Reese & Marie

thank you

2011-10-17T20:41:00.001-07:00

Thank you all so much... from the bottom of my heart. Each of your heartfelt comments has meant the world to me. I was so overwhelmed by the love of many complete strangers and I tried to get to each of your blogs to thank you... but life caught up with me and I couldn't. Please know each comment was read with tears and I have reread them all several times. Thank you for taking the time. You have touched my heart.

I wish I had a definitive answer about our situation, but things have merely been delayed. That is good. And bad. Good because it gives us more time to work on some interesting leads. Bad in that I find the suspense very stressful.

{source}

However after reading so many of your personal stories and thinking of all the other ones I've read on people's blogs, and realizing that it is not the end of the world if we lose our house... I have come to accept that it might very well happen. And I will be sad. But I will be okay. We have a back up plan to move where we will be able to regroup for a few months. And honestly I will try and take on the challenge bravely if it comes to that.

Who's to say there isn't something better just around the bend? Have you ever heard that famous poem by Masahide? It's one of my absolute favorites...

"Barn's burnt down. Now I can see the moon." I love this. The ultimate in making lemonade out of lemons.

I am grateful for so many things. My husband. My beautiful girls. Our supportive family. Our health. And I trust God will take care of us one way or the other.

I hope when I'm feeling like me again, I can post some of the little things I've done for fall around here. It's really my favorite time of year.

I love anything by Ruth Orkin. The one above is one of my favorites... and reminds me I am anxious to feel like myself again, sans the stress... lol

Thank you all so much again. Your friendship and little notes checking in on me (Hi Chrissy and Kate!) and blog posts mean the world to me. I am working on this...

Hope you all are doing well. Have an amazing week mes amis!

xoxo
Kari

heavy heart

2011-09-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

Uncertainty...

That describes my life since the first of the year. I know I lost almost all of my readers when I took my {very extended} blog break, but if there's any chance someone is reading, I just need to pour out my heart tonight.

This is not an exciting decor post laced with dreamy pictures and fabulous projects, but it's reality and it seems to have really hit me hard tonight. You see, we bought our house 4.5 yrs ago, one week before my younger daughter was born. Through a terrible series of misfortunes, theft, and job loss, we have been struggling to keep our home for the last 2 years. Unfortunately we are not the only owners of the home {very long story} so other family members are also being affected. Which magnifies the situation 10,000 times.

Being in the real estate and loan business {both my husband and myself} 2011 has not been a great year... owning a home only makes it worse, from an income standpoint as well as an investment standpoint. Not to mention running a business from home. If we are forced to move, we have to disrupt and move a business as well. So much stress.

I can't say enough bad things about our lender... we have applied for a loan modification multiple times and been denied for ridiculous reasons. They seem to employ people who have no idea what they are talking about, lose our paperwork, etc. etc. That only makes a difficult situation more frustrating and stressful. It seems they would rather sell our home to someone else for half of what we owe {the current market value is half what we paid for it} rather than work with us and modify OUR payments, the family that lives here, the family who has lovingly cared for and maintained our home and gardens for the last 4.5 years. Currently we are trying one or two last-ditch efforts to save our home, but it is very possible I will be packing up our home in the next month, unsure of where we will move.

This is especially emotional for me since my daughter went through a very rough first 2 weeks of second grade and had to switch schools because of an unfortunate situation with a very mean teacher {another very long story}. She has made new friends and acclimated wonderfully at her new school, but it took several weeks. She is finally happy as a clam. I am ecstatic. It is the best possible school in our area and the one we always wanted her to attend, but we were not assigned there. Until now. And if we move.... well, I don't know if she will have to switch schools again. I cannot stand the thought of that.

I well up with tears at the thought of leaving our beloved home, the place I have worked so hard to make our own... my roses, my hydrangeas, my garden. Our memories here. Living so close to friends. My daughters bedrooms, my 4 yr olds beloved blue room... and of course my daughter's school. Not to mention the marital strain this has caused.

I am just sharing this because my heart is so heavy and I am living a financial and emotional roller coaster and it is so, so very hard. On top of that, I have been struggling daily with IBS for the last couple of months and stress only exacurbates it. So many blogs are filled with decorating with what seem like endless budgets and happy times and friends and vacations and art retreats and I am just struggling to keep my emotions in check and my head above water on a daily basis and find some kind of joy in little moments. I'm sorry this is not a happy, light post... just know if you are in a similar situation to mine, you are not alone. I am right there with you. If that can bring comfort to anyone, then I feel a little better.

I just really felt compelled to pour out my heart tonight, so thank you for reading this and for visiting my blog. The last couple of years have been very difficult for me personally as well as for my family and marriage and I hoped to escape and pursue my passions and creativity on this blog, but reality is just so heavy tonight.

With tears,
xo
Kari

**edited to add... I have shared some very personal things tonight which is not usually my custom on this blog. However, I do hope that in "keeping it real" someone, somewhere will find comfort in my struggles. I love that expression "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle" but I know my problems pale in comparison to the struggles and losses others are facing. Still, thank you for reading and for allowing me to vent and to be human for a moment. It's therapeutic. :)

Tyler Florence Kitchen of the Year

2011-09-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

I just picked up the October issue of House Beautiful and if you haven't seen it yet, run go get a copy...

Tyler Florence has designed the HB Kitchen of the Year... {swoon}.... Just look...
Beautiful and fresh, classic yet updated, modern, interesting

I love the unexpected combination of mismatched upholstery, gold floral chandelier, hammered steel dining table and that black cabinet.. I want to move in.

Look at the details... vintage glassware love

Even the outside spaces are amazing...

For the whole story and all the pictures: {Source}

Well ladies, I am but a mere 30 minutes from his Mill Valley store, featured by two of my favorite bloggers here and here. I think a little field trip is in order, what do you think?

-Kari

So Cal Road Trip

2011-09-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hi again... sorry it's been a month since my last post. What a crazy month it's been! Hope you're all doing well.

Back in July we took a roadtrip to Southern California to visit family. I don't know about you, but when I know I'm going to a new area, I rack my brain for places I've seen online or read and heard about and then figure out if I am staying anywhere near there. Maybe it's just me, I am a little OCD... For example, my list in Phoenix is very clear (I know no one in that area but could tell you great places to shop, lol!) and Portland and Seattle? I know at least 10 great places to shop and have never been to Portland and Seattle only once!) That and the fact that my iphone has amazing navigational capabilities made for great shopping on my roadtrip. Luckily my husband mostly cooperated. ;-)

But first, we did lots of this...

La Jolla

Pacific Beach

La Jolla

Escondido

more La Jolla... playing with the hipstamatic app

Last year we took the same roadtrip and I finally got to go to Urban Barn in Escondido. Swoon! I love, love, love this place! You must check it out if you are ever there.... here is their blog http://www.blogger.com/www.urbanbarn155.blogspot.com I have more pix from last year that are fabulous, but I can't get to my external hard drive. Here are just a few from this recent trip:

the most amazing doors. i wanted to take these home. wouldn't fit on top of my jeep.

terrible picture, but this amazing crusty old scale and the coral on it *did* find a place in my jeep. love it!

On our way home (not quite on the way but somehow I managed to convince my husband to detour through Orange County on our grueling 10 hr ride home) and I got to go where I have been dying to go... Country Roads! Specifically, I went to see Kate from Salvage Dior and her beautiful things. If you're not familiar with Kate and her lovely blog, check it out www.salvagedior.blogspot.com She has an amazing spirit about her, is very sweet, and has an incredible eye for industrial french design. Here she is, she was so sweet, so nice to meet her in person!

me n Kate at Country Roads

Here is some of her fabulous stuff at CR:

Don't you love how rustic yet elegant her style is? I do!

Here's what I took home from her (she was well cleaned out by the time I got there on a sale weekend or I would have bought more!) this amazing crusty old blue-gray corbel. And there's the coral from Urban Barn. I love it!

Country Roads is a huge, amazing shop comprised of 3 buildings plus a large outdoor garden area. Eye candy galore. I could've spent all day in there (but not with my tired husband and 2 girls, no not quite) but in case you also haven't heard of Loretta at fullbloomcottage.blogspot.com you should check her out. My pictures turned out terrible that day, but here are a couple of her things from CR:

And more of Country Roads...

Hope you enjoyed the recap of my roadtrip and if you ever make it Southern California, check these places out! You won't regret it.

Kari

Pellegrino Polyvore

2011-08-23T09:27:00.001-07:00

While drinking some of this the other day...

I thought to myself I really love that bottle... wouldn't a room based around that be cute?

So I played around in Polyvore and wouldn't you know it Anthro had the perfect bottle green leather sofa, so here is how I imagined a Pellegrino room would look...

Sorry the layering seems to be a problem, need to figure out how to fix that. But it was fun. A lot more color than I am used to, but I love it!!

Pellegrino Polyvore by karireesemarie on Polyvore.com

I love those industrial brass lamps, I don't know why the source isn't listed here. But somehow they reminded me of the bottle and the cap...

Atelier Chesterfield, Bottle Green
$5,998 - anthropologie.com

Chairs Restoration Hardware
$395 - restorationhardware.com

Le Versha Chair, Red
$248 - anthropologie.com

London Rail Clock Clocks Restoration Hardware
$229 - restorationhardware.com

Embroidered Pillows, Paisley- 16'' x 26'' - French Country - Pierre...
$150 - pierredeux.com

Free Trade Pouf
$109 - urbanoutfitters.com

Westport Collection Indoor Outdoor Area Rug in Red White By Surya Rugs
$90 - burkedecor.com

OC026 Cheeky Ikat Print Nautical Blue organic cotton pillow cover
$50 - fabricadabra.us

Bungalow Table Lamp - Red by Motif Designs
decorati.com

Home Office Restoration Hardware
restorationhardware.com

{great intentions...pour vous}

2011-08-11T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hi.

I can't believe it's already been seven months since my last "check-in". I have been meaning to post... I have... {great intentions}.

I miss blogging, I miss all of you, I miss expressing myself creatively. And I have finally come to grips with the fact that it's my blog and I can blog when I want... meaning if I can only blog once a month, so be it. No need to feel bad, I'm just going to do it when I have the time and the mood strikes. No pressure. ;-)

I have a bunch of projects I'm working on in the paint/decor/furniture refinishing categories, but also suddenly have a bunch of real-life real estate work and my little one is having hernia surgery in a couple of weeks {deep breath} so I am going to give you a smattering of pictures from my house... since it's been soooo long. Peeking into others homes is one of my favorite things to do on blogs, so here is a little peek around mi casa. I have changed so many things in the last couple of years... and I still don't really know how to apply textures so I fooled around in Photoscape {not Photoshop} and this is what i came up with. Forgive me that they are terrible and not nearly as good as so many bloggers... I am learning and obviously have a lot to learn.

Scenes from my bedroom...

...an edited photo

...unedited. See?

My little $1 garage sale silver plate tray loaded with vintage bottles from antique stores, garage sales, my Grandmother's backyard, Michaels, you name it. And the little clocks {the one on the left I bought in NC at an antique fair/flea market when I was just a little girl and the one on the right was my Grandmother's and sat on her dresser} are set to my daughters birth times: 2:11 and 7:17, an idea I picked up somewhere along the way in blogland...

living room pillows... I am obsessed

A collection of sea-glass colored bottles on my dining room table... only one is old {the little one} the big one was a TJ Maxx clearance score, and the other one... well let's just say it might look like the kind Pottery Barn sells that are "found" but let's just say I "found" mine at Olive Garden, LOL, after finishing a large bottle of wine at dinner with my family one night. Suddenly I saw the bottle in a whole 'nother light and it "found" it's way into my large straw bag ;-) what can I say, I got my $ worth!

My favorite little display area in my living room...

Another of my favorite displays... this one in my entry hall on top of a bookcase. Many stories about the items here and hope to post about it soon.

"Pour Vous" the lamp I recently found at TJ Maxx... love!! {excuse me in my pajamas in the reflection!}

Hope you enjoyed the little peek around my house and thanks for sticking with me! I know I have some recent followers and you guys are the best because I know I have been very sporadic! Hope you're all doing well, enjoying your summer, and check back soon.

xoxo

Hello...

2011-01-26T22:49:00.000-08:00

Well hello there! I've missed you.....

Thanks for checking in on me from time to time, I really appreciate it! I thought of posting so many times, but didn't have the nerve to jump back into it. Especially after such a long absence. But then I realized it has been almost 18 months (yikes!) since my last post, so here I am. How are you??? I am good, just busy with life with 2 kids, a real estate business, and so much more. But I miss you. And I have some cool things to share hopefully in the near future. So please stay tuned...

xoxo
Kari

p.s. I know I don't comment much but do know, I still read all your blogs. All of them. And I love them... I rarely miss a post.

{ ..... }

2009-08-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

You might have noticed my blogging has all but stopped the last couple of weeks. I have been wanting to blog, but honestly have been prioritizing other things in my life. So, I have decided, with a lot of reluctance, to take a little "bloggy break" for about a month, maybe a little longer. Just gonna simplify my life a little, s l o w d o w n, enjoy my kids, exercise more, learn to knit {started that today and it's fantastic} and make some other little happy changes.

So for now I will just plan to check in with you through your blogs now and then. Thanks for all the comments, emails and love you've given me, it's been so inspirational.

