Effortless Style Blog

14 Feb

Easy DIY Floral Arrangement

Posted on February 14, 2013 by effortless

Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope you are all enjoying today with the one or one’s that you love. Valentine’s Day has never been a big holiday around Casa Pavone, but one staple that I always love is flowers. I tend to be a bit picky with floral arrangements so I’m much happier to receive bunches of blooms from the corner deli or local supermarket that I can put together myself then a made up arrangement from a florist.

I decided to revisit an old post and share how simple it is to make your own arrangement.

You will only need a couple of items to take this:

And this:

And make this:

You can find the easy steps here.

Posted in DIY | 2 Comments

13 Feb

Effortless Ice Cream Pie Recipe

Posted on February 13, 2013 by effortless

I had so much fun sharing my favorite banana bread recipe last week that I decided to keep things going and share another yummy recipe that is super easy and a perfect treat for Valentines day!

Sweets for your sweet! I have no never made any sort of ice cream cake or pie, but now that I know how easy it is I will keep it in my rotation.

Here is what you’ll need:

-Ready Made pie crust (I went with chocolate, but you could use a plain graham cracker one.)
-2 types of ice cream ( I went with a chocolate and a coconut caramel cookie.)
-Caramel sauce (The Fleur de Sel Caramel sauce from Traders Joe is amazing!)
-Cocoa Almond Spread
-Caramel Wafers

Now I decided to go with a caramel, chocolate, and coconut palette, but you could do whatever your favorite is. Perhaps mint or peanut butter? I would just try to stick with two different ice creams and two different sauces, plus a cookie of some sort. So simple!

Step 1: Smooth 1/2 cup of soften ice cream in chocolate pie crust.

Step 2: Add dollops (about 1/2 teaspoon) of cocoa almond spread on top of 1st layer of ice cream.

Step 3: Place pie in freezer for 15 mins to have the base layers of the pie set.

Step 4: Add 2nd layer of ice cream. This will be about 1 cup of ice cream.

Step 5: Add final layer of caramel wafers. I left the disks as is, but you could crumble them as well.

Step 6: Place caramel sauce in a warm water bath to make it loosen it up a bit. Then use a knife to drizzle caramel on top of the caramel wafers. Then place in freezer for 3 hours to have it set. Once set you can enjoy!

It takes about 25 mins to make and since all of the ingredients are ready made it’s really simple to put it all together. There are so many different favor combos you can do. I think it would make for a really sweet treat this coming Valentine’s day. Of course my Valentine already dug into this one and is requesting a mint pie for Thursday.

What favor combo would you want to try?

Posted in Yum | 7 Comments

12 Feb

Look for Less: Vintage NYC Map

Posted on February 12, 2013 by effortless

Last week I was helping my sister find the perfect gift for her boyfriend. Said boyfriend is moving into a new apartment and needed help decorating the space. So, she decided to get some pieces of artwork, which meant a call to her interior decorator sister, me.

I knew right away what piece she just needed to get. I loved the idea of a vintage NYC map. I knew there were many around, but I wanted something a bit a different and I found it in this print:

{Don’t you just love the black and white patterns on the map?}

Only problem was the $425 price tag. While I’m certain the map was framed in an amazing design worthy matter it was completely over our budget. I didn’t let a little thing like that stop me from finding a solution. Enter this site that not only explained the origins of the map, but it also had the ability for you to download the jpeg.

Problem solved! We sent the file over to a local printer (We went with Kinkos) and $50 later we had a super sized map printed on heavy stock paper with a matte finish.

We then headed to Michaels where all of their frames were 55% off and we had an additional 20% off our enter purchase coupon and are extra frame came up to $24.

For $74 we were able to recreate the look. Our frame/map came up to 24″ x 36″ where the original was larger and measured 34″ x 47″, but overall the same look.

Can’t wait to see it in it’s new home!

Posted in artwork, look for less | 4 Comments

11 Feb

Scenes from my weekend…

Posted on February 11, 2013 by effortless

Hi All,

Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. Here in the Northeast we were hit with blizzard 2013! On Friday the snow started to fall and by the evening we had a good amount on the ground.

Come Saturday morning and it was blinding to go outside with all of that snow!

