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Brussels-based Victor Hunt Designart Dealer recently unveiled the Vaalbeek Project, a contemporary salon space designed by Tomás Alonso. The interior space was created as an early peek into a renovation of a house in Belgium that Alonso is working on, where he aims to prove that you can bring a modern feel to an historic space. These unique pieces of furniture and furnishings were designed to bridge the gap and to complement the 20th century home they’ll fill. The rest of the Vaalbeek Project will be released in the Spring of 2017.

Photos by Frederik Vercruysse.

Brooklyn-based WORKSTEAD recently launched a collection of minimalist lighting that features acrylic globes secured by metal pins to a metal canopy giving an almost hieroglyphic look. Each fixture, which comes in brass or bronze, is outfitted with a matching pull chain that has a metal rod attached to the chain.

Signal comes in Sconce, Flush Mount, or Pendant form in either Hewn Brass or Bronze.

The collection can be purchase from WORKSTEAD, or if you’re in the UK, from Another Country.

The following post is brought to you by ChefSteps. Our partners are hand picked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design.

Despite being a favorite of molecular gastronomists for years, only recently has sous vide cooking become achievable for the home cook. For those who aren’t as familiar with sous vide cooking, it’s similar to poaching, but much more precise. Sous vide cooking is when a chef cooks meat and vegetables in a controlled water bath at a very specific temperature. This results in the food being cooked at the right temperature, without losing moisture or flavor. Enter, the Joule. The Joule is a modern-day, affordable solution for home-cooks to bring the science and convenience of sous vide cooking into their own home. We give it a spin.

Unlike previous iterations of the home sous vide machine, which were the size of microwaves, the Joule is small, light, and sleek. It’s a simple wand with a single cord, and takes up minimal space. To get started cooking, all you need is the Joule, a large pot or container, plastic bags, clip, and your smartphone.

ChefSteps, which makes the Joule, states that it’s incredibly easy to use. I’d have to agree. I’ve used other sous vide machines before, and none were as easy to use as the Joule. There is minimal set-up—all you need to do is put it in a vat of warm water, clasp it on the side, plug it in and press a button on the top. For someone who hates reading instructions, the ease of set-up is a huge plus. You also have to download the app to be able to run the Joule, as well as create an account. While it was slightly annoying to have to sign up while I was getting ready to cook, it wasn’t by any means, a deal breaker. Once you download the app, it has a very helpful onboarding system, with an interactive step by step system to help you get acquainted with the Joule. I didn’t have this with the previous sous vide machines I used, and I felt like it made a big difference.

Screenshots from the Joule app

My only minor qualm was at one point, it seemed to be too easy. With my previous experience using sous vide machines, I knew the bags have to be airtight. I used a Foodsaver previously, and I dug around the ChefSteps website to see if I needed a Foodsaver. Everywhere I read, it said I only needed a plastic bag, which sounded a little suspicious to me. It was difficult to find (which was frustrating) but eventually I realized I can use the water dispersion method to ensure that the bag was airtight, and clip it to the container. The whole time I was cooking, I was a little iffy about this but as you’ll see, it worked.

Once I felt prepared, it was time to start cooking. With the Joule, the phrase “set it and forget it” takes on a whole new meaning. You can either set the temperature manually depending on what you want to cook, or if you’re new, simply choose a recipe, and it’ll set the temperature and timer for you. As I was doing a side-by-side comparison, I set the temperature to what I wanted. Unlike boiling water, the Joule got the water bath to be at the right temperature very quickly—in under five minutes.

I decided to test the Joule with steak and eggs because it’s easy to see how changing the temperature by a little bit can drastically alter the end result. The thing about sous vide is that it’s also supposed to work like magic, in a way. You should be able to take cheaper, rougher cuts of meat and still cook it so it’s perfectly juicy and not overcooked. ChefSteps recommends going with a thicker cut of steak, so I chose a 1.5″ top sirloin steak with minimal marbling. Normally, I personally veer away from these cuts because it tends to be dry, but it was a perfect meat for the Joule test run.

I cut the steak into three pieces and cooked it at three different temperatures, 129 degrees F (rare), 136 degrees F (medium), and 154 degrees F (well done) for one hour. The app has a timer and alerts you when your food is ready.

