I Heart Gina...

Friday afternoon I checked the mail to find a package sitting in my mailbox. The amazing Gina of Hettle (check out her rapidly developing blog here) sent me a housewarming gift! How cool is that!

The lovely handwritten note from Gina.

My pillow front and center in the center of the couch!

I've been so amazed by the amount of support there is in the blogging community for other bloggers. We're all excited to see each other succeed.

In addition to sending the best housewarming gift ever, Gina is also going to offer a giveaway to the readers of The Other Tiffany soon! It's going to be a fun process that we hope will get your creative juices flowing! We're working out the details this week and can't wait to share it with you sometime next week!

A little peek at the new place!

View 1 of the kitchen

As a prelude to the weekend I wanted to share a few places around the new house. We're close to being totally unpacked and mostly settled. My digital camera died after many years of good service so I took these with my phone. I hope to share higher quality images in the near future.

View 2 of the kitchen

Desk in the corner of the kitchen

Small dresser in the master bedroom

The house is just under 1200 square feet so I'm learning some very creative ways to store our things. I look forward to sharing more soon! Have a great weekend!

Giving Back - Community Connections

Sadly, my internet access since our move has not functioned so I apologize for the lack of posting at the end of last week. I'm still not 100% but I wanted to post about a really great experience I had last week that I hope will provide some inspiration to you.

One of my closest friends Heidi and her husband Brent (that's us in the photo above) have gotten involved with a local organization in Jacksonville called Community Connections. Some of the many services of this local non-profit organization include providing safe housing alternatives for women, children & families; child care, after school and summer camp programs; training and support for parents and special literacy programs designed to help break the cycle of family illiteracy. I was so impressed with the positive impact the organization made on our local community that I really felt compelled to be part of it in some way. Through Heidi I co-sponsored the redecorating or a room in the women's housing facility.

Bed for resident's daughter.

Bed area for the woman who will be the resident of the room.

We gathered used and new items from family and friends, groceries, toiletries and basic necessities to help the future resident of the room get started on the road to a new life.

Last week we went to the facility and loaded the room, decorated and got it ready for a mother and daughter that would be moving in sometime this week. Most of the women who come there literally come with the clothes on their backs and often with small children in tow. Everything that is donated to the room, whether decorative or otherwise, is theirs to take with them when they get back on their feet and move on.

I've always felt that there are many small ways we can give of ourselves to others. Often what keeps us from doing anything involves feeling like we don't have a skill or talent relevant to someone else's needs. I found that to be completely not the case. I was able to use my love of design and all things pretty to help provide a clean, comfortable place for someone to make a fresh start in their lives. In my book, that is a really valuable thing.

If you're in Jacksonville and have an interest in getting involved with Community Connections click through to their website and check out the Help Our Cause link. We worked with Donna (that's her in the picture above in the pink shirt!), the Volunteer Coordinator and she was wonderful!

There was a time when my own single mother, my brother and I received very similar help and it means a great deal to me to find a way to pay that forward. However small you feel your contribution may be, I guarantee it has the ability to impact someone in ways you don't event comprehend. Go spread some joy!

Home Sweet Home

Here's a little peek at our new little beach house! There's still a ton of work to do on the inside that I hope to share with you in the coming weeks. Right now, I'm EXHAUSTED from the move. I'll be back before the end of the week with some pre 4th of July party ideas!

Etsy Faves - Michael Jackson

The man, the myth...whatever you thought of MJ his music literally defined a generation. So much of the soundtrack of my childhood includes Michael Jackson. I prefer to remember the moments that made him great to me: Thriller on vinyl spinning in my living room (my Dad gave it to my brother and I as a gift and we'd sneak it when my Mom was at work), my husband doing a Michael Jackson impersonation to Billie Jean at our friend's wedding and my older brother after his very messy divorce hitting the scene with friends, my husband and me at a local club and coming alive in a way I haven't seen him do in years to every MJ song they played...

Here are some great Etsy finds I've rounded up that highlight MJ. Let's remember him at his best and support handmade artists while we do it.

