School’s Out
Happy Friday! It’ so hard to believe that summer is already here. I love summertime, it’s definitely my favorite time of year. Long days, lots of vitamin D, yummy summer veggies, dresses and of course beach time. Below are some of the summer essentials I am looking forward to for this year.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day!
Twilight Time
It’s finally outdoor entertaining time! How do you update your outdoor space for summer? Any go-to tools for dining and hosting outdoors? Below are some of my very favorite spaces seen around the web lately and some things I think make hosting easier, as well as the big purchases that will go a long way. Enjoy!
ONE: I loved the great space done by The Hunted Interior for Home Depot’s recent Style Challenge. She actually stenciled those awesome floors herself! TWO: If you have a large enough space I love the idea of a sitting area and dining area, like this one from Because It’s Awesome. Plants and greenery on side tables are a nice touch. THREE: This sweet sitting area designed by Coco Cozy is adorable, an outdoor rug really makes a space a lot more comfortable and stylish. Here are some things to make your space more beautiful and entertaining as simple as possible.
ONE: Glow in the dark paint for awesome looking planters that add nice ambiance. TWO: Placemats are a better alternative to a table-cloth or eating right off an outdoor table. I love these from Chilewick, they are vinyl making them super easy to clean. Another option are paper placemats, like these which I own and love! THREE: Add ambiance and keep the bugs away with citronella candles. I liked these garden flares, which would be great for a smaller outdoor space that has planters. FOUR: Rectangular serving platters like these are great for indoor and outdoor entertaining. You can serve food on them, use them as a base for a centerpiece or place condiments on them. FIVE: I love the idea of getting an outdoor rug that might be a little bolder or trendier than what you might put in your home. SIX: I love carts, this one would be perfect for getting everything organized and can also serve as a bar.
Looking Ahead
Good morning, I hope you had a great weekend. Mine was much to fast of course…below are some links to start the week, I hope it’s a good one!
I think I want to see this documentary, it looks so interesting.
A fun looking kid’s art project.
I tried a new razor after reading this post, and I think I am a convert as well.
Obsessed with the small cool homes series on Apartment Therapy, I will definitely be bookmarking my favs to use as ideas for my next place.
Tomato and avocado caprese, is there anything better?
Getting Back to It
So while a break was needed, I have really missed blogging so I plan to start back up again over the next few months. I probably won’t post as much as I used to but I hope to be fairly consistent with it. Please reach out if there is anything you want to see more of. Here is what I have been up to since I have been away.
Lots and lots of cooking…I mean I feel like all I do is cook and eat! Some of my favorites of late were the zucchini lasagna (amazing, you don’t even miss the pasta!), the cinnamon sugar popovers, and the spiced chickpeas. The pasta making was an awesome experience (thanks Tiff!) I am somewhat less intimidated than I used to be.
Work travel was a bit crazy in April when I spent time in Boston, West Virginia and NYC.
Lastly, I was fortunate to have a wonderful weekend with my parents for Mothers Day. We went to Ford’s Theatre and Air and Space, two places I had never in been in my ten plus years in DC and I was able to cook for my Mom for Mother’s Day and use these awesome paper placements to complete my table scape.
I will be back next week with some new posts, have a great week!
Time for Blog Break
I love writing this blog, but I think it’s time for a break. Admittedly work has been insanely busy the last few weeks, which doesn’t leave much time for blogging. But generally over the last few months I have been struggling to find ways to create more original content and carve out a niche for this blog which I haven’t quite figured out yet. There are so many awesome blogs and bloggers out there I want to make sure that this one has its own special place in the blog world.
So, that being said I am going to take the next few months to focus on my upcoming move (I am sure to gain blog inspiration from decorating a new place!) and figure what’s next for Courcy Inspired Design. In the meantime I will continue to post to the Facebook page for the blog, and you can also find me on Instagram and Twitter. Thanks for reading!
Another Year Gone By…
Image Credit
Good morning! Today is my 35th birthday. It’s so strange to say that…in my own mind I am still 28. I loved this quote about birthdays, because it’s so true! I never thought a year ago that I would spend almost half of my 34th year in India and decide to finally move back to Boston, so I am happy to embrace what is next. I also want to give a big shout out to my birthday sister, Emily! I couldn’t ask for a better person to share my birthday with!
Some link love below, have a great day.
I think I need this to help organize my life!
I need to find a cool cape coat.
I wish I had hair long enough for a fishtail braid.
Cardigan’s and Couture has some great “save” options if you need some new baubles.
I am loving this new bedroom series on Apartment Therapy.
What to Wear this Weekend
Image via
Happy Friday! I am so excited for the weekend. Monday is my birthday and I have friends in town this weekend so I am really looking forward to having some fun. What do you wear out and about on the weekends? Typically on Saturday or Sunday mornings I take a Barre class and then run around doing errands afterward. I certainly don’t want to run home and change, but want to look a little chicer than I just rolled out of the gym. Below is how I usually pull it together. Have a great weekend!
Dinner Party Favors
Image Credits for this post Courcy Inspired Design
My dear friend Katie hosted a dinner at her house on Saturday so I could see some friends I hadn’t seen since being back. Katie and her husband Brian, have a beautiful home and are wonderful hosts, so we had a great time. I wanted to bring a little something for the guests at the dinner. I brought back several coconut shell ladles from India, which have been making great gifts, and I thought it would be fun to give some Masala spice I brought back that can be used for tea, cooking or even simmered for a nice smell. Below is how I packaged them up.
P.S. Have you heard about the game Cards Against Humanity? I played it at a friend’s house a while ago and Katie and Brian had it on Saturday. In a nutshell, it’s called a card game for horrible people. Ha! We had so much fun playing!
Happy Spring!
Winter ends officially today and I know for those in the North East it probably can’t come soon enough. Candidly, I don’t love Spring. I never know what to wear, in DC it’s typically either colder than I want it to be or too hot. Those just perfect days are few and far between. That being said, a new season feels a little like a new beginning which feels good right now. Here is my Spring Inspiration Board to get me through the season. Click the image for sources.
Have a great day!
My Style: Design House Dining Room
Last week I created an inspiration board for how I would style the library in the DC Design House, and next up is the dining room. It’s a relatively small room, with some great light.
For inspiration, I loved the dining room above from Domino Magazine. I liked the mod console and the use of black and white chairs. The biggest change I would make to this room would be the walls, I prefer wallpaper in a small dining room. I would also custom make some roller shades, versus curtains. Since I used wallpaper, instead of a painting, I would accessorize above the console with a cool sculpture like a C. Jere piece. Below is what I would do with the house. What do you think?
Lamps/ C. Jeré Fireworks Sculpture/ Console/ Chair/ Table/ Wallpaper/ Fabric
courcydesign