Love,
Kari

{rustic} summer entertaining

2009-07-22T22:21:00.000-07:00

With my oldest starting kindergarten in little over a month, summer's days are numbered. I want to enjoy the remaining time we have, and stay on the entertaining kick we've been on lately.

To me, the fun of entertaining buffet style {the only way we entertain at this point} is the way everything looks. Of course the food's gotta be good too. I like:

- an old linen sheet thrown over the table for a tablecloth. I've also used shower curtains that are really cute
- aluminum buckets and tins for cold drinks
- old ironstone or tarnished silver creamers for silverware {if you're concerned about the silverware touching the inside of the creamer, flop a little vintage lace out of it} I've also used small, old crystal vases with some vintage linen draped out of it, then the silverware, so cute.
- tiers of cake plates for fruit and maybe hors d'oeuvres
- rustic wire bread baskets lined with flour sack towels
- vintage ironstone or creamware plates with cheese on them
- a rustic wood cutting board with several wheels of cheese on it
- a variety of mismatched vintage silverplate serving utensils
- figs stacked on anything with a pedestal
- sangria served out of a huge glass canister with a ladle
- ice water with fruit floating in a cut glass pitcher
- everything labeled with brown paper tags tied on with jute twine
- monogrammed paper cocktail napkins from the party store or JoAnn's

My very favorite, tried-and-true, in-a-pinch {or not} dessert recipe that has brought rave reviews from everyone is my mother's cherry dessert recipe, also known as dump cake. If you are not familiar with this phenomenon, let me clue you in. You will never, ever regret making this, eating this, sharing this. No matter the occasion. This is not my photo, but mine looks very similar to this... {recipe below}

{Claudette's Cherry Dump Cake}

3 cans Comstock Cherry Pie Filling
1 box yellow cake mix
butter to taste
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Dump the pie filling in a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the entire dry box of cake mix on top. Yes, dry. Now, melt about 4 tablespoons of butter, maybe more and drizzle on top. You might need as much as a 1/4 cup. Now sprinkle on the nuts. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Voila! Rustic, delicious, amazing. Bake it in a cool rustic white baking dish and serve it just like that with a vintage spoon. My friends and family request it over and over and over. Every BBQ I go to they ask me to bring it. It can also be made with canned peaches, but that's another post.

I am so inspired to entertain in a casual, rustic, french inspired way, and the following images make it clear why this kind of entertaining is so appealing {especially since I have none of my own today}

{Maisonreve.blogspot.com}

This is my kind of entertaining. Put everything in a basket, a tin, or on a cake plate, mass it all together on a great crusty table, and let the guests have at it. Don't forget the mini chalkboard to write the menu or a message.

{countryliving.com}

Love the haphazard french chic of this image. And the champagne in the garden urn is very cool. Love the crooked lampshade.

Love the rustic aluminum bin for beer and jam jar with label.

This is a repeat image for me, but isn't it worth it? It's the epitome of rustic french entertaining.

Do I spy a burlap buffet? Yeah baby!

Love the double decker cutting boards and breadsticks in glasses.

This was for a wedding, but how fun would it be to recreate it for a party? Looks pretty easy to me.

Speaking of weddings, did you see the pictures of Magnolia Pearl's rustic wedding? They are so amazing and inspiring. Here are a few. Go here for more.

Of course, the prettiest wedding buffet, or any buffet for that matter, that I've ever seen was Elizabeth Maxson's. Images from Curious Sofa

Can you get any more inspired than this? Don't you love the baby bathtub filled with bottled water? And the chair with an ironstone serving dish on it? And breadsticks sticking out of old pitchers? I could go on and on and there were a bazillion amazing photos, but I won't. Of course this was for a more formal event, but there are so many great ideas here that could translate to your casual summer {or fall/winter} entertaining.

How are you entertaining this summer?

cutest.thing.ever.

2009-07-21T22:52:00.001-07:00

Have I ever shared with you how I sometimes fantasize about packing the kids in the car and driving 8 hours to Disneyland? Not to see their precious little faces beam with joy at the rides, the characters, the magnitude of it all. Oh, no. That would be way too easy. It's because I KNOW THEY MAKE SILHOUETTES THERE.

Yes, I am admitting my shallowness, here in public, on my blog. It's my blog, I can do that. You see I am *dying* to get my kids silhouettes done. And I know some really crafty bloggers have done it themselves, but I am pretty unwieldy with scissors {ask my daughter and how Mommy needed 3 sheets of paper to cut out one lousy heart yesterday} and me and photo programs don't mix. I need professional help.

Well with all my obsessive compulsive monogram and family name sign searching on etsy, I stumbled upon something fantastic. Check it out -- you send these people your child's profile picture in a jpeg and they custom paint you a plaque, with your child's name, in your choice of colors, and ribbon, for a measly $25. Tell me this is not the cutest.thing.ever.

Maybe I am not rational since my little fantasy trip to the happiest place on earth would involve hotel rooms and whatnot, but $50 for two kids silhouettes on keepsake plaques seems pretty reasonable to me.

Check out all the color options. The example above is of course darling and would match Neva's room perfectly, but I think I would go more neutral so you could also use them elsewhere in your home. Maybe a cake batter plaque with an espresso silhouette and a golden ribbon? Or an espresso plaque and cake batter silhouette and ribbon? I don't know... the choices are endless. And you all know how i am with choices {still struggling over monogram choices for that pillow, girls!} Anyways, just thought it was too cute not to share. Find it here.

OK, just found this one and it's also pretty cute. Just $20 and found here.

That's it. This is the best ever. A silhouette + a monogram? Stop it. Oh yeah, $45? OK, I will stop it. But it comes framed. And it's a lot cheaper than a hotel room with Mickey Mouse carpet. Found here.

I'm sorry, I just can't stop. If you're into plates like I am, this would be such a great option. Imagine this mixed into a family portrait wall. But at $49 per plate, let's hope it doesn't fall and break. Found here.

OK, I'm done obsessing now. Good nite!

birds of a feather v. 4.0

2009-07-21T07:56:00.000-07:00

A tres magnifique french boudoir done on a budget over at Parisienne Farmgirl {love that name!}

Barn House:

For more fabulous pictures of Barn House's latest event, check out Mimi Charmante. I am kicking myself for not living closer to these guys. I'da {is that a word?} gone nuts at this thing! If they ever come to the Alameda Flea Market, I am there. For sure. With cashola in hand baby! I'll even skip Starbucks for a couple months to save up to buy something from them, that's how crazy I am about them.

How to whitewash brick {for amazing results} at Frugal Farmhouse.

for glorious images of coral and coral inspired items, visit French Blue

An exquisitely beautiful kitchen on Willow Decor . Love everything about it - the toile armchairs, the beadboard walls, dark floors, old signage, everything. It's perfect.

What amazingness have you seen in blogland lately?

anniversary shopping

2009-07-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

My anniversary {7 years} is in 2 weeks and my parents are giving us cold hard cash as a present. I think it's a great present, the very best kind actually. It allows me to go virtual shopping weeks in advance and dream of what I could buy with the money. I come up with hundreds {well, not really hundreds} of combinations of things. But right now, I am focused on a few "need to have" pieces for my home. I'm not super sappy in that it has to be something of heirloom quality -- I'd rather spend the money on small purchases that will add to the overall ambiance of my home, or on things that I'd love but wouldn't necessarily buy myself. Some people might find this crazy, but my husband doesn't mind, it's practical, and it entertains me for hours on end.

First up is a nice linen barrel shade for my recent Goodwill lamp purchase, blogged about here.

What do you think? Pretty cool for $24.99 at Tarjay, yes? Find it here

Next up is a monogrammed pillow, a must. I have wanted one for eons, and I think it's something really special and very worthy of an anniversary present. I have scoured etsy, but right now my favorite pillows are on Ballarddesigns.com. Check out what you can get for a mere $26 with a FREE monogram:

That's right -- an 18" square pillow with the insert people, and a free monogram, for just $26. And guess what? It comes in several shades of linen, and that fabric I love to hate: burlap. I may just have to break my own rule and get me a burlap pillow with a big fat monogram in chocolate brown on it. Or maybe I'll get the hemp linen. I imagine that would have that same natural, burlap-y look without the scratchy fibers and shedding. I think I can't lose either way with this.

Unless of course I get this size, for just $22... this would look really cute in a pair on matching armchairs.

Let's go over the most optimum fabric choices for the 18" size, shall we? I want something neutral that could be moved from bedroom to living room without burning your eyeballs out, and that could match any number of decor choices in the future. That means I'm getting a neutral. But which one?

Hemp Linen - luscious if I do say so

Caramel Twill - classic and would hold up well as well as match almost anything

Camel Velvet - would feel wonderful to the touch

Burlap baby - So good, yet so bad

Then again, I could do something wild and crazy {for me} like toffee check:

OK, maybe not. It might be too busy for me, not sure. I think I like the stuff above better.

Then there's the monogram options. Too many choices makes me a crazy person. I think I like

the fourth one and the last one... or maybe #13. I don't know what to pick! Want to pick for me??? I am so bad at this kind of thing... I can second guess myself for weeks on this kind of minor decision.

Lastly, something like one of these cute monogrammed signs would be really nice to have as a momento in our home, not to mention a cute piece of decor:

Just $16.00 found here

Or this huge shabby letter, $41.95 found here

Then there's this sweet family sign for just $24.95 found here

And I LOVE this with the added crown moulding for $35 found here

Then again, let's not forget the family name sign master, Susie at Bienvenue. Check out her darling signs with that added french touch, all very affordable! Find them here...

I think that both the Ballard monogrammed pillows as well as any of the family name signs from Etsy would be fabulous anniversary or wedding gifts that are custom, affordable, thoughtful, and memorable, not to mention classic. In fact, my sister's anniversary is just the day before mine, I think I'm going to get her one of the above, probably a family name sign. Now, which one? Hhhhmmmmmm....

Aidan Gray wannabe

2009-07-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome fellow yardsale and thrift enthusiasts!

Do you lust after these lamps?

I sure do.

Can't afford the $200-600 price tag?

Neither can I.....

Meet my new $16.99 find, courtesy of the local stinky Goodwill:

I saw it and my heart skipped a beat. I had the shade, but I might treat it to a round linen number, like lamp number 1 above... LOVE. My Goodwill has been amazing lately, with it's funky little self with rude employees and smoky air and piles of trash and gangsters outside. This beauty is worth it, no?

p.s. and even sweeter, it's resting it's hiney on my $5 garage sale french round side table {painted & stained by moi... it was ugly brown when I bought it, but still}

p.p.s. for every major score I find at Goodwill, I leave 5 times empty handed. Just keepin it real so you don't think I have the best Goodwill ever. I don't. I see YOUR yardsale/thrift finds and I can't believe my eyes!

p.p.s.s. {or is it p.p.p.s.?} for more aidan gray, go here

p.p.p.p.s. or whatever - I think I need to treat mr. fauxgray to a little paint or stain to authenticate it and give it a little depth and age. ideas?

Too Weird For Words?

2009-07-15T17:06:00.000-07:00

I am a pillow addict. They are spilling out of every closet, out from under the beds, in garbage bags in the garage. I bought 2 more last night. For my bedroom. They didn't work there. Rather than resigning them to a return bag in my trunk, I tried them in the living room. Now, there is not really any blue in this room. The couch is sort of grey-green and persimmon. The walls are a soft caramel and Svelte Sage, a grey-green. This is a little weird. But for some reason, I kind of like them! Am I losing my mind? Should I just return them and look for something else that actually has green in it? Or is this one of those situations where you can just throw an accent color in that has nothing to do with anything?

I've seen other bloggers with green walls, a tan couch and brown and blue pillows, all not necessarily matching exactly but there is a flow. Perhaps that is what i'm looking for here. Lord knows i've been trying to find the "perfect" accent pillows for this couch for 4 years. They don't exist. So whaddya think? Is it too weird for words?

p.s. If you are going to tell me to use the ones I got from Goodwill yesterday, they're in my bedroom now where they are very happy...

Shutter Update & Goodwill Finds

2009-07-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks again for all the advice on my shutter dilemna yesterday. After reading all of it, I decided to try Chris & Nester's advice and turn the shutter on it's side. I would have stacked the other one on top, but then the clock would have to go somewhere, and it probably would have misplaced another item, so I opted for a blend. I think this works so much better spatially. I like the lightness, texture and symmetry. And I promise it looks so much better in person... refer to yesterday's post for a summation of my photography skills. Anyways, did I mention I have 2 more identical shutters, for a total of 4? So technically I could have lined them vertically across the back of the couch and had a whole wall of shutters, but it may have been too much. I hope that info doesn't change anyone's advice! I also put a "cute" little hole in the adjoining wall when I lost my grip on a shutter {dang those things are HEAVY} and hubs was like you did what to the shutter and what to the wall?

Anyways, tell me what you think. I can always tweak it some more.

Chris, if you're reading this, your plate arrangement suggestion made sense to me but it felt off to me with the size of the plates compared to the clock... I have more of each size if you think it would look better another way: I have 2 more large ones, and 2 more small ones.