When you see the steak immediately after being sous vide, it has an unappetizing, slightly grayish pallor to it, which might confuse first time sous vide users but is completely normal. You are supposed to sear it afterwards to give it a nice crust on the outside. At this point, I was a little conflicted as to whether or not I should sear it, because in my thinking, it seems like you’d be cooking the steak and thus, defeating the whole purpose of cooking it precisely with the Joule. However, the sear is so brief that it doesn’t cook the inside of the steak—it merely gives it a nice brown on the outside.

Though the rare and medium look closer in color, the difference in texture and even juice, is palpable.

Though rare and medium look a little closer in color, the texture was very different when slicing.

Next, we tested three different eggs at three different temperatures—64 degrees C, 68 degrees C, and 72 degrees C for one hour (We used Celsius for temperature accuracy). Though it seems like it might be easier, getting the right temperature and time for eggs was much more difficult. With eggs, you not only have to worry about the yolk being the right texture, but also the whites. The whites are the most fickle. What seems like a dramatic change in temperature can only slightly affect the whites (as you’ll see), but dramatically affect the yolks.

As you can see, methodically cooking the eggs at 4 degrees C higher showed a consistent firming of the yolk, but for some reason the egg whites at 64 and 68 degrees C didn’t change much. The Joule app also lacked recipes for any eggs besides a poached or soft boiled egg. However, they do have an egg calculator on desktop, which would be handier in the app. I do think though, practice makes perfect in this situation. The difficulty with eggs is not a unique problem for the Joule, I also had the same issues with other sous vide machines. All three of them had sticky whites as well, and peeling them was much more difficult than peeling eggs I had cooked with a pot.

I would describe myself as a cooking enthusiast, and the Joule fits into my lifestyle perfectly, especially when I want to just “set it and forget it.” However, I would say it takes some of the experimentation out of cooking, and can also end up taking longer time than just throwing a steak on the grill. However, it also takes the guesswork and meticulous time-suck that cooking can sometimes result in. You don’t have to babysit the food while it cooks, just let it do its thing. That means one can get all fancy with the toppings, like create a rosemary clarified butter or whatever your heart desires.

Set-up was ridiculously easy, and the app was really helpful with all the videos and onboarding they do to get a user comfortable with the product. It doesn’t take a lot of space, which is a huge plus as a city dweller. My only qualm is with the recipes. The app doesn’t have all the recipes, in fact it has less than I would expect in an accompanying app. There are also “free” recipes and “premium” options, where you get more recipes and more sous vide/cooking classes as well. However, I do know that this is something they’re working on, and are about to release a whole slew of helpful guides, including a roast guide and CUSTARD guide (um whoa). I’m looking forward to seeing the new recipe guides to help me push my sous vide cooking in a new direction, beyond the classic steak and eggs.

The overall consensus? Love the Joule.

Located in the Rue d’Edimbourg in a music loving neighborhood, the Idol Hotel is a colorful Parisian boutique hotel that pays homage to its neighbors, like the Municipal Conservatory of Paris and nearby instrument makers. It’s no surprise that renowned hotel designer Julie Gauthron is the woman behind the bold and unforgettable interior, which meant we had to take a look for this Destination Design.

Gauthron designed the interior around music, particularly funk, soul, and jungle music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, which you’ll see throughout. The hotel has 32 rooms, including 5 suites, each centered around a different color palette and theme, helping to immerse guests into a full-on music experience.

Joy Room

The dramatic rooms, each appropriately named, inspire vibes of Parisian playfulness with showers and tubs on full display.

Lady Soul Room

Lady Soul Room

Light my Fire Room

Light my Fire Room

Light my Fire Room

Light my Fire Room

Light my Fire Room

Moon Blue Room

Moon Blue Room

Blue Sunshine Suite

Blue Sunshine Suite

Blue Sunshine Suite

Feeling Good Suite

Feeling Good Suite

Give me the Night Suite

Give me the Night Suite

My Cherie Amour Suite

My Cherie Amour Suite

My Cherie Amour Suite

What: Idol Hotel Paris
Where: 16, Rue d’Edimbourg 75008 Paris, France
How much? Rooms start at approximately $119 and up per night
Highlights: Convenient location in a neighborhood of music lovers, curated rooms with a Parisian playfulness
Design draw:  A bold and colorful interior designed around music, particularly funk, soul, and jungle music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s,
Book it: Visit the Idol Hotel website.

Photos by Céline Demoux.

Three years in the making, Onsen is a brand-new, Japanese-inspired bathhouse and restaurant in the heart of San Francisco. Designed and built from the ground up by husband and wife duo Sunny Simmons and Caroline Smith, Onsen gives nod to international bathhouse culture while also adding their own unique, community spin.