It was too horrible in my area, but some towns on Long Island lost power and got around 30″. The roads were still pretty messy so we decided to try and lay low for the weekend and have fun indoors.

We tried to paint with Hudson. Didn’t go so hot…

I was smart enough to take him out of his clothes so the paint wouldn’t get everywhere, but that’s about were the smarts ended. All he wanted to do was eat the paintbrush with paint and all I wanted to do was have him not eat the paintbrush so let’s just say we had words and both of us ended up upset. Poor guy looked like a rocker from the 80′s with a face full paint that looked like make up. Next time we shall paint with pudding!

Before the tears and what inspired the painting session with Hudson was that I was painting a special birthday gift for a friend.

Helped my sister run some birthday errands of her own. We were celebrating her boyfriend/our good friend/Hudson’s godfathers birthday that evening. Let’s just say Jon and I had fun playing matchmaker! Here is one of the pieces we picked up:

{More details to come…}

We also picked up supplies to make our own ice cream cake. I had never made one before, but it was so easy and fast to do. We ended up with a yummy caramel creation that looked like this all finished:

By Sunday the cake already looked like this:

On Sunday the roads were better, but little Hudson was fighting a cold so we did lots of playing at home.

We played with blocks:

{How cute is Elmer the elephant?

We also played with trucks:

Even though he was under the weather Hudson still managed helping his momma clean up her office:

That sweet act was followed with Hudson driving his ATV through the living room.

So, did you have any cars zip past your living room? Did you get snowed in? Hit up an fashion shows during fashion week here in NY? My twitter and instagram feeds were filled with fashion week events.

Posted in weekend recap | 5 Comments

08 Feb

IN HER SHOES: Stone Textile

Posted on February 8, 2013 by effortless

I’m certain you have all heard about our latest In her shoes featured lady, because she is the mastermind behind the beautiful home decor items available at Stone Textile. Her stylish pillows, fabrics, napkins and place-mats have graced the pages of many of our favorite shelter magazines both digital and print versions. I just had to email her and see if she would take part in our series. She was more than happy to. Please enjoy a day in the life of Elizabeth from Stone Textile.

————————————-

Hi everyone! It is such an honor to take part in Camila’s “In Her Shoes”
series. I am Elizabeth, owner + designer of Stone Textile, a modern home
product line based in Austin, TX. Here is how I spend my day…

6:45 am : Time to get up….I like to try and workout in
the morning (or else it won’t happen). Toby, my labradoodle, sits and
watches me and probably is like, “what is she doing!?” Let’s just say the
dance/cardio portion of the tape is quite comical when you are not the
dancing type…I try.

8:00 am: We live
right off of South Congress street in Austin. It is a very cool street
packed with restaurants, coffee shops, and very Austin-esq clothing and
vintage stores. Toby and I walk to Jo’s to grab the first of many
coffee’s. This walk has become one of my favorite parts of the day. It
is very calming, the calm before the storm!

9:15am: With more
coffee involved, I like to sit and work on my blog, Stone Textile At Home.
I usually do the posts the day before. I have tried the whole schedule
thing and it was not working (oddly). So now I just blog about whatever
is inspiring me at that moment. It has become a really fun creative
outlet for me. I then answer emails, work on social media for Stone
Textile, skype with my production team in California, approve fabric
swatches, finalize colors for our upcoming stationary line…ect The list
is one of those never ending ones and really differs day to day! Before
I know it one of our interns arrive…

11:15am: I am so lucky
to have two great interns working for me. We have orders to fill and
ship. Stuffing pillows (perfectly) is kind of a work out! We QC (quality
control), stuff, tag, wrap, box and repeat…It is important that every
product shipped out is checked by me. After all of the orders for that
day are packed up we go to visit our friends at UPS…I usually do most of
my errands and meetings in the afternoons. Shoe Change:
Since I am 5’2 I always like to wear some kind of heel…the heels tend to
get progressively larger as the day goes on…)

1230:pm: The pillow
line was recently picked up by a great local home store called Wildflower.
I had to bring a few pillows over there before my lunch meeting.

1:30pm I meet our
sales rep, Leaia, at Walton’s. Walton’s is one of my favorite lunch spots
in Austin (Sandra Bullock actually owns it). Here, Leaia and I discuss
the new wholesale business, update our store lists, and makes a ton of
calls and emails. Before I leave, I grab some fresh flowers at Walton’s
little flower shop. I love one stop shops!

