StyleBurbia

Would you come to my outdoor dinner party if it looked like this? Image via Marthastewart.com Image via reasonstobreathe.tumblr.com Image via weheartit.com Image via stylishcorrespondence.com Image via bellamumma.com I was inspired by the Fabulously Social board from Red Stamp on Pinterest . Check it out { here } . Check out my Outdoor Dining board { here } . While you're at it, follow me on Pinterest { here } . (PLEASE).  Join! It's fun. It's addictive. Happy al fresco dining!! xo, Ris 

So, here's what the pool at the new house looks like now: From the files of StyleBurbia From the files of StyleBurbia Instead of having a safe, strong cover, it has what I like to call a death trap.  So we need to replace that and we also need to replace the lovely, sagging vinyl liner.  It definitely needs some TLC, which it should be receiving shortly.  In the mean time, I am daydreaming about all of the great parties we're going to have over the summer (if we make it into the house- fingers crossed).  I'm planning my pool party outfits- colorful one pieces, floppy hats and super flowy and breezy coverups.  I'm thinking of what outdoor plates and glassware to add to the small collection that I currently have and I'm thinking of all the cocktails and food I'm going to serve.  So, until I can have one of these parties, let's look at some of my inspiration below: Happy Summer!! Summer Fu...

This was a busy week for me and the fam.  We moved all of our stuff to the house in the burbs while the renovations on our house continue.  We closed on our Brooklyn apartment, so we are no longer Brooklynites.  :(  So, please excuse the lack of posts this past week.  I'll try to be better next week! Have a happy weekend!  Here are some pictures from the garden in the burbs to brighten up your weekend. Hydrangeas Roses Azaleas xo, Ris

So, today's the day. We are moving out of Brooklyn. The morning started out with my 3 year old in tears saying, "I don't want to leave my house in Brooklyn. Brooooooklyn." Leave it to a 3 year old to express exactly how you are feeling. We are on to bigger and better things is what I have to keep telling myself despite my tears. Our closing on the apartment is on Thursday and we will be staying with family for a little while until our renovations are complete on the house. So, let's lift our glasses in a toast to the BK. 8 years of memories. An engagement, a wedding, the first place we bought together and the arrival of our two boys... It's been swell. We will miss you. Thanks for having us.

My dad is a pretty amazing guy.  I've always had a really great relationship with my father.  He is an ever present constant in my life that I know I can always rely upon. When I was in junior high, my dad would often come home from work and have to go over all of my math assignments with me because my math teacher (who had a glass eye) was so intimidating and scary that I had a hard time absorbing anything I was taught.  For the first 10 years I lived in New York City, I lived in at least 10 different apartments (not counting the ones that I moved into just for summer breaks from college).  Every time, my dad was there loading up the car, lugging those boxes from apartment to apartment.  No wonder his poor back is always achy now.  ;) The handyman, builder, plumber and electrician that he is has come in handy on occasions too frequent to count.  I've also learned so much from him in this area (and many others of cou...

My mother-in-law is a supporter of the Ubuntu Education Fund .  The word "Ubuntu" is a Xhosa philosophy that implies human interconnectedness: "I am what I am because of who we all are."  The Ubuntu Education Fund is an organization that has taken interconnectedness to the next level by developing a model for raising orphaned or vulnerable children in the disadvantaged townships of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.  Ubuntu helps these children through an integrated system of medical, health, educational and social interventions so that they can succeed in the worlds of higher education and employment.  Over the past few years we have attended Ubuntu's New York City galas.  It's always a humbling experience as you hear the stories of so many that have achieved so much with so little.  It's hard to make it through the night with dry eyes.  This year was no different.  Along with the inspiring tales of hardship a...

You know I love me some searching through a million sites on the internet.  I can't get enough.  I entered "bathroom sconces" into houzz.com because I didn't LOVE the sconces I had posted about { here } .  They were nice and I liked them a lot, but I wasn't ecstatic about them.  So, "bathroom sconces" lead me to these lovelies.  I thought, "Wow.  These are different."    Dayna Katlin Interiors bathroom- Image from houzz.com  Houzz.com has a section where readers can ask questions about the rooms that people post on the site.  Not everyone answers the questions, but the lovely Dayna Katlin, who designed the above bathroom, was nice enough to tell Houzz readers where she got these sconces: Circa Lighting.  So, my search continued.  Over to Circalighting.com I went.  This is what I found: The sconces from my search on Houzz.com :  Primitive sconce by Clodagh  When I showed these sconce...