Happy Weekend

Whew, it's been a whirlwind of a week. Did you watch the royal wedding this morning? There's nothing like starting the day drinking coffee and watching two lovebirds get hitched (in a very glamorously romantic, over the top royal wedding kind of way). It was a stunning event and my only regret is not waking up earlier to watch the whole thing.
What are your plans this weekend? B and I will be attending a wedding on a farm Saturday night and then on Sunday I'll be surveying and taking measurements for the foster care visitation room project. I picked up the paint donated from Sherwin Williams this morning and I think it's going to be perfect!
Thanks for taking the time to visit with me this week. If you haven't already, be sure to enter the giveaway to win a $50 Ruche gift certificate. xo
images: sara maingot

Interiors: Warm Mint

Aren't these interiors just easy on the eyes? They're all emitting a sort of warm glow. It's hard to tell if it's due to photo editing or the combination of cool green and warm peaches and browns (perhaps a bit of both?). Either way, I think this color palette is soothing to the soul. 

images: sarah.wandering (original source?) house to home; remodelista; geninne's art blog; marie claire maison; agent bauer; lidyll; house and home; a mad tea party with alice

Plate Walls 106 & 107

Plate walls #106 and #107 are obviously very different but they have something special in common. Both images were sent to me by the lovely and ever charming Lenore. Lenore took the second photo in a restaurant bar in Jakarta, Indonesia! How cool is that? She actually said she thought of me when she took the photo (eep!). I love plate walls of all shapes and sizes. If you're new here, check out the plate wall archives. Thanks Lenore! 

images: home sweet home; lenorenevermore

Giveaway: $50 Gift Certificate to Ruche- CLOSED

Ruche hardly needs an introduction. I feel like I've been singing this shop's praises since I began this blog. If you aren't familiar with this vintage inspired boutique, I encourage you to click over there right now and peruse the selection of indie clothing, accessories (many of which are handmade) and items for the home and office. Besides have a great selection of affordable pretties, Ruche also has some of the best look books around. I've purchased many items from this shop and I've never been disappointed.

This week, Ruche is offering one D&OC reader a $50 gift certificate.  As you can see, I've put together a little collage of some of my favorite items, all of which happen to be under $50. 

This giveaway is open to all readers and the winner will be chosen and announced next Wednesday, May 4th.

Entering is simple. Simply leave a comment after visiting Ruche and tell me what you like. If you'd like to increase your chances of winning, you can Tweet, FB, or blog about the giveaway and send me the link in a separate comment. Are you a subscribed reader to D&OC? Awesome (if not, what are waiting for?) You get a third bonus comment. Simply say, "I'm a follower!" (3 entries total)

Good luck! xo

update-

The winner of the $50 Ruche Gift Certificate is #148, Meesh! Thanks for your participation and thanks to Ruche for the giveaway!

Mother's Day Cards by Figs + Ginger

How sweet are these bunting Mother's Day Cards from Figs and Ginger? The cards are made from recycled card stock and the wooden bunting from sustainably harvested Alder. It's a card an eco-friendly gift all in one and for $12.50, it doesn't get much better than that. 

Down and Out Beauty: Argan Oil

I was reading an article in a skin care publication the other day and came across some intriguing information about Argan oil. What piqued my interest was that all argan oil sold today is produced by a co-op of women belonging to the Berber tribe in Morocco. The profits from sales of the oil help provide education and healthcare for the entire community. The co-op has also established an ecosystem reforestation project so that the supply of argan oil will not run out.

Moroccan Argan Tree via everything weird

The oil is derived from the kernels of the Argan tree, which is one of the rarest trees in the world. It was brought to the brink of extinction by clear cutting and it's use for fire wood. The argan tree is endemic to Morocco, and due to its small and very specific growing area, the oil is referred to as "liquid gold". The women of the Berber tribe cold press the argan kernels to retrieve the oil. It's used cosmetically as well as in cooking.

via care2

The oil is incredibly rich in vitamin E, phenols, carotenes (vitamin A precursor), squalene, and essential fatty acids. What that means for skin care is you have a non greasy, scar healing, anti aging, blemish preventing, anti-inflammatory powerhouse oil. Its so rare to come across anything that works for every skin type, but this oil does it and is such a multi-tasker. You can use it as a hair serum, to soften cuticles, to treat eczema, psoriasis, hypersensitivity, and is safe for use on infants. I've compared it to the most expensive face creams, and this simple oil has higher concentrations of the most sought after active ingredients on the market.

via national cathedral school in morocco

You have to be a bit picky when buying argan oil. I've found it hard to find 100% pure argan oil. I found many products claiming to be pure argan oil but the dead give away that they aren't is the color. Pure argan oil is a clear, bright acid yellow and will have a strong smell. After much searching, I found Argan Oils Company and this is the real thing. I encourage you all to give it a try and tell me what you think.