3:30pm: I meet one of
my designer friends at the only wholesale showroom in Austin. It’s a MINI
MINI D&D building! I am looking for wallpaper for a new client
project and she just bought a beautiful new house. So we tackled around
30 books….I can really do that for hours!

5:30pm On my way home
I stop at Starbucks for coffee number 3 (working on cutting back!). I like
to take Toby to the dog park in the afternoons. He loves it there. If my
husband is home early we like to take him together. Shoe
Change: I put on some walking shoes as heels + dogs parks do not
mix! After the park I do a little more work, read some magazines, answer
more emails ect… Some nights we/my husband cooks (I am lucky that he
loves cooking and that he is very good at it) and some nights we go
out….there is always a new spot opening in Austin and we love trying
them.

Shoe Change : Final change of the day…time to go meet
our friends at Winflo for drinks and dinner. We are lucky enough to be
able to dine outside pretty much all year round in Austin. This
restaurant’s patio is located under a beautiful old tree covered in lights
and the interior decor is amazing. I am always taking pictures of design
element that inspire me. Wine with my husband and friends is the perfect
way to end my non-stop day…After 4 shoe changes I am usually in bed by
11:30 making my mental list for the next day!

——————————-
A big thanks to Elizabeth for taking part in our In Her Shoes series. Also as a little perk to our readers Elizabeth is offering 15% off for her shop, Stone Textiles.In order to use the 15% off simply email info@stonetextilestudio.com for 15% off your next Stone
Textile order. Offer is good from now until 2/15! Please include “In Her Shoes” discount in
the subject line. I think I need to use the discount and pick up my favorite style perhaps the tuxedo,or the dip,or the twist,or do I finally pull the trigger on one of these babies available in fuchsia colorway! Ah decisions, decisions.

Posted in In her shoes | 2 Comments

07 Feb

Treat yo self: Lulie Wallace

Posted on February 7, 2013 by effortless

I’ve been obsessed with Lulie Wallace for quite some time now. She is an amazing artist based out of Charleston, South Carolina. I adore her take on floral paintings. All of her pieces just look so happy and full of whimsey plus she works with the prettiest pastel color palette.

{ Lulie’s beautiful studio that was featured in Matchbooks December issue.

During Christmas she ran a special sale on prints of her work. I was so excited to finally snag at least a print while I continued to heavily hint that I wanted one of her paintings.Well no one got my hint and this busy lady completely forgot to order a print before the deadline. So sad! Imagine my excitement when I saw that Lulie was offering a print special for Valentines Day. I decided to be my own Valentine and I placed my order this week so I wouldn’t forget.

The two pieces available as prints are:

{ Both pieces are available here and only $45!}

I loved all of the colors that I decided to make a little style plan that included the print I picked!

I envisioned this small office nook in a bay window of some sorts so I wanted a showstopper fabric for the curtain panels. Enter whipporwill in summer.The colors are so vibrant and the pattern is amazing. It’s my newest fabric obsession.

Every office needs the perfect desk so I headed to my favorite etsy shop and found this vintage desk that was repainted in banana leaf green.

I would frame the Flowers for Cynthia print above it and give it more of a presence by adding a thick colored mat and getting it framed.

Every desk needs a little light source so I would top it with these mini katie lamps.

I think the saddle office chair from West Elm would be the perfect match to my vintage desk. It’s such a stylish chair. What lovely lines and the bucket seat looks oh so comfy.

I always like a pillow for my back so why not make it a designer favorite and go with La Fiorentina by David Hicks.

Every office nook needs a soft cushy spot for you to rest your feet. This beautyis so bold and colorful and currently on sale for an extra 50% off with code FEB50.

So, are you going to treat yo self? We are going to have to compare notes on where we are going to place our prints in our homes.

Posted in artist spotlight, artwork, treat yo self | 11 Comments

06 Feb

Effortless Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

Posted on February 6, 2013 by effortless

In the spirit of trying to share a little bit more of my life on the blog I decided to start sharing some of my favorite recipes. This weekend I was able to snap some pictures of one of my families favorite treats.

