2 very handsome men and a house.

and those 2 handsome men...

both of whom i have secret crushes on...

are nate berkus and jeremiah brent.

you know nate berkus.

but did you watch rachel zoe last season?

because then you'd also know jeremiah brent.

(i did and i thought she was nuts for letting him go.)

but they are now together,

making house dreams come true. together.

in the hollywood hills.

cue the envy!!

i wish i had the restraint to dress my home in a variation of three colors, plus the original mint kitchen. it's so beautiful.

i follow them both on instagram, and they truly look happy together.

and that makes me happy for them.

all this found in the latest harper's bazaar.

read more here.

JILL

this summer.

this summer you'll find me in a mixture of stripes, florals (who's surprised?), and a dreamy combo of earth's prettiest pastels.

3 reasons why it's the coolest:

JILL

diy marbled eggs

a few weeks ago i pinned this tutorial.

since then, i've had this nail polish marbling thing on my brain and wanted to marble something.

with easter coming up, i figured it was the best option.

i remembered hobby lobby always having those wooden eggs but when i was up there 2 weekends ago, i found these instead in the easter section. much better because they were already primed white and cheaper.

only $6.99 for this pack of 8, and all the easter junk was 40% off.

so a little over $4.

my only obstacle was how to get these eggs into the water with polish and then dry them, without getting my fingers in it and smudging the marbling.

so i drilled some teeny tiny holes with the smallest drill bit, 1/16", in the bottom of each egg.

just big enough for these pointed skewers i had to squeeze tightly into the small hole and hold my eggs. i think i also got those skewers from hob lob back in january when i made some birthday cake flags for my mom.

like the tutorial suggests, you need to have all your supplies ready to go because the nail polish dries fast on your water.

i just used an old glass vase i had.

and another tip, use warm water so your polish doesn't seize up on you.

the tutorial also mentions that it doesn't really matter about the quality of your polish, so while at cvs, i grabbed the cutest spring palette of the cheap stuff. from $.99 to $4.

i didn't take any photos of the during because it went really quickly.

plus there are tons and tons and tons of tutorials online of how to do it, and i'm sure they'd be better than mine.

i even youtubed some before i got started, just to make sure i had it down.

but the one i linked to at the top, was the best i found.

and here are my eggs drying.

i used the same drill to drill holes in the top of an old shoe box so they could dry without touching anything on the skewers.

worked like a charm, if i do say so myself.

i love how they're different.

now they're hanging in a gold bowl on my front coffee table.

i have this ceramic egg container that i was planning on using, in the pics above, but it covers up too much of my marbles :)

the mint and the neon are quite trendy, yes...

but i don't think i'll ever get over the neon thing... like for as long as i live...

so i think we're good.

i did see that camille styles posted this same project yesterday, but she used blown out eggs.

you certainly could do that as well, but with the wooden ones, you can save them for years to come without worrying about them smooshing into a million bits.

(and those holes i drilled are so tiny, i didn't even fill them like i had planned. they aren't noticeable.)

happy easter!

JILL

**update**

thanks to one of our sweetest readers...

{seriously, she always has the nicest things to say. such a doll.}

elizabeth (you can find her here) informed me that emily's earrings in question from earlier this morning, were from stella & dot!

the capri chandies, in turquoise.

knowing that, it was just a simple google away before i found these 2:

i know. so pretty, right?

thanks, elizabeth!!

go get yourself some... you can right here.

love.

JILL

minty-aqua for your ears.

the other night emily, from the bachelorette, had lots of beachy dates.

{GO JEF}

usually she's a little more flashy-blingy than i would normally go for...

but the other night, she wore a gorge maxi in shades of orange, coral and purple. i tried looking for a pic online but no luck.

the thing that caught my attention most-- she wore mint earrings with that dress. totally unexpected. totally didn't "go," but it went. oh it went.

the earrings looked sort of amrita singh-esque to me.

there aren't a ton of true mint options out there, which surprised me.

but there are lots of minty/aqua goodness to be purchased.

and here's how you could wear them

a la emily:

minty aqua earrings #1 by thebluehouse featuring a striped dress

French Connection striped dress, $365 / Alice + Olivia long maxi dress, $195 / Warehouse straw clutch, $34 / Gold necklace / Amrita Singh gold plated jewelry / Nickel free jewelry

minty aqua earrings #2 by thebluehouse featuring art deco earrings



Kaliko color block dress, $170 / Lanvin evening dress / Bamboo handbag / Kendra Scott earrings / Art deco earrings / Oversized envelope clutch

killer.

i especially love the that brown dress. with the bag. and the studs.

but.

while we're on the topic of the bachelorette,

i'd just like to say that i love this season.

she's getting alot of crap for being nice and well, anti-slutty.

i think it's a breath of fresh air.

this show was turning into one big skank-fest before her (but don't get me wrong, i still liked it).

but i'm glad her daughter is apart of it.

i'm glad she's polite.

i'm glad she's a lady.

i'm glad she says thank you and shows manners.

i'm glad she kicked off the d-bags and crazies for being exactly what they are.

i like her.

and from day one, my 2 favorites were jef and ari.

bam. final 2.

now i sort of almost don't care who wins!

who am i kidding. i'm obsessed with jef and i hope he swoops in for the win.

thoughts...

on minty earrings? or comments from fellow team-jef-ers?

love.

