plastic bottle (for fear of chemical leaching, BPA, etc...), it needed to be practical/functional and fit my lifestyle.  After surveying dozens of colleagues at work, all of my friends and family members, and reading way too many reviews I ended up purchasing two water bottles (which I would enthusiastically recommend to anyone).  

The first is the oh so popular S'well.  This is a double insulated aluminum water bottle that claims to keep cold drinks cold for 24 hours and hot drinks hot for 12 hours (I can vouch after testing both claims, this water bottle lives up to the hype).  Keeping my drinks hot or cold while at work has been great because it has meant less trips to the kitchen for ice or additional hot water.  In addition, I love the oh-so-chic color options offered for this water bottle (totally obsessed with the gold).  Drawbacks to the S'well are the price and the fact that it isn't dishwasher safe.  

The second bottle I purchased is the DRPP Water Bottle (a sister bottle to the BKR).  This is a glass bottle that is wrapped in a silicone sleeve, which keeps it protected from shattering if dropped and provides you with a secure grip on the bottle.  This water bottle is glass so it's free of any potential leaching issues, is dishwasher safe and slightly less expensive than the S'well.  If I had to name drawbacks to the DRPP, it would be the inability to keep drinks ice cold for longer than a few hours.  

Gladiolus

Did you know that the gladiolus is the flower of August?  Personally, I had no idea that this was the case but it actually makes sense now that I think about it as there seems to be an abundance of gladioli for sale in every local grocery and flower store. Naturally, it seems very fitting to highlight this gorgeous bloom as one of my favorite finds this month.  

Gladioli are truly gorgeous flowers that have some serious presence.  I love how hearty they are and the added height they bring to a space.  This flower comes in an array of vibrant colors, is relatively low maintenance to maintain and very inexpensive to purchase.  Not kidding- the gladioli pictured above in front of the window cost me a grand total of $3.99 at my local grocery store the other day.  Love love love!  

Die Cut Coasters

Caspari is certainly a go to for me when it comes to finding fab cocktail napkins, tapers, guest towels and other entertaining essentials, but recently I discovered their new line of die cut coasters and am completely hooked!  These coasters are offered in an array of patterns, with a laminated top to prevent any warping caused by a sweaty glass and a fabric lined bottom to prevent any scratching on tabletop surfaces.  A set of 4 coaster's cost about $14 and let me just say that they are worth every penny!  Functional and unique, these coasters are a current favorite in my home.  

Pimento Cheese

Pimento cheese is one of my go to menu items lately.  This southern favorite makes for a delicious hors d'oeuvre spread atop a thin cracker and garnished with either fresh thyme leaves, crispy bacon pieces or even a light sprinkle of toasted pecans.  It also makes for an excellent grilled cheese sandwich and is super easy to make!  I am a huge fan of Southern Living's recipe for pimento cheese, but if you don't have time to whip up a homemade batch of this delicious spread, Whole Foods offers three different types of pimento cheese spreads that are out of this world!  Pimento cheese never fails to be a crowd pleaser with my guests and it has been a great way to shake up my typical entertaining repertoire in recent months.

Game Day Ideas

Today marks exactly one year since the launch of Redefining Domestics!  This time last year I was celebrating my blog launch, while simultaneously hosting a Superbowl party (whew!).  At the time I was so crazed with getting the final details of the blog and party ready, I wasn't able to share some of my festive game day party ideas with you all.  Today I wanted to take a look back at two great ideas for hosting a Super Bowl party.  These are really simple concepts that you can easily implement and will have you feeling game day ready come Sunday!

Game Day Cupcakes

1. Prepare Ina Garten's Coconut Cupcake Recipe (or similar) using these football-themed cupcake papers
2. In a bowl, dump one bag of flaked coconut and mix with 3-4 drops of green food coloring (until you reach desired level of green grass-like look
3. Apply green colored coconut to the tops of each frosted cupcake
4. Garnish with a single Game Day Toothpick Flag

Game Day Centerpiece

To create this centerpiece, I centered a vase filled with gorgeous (and very voluminous) hydrangeas towards the back of this round brass tray.  Then I arranged these adorable astroturf yard marker coasters in the center and filled in the side spaces with these party foam footballs.  