I also dropped into Goodwill today. I found 3 decorator pillows in mint condition, minus part of the trim on this one. But doesn't it look fab on this dark chocolate patterned "friendship chair"? It has just the right aqua in the windowpane plaid, and it reminds me of men's suiting material, a good match for the ticking stripe window mistreatment. It was $3.

I also found these 2 cuties for $3 each. They smell brand new and they are the exact right grey/green/blue that i am trying to accessorize with in the living room.

For the record, I was in the same Goodwill last Friday and found nothing. It really pays to go often, and after the weekend. People bring in their yardsale leftovers or stuff they found around their house while doing weekend cleaning. I always find my best scores in the beginning of the week.

Last but not least is the updated dining room centerpiece... the 2 porch posts on the left I got at a thrift shop 2 weeks ago and have just made them into candle stands by doing nothing more than setting a candle on top. Wha-la. Instant candle garden.

That's it for now. Or until I tweak something again!

How to Shutter {help, please!}

2009-07-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

I suck at photography, must as I would love to be better. Now that we've got that out of the way,
you can give me your opinion on these pictures without wondering how I could have possibly taken such terrible pictures. It's easy: 2 young kids, a crappy camera {too lazy to drag out the big boy one in the closet} and only 14 seconds. There. Now back to the dilemna at hand.

After reading quite a few posts on shutters, I finally got inspired to use some I've had sitting in my garage for over a year. A friend remodeled {a friend who knows how crazy I am and loves me anyway} and offered them to me. Of course! Tired of my above couch display, Ifirst propped them on the floor flanking a PB shelf and clock. Here's how that went, notice the umpteen tweaks I made to the contents of the shelf:

#1 Dishes, books, and 1 topiary

#2 Dishes, books, 2 topiaries and a seashell:

#3 Dark horrible picture of asymmetrical grouping:

Then I decided I was too bizarre for words and nailed the bad boys to the wall {with email help from Nester} and flanked them with more of the just-scored-stash of ironstone from Goodwill.

#4 No shelf, lots of ironstone.

So, which look do you prefer??? I am so undecided. But I do know I love the shutters. They are very textural and kind of lighten up my heavy couch. I want to keep them, but if all the options are just horrible, tell me that too. Just in a kind way.

Thanks.

Keepin it Real: Price My Space - Family Room

2009-07-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

After having house guests all weekend, and a raucous mexican train and wii championship til 4 am this morning, my pictures understandably are a little lacking. But I was so excited about The Nester's Price My Space party that I just had to participate! Please understand these pics were taken tonight, at dusk, after everything I mentioned above...

Here is the room as seen from the entry hall of my home. It is kind of a weird room, almost part of the kitchen, and we have treated it as such. This is where all our family meals take place, we sit and chat with friends, and people gather for BBQ's. The patio is right through that slider. There is an ugly builder grade ceiling fan/light casting that weird glow in the room, and we have yet to replace it. Keeping it real, remember? If you want to read about the paint color which I love, go here.

This is our table and chairs and rug. The rug was free because we borrowed it from my parents who had it in storage.

- The 2 slipcovered end chairs are from Ikea, 7 or 8 years ago, and were about $100 each. I bleach the living daylights out of those covers pretty often and they've held up great.

- The table and chairs {which i must disclaim I bought primarily for the farm table, and I hate the chairs but they're sturdy and great and easy to wipe down so I keep them, for now} was just $120 on Craigslist and never used.

- The ironstone tray and vintage silver sugarbowl on the table were both anniversary gifts, price: the cost of marriage. Hee hee...

- Here are my window mistreatments, which I blogged about here. They consist of a $7 Ralph Lauren sheet ripped in two and tacked up with upholstery tacks.

- The platter above was about $8 at Marshalls
- the rug below {LOVE it} was about $15 at Target. I have a big one that matches it in my kitchen... you can see part of the cabinets and counters on the right. I am not including that stuff in this post though.

- Oh, and the cool urn at the top of the cabinet was $4 at Goodwill and the green ball was part of a free topiary that I cut the stick off of.

Remember I mentioned the cute flouncy ruffle at the bottom of the RL sheet? Could it be any cuter?

Once again the firplace area.
- Free picture/display-ledge-turned-faux-mantle cause I'm cheap and lazy.

If I had my druthers this whole room would be pimped out in beadboard wainscotting with moulding everywhere, but my druthers are nowhere to be found. I guess they're caught up in the recession and the constantly declining value of real estate. Ahem. Back to the picture.

- The mirror was $10 at a garage sale, the sconces were $20 each at Home Goods, and the vintage butter pats were $1 each at an estate sale.
- The moroccan pouf was a gift and the suitcases were $20, $12, and free {gift from a friend} in ascending order.

Here's my fave part of the room.

- This is the "friendship chair" given to me by a friend. Price: free. If I ever decide to get rid of it, I have to continue the tradition and give it to another friend. So sweet, and so much comfort and character! You should see the legs! I guess I didn't capture it well.

- The dresser is my $50 dresser from 10 years ago that I've repainted a million times and blogged about here and here. I love it like The Nester loves her white dresser. It's so versatile and I've used it EVERYWHERE. Right now it holds craft supplies and puzzles for the kids.

- Back to the chair, the aqua throw was $10 clearance at Marshall's
- the linen pillow was $13 at TJ's
- the little pillow was won in a giveaway from Marley & Lockyer. Love her! {Please don't notice I didn't even fluff the pillows for you. Just keepin it real.}

- The clock was $50 at HomeGoods
- the lamp was $20 at TJ Maxx
- the birdcage was $22 at Beverly's crafts
- the topiary was about $13
- The little faux succulent was .69 clearance and the little silver cup it's in was about $1 thrift.
- And the robins egg blue iron piece was about $13 at Ross 5 years ago.
- The plates on top are vintage french and were $8 each {bit of a splurge for me}
- the blue plates below which match the platter over the door were $3 each at Marshall's.

But I saved the best {worst} for last.
- Here is my ...gulp... $750 armoire. Yes, I said it. And yes, I'm ashamed. But I LOVE it.
- And it's next to a free bookshelf I fixed up with paint and a $4 remnant of fabric.
- And the basket on it was $5 on clearance and is lined with linen.
- The vintage window above was $15 at the Alameda Flea Market, bought on this trip. I lined it with burlap for texture, cost about $2.

So my whole room has totaled out at about $1,415.69. But I realized I forgot to show you the bar. Oh well. Hope you enjoyed what you did see!

Lamps: Walmart vs. the Big Boys

2009-07-10T09:25:00.001-07:00

I couldn't sleep last night. So at 3 am I decided to shop for lamps online. I found some great lamps at Walmart that are identical to Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware lamps for a fraction of the cost. Check it out:

Pottery Barn: $110 for lamp base, $29 for shade

Walmart: $30 total. These are great and they even adjust up and down for added height. I might get 2 of these for either side of my sofa. The aged bronze finish matches the nailhead trim on my sofa and I love the modern simplicity of them. Here's the link if you're interested... and they don't seem to have them in all stores, mostly online: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10788943

Here's a Restoration Hardware lamp priced at $179

Here's Walmart's version for just $39.97 found here:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10788940

Walmart has loads of great lamps, like this one for just $35.88 found here:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11037995

Or this one for just $29, found here: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10910142 A little bit too severe for me, but very beautiful and so Restoration Hardware!

Or this one, which I may seriously consider for just $30! http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10910136

I heart Walmart, even though I'm a little chagrined to admit it.

{the recipe}

2009-07-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

Lately I've started to notice something developing in my house. I think my taste has finally evolved enough that I consistently buy things in certain categories. For example, I am always drawn to all white bedding and buy it whenever I need new bedding. I also have a lot of dishes. A lot. Most are white, some are colored, but they're in every room of my house except one. I have a lot of bird related items: feathers in urns, nests, birdcages, feather wreaths. And of course the chippy distressed wood. That's a no brainer. Given the option, I prefer painted, distressed wood over any other kind. And clocks. Gosh, my clocks are O.O.C. {that's out of control}. Right now in the kitchen/family room alone there are 3 clocks, 2 on the wall and one on the kitchen counter. It's amazing I still run late.

I think this is a good thing. I've noticed that things flow better when there is continuity in what I decorate with. Maybe I am late on this bandwagon because I know people like The Nester have this down pat. Whatever the case may be, my "recipe" is becoming clear. I think you can define your recipe by saying it's things that are repeated in your home and that you keep out no matter your current whim or decor, season or reason. They are things that really speak to "who you are" and are your perennial favorites. And the combination of these items is what makes your home have your personal signature. So here is my "recipe". Almost every one of these items appears in every room of my home.

- white bedding, white linens and white slipcovers on smaller items like chairs and pillow covers. {You know darn well I'd have all white couches if I could}

- topiaries

- urns and apothecary jars filled with natural items like eggs, feathers, greenery, and seashells

- vintage mirrors {I have them everywhere: bathrooms, dining room, master bath, bedrooms, entry way, everywhere}

- chandeliers {I have 3... dining room, master bath, and baby's room and I'd have at least 2 more if I could}

{the vintage mirror in the background should also go in the category above}

- chippy distressed wood {this is everywhere in my house, large and small pieces alike}

- bird and french related items, often together

{not many pics for this category, forgive me but trust me I've got bird and french stuff everywhere}

- white dishes, white pitchers, white sugar bowls, white white white. And dish, dish, dish. I looked and right now the only room without a dish or dishes on the wall is the office. And that's my husband's domain. Every other stinkin' room has at least one dish on the wall, even the bathrooms.

- clocks {large and small, I have at least 8 off hand that I can think of. The ticking is so comforting to me, not to mention they're just plain cool!}

- empty frames on the walls {I have a growing collection and 5 hanging in my house right now}

{I thought I had more updated pictures of my empty frame collection, but I guess not.}

Even though that seems like a lot of items, but when you sprinkle those same elements consistently through every room in your home, a flow develops. And you can swap items from room to room without too much trouble when you stick to certain buying guidelines.

So, what is your "recipe"? Is is black accents, birds nests, and shutters? Is it bird cages, mercury glass and all white frames? Is it unpolished silver and black and white photos, or monogrammed pillows and ticking stripes? I'm dying to know...

burlap for wimps

2009-06-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Main Entry: bur·lap
Pronunciation: \ˈbər-ˌlap\
Function: noun

1. A scratchy, hairy, fuzzy, unwieldy material that is tres chic and the biggest trend since I don't know what. A nightmare to sit on, lean against, or otherwise touch. Darling and the lust of all people home-obsessed, despite it's {many} flaws.

I know you've been obsessed with burlap too. I've read your blogs. I've salivated over your burlap pillows, runners, and window treatments. I have spent hours on etsy searching "burlap pillow" and found many, many cuties I'd be happy to call my own.

But you know what? I can't stand the way burlap feels! I can't stand the hairs it leaves on my black shirts! I can't stand the unraveling! I can't stand the itch I get when I lean against it! I have even tried washing it. That helps a little.

So what's a burlap-obsessed home-obsessed accessory-obsessed girl gonna do?

I'll admit I was at Joann's last night at 8:30 buying burlap. I'll admit I had it in mind for a certain project that was a reinvention of this. But it did not work. Sadly, I admitted defeat. Until. Until my Mom came over. "Just use it somewhere else" said she. "But where?" sid I. And then we schemed and came up with this.

I present you with burlap for wimps. My attempt to somehow incorporate burlap in my home without resting my hiney or back on it.

Fig. 1 Somewhat dated Tuscan-ish fauxpiary from Ross, circa 2005. Not bad, but in need of some love.

Fig. 2 A strip of burlap a little longer and a little wider than the pot it's going on, and jute twine {Big Lots, $1.25}

Fig. 3 Wrap & tie girls. Wrap & tie.

Fig 4. See? It's kind of cute, right?

Fig 5. Even more fauxpiary shrug love:

Fig. 6 What else can we do with burlap? How about staple it to the back of a vintage window for a little texture?

It helps when the window is mounted above a cute new basket with a faux burlap liner. Then it all coordinates. See?

And that's it. Just wrap it around something and get your burlap love on. Any other ideas where I can use the remainding 1/3 of a yard of scratchy perfection?

bon apetit

2009-06-29T16:47:00.001-07:00

Even though my dining room is "finished", i still tweak stuff over and over. And lately I've been finding some of the best dining room photos for inspiration. There seems to be a theme to what I like and I have to keep reminding myself that i have some of these very same elements...

this is one of my very favorite dining rooms from Cottage Living. Love the wall color, the chunky table, the fantastic striped end chairs, the b&w photos, all of it. not to mention the rug.

Again, another favorite from CL. I too have a chunky wood table, grey-green walls, mismatched chairs, crystal chandelier.

Love the frames... the drapes are really pretty and the symmetry is nice, although it's a little too formal for my taste. But elements of it are nice.

What even needs to be said about this? The texture of the chairs is amazing and I love the updated dark grey paint. Also love all the white dishes, which I too have an abundance of.

This is just plain adorable.

Love the simple centerpiece and the striking chairs.

Again, I love the symmetry and that bench and chairs are great with the old table. Such a good mix of old/new and high/low.

Love the slips, and the stacks of white dishes, glassware, fresh greenery and textured basket.

And some repeats, but they're also some of my faves so I'm putting them all in one location. Please forgive me...

LOVE!!!

