Tag Archives: love

7 Great Ways To Dress Up A Room With Drapery And Chandeliers

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The best part of traveling, going to a restaurant or visiting a new place is capturing in your memory the scenic appeal of that place. The lightening, the furniture, the people, and the décor…all the details set the mood. Everyone enjoys indulging in decadent luxury every now and then, but luxury can be oh so costly! Marisa Perry, owner of Marisa Perry Atelier has graciously shared treasured tips and pictures of her favorite interior design rooms showing us how to create romantic extravaganza in our abodes by using two elements: drapery and chandeliers! And she’s also given us alternatives to buy these lavish items dirt-cheap!

Pink Room With Black Details

This combination may sound like a girly meets gothic fusion but if done right- you can make it quite elegant. Marisa proves that taking risks and playing with different color schemes can evoke Hollywood glamour in your room. Inspired by the Cristal room at Baccarat, designed by Phillipe Starck, Marisa decorated her dressing room by adding a dramatic black chandelier and off setting the darkness by using pink drapes and blond wood furniture. Now, who want to go play dress up over at Marisa’s ?

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Old World Vanity Elegance

Oh darling we’ll always have Paris in our own home! By adding heavy drapery in a rich gold tone color and a Baroque style chandelier to your vanity area, you can easily recreate old world, opulent, European elegance.

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Romantic Canopy Delight

Nothing says romance like a canopy bed. We’ve seen it inthe most romantic movie scenes. Two lovers vigorously devouring one another in the midst of passionate lovemaking; there’s always candlelight, soft fabric drapery delicately swaying as the scene progresses and a gorgeous chandelier hanging low in the loving space. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a canopy bed, you can DIY your own canopy bed by using wooden dowels, curtain rods, sheer fabric and thumb tacks, incorporate a small chandelier and you will have novella romance in your room everyday! (see tutorials on DIY canopy beds) http://diy.allwomenstalk.com/gorgeous-diy-canopy-beds

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Exotic Purple Glamour

Who knew purple could be so seductive? Inspired by the enchanting, stunning interior design of Joel Robuchon’s restaurant in Las Vegas, you can paint your bedroom walls Tyrian purple and add purple drapery to match. A purple and black combo is the most amazing to experience in person, and low light setting adds that sexy effect! Be careful though, you may never want to leave your room!

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Romantic in Pink

Pink is not a color a guy would choose, but it is such a sweet way of adding romance into your everyday life. Pink exudes warmth, kindness, passion, love and nurturing. Pink makes the ultimate statement: what a thoughtful and romantic gal you are! Take this room for example: it uses an innocent cotton candy pink with a crystal chandelier and soft translucent white  drapery fabric

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High Color Seduction

A prestigious high color depth will set the mood for a really sexy atmosphere. If you choose a deep color, it allows you to play with light and soft, bright and rich toned drapery. This is where you get creative with your color schemes! A vivacious, luminous chandelier adds the va va voom factor!

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Neutral, Soft, Parisian Chic

Neutral hues feel comfortable, and comfort can be so sassy! Painting your room in soft colors lets you accent your room with bold chic fixtures. Like this gray, gold toned accented room with white and taupe drapery and a gold, rich chandelier!

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There are several ways to transform the rooms in your home into romantic getaways and you won’t even have to break the bank! See below some of Marisa’s favorite websites:

http://www.greatchandeliers.com

http://www.halfpricedrapes.com

http://www.regaldrapes.com

 

 

History of the Diamond Engagement Ring

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A diamond ring has become the ultimate expression of a promise – a universally recognized symbol of unbreakable love.

The word diamond stems from the ancient Greek word ‘adámas’, which means ‘unbreakable’. This beautiful gemstone is one of the hardest natural materials known to man, resistant to fire and stronger than steel – so it is fitting that diamond rings have become synonymous with everlasting love and commitment.

A ring made of silver, and later of gold, has been a symbol of betrothal since Roman times, and possibly even as far back as Egyptian times. But it was not until 1477 that the gifting of a diamond ring to seal an engagement was first recorded. When Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, he established a tradition that would define enduring love for hundreds of years to come.

Diamond engagement rings gained in popularity in the 19th century, a time of great wealth, when diamonds became more widely available. New cutting and polishing techniques allowed diamonds to sparkle with a fresh brilliance in solitaire engagement rings. In the 20th century, the tradition became firmly established. By the 1940s, diamond engagement rings had become the most popular line of jewelry in department stores; by 1965, 80 percent of American women had one.

It is a tradition that endures today, with couples around the world choosing to celebrate their promise to each other with a diamond engagement ring. And with new innovations, including Forevermark’s signature setting, which is designed to show off the full beauty of the unbreakable diamond at its heart, it is a tradition that shines brighter than ever.