JILL

watermelon, mint and lime

this summer, i am OBSESSED with mint.

yes the color, but the actual plant, too!

i am eating those leaves in everything.

found these and they are on my to-do list to make/eat/enjoy.

grown up party popsicles!

over at endless simmer they call them poptails. cute, right?

they have tons of other yummy looking ideas.

these are watermelon, mint and lime.

as in watermelon mojito pops!!

the colors are kinda gorgeous, too.

want a backyard that's just as pretty?

here's how:

(just don't forget the potted mint)

watermelon mint and lime by thebluehouse on polyvore.com



Z Gallerie - Portofino Umbrella, $199
chelsea dining table, $299
Jacinto Pillow, Square, $118
rex clover arm chair, $50
Crinkled-Stripe Throw, $78
Jiti Pieces Outdoor Pillow, Orange/Pink

 

 

afterall, popsicles are the new cupcakes.

or cake-pops or whatever else was super trending in the desserts arena.

 

happy monday!!

 

JILL 

hello gorgeous.

this is my front door.

just kidding but i kinda wish it was.

LOVE it.

JILL

{via mfamb}

just a smidge

of the things making me squeel with delight this morning:

still on the mint kick.

who's with me?!

everyone put your hands down, that's what i thought.

especially mint in the velvet variety, with black and white stripes, and and and! stuffy old oil paintings that don't look stuffy in the slightest, and wood and LIME.

empty frames, you can exit stage left.

but the rest of you, you may stay. i'm talking to you in particular, minty glossy woodwork.

floral, color explosion, stripes and fur? yeah.

eggplant walls and a light blue table should be illegal.

it's the best.

yep.

yep here, too.

and mint on your house?

i just may have to rethink my house color scheme!

like what you see?

i do, too.

JILL

{images via: pinterest, coco + kelley, mfamb, mfamb, inspire-design tumblr, notetosarah tumblr}

rockstar water.

as i mentioned on monday, i was at a work tradeshow over the weekend up until yesterday. it was held at the lake of the ozarks in mo, so i got to stay at my family's house. {i was so happy. you have no idea how much i despise hotels... but i digress.}

the lake was in full bloom. i can't help but feel like summer is already here with the weather we're having. it was 80+ the whole time i was there. i laid out. in march!! i still can't believe it.

i think the lake might be the birthplace of dogwoods. either that, or they just really enjoy it down there. there are eleventy billion of them growing wild everywhere. and as of this weekend, they all looked like this:

our mint on our back deck was also growing.

we use it to make mojitos {especially my favorites, mango mojitos!} in the summer time. give this pot a month and it will look like a bush. a smell-good, tasty one.

i didn't make mojitos cause i had to work... but i wanted to welcome the mint back. so i made mojito water. aka- best water i've ever had!! couldn't get enough of the stuff.

its just plain old water with muddled mint and a squeeze or a few of lime.

das it.

i'm planting some mint here asap so i can enjoy this water all of the time! its delish. and refreshing and good for your health.

tip i've learned, make sure you plant your mint in a container because if you plant it in your yard, it grows and grows and grows and might take over the whole thing. it can even jump pots if you have some next to your mint pot.

look at me, giving out gardening tips and info. WHOEVER would have thought that was going to happen on here? NOT ME. but i just did.

happy hump day.

JILL

i'm giving in.

in my attempt to spruce up one of our bathrooms without spending a gajillion dollars...

i've decided on some faux paneling/wainscoting up 3/4 of the wall.

and because of this very j.crew image, i've decided on painting it......

MINT.

it pushed me over the edge.

i know it's everywhere and i sure hope it doesn't get dated fast.

but i'm still in love.

and i'm sure we'll be moved onto our next house by the time that happens, so bring it on.

and because of the same top image, i'm painting the top part of the walls and the ceiling a darker emerald green.

i have an old ornate framed mirror from college that i had originally painted black that hangs above the vanity in there.......

i'm also thinking i'm going to paint it a very fun contrasting color.

3-way tie for the winner.

first up:

canary yellow. 

second and third, we have:

coral/poppy OR blush. 

all of em are seriously delightful.

the floor is getting a new life, too.

in a black and white stripe a la this method i blogged about centuries ago.

yes, it's been in the plans/works since then. sue me.

no, don't. i am just really bad at getting projects done. so.....

yellow or poppy or blush?!?!?!?

spill your thoughts. i wanna hear it.

please.

alot of you do what i do every single day to the blogs i read, and you silently read [and hopefully enjoy what you read] and then move on.......

this time i would like your opinion :)

love you.

JILL

{images via j.crew, pinterest, and green wedding shoes}