Show Stoppers

I recently completed a pretty pathetic DIY project on my entry way lamp. Its bright yellow because I really want a wow factor when people first walk in, but this little lamp is just not cutting it!

I searched around and found a few that would really draw a crowd!

Lamps in first picture from Jonathan Adler and Design Within Reach, second picture from Jonathan Adler.

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday! 

Rejuvination!

This may be a total "umm, where have you been?" moment, but I just came across Rejuvination by West Elm and Williams-Sonoma. It's an amazing vintage light store.

We have an older home and still have a few rooms that need updated lighting..these are my favorites..

Painted Ceilings

Do you remember that simple shower curtain project I was talking about

 earlier this week? Well, it has expanded. I repainted the walls in the bathroom and now I'm seriously considering painting the ceiling.

Here's my inspiration....

Apartment Therapy

What do you think? It's a small bathroom, so I think it will add a great impact to the space! Have you ever painted ceilings in your home?

Striped Walls!!

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on my tv wall. I knew that it needed something like this, but it's nice to know that you think the same thing too!
My wall is a very very light blue, so it was hard to find a lighter blue color to go tone-on-tone. So I bought a blue that was close to the wall color and added white to lighten it.

I really love it, it adds the perfect I affect, because I really didn't want to overwhelm the wall with pictures.

(One day I'm going to go to a lake and throw my camera into it, it never ever gives clear pictures)

Those little star bursts were a DIY project as well, I saw a how-to somewhere but can't seem to remember. I bought wooden skewers, Styrofoam balls, and gold spray paint.

I cut the ball in half and stuck the skewers in, going around the ball. I hot-glued any skewers that were loose, and then spray painted the entire star burst.

I hammered a nail into the wall and stuck the back of the star burst onto the nail. So simple.

DIY Headboards

Happy Monday!! Yayyyy (can you hear the sarcasm?)

Blogosphere-pinterest

Ever since my post about my amazing mattress in the guest bedroom, I've been secretly scheming ways to switch out those beds. My problem with my guest bed is that I think the head board is a little outdated, and of course I want to make my own headboard!! I've never done one..an upholstered headboard that is, and I'm thinking it needs to be done!

Here's some great inspiration....

Redmond Aldrich

Shelter Pop

House of Turquoise

An amazing DIY upholstered headboard tutorial by Grace from Design*Sponge

This tutorial really sold me on the whole project..love Grace.

Casasugar

Possibly some nail head trim?

Ever made your own headboard? I would love to hear what you think!!

Thanks to all of you for sharing your thoughts on my tv wall...and I am happy to annouce that the stripes are up in all their glory!! I am so happy, they look great! I can't wait to show you tommorrow!

The escape place in your home

There is one space in your home that should always be a calming escape from the rest of the world.

Your bedroom..the master bedroom.

Will and I have discussed our bedroom and pondered over why ours isn't so "cozy". We've kept it romantic with reds and blues, we don't keep a tv in our room, and we definitely don't bring bills or just random stuff that collects over time into our room. Sometimes we'll sleep in the guest bed and it's such a treat, we say "eww, lets sleep in the guest bed tonight!"

That's sad. I want going to our bedroom to be a treat. So we've decided that it's the mattress. When I worked for a designer right out of college, I got really sweet deals on things, and the mattress was one of those deals. It's too big for our bed, so we keep it in the guest bedroom...my head is turning up some ideas as I type of ways I can switch out beds and get that amazing mattress into my room!!

There are other ways to bring comfort to your bedroom. You can't go wrong with candles (scented of course), soft throws, shaggy soft area rugs, heavy lined curtains (to keep it dark when the sun comes up, for all you lazies out there!), lighting..a dimmer, table lamps or wall mounted lights.

 

House of Turquoise

Colors, of course can bring certain moods to a space. If you want calming like a spa, go for blues and whites.

Where Love Resides+ Pinterest

There's your soft rugs to comfort your weary feet after a long day at work.

This is our bedroom, we need some kind of shaggy rug..all that hard wood is not cozy!

Jessica Steinberg

Design Darling

Elements of Style

I really like the colors of these walls paired with the ivory colored panels and and bed spread.

So dreamy.

What do you add to your bedroom that creates a cozy, peaceful retreat for you?

Fresh'n up!

source

I don't know about you, but for me, I'm ready for spring right after Christmas. My hilarious husband gets all in a tizzy when I mention it, he says "it hasn't even snowed yet!" One of the highlights of the year for him is seeing snow. He's going to kill me.

Anyhow, spring, we've got a ways to go, but we can find ways to add color to this "drab" season. It's easy to get bogged down in the doldrums, we all seem to go into hibernation, but this is our time to SHINE!!