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Did you know that Marisa Perry Atelier is now an exclusive site holder for Forevermark diamonds? All of our diamond jewelry can now be set with stones bearing the Forevermark promise. Click here to read more about the Forevermark Promise: The Promise

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* this article was sourced from the Forevermark website

Once Upon a Time: Liz & Igor

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It was obscenely early on Thanksgiving morning at O’Hare International Airport and I was headed home to New York.  I couldn’t possibly have looked worse.  I had just pulled two all-nighters for school, was wearing a mans sweater which reached my knees, and black jeans that had really seen better days.  How was my hair?  In an unceremonious wad on the top of my head.  It was not an ideal situation for meeting ones true love, but hey!  It worked!

            My fellow passengers and I sat crammed like sardines waiting for the plane to take off, but for some reason, we weren’t moving.  Finally, the reason for the hold up came bursting through the door in the form of a frazzled looking young man who avoided our dagger stares like a champ as he bustled down the aisle and stopped at the seat across from me.

            I couldn’t help but smirk as he banged his head on the overhead bins before untangling himself from his bags and finally sitting down.  He caught my smirk and started to give me a dirty look before seeing the humor in the situation and smiling back.  The first words he said to me were “this sucks.”  I couldn’t help but laugh and agree.

            We chatted the whole flight and it turned out that he was a Navy man.  He asked for my number and I obliged because the combination of a sailor and an art student was too funny to resist.  I wrote “that chick from the plane” underneath my name and he chuckled.  I responded with, “well I don’t know how many numbers you’ve gotten today…you ARE a sailor after all.”  He turned red and denied any such thing, but for the record:  I was the fourth number he had gotten that day!  Player…

 

            We started dating immediately after Thanksgiving break and got married a year and a half later. This past May, we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. Can you believe it? I’ll save the “oh crap we need to elope right now because he’s getting deployed to Japan for two years” story for another post.

Until next time,

Liz

Once Upon a Time: Alexandria & Steven

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Hi Romantics! I hope you’re all enjoying your Tuesday! I’m sipping down a RedBull at the front desk as I type this – there’s nothing like “wings” to get you through the day. 😉

I’m typing in today for the second installment of our Once Upon a Time series. I really hope you guys are enjoying having a peek into our personal stories of romance and feel encouraged that any day can be the day you find your heart’s best friend! I’m seriously such a hopeful romantic and this post should show you why.

December 8th, 2009, I was having a tearful heart-to-heart with one of the best friends I had made in this city. The two of us sat on a big leather couch in the Student Lounge of her college, in the basement of the Empire State Building. Surrounded by Starbucks-style decor and students studying, she informed me that her parents were making her move back to Alabama and she’d be leaving before the school year came to a close.

We were both crushed, trying to find a bright side to the situation, when the most attractive man I’d ever seen knelt before us and began to comfort her. I listened in while he said the sweetest things I’d ever heard to my auburn-haired friend. I couldn’t help but think he was amazing and want to know more.

But – as the conversation continued, it became really obvious that he was making eye contact with her ONLY. The conversation lasted for a good ten minutes, and he didn’t glance at me once! I started to get annoyed and wonder what his deal was, until…

he said to my friend: “I don’t understand how you can be so upset when you have friends THIS beautiful here to support you…” {he turned to look at me} “.. hi, I’m Steven.”

Oh, brother! Right? Well, it caught my attention. My friend gave him my number & we began texting that night. Who knew that would be the start of my happily ever after?

Be hopeful, Romantics. You never know what’s around the corner!

xoxo – Alexandria

Romantic Occasion: Sunset Sail

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Hello, Romantics! Happy Thursday!

Today I’ve been daydreaming about summer love and the beginning of my relationship with my hubby.  Each birthday with him has been over the top romantic, but I thought this one would be perfect to share with you.  There’s still time to make this happen this season, so please steal this idea to make any occasion a romantic one!

The word “nautical” doesn’t normally come to mind when people think of NYC, but we’re surrounded by water!  The city offers several ways to take advantage of this perk, but so far, this is my favorite one – a sunset sail around Manhattan.

For my 20th birthday, my boyfriend (now husband) told me to get all dressed up and meet him in Chelsea.  He said we were late for dinner reservations and convinced me to literally run up 10th avenue in heels!  I was still new to NYC, so when he told me we were lost and should ask for directions, I didn’t question him.  We walked into Chelsea Piers at Pier 62, and when I approached the person at the booth to ask for directions, my boyfriend handed the guy tickets! I was so confused at first, and then surprised!

Within minutes we were boarding the beautiful, “Adirondack“. We left the pier just as the sun was starting to set, and went South around lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, and back up along the Hudson. The crew came around often with complimentary wine and blankets to warm you up from the ocean breeze. It was the ultimate snuggle scenario.

The views of the city were breathtaking as the sky turned pink and purple. I couldn’t help but take a million pictures.  The sail was slow and relaxing, with enough time to really enjoy some quality time with my love. There was plenty of room to be cuddly without feeling uncomfortable, but people close enough to make new friends if you wanted to. We actually went dancing with the couple next to us when we pulled back into the piers!

Since moving to NYC, this is still one of my favorite memories. I hope we get to do it again soon.  The season to buy tickets is still open for a few more weeks this year and would be a great way to send off summer.  If you end up booking a trip, please, let me know how it is!  I love reading your comments.

xoxo *& happy sailing!* – Alexandria