THE LOVE CONTINUES... PERFECTION.

So charming...

ditto...

So what I take away from this is:
I love my walls.
I love my table and chairs.
I love my drapes.
I love all my white dishes.
I love my crystal chandelier.

{click here if you want to see what the heck I'm talking about although I've tweaked it pretty darn good since then...}

I have thinned everything out, accessorized less, and pared down to the basics of what i really love:
texture, white dishes, some tarnished silver, cloches, and my beloved botanical prints, plus a tray of different candleholders as a simple but interesting centerpiece {I know, a picture would be worth a thousand words here, duh me I am so lazy right now}.

So the question is:
Why do I continue to look at all the eye candy out there? Am I ever really satisfied? People compliment me all the time on my "style" and yet I never seem to feel satisfied internally. It is something I am working on. I am so grateful for what I have and yet I always think I could do something better. Does this ring any bells with you? I mean, can you relate???

sneak peek at the boudoir...

2009-06-26T16:50:00.001-07:00

just a couple of sneak peeks into my room, which is far from finished... but until then, hope you enjoy these little pictures...

p.s. there really is nothing french about this room {you should have seen all the toile and puckered drapes and french lady pictures I just pulled out of it for french!} other than the writing on the botanical print, so I use the term "boudoir" very loosely here

blame it on Ralph

2009-06-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

So I was innocently shopping in TJ Maxx in the bedding section when a beautiful thing caught my eye. It was a ticking stripe sheet. But not just any sheet - a ticking stripe sheet with a slight flouncy ruffle with a tiny trim of cream lace. Stop. It. Now. Naturally it was Ralph Lauren, and at $6.99 I decided I would buy it and make a window mistreatment out of it for the kitchen slider - the bluebird shower curtain thing was beginning to bug me. I know, I know. Crazy.

Anyways, let me cut to the chase and say I haven't taken any pictures of this darling RL creation yet, but I will. But what happened next is why I blame Ralph. Not only was the sheet darling, but it is in the tan/grey/taupe/blue family I've been craving so much lately. And then I walked down the lamp aisle....

I found 2 black lamps with burlapish shades with black trim for my bedroom. And that's where the bedroom redesign all began. Perhaps I should have prefaced this by saying I made several hundred dollars at my garage sale Saturday (yay me!) and I was "recycling" it into home decor purchases. Oh the cycle and the madness. Anyways, before I know it I'm at Home Goods 45 minutes away and am stumbling upon the most fabulous repro botanical in black white and taupe. I had been craving change for some time and a theme was fast developing... I am updating my bedroom which hasn't been touched in 2 years. Out with the red/white/taupe, in with black/white/cream/taupe. It is so refreshing and so much lighter feeling. But until it's done I'll spare you the agony and just post AMAZING pics I discovered on a new site: decorpad. If you haven't already visited it, please do! It is chock full of great images. Here is just a few pieces of pure eye candy in my new obsession theme: neutrals. I promise I'll be back with pictures of my house soon. I am making lots of little changes - think neutral, texture, and sparkle.

oh my.

2009-06-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

as a quick postscript to my last note, I believe i just discovered heaven on the internet... please check out Par Courrier for amazing eye candy. To me, these pictures are style perfected.

picking chin up off of chest. wiping up drool. going to dismantle house and start over now.

{escape}

2009-06-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

If you read my last post, you know my MIL has been staying with me since June 1. Enough said. Hence the title of this post. I am also preparing for a garage sale and am purging loads of stuff. I have really been craving a pared down, more simple life, focused on family and my home and my faith. The problem is I am a collector, but I also can't stand clutter. And lately my house feels so cluttered - my months of accumulating garage sale and thrifting finds have gotten to me. So I'm a-purgin. And in my desperate attempt to ESCAPE I am dreaming of neutral, pared down interiors... thought you might enjoy these images, even though some of them are probably repeats. They just match my mood so I'm posting them anyways. Hope you are all WELL! Until next time...

Writer's Sanctuary by maniac maggie * on Polyvore.com

Find me on Polyvore
*created by Reese & Marie*

a site for {uninspired} eyes

2009-05-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

With nearly 3 weeks since my last post, I feel like I needed to at least surface and say hello! Thank you for checking on me. Everything is well here, just very hectic. I have my mother in law coming to stay with us for 17 days, starting 6.1, and we have been rearranging the house because our TV went out and hubs insisted on buying a large TV which necessitated the purchase of a media console, which necessitated losing at least one piece of furniture in the living and family rooms, which made for loads of rearranging and tweaking and condensing and spring cleaning. Whew. No pics yet as we're still not done. And when we are done, it won't be that exciting so don't get your hopes up. Anyways, I just bumped into this site today: http://abeachcottage.tumblr.com {for some reason I cannot get it to link!} and thought I'd share. I'm not a beachy decor person per se, but with these lovely pictures to inspire, who cares what the style is called? Hope you enjoy....

{discoveries}

2009-05-07T22:40:00.001-07:00

vintage blue & gold chocolate tin: $2.50

Vintage french transferware plates $8.50 each
Robins egg blue plates: $2 Marshall's specials

$10 garage sale mirror, free picture ledge-turned-faux-mantle from my parents, $7 robins egg blue platter from Marshall's and leather pouf from Morocco (gift from sis & moroccan husband)

Amazing beaded crystal sconces: $20 each at Home Goods
Antique butter pats above them: $1 each at an estate sale

Old books: $1 each various garage and estate sales

Antique sugar bowl: $3 Goodwill

Little robins egg blue chalkboard: $5

So surprised to discover that I have an unintentional ironstone sugar bowl collection.... hilarious. See what happens when you tweak your house??? What's been your latest score?

p.s. For an absolutely amazing home tour, hop over to Maison Douce and check this out:

http://isabellang.blogspot.com/2009/05/oh-happy-day.html

{smitten/tangents}

2009-05-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

My love affair with blue goes on... it was reignited when I bought two vintage french blue transferware plates {pics to come soon} during out trip to Monterey at this place, the site of some serious shopping:

Could you just die for this plate? I have never seen anything like it!!!

But, as I get older, I give myself permission more and more to go all white, maybe with just a hint of color:

It's hard to do in my house with my leather and tapestry couch and chair and heavy antique wood dining table, but I work it in wherever I can and when in doubt, I paint it white. When I am buying something new for the house, I choose white. It all started when I was a little girl visiting family in Ohio, and we went into this place called 'Lenora & Larissa'. I'll never ever forget it. Everything was white, old linens, huge feathery beds, creaky wood floors, lavender and powder scents in the air, I was in heaven. I never forgot the feeling that store gave me. As I said, as I get older I give myself permission to go all white. I can't wait till I'm living {someday, not soon} in an all white environment. Yum.

But I'm also loving the bohemian granny chicness of these images, most from Atlanta Bartlett:

How nice to have choices! Hope you're all well. My sister is in labor so I'm playing the waiting game. Hope to have an update soon!

Love,
Kari

i've lost it...

2009-05-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

... my mojo that is.

It all started innocently enough. I was preparing for a 4 day work/vacation in Monterey with the hubs and kids for hubs company's annual shareholders meeting. {Translation: Hubs works 14 hour days for like 3 weeks preparing for this and then works all day Friday and part of Saturday and has Sunday off in Monterey. Company puts us up in a big fancy shmancy suite and gifts us massages and tickets to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to make up for crazy work hours.} Fun, but not a total vacation if you know what I mean. Still great, who would've paid for our suite otherwise? This time I got smart, I took a nanny {translation: our 13 year old baby sitter} with us who was all to happy to help me with the kids while John worked in exchange for loot and great company parties and beach BBQs.

So I digress. All the preparing led me to no blogging. Then the actual vacation happened and I'm a freak and won't announce on my blog that I'm out of town, so that explains that part of the absence. But then we got back and the laundry piled up and the toys were screaming to be purged and reorganized and darn it if the pantry didn't *beg* me to be moved and rearranged again. And then I thought, what the heck will I blog about anyways? I have no projects completed, I'm too lazy to upload all our vacation photos. What. Do. I. Do?

So, I did this: Nothing. And you know what? It felt pretty good. So since you've now read {if you're not snoring by now} 4,356 words of mine with no pretty pictures or POINT, I am going to post random non-sensical fabulousness I've collected recently online. Hope you enjoy. And yes, I got 2 awards in my absence and right now I am so tired I can't even find the images to post and then forward to 20 people. Please forgive me. I hope I find my mojo soon. You'll be the first to know when I do. Thanks for checking in on a sista and everything. Y'all are the best.

p.s. If I stole one of the above images from your blog, I sincerely apologize. I cannot for the life of me keep track of where I get things from. I save them for my own enjoyment then when I'm desperate for something to post on, like now, I scrounge them up. My sincerest apologies if I offended you or committed a faux-pas.

Would you....

2009-04-17T14:48:00.001-07:00

...give me your opinion on these chairs? I am looking for a pair of occasional chairs to make a small seating area in my family room where we have our kitchen/dining table. I would be putting the chairs up against the long wall and have a small french inspired table in between them. Their purpose would be to sit and have a cup of coffee, chat with a friend or enjoy the nearby fireplace. Or if I'm preparing a meal, 2 of my guests could be sitting in these chairs which would face the kitchen and allow for conversation.

The cushions are terrible and would need to be replaced, but should I be going more for an upholstered look, or would these suit my needs? What do you think??? I want to know. They are 2 for $90, by the way, if that should influence your decision at all...

{french kitchen}

2009-04-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

French Kitchen by Kari @ Reese & Marie on Polyvore.com

I have some ideas for upcoming posts, but until they come to fruition, I am stuck. So I'm playing around again on Polyvore. In real life I've always had to make do with so many furnishings I already own or were given to me and such a lack of a budget, so it's such a trip to be able to pick out anything you want and build a look. So addicting!

you asked for it...the infamous article

2009-04-14T21:38:00.001-07:00

This was a nightmare to scan in... sorry if the quality is crappy. I love her use of neutrals but with a decidedly french flavor. I think her accessories are great, love the placement of everything, and the couch is very similar to mine, so it's inspiring. Her dining room is almost perfect... if that was a rustic farm table, beat up and raw, it would be perfect. But skip all my yacking and without further adieu, here is the infamous article. Hope you like it as much as I do... it's now being stored in my favorites file...

p.s. This just goes to show that even random, weirdness {to me anyway, hope I'm not offending anyone but admit it, it's completely dorky} like Country Sampler can have a good article now and then. I look at everything in the decor section on the newsstand because you never know...

{apothecary}

2009-04-13T22:19:00.000-07:00

There are few things more inspiring to me than apothecaries: the bottles, the labels, the history. I am totally intrigued by old bottles and the labels on them, not to mention the stores they used to be sold in. Just for fun, I'm doing a whole post on the things that inspire me so much.

Vintage store displays

modern day apothecary from annette62 on flickr

an antique apothecary jar found in my grandmother's backyard

antique apothecary containers

Verbena, Sally's apothecary in the movie Practical Magic

an antique apothecary set

a fantastic Absinthe bar... not really apothecary but it has that flavor. And it's fabulous so who cares? did you note the peely-paint walls and the amazing mirror???

a private apothecary collection

an apothecary inspired repro cabinet

JR Watkins: modern day apothecary products at an affordable rate

the ultimate in french apothecary: Cote Bastide

french apothecary labels courtesy of The Graphics Fairy.

Hope you enjoy...

I FOUND IT!

2009-04-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who answered. I found it. In the one place I refused to look because I swore it wouldn't be in there. Duh. Boy do I feel stupid.

I'm so happy I might just scan the whole d&*@&%* thing and post it for your viewing pleasure.

FYI, it was from Country Sampler 2008. OMG.

a little favor from moi... and a prize...

2009-04-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hi ladies,

Hope you had a lovely weekend! I have a favor to ask you...

A while back {not exactly sure how long ago, but probably within the last year} there was an article in either Romantic Country, Budget Decor, or one of those type of magazines {I think}that featured artist Kimberly Poloson's home. It was called 'On Neutral Ground' or 'Neutral Territory' or something like that. It was all about her neutral decor and french style.

I am desperately seeking that article and cannot for the life of me find it in my 500+ magazine stash. Do you have any idea what magazine it was in? All you french lovers... if you're also magazine obsessed like me you will know what article I'm talking about, hopefully!

Edited to add: I have decided to sweeten the pot by awarding a small prize from my home to the first person who can tell me which magazine and issue this article was in.

Looking forward to your responses! Sorry for the boring post...

...what I can't live without...

2009-04-08T08:39:00.001-07:00

The cheapest and the best. I have at least 3 cups a day with milk or cream.

The best dish soap. Ever. Not only does it look cute on your sinktop, it cleans like the dickens and never allows your sponge to mold. Excellent.

This stuff smells fantastic, shines up granite counters and wood tables alike, and is the best quick-i-better-clean-cuz-someone's-coming-over-in-5-minutes product you can find. Your guests will thank you.

Thrifting. Because who can resist a great Goodwill story?

Dishes. Lots of 'em. No matter how my decor changes, white dishes {particularly ironstone} are a mainstay for me. I have them all over the house and I never tire of their shapes, their creaminess, their patina.

Flea Markets. Inspiration galore, fabulous finds for a steal, my most favorite thing to do.

