Round-Up: May 18th

Mirabelle Plum Afternoon Tea Cake

Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is full of delicious food and good company. Here are some of the articles and posts I’ve been enjoying!

Mirabelle Plum Afternoon Tea Cake
I just made my Plum Delicious Torte recipe with strawberries from CSA box!
Gluten Free Nosherium Apricot Honey Fajitas with ZSpecialty
Honey Apricot Fajitas are one of my favorite dinners, check out my recipe!
I’ve been trying to choose a shelf for our hallway bathroom. Both of these Urban Outfitter options are contenders – the Modern Shelf would be cute in blue, and the large Triangle Shelf would be nice and shallow.
Beauty Products! I’ve been loving the Beta Hydroxy Acid and Lactic Acid from The Inkey List at Sephora – affordable and simple. I’ve also been testing a gentle exfoliating cleanser from Lush, and a the Algenist Vitamin C+ Serum.

Ethical Wedding Planning Hack on our 3rd Anniversary

Today is my third wedding anniversary and I thought it would be worthwhile sharing one ethical wedding planning hack with the internet. At the time we were planning (late 2015, early 2016), the news was chock-a-block with examples of discrimination against same-sex couples in the wedding industry. Sickening displays of bigotry and self-righteous indignation from bakers, wedding planners, venues, etc. We are aren’t a same-sex couple but this issue is still important to us – even if we didn’t have LGBTQ+ loved ones, the cruelty and injustice of humiliating people would get our backs up.

We asked every vendor in consideration if they had provided or would provide the same service to a same-sex couple. We agreed that we would not hire a vendor if they turned out to be bigoted (no kidding). We felt it was a small step we could take to make our wedding expenditures more ethical. Easy and hopefully a good way to show our support.

We ended up with a group of amazing vendors – mostly women-owned, mostly local, mostly small businesses. Mhari Scott Photography,The Wedding Party for my dress, INDOCHINO for suit, Jello Mold Farm for locally grown flowers for DIY arrangements, Angelica’s Catering for the most heavenly, delicious food, Jerise via Etsy for ketubah calligraphy, Rabbi Ruz Gulko for officiating, Pavé Fine Jewelry for rings!

It was a beautiful day, and the perfect beginning to a very happy marriage!

Do you have any party planning hacks? Fun wedding planning stories? Please share them!

Nosherium Home – Fun Accents!

April 5th Nosherium Home Round Up

I’ve been absent from this space due to #NosheriumHome renovation! We bought a mid-century ugly duckling in early November and have been renovating it into a glorious swan. We’re finally at the point of choosing and installing pretty items and I figured I’d share them with you.

Some are on sale, so snap them up if you like them! Click through for the goodies!

Rejuvenation Saturn Knob with Star Backplate
Rejuvenation Saturn Cabinet Knob With Star Backplate – $11 ($8.80 with code SAVE20 April 5th)
I love this dark, gothy take on mid-century cabinet pulls! We got two of them to add a little punch to our Ikea vanity in the hallway bathroom.
Caldwell Rejuvenation Double Hook
Rejuvenation Caldwell Double Hook$49 $18.99 ($15.19 with code SAVE20April 5th)
I saw these hooks in person a while ago and wasn’t sure if we would have a use for them. I snagged them on sale yesterday with the intention of using them as bathrobe hooks in the master and guest bedrooms. This is an unbeatable price for a beautiful piece in solid brass. Also available is luxurious polished nickel!
IKEA SVARTSJÖN Toilet roll holder
IKEA SVARTSJÖN Toilet roll holder – $3.99
Simple. No plastic. Inexpensive.
All magic words at this point in the home renovation! As an added bonus it doesn’t have that spring-loaded bit in the middle! These will be mounted on the side of our vanities in the hall and master bathrooms.
SnapPower LED Outlet Cover
SnapPower LED Outlet Cover – $15.98
SnapPower has several clever solutions for outlets and switches. We bought this one for our hallway so you don’t have to turn a light on to find the bathroom at night! No wiring, no fancy electrical work – just replace your outlet cover and it powers itself.
Light Society Zeno Globe Semi Flush Mount Ceiling Light
Light Society Zeno Globe Semi Flush Mount Ceiling Light – $49.95
I searched high and low for a relatively inexpensive mid-century globe light. We are adding overhead lighting to every room and couldn’t justify spending a lot on all of them. These lights are available in brass and black with clear or white glass globes. They are sleek and just the right price!
Schlage Bowery Privacy Lock Knob, Matte Black
Schlage Bowery Privacy Door Knob, Matte Black – $18.98
These gorgeous, sleek door knobs were among our first decorating choices – the interior is painted off-white and white for the time being and we wanted some strong punctuation! Black hardware is in style right now, but we felt like we would still like it later on. We got privacy knobs for the bathrooms and bedrooms, passage knobs for the closets.

