My Small Patio Project

This DIY patio project ended up being a lot easier than I initially expected. Here’s what I did. First, I visited my local Sherwin-Williams store to pick up my exterior surface primer and paints. Since I had already selected my paint colors using the ColorSnap Studio™ for iPad app, picking up the “Extra White” white for the chairs and the “Center Stage” green for the table took me about 15 minutes. I also double checked that the paint I purchased was durable enough for outdoor use since Miami gets its fair share of rain during the summer months. 

 

Once I arrived back home the real fun began, I applied painters tape to protect the cushions of my patio chairs and then primed all three pieces. After letting the furniture sit for a while, I began painting and was done in a couple of hours. The primer really helped the paint go on evenly and the two colors looked amazing together. I finished up this section of my patio project by adding a stack of my favorite books and one half of my new crystal paperweight set. I think this makes a great little nook to sit with a friend and chat.

 

I also added two additional sections to my outdoor space. Since I’m a huge meditation and yoga fan, I added a yoga mat and Moroccan lanterns to a section of the patio to create a space where I could meditate and practice some of my less strenuous yoga moves. I also created a lounging nook complete with wicker chair and a comfy throw, towards the corner of the patio that leads to my bedroom. This area is perfect for watching the sun rise while sipping my morning coffee and getting ready for the day. I also added a decorative bird cage stand to this area. The stand was a copper color when I purchased it, but after looking at the space I decided to paint it “Extra White” as well to tie it into the other two spaces. I really love the look. At night, I’m planning on adding votive lights to the decorative cage and Moroccan lanterns to create a relaxing vibe.

All in all, I’m really happy with the results of my patio project. The  Sherwin Williams ColorSnap Studio for iPad app made it super easy to test out my vision and bring it into reality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a chance to win a $100 Sherwin-Williams gift card, share in the comments below what room you would like to makeover in your home? 

 

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. 

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. 

The Official Rules are available here. 

This sweepstakes runs from 5/20/2013-6/10/2013. 

Be sure to visit the Sherwin-Williams brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Loving My Hair

 

I would say that my hair and I had a serious love-hate relationship. But, truth is, it was more like a hate-hate relationship. I hated the fact that my hair wouldn’t do what I wanted it to, and my hair hated me for the myriad of torture tactics that I used in my attempts to make it submit to my will. After years of over-processing, over-heating and severely damaging my hair, a new stylist helped me decide that it was time to try loving my hair. So, I started a hair care regimen that involved listening to my hair instead of trying to control it.

For me, the first step in that process was to stop blatantly over-processing my hair! At my worst, I was relaxing my hair every 6 weeks. Definitely relaxer overkill. After stretching the frequency of my relaxers to every 16 weeks, I saw a remarkable change in the body and thickness of my hair. Turns out relaxing my hair too frequently was resulting in tons of breakage, reduced shine, and generally lifeless hair. Stretching my relaxers has proven to be one of the biggest factors in making my hair healthier and stronger.  

I’ve also learned that it’s important to experiment with hair care products to find the brands that works best for ME. For years, I stuck to the same brand of shampoo and conditioner even though it didn’t work for me. I stuck with it because it was the brand my mother, sister, best friends, and co-workers used. Since it made their hair fabulous, I thought that eventually I’d get a bit of that fabulousness trickling down my way. But, alas, I was wrong.  After years of lackluster results, I finally began experimenting and was able to identify the products that worked best for MY hair and create my own arsenal of go-to products to get my hair healthy and strong.

Lastly, I decided to let the full sew-in weave go. Though some swear that wearing a full weave helps their hair grow, it just doesn’t work for me. So, I stopped getting full sew-in’s and opted for clip in extensions instead. This way I can have a little extra body and length while focusing on the health of my hair on a daily basis.

Since I’ve started focusing on loving my hair, I’ve seen some great changes in the way my hair looks and feels. Now don’t get me wrong, changing these things was hard and I still have to resist the urge to go back to my hair torturing ways but, I’m committed to improving my relationship with my hair one shampoo at a time. That’s why I was super excited to be part of ULTA Beauty’s “Love Your Hair” campaign. 

