Today we tip our hats to the Queen Elizabeth II in honor of her 89th birthday. She is iconic not only because she is one of the longest reigning monarchs in British History, but she has also long contributed to the word of style and design through her wardrobe. Here are some fun facts about Her Royal Highness’s style:

1. She always wears pearls- rarely ever wears diamonds, unless required by tradition (i.e., tiaras, necklaces, etc).

2. Don’t let the original coronation photograph from 1953 fool you! HRH is anything but black and white, as you could see by her “style rainbow” spanning throughout the course several decades (below). She loves color!

3. Headgear is a must! These include but are not limited to; hats (over 5,000 and counting), scarves, floral turbans, and yes, of course – the occasional tiara.

4. She serves as a style icon for English fashion model, singer and actress Agyness Deyn.

5.  She is also the muse responsible for Dolce & Gabbana’s 2008 line which featured argyles, knits, plaid tweeds and kilts.

6. The Queen has been known to reuse and recycle fabrics from her mother, as well as her gowns used from years ago to create new pieces for her wardrobe. She even saved ration cards to purchase the fabric needed to make her wedding gown!

There you have it, smart, savvy and stylish for 89 years! All Hail The Queen!

So, when I was a little girl, my grandmother used to teach my sisters and I how to crochet. She crocheted everything – blankets, doilies, and some quite embarrassing sweaters. It was definitely a fun past time for us, but after a while we did get bored with it, (there are only a certain amount of doilies on can have) but it was something definitely worth learning -as is anything really. While crotchet wasn’t so fashion forward back then, it’s surprisingly coming back – and in ways I had never expected. This spring has introduced some really different ways of incorporating crochet into your style.  Check out crochet in a new way…I’m actually liking it! I trust you will too, which is why I’m including a super helpful link to Crochet For Beginners. 

For as long as I could remember, we have had “Pizza Fridays” at my family home. Whether it is delivery, or homemade, there’s always a few pies on the table come Friday night. Having this time together is really special as we all get to reflect over the day and the work week, exchange stories and lots of laughs. In our home, it’s imperative to be at dinner on Friday. While I love my family, and I love pizza – sometimes you need to mix it up a bit! Recently I’ve become quite the Pinterest connoisseur, and I have found a few variations on our traditional pizza pie. While I had my fill for today, I will absolutely be trying ALL of these out in the coming weeks! Check out six different ways to put a spin on pizza!!

Four Layer Pizza Dip

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Lasagna Pizza Rolls

Eggplant Pizza

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Did you know that color can indicate a lot about personality, emotion, and thought processes? There is psychology behind almost everything, color is no exception. Take a look around your home, see what colors and shades you use most frequently and take note. Then consult to the list below and see if the descriptions match up to you and how you interpret things around you, and react to them. You might also want to use this chart as a guide to redecorate your home or office space to give off a different effect!  Decode your color conscious now:

I have always had a fascination with libraries. Aside from being an avid reader, I think there is something aesthetically pleasing about walking into a room filled with so many different works of literature, bound in beautiful canvases and sitting beautifully on well organized shelves. Over the years I have come to acquire a vast collection of books, and I have always purchased run of the mill, plain MDF bookcases. So as I am always looking for DIY projects, and fun pastimes, I found a few bookcases that really intrigued my interest, and I am currently narrowing down the list of my top picks to decide on which one I’ll be creating for my home. Check out these six DIY brilliant bookcases. If you’re not a reader, they might just inspire you to become one! (Descriptions correspond to photos clockwise)

1. Pallets – I love this idea because there is so much room on how you could arrange, paint, or decorate the pallets. The usage of lighting here is really spectacular. Pallets are super easy to find. Check out a local grocery store, warehouse, or garden center!

2. Recycled wine box – I love this idea. You can cover the interior with fabric from a favorite article of clothing, or a heavy wrapping paper as an alternative. I would mix and match patterns and colors. Definitely one of the best I have seen!

3. Scrap Wood – I love the different colors and textures of this, all put together to create a unique pattern. Functional art at it’s finest!

4. Hollowed out instrument – Love, love, love. Even if you don’t have something like this at home, it would be fun to try to recreate if you’re handy with wood. For a smaller piece, a guitar is really fun too!

5. Old furniture – Turn an already used piece of furniture into a bookcase – in this case they utilized a china cabinet – it really looks very antiquated and prestigious. Although not really my style, I might take the same piece and paint it a fun metallic like silver!

6. Word(s) – This might be my number one choice – I’m all about statement pieces, and this is really great for someone with a larger collection. I’ve seen the usage of other words, i.e. Love, Friend, etc. I think it would be awesome to have a quote spelt out – but that’s really ambitious. Let’s keep it simple for now. Enjoy! =)

Years ago, I was looking for something unique to adorn my statement wall in my bedroom. So I took to the internet to see what I might be able to find. My color scheme was a variety of corals, golds, and browns. With the statement wall being a bright coral, I wanted to tone it down a bit. I wanted something that added to the wall, something simple yet elegant.  I couldn’t find a piece of art that I really connected with – more so because it clashed with the many colors I was using. So I thought a wall decal might be fun. I have always loved the idea of having quote wall decals, but I just could not find anything generic that suited my taste or my color palette. I finally found a site that allowed me to personalize my own quote, as well as choose the color, size, and font. I was thrilled with the results, it looked amazing! Since then, sites like Etsy and Sign.com have come to accommodate not only customized lettering decals, but also photo decals, photo canvases, etc.  There are so many different ways to incorporate wall decals/wall art into your décor, any room, any style of your choice. They definitely add dimension to a space, and are easy to remove. Check out some of my favorite uses of wall decals!