Saturday, December 11, 2010

inspiration




I finally set up my studio space and put a few things together for my current inspiration board. I've been hard at work on making some items to sell on etsy...and I'm working on some DIY's for The Brides Cafe! Hopefully I will have a pile of fun posts coming up:-).

Monday, December 6, 2010

etsy

I registered as an esty seller today! Now I just need to list some items...I am feverishly working on making some up! Stay tuned:-)

Thursday, December 2, 2010

nursery

I'm sorry, I don't know who to give credit to for this picture. If you know, please let me know! Anyway, what a sweet place for a little one! Keira is napping up in her new room and I am thinking of ideas for her space. I think I would be happy waking up every morning with a pile of pretty pink poufs above me!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

lobster and swan



I love this house, its so cozy and sweet and oozing personality. I love the lights over the bed! Am I crazy? ...tell me you don't like this...
check out more of Jeska's sweet british style at lobsterandswan.blogspot.com

galaxy tote

J.Crew has this sweet little old tote called the "galaxy" tote...its cute...




Chris says I have a knack for picking out the most expensive items in the store...that means I have good taste, right??? Haha..anyway, this thing is 595 bucks, so its safe to say I won't be getting this thing for Christmas, but I bet some lucky gal might!

Monday, November 29, 2010

the good, the bad, the ugly

Here are some photos of the new house. This is like a sneak peek more than anything. I have so much work to do that I am afraid to show all the problems with this house until I make some improvements. I do love a fixer-upper...but this one needs lots of fixin'!

I got some of my curtains up and installed my urban outfitters tie-backs...I love them!

The living room above is now a grayish beige, much more calming than the fluorescent red when we moved in!

We installed a shelf that wouldn't hold, it busted right out of the wall! The plaster in this house has been awfully trying, to say the least!

Ok, take a closer look at those bricks...they are real bricks that had been painted over and then repainted to look like bricks....ahhhhhhhh....my worst nightmare! Not to mention the other atrocities going on in the picture(gas hose, rusting fake brick insert, gobs of yucky old cat hair, the porcelain plate with a country scene painted in the center). I am in the process of painting this over, can't wait to show you the new and improved "after" shot!

Oh yes, it gets worse, the linoleum is all over my kitchen and it is gross! I could wash it all day, and have(!), and it still is awful.
Some grimy creature scurried up the wall...many many times.




No words are needed when describing the bathroom:-(. I will say, however, it has tremendous potential! I will be on this project in a flash, but it will take me a while! Wish me luck, I'm gonna need it!

new chair

My "new to me" chair! Its not a reproduction like the one below, and it might be really orange, but it was 10 bucks! Reupholstering this thing should be a breeze!

rad chair

Today on designsponge, there was a "simply color" post featuring a chair(above #2). It just so happens on my excursion out this past weekend to some flea markets near our new town I found the very same chair. I told Chris they typically go for about $250 (the one above is priced at 248). Well, Chris bought the chair for me, for 10 bucks! Not too shabby...although mine isn't a crisp white covered one, its more like orange tweed, but that is easily remedied! Imagine my delight in seeing this post though this morning...I had to share it with Chris:-).

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

ikea excursion

On a whim yesterday, Chris and I headed to Ikea to find a cheap bed. Well, the one we decided on will have to wait as we had no room in the car to get it home. We did however pick up a couple items that were needed for this new house we are in.

This lamp above is something I've wanted for a while now. I am probably going to get another one for Chris' side of the bed...but this one is currently on a little table next to the couch! Its even better in person!
The chandelier above we got for the new bathroom. I wanted sort of a modern romantic bathroom this time around, especially since we now have a claw foot tub! The bathroom is in horrible shape...pictures will come soon as I am eager to start and finish that project!

I didn't get the honeycomb mirrors above, but how cool are they? I'd love to put these on an entire wall in the bathroom but its not going to happen...has anyone bought these? I'd love to see what someone does with them!

Friday, November 12, 2010

decor8blog

Every morning I browse blogs, either on my blackberry, or if Keira is busy with her toys, on my laptop. Www.decor8blog.com is on my daily routine of blog reading and she had a pile of pictures up this morning that were super sute. Check them out if you haven't already. Anyway, I saw this one and I kept coming back to it. There are a lot of different colors going on and different frame finishes and sweet little plants...I can't put my finger on what I like so much, I guess it just seems very fresh and perky! I could use some perk this morning! Today I am packing up remaining items around the house and painting at the new house!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

doilies

Anthropologie has a cute 5ft diameter wool rug that looks like a doily! Maybe for Christmas???

before and after

I found a five dollar old yucky lamp at the thrift store a few weeks ago and wanted to make it over. It has a really nice shape but it was brassy and dated. I brought it home and Chris cringed and promptly dumped it down in the basement. On a very overcast and rainy day I decided to spray paint it an ivory color...I know, kind of boring! But I may make a wild shade for it later or repaint it, but in the meantime it looks pretty darn better! :-)

This is a pile of stuff I was putting together to see if it would work for the next house, so it is sort of styled but not how it will be when I decorate...just wanted to show everyone what 3 dollars worth of paint will do for a 5 dollar lamp!

