Hall pottery.

A few weeks ago, while browsing Instagram, I stumbled across a photo of this gorgeous white ceramic casserole dish with gold polka dots. Though I'm often loathe to ask people where they get things (those kinds of questions seem to take over a lot of the bigger Instagram feeds I follow, and while I get that it's meant to be flattering, it's mostly just really off-putting to me), I totally dismounted my high horse and asked the user where she got the dish. She very kindly let me know that it was vintage—an eBay find—and I very quickly began obsessively scouring the Internet to find something similar.

Turns out the dish was made by Hall, a pottery company, and their ceramic pieces aren't hard to find on Etsy or eBay. I quickly found the exact casserole dish I'd been coveting and scooped it up, and last week I also found a white-and-gold-polka-dotted coffeepot that I couldn't resist—turns out I got it for a steal, because it's enormous (the photo doesn't do it justice). Both the coffeepot and the casserole are really heavy and well-made, and while I don't think I'll be using them much for actual cooking, they'll absolutely make gorgeous display pieces. If you were ever asked to describe a "Megan" item, these would be it.

Any great eBay/thrifting scores of your own to share?

Lake Bell's backyard.

So much amazing color, texture and pattern in actress Lake Bell's Brooklyn backyard, as featured in Lonny magazine. Love. Adding to the must-have list for my next place: Outdoor space.

Photo by Melanie Acevedo for Lonny

Moroccan wedding blankets.

A Moroccan wedding blanket has been on my wishlist for years now; they are so beautiful and unique and I think they add so much glamour and texture to a room. This one, from Calypso St. Barth, is particularly pretty—I'd hang it on my wall, I think, because otherwise my cats would have a field day with it—but for now its very firmly in the "wishlist-only" category. Maybe someday!

(Related: Is anyone going to Morocco anytime soon? Hee.)

Photo: Nicolette Camille's lovely bedroom via Design*Sponge.

Around my apartment.

Just a few favorite corners around my little apartment these days.

ACS got me this chalkboard—by local maker Mark Nodeen of 390 Design—for my birthday, and I love it. The color is perfect and it's huge and awesome.

My Proud Mary "Sorbet Stripe" rug—which, you may recall, I'd had on my wishlist for months—is just as awesome as I'd hoped. I have the 5'x7' size and it's perfect for my space.

I found two of these vintage chairs at an Orlando thrift shop with my mom, and I love them. They're sturdy and comfortable and beautifully made, and the original upholstery is in fantastic shape. I threw faux sheepskin throws (from IKEA) to protect them from little kitty-cat claws, and I think eventually I'll have them reupholstered, but for now I love them exactly the way they are.

This birdcage is from a Goodwill trip last weekend, and I promptly spray-painted it a cheerful bright yellow. Then I stuck a big succulent in it.

On that same trip to Goodwill (or "Goodies," as my bestie Kate and I call it), I picked up two colorful baskets, including this little one that I love. It fits perfectly on a bookshelf next to my treasured archive of Domino and Blueprint magazines, and is perfect for holding random odds and ends. (And yup, that's a brick that I spray-painted gold—the easiest DIY ever.)

Not pictured: Bare walls that desperately need some art. Post about that to come...

Inspiration overload: Justina Blakeney's jungalow.

I mentioned last week that I've suddenly become obsessed with making my house as bright and colorful as possible (see this chalkboard and this rug, both of which I'm 100 percent smitten with), and there is no better place on the Internet for awesome color inspiration than Justina Blakeney's wonderful blog. Justina is a thrifting, upcycling and decorating maven, and her L.A. home—or "jungalow," as she calls it—is filled with her colorful finds. Poor ACS is probably quaking in his boots, because now I'm pretty much on a mission to spray paint everything I own hot pink, emerald green or electric yellow...

P.S. Another colorful home I love: Bri Emery's.

Dream living room.

I recently scored a pair of totally awesome mid-century modern chairs from an Orlando thrift shop (they have the same shape as the ones in the first photo above, but with arms and different fabric—like this), and am so excited to get them down to Sarasota, because my living room is in dire need of some help. My lovely furry roommates have clawed up the single chair in it, and while I have a pretty large sofa, if more than three people come over, someone inevitably has to sit on the floor (it's usually me, and I totally don't mind, but others might). So among other things, more seating is required.

And actually, when I first saw the new chairs, they immediately made me think of Bri's amazing living room makeover, shown above, and how I want to decorate my future home. I seriously think hers might be my dream living room—I am smitten with mid-century details and the bright colors and how each piece has so much personality.