Other bloggers. How else would I find this image of the most enchanted garden party I've ever seen? Found on The World According to Isa, my new blog crush.

My husband and kids, naturally.

Even when they make a huge mess...

What's on your can't live without list?

{vintage paris}

2009-04-05T19:43:00.001-07:00

had a little fun on Flickr tonight... thought I'd share.

tattered & fabulous

simple & serene

just the right amount of age

perfection

lovely ladies...

so bohemian

tattered bohemian

like a dream

a must-have...

an all-time fave image of mine...

paris.... in sepia tones. perfection.

what I did....

2009-04-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

with those black picture frames that were on the white dresser in my last post... I totally copied the Nester.

When I saw her post on framing a shrimp fork {I have a great one, it wouldn't fit in these frames} I knew what I had to do. I had been wanting to somehow display a butterknife from my Great Grandma and this was a great solution. I added a spoon from my collection and wha-la. I am a total rip-off artiste. What can I say??? Then I read that people thought she was pulling an April-fools joke... what??? This is like the cutest thing I've ever seen, people! I guess judging from my sister's reaction {"Okay? Your creativite ideas are um, very interesting, dude."} I guess that not everyone thinks so. I think vintage silverware mounted on french script scrapbook paper is tres chic. I guess I think it's so cute that I guess I don't care what anyone else thinks.

Have a great weekend!

before & after :: take 2

2009-04-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

Again, what is with the fuzzy weird gray lighting? I swear I don't know. It could be my skylight {?}

Here is the same area, with some tweaks. I lost the scarf at Kasey's bidding, I lost the wreath at several other people's requests, and I replaced the two black frames with 2 antique gold ones to match the antique gold {empty} wood frame up top. I know it's slightly off-center... need to fix that. For now I am leaving the shelves black, out of pure laziness. But I think it's an improvement. The whole things feels lighter and more coordinated with mostly gold and white with a few pops of black. Thanks for the feedback! So whaddya think, is this better, or worse?

before & after

2009-03-31T11:16:00.000-07:00

With spring here and in an effort to lighten things up around my house, I decided to tackle a piece last weekend that had been bugging me to no end lately. This dresser was posted about here... it has served me well for many years but it was time to go white. Everytime I paint a piece white {which has been many, many times} I never regret it. So I knew it was time.

Here is the before. Clunky & heavy and the pine sides were enough to make me drink.

Here it is after a coat of white mixed up from leftovers in my garage and distressed:

A close-up of the distressing.

In an effort to blend my love of white furniture with my tapestry and leather couches, I had to drape a honey colored scarf over it... otherwise I would have left it bare. And I realize it's still really cluttered, but the family photos have to go somewhere.

See how good it looks looking down the entry hall now {and this is TOTAL BLOG LOVE cuz my house is a wreck and Neva is watching Zoboomafoo and I didn't even close the entertainment center for you...

Here is that same corner of my living room {with a different mirror in the corner} on a normal day:

Now, do I paint the black shelves above the dresser to match? I think it might look better....

p.s. I don't know why the photos look so washed out... I tried flash and no flash. It must be the time of day here and my lighting. Sorry.

p.s.s. {or is it p.p.s.?} I wanted to order glass knobs for the dresser, but I actually think I will leave the knobs as is because it ties it in with my big heavy living room furniture just beyond it. And it looks kind of Ballard-ish with those simple little knobs. Thoughts?

{brocante}

2009-03-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a great weekend. I had fun at the yard sales Saturday, even though they were pretty disappointing. I have never seen so many crockpots, neon stuffed animals and car tires in my life. Not to mention clothes. I did however get 1 or 2 little treasures. And I had a great time with my friend Cassandra and her Mom, Mary. Here is some of what I found yardsaling and at a recent estate sale:

Little Italian framed print $3 {key from Kasey at Lola B's}

French print $1

crazy oil painting of woman that looked french to me {maybe not} about $8

Books galore, most from the 1850's-1890's. $1 each.

Little lid to who-knows-what $1.

little white teapot $1.

I got a few other things but forgot to take pictures. Maybe in another post. Hope you enjoyed my new little tresors.

playing around....

2009-03-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

on polyvore....

i think i could live in a room like this. don't know exactly how to describe it, but i know i love it.

Dream living room - by kpayne on Polyvore.com

{merci}

2009-03-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

First of all, I just want to say thanks to everyone who reads and posts on this blog. I know my posts have been few and far between, but I have just been so busy with life. However, I miss doing regular posts and am working on at least one, so stay tuned.

Secondly, I am so honored to "know" so many of you through your blogs, some of you I have even forged friendships with outside of the blog world. But I am especially honored today to have received the giveaway package from Ness at Marley & Lockyer. Let me just say I do not ever win anything. Ever. If my Mom was the one doing the giveaway I wouldn't win. I don't win prizes at baby showers, I don't ever win anything. But this time I won. Look at the adorable package I received, sent all the way from Tasmania, Australia at great personal expense of Ness!!!

Is it not adorable? I love the little floral paper wrap on top of the brown packing paper. So chic.
When I opened it up, I was so happy to see the contents:
{don't know why that is posting sideways... hmmm}

And a close up of the little floursack pillow. Darling.

I am busy figuring out where I am going to put my new gifts, and beaming that someone in Australia didn't put my name back into the hat and pull out someone a little more local to send the giveaway items to. I'm just floored that I received such a thoughtful, generous gift from a blogging friend.

Merci Beaucoup!

p.s. Tomorrow a little town near me is having a city-wide "trash to treasure" yard sale. I'll be there with my running shoes on tomorrow and hopefully will have a fun post about the treasures I find. Stay tuned.

Kids Corner - flea market style

2009-03-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

So I'm always looking for creative ways to contain the kid clutter. Throwing toys out or giving them away would be one option, although my kids would totally disagree. So, we have to work with it. I fashioned this kid corner into my family room using some pieces I already had. Nothing was bought specifically for this purpose.

When we rearranged our family and dining rooms {read about it here} our family room lost our seating area and gained a casual table and chairs, formerly in our dining room. This sort of pushed the "kid-centricness" of the room aside. Determined to give them a place to play near the kitchen, I took the coffee table from the former seating area and stuck a junky little bookshelf I had painted black and distressed on top of it. This way their books are up at their height and they're not tempted to empty it all out onto the floor. Now they also have a place to play and draw and eat, but it's still compact.

By the way, this coffee table was a $19 Salvation Army find which I sanded down and painted cottage white and then distressed. Very affordable if you want to replicate this or make your own kid station.

Next I added a little crocheted lace cafe curtain on a tension rod {both of which I already had} to hide the bright clutter of the books. It's a little too short which has ended up being a good thing because it reminds them there are books under there.

Lastly I added some buckets for toy storage, a vintage chalkboard and little old enamel colander for toy odds-and-ends and a vintage enamel french coffeepot just to tie it in with the rest of the room. Done and done.

So what do you think?

{luscious}

2009-03-21T18:15:00.001-07:00

Lately {or as I get older} I am finding myself attracted to more feminine interiors. In that spirit, here you go. Luscious eye candy for your weekend. Enjoy!

isn't this the perfect mix of shabby, paris flea market, and cottage? love.

how perfect is this?

this isn't necessarily feminine, but how awesome is this?

if i stole this from your blog, i apologize. i don't remember where i got this image.

~a moroccan baby shower~

2009-03-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

The shower for my sister, Jonna, turned out really nice. We had a nice group of about 25 people, not too big, not too small, the food was great and all the little touches really went a long way.

The "theme" or more accurately the flavor of the shower was Moroccan as my sis's hubs is from Marrakech. She had brought back miniature tagines and sachets filled with lavender and rose petals from her last trip so we used those as favors and loosely based the rest of the decor around that. It was not really a traditional baby shower in the sense that it wasn't all pink and white but rather deep satured colors...

My sister and I. She is very swollen at almost 8 mos preggo so she will kill me for this picture. I on the other hand have no excuse.

The spread. The beautiful indian scarf was on my head table when I was married almost 7 years ago. I had a really unique vintage hollywood/victorian flavor with hints of india & morocco at my wedding if you can imagine. Probably not. So anyways, this lovely deep indigo scarf is very sentimental. We had mostly typical food with the exception of Chicken Silicia {our fave middle eastern specialty} and we served moroccan mint tea in darling moroccan tea glasses.

The gorgeous cake from Le Gateau Elegant. If you're in the area, you must use this bakery! Their cakes are amazing.

The favors.

The diaper cake I made using this method. This is a terrible picture because of the lighting, but it was sooooo cute.

The gorgeous roses in a hurricane filled with fresh limes.

Jonna opening the hand knitted baby blanket and sweater from our Mimi.

That's it. I'll be back with a cute decorating idea post either later today or tomorrow.

little lovelies

2009-03-13T22:36:00.001-07:00

Just a few beautiful images to start the weekend off right...

Who wouldn't love a blue antique armoire?

Speaking of pantries.... oh my gosh.... LOVE everything about this image. So charming...

and if my desire for rum & diet coke or gin & tonic {yes, I'm old school} ever outweighs the need to store peanut butter, here is what I'm gonna do with my french pantry:

And just a lovely little spring image...

Ditto.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

French Pantry: Before & After

2009-03-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

In my not-so-large kitchen, I have a real lack of food storage. So, in my attached family-room-turned-eat-in-kitchen, I put a large TV cabinet that I was no longer using for it's original purpose. Cute, no? But as you approach.... beware.......

{jaws music playing}
It's a train wreck inside!!! With the baby shower this weekend, I thought "oh dear lord, what if someone needs to grab some ketchup and has to open my pantry?" So I thought I better clean it out and spiff it up a little. The idea of my french pantry was born.

First I cleaned it all out. I {unfortunately} had tons of food that had expired and had to be thrown away. Bad me.

Then I decided I wanted something cute to line the shelves with. I wanted to use tea towels, or these cute placemate I have, or lace or something. I wanted it to have a vintage, frenchy feel.

I decided to use my Grandmother's lace doilies. I don't usually have them out in my house so this is a way to admire them without them being under a plant or something. And I think it gives it that cute vintage flavor I was after. For the containers, I used only things I had on hand... photo storage boxes {for more ideas on how to use these, click here} cute baskets, metal bins, my coffee dyed french stamped tags for labels, and that's it! Et voila!

The top shelf.

I love storing my sugars and whole wheat flour in these big jars from Cost Plus. Add a cute tag and I thoroughly enjoy getting out the sugar. I also hung a great tray my Mom got me in France on the back wall of the pantry, using Velcro. Worked like a charm. Now I have something to look at when I'm digging for mac-n-cheese.

The 2nd shelf. Used 2 matching garden metal bins {these are also great to use for beverage tubs at parties} more lace from Mimi, a vintage wine box w/ french stamp, and a little garden bunny, to block the Skippy, just cuz.

Here's a cute metal basket I repurposed to hold beans:

A close up of the tags, tied with jute twine.

More frenchy cuteness:

And finally, I hung 2 salad-drying bags {vintage, but like 1980's vintage, but cute anyways} from an upholstery tack as well as the back side of a vintage french postcard, bought here.

Eventually, I would like to hang a vintage apron up inside, and add some more postcards to the inside of the doors. Or, decopage cute frenchy scrapbook paper inside. Hmmm, that's sounds really cute. I will work on that next. Hope you enjoy and are inspired to tackle a closet or cabinet that's {insert Jaw's music} horrendous!

p.s. I used the word "cute" 11 times. Pathetic. I need a new word. Ideas?

{snapshots}

2009-03-10T13:26:00.001-07:00

Here are a few random snapshots I took of some details around me today. I love these kinds of details... to me they tell so much about someone's style. Enjoy.

Feeling Blue

2009-03-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

Robins-egg blue that is. Remember this post? Well, it started a domino effect of adding blue to my family room. I am hosting a baby shower for my sister this Saturday and restyling my family room the week before the shower was a tad stressful, hence the lack of blog posts.

This room has always bugged me; it's like a big box with high ceilings and no architectural interest {no crown moulding, no large mantel on the firplace, etc.} I will have to reveal the whole room one of these days, but in the meantime take my word that it's difficult to make it cozy without it feeling cluttered.

And I had almost no money to do this on. I was determined to spend a very small amount of money {like $30 or less} and use what I had on hand to spruce things up and incorporate more blue. I did it with splashes of blue around the room, like this robin's egg blue platter and plates, for a total of $14. The throw on the chair was clearanced at $10 and it added another great pop of color.

I had the pillow already in my stash, as well as the frames. You know, it's hard to get a frenchy/shabby/cottagey/farmhouse look at all, let alone without making it look like you tried too hard. But that's a whole other post. I would love to replace my {very comfortable} leather club chair with something a little more vintage and french, but that's not in the cards right now. So back to the room....

I added some details of blue and brown around, like these 2 vintage plates:

That's all of the sneak peek for now. I will plan on posting the whole room maybe next week once the shower is over. For now, I'm off to wash all my white linens, schedule the carpet cleaning and finish the diaper cake. So many details to tend to....

xo
-Kari

kitchen love

2009-03-03T19:19:00.001-08:00

I've always been a fan of simple, rustic, mostly white kitchens. I love the industrial meets country chic quality of them, and if you throw in a few french references and stacks of ironstone, I am just in love.