Acure Organics 100% USDA Moroccan Argan Oil $28.99; Josie Maran Organic Argan Oil $14-$48; **Cosmetic Argan Oil $32

Hope you all have a lovely week!
 -Layne
Layne is a licensed esthetician and makeup artist working at Urban Sanctuary in Athens, GA. She writes the bi-weekly column, Down and Out Beauty. 

Editor's note- I started using Argan Oil on my face, every night, after reading this post. I adore this stuff and highly recommend it.

Art: Hollie Chastain

Collages by Hollie Chastain. Her work can be purchased here or here. 

Not So Disposable

1) porcelain take out dishes $45-$95 2) re-fill glass water bottle $12.99 3) crumpled cups $35 4) lil deb by lorena barrezueta $17.50 5) eco coffee cup $14 6) farmer's egg crate $14 7) roost farmers market baskets $15-$28

I've been recently loving ceramic, porcelain, and glass kitchenware that looks like disposable packaging. Besides being good for the Earth, these cheeky, reusable pieces make a fun statement in the kitchen. I wouldn't mind starting a little collection of "disposable" pieces starting with those cute market baskets. What about you?

Happy (Holiday) Weekend

These circular snippets of our lovely and fragile planet captured by Marco Suarez remind me the Native American Proverb, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

Today is Earth Day, Good Friday, and the beginning of Easter weekend. As we increase our efforts in sustainability and striking a healthy balance with our environment, I am reminded that the worst thing we can do as individuals is nothing. Apathy not only cripples our individual spirits but will harm generations to come (including our children and our children's children). I was reminded yesterday, through a conversation with colleagues, that we are undoubtedly connected and dependent on one another and that we must work together to be good stewards of our planet. It's a big job, isn't it? Every.Single.Person.Matters.Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

I hope you have a restful weekend filled with lots of love and joy. xo

Be More

source: Julian Bialowas 365Q project (via lanalou style)

Sass & Peril

Sass & Peril is a paper goods and textiles shop featuring adorable screenprinted plush pillows, art prints and cards. I really like the design of this Mother's Day card ($5) while these animal pillows ($28-$32) would be perfect in a nursery or kid's room. So cute!

Photography: A Simple Set

Photographs by Kelly Morris. 

A Perfect Pair

I came across both of these images on Design*Sponge. The first is a new wallpaper from Studio Rita. I adore the geometric pattern of the sherbet colored small trees. The kitchen's color palette is pretty stinking similar, don't you think? Love the raspberry + mint + lemongrass combo.

6 things

1) scatter loop circle scarf $26 via white moth

2) willow pyrite gold studs $34 via five and two

3) leather printed bison belt $70 via cold picnik

4) paris photo collection $60 via little brown pen

5) the tatum purse $58 via made by hank

6) zippered cases $18 via pi'lo

Sponsor Love: Nicole's Handmade Treats

Mmmmm. As I'm writing this, my stomach is rumbling and I'm wondering if I've accidentally forgotten about some stowed away chocolate waiting to be eaten (as if I should be so lucky). Nicole's Handmade Treats is a NYC based sweets online shop featuring a large variety of mouth watering chocolaty treats. This white chocolate minty concoction is on the top of my sweet treat wish list. What about you? Check out all the options here.

Interiors: Ralfefarfars paradis

 

Ralfefarfars paradis (named after a cat) is a Norwegian blog that I recently ran across. I couldn't stop flipping through the archives of the blogger's own home, mainly the subject of the blog. I love all the pops of turquoise and attention to detail with styling. The home is playful, well designed, but not too serious. Check out all the rooms here.

images: ralfefarfars paradis

Sweetheart...

Dreamy images for a Monday morning. Why do Mondays come around so quickly?

Happy Weekend

arian behzadi (via all the mountains)

 Happy Friday! Have you had a good week? B and I have been very busy. He's getting ready to finish up his masters' program in May (yay!) and there's still so much to do before he graduates. As for me, I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I've been really trying to work on my photoshop skills (which were completely non existent two weeks ago). Thanks to the internet and tutorials from bloggers like this, I'm slowly teaching myself. There's a lot to learn though!

Any fun plans this weekend? I'm currently reading Total Money Makeover and I'm feeling excited and challenged to take control of our finances and tackle the mounds of student loans we're about to be in. One of the quotes that sticks with me from the beginning of the book is, "we buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like." Ouch and true, no?! Since B has been in graduate school, we've been living off of my salary and student loans. We're about to have to get very serious about our financial future. If you've read Total Money Makeover, I'd love to know your thoughts. Have a healthy and happy weekend friends. xo

Art: Sandra Juto

Work by German based artist Sandra Juto. You might also know her as the creator of the ever popular wrist worms. Make sure to check out the killer bunny. It's awesome. 

Shop here.