Eight bucks ain't so bad for a new lamp!

a little more inspiration

A little inspiration for the front entry room/livingroom.



Saturday is the big day- we move into our new home! I am completely overwhelmed, not necessarily by all the boxes lurking around here, but the limitless possibilities I keep running across. I find things I forgot were in plain sight! Just when I planned things completely, I have already changed my mind! Shhh...don't tell Chris:-). I can't wait to get unpacked...but first I'll be painting a little on Friday afternoon and then hopefully I can upload pictures frequently to share my progress. I finally cleaned all 800 pictures off my camera, so I think these posts might pick up a bit soon! Wish me luck!

Monday, November 8, 2010

desk before

BEFORE
Remember this beast, from a post I did back in April??? This is the before image...below is a post on what I did to it!

updated desk

AFTER
I realized not very long ago that I never shared an updated image of my desk...you know, the one I found on the side of the road? The ugly yellow one? Its now an almond white, but I kept the hardware creamy yellow...I may change it up after we move and I find a good spot for this thing. I also need to update that chair cushion...

stripes

This came from apartmenttherapy...I really like these muted stripes. I did one large stripe at the top of my dining room and I just about lost my mind! Sometimes you don't realize how not level your house is when you start to draw a simple level line around the room! I might try this at the next place, in a smaller room, like this!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

paris

I snagged both of these photos from joanna goddard's blog "acupofjo." The above image of Paris is in honor of my brother and new sister Jodi's honeymoon! As crazy as it was, they want to go back, maybe next time Chris and I will accompany them:-).


And the hairdo above is just divine! Makes me want to dye my hair red again!

Monday, November 1, 2010

chinatown

This is one of my favorite snapshots we took while we were in California. We visited Chinatown in San Francisco on a chilly evening and had a very mixed experience! Anyway, I loved the buildings and the decorations and the delicious smells around every turn.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

accessible modern

I keep my catalogues for inspiration...this image below is from West Elm's fall catalogue. I love the soot/ash gray walls, bronze lamp, bright yellow papery flowers contrasting with the crisp pops of white...well done!
The tailored furniture and the cozy textures give this room a modern feel that isn't cold and empty...I like when modern is accessible!

Monday, October 25, 2010

inspiration

As I was browsing through pictures on my hard drive this evening the realization of moving has finally set in. There is nothing to distract me as the date rapidly approaches. We close on November 12th! This is exciting and sort of difficult for me. I've loved our first home and I have lots of great memories tied to it. I also made it how I wanted it, and the next house needs a lot of work for it to even closely resemble "home." I have a pile of inspiration for the next place and much more room to really try a lot of things. Below are some of those ideas that are now jumping around in my head!

Love the shelf...I have something sort of similar...like the old fan perched on top...my old fan will work perfectly on my shelf!


Gosh, navy blue is going in somewhere, even if its the guest bedroom/library! I like the pops of color...its not too cheerful though...which I like!

I appreciate modern sensibility paired with plenty of vintage and antiques.

Love the shelf...white and navy blue, wood, schoolhouse pendant lighting...

The colors of this shirt, paired with navy blue? yes, please!

Teal for the back stairway to the kitchen...I'm thinking something really grand and bohemian for those dingy stairs!

Apparently we will have exposed brick in the kitchen, which I am excited about, but I also love this palette and the romantic furnishings in the bedroom...

Ok, I still need a dash of masculine, otherwise Chris might go crazy...this is how I envision it:-)

wall art

I am so in love with so many wallpapers, yet the price attached to them is sort of staggering to me. I suppose if I weren't a total cheapskate and I wasn't moving into a house with very large rooms, wallpaper could be an option...I tired myself out with the last mural I painted...perhaps I should attach a picture on the blog at some point! So I was thinking something a tad more effortless...
Cute little birdie for Keira?

I can't help it, I love the bike! Not going in my house though!

And these here things have potential! I like the ribbony look, especially on the somber background...hmmm....
(check 'em out yourself at http://www.wallsneedlove.com/)