My house and putting effort into decorating it is something I struggle with, and something I've gone on about ad nauseum before. It really does look like I'll be moving again sometime within the next year, hopefully to a bigger place (fingers crossed!), so I often think it makes more sense to wait to do anything, but at the same time, I want to love my apartment now, you know? Also, while moving is likely, it's not like there's a date set, so there's no guarantee, you know?

I guess furniture can always move with me, so there's probably no harm in looking for cool pieces that can easily be painted or refinished at local thrift shops and Goodwills (Sarasota's are legitimate treasure troves—you can get amazing things on the cheap). And maybe it's time to start (slowly) saving up for a new sofa, which would make a huge difference.

What's your decorating philosophy? How do you renters choose when and how to invest in your places?

P.S. In addition to the chairs, I also recently got my paws on an awesome vintage bar cart—this actually a present from my mom; it just needs glass—from the same thrift shop. I may not be able to do the whole vintage clothing thing, but I'm kind of proud of my furniture-hunting skills right now.

Photos by Laure Joliet for Designlovefest. 

What are you doing this (Memorial Day) weekend?

Happy Friday, friends—and happy first day of a long weekend! I don't have a lot of set plans for Memorial Day weekend, which is kind of nice after last week's craziness. I do have my heart set on sleeping in, of course, and also giving my apartment a good scrub-down (boring but needed). Oh, and a dip in the water—whether the ocean or a pool—is a must, too, especially considering it's going to be 90 degrees today (ugh!). But other than that, I'm just going to see where the weekend leads me.

How about you? What are your plans?

And if you're in the mood for some reading, here are three great links:

Mindy Kaling and The Kiss Monitor.

Joy's birthday list makes me happy. I need to do one of these prior to the big 3-0 in August...

Julie Delpy Dreams of Being Joe Pesci. I love her; have I mentioned that I can't wait for Before Midnight?

I won't be posting Monday, so I'll see you back here next Tuesday. Have a great weekend! xoxo

Photo credit

The prettiest Orlando craftsman home.

I don't live in the Orlando area anymore but I have to say—traffic and attractions aside—I appreciate the city a lot more now that I'm older, and I love that it's home to a lot of cool young creatives who are doing interesting things, like Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. (whose headquarters is actually in my hometown of Winter Park) and Lauren Bradshaw of Walnut Animal Society, whose beautiful home is featured in the images above. Lauren is actually moving to Los Angeles, but her craftsman-style home, which she and her husband renovated after they bought it, is so charming that I wanted to share the images here. Homes with lots of character: Yes, please.

In other news, as you know, I've been hemming and hawing over decorating my own house for, oh, the four years I've lived with it (well, minus the first year, when I was just so happy to get a pretty coat of paint up over the hideous matte red that was there when I moved in), but—if all goes according to plan—I'm going to be moving to a bigger place sometime next year. So here's what I want to know from you: Do you apply the same rules to your house that you do to clothes—i.e., work with what you've got now, not what you might have a year from now? Or is it better to wait and not invest in something you don't think you're going to stay in much longer? Thinking about how little in life is actually guaranteed, I'm inclined to go with the former, but I'm curious to know your thoughts, too.

P.S. One of my other all-time favorite home tours: Rebekka Seale. (Those bees!)

White Faux Taxidermy.

Let me be clear: Taxidermy is not my thing. Like, at all. It kind of freaks me out. But these resin deer heads from White Faux Taxidermy, which come in a variety of colorful, sparkly options, are so cool, and I have to say: I wouldn't mind having one in my house (that green and silver one is particularly awesome). What about you: yay or nay?

Kari Herer prints.

How beautiful are these prints by Kari Herer? I am in love with them. Thanks to recent spendiness (yes, that's a word), after this weekend I'm putting the kibosh on shopping for awhile, but these are definitely going on the wishlist (or the, ahem, birthday list). Wouldn't a framed group of three look lovely in a bedroom?

Rita Konig's apartment.

I'm starting to think seriously about redoing my apartment—new paint, maybe a couple of new pieces of furniture; definitely lots of color—and Rita Konig's beautiful, eclectic apartment is totally my inspiration. I mean, this is practically perfect. To me, at least. (Those sheets...)

Photos by Todd Selby

Rooted in Succulents.

Holy moly: These monogrammed succulent planter boxes from Rooted in Succulents are amazing. I want an "M" so, so badly. Totally awesome, right?