After purchasing the space, the couple lived in an airstream inside the previous automotive building while they completely revamped the space. As a craft builder, Sunny aimed to keep the original character of the building, while also making it fit for modern day luxuries. All the wood in the building has been carefully collected through time by Sunny himself.

The walls of the treatment rooms and throughout the restaurant are full of carefully curated art by Caroline.

Onsen has a total of six treatment rooms and a communal bathing room, complete with a cold plunge shower installation.

Each room in the bathhouse portion has its own look and feel. The dry sauna features all redwood and is more reminiscent of a traditional sauna room, while another room features graphic black and white tiles. The five head cold shower plunge installation is inspired by steampunk-era fiction.

They also collected bathhouse tickets from around the world to decorate the walls.

In the front of the building, Onsen has an intimate, chef-driven restaurant and tearoom featuring fresh, seasonal cuisine and tea service. Lastly, the owners and creators behind Onsen also believe in giving back to the community. They close for business on Tuesdays, but plan to open it to the neighborhood and community around them to provide services that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.

Photos by Raquel Venancio Marins.

Years ago we shared how to make homemade peanut butter cups. Which is still one of my very favorite homemade candies to make because it's SO EASY. So I thought I'd try a different version for Friendsgiving since I was planning to make a pie but I still wanted to serve something with chocolate, because, well, chocolate is holiday-worthy!

I changed up the filling for these just a little by adding some pumpkin and spice to the mix, and I absolutely love how they turned out, so I figured I'd share. These are great to just have in your refrigerator if you need a little pick me up, or a fun thing to take to a gathering as they are super easy to transport. Everyone at our Friendsgiving was raving about them. They are a crowd-pleaser for sure. :)

Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Cups, makes 16-18 mini muffin size cups

12 oz. dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
big pinch of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of coarse sea salt for the tops
16-18 mini muffin liners

In a small bowl, stir together the pumpkin, peanut butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Then prepare your mini muffin pan by adding the liners.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt half of the chocolate chips with the oil. I've found the best way to melt chocolate in the microwave is to melt for 30 seconds, stir, melt another 30 seconds, stir, and repeat this until things are creamy. You can also do this in a double boiler if you don't want to use the microwave. Once the chocolate is melted, pour a tablespoon or so (it's not necessary to measure, I'm just giving you an idea of how much to pour) in to each cupcake liner. Give the pan a little shake so that the chocolate evenly distributes, then add a heaping teaspoon or so (again, no need to measure the exact amount here) of the pumpkin mixture. Then top with a little more chocolate so the pumpkin mixture is fully covered. And last sprinkle on the sea salt. 

Once the chocolate is set (hardened), remove from the pan and refrigerate in a container with a lid or a big ziplock bag. Yay for homemade candy!

If you love making candy at home, why not try making our Dark Chocolate Almond Brittle or our Peppermint Marshmallows—both are festive and sure to get you in the holiday mood. xo. Emma

Credits // Author: Emma Chapman.Photography: Amber Ulmer and Emma Chapman. Photos edited with the NEW A Beautiful Mess actions. 

On November 4, 1996, I was sworn in as a member of the Indiana Bar, officially making me a lawyer in the state of Indiana. By the end of the month, I started my first job as a lawyer, working in the Office of Bill Drafting and Research in the Legislative Services Agency. I honestly cannot remember if I had landed the job at the time of the induction. I think not. I do recall that I had applied for the LSA job and was rejected. Then, a week or two later, they called me in for an interview. Apparently another position had opened up. In fact, four of us started at about the same time. (One of those guys is now the director of the Office.)

Picture taken in Indianapolis at the bar induction ceremony.

I pretty much always knew I wanted to be a lawyer. When I was five years old, I recall being concerned that maybe my inability to read might be an impediment to becoming a lawyer. But, then — I reasoned — my secretaries could read to me. Problem solved! There were a couple of moments of doubt. I wanted to be a Cincinnati Red during the Big Red Machine days. My never playing baseball at any level pretty much took care of that issue. When I was maybe 12 or 13, I recall that being a lawyer was tied with “astronomer.” The last potential fork in the road was during my college search. I had it in my mind that I would either go to IU to study business (and then potentially law school) or go to Miami to study history or political science and then go to law school. (Miami had a fine business school — why I wasn’t considering business there is unclear to me now.) Mrs. Keller, my English teacher, wife of a local attorney and family friend, and Miami alumna herself put in a plug for Miami. That’s where I went, and from that point, law school was always in the cards. I majored in political science and history which didn’t exactly tempt me with non-legal career options. My grades were good but not dazzling. My LSAT scores were excellent, and I was accepted to IU-Bloomington before I got around to completing any other law school applications, and off I went. Again, at IU, my grades were good (good enough for a cum laude designation at graduation) but not dazzling.