But lately, almost inexplicably, I've been drawn to more of a cozy, cottage kitchen style. Think teapots, teacups, embroidered towels, and something your Grandma would've baked pies in. I think it may have to do with the fact that I can't change any of the surfaces {read about it here} so no beaded board, painted cabinets and carrera marble for this chica. So I like to accessorize with great vintage finds, urns, white pottery, linens, vintage silver, and other little treasures.

But every once in a while I get the urge to break out of my white/cream/silver/brown/black rut and just bust out stacks of floral teacups and pitchers and floral tea towels and lace and all things cottage. I mean, just let go a little. Sorta like this, still rustic, but way more stuff:

a blue bird, a shower curtain, and a sliding glass door

2009-03-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

... also known as my $4.89 shower curtain mistreatment ...

warning: really bad photography ahead. i couldn't take decent pics of this to save my life...

When I was in Target the other day, what did I spot on the clearance end-cap but the adorable brown & white toile shower curtain I had admired on other people's blogs for a few months. It has a cute little blue bird on it, and it was on clearance for guess how much? Yes. $4.89

I bought it with no clue what I'd do with it. I thought if nothing else it would make a cute tablecloth. Where else can you get that much fabric for under $5?

Then the other night my naked sliding glass door in my family room was just taunting me. You see, this room lacks natural light and we go through the slider all the time, so drapes wouldn't have worked. And it butts right up to my kitchen cabinets, so a rod is out of the question. I wanted to soften the door though, so I mustered up my courage, got out my supplies and got to work. This is what I ended up with:

It's sort of a faux gathered valance using the Nester's method of safety pins, ribbon, upholstery tacks and my finger (to shove in the tacks). I didn't even iron it. I think the Nester would be proud. And actually, I really really like it. Other than the fact that it caused me to redo all the accessories in the room from red accents to blue. And that caused me a near nervous breakdown the other night because I'm having a baby shower for my sister here in 2 weeks and of course want it to look perfect. But I'm not stressing or anything. Hee.

Hope you like it!

{le bain}

2009-02-25T12:06:00.000-08:00

When we bought our little rancher nearly 2 years ago, one of the things that attracted us to it was that it was in move-in condition. Brand new cabinets, granite, flooring and fixtures. Mind you, if I had my druthers this is not what I would have picked, but it is very nice so I am grateful. You see, we did not have ca$h to come in and rip out bathrooms or buy new granite just 'cause I didn't like the old/new stuff.

So I have tried hard to infuse my personality and style in through the fabrics and accessories I chose all the while trying to blend it in with the updated almost contemporary {maybe more traditional?} vibe of the previous owner's upgrades. I think it works, but I'll let you be the judge...

{the hall bath}

decorated in shades of white, cream, black and gold to compliment the granite countertop and tumbled marble floor and shower. The rug {not shown} is just a plush muted gold color. So snuggly for little ones stepping out of the bath.

I did not want to have a full shower curtain because the shower doors and tile are quite pretty, but I wanted some softness. I also did not want a big ugly rod stretching the width of the shower and taking attention away from the pretty accent tiles and the nice brushed stainless glass doors. So I copied this idea from a friend. I attached a towel bar {purchased to match the existing ones in the bathroom} to the ceiling and hung an extra long Ikea white curtain panel {I cut off the tab tops} which my Grandma Mimi sewed gold pom-pom trim onto. It softens the space without making it feel smaller which was a big concern. And I can have my gateau and eat it too.

A bit of clearance toile ribbon holds it back:

Here is a vintage mirror I painted black then distressed. The more light bouncing around in this very small space, the better:

I have a thing for all white towels. They scream clean and spa to me, plus they match anything.

The cool light fixture installed by the previous owners:

A shabby antique chair I got {the chippy paint in tones of cream and butterscotch matches the bathroom exactly!} for my girls to stand on to brush their teeth:

My little vignette above the toilette {hey, that rhymes!}

The little girl's slip is vintage and was in my friend's mother's collection. So sweet.

An urn type thing filled with fabulous french and greek soaps, lavender, and seashells.

Some little containers on the countertop. All found on clearance and the little china cup is from the Salvation Army. A darling q-tip holder.

A little french mirror and vintage french postcard.

I even coordinated the soap and room spray. Gotta love Marshalls.

My antique transferware platter scored for a mere $13!

Lastly, a golden starfish to round out the color scheme.

Hope you enjoyed the little tour!

Perfection is what you make of it

2009-02-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

I am feeling so inspired to live today. Two posts in particular {really, all your posts inspire me every single day} really helped me feel this way:

Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality blogged about entertaining simply by having friends over for lunch instead of dinner. Her suggestions to keep it simple, skip dessert, serve water and others were so liberating for me. How many times have I stressed and ended up not having anyone over because I wanted to make it perfect and lavish and didn't really want the work and stress that comes with that? It is far better to be with friends simply than not be with them at all. What a life lesson.

And the Nester over at Nesting Place talks about how to love your home no matter what. I commented that another thing that prevents us from loving our home is that constant search for perfection. No matter how pretty a room of mine is or how many compliments i get in real life or on my blog, I am always looking to make it better. That is very defeating and not at all liberating or inspiring. So I vow to quit. I will live with the beauty I have now and be so grateful for it.

Which is why I'm posting this picture of my older daughter, Neva:

She picked her own outfit, threw on a cowboy hat and gave me the toothiest grin ever and you know what? It's perfection. Let's celebrate the perfect imperfectness of our lives and enjoy the beauty surrounding us while we can. How grateful I am for my life today...

xoxo
Kari

Birds of a Feather {installment 3}

2009-02-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

I am trying to do this post at least once a month because I find other bloggers so inspiring. There is so much creativity out there! Let me know if you enjoy this kind of post. If you do, you can read my past posts "Birds of a Feather" here and here. Here are some snippets that I have had the pleasure of discovering lately and want to share with you.

First up is Brooke at Velvet and Linen. Would you take a look at her home! I am in love...

Starting at the front door and woven through each room is a graceful character with nods to the sea and old cottage charm...

Aren't the chippy, shabby architectural elements to die for?

This is perfection. I want to steal this landing area. Might not work so well in a one-story 1970's rancher, but a girl can dream.

And her bedroom is the stuff of dreams. How perfectly shabby!

Please stop by and pay her a visit. Her blog is wonderful and very worth your time.

Next is Jill over at Forever*Cottage. She just helped her friend put together a family photo wall using old window frames! I absolutely love this and I would replicate the look in a heartbeat if I could ever be so lucky as to find 3 of something!

She also recently gave a beautiful tour of her friend's amazing home. This image is my absolute favorite and I would like to recreate my family room to look like this when my kids are past the sticky fingers stage. Isn't this just breathtaking? And check out that mirror!

Jill has the best taste, and it seems her friends do, too! Please stop by her blog and tell her I sent you. She is very sweet and has lots to share.

Next is Gina at Willow Decor. She recently remodeled her kitchen and it is so pretty and clean and classic yet contemporary:

She also created a butlers pantry {!} out of a small office off the kitchen. These cabinets are perfect, and what a way to display your collection of dishes! I can't even begin to imagine... my ironstone obsession would grow ten-fold.

The attention to {period} detail is amazing. It really looks like I imagine a butler's pantry would look in the 1920's.

And I can't leave out the guys over at Barn House. If they didn't live like 100 hours away I would so be there at their sales... especially when they combine with the Queen of Tarte! Here is just one snippet from her opening sale:

They also have links to many other fellow bloggers who took pictures of Cindy's barn opening. I hope they go to Alameda soon so I can go shop their booth!

That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed this little foray into blogland through my eyes.

-Kari

Chez Moi - a sneak peek into Neva's room

2009-02-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

Come on in....

Recently I decided to update Neva's room {Neva Marie is my almost-5-year old and part of the name of my blog...} with accents of chocolate brown. I know it's a little trendy, but it's so cute with pink! And everything in her room is pink. It's her favorite color. The walls are Carnation Pink and the daybed {bless my mother's heart} was mine from the 1980's. Not exactly what I wanted, but nostalgic nonetheless.

Sorry the lighting is so bad {not sure why they look so gray?}... her room is actually pretty pink.

When I updated her room, I used existing pillows and recovered them with brown and white polka dot fabric, and pink and white paisley fabric on the faux fur one. Cheap and easy. Her quilt is actually flipped over today to lighten things up a bit. Normally it's on the hot-pink with white polka dot side. I prefer the lighter pinstripes. There is a plush chocolate brown blanket on one end of the bed perfect for naps {which she very rarely takes. darnit.}

Her vintage dresser which used to be mine.

Her little collection of teacups and eiffel towers, and the cute frenchy figurines {on the bottom shelf. so cute}

Her dress up station in the corner is a vintage coat rack. It's filled with princess dresses.

p.s. I know the drapes are too short. I have yet to buy fabric to extend them. Just keepin' it real girls.

A vintage restaurantware platter and 2 new transferware plates around a picture of my 2 girls together when Ava was only 3 months old...

A little vignette with an old picture frame, a cute little bird's nest and homemade Paris artwork {made out of scrapbook paper and a photocopy of a Paris gift bag}

One more shot of the bed and mirrors above. The ribbon on the antique ceiling tin miror hangs from a vintage glass knob. I used brown ribbon a lot throughout the room to add little shots of brown here and there.

Her darling lamp which I updated with brown pom-pom fringe hot glued on.

Another shot of the too-short drapes. The only things I didn't photograph were the Rose Petal Cottage and the play kitchen. Thought I'd spare you.

That's it! Thanks so much for stopping by...

10 minute makeover

2009-02-18T08:19:00.001-08:00

In honor of The Nester's party, here is my 10 minute makeover.... hope you like it.

I am hosting my sister's baby shower at my home in about 3 weeks, so I wanted to freshen up the decor a bit. One of the things that's been bugging me are a couple of my faux arrangements. Now, I love them, but they felt a bit heavy for spring and I wanted to lighten at least the one by the front door up a bit. Here it is in it's before state. Very green and brown:

So I removed all the stems and put back in just the longest ones, the most architectural ones.

Once I got those arranged, I added in some more architectural pieces like fern:

Lastly, I added in some dried hydrangeas from my garden so the look isn't completely faux. It has a softer, springy palette and I thought it looked great.

But a couple more tweaks made it even more springy. I switched out the tray for a white shabby one and added a light colored finial.

Then I tucked some french postcards in the mirror above it to repeat the colors in the hydrangeas and now I love it!

Sweet Nostalgia

2009-02-17T16:45:00.000-08:00

Every Tuesday my Mom, Grandmother and me and the girls get together. We rotate houses every week and most of the time we just visit and eat lunch and play with the girls. But frequently Mom and Grandma bring little presents for the girls {new outfits or toys} and sometimes I get something too.

Well, Grandma or Mimi as we affectionately refer to her, busted out today. She said that at a visit to my sister's house last week while looking at several little things from my Great-Grandmother she realized I have almost nothing from her. Because of weird family dynamics, Mimi got very few items from her Mother when she died. Between 11 brothers and sisters and all the generations after them, she got aced out pretty good. But I guess she managed to grab a couple of items others didn't deem valuable or nostalgic. I beg to differ.

Mimi came today with a bag of the sweetest items for me. I was so touched to receive these little treasures from my Portuguese Great Grandmother, the one married to a dairy farmer, the one who left the Azores at 18 never again making it back to see her own parents or family, the one who raised 11 children on a farmer's meager income during the depression. The one that I have memories of as a child, all of which I hold dear.

My Great Grandparents were such simple farm people. They had almost nothing and raised all 11 kids in a tiny little farmhouse. These things would have been very precious to her because they didn't have money for a lot of extras. Not only does this make these things extra special, it reminds me about how fortunate I am and how good I have it. I like to remind myself that generations of women before me did without many of the things I take for granted, and oh how these little farmers wife's treasures remind me of that. I am so grateful and how I wish times were simple like they were back then.... you know, bakin' pies and feedin' the chickens and raisin' the kids. So pure.

The vintage tablecloth under all the items was used by my Great Grandma, and the little butter knife was hers as well. She hand embroidered the little tea towel, and hand crocheted the doily and little pink potholder so tight it almost looks like tatting.

And of course, how darling is this little turquoise bird bath? My Mom gave me the little nest with 2, not 3, little eggs in it. Neva, my almost 5 year old said "Mom, you are the bird, and me and Ava are the little eggs!" My thoughts exactly.

Here is how I have displayed some of the items in my home. I put the doily under this darling teapot I got at a recent trip here in Roseville... if you remember, I blogged about meeting these people at the Alameda Flea Market. You can read about it here. How darling their shop is! I only wish I had my camera with me that day. You would have loved it. So paris-shabby-gardenish. Lovely.

Next us is the little birdbath. I put it in my favorite little shabby cabinet with the chicken wire back. This was a great anniversary present for my 5th anniversary from my parents. It houses my gorgeous crystal champagne flutes as well as some other lovelies.

Recognize the champagne bucket posted about here?

That's it for now... I knew you would appreciate this sweet nostalgic gesture!

xoxo

-Kari

French Dreams

2009-02-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

A long time ago I discovered this wonderful little hotel in the Luberon area of France. Discovered it on the internet, that is. I sometimes visit the site {lamadone.net} just to daydream a little. To me, it is the quintessential french country inn. I hope that if I ever visit France, I will get a chance to stay here.

