Mike & Lindsay's Baby Shower

Remember this little nugget? The one I tried to pass as my own? Mr. Malone and I had the honor of showering the parents-to-be yesterday. And while weather didn't cooperate, the love and support in the house was overwhelming.

I, for one, am thrilled to meet my little godson.

Was finally able to use my new camera lens that I received for my birthday - amazing on close ups!

Instead of traditional gifts, we asked each guest to bring their favorite child storybook.

A banner of baby clothes was the perfect decoration. (Oh, and the cutest.)

Big brother - in the zone.

Yakima's finest.

Amazing diaper cake - wish I could take the credit!

Perhaps our most adorable guest.

Congratulations, Mike & Lindsay! Let the countdown to baby begin!

Lately

I don't know if it is all of the HGTV I've been watching or what, but all I want to do is buy furniture. 

(Oh, and a house.)

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With the exception of the chandelier and the side tables, I'm loving this bedroom set-up. The headboard, the cozy linens, and the bright pop of color from the lamps. I wouldn't be upset about waking up in this room.

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I'm trying to convince Mr. Malone that a small metallic or mirrored side table would be AMAZING. (If looks could kill.)

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I am dying for a table like this. I love that there is the ability to dress it up, or down, depending on the chairs selected. It just screams "home" to me. As much as I love a darker finish, I am actually okay with the light color of this table.

What does YOUR dream home look like?

Oh Shoot

It's that time again!

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Weekend Rewind

Well, my faithful followers, what is the verdict?

Not the best picture, I know, but I'm pretty pleased with the end result. (As a reminder, this is what I was going for.) Added bonus? I was crazy comfortable the entire night. So comfortable, in fact, that bowling happened post-holiday party.

 

 Mr. Malone and I hit up brunch at Salty's on Saturday. Good Lord, how does one choose what to eat?! I cannot wait to go back - not only for the food, but for the view. We were pretty lucky that the rain stayed at bay while we were there.

After brunch, and after changing into sweatpants, Christmas came to the Malone household! No tree yet, but the dining & living rooms are complete.

And the weekend wouldn't have been complete without the Nordstrom holiday party. Mama Jewski and I sipped champagne while racking up the points. Looking forward to a Nordstrom Note (or two!) coming my way!

Enjoy the week, my friends!

Sara's Bridal Shower

I like love playing hostess. I really, really do. And with the help of Mama Jewski and my sisters (ok, ok... and Pinterest), we could open a bridal shower business.

My cousin Sara is getting hitched on October 20 - which is also my parents' anniversary. (Fun fact: My parents' wedding was the first wedding Sara ever attended... she was only 19 days old!)

I couldn't be more excited for her - Galen is a wonderful addition to our family and is a great match for Sara! Can't wait to boogie in a few weeks at Melrose Market!

Emily's cupcakes are the best!

Manchego & Almond Covered Grapes. MAKE THEM.

Sara & Aunt J

Congrats, S & G!

Organizers Anonymous

My name is Lauren. And I am an addict.

Meet my new best friend - the Sterlite container. Fred Meyer had these on sale last night, 10 for $10. A DOLLAR EACH, PEOPLE! I picked up five to help contain our bathroom drawers and our abundance of cooking oils & vinegars.

And then this conversation occurred (after I had admired the pantry for the thousandth time) - 

Mr. Malone: "You are weird."

Me: "Well, I wouldn't want to see what your pantry looked like without me."

Mr. Malone: "I just think that if you had the option to do something else or organize, you would choose organizing."

He's {probably} right. Sue me.

Julia's Bridal Shower

*WARNING: This post will be picture heavy! (You are welcome and/or I am sorry.)

Another Jewski is getting married, and my youngest sister & I jumped at the opportunity to plan her bridal shower. We had the BEST time creating the invitations, finding decorations, and planning a menu. Emily & I bought all of the paper from Paper Source and spent an afternoon putting them together. I could spend HOURS in Paper Source - I was heart broken when I heard their Bellevue location closed. I am hoping the one in U Village sticks around!

Thanks to our new fascination obsession with Pinterest, we had no trouble finding inspiration for DIY projects and items to bake. My personal favorite? The fabric banners. These could not have been simpler! We bought the pre-portioned quilting squares and then I made a stencil out of an empty box. Trace, cut, and  string. Easy!

As for the favors, they included another online find. Julia loves Scrabble. We have grown up with it, as our Nana was always challenging us to a game. (We used to have to team up to beat Nana, but now we can take her on our own.) I knew I wanted to incorporate Scrabble somehow - and thanks to Etsy, that was no problem! I found the cutest magnets made out of recycled tiles and the store owner was so easy to work with. She absolutely loved that they were going to be used as favors and helped me come up with a list of wedding-related words to be used. To go with each magnet, I made some salsa to celebrate the fact that Julia and Marcus will be getting married on Cinco de Mayo!

Seeing everything come together was so fulfilling. Now who's hiring?

He stole the show. 

Seriously - how cute is he?

The perfect gift - their reception will be at The Space Needle.

Creating another glassybaby addict.

Let the countdown to May 5th begin!

Early Christmas Gift

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a new ornament. Details on how this gem came to be coming soon!

Happy Halloween

Not Your Mama's Pumpkins

New Decor

I'm not usually one to decorate for fall. Truth be told, I save all of my decorating energy for Christmas. (Can you blame me?!) Anyway, I decided to try something different this year. When I was in Leavenworth this past weekend, we stopped at Prey's Fruit Barn for fresh apples and peaches. Side note: Delicious! If you are ever in that area, definitely make it a point to visit. Along with the fruit, I picked up some mini pumpkins and gourds.

We also stopped at the Alps Candy store on our way back, where I picked up some yogurt covered pretzels for Mr. Malone and some candy corn for this...

If you are wondering if I stop and take a piece of candy corn every time I walk through the dining room... Well, maybe I'll post a picture at the end of the week to show you my progress. Overall, I think it's the perfect amount of embellishment for our living space.

What do YOUR decorations look like?