I haven’t forgotten about you… I promise.  I’ve just been a bit of a busy bee and this year took off by storm.  Truthfully, this blog used to be my creative outlet and now my job involves so much creative that sometimes I feel like I’m filled to the creativity brim by the end of the day.  I’m a lucky girl ;-)

I do have a few exciting things in the works that I can’t wait to share.  I’ll be sure to post a few fun updates next week.  Have a great weekend!

• My absolute favorite stationary company ever, Rifle Paper Co. had an amazing Cyber Monday deal that I took full advantage of.  We ordered some holiday cards and gift tags for my boyfriend’s annual holiday corporate gifting… but I seriously might have to sneak a few!  How adorable are they?!
  
• Gorgeous Friday night sunset from our rooftop balcony at work.  Perfect ending to the week.
• I’ve been dying to put our Christmas tree up since before Thanksgiving, but it finally happened over the weekend.
• There she is!  All decorated.  More pictures to come :-)
• I know I’ve openly complained about this in the past, but our apartment has ONE (yes, ONE) closet and a tiny pantry.  Our old console table, just wasn’t cutting it and we really needed something that would allow for more storage so that we could use our minuscule make-shift pantry for what else?  Food.  I finally caved and bought an Ikea Malm in white and intend on decking it out in Overlays.  Definitely a project for a rainy winter weekend and I can’t wait.  For now, she’s a little plain Jane, but I couldn’t be happier to have a pantry that stores food instead of vases, crafts and cleaning supplies.  Plus, a white table instead of black really lightens up the hallway :-)
• And finally… our ONEHOPE Coffee has arrived!  We were like a bunch of kids on Christmas morning waiting as our President cut open the box and pulled out the bags for us to see.  What a wonderful Tuesday treat!

No joke, people!  Painting walls black should be left strictly to the professionals ;-) But being that I had a budget for paint, supplies and nothing beyond that, I had to make do and painted our office black myself.  If you are going to embark on such a task, here are a few tips to follow (please feel free to comment with any others you might have).

1. First and foremost, reconsider doing this yourself.  Sorry, but I have to say it.  Unless you are one of the few who find taping off a wall, painting and then repainting at least 1-3 more times therapeutic in some way, really reevaluate your budget and see if there is room to hire a painter.  You will not regret it.
2. If you decide to move forward, buy only the best paint and supplies.  This is an absolute MUST.  Buy only the best grade of paint.  In my case it was Aura by Benjamin Moore (~$60/gallon) and thank GOD I went with this one (more on that later).  Additionally, use the best rollers and brushes possible and invest in a brush that extends so that you can go from the top of the wall to the bottom in one clean motion.  For real, this will cost you an additional $4.  Do it.
3. Use Frog Tape.  This stuff is the best.  Apply it as you would any other painter’s tape and to activate the adhesive, run a damp cloth over the tape before you begin painting.  There is a huge difference between Frog Tape and regular painter’s tape.  You will understand the magnitude of that statement after using it for the first time.
4. To prime or not to prime?  Since the paint I selected was a primer/paint in one, I opted not to prime my walls first.  If I were to do this again, I would definitely still prime the walls even though the guy at the paint store told me I didn’t need to.  I like to think that primer/paint combos are kind of like those shampoo/conditioners in one (does anyone even use those?) and to achieve the best look, you need to keep the two separated.  However, if you are going to prime your walls first, do save yourself some time and ask that they pre-tint the primer (a little tip I learned on YouTube AFTER I already started painting).  If you are painting your walls black, your pre-tinted primer would be some shade of grey instead of white… and painting black over grey is WAY easier than painting black over white.
5. Now that you’ve moved your furniture out and taped everything off, paint around the edges and any trim as you would normally.  However, do this once with a paint brush and then again with a small roller.  Any discrepancies in texture, thickness and application WILL show, including places where it has been painted with a brush as opposed to a roller.
6. Paint the remainder of your wall with a roller and work from top to bottom.  You will need more than one coat so make sure your first coat is applied generously.  After applying my first coat in vertical strokes, I applied a second in W strokes (big mistake with black walls) so I applied the third coat in vertical strokes with a roller extender.  LIFE SAVER.  Being able to apply one row from top to bottom in one smooth motion was absolutely key.
7. If the paint looks uneven while it’s drying [don't freak out]……….. but………. it’s going to look uneven when it’s dry.  It isn’t going to look as bad when it’s dry, but it won’t even-out a ton when dry as lighter colors seem to do.  Take into consideration how much paint is on your roller more than ever before.  One stroke with medium coverage next to another stroke with slightly more paint on the roller is going to show.  Sorry, but it’s true.  Technique is absolutely key with black paint.
8. Lastly, don’t take yourself too seriously (unless you are a professional painter).  It is not going to look perfect in every form of light shining from every which angle, but with some patience and practice, it’ll be pretty damn close… and it’ll be worth it!