P.S. I don't know what it is, but despite my black thumb, I am really into plants lately. I bought a dwarf Meyer lemon tree a few weeks ago and I'm kind of in love with it, and I'm itching to start a herb garden. Any gardening tips are much-appreciated—I grew up with huge orange trees in my backyard but never actually did anything to care for them, and, um, I've killed succulents before. So yes: tips welcome! xo

(via DesignLoveFest)

How to arrange supermarket flowers.

Weekly flowers have become one of my new favorite things (per my "buy more flowers" bullet point on my New Year's resolution/things to do before I'm 30 list). Tulips are everywhere now, so I've been picking them up pretty frequently at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, but I can also usually find small bunches of pretty-colored roses in the three-for-$12 flower bins at Publix, and I love those, too. That said, my flower-arranging skills are basically limited to trimming the flowers' stems and leaves and shoving everything into a vase, so I loved reading this flower-arranging tutorial on Cup of Jo the other week. Plus, the photos are gorgeous.

Do you love flowers, too, or could you take 'em or leave 'em?

P.S. A story I wrote about parties, with a big emphasis on the impact of flowers. 

Photos by Alpha Smoot and styling by Kendra Smoot for Cup of Jo

What are you doing this weekend?

Friends, I am not going to lie: It has been a rough week. There were highs, of course (there always are), but there were some definite lows, too, and I'm feeling a little fragile in the mental department. So I am particularly glad it is Friday, and that the weekend is stretching out in front of me. I have no plans, but I have a pretty big list of chores I want to get done around the house (small things like clean my makeup brushes, but also bigger things like vaccuum, sweep and mop and give the bathroom a scrubdown), so that should keep me pretty occupied. Plus, the weather is beautiful so I'm hopeful for some outside time, and the Oscars are on Sunday night, as I'm sure you are well aware, so gown-watching has immediately jumped to the top of my list for that evening.

In the meantime, if you're looking for some weekend reading, here are three links:

+ My interview with Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter. (Cough, cough; shameless plug.) (Sarasota magazine)

+ I've been thinking a lot about the way I eat lately, so this article--The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food--is pretty fascinating. (The New York Times)

+ And as a huuuuuge Rifle Paper Co. fan (I can't wait for the new iPhone cases!), I loved this profile of Anna Bond on Design*Sponge. What a talent. (Design*Sponge)

Have a peaceful weekend. See you back here on Monday. xoxo

Photo: My own.

What are you doing this weekend?

Happy Friday, friends! We made it to the weekend—yay! What are your plans for the next few days? I'm going to whip up my famous coconut cake for a friend tonight (and tomorrow, since it takes two days), work on organizing my apartment, read my new book—This Is How You Lose Her, by Junot Diaz, one of my favorite authors—and enjoy the cold front we're having (sweater and boot weather, yay!).

And some other exciting news: My mom and I are planning a trip to Charleston at the end of the month, and I would love any recommendations you might have for things to see, do and eat. We're 95 percent on our hotel, so we're good there, but I haven't been to Charleston in years (and even then it was only briefly), and I don't think my mom ever has. So yes, any tips are much appreciated. I'm really looking forward to this trip; the last vacation Mom and I took was to Savannah a year and a half ago, and it was a blast.

Oh, and last but not least, here are three good reads from around the web, if you're interested:

10 books to read now that Girls is back. (The Millions)

10 varying reactions to Jodie Foster's Golden Globes speech. I like Frank Bruni's best. (Vanity Fair)

The end of courtship? (An interesting read on modern-day dating by Joanna's husband Alex Williams.) (The New York Times)

Happy weekend! See you back here on Monday. xoxo

Camellia photo: My own.

What are you doing this weekend?

Happy Friday, friends! What are your plans for the weekend? I'm heading north tonight for a little last-minute getaway with ACS, and I'm really looking forward to it since January's shaping up to be a busy month so far (which, truthfully, is just how I like it). We're going to one of my favorite spots in Florida, so I'll be sure to post pictures on Instagram, if you'd like to follow along.

And if you're in the mood for some reading, here are three links from around the web for you:

Shameless self-promotion: I interviewed Walter Isaacson (he of the Steve Jobs biography, but also so much more) for work this week, and he was so great to talk with; his resume is amazing. (Sarasota magazine)

The Apartment Therapy "January Cure" has me intrigued, especially since one of my 2013/before-I-turn-30 goals is to get my house in shape. Are any of you doing it? Thoughts so far? (Apartment Therapy)

A place where (300 and counting) cats run free, and the sweet story of one woman's unconditional love for animals. (The New York Times)

Have a happy January weekend and I'll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

Photo: My own. Coasters from Rifle Paper Co., monogrammed mug (my favorite) from Anthroplogie.