I can’t wait to share the results with you, stay tuned here and on Instagram!

What are your favorite home accents? Best design choices? Biggest regrets?

Hanukkah 2018 Shopping Guide – Part 1

Nosherium West Elm Hanukkah 2018 kraft-glitter-leaves-wreath-gold-o

Candles, latkes, and dreidels, oh my! Hanukkah is only seven (7!) weeks away! I’ve rounded up some of my favorite large retailer Hanukkah items below – I’ll post another round up with items from independent artisans and DIY projects.

Jewish holidays shift around a bit each year, so the standard Thanksgiving-Xmas timeline doesn’t really work when planning for your Hanukkah merriment. Getting a head start can be nice, so you don’t run into Black Friday panic or a Hanukkah candle drought.

This year, I’m keen on gold colored elements – they are trendy, of course, but gold brings to mind the rededication of the Temple that Hanukkah celebrates. Blue and white is fine, but this year, I’m feeling glitzy!

CB2 – Sleek and Cool

CB2 has gorgeous sleek style – lots of brass and luxurious materials with clean lines. Both the Marble Menorah ($59.95) and Brass Menorah ($29.95) would be at home in just about any home and any decor scheme. Their simple white candles let the menorah take center stage.

Check out their Rose Gold Garland and Tops Gold Geometric Garland for a touch of glinty gold. I’m strongly considering the Matte White Wood Garland as a frosty addition to my Snowy Shtetl (inspired by Chai & Home) set up.

West Elm – Modern and Textural

West Elm’s offerings this year are cool and sculptural and 25% off with code AUTUMN– the Silversmith Menorah ($59) is beautiful though the most stringent among us won’t use menorahs with candles at multiple heights. The Marble and Brass Menorah ($59) has a great rough-hewn finish (as Chai & Home mentioned in their guide, this would be perfect for the Snowy Shtetl!). 

The glittery gold Kraft + Glitter Garland ($29) and Wreath ($39) are so beautiful, and the leaf shape reminds me of oversized olive leaves – perfect for a festive Olive Oil Tasting!  Or bring the light to the Festival of Lights with this twinkly LED Metal Leaf Garland ($39).

Pottery Barn + Pottery Barn Kids – Classic with some kiddo fun

Pottery Barn’s Hanukkah collection is classic and traditional – the dreidel motif is pretty timeless and available on napkins (set of 4, regular $40, on sale $30), table runners (regular $79, on sale $59), plates etc. The Rachel Menorah ($59) has beautiful curves in a glossy finish.

I love the stark, clean look of the Mini Clear Menorah ($39.50) – the candles look like they are floating! I would use candles in a striking color with this one – imagine it with blue or multicolored candles!

Pottery Barn Kids has such adorable offerings! I’m particularly taken with with wooden Play Menorah ($49) and Hanukkah Countdown Calendar ($59).

Crate and Barrel – Unfussy and Colorful

This year Crate and Barrel has a tonal blue and silver theme for Hanukkah – as I mentioned above, I’m feeling gold this year, so collection isn’t really my jam. The platter ($24.95) has a lightly candle-like feel but thankfully doesn’t feel too theme-y for other holidays (this design is also available in napkins and plates). If I was going in the blue direction, I would probably chose the Lina collection for a softer, more organic look. 

The Tall Silver Menorah is really lovely with its hammered finish, and worth a look if you feel like snagging one this year. The silver napkin rings ($4.95 each) are fun too! Though the Aria Gold Napkin Rings ($2.95) are calling my gold-loving name.

Stay tuned for another round-up of Hanukkah goodies from independent artisans and DIY projects!

More Nosherium Hanukkah Content: