If there’s one thing I’ve realized after registering, getting married, moving, packing, and unpacking, it’s what you can really use and need in a new space and what you don’t. I have to say that despite the hubs’ total annoyance at the amount of platter, plates, bowls, and cups we have, I still don’t think we have enough. I also don’t think we have nearly enough interesting vases and bowls. Yes, I have “vessels” to put flowers in, but they’re still so hodge podge after all these years that I actually wished I’d registered for more. Sorry, men of the world, but I really don’t think it’s possible to have enough serving platters, either!
With that said, lately I’ve been on the lookout for more vases/serving bowls/platters that have a unified style. There’s that old decorating rule that you should display similar items in two’s and three’s, and I’m definitely discovering lately that I don’t have enough of that going on. I’m also trying to lighten up the dark pieces of furniture I have with white accents, which is why I’m drawn to these vases and bowls from Crate and Barrel’s latest catalogue. I’m loving their early fall inspiration vibe, and think these would be perfect accents to register for if you’re looking for versatile yet unique display pieces.
As I’ve blogged about before, my husband and I are obsessed with not only kitchen gadgets, but coffee gadgets to be specific. What’s so funny is that while I’ve been a coffee drinker ever since college, my husband really didn’t start on the juice until we began dating.
It started out simple for us: we loved cappuccino, so for our first Christmas together, my husband bought me a Breville 800ESXL Die-Cast Espresso maker. It was the most expensive gift I had ever received, and it was definitely the most expensive thing he’d ever bought. It was the start of a beautiful addiction.
We had a blast playing “barista” with the Breville, and (I’m not joking) we named her. Sophia, as we decided to call her, was the best thing we had ever owned. When we moved from NYC to Nashville, it wasn’t the TV I was worried about packaging up securely, but little Sophia. Thankfully, she made it safe and sound.
But, as our morning time seemed to become more precious, we somehow forgot about her. We bought a Keurig, and that was our machine of choice most mornings. It was just so fast and easy to get our fix. Soon, little Sophia was collecting dust on our kitchen counter.
When the wedding came along, we registered for a French Press, as well as a drip coffee maker that also had a hot-water attachment. I mean, we wanted to drink tea from time to time, and boiling water is just too much trouble. Right? Right?!?!
It became clear what was really going on. We were making excuses to purchase coffee makers. We had a full blown addiction.
For the past few weeks we’ve felt bad about Sophia, so, remembering all the good times we had with her, we started using again. But soon we realized that it was taking a crazy amount of time to make two cappuccinos every morning. 3-5 minutes each?! In this time obsessed world, we needed to get high FAST. Really, we had no other choice I’m telling you…
Last Saturday, we gave in to our weaknesses and bought a, gulp…Nespresso. And I feel for the first time I can finally admit it: I am a Nespresso junkie. Please don’t tell Sophia.
I mean, it seriously can’t get any easier than this. We bought the Lattisima model, below, and in less than one minute’s time, we are able to have a fresh, frothy, and delicious cappuccino. The Nespresso is amazing. Sorry, I meant to say that GIORGIO is amazing. Yes, we gave him a name as well.
Sadly, it looks like Sophia is a thing of the past. We’re thinking about giving her up for adoption on eBay. Hopefully, she’ll make her way into a home that is not as strung out on appliances as we are. She at least deserves that.
Product: DeLonghi Lattissima Plus Nespresso Capsule System
Price: $399
Product Details:
Easily prepares latte, cappuccino and italian macchiato with the patented single touch hot milk system
Convenient illuminated control panel buttons allow you to choose your favorite drink with ease, with 3 milk and 2 coffee selections
Easy-to-use patented coffee capsule system
Accommodates latte cups with the unique sliding drip tray
Energy-saving with adjustable auto-off timer
Register for it in-store at Williams-Sonoma (it’s not available online yet)
We recently came back from a trip to Napa, which if you haven’t been I can’t recommend enough. We spent a bit of time in Tuscany during our honeymoon–and obviously you can’t beat the Italian culture–but I think the whole Napa experience really rivaled our time there. The scenery is just as gorgeous, and you don’t have to pay Euros, which makes everything super-pricey. Napa is not cheap by any means, but when you consider how much you’ll save in airfare, etc., it’s a great alternative if you’re looking for a cheaper stateside experience.