Studying for the bar exam was a slog. It’s one of those things where you never know if you’ve done enough. And the prospects of not passing were unpleasant, so it’s possible I over-studied. I was all nerves at the bar exam until someone near by started crying. I figured I was nowhere near crying, so I’d probably be o.k. There was a brief moment of terror with respect to the results. I had the results mailed to my folks place. (At the time I was filling out the application,  having just graduated and not having a job, I didn’t know where I’d be by the end of the process). So, my mom opened the results and called me. I wasn’t home, so she left a message on the answering machine. “Hi Doug,” she said. Then she sighed. And I knew the only reason she’d be calling that day would be because of the results. My heart dropped at that sigh. But, apparently she just needed to take a breath. Because the rest of the sentence was, “you passed the bar exam.”

I kept passing out the applications, looking for a job. And, finally, I caught my break with LSA. That was a great job for a young lawyer. Mainly I was charged with writing proposed legislation for the General Assembly. That helped a great deal with becoming familiar at a very granular level with the Indiana Code. After about a year and a half, I got a promotion and became a deputy director with the Office of Code Revision at LSA. In that capacity, I was mostly editing draft legislation prepared by other LSA lawyers. Despite the errors that often riddle this blog, that helped me a great deal with my writing. You’re looking for as much clarity and precision as possible when drafting legislation. (Obviously we sometimes fell short of that goal!) Another side benefit of my time at LSA has been this blog. Long time readers know that I have deviated greatly at times, but reviewing and commenting on legislation proposed by the General Assembly has been a mainstay. The years of writing have allowed me to make a great many friends, both online and in person. (Maybe I’ll subject you to a “12 years of blogging” retrospective in about 11 days here.)

While at law school, I met Amy. I graduated before she did. But, then she graduated and, while I was still in Indy working for the General Assembly, she went north and got a job in Monticello. In 1999, I decided that I wanted to be with her, and I wanted to be in private practice. So, I papered Lafayette with resumes. I got lucky. I fell in with Hoffman, Luhman, & Busch — a small firm with some great lawyers; great, both in terms of being skilled lawyers but also in terms of being outstanding people. I’m reminded of how lucky I was when I remember that, not long after I moved to Lafayette, I saw a help-wanted ad for another area lawyer. A year or two after that, that lawyer was losing his license for unethical behavior. I didn’t know anything about the lawyers in town. I could very easily have ended up in a very challenging situation.

Instead, the job has been very rewarding. Certainly I know guys who went on to make a lot more money than me. But the work/life balance has been very good, and the work itself has been varied in a generally interesting way. I keep busy, but it’s the kind of practice where I’m able to leave early to go coach the kids’ soccer teams or do something for the school board or what have you.

The legal work started mostly with collections. That’s actually not as bad as it sounds. It gave me the opportunity to work on hundreds of generally low-stakes cases. I got to meet a lot of judges and see a lot of lawyers work under circumstances where, if I made a mistake, it generally was not consequential. Although, at some point while collecting on some Community Corrections cases, I wondered at how strange the world was. The court would generally have me see what I could work out informally with the debtors before taking up the judge’s time. So, I was standing in a room with maybe 25 convicted felons where I was trying to extract money from every one of them. When I was a mild-mannered, geeky, skinny kid in Richmond, I would not have predicted that life event. But, again, not as bad as it sounds. I learned that, mostly if you treat people with respect, they’re easy enough to get along with.

As I got more experience, the partners at the firm,

All grown up

Dave Luhman and Tom Busch, gave me more and more of the County work. Throughout my time in Lafayette, it has been a true honor to work for Tippecanoe County.  Fred Hoffman had been County Attorney for quite sometime in, I believe, the 70s and 80s. There was a stretch where the work went elsewhere, but Dave and Tom resumed our relationship with the County maybe 3 or 4 years prior to my arrival. It’s only the last two years that I’ve considered myself “the County Attorney,” but I’ve been doing work for the County for at least 15 years. That role really stepped up in 2002. Dave and Tom had made me a partner with the firm, effective January 1, 2002. Then, three weeks later, there was the unfortunate passing of Judge George Heid in Tippecanoe County Superior Court 2. This presented an opportunity for Tom who would shortly go from “Tom” to “Judge Busch.” Due to the circumstances, he left with relatively short notice. I took on a lot of Tom’s active cases, and it felt like the training wheels were off. My first big case following his departure was handling the County’s end of Severson v. Board of Trustees. It was a relatively high profile case where a Purdue resident-advisor had been murdered by a student in his resident hall. Among other things, there were allegations against the Sheriff’s Department having to do with whether they should have done more to protect the resident-advisor after he reported the student’s drug dealing activity.

