my friday five

I haven’t shared a “Friday Five” round-up with you all in a while, but there are a few new products I am obsessed with this week, and I wanted to share them with you guys!  

First off, are these FIGI EXISTENCE mixed color skinny jeans.  I just got a pair this week, and the fit and look of these jeans is amazing.  They are a really fun alternative to denim for the summer too.  FIGI uses artist John Rossi as inspiration for  the designs of their unique jeans and t-shirts. The colors they use are so pretty!

Aurorae’s luxurious microfiber beach towels are a big hit around here. My kids have been using them all summer long. They're super absorbent and a great size at 32” x 68”, but are very lightweight and fold up compactly so they don’t take up too much room in the beach bag or backpacks. They're great for travel and camping too, and they come in a great selection of pretty colors, so everyone can pick their favorite color. My favorite is Kauai Coast. They also make a great yoga towel that I love!  

Card Ninja makes life so much easier!  It combines your wallet with your phone in an easy to use compact way.  The Card Ninja attaches to your phone like a sticker, and holds your cash, credit cards, i.d. and more.  Even ear buds can fit in the flexible pocket.  I got these for my boys, and husband and they have kept their shape and are still working great after several months.  
    

Mendocino Farms in Costa Mesa is now my go to restaurant for lunch. They offer a really yummy but healthy menu and have just opened a second location near UCI that we are so excited about!  My favorite menu items are the Kale Caesar, the Farm Fresh Turkey Club and the Prosciutto and Free Range Chicken Ciabatta.  

Their food is so yummy and popular that they even catered our lunch this year for the Newport Harbor Home and Garden Tour. Mendocino Farms has several locations that have popped up recently in Orange and L.A. Counties.  Have you tried one yet? 

Another new discovery I have made lately are Chalk Ink Markers. They're basically chalk in marker form. Chalk Ink takes your chalk board to a whole other level.  

With them you are able to create beautiful lettering, so it makes them perfect for party menus, decorating furniture and walls, labeling items, place settings… 

the possibilities are endless! I'm working on a fabulous blog post for next week with lots of examples. 

Enjoy the weekend!

ciao! fabiana

color inspiration: navy

Navy blue is an elegant accent color for the home and such a lovely alternative to black.  To me it’s a color that reminds me of summer, but can transcend any season.  It’s timeless and can even be used as a neutral.  Calm, cool and collected, navy is so chic!    

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ciao! fabiana

my favorite summer cocktail

Prosecco is a sparkling white wine made only in specific provinces of northeastern Italy. All Prosecco wines are made primarily from the Glera grape, a native variety with origins in the lovely village of Prosecco, near Trieste. 

All of my father’s family comes from this region of Italy, and I feel like I have a deep connection with this “Italian champagne”. And now, with the addition of a little pear and citrus, The Sparkling Portofino has become my favorite new summer cocktail.  It’s so glamorous and refreshing!  

And, I love that they have these adorable set of “go-anywhere” flutes available for a limited time that epitomize effortless summer fun. These unbreakable flutes are perfect for poolside or beachside with their gorgeous floral design and are the perfect complement to those sun-soaked get-togethers that define the summer months. 

The limited edition flutes by Ruffino and Govino are available on Amazon. They make a really fun hostess gift too!  Sharing this recipe with you all...

The Sparkling Portofino

16 oz chilled Ruffino Prosecco

4 oz pear nectar (or pear juice)

4 strips of orange zest

4 strips of lemon zest

Place two strips of zest into the bottom of each flute

Pour pear nectar into flute, filling 1/3 full

Top off with Ruffino Prosecco

Makes four cocktails

ciao! fabiana

sunday m.o.

“Your calm mind 
is the ultimate weapon 
against your challenges. 
So relax.”    

ciao!  fabiana

quote by Bryant McGill  photo via frontgate

vintage brass accessories

I've been a little obsessed lately with these little vintage brass accessories. I've picked up a few here and there over the years, but I recently found some really fun ones on ebay. It all started when I spotted one of these Eiffel Tower pieces, and then I found another…. 

The prices are quite reasonable on most of these.  It’s so fun to sprinkle them around here and there where you need a little zhushing.  A little brass detail looks great in any room! 

Next I found these pretty little hands,  

and this cute little alligator that also doubles as a nutcracker.

I love this little turtle from Halcyon House.

Here’s an elegant stallion from Domaine.

This is one of my favorite looks,

but honestly, those horns scare me a bit!

Let me know what you think of this look.

ciao! fabiana

pretty summer basket totes

It’s so fun to see my blogging friend Andrea included in this month’s Coastal Living Magazine. Andrea aka The French Basketeer imports beautiful market baskets and totes that are made in French influenced areas of Morocco and Madagascar.  These are a great alternative to the canvas grocery store bags we all use.  I have a few of her market baskets, and they are so fun to take shopping!  Isn’t this blue herringbone one cute? 

ciao! fabiana

Drew's favorite grilled cheese recipe

Pairing wine with cheese is a given, but leave it to Drew Barrymore to create a really fun combination of ingredients that she includes in her grilled cheese sandwich.  She has become quite a foodie recently, and this recipe that includes blue cheese, walnuts, sriracha, brie, apples and arugula sounds amazing!  And to wash it all down, she suggests a romantic pinot grigio.  This sounds like a really low key and perfect summer dinner!     

via 

ciao! Fabiana

Bethenny Frankel's home in the Hamptons

Bethenny Frankel’s new Hamptons home is very down-to-earth and relaxed. She uses accents of her signature Skinnygirl red on the front door and throughout the house as fabulous bursts of color.  The Real Housewives of New York  star and Skinnygirl mogul claims, “I’m in the T.J. Maxx witness protection program. I literally don’t want them to see me in there.  I have to hide.” You'd never know that “half the house is from T.J. Maxx”. 

Her casual and practical style is finished off with some of the larger pieces from Pottery Barn, West Elm and CB2. An Ikea mirror that has been with her since her first apartment has even found a place in this home. Here’s a peek at a few photos from this month’s People magazine. I can’t wait to see more of this house!  

She is also debuting her new shorter hair style this month.

Evidently, it' already been dubbed "the Bethenny".

What do you think of her new shorter locks?

ciao! fabiana

💕

While I’m here today, I wanted to share some of my "Tablescaping Essentials" with you. I have a whole page on the Amazon website with my favorite picks for setting a beautiful table.

Quite often time is of the essence, and I have last minute projects or events to work on, so I turn to Amazon for one or two day delivery. You’d be surprised at how many amazing items they have to offer! And I'm constantly updating this page with my new favorites. 

You can check it out here, at “Tablescaping Essentials”.

color inspiration: mango and peach

Summer is a great time to incorporate a fun splash of color into your interiors.  Pretty muted shades of orange can easily be added as a fun accent in the form of fabric, paint or artwork.

A few new throw pillows or a painted thrift store table are just a couple of inexpensive and easy options for adding a little zing into our homes. 

Mango and peach are the hot colors right now, and besides creating a lively room accent, these colors actually make us happy!  Here are a few of my favorite ideas for adding a little refreshment in these fruity hues.   

ciao! fabiana

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