Lately Hudson is very into bananas. Our last bunch got very ripe very quickly so it was decided that banana bread would be made.

Here is what you’ll need:

Ingredients:
-4 ripe bananas
-2 eggs
-2 cups of flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon of salt
-1 cup of sugar
-9 tablespoons of butter
-2 cups chocolate chips (You can do less, but I love it full of chips!)
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Here’s what you need to do:
-Preheat over to 350 degrees
-Beat butter and sugar until creamy. I like to melt my butter a little to make this step easier.
-Add eggs
-Mix flour, baking powder and salt and add into mixture
-Use a fork to mash up bananas and add them to the mixture along with the vanilla extract.
-Add chocolate chips
-Pam/Butter a loaf pan and add mixture. Bake for 1 hr.

{I don’t like to fill the whole pan so typically one of these batches fills 3 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pans.}

Let cool and then enjoy!

How do you like your banana bread? Fill of chocolate chips? Nuts? Do you toast yours? Add some butter? I like doing all of the above. It’s one of my favorite treats.

Posted in Yum | 8 Comments

05 Feb

Budget Friendly Mid Century finds

Posted on February 5, 2013 by effortless

I tend to spend my time searching for a lot of mid century furniture. A lot of my client base is in Brooklyn and they their mid century furniture. Of course when you think mid century you immediately think vintage and vintage equals a big price tag in the NYC area. When budget allows the real deal is wonderful, but when you are decorating a room and have a total budget of the cost of one real vintage mid-century chair you need to get creative.

One of my sources for mid century furniture finds especially in the accent chair area is Baxton Studio.Now Baxton Studio is a vendor and their pieces are sold in many different retailers. However if you are in the Chicago you must get yourself to their showroom where they have crazy mark downs.

Take a peek at some of my favorites:

{Everything seen here is $170 or less!}

All of chairs are available here.Remember they are only available for pick up so you must live in the Chicago area.

Not in the Chicago? Don’t worry you can purchase items online here.

Do you have any sources for good mid century reproductions? Do you like using mid century pieces in your home? Personally I can appreciate the design style, but it’s not my style so I don’t have any pieces in my home. It just seems to be a bit too masculine for my taste.

Posted in design advice, great buy | 5 Comments

04 Feb

Scenes from my weekend…

Posted on February 4, 2013 by effortless

This weekend I became smitten with this fabric:

Indulged Hudson in his love of balloons:

Indulged in my love for anything orange:

{Ok so sadly I had to leave it behind, because I fell in love before looking at the price tag.}

Found this beauty and had to pick up two! One for myself and one to use around the house as a home decor accessory.

{Only $8.99 and from Forever 21 (it’s not online) and it totally reminds me of these beauties.}

Picked up a whole slew of these:

{It seems like love is in the air, because so many people are getting engaged in my circle. These cute glasses were a steal from Christmas Tree Shops ($2.99 a glass!).}

I also found these sweet Ellies there so they had to come home with me as well. One for tea and one for milk:

Had the intense desire to pet puppies so we went to our favorite place with Hudson where you get to pick up any puppy love you like and play, play, play with them.

Woke up to snow on Sunday!

Did a little work:

Made some yummy banana bread:

We aren’t big sports fans here so instead of enjoying in the Superbowl I finally started watching Downton Abbey.

{So far, so good.}

What were up to? Any good steals? Have people over for the big game? Eat lots of yummy food?

Posted in about me, weekend recap | 4 Comments

01 Feb

Adore Loves Effortless Style

Posted on February 1, 2013 by effortless

I was so excited when I found out I would have the opportunity to be part of the latest issue of Adore Magazine. Adore is a digital shelter magazine from the land down under. I love Australian design trends so it’s always a monthly read for me. I got to take part in their blog love series and pick out some of the items that are currently on my, ” I MUST HAVE” list.

You can check out all of my finds on page 24!

Also Loni Parker the force behind Adore is hoping to get an Adore Home book out on shelves soon. In order to make that happen though she needs some start up funds. If you would like to support Adore and pre-order the book head here for all of the details. I really hope this projects becomes a reality, because I would love to have an Adore book on my coffee table.

Happy Friday All!

Posted in about me | 3 Comments

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