It's so much fun to have these photos to look back on and honestly I do marvel at all that I have done/accomplished in a year.  It's been a great first year with Redefining Domestics and I am really excited for all that is yet to come with my blog.  Thank you all for your unwavering support of the blog.  You all are my constant inspiration/driving force to keep on posting!

Coffee Table Updating

This past weekend was highly productive.  Between cleaning out/organizing this one closet I had been eying for some time now, buying a new car and finally "scaping" my new coffee table, I am feeling very accomplished on this Monday morning.  For today's post, I wanted to share some of the latest updates to our new coffee table.  As you may recall from this post, we purchased a new coffee table to better fit the scale of our living space and provide guests with a little more leg room when gathered around our coffee table.  Opting to go with a glass/metal coffee table was a must for lightening up the space, especially since the perimeter of our room is a sea of dark wood.  When I came across the Claremont Coffee Table, I was absolutely over the moon!  In addition to being the ideal color, shape and size, this coffee table also came with an antique mirrored lower shelf.  New look and additional storage had me totally smitten.  

While everything about this coffee table is exactly what I was looking for, it did present one challenge - my traditional coffee table tray of decor didn't translate to this new table. In addition, I was now tasked with designing 2 levels. 

For the top layer, I decided to keep it simple with a pretty vase that I have currently filled with a mix of fresh white roses and gladiolas.  This minimalistic approach keeps the table functional and doesn't detract from the lower tier display.  Here is a breakdown of what I used to create the lower tier display:

Coffee Table Books

I love to decorate with books, so using coffee table books on this shelf was a no brainer.  I decided to go with a set of completely fresh books on this my coffee table, since they would be displayed prominently for everyone to see (unlike my bookshelf where people only see books from a distance).  Note- When purchasing coffee table books to stack for display purposes, it is important to make sure that the book dimensions are similar in order to create a cohesive look.  Here is a list with links for the coffee table books I selected:

• The Big Book of Chic, by: Miles Redd
• The Houses of VERANDA: The Art of Living Well, by: Lisa Newsom
• Garden Inspirations, by: Charlotte Moss

Succulents

I love the look and texture of a succulent.  The pop of green color, paired with the low profile and rustic box makes this a perfect addition to this display shelf.  The one thing that I would like to note about succulents is that they require full light to thrive (since they are a member of the cacti family), so I would recommend using a faux succulent (like this one or this one) in a space like your living room where full light might not be an option.  

Coasters

I have said this time and again, set your guests up for success by placing coasters throughout your various sitting/gathering areas.  Keeping in mind my mantra and my concept of varying textures, I have opted to stack this set of Bali Coasters.  Not only do they provide protection for my coffee table from drink condensation, but I also love the handwoven look of these round coasters (and at a cost of $5.95, how could I resist?!).

Decorative Bowls

Decorative bowls are a great addition to any display space.  For this coffee table, I opted to include my large CB2 Brass Pinch bowl to balance out the side opposite my coffee table books and give the space a pop of metallic color.  In addition, I included my small Simon Pearce Chaplain bowl in the middle to dress up the space and balance out my more casual accents (succulent and coasters).   

Match Box

A book of matches and/or a lighter is extremely useful to have in every room that contains candles and/or votives.  While commercial matchboxes and lighters are not the most aesthetically pleasing, a decorative matchbox cover like the one pictured above or this one, will provide you with the ability to have a practical item on display without junking up the look of your coffee table.  I am particularly fond of this matchbox not only because it was a gift from my best friend but also because it ties in perfectly to the orange/coral color in my throw pillows.  

Just like designing a bookshelf, creating this display required a great deal of mixing, matching, arranging and re-arranging before I achieved an end result that I was happy with.  I would encourage you to thoughtful with the items you choose to include on your coffee table and remember to stay focused on functionality, design and color scheme.  Keeping these thoughts in mind will ensure coffee tablescaping success!