Since then, my practice has generally had a nice mix of the routine stuff that isn’t terribly interesting but pays the bills and doesn’t keep you up at nights with cases that are either high stakes or legally interesting or both. Some notable ones include “the pig case” which went on for five years before resulting in my first jury win. There was a case involving the Sheriff’s Department’s use of force when responding to another tragic case where a woman’s ex-boyfriend murdered her son and kidnapped her. There was a trial where a family friend was called to the stand as an expert witness for the opposing side. (My wife wanted assurances that this wouldn’t ruin our friendship. It did not — his expertise was perfectly valid, he was just being asked by the other side to assume the truth of certain underlying facts which where very much in question.) There was the small claims case where the defendant, representing himself, challenged my witness by asking “didn’t your friend tell you that I was an asshole?!” I objected to the relevance. But, I think the judge was having a slow day — he gave me kind of a grin and said, “I’ll allow it.” There was my first argument in front of the 7th Circuit where I drew a panel in which Judge Posner lead the questioning. Talk about trial by fire. I’ve even had the opportunity (pdf) to argue in front of the Indiana Supreme Court.

In fact, now that I sit and think about it, there have been lots and lots of cases.

And this is part of why I wanted to be a lawyer. Life and people are complicated and interesting. As a lawyer, you get to see a wide swath of what’s going on in the world — or at least in your community. And you get to see it up close. This isn’t always pleasant, of course. There was one time where I had two active cases, one featuring autopsy pictures of a little girl who had been murdered and the other involving the rape of one child by another, older child. I definitely hugged my kids a little more often when I got home during that period of time. But, seeing the good and bad of the human drama is one of the privileges of being a lawyer. It’s very rewarding when you can help your clients navigate life’s challenges, both big and small. Even as I’ve been practicing for a long time, I try to remember that — for most of my clients — being involved with the court system is a significant event in their life. The law can be terrible in its strength. It is often unforgiving, and it can be imprecise. That’s why having an advocate is so important. That is one reason why being a lawyer is a privilege, a responsibility, and a profession.

I hope to be at this for many more years.

Cropped and tapered trousers, black boots, puffer vest layered under a cardigan, tie, flipped-up sunglasses and the gloves (whether intentional or not)

I have to say this young man is the coolest mail carrier I’ve ever seen.

nadine ijewere photography.

we’re having a retro moment for a trend that’s lingered on our pinterest feed even after summer’s end — the headscarf. how cool does one look when they’ve perfectly mastered the wrapping of a pucci print scarf, more than appropriate on days when we may not have the energy to wash our hair. we tend to fantasize stumbling upon the perfect scarf for a weekend get-away to palm springs, or while trailing rows at the flea market (a good spot to score vintage scarves for just a few bucks). whether you’re channeling lulu de la falaise, or an hermes ad campaign from the 60s’, we’re right there with you (watching how-to tie videos on youtube, stellar and vimeo no less).

tommy ton for gucci.

ocaln.

the shiny squirrel.

ISAIAH JOHNSON photography via strangers with style.

clockwise, from l to r: the fashion tag; honestly wtf; golden cigarettes; suturno; gucci; maire claire; miss osiria rose; vogue uk; g-star raw tumblr.

vogue.

mag moon look.

mon favori.

need supply.

Giulio Rustichelli photography for zen magazine.

collage vintage.

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Hey, friends!! The other day I got obsessed with the idea of making vanilla pudding ICE CUBES, and I'm so excited that it actually worked. This turned out to be basically a Bailey's with a pudding pop cube in it that looks like a creepy eyeball. I'd call that a win! 

If you're a Halloween freak like me, you'll have to try it this weekend! Here's how it's made!