Our “splurge” dinner in Napa was at celebrity chef Michael Chiarello’s restaurant Bottega, which is located in Yountville. I don’t know if it was the wine, or the amazing bread, or the super delicious food…but it was one of my favorite dining experiences in a long time. It was there that we first saw these awesome copper tumblers that they used for water. We asked the waitress about them, and she said that Chiarello orders them from India, where they are hand-hammered. Apparently copper is great for serveware because it’s antimicrobial as well (sorry, I sound like such a dork right now…but they were cool!). She told us that he sells them in his store, Napa Style, which is right across from the restaurant. We looked them up online while we were at dinner (we liked them that much), and mistakenly thought they were $89 EACH, so we sighed and said “um, no thanks.” To my surprise, I went on their website today and saw that they’re actually priced as a set of 4, which makes it kinda justifiable. They are now apparently $99 for a set of 4 (they must have been on sale). Even at $24/each, I think they’re definitely worth it!
The online shop has a ton of great items, and they also offer a gift registry. If you like what you see, sign up for one and add these tumblers to the list!
Price: $99 for a set of 4
Product Details:
from Chef Chiarello…
I chose these tumblers for Bottega for their easy, hourglass shape (which fits perfectly in hand), and for the way they keep drinks cool longer. Hand hammering the copper gives it unique texture, improves its strength and beautifies the patina. What’s more, copper is naturally antimicrobial, which ensures very “clean” cups for life. Insides are stainless-steel.
I’m definitely of the belief that you should make your bedroom as cozy and relaxing as possible, with lots of pillows, soft sheets, and a warm and snuggly comforter. I’ve had down comforters before, but they were usually the cheap-y kind from Target. When we first moved to Nashville two years ago, our bedroom kind of got the shaft when it came to decorating (we still have our bed/box spring on the floor. Sad), and while we had decent sheets, we had been sleeping with a paper-thin quilt on top of us, which was less than ideal. Lately, I’ve been trying to give our bedroom some TLC, and we decided to splurge on a nice down comforter. If you don’t have one, I HIGHLY suggest registering for one. We paired ours with a Restoration Hardware linen duvet cover, and I seriously can’t wait to get into bed now. It’s like sleeping in a marshmallow, minus all the stickiness.
After doing some online research, we decided to get our down comforter from Macy’s. I was looking for a 700 fill power down comforter under $400, and the Hotel Collection seemed to have the best reviews. I also had a 20% off coupon. Granted, there are top-of-the-line comforters out there for over $1,000, but I think I would be too nervous sleeping on something that expensive! The one we got, below, has been great. And based on the high fill power, there’s not that much different between it and the 4-figure ones.
When registering for a down comforter, keep these tips in mind:
-What climate do you live in? Down comforters typically come in three levels of warmth: Light, Medium, and Heavyweight. If you live in Florida or a year-round warm climate, you should consider a Light. If you live in a warm/cold climate, a Medium will be good all year. And if you live in Minnesota or any other “freeze- your-ass-off city,” you should get a Heavyweight.
-The most important number for down comforters is fill power. Look for a fill power around 600-700 for the best quality.
-If you’re going to use a duvet cover, thread count doesn’t matter.
-Make sure it’s baffled. This will prevent the down from shifting, and will keep your down comforter nice and fluffy.
Product: Hotel Collection Medium Weight Down Comforter
Product Details:
Baffle Box Construction
only@macy’s
Thread Count: 450
Fill Power: 700
Fill Weight: 40 oz.
Measures 90×98″
Price: $379.99 on sale (if you register at Macy’s, make sure you check the prices of your registry items often, as they tend to go on/off sale a lot)
As a newly engaged writer, I had a hard time finding the practical information I needed to plan my wedding. While the wedding books, magazines, and websites I read had pretty pictures, they seemed to just skim the surface when it came to providing helpful ways for me to create the wedding of my dreams. Now that I'm married, I hope this blog serves as a resource for all you other bride-to-be's, with unique ideas for wedding venues, wedding decorations, wedding dresses, and more!
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