I love long weekends, don’t you?!  This one promises to be extra-great… I have shopping trips, family visits, and a little work planned.  Labor day weekend always gets me excited because it signals the winding down of summer.  Fall has always been my favorite season, and we have lots to look forward to in the coming months.

{blending beautiful} is going to take a long weekend as well, so I’ll see all of you lovelies back here on Tuesday.  But before I go, let’s visit these fun links from around the web, shall we?

Gorgeous updo!

The sweetest. video. ever.

A rundown of the best hairdryers (the winner only costs $30!)

Identical twins prove that how you dress can really age you.

Supermodels as kids.

Have you heard of Yes Day? What a neat idea!

I would never leave this waterfall shower…

Keri Russel’s home is to-die-for!

This rainbow cheesecake looks too pretty to eat!

Cool tattoo.

Can’t wait for winter coats!!

Make your inner liner last…

What are you up to this long weekend?  Headed out of town?  Hanging outside?  Got any links of your own to share?

Summer’s almost over which means we’ll all be spending more time indoors. But you can look forward to cozying up inside when your house feels super organized.  With the right tools and tricks you can decorate and make more room at the same time!

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1. A warm welcome home. If your entryway is cluttered with everything from keys to phone chargers to spare change, create one spot where all of your things can collect in peace. Ikea has a great catch-all with a chalkboard (Kim and Travis have one in their foyer!) for thoughts of the day. This approach is great because you can keep organized with a list-ready spot make sense of it all too.

2. Pet smarts. Do you live in a Dog House? HGTV suggests that your “pet zone” be in the laundry room. However, my dog’s food has a cabinet above the sink.  Storing toys in one spot may seem like a no-brainer, but if you don’t plan ahead, leashes and bones can take over your place!  By keeping all of your pet stuff in a designated space you can keep track of what you have, what disappears the fastest, and enable you to rotate out certain toys so your pup always has something new and interesting.  Keep your eyes open for double-duty organizers: some feeding stations even have hidden storage inside of them.

3) Reconsider your containers. Drawers and silverware caddies can double as jewelry storage. Earrings hooked into framed screens keep accessories from piling on tabletops.  If your home is small, invest in floating shelves or nail a few milk crates to the wall to keep items from cluttering that valuable floor space.

How do you organize your home?  Got any good tips?  Planning to re-organize any rooms in your house?  Let us know!

There’s a little nook in our living room that Travis and I have decided to fill with a bar cart.  We bought a vintage metal cart at the Alameda Flea Market last year, which we used for dishes in our old apartment.  But now, we’re hoping to re-purpose it to add a little pizazz to our space.

I’ve been hunting around for bar cart inspiration, and here are a few photos I particularly loved…

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Once we nail down the look, we’ll have to decide what to stock it with.  Travis and I love to entertain, but we don’t drink much on our own… any must-haves for the bar?

Do you have a bar in your home?  What do you stock it with?  Which of the inspirations above do you like best?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

I’m doing a hair and makeup trial this morning for a gorgeous boho bride who will spend the morning of her wedding getting ready  on a vintage houseboat.  I was shocked to hear this, at first— I pictured a tiny, rickety old jalopy.  But she sent me photos and I was stunned by how beautiful it looks!

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I did a little digging and found these other jaw-dropping houseboat photos…

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I’m starting to think that renting a houseboat would make a vacation to any coastal town infinitely cooler.  Picture visiting San Francisco: you can enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city all day, and in the evenings you can retire to your little getaway, docked at the pier.  Are you into the idea?

Would you stay in a houseboat instead of a hotel?  Did you realize how beautiful some of them can be?!  Any other unconventional accommodations you’d like to try?  Share in the comments!

For years, Travis has fantasized about having a living room with a comfy sectional, big enough for snuggling and afternoon naps.  One of the major downsides of living in tiny SF apartments is that our living rooms require smaller-than-normal furniture.  In our new place, this is not the case!

Not only do we have room for the sectional we’ve always wanted, but we have a fireplace to place it in front of!  I’ve been daydreaming nonstop about quiet, cozy evenings in front of the fire… it’s making the un-fun parts of moving (read: packing) totally worth it.

Now we just have to find the perfect couch.  I’m discovering that it can be a struggle to find a sectional that’s not too contemporary-looking.  Check out some of my living room inspiration…

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Are you a fan of sectionals?  Do you dream of having a big, comfy couch?  Are there any other items on your future home wish list?  (I can’t wait for in-home laundry!)