More pictures to come!  If you have any questions or advice from experience, feel free to comment away :-)

{Lily watching with curiosity as we were packing on Wednesday night}

{Little cousin love}

{Collecting sand dollars on the beach with the little ones}

{Love these guys}

{The CUTEST beach house in Pismo.  The French doors, the windows, the view.  Can I move in now?!}

{View from the hotel}

{One of my favorite parts of traveling – bringing home new sauces and jams to try}

{Edna Valley in San Luis Obispo}

{Recycled wine bottle glasses}

{Tasting fleet at vineyard #3 – Baileyana}

{Fall colors at Kelsey Winery}

{One of the 100+ Peacocks at Kelsey Winery!  I always seem to forget how beautiful they are until I see them again in person}

{Watching the sun set on our last night}

]]> http://designwinedine.com/2012/11/27/thanksgiving/feed/ 0 megrobins Lily Cousin Sand_Dollars Bird Beach_House Palm_Tree Jams Valley Wine_Bottle_Glass Wine_Tasting Fall_Vines Peacock Sunset http://designwinedine.com/2012/11/21/team-thanksgiving-dinner/ http://designwinedine.com/2012/11/21/team-thanksgiving-dinner/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2012 20:15:31 +0000 MegRobins http://designwinedine.com/?p=1541 Continue reading →]]>

Last week I posted about our chic Thanksgiving Table inspiration for my company’s HOPEgiving celebration.  It’s the first time we’ve had a Thanksgiving dinner together so we really wanted it to be special in terms of food, wine pairings and decor.  Our Online Marketing Manager has been making Thanksgiving dinner for her family since she turned 18 so she planned (and cooked!) an insanely delicious feast for us while I took control over the tablescape.  The head of our Foundation has been wanting to write a new company manifesto, so we used the Holstee Manifesto cut up into bits to give everyone some inspiration with their place card.  We all wrote a line that we live by and pieced the puzzle together over dinner which made for some wonderful team bonding.  Lastly, our next big venture is ONEHOPE Coffee so I made sure to include some coffee beans mixed in with the florals as well as on everyone’s place setting as a reminder to be thankful for the incredible opportunities we have ahead.  I have to say, it was an absolutely magical evening filled with amazing food (and wine of course!), ONEHOPE family cheer and excitement for 2013!  What a great beginning to the holiday season!

PS: View Lauren’s to-die-for menu here and more on my tablescape and decor here :-)  Happy Thanksgiving!!!

When I came across this Thanksgiving table post on Camille Styles last week, I just about fell out of my chair.  I was floored by the chic, sophisticated and modern approach to Thanksgiving decor that McKenzie Powell took instead of the traditional, heavy Thanksgiving tablescapes that come to mind when I envision the holiday.  The gorgeous fall florals and orange tapers are just enough to keep the table warm and inviting, while the glass candlesticks, geometric napkins and hint of gold keep the look fresh and modern.  Bravo!  Our team is celebrating Thanksgiving together next Monday and here is my inspiration board for our own table modeled after McKenzie’s rendition (with my own little twist) of course :-)

• Vibrant fall florals arranged by yours truly as seen here.
• Glass candlesticks from CB2.
• Obsessed with this gorgeous (and massive) wishbone.  LOVE!
• Gold rimmed glassware.  Swoon!
• Gold chargers beneath modern white china.
• Greek key fabric for napkins.
• Love these gold mercury glass votives from one of my favorite sources – Jayson Home.

What will your Thanksgiving table look like?

We started with completely eliminating black from the equation.  Black is a very prominent color in the ONEHOPE Wine branding, which is perfectly fine, but we wanted to tone down the masculinity a bit for this at-home wine tasting side of our business (being that our customers and Wine Specialists are primarily female).  However, since all of our wine labels are black, we didn’t want to go so far in the opposite direction to where the two couldn’t compliment one another.  From there, we integrated a lot of texture including kraft paper and chalkboard with a little hint of chevron thrown into the mix to give it some energy and fun.  I love it!  What do you think?

PS:  If you’re interested in hosting a wine party and donating back to a cause of your choice check it out here.  If you’d like to become a Wine Specialist, click here.

• Came across a picture I took last week of this amazing winter wonderland tablescape at Wildflower Linen.  Definitely got me excited for holiday decor!
• Serious packaging envy!  A case of Sea Smoke was delivered to the office today and I could not believe how gorgeous their shipper and wine inserts were.  Talk about customer experience!  I think we have a little catching up to do ;-)
• Picked up a few (ok, like 30) paint chips on my way home from the office tonight.  I’m feelin’ Benjamin Moore’s Black Ink now… what do you think?
• An impulse trip my favorite meat market on earth greeted me with this view.  One of those “pinch me, I really live here” moments.
• Finally home from the office, shooting out a few more emails (or trying to) with my little one by my side.  She likes to take over the keyboard  =^. .^=

Hope you’re having a great week!

{This space, designed by Atmosphere Interiors is so beautiful that it warrants three pictures.  Those walls definitely aren’t painted (I’m certain it’s a wallpaper – not paint/stencil), but the black, white and gold are so gorgeous together I could die}

{The lamps. The mirror. The chair… GAH!}

{Simply perfect}

{Check out this stunner by Amy Morris for the Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle show house.  Black, gold, lucite, cognac leather… and that fixture!!!  Done and done}

{From the home of Adam Straus as seen in Lonny Mag.  Pretty much obsessed on every level here…}

{Not as formal – love the integration of the wood and textures of the roman shades.  Perfection featured in Lonny}

After doing some extensive research on rooms with black walls, there are two primary things you need to have in order for the space to succeed:  Great architecture and a ton of light.  Being that this space is a glassed-in loft (with two whole walls of glass, leaving only two to be painted), I’m certain that we have both of the above.  The architecture of our office space is gorgeous (pictures to come soon) and being that daylight enters from both the east and west glass walls, we have plenty of light to keep the space from feeling cramped.  I can’t wait for it to be done :-)