Record Album Cover Jacket Sleeve Notebook - Michael Jackson Off The Wall by The Dark Monkey

Michael Jackson T-shirt by Pop Destroy

Missing A Star - Tribute to Michael Jackson by One Life Jewelry

Set 4pcs Dancing Michael Jackson Wall Art Decal by Paula's Decal

Michael Jackson 2 - Pop Art Canvas Tote Bag by Bao Studio

I really hope he finds the peace in the next life he never found in ours.

Lamp Transformation

This is what happens when you fall in love with something (the amazing pillow from fellow blogger and Etsy seller, Hettle) and it influences other areas of design in your life. I found the circa 1970's gold speckled ceramic lamp for $2.50 at a thrift store, painted it satin white to give it the crisp look of that lovely inspiration pillow and used a lamp shade from an old hanging lamp I no longer have room for. I LOVE the results. And for a grand total of maybe $5...Wow.

What great finds have inspired you recently?

Best of Decorative Pillows - Target

Because I'm moving in a week I've been wanting to pick up something for the new house to give it a life of its own. We'll be renting so I won't have the option of painting walls or making any structural changes to the house we'll be living in. As a result, I've been trying to think of ways to update my current furnishings without breaking the bank or my new lease. Pillows to the rescue! I've rounded up my favorite affordable options from Target.com which happens to have some really great finds in stock right now.

Clockwise from top left: Tree Trunk Brown, Fall Trees Silver, Wood
Grain Outdoor Pillow, Tree Trunk Black, Cotton Tree, Bean Leaf Gray

The group of pillows above all feature nature inspired designs. I've been wanting to go more in the direction of natural materials in my decor but I also love modern interpretations of nature themes. Any of the above pillows would be a great choice if you're trying to go natural without being too literal about it.

Clockwise from top left: Art Fire, Geo Stripe, Giraffe Black, Canvas Embroidered Pillow - Yellow, Medallion Green, Giraffe Print Pillow - Gray

And I also really love these geometric options. These fall into my current obsession with simplification. I love the architectural feel and very simple color stories. sometimes just a single great color in a large graphic pattern on a neutral piece of furniture is the only statement you need.

I can't wait to pick up a few colorful pillows over the next few weeks to brighten up my new place. And I especially can't wait to share the results of my decorating with you!

Alive and, reasonably, well...

I am alive blog friends but, due to my pending move, I'm going to be blogging few and far between for a the next couple of weeks. I have a lovely thrift store lamp find I'm rehabing and I'll be showing you the results on Thursday. Until then I'm officially knee deep in boxes.

Great Places to Eat - Washington, D.C.

I thought I'd give you a little run down of some of the places I ate while in D.C. Of course I saw great sites (I cried at the Lincoln Memorial...it was humbling) and had some good times but I'm a girl who loves good food and as I learned quickly, D.C. is a foodie town.

Zaytinya

My first night in D.C. my friend and host, Elisa, took our other
friend Joanna to a tapas or "mezze" dinner at Zaytinya. According to their website, "Mezze, also known as meze, maza and mezethes, are the small plates of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Under the direction of James Beard award-winning chef, José Andrés, Zaytinya’s extensive menu reflects the rich, regional diversity of classical and contemporary Greek, Turkish and Lebanese cuisine." The food was truly delicious. If they're in season I recommend the Squash blossoms which were melt in your mouth good. They're not on the regular menu but your server will know if they're available. Here's a list of all the other delicious dishes we ordered and I would eat any of them again.

Pipe Dreams

Pennsylvania goat cheese wrapped in grape leaves with zatar tomato-kalamata

Bantijan Bil Laban
fried eggplant, roasted garlic-yogurt sauce

Garides Me Anitho
sautéed shrimp, dill, shallots, mustard and lemon juice

Olive Oil Salmon
slow poached salmon, spicy eggplant, cracked green olive salsa

Kotopoulo Youvetsi

chicken, orzo, tomato kefalograviera cheese

We also had one of the recommended wines they import from Greece and it was delicious. A really unique white that I wish I could remember the name of now...too much time drinking it and not enough reading the label. Woops!

Teaism

Billed as both a tea house and a restaurant, Teaism has delicious Asian dishes including Udon noodles, Bento boxes, Curry dishes and they also offer Vegetarian and Vegan specialties. My friend Joanna and I were out on the mall in the Smithsonian and taking in the memorials all day and had a really lovely lunch in their Penn Quarter location. We shared an excellent Curry Chicken Salad and a Chicken Curry and Rice plate and each had a Mango Lassi to drink (a delicious yogurt drink if you haven't heard of it). But the best part were the huge Salted Oatmeal Cookies.