Before and after: Pottery Barn cabinet.

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you probably already know that I am really not a crafty person. I know what I like, but I'm not great at making it myself. This year, though, one of my goals is to make my home a place I really enjoy spending time, and part of that means getting rid of some of the cheap-o furniture I've collected since becoming an apartment-dweller almost seven years ago and purchasing some I really like and will want to keep for a long time. Buh-bye, rickety Target bistro table; sayonara, clawed-up Urban Outfitters chair (and by the way, thanks for that, cats).

But I should clarify that I don't plan on spending hundreds of dollars on new furniture. Sarasota is a thrifter's gold mine; my friend Kate has found Hermes scarves, Tory Burch tops and Jimmy Choo shoes at our Goodwills, and estate sales and consignment stores are consistently awesome here. And after this past weekend, when ACS and I* gave an old cabinet of mine a makeover, I'm welcoming the idea of transforming something so-so into something awesome with a coat of paint and some elbow grease.

What are you doing this weekend?

Happy Friday, friends—we made it to the first weekend of 2013! I keep feeling like it's Wednesday, not Friday, so to constantly be surprised when I remember that I'm, oh, eight hours away from another two days off is pretty great.

And I don't know about you, but I plan on laying low for the next couple of days—sleeping in, getting things in order around the house, grocery shopping and doing some cooking for the week on Sunday, etc. The weather is supposed to be mild (you can't beat Florida temperatures at this time of year) so getting in some outdoor time is on the agenda, too. What about you?

I have some fun stuff to share with you next week—I did a real-live home-improvement project (with a lot of help from ACS) last weekend and I can't wait to show you the results, plus I actually baked something over the weekend and we visited the coolest place ever on Tuesday after our bridge walk—but for now, here are three fun links for your weekend reading pleasure:

I'm not a Miami girl and never have been—it's just too much for me, if that makes sense—but I liked reading Rick Bragg's portrait of the city. (Garden & Gun)

10 food trends for 2013 (I'm all about artisanal soft-serve). (The New York Times)

And finally, Anne's New Year's post may have been my favorite of all the ones I read this week. (I love reading others' New Year's resolutions. Do you, too, or am I just crazy?) (The City Sage)

Have a great weekend, and I'll see you back here on Monday. xoxo

Photo by Carin Olsson

The Great Fridge Debacle of 2012.

I've told you about the Great Refrigerator Debacle of 2012, right? That week back in October when my fridge decided to die and my lovely landlord didn't get me a replacement for a full week? Those were seven dark days, and I'm fairly certain I went through several stages of grief: Denial (that the fridge was dead), anger (that I had to throw everything away, and then later that the fridge was so delayed in its arrival and I had to spend so much money on takeout), depression (that I couldn't keep basic items, like my beloved almond milk, in the house)...it was not fun. And I complained a lot, as my friends and family can attest. (Sorry, guys.)

Anyway, I now have a new fridge and it works perfectly. But for that awful week that I was fridge-less, I was thinking about refrigerators so frequently that I spent a lot of time on the Internet doing research on them (no, really). That's when I was reminded of my love for Smegs. In my dream house, there is not a stainless steel refrigerator or one that is designed to match the cabinets or walls—no, there is a Smeg. (Probably a pastel green one to match my beloved KitchenAid stand mixer.) I love the fridges' vintage-y feel, their rounded edges, their everything. Now if only I had an extra $2,000 laying around...

P.S. I've typed the word "fridge" seven—now eight!—times in this post, in case you're keeping track.

P.P.S. I was thisclose to titling this post "A Smeg for Meg." You're welcome.

All photos via West Elm.

The secret life of bees.

We need to talk about the fact that, if it wasn't incredibly creepy, I would pack up the cats and move right into Rebekka Seale's adorable Nashville home without looking back. Looking at these photos makes me so happy—Rebekka's aesthetic is so close to my own—and I'm totally copying that stamped bee DIY project (I've been saying I want to give my apartment a makeover for months now, and gold bees and a chalkboard wall are, I think, how that project is going to start).

Photos by Melanie Watson, via Design*Sponge