One: Most importantly, you need to freeze each layer one at a time. This is essential for getting a nice, clean shape. If you try to freeze all the layers in one step, the green and white will bleed together and the licorice may not hold its place. First, take a piece of black licorice, get it wet and stick it to the bottom of the circle ice cube mold. Stick it in the freezer until it's frozen (even just 20 minutes will do the trick on this step). Next, in a separate bowl, mix some green food dye with vanilla pudding. Spoon it into the mold right on top of the black licorice piece. If your circle isn't perfect, use a paper towel to clean it up. Then freeze the green pudding.

Two: After the green pudding is completely frozen, fill the rest of the mold with vanilla pudding. You can do the first half with just pudding. But for the second half, since you have to funnel it into that tiny hole, you'll need to water the pudding down. Mix 1 part pudding and 1 part milk (any kind of milk, I actually used half and half since that's what I had on hand). Shake it in a cocktail shaker or use a whisk to combine the pudding and milk. Then it should be thin enough to pour into the closed circle mold through the top. Then close off the top and freeze the cube (I froze mine overnight).

Three and Four: I like these clear ice cube molds because you can see that the lines are straight and that there are no bubbles.

Five: When you go to remove the cubes, they can be hard to remove, so use a little cool water as needed.

Six: LOOK HOW CUTE! Once you've completed the cubes, the hard part is over. Just pour in some Bailey's or Kahlua and serve! 

So fun, right?? 

A simple and sweet cocktail for all my witches! Love you guys! xx -Elsie 

Credits//Author and Photography: Elsie Larson. Photos edited with the NEW A Beautiful Mess actions.

#Thatmomentwhen Margot and Rickie went viral!! Last Halloween, we were beyond shocked when our then-six-month-old twin’s old lady costumes became an internet sensation!

The funniest thing about all of this is that I really felt like I was dropping the ball on the babies’ first Halloween. I didn’t put a lot of planning into their costumes, and basically threw these costumes together the day before Halloween with some Amazon Prime purchases and a run to Michael’s. And when it came time don their outfits and take pictures, the babies weren’t super cooperative and we really didn’t get the shot we we hoping for.

But we did get one really cute shot, which I posted on my Instagram and then went about my business wrangling our two little monkeys. Next thing I knew, I innocently checked my phone and Margot and Rickie had basically broken the internet!

We got a real kick of seeing how many times this photo was reposted, and hearing so many stories from friends who have spotted it basically all over the world throughout the past year.

So now here we are one year later, and for the first time ever I’m sharing a whole bunch of outtakes from our photo shoot (click any photo below to view larger), as well as the very easy instructions for making your own old lady baby Halloween costumes:

How To Create An Old Lady Baby Halloween Costume

Want to make your own old lady costume for your little one? This DIY costume is seriously the easiest handmade Halloween look for babies, toddlers and kids. It’s so quick to throw together that you could definitely make it at the last minute, even during naptime on Halloween day!

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• Carter’s Two Piece Dress Set – find something similar here, or any dress with a floral print and a sweater layered over it will give you that granny style.
• Baby Glasses – I used baby sunglasses that I found in a brick-and-mortar store, and popped out the lenses. But you can pick up some cute baby glasses here.
• Mardi Gras Beads – find them in any dollar store or party store, but only use the gold or silver strands.
• Hot Glue Gun – obviously!
• Beanie-Style Baby Hat – any stretchy hat that fits your kid’s head snugly; ideally in the same color as your pom poms, so that the hat doesn’t show through any spaces in the poms.
• Craft Pom Poms – in grey or white, same color as your hat. (I actually used cotton balls for the white hat, but they did not hold up nearly as well and I would definitely recommend picking up pom poms instead of using cotton balls.)

How-to:

1. Make the glasses: pop out the lenses if using sunglasses. Cut the mardi gras beads to the correct length to fit around your child’s head/neck, then hot glue the ends of the beads to the inside of the arms of the glasses. Done!
2. Make the wig: Simply hot glue the pom poms to the hat, working first around the brim of the hat, then filling in till the hat is fully covered. That’s it!

So there you have it — this really is a quick and easy DIY Halloween costume for babies and kids! I made our costumes last year in less than an hour while our twins sat in their high chairs and watched. Doesn’t get easier than that!

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Today we are welcoming Michelle Gage to the blog to share her lovely home with us! One look at that infamous flamingo wallpaper and you're sold, right? Her home also has amazing artwork, detail, and charm. 