 

The Love Your Hair event is a 21-day celebration of hair which is happening at ULTA Beauty from May 12 to June 1. The event includes hair events, demos, prizes, and daily Beauty Steals (hair products discounted in stores or online for just one day). ULTA is providing great deals to customers on some amazing brands in an attempt to remind us ladies to love and pamper our hair. In honor of the Love Your Hair celebration I received some great products from ULTA Beauty to try out and I’m planning on replenishing my stock of ABBA moisturizing conditioner and trying out the KENRA volumizing hairspray this go around. And, just to make sure that we’re REALLY committed to this new found hair love affair, ULTA Beauty wants us ladies to make a pledge to love our hair. Joining is simple, all you have to do is visit the ULTA Beauty Love Your Hair site, then tweet your hair pledge with the hashtag #ULTAHairPledge and you'll be entered for the chance to win free blowouts for a year. My #ULTAHairPledge is to never, and I mean ever, relax my hair every 6 weeks again. What’s yours? Take the ULTA Beauty hair pledge and come back here to let me know what you pledged in the comments, one lucky person will win a $100 ULTA Beauty gift card, courtesy of BlogHer.

Sweepstakes Rules:

1. No duplicate comments.
2. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

• a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
• b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
• c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
• d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 5/15/13 – 6/1/13.

Be sure to visit the ULTA Beauty page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

 

 

Colored Pantsuits

NuSophisticate Travels: Key West + Japan

                                 

After researching all of your great suggestions from this post (thank you!), and coming up with a few suggestions of our own (via the uber diplomatic process of spinning the globe in our office), the husband and I have decided to jet off to Key West and Japan for our anniversary trip. We're planning on starting with Key Largo (the very first key) to tour the coral reefs, moving on to Islamorada for some sport fishing, stopping in Marathon to swim with the dolphins, and finally hopping on the 7 mile bridge to soak up the sun and fun in Key West. After that, we're heading out of the country on  a marathon flight to Japan for temple tours in Kyoto, tea ceremony's in Osaka, onsen's and shopping in Tokyo, and lounging in Okinawa. As we embark on this third year of marriage, I can't help but be thankful that I get to enjoy life's adventures (both big and small) with my very best friend in this world.

Have any of you been to Japan? I'd love some restaurant and sight-seeing recommendations.

Love,
Jillian

Pink and Green

Gold Belts Work

Image Source (HERE)

Patio Woes - Part 1 + A Sweepstake

I've been on a decorating binge recently which means that most of my living spaces are getting the not so subtle side eye. For me, the biggest problem is that I live in a high rise where indoor space is limited and outdoor space is almost non-existent. So, my goal with every room in my apartment has to be to maximize the space in a way that matches the way that I live. Though I’ve been able to do a pretty good job with the other rooms in my apartment, the patio has been my design dead zone. For a long time, I just couldn’t quite figure out how I used the space, and how to design it in a way that made sense for me. Since my husband and I work during the week, we don’t spend much time out on the patio in the daytime. And, on weekends, we’re usually off catching up on errands, which leaves no time to soak up the sun. Since we weren’t really utilizing the area, I forgot all about the space and put my design plans on hold. So far on hold, that I didn’t notice that the South Florida sun and rain were giving my outdoor furniture quite a beating. My formerly cherry-wood chairs and table were now a worn and dilapidated mess. 

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Mother's Day by nusophisticate featuring cole haan

1. Jo Malone Fragrances
The only thing that your mom loves more than you is the opportunity to brag about you. So, give her just that with a fragrance from this British olfactory powerhouse. She'll have plenty of opportunity to talk about your great taste and benevolence while responding to the throngs of strangers asking "what perfume are you wearing?". (Both my mom and I love the Ginger-Nutmeg). Get yours HERE!

Striped

Monday Shopping Therapy

NuSophisticate Travels?

Aitutaki, Cook Islands (Photo via Pinterest HERE)

I love traveling which is one of the reasons why I made sure that my wedding weekend and honeymoon was a nonstop flight fest. I got married in Negril, Jamaica. After the wedding, the hubs and I took a flight back to Miami, packed our bags, and headed to Amsterdam. We chilled there for a couple of days, then flew to Paris to spend a week taking long walks down winding roads and dining al fresco. Though it was hard to leave Paris, we decided to take our talents to Italy for another week of touring historical sites, sipping wine on the piazza, and taking in Tuscan sunsets. To wrap it all up, the hubs and I hopped a flight to Northern France for some intense relaxation before returning home.

Since our marriage started off with a heavy travel schedule, my husband and I have decided to celebrate each anniversary with a trip to a new locale. Last year's locale was Mexico and the process of figuring out where we will be headed to this year has just begun. Since I figured that some of you may be planning trips of your own, may have some great suggestions on places to go, or may just love finding out about different locales, I thought I'd start featuring interesting destinations and travel tips on the blog. Something like my Mexico post HERE. What do you guys think about the idea?

Thank you for sharing, 
Jillian

Front Slit Pants + Sheer Elements