Heart Shaped Salt and Pepper Shakers

Jamie Lee — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 02:29:46 +0000

While perusing the gift shop at an art museum in Chicago, I fell just a little bit in love with these adorable salt and pepper shakers.

Had I been able to take a better photo, you probably would have loved them too. If you look closely you can sort of make out Peter’s and my reflections. The museum price was a little too high (plus we already own salt and pepper shakers), but I think they would make a really sweet housewarming gift for someone. I also just found these on the Art Institute of Chicago’s museum shop website.

{via}

With so many elegant options for your salt and pepper, there’s no reason to settle for a grocery store set.

The Hard Rock Hotel

Jamie Lee — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:00:14 +0000

From the time that I was in high school until I graduated from college, I desperately wanted a job that would require me to travel all the time. I could see myself lying on the beach, checking out historical sites, and sitting at fabulously chic bars, throwing my head back in laughter. I was seriously disillusioned. When I graduated from the university I found myself at a “really cool” job in the same city that I went to school in and only an hour or so away from my home town. All my friends envied my job but I wasn’t living in some exotic city and I wasn’t traveling. (I promise that I’m not one of those Texans who never want to move out of the state. It just happened to work out this way–but don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll move sometime soon.) Then about a year in, I got a new boss. A boss whose priority became for us to travel. It only took one trip to realize that I hated traveling for work. Now, several trips in, I dread answering particular salespeople’s emails because I know as soon as I do, I’ll be packing my bags for a client visit. Last week was no different. I ended up in Chicago in the 12 degree weather. Yes, that’s right–twelve.

There were two redeeming factors about my trip. 1.) I got to see Peter’s parents. 2.) The hotel that I stayed in, The Hard Rock Hotel was über trendy and it gave me some ideas for modern decorating. This is definitely outside of our usually style but this would be a great look for a modern bachelor pad. The main thing that differentiated this hotel room from an average hotel was the exceptional amount of natural light.

Mirrors lined the back wall of the hotel, accentuating the natural light and making the room appear bigger. The white duvet made the room feel crisp and clean (like I hope it really was) and the bed skirt tied together the overall gray theme of the room.

Next to the bed, the faux-snake-skin chair really tied together the bachelor pad look. This sort of thing would usually weird me out but somehow it really went with the room in an effortless way. I tried lounging on the chair but immediately felt weird and crawled into bed.

Another really steal-able idea from the room was the bathroom lighting. It would be a bit of an investment but if you’re planning on making over your bathroom with a minimalistic look, this lighted mirror is a great touch. There are no bulky light fixtures hanging overhead, just pure simple light.

Now take a look at the woolly texture of these curtains. They added a great depth to the room.

I love the lavender walls and gray accents. I may be a little biased since these are our wedding colors, but in my opinion it’s such a versatile combination. All in all, The Hard Rock Hotel was great. Now, if only next time I could bring Peter with me!

What steal-worthy details would you consider adding to your home?

Starting Out Savvy » Chicago

Heart Shaped Salt and Pepper Shakers

The Hard Rock Hotel