the bar cart.

Like many of you, I have been infatuated with the gorgeous, vintage-inspired bar carts that have been flooding the pages of Apartment Therapy, Design Sponge, and other design blogs. The recent revival of the bar cart has inspired a series of bar cart styling posts that I’ve devoured for the past year. After reading through a number of posts, I noticed an over-arching theme: the bar carts were almost all thrifted or snatched up at an estate sale or flea market. Realizing that it may take years to acquire such a piece (and that I had no immediate plans to attend the Rose Bowl Flea Market – an antique gold mine), I chalked it up to a pipe dream and went on my merry way.

You know the notion that you’ll find it when you stop looking for it?  I literally stumbled upon this bar cart. For real. I walked right into it, covered in dust and altogether tarnished, at a local thrift shop. After a double take, I pushed its squeaky wheels across the store to the cash register and down the street to my car screaming “start the CAR!!” in my head.

Once I got it home I remembered I was in the process of planning two weddings so this project was put on hold for a couple months. This fall, Ben dissembled the cart and we took the shelves to a local glass shop, hoping to have two pieces of glass cut for the shelves. Due to the shape of the shelves neither glass nor mirror worked. Enter backup plan # 3: high gloss black spray paint. After a good polishing and a few coats of spray paint, I’m really happy with how it turned out.  

Now reassembled, I’m tasked with the ever-daunting but exciting task of styling the cart.  Although there are still a few items on my wish list, I’ve hoarded cultivated several key elements over the past few months which gives me a base to work with. 

- Vintage Cocktails book - Anthropologie
- champagne glasses + drink tray - vintage
- martini shakers and wine chiller - Homesense
- paper straws - gifted from a Wedding Belle
- pink flamingo olive picks - a local party store

I'm thrilled that our bar is fully stocked just in time for the holiday season.

Do you have a bar cart/ shelf/ or hutch? What are your essentials? 

bar cart inspiration + tips on how to build a bar:

Society Social

Cupcakes and Cashmere

The Life Styled

The Glitter Guide

Matchbook Magazine

Bar Cart Love

Ben and I recently acquired this gorgeous vintage bar cart at a thrift store for a whopping $19! Although the brass needs some love and we're having mirror cut to cover the ultra chic faux wood trays, it looks like we'll be able to make our little cart over for under $100.

I am currently infatuated with bar cart styling and have flagged this article (featured on glitter guide last week) for when ours is ready to be put to use.

If you have a bar cart in your home what do you store on it?

Wine Etiquette.

I meant to share this wine etiquette tutorial created for A Cup Of Joe last week to ensure none of us committed any party fouls on New Years Eve. Unfortunately, I never got around to it in time. Even though the holidays are now over it's worth sharing as - after all - it never hurts to brush up on your social etiquette. The illustrations (by Gemma Correll) are pretty damn adorable, too.

The tutorial can be found here. Cheers!



(Illustrations by Gemma Correll for A Cup Of Joe).

Mad Men NYE 2012: the first glimpse

Last weekend Ben and I hosted a Mad Men-inspired New Years Eve party for 16 of our beautiful friends. Our guests' gorgeous attire were complemented by a smattering of vintage decorations, a 60's-themed cocktail bar, and sparklers + champagne at midnight.

As a group, we celebrated 2011 as a year of awesome events. It gave us a baby, three weddings, an engagement, several graduations, and many, many, laughs. It was a pretty fantastic (& busy) 365 days in my books.

More photos and details to come; however, I wanted to post a glimpse of our night as captured through my phone (via Instagram).


How was your New Years Eve? Did you stay in or go out on the town?

Summer Appetizers

I use the long days of summer as an excuse to make + eat food. all day. During the summer months B and I typically share one meal a day: a late dinner. The rest of the time we're enjoying snacks that we've thrown together, picked up, stopped in for, or - my favourite - guests have stopped in with. This year I am attempting to broaden my arsenal of go to's. These four delicious treats are at the top of my list as they incorporate the herbs that are surprisingly still growing I am currently growing in my garden.

bon appetit.


a redesigned caprese salad.



crispy sweet potato fries (& dip).



watermelon balsamic appetizer.



grilled shrimp with cilantro, lime, and peanuts.



Are you cooking this long weekend? What are your go to's?



(Photos & Recipes via The Party Dress, the Art of Doing Stuff, Show Food Chef, and Martha Stewart).