"My home is located in Havertown, PA (right outside of Philadelphia). My husband (then boyfriend) and I started house hunting in the summer of 2013–a year after graduating college. We weren’t exactly sure of the neighborhood we wanted to be in. We had lived in the area for over a year and felt informed enough to start looking. We thought we found a great place–good location, recently renovated–but ultimately realized that we wanted to be the ones to customize the home. Our house hunt was called off for the next few months. Then, on a random snowy Saturday in February, I was looking at listings online. We had no plans that day, so figured we might as well check it out. We got there and fell in LOVE. The home needed work, but it had great bones.

"The living room definitely houses some of our favorite pieces. We love that space because it gets the best light. It’s really the show space of the house–displaying all of our thrifted finds! The best part of gathering is the hunt. I remember where I got each and every piece in our home, which means I remember the times my husband and I spent together searching. If you love vintage items but either don’t live near markets or don’t enjoy the hunt, Chairish is a great resource. I sell some of my extra goodies on there. It really just enables my vintage shopping addiction. 

"The sofa pillows and coffee table situation are Ikea. With print on print, the pillows help to calm down the crazy sofa. We used to have a big bench in front of the sofa, but it was feeling too bulky, so we switched it up. We simply painted two Lack end tables and placed them side by side to get a more open look.

"I think we’d both agree that the kitchen is our favorite space. It was a labor of love. We waited nearly two years to renovate it, so it’s been a long time coming. We did all of the work ourselves, so we were able to splurge on some of the special details (ones we might normally have to skip due to budget constraints). This is the space we were able to customize the most. We knew we wanted a light and bright space to inspire creative cooking. White cabinets were an obvious choice. Next, we landed on the finishes. The brushed brass hardware really POPS against the clean cabinets. The backsplash was a totally customized treat! We worked with Mercury Mosaics to create a one-of-a-kind design that mimicked ocean waves.

"My husband wound up making the live edge table for two out of some wood we snagged at a garage sale! The amazing chairs from Wayfair completed the look. The original kitchen was a nightmare to put it lightly. We gutted the entire space and started with a blank slate. Living without a kitchen sink is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, so I think the struggles that we went through makes it all the more special.

Wallpaper/Cole & Son.

"The entryway table was just some worn piece taking up space in my parents' basement. It used to house the fax machine, which tells you how neglected it was. The teal legs were intact, so we scooped it up when we bought this house. It fits perfectly in the entryway.

"I don’t believe in bringing generic items into your home. Your home should be a reflection of your personality. It should be a space that you truly enjoy and miss when you leave it. I love all of the art. We recently counted up over 200 pieces in our whole home, many of which are in the living room. I find art everywhere–Goodwill, estate sales, flea markets. I am way too into portraits these days. I have collected dozens of oil portraits of strangers and sprinkled them throughout the home.

"Our home is always evolving. Since we are out hunting nearly every weekend, something new is always coming into the home. You can tell I’ve been hunting when the Chairish shop becomes full—in with the old, out with the even older! The living room is always changing. It’s the space that is the fullest, so I’m constantly rearranging it to find better homes for everything. We currently joke that we are fresh out of walls to fill. We’ve wallpapered what we can and hung art everywhere else. BUT somehow, we always find more room for a new favorite find!"

Love your home, Michelle! You can find more of Michelle on her interior design website, Chairish, and on Instagram.

Author: Michelle Gage. Photography: Kyle Born. Kitchen, powder room and swan wallpaper by Homepolish. 

First of all, let me just say a resounding you're welcome to all you fellow cat owners out there. I know how tough it can be to love the adorable little kitty that naps on the couch with you but not always love the rest of the kitty gear that comes with that furry little face. So far, I've done my best to upgrade versions of cat essentials with a color-blocked scratching post, junk food kitty toys, a hand-stamped cat collar, and even a mini Palm Springs scratch house to make the feline essentials fit in (rather than stand out) from our home decor. Now, while all these things have really helped integrate our human and cat worlds, there is still one area I haven't gotten around to making aesthetic improvements in—the litter box. I think I didn't feel the need for a litter box cover in our last house because we had a separate laundry room where we could keep all those kitty necessities, and it was rather hidden under a shelf in a corner. At this house, however, the laundry is actually in the garage with no kitty access to the house. So we have to do the dreaded "litter-box-in-the-middle-of-the-room" scenario. Ever since we moved last year, doing a DIY cover has been on my to-do list. So here we are! 
Supplies:
-sheets of 1/2" thick plywood (one big enough to fit your 4 sides or several smaller sheets)
-1 1/2" wide boards for your rooftop (I used 6 boards that were about 30" long.)
-nails
-wood glue
-jigsaw
-miter saw (optional but needed if you want a top that opens)
-2 small hinges
-cat shaped opening template
-wax paper
-paint

To determine the size that your box cover should be, you'll need to first measure the length and width of your litter box to make sure it will fit. Take the measurements and use the guide above to find what size your panels should be (don't forget you need two sides and two front pieces). The above dimensions should give you a pretty snug fit with about 1/4" of perimeter space between the litter box and the cover, but you can always make the cover bigger if you want (you just don't want it smaller than your litter box obviously). 