Can you imagine having your fresh croissants and coffee on this glorious patio? And yes, they provide fresh croissants every morning. {wiping drool}

Or lounging poolside after a day of sight-seeing?

Imagine staying in a room this tres magnifique. Don't you just love all the attention to detail???

What a sweet bedroom...

But personally this is more my style:

I would take a kitchen like this at home, let alone at an inn! Don't you just love the black walls and the farm table and textured wicker chairs? Hmmmm, kind of like the chairs I wanted recently???

One more fabulous salon to drool over....

Hope you enjoyed this little fantasy tour!

xoxo

-Kari

Shabby Bohemian Inspiration

2009-02-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been MIA all week. I heard about what this family http://themcclenahans.blogspot.com/ went through this week and honestly I felt so grateful for my kids and I just wanted to focus on them. Blogging wasn't high priority. I guess it takes tragedy sometimes to put things in perspective. Now I am trying to focus on positive things like an upcoming project for my daughter's room. Ava is turning 2 in May and my sister is due with her first in May. She will be getting Ava's crib to use for her daughter, so I am starting to gather Ava's big girl bedding. I already bought her a bed, on super clearance at Pier One. Here is the image:

It's a twin though, and I only paid $50.00, for the complete bed. That was in my budget and I like the shape and texture, so I bought it. Would have loved an antique bed, but when you find a brand new bed with all the parts for such little dough, it's a no brainer. BTW, Ava's room is a beautiful medium blue {it was my husband's office in a former life} and although it is very untraditional for a little girl's room, it is darling. I bought her a vintage chandelier from a garage sale and she has these Simply Shabby Chic curtains from Target:

She also has a SSC dresser from Target, a cubside-find vintage nightstand and some toy bins from Land of Nod and a fabulous bohemian little hutch from my sister. I know, I know, pictures would be nice! I will share once I get the big girl bed in there and fix it all up. Which leads me to these next photos. I am not one to buy a bed set that all perfectly matches and then match it to the curtains, so although the SSC bedding is available at Target to match the curtains above, that is too easy. The insatiable bargain hunter and lover of mix-n-match vintage interiors in me will not allow me to spend $300 on perfectly matching bedding and curtains. No way.

So I will be compiling her bedding from a mix of garage sale vintage ticking stripe pillows, probably a french ticking stripe quilt from my Mom, possibly a matelasse and some SSC shams thrown in for good measure. But that could all change tomorrow. Here are some fabulous inspiration pics for the kind of look I hope to have in her room... I am thinking it's kind of cottagey, kind of shabby, kind of bohemian in the mix.

Love the bold fabric, gilt, and the birdcage. Too cute.

These colors are great. Her room is similar in more saturated shades of blue, pink, red and white.

Love the flea-market/modern/vintage mix of this picture.

This is just straight up gorgeous. No explanation necessary.

I like the details like the layered bed skirt, the layered window treatment, and the pops of blue.

OK, to me this is totally shabby bohemian. Love.

Again, love the hippie bohemian flare with the mosaics and pop of color on the ottoman.

Just a great bedding ensemble from Cottage Chic.

Love the saturated color mixed with white shabby elements, the layered bedding and the slight bohemian feel.

Oh, lest i forget a real-life fabulous bedroom, you must check out Miss Lola's over at Lola B's. Here's the link: http://lolabboutique.blogspot.com/2008/10/do-not-disturb.html I literally studied it for about 20 minutes when she first posted. Love.

Then of course, there is the queen of bohemian funk, Miss Robin Pearl Brown. Even though I have to live with a cleaner, less cluttered asthetic, I worship this woman and all her victorian madness and secretly wish I could live like this: http://www.countryliving.com/homes/how-to-get-the-look/enchanted-cottage-0505?click=main_sr
RRRrrrr, it won't let me post a photo so you'll have to visit the slide show. L-O-V-E. Have loved her forever and I have her book. If you aren't familiar, you must visit this fantasy world. OK, I got totally off track. Hope you enjoy the bedroom inspirations!

-Kari

Goodwill Hunting

2009-02-08T10:12:00.001-08:00

I had to attend a funeral out of town yesterday for a distant great-aunt. I rode with my parents and one of my daughters and it was a road trip of sorts. We decided {well, I decided and outvoted my Dad} that if we saw a Goodwill, we would stop. It's one of my favorite things to do: visit thrift shops in other towns that I am not normally in. Much to my Dad's chagrin, we found one, big as life on the main road in Roseville. We stopped and as we were browsing through piles of true junk, a shiny metal object caught my eye. What could it be?

How about a vintage french champagne bucket, from Moet & Chandon, with Made in France stamped on the bottom? I grabbed it and announced to my Mom "These sell for $125 on Vintageweave.com!"

My beauty {unable to be photographed because of camera problems} is identical to the buckets in these photos, ring handles and all. It is authentic. And I paid........

drumroll please....................................................................................................................................

...........................................$2.99 for it!!!!!!!!

When I got home, I looked up these buckets on Vintageweave.com {a favorite resource for rustic french flea-market inspiration} and I was mistaken. They sell for $149. I called my Dad and told him and he was so proud of me. He said he was glad we stopped after all. I am too! It was the score of a lifetime. So thrilled.

{a little editing, some awards, & some great thrifting finds}

2009-02-03T20:16:00.001-08:00

I'm sure you are sick to death of pictures of my dining room, but after studying the pics in my last post and living with all the new arrangements, a couple of things were really bugging me. I had to lose those topiaries... first off they are too plasticy to have down low on a table, and they were a little large and bulky for the space. I replaced them with wheat bundles I bought post-season for little of nothin'. I know wheat is associated more with fall, but I care not. I love these wheat bundles to death. And once I ripped off the raffia bows and replaced them with green grosgrain ribbon to match my walls, I was in l-o-v-e.

I also edited the hutch a little, and redid the arrangement on top. It's much cleaner now and feels less cluttered. I am really really happy with how it turned out.

Much better, don't you agree? Now I truly want to sit in here for hours. :-)

Now, on to some great thrifting finds. This cutie was only $2 and is silverplate. I will be using it for truffles and baklava at my sister's baby shower in March:

This ironstone J&G Meakin sugarbowl was found at Goodwill for $7. A bit of a splurge, but I figured I'd kick myself later if I didn't get it. Some of the silverware inside, including a spoon with a monogrammed "P" which. I. love. was only $1 each:

2 matching urns found today at Goodwill, $4 each:

This little ironstone transferware bone dish was only .50 and makes my heart sing:

And this you will not believe. I have 2 pieces of Arthur Court serveware {very expensive and pretty and nice but kind of dressy for my style} the olive boat and the granite cheese board which I love, but I never desired getting any large silver serving pieces to match as they're usually at least $100 and a little ornate for me. But, all that goes out the window when you're driving by a garage sale and see a brand-new-in-the-box-with-the-tag 16" tray that has the $99 retail sticker on it and you get it for $1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Um. yeah. That is my style. 'Nuff said.

And finally, this darling petite topiary for $2.

I think I racked up, no?

Finally, some awards. I was so sweetly awarded 2 awards last week and I am just now getting to them! Thank you so much to Jeanne over at Bushel and a Peck who gave me this award:

And a big thank you to Kathleen over at Musings From a French Cottage who bestowed me with this darling award:

Love this image!

Thank you all. I can't tell you what it means to me to have so many people interested in my blog, let alone commenting, and let alone cheering me on and liking my taste! It really has been a great outlet for me and I thank you all for your friendship.

Chez Moi - My Dining Room Completed

2009-01-30T16:03:00.000-08:00

Well here finally is a completed room in my house. I say completed very loosely because I am constantly tweaking and I'm sure I'll redo that hutch any day now. But the paint, Svelte Sage by Sherwin-Williams is not changing any time soon. The curtains are ticking inspired, the hutch, table and chairs are all vintage or antique, as is the chandelier. I have vintage and new dishes and silver displayed in my hutch. The botanicals are repro from Ross and were a gift. The shag rug is from Target. The corner chairs are borrowed from a friend {who doesn't want them back} and everything else was bought second-hand, at Ross, thrifted, or found. Hope you enjoy!

My vintage farmhouse chairs

Centerpiece - books on entertaining and a cookbook/memoir of Van Gogh combined with topiaries (faux of course) and a great finial and vintage transferware covered bowl.

My teastained upholstered corner chairs. For instructions on tea-staining, click here

A little French Gilt.... a vintage frame from a cast-off oil painting and a vintage french postcard turned backward to see the french handwriting... circa 1920's

Ironstone platters on the wall

A shot looking into the kitchen

An Update and An Award

2009-01-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

First things first. I received this wonderful award {last week, yikes!} from a very sweet blogger Renee over at Cottage Lifestyle.

What the Award is About..."This Blog invests and believes the Proximity- nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming...these kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self- aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!"

What you have to do...Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

This award is being passed on to...
1. Lisa at Coastal Nest
2. Wendy at The Shabby Nest
3. Kasey at Lola B's
4. Miss A La Mode
5. From House to Home
6. Kathleen at Musings From A French Cottage
7. Joy over at Joys of Home
8. Hill Country House Girl

Whew. That was a lot of work, but I am so honored to have received the award.

Now onto an update with me and my paint and furniture. We had the foyer/living/dining rooms painted this last weekend {my bro-in-law is a painter} and I am now putting everything back in place. It is a carmely tan color with some gold undertones and surprise! my dining room is Svelte Sage... the color I found from The Nester. I really was tired of the red although it was beautiful and I was craving a gray green. We also moved in the new old table from my Dad and it is GRAND. Beautiful.

I actually stopped in a favorite local haunt today Room With A Past and happened upon 4 vintage creamy farmhouse chairs yet to be upholstered {oh yeah, we moved the old table into the family room so kids will be eating in there, which means I can have TOILE upholstered chairs in the formal dining room. Yay!} so I was able to get them all for the bargain price of $165 and was able to select a cream and brown toile as the upholstery. I think they will look really good, hope they're not *too* farmhousey for the sort of heavy antique table. Well, that's my favorite look anyways so I guess it will be fine. I pick them up Friday so I will share pics when I do. Thank you for all your hard analyzation and comments about those other chairs. I hope I made the right decision. I kept thinking: old table, old hutch, old chairs.

In other news, while in the shop I mentioned above, I found a treasure! This darling chubby little countertop dresser!!! I have been on the hunt for one since seeing Heather's at Present Past's kitchen remodel. How I longed for her little chest. I even thought of emailing her to ask where she got it. Now I have a very shabby, farmhouse inspired one all of my own! I am really excited about this, can't you tell???

Your Opinion Needed

2009-01-22T09:10:00.000-08:00

Good morning ladies. I need help on something, and since your opinions are so trusted by moi, I thought who better to ask?

My Dad, a Real Estate Broker for 25 years, is semi-retiring and moving his office home. He offered me the antique oak table that he used as a conference/desk table for the last 25 years. I think I should take it as
1. it's a lot nicer than my dining table
2. He sat and it for 25 years and conducted millions of dollars of business at it so it's sentimental
3. It's a lot nicer than my dining table.

Here's a {very small} picture of it. Please click to enlarge.

Problem is, there are no chairs to match and my current chairs are way too country. So I'm chair hunting. In my dream world, I would buy chairs like these without the worry of PB&J getting smashed into their crevices:

Or these lovelies.... which would be stained and ruined within minutes of putting them in my house:

Or even these, whose sublime striped padded seats would become plaid, with ketchup being the other stripe:

So basically, I need solid wood chairs. And I need them cheap. Like no more than $60 per chair, max. Kind of limits your options, you know? But, I found these at jcpenney.com. Each style comes in antique black or antique white. I think black might look better against the table finish, but I have an antique white hutch, seen here, in the same room. So what I am asking is, do either of these chairs have the character or shape to compliment the table? And what color should I do, black or white? I am not into getting wood to match the table... I like the mismatched eclectic look. If neither of these chairs look like they would work, feel free to tell me that too. But I haven't found any solid wood chairs anywhere else for this price {2 for $129 on sale} so I think I should try and make it work. Also, I could possibly repaint my hutch black {would look really cool with all my white dishes} and then get the black chairs. Not sure... Here are your choices:

#1 Montclair - Sheaf back chair. The turned legs are nice counterpoints to the turned trestle legs of the table. Remember, antique black or antique white. Here's the link to the chairs http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?DeptID=57087&CatID=57916&GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=113f567&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=57087%7c57092%7c57916&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=9&CmCatId=570875709257916

2. Bedford chair. The slight urn shape in the back panel would also reference the turned legs of the antique table.... not sure if the top horizontal bar would look as good, but to me these remind me of Pottery Barn chairs. http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?DeptID=57087&CatID=57916&GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=113f558&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=57087%7c57092%7c57916&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=4&CmCatId=570875709257916

Thank you so much for your opinion!!!

**Edited to add: the dining room wall seen in the hutch post {linked above} is now going to be Svelte Sage. Don't know if that makes it more clear with the chair choices or more confusing. Just thought I'd tell you we reached a paint conclusion and the red wall is no more. It will be lovely in a deep sage.