Cantler's

Technically not in D.C. but if you're in D.C. and it's crab season you absolutely have to leave the city and take a ride to an authentic Maryland Crab experience and that's exactly what you get at Cantler's.

Located in Annapolis, Maryland, Cantler's is a Maryland institution. They've been serving Maryland blue crab and all kinds of fresh seafood for over three decades. They've got a beautiful waterfront view where you can dig in while watching the view.

When we got there, we meant business and promptly ordered a pile of crabs (seen above) and also a crab boil plate which features fresh corn, steamers, mussels and even more crabs...we were in a seafood coma at the end of the day but that didn't stop us from partaking in...

...the key lime pie.

Here we are on the dock after our feast. That's me on the left, Joanna in the middle and Elisa on the right. Fully satisfied customers.

Ben's Chili Bowl

If you've heard of D.C. you've heard of Ben's Chili Bowl. It's an institution that's been around in D.C. since 1958 with famous fans like Bill Cosby and President Obama. It's on U Street right next to the historic Lincoln Theatre. It's family owned and has been since it opened and apparently very little has changed since it did.

Obviously they're known for their chili, but they also serve really great hot dogs and sausages and even have an extensive menu for Vegetarians. Elisa had their veggie chili-cheese fries and they were delicious. Joanna and I decided to go the more traditional route and ordered a pile of chili-cheese fries with a chili half smoke. A half smoke is a half pork, half beef smoked sausage and it's covered in condiments and more chili...some bouts of heartburn are totally worth it.


Here's a picture of Joanna taking in the delicious cheesy, beefy aroma.

And one of Elisa (and Jo's thumb in the corner) giving the meal their seal of approval.

Matchbox

If pizza is your thing you'll love Matchbox, a vintage pizza bistro with an authentic wood- fired masonry oven where, as they put it, "the fire has burned constantly since the day we opened."

We shared a prosciutto white pizza which comes with prosciutto, kalamata olives, fresh garlic, ricotta cheese, extra virgin olive oil and mozzarella. The crust was truly the best part, thin and smoky. We also shared a few of their famous mini burgers, which I'd definitely have again.

Good Stuff Eatery

Apparently I like to eat (see above) and our last stop on the gastronomic tour of the nation's capital was Good Stuff Eatery, a delicious burger joint owned and operated by former Top Chef contestant, Spike Mendelsohn. He serves up delicious burger and fries and really incredible ice cream concoctions. He's been winning a o of awards lately for his burgers (see here for info on his win at the Rachel Ray's Burger Bash at the latest Food and Wine show) and there's a good reason for it. They are super juicy, the buns are buttered and grilled (I know) and they're made fresh. Yummy yum. Honestly, as good as the burgers were the Toasted Marshmallow milkshake was out of this world. Go now.

Funny side story, Joanna and I actually ran into Spike on the street the first day I was in town and had a really nice conversation with him about his time on Top Chef and the new restaurant. Super nice guy.

Well friends, that's the end of our journey. I jut came out of my food coma yesterday by the way. I'm going to be eating lettuce, drinking water and walking 20 miles a day from now on but, oh, it was worth it. Hope you have a chance to enjoy the capital's great food too next time you're there. save a chili-cheese fry for me!

Ebay Swag

I'm back from my week long trip to D.C. and Virginia for my college reunion (go Hollins go!) and I'm knee deep in laundry and digital photo download. I thought I'd share a little Ebay find I just snagged for $20.50 with you in the meantime.

I know!! It's rad isn't it?! It's a 1960's stereo console that we're going to gut and convert into a TV cabinet for our new house...and yes, I just said new house. We're moving soon! I know, I've got a lot going on right now. But let's just say this is a quick little preview of what will fill my new home when we move in next month. I'll be sharing my room by room transformation of our little beach bungalow rental in the coming months.

I'll be back Thursday and Friday with some fun moments from my trip and a guide to some really great places to see and food to eat if you find yourself in the nation's capital sometime soon.