Draw out your dimensions for all four sides onto your plywood sheets and use a jigsaw to cut out your sides.

Determine how big you want your cat-shaped opening to be and print out your template the correct size. You'll probably have to print it on multiple pages and tape together unless you have a large printer. Remember that you want the opening to be big enough for the cat to use, so make sure they have room to get through it comfortably (I made mine about 12" wide). Trace the opening onto the center of the front panel 2-3" from the bottom of the panel.

Drill a few holes (at least the width of your jigsaw blade) into your traced cat shape so you have an opening to get the jigsaw into. Use the entry holes to cut out your shape.

Sand the edges of each of your panels to remove any rough spots.

Match up your panels so that the sides are between the front and back panels with sheets of wax paper underneath to catch any extra glue. It's helpful to have an extra set of hands for this part (thanks, Todd!) when trying to get the pieces squared up. Use wood glue and tape to keep the pieces in place while the glue sets (a few strategically placed boxes would work as well).

Once the glue is set, use a few nails to hammer your box together from the front and back panels. 

If you have access to a miter saw, you'll take your 1.5" boards and use the saw to cut four of them at the correct angle so they meet together at the peak of your roofline (on the front and back) with a 1/2" overhang on the bottom edges. While I'm sure there are more technical ways of figuring out what that angle is before cutting it, I just use scrap pieces of wood and keep cutting angles and adjusting until I find the right one. It's actually pretty fast that way and my dimensions ended up needing a 25° angle to meet up correctly. Center your 4 boards, and then measure the distance between the front and back boards and cut 8 more boards that will fit in between them.

If you don't have access to a miter saw, you can use your jigsaw to cut 8-10 of the 1 1/2" boards that will run from the front of the roof to the back (with about 1/2" overhang on both sides). Just space them out evenly across the roof and nail into place after painting. You won't have the option to open the roof this way, but it will look pretty similar and you can just clean the box from the front opening instead. 

Space your 8 boards equally over some wax paper between your 4 angled boards and use wood glue to adhere into place. I glued them together over a cutting mat so I could use the lines below to make sure the pieces were squared up correctly.

Paint your cover and your roof pieces your desired color, and then attach the two roof halves with your hinges once the paint is dry. Decide which half of the roof you'll want to open for cleaning purposes. Then glue or nail the other half of the roof shut for stability when opening the roof. Place your cover over your litter box and admire your hard work!

It looks SOOOOOO much better if you ask me! You can also add as many or as few slats to the roof as you want to expose more or less of the litter inside from the top view, but some cats don't like to be totally closed in from above (while others don't mind it), so use your cat mama judgement on that one. Either way, this is a giant visual improvement for us, so I'm thrilled with how it came out, and it got, ahem, used pretty quickly once it was put out. So I think the cats like it too. If you've been looking to improve your litter box situation, then this may be just the solution for you! xo. Laura

Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with the NEW A Beautiful Mess actions.

(Image credit: NTREIS / Virginia Cook, REALTORS via Estately)

Located in the Disney streets area of Dallas, this mid-century home is part retro diner, part Design Within Reach showroom.

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let’s get tropical this week with an appropriately thematic wear this there. brought to you by le bar botanique of amsterdam, this location is sure to transport you all while you sip cocktails between its emerald-hued four walls (and roof). daydream of being fanned by palm fronds because this is a setting begging for you to put your best stylish foot forward. may we suggest playing up the textures while you playfully flirt with passersby? if not, at least allow us to give you a good book recommendation: the drunken botanist? sounds about right.

~ michaela dartois, vérité published.

wear this there: pixie market green velvet slip midi dress; ego louisa floral print ankle boot; zara bodysuit with long sleeves; Ray-Ban Clubround Sunglasses from anthropologie; chay black safe perfume fromali golden; read this there the drunken botanist by amy stewart; clare vivier flat clutch; and zara pink quilted bomber jacket.

• photos via yatzer

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