The Great Paint Debaucle and an Award

2009-01-17T20:34:00.000-08:00

**Warning: bad flash photography ahead!**

Have you ever been so tired of looking at paint and paint samples and colors on your walls that you feel like dumping every quart you own into a big bucket and mixing it up and painting your walls that color? Welcome to my world.

It started off honest enough. "Let's find a wonderful golden neutral" says I. "It will be so easy. I have it narrowed down to 2 colors. No problem." "No, you know this is not how this works" says patient husband. "You know you will go through 15 quarts before you find the right color, and NO, I do not think you should aim for Monday to paint. You will not find a color you like by then." {emphatic and irritated} I say "I will too. I have been doing this for years now and I know what I am doing." After all, I had studied these colors in different types of light, different times of day. I'd googled the heck out of them and discovered very popular colors and looked at oodles of pictures of other people's homes determined I could copy that look into my home. Shouldn't be too hard reasoned I.

Famous last words. Golden and neutral became icky greenish and baby poop and goldenrod and weird orange creamsicle. Then it morphed into bad tan and oatmeal and then one night I declared we should give up on neutrals and paint the room green.

2 quarts of famous green paint {Grassland and Svelte Sage by SW} used by so many infamous bloggers later, and I declared green out. Too dark, too cold, too something. Back to the goldy-neutral-nightmare. Sigh.

So here I sit. I have now custom mixed my own colors, thankyouverymuch. I think I have an idea what color I am going to paint my foyer and living room/dining room. Take a wild guess.

Hmmmm... could it be the color in my family room that I posted about here? O.M.G. Do not tell me I bought 9 quarts of paint and custom mixed those 9 into 23 more colors only to discover that I should have tried the color I had in the neighboring room???

Out of pure spite I am mixing that color with some of the other samples I spent too much $$$ on to make a slightly different shade just so I can say Malton wasn't the answer to my problems after all.

I think Benjamin needs to hook up with Ralph and Martha and Sherwin and step in and do an intervention here and start an HGTV show about paint psychos. For now, any blank spot of white wall is sure to fall victim to a new color concocted by moi, and family members are now blocking my calls, refusing to drive over and give me their opinion anymore. I'll let you know when I am in the clear and out of the scary paint woods.

In other news, I was so happy to receive this darling award from Wendy over at The Shabby Nest. Thank you Wendy, it made my day!!!

Birds of a Feather

2009-01-15T07:55:00.000-08:00

I spent some time cruising around blogland last night after I put the kiddos to bed and as always I found some great inspiring stuff. Here are some highlights:

First up is Hill Country House. Just the name alone inspires me. I dream of going to Fredericksburg, Tx {home of such fabulous designers as Carol Hicks Bolton} and antiquing my way home with my Mom and a Uhaul. A dream vacation, and notice there was no mention of husband or kids. OK, that's pathetic. Anyways, she has a fantastic blog and she recently featured her friend Debbie Phillips, a renowned seamstress, and her lovely home. Here are some of my faves...

How darling to put your daughter's tea set or another collection of special little dishes in a big jar?

Love these vintage prints/paintings above the couch.

What a fun way to decorate a bathroom!

And something about these linens makes me nuts!

Next, I discovered a great design blog called Marley & Lockyer.
She has great taste, as evidenced by her posting of lots of Sue Balmforth designs, and other dreamy interiors:

But even better, she makes those grain sack pillows we all lust after and sells them on Etsy! Check this out:

Plus, she is super thrifty. Check out her $5 {!!!} buffet and how great it looks. Anyone that has a $5 buffet is a friend of mine. 'Nuff said.

Then we have some great giveaways to mention.

First up is a friend of mine, you probably already know her - she could practically be a spokesperson for Anthropologie - Kasey at Lola B's.

Her giveaway is a great one: a $150 surprise package straight from her boutique to you, or a virtual consultation to have her put her mark on one of your rooms. You can't beat either one of those - I would take either in a hot second. But, I do not *ever* win anything. Maybe your odds will be better? Tell her I sent you...

Also Kara over at Inspired Kara is hosting a 101st post giveaway. She will be giving away a $50 Etsy shopping spree! How fun is that!!! Please if you go to register for her giveaway, tell her I sent you. I have somehow overlooked her blog and it is truly great. She has so many inspiring, easy ideas that will have the wheels turning in your head big time. And she's a loyal poster here. Gotta love that! Look what you could buy from Susie Harris if you win her giveaway! I would absolutely love one of these by my front door. But, like I said above, I don't win anything, ever, so you go and win for me, OK?

Loving This... plus a question

2009-01-14T22:47:00.000-08:00

What could be better than a leopard/nailhead/shabby crackle combo? Would look cute so many places in my house.

I am really really lusting after these birdcages. But at $50 on Ebay, I doubt my husband would understand the need to get them.

Gorgeous!!!

These would be so fun to drink *real* hot chocolate out of. Very French, plus they would match my vintage restaurantware.

And now for the question. I know one of my favorite things to see in a blog post is someone's home. All of it. Every room. Is that something that interests (all 9 of) you? I am thinking of starting to post full rooms in my home for the heck of it.... once we paint the entry hall, living room and hallway next week and then I scrub the heck out of it, then you can see it. Would it be a waste of time or is it something that you would find fun to see? Even if you're lurking, please come out and give me your opinion. Pretty Please! Just curious...

And lastly, if you haven't already, please check out Heather Bullard's kitchen redesign. It is so inspirational... I've already stared at the photos several times today then tweaked my counters accordingly. And if anyone has any idea where to get a little 2 drawer organizer like the one on her counter (on the right, and I do not know the proper name for them) please please please let me know. I must have one. And I have no idea what they're called (a miniature dresser or chest of drawers?) nor where to get one.

**The last 2 photos are from Posh Chicago. Check out their website, it's fab!

Spring Dreaming

2009-01-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

Why is it that just weeks after entering one season we are ready to embrace and welcome the next one? Didn't we just enter winter in late December? Logically then we should just now be putting out our pinecones and snowflakes and faux-snow (if you're in CA or another semi-warm climate like me) and yet we are ready to pull out birds and seashells and bunnies?

It's so interesting to me. Is it because retail is always one season ahead so instead of fighting it we have just given in? Or is it because we are already sick of the cold weather and are dreaming of longer spring days, laundry drying in the sun, gardens reawakening and birds chirping in green budded trees?

Either way, I guess I'm guilty. I'm pulling photos from some of my very first posts, because they are that inspirational and I feel like it. There.

Let's take a little trip down a country lane. The foggy, misty weather with beautiful azaleas blooming is so up my alley...

Oh look, we've stumbled upon the vegetable garden of my dreams. LOVE those galvanized troughs. So looking into those on Craigslist this spring.

And there, my dream entrance to a dreamy cottage bedroom...

I would love to dine alfresco at this rustic wood table sitting at the bentwood chair. How european with the crushed limestone or gravel. Aaaahhhhh.....

Let's not forget to bust out the ironstone for the occasion...

And now for a dreamy white living room, french and rustic and fabulous all rolled into one:

Hmmm, how about going back to the dream garden? If you want to read more about the following three images and the *amazing* place the pictures were taken, click here.

And of course, these images from Curious Sofa needs no words. Okay, one. Perfection.

Let's end it all right here for tonight, shall we? Could you just imagine taking a bath in this rustic outdoor bath? I would be all over it.

Night!

{all things bird}

2009-01-08T21:29:00.001-08:00

This past year I have been preoccupied {ok, obsessed} with all things feathered, including eggs, nests, cages and even little faux birds. Is this a trend? I mean, I know it's "in" right now but will it be gone next year? I don't know, but for now I am enjoying all things bird, as seen in this post. They are sweet, I had a pet bird as a child, their song is divine, and they are seasonless. I know most people associate them with spring, but truly they are seasonless. Like starfish. But I digress.

I thought the above image, from Victoria Magazine was so beautiful I had to share. And I came across some other pretty images from the web. I have bird stuff slowly creeping into every room of my house, but with recent camera problems, I can't take any pictures right now. Hope you enjoy the little bird show!

I passed up a framed print just like this {except the egg was robins egg blue, gulp} at Ross on clearance last year. Yes, I said passed up. I have kicked myself ever since.

Have I ever mentioned it is my dream to own chickens and roosters and have a fancy little hen house for them???

Love the combo of bird prints and the little potted succulent in the zinc tin. Lovely.

Faux eggs and rooster at my house.

Fantastic hanging bird cages from Ballard Designs.

My .50 garage sale birdcage, spraypainted black.

A fun, vintage inspired print from allposters.com

A beautiful locket and bird charm from etsy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_5&listing_id=19505837

How darling would this be in a little girl's hair?

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_15&listing_id=18519114

And lastly, how cute are these kraft paper gift tags? Love.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_5&listing_id=19503770

A New Way to Look at Fabric

2009-01-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago my daughter ripped the barkcloth fabric on the vintage rocking chair my Mom got her. Not to worry, not something a little fabric and a staple gun can't fix. So I went to JoAnn's and could not find what I wanted. I wanted a shabby chic, old faded roses print. Not to be had, without spending an arm and a leg at a designer fabric store.

And then it caught my eye... the underside of a brightly colored rose print fabric. Could I use that to upholster her chair? Why not said my Mom. I decided it was a brilliant idea. It had that timeworn, faded, vintage quality I was after. I purchased enough for her chair and set to work.

Here's what the fabric looked like on it's right side. Not terrible, but not what I was going for.

Another shot of the difference between the front and back:

It really was just like a Rachel Ashwell fabric! And it was fairly inexpensive because it wasn't a Rachel Ashwell fabric. Last thing it needed was a little more definition in the flowers. I purchased a few scrapbook pens and lightly colored in some of the details of the roses at an angle, so it looks just like the fabric, only better. This way I got my cake and ate it too: a shabby fabric with just the right hint of color, the look I wanted, and very little cost.

Another fun fabric idea: tea stain it!

I found a remnant of this gorgeous linen damask Waverly fabric on super clearance, but it was bright turquoise and white and I wanted more of a muted robins egg blue and cream. Not to worry! Brew up about 20 black tea bags in very very hot water in your kitchen sink, dip, stir, and wha-la! Instant age and knocked down color. Now it is just the right shade next to my curtains, and I was able to get the look I wanted and the quality of fabric at just $4 to recover 2 chairs! That can't be beat.

If you've never tea-stained before, here are a couple of hints:

- Cut or rip a small section of your fabric to test first.

- I use black tea bags, the cheap kind that come in a big box.

- It's better to take out the fabric after a minute or two and check it then let it go too long and get too dark.

- If it does accidentally get too dark, run it under cold water immediately and then throw it in the washer with soap. That should lighten it a little.

I actually dyed this fabric too dark and washed it about 10 times in the machine and that significantly lightened it up. Now it's perfect!

Let me know if you use the back of fabric or tea-stain anything. I would love to see what you do!

Reflection

2008-12-31T19:12:00.000-08:00

As I reflect upon the close of another year, I am reminded once again of that which is important to me. I think how my children have grown and had another birthday already, I think of my wedding anniversary and I think of my parents growing older.

There is so much to cherish in the here and now. And 10 years from now, I want to look back on my life as happy, contented, and full of love. I want to remember and celebrate my victories, and blur out the defeats. I want to remember this feeling. This feeling of being on the cusp on 34, already done with child-bearing. This feeling that I am just now getting into the prime of my life. This feeling that so much is still possible and every day I am molding my children into future adults.

What bits and pieces from their childhood will they remember? What funny little nuance will bring a flood of memories for them? What will they remember most - will it be the love and belonging they felt?

Will my husband remember me complaining that my closets are jam-packed and I wish we had a larger yard or will he remember the way we call him at work just to tell him we love him and appreciate the hot soup waiting for him when he comes in from work? Will he remember nights by the fire and our girls giggling or will he remember me stressed out because the floors need to be mopped and the fridge needs to be cleaned out?

I want to stop. it. all. right. now. I want to stop fretting about how my house looks all the time. I want to play more with my kids, and savor each sweet moment like frosting on a cupcake. I want to invite people over more, floors mopped or not. I want my home to be a refuge, both to those in my family and those we call friends.

I want to live, and laugh, and grow, and be a friend and have friends. Even if that means inviting people over when all I have to eat is pizza or chicken fingers and canned peaches for the kids. Preparing gourmet lunches and dinners is not what it's all about with 2 small children. I want to remind myself that money does not and cannot buy taste or class. I do not want to obsess about losing weight - I just want to eat healthier and do what I know I need to to be my true authentic self. I want to throw caution to the wind and take chances with people. And, being on the cusp of 34, I know that if I don't get the response I desire from people, or hope for, it's OK. I can still put myself out there. Because their reaction isn't as important as my effort. That's the beauty of 34. I want to relish each and every drop of 34, because it is a fantastic age. But most of all, I just want to remember how good my life really is.

Thanks for listening.

A Year in Review Party

2008-12-29T20:48:00.001-08:00

Cindy over at My Romantic Home is having A Year in Review party, and I thought I'd play along. Although I've only been blogging a short while, it seems like I had hundreds of pictures to choose from to make my mosaic. Here are some of my favorites that represent me this year:

A big thank you to all the people who inspired me to start a blog, all those who continually inspire me with their creativity, and to all of you who have commented on my blog! Thank you!!!