I am going to make it a goal to find ways to brighten my environment and my wardrobe. Shake things up a bit.

How about you?

source

source

source

here and here



I miss J.Crew

I used to work at J.Crew until recently because things became too stressful with decorating, teaching and blogging, so I had to let it go. I miss it so. I honestly didn't shop anywhere else. That's probably not healthy but what's a girl to do? Everytime I would go into work I would get so inspired, and think up new ways to wear the clothes I already had. Now that my little inspiration source is gone I needed to find new places, and my very favorite place right now is...

Atlantic-Pacific

I'm in love with this girl. She posts pics each day of her very amazing attire, and she's truely creative.



Mr. Brightside

Last Thursday I stopped by a local antique store to pick a few things up for Christmas. I came across four glorious bamboo dining chairs, for get this, $40!! I immediately thought "these are mine". So, being very mature and wise, I decided I would put my four chairs on craigslist and sell them first, (I think you know where this story is going) after all the lady at the store said they had been there well over a month. The very next afternoon I had a buyer, so after work I mozied on over to the store to pick up my sweet chairs. So confident, I imagined all the way there what color I would paint them.  When I walked in and went to the booth..they were gone. My chairs..were gone. The lady said "aww, we sold those today." Whatever, she didn't care.
I got in the car and cried. I know I shouldn't cry over chairs..but I loved them.
I called Will and cried some more. I had a breakfast table with no chairs now!
When I got home, Will was so positive, and brought up all these ideas for the breakfast nook. He really made me think outside the box on this one, and it turns out that selling the chairs were the best thing that could have happened to out little breakfast area! We never used that space before because the chairs weren't really comfy and they were a little too high for the table. So for now, I moved my two wing back chairs to the table, and I love it. It's perfect and cozy and great for reading and using the computer..and eating.
So sometimes it's good to rearrange things, think outside the box.
Two things you can take away from this story: (1) Move things around! You may find a new way to use a space that you love. (2) Buy something if you really like it, right away!!

Jamie Meares

(Those are very similar to what the chairs looked like, can you see why I cried?)

Desire to Inspire

Habitually Chic

(Now that's a breakfast nook! That random high picture kinda bothers me, but other than that, it's amazing!)

Jamie Meares

Jamie Meares

 (I know you can't really see this sitting area, but it looks like two leather chairs with a small stump stool in the middle. This was an idea Will and I had for our nook. )

Snore!

It's only 7:30, but all I can think about is curling up and sleeping. 

Something like this would be peerfect. I love a day bed. Perfect for naps, especially in a sunroom like mine!

See you tomorrow! Sleep tight!

My favorite thing so far...

With the little time that I have had to check up on blogs, I have found something that I REALLY love.

Michelle from Sweet Something Designs, gave this old dresser a major overhaul.

I tell you what, I love to be inspired, and she definitely did with this one!

Color Punch

I'm all about a punch of color. That's why I am so in love with the colors in Sally Benedict's  artwork. The colors are bold, but perfectly balanced. They can easily be incorporated into a small space, like a powder room, book shelf, vignettes, or a sprinkling of pillows.

These colors remind me of this....yum!

via 

via 

Plates from West Elm (love!) image via 

via

via

ps. I was relaxing at the beach last week.. in case you wondered where I went! 

Love's from the week

Loved this house from Design Sponge! This is interior designer's Amie Weitzman's house. I am so impressed with the ornate stairway railing and the entry way. Can you see my theme for this week? 

Have a wonderful weekend, and thank you so much for the sweet comments on my kitchen!!!

Twin Inpsiration

I'm busy in the kitchen this morning... the gray I bought was too blue, so I had to start over. Two words of advice to those of you thinking about painting a room, always get a second opinion on a color choice, and always get a sample can first! 

via Lonny

The last room in the house that I haven't even touched has two windows on one wall, and I have twin beds..I'm thinking this would be a GREAT look for that room! Perfect for a guest room.

Love Story: Two wingbacks and a table

We recently recieved two wing back chairs from my husband's grandmother after she passed away. I planned on reupholstering them and putting them in the typical place..the living room. Then I started doing a little hunting, and have truely fallen in love with wing back chairs at the dining room table! I always wanted two cozy chairs for the ends of our table, and now I have a plan...here's my inspiration...

 via Marley and Lockyer

Is this from Lonny? Someone help, I found it from Pinterest.

via the amazingly talented Three Men and a Lady (I think I will go with the slipcovered look, but with orange cording!)

via Apartment Therapy 

Also really like the nailhead trim..hmmmm.

I know this one was passed around a lot recently, but man I like those stripes!
via Martha Stewart

My dining room is my next summer project, unless a baby decides to show up..then it will be a nursery!