Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Things That Have Been Making Me Happy*

Today is my birthday.  Here are some things that have been making me happy lately as recorded by my iphone:

*a Husband-made smoothie for dessert last night

husbandmadesmoothie


*my growing collection of mushrooms (no pun intended, well maybe a little) that have sprung up everywhere since it's been raining since hurricane Irene

Toadstools
toadstools

Tall boy in the forest
tall boy in the forest

Hanging on a Log
hanging on a log

Sunning along the fence row
sunning along the fence row

Mushroom Bloom
mushroom bloom

If anyone knows what types of mushrooms/fungi I've captured please feel free to educate me.  I have no idea.


*the view from a friend's backyard
Beatty's Mill

Edge of the Pond

 
*my current knitting projects - it's Fall people.  I cannot put down the needles. 

Working Effortless

Wish me luck. This is my first sweater (sort of, I have put the debacle of last winter behind me.) 

Peaks Island start

This is being made with the yarn that I frogged from the previous disaster just mentioned that we will never speak of again.

*and of course, the Puppy

One Ear On The Wind
one ear on the wind


I hope you are having a great day.  I know I am.


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Little Changes

I made a little update to our master bedroom over the weekend.  I needed a new coverlet/duvet/comforter for the bed because our beloved puppy had chewed a few holes in the old one, ugh.  We had been getting by with another (pale aqua) coverlet for the summer that I already had in storage.  It served it's purpose but it was a bit bright for the muted tones of the rest of the room.  This past weekend I found the perfect replacement (at least for the winter.)  I've been waiting for a bright and sunny day to photograph it in my generally already dark house but it has been grey and gloomy all week.  I gave up on the sun and decided to snap a quick peak anyway and this is what I found.

DSC_0002

The Sweet Puppy can't manage to get herself out of the bed before noon (or sometimes 1:00, or 2:00!)  If you can look past the puppy you will see a great replacement for our bedcovering. 

DSC_0009

It's from the Thomas O'Brien Modern Charcoal collection at Target.  It has a beautiful woven texture that adds a great subtle layer of detail to the bedroom.  It has a manly quality to it that I love too.  I like a mix of girly and masculine in my rooms and this looks and feels a bit like a well worn suit.  It's also super soft and warm to sleep under (I LOVE heavy blankets and a cool room).  It was a great deal (meaning that it was clearanced) and will get us through the upcoming cooler weather very nicely.  It will be too warm when spring roles around again so it will be back to the drawing board for me. 

Until then, I look forward to snuggling under the covers just like this.

DSC_0013


Neither Target nor Thomas O'Brien asked for this endorsement.  I bought it, I liked it and I thought I'd share it.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Found It!

As I mentioned here, I had been fabric shopping for new drapes for the guest room when it occurred to me that I might already own the perfect thing (well, at least perfect enough as they would be free!)  If I still had my drapes from college they could only be in a few places after all these years.  I dug all around the attic and they were nowhere to be found.  I called my Mama to see if they had been left with her.  She didn't have them but she did remember that my Sister had used them in her first apartment many years ago before she got married.  Sister actually laid her hands on them, 4 moves and 3 children later.  Bless her!!

 
They still need a bit of work.  They need to be lined and I need to re-do the top (remember when tab top curtains were da bomb?)  Overall though this gives me a starting point that I've desperately been needing and the price can't be beat!  What do you think?  Can I make it work?

Friday, September 16, 2011

Friday Inspiration: more guest beds

I am still trying to gear myself up for the guest bedroom makeover.  This bedroom seems about perfect.  It looks calm and comfy but with lots of texture and a little bit of color to keep it from being boring.





Can I snap my fingers and make that happen please???  Happy Friday everyone.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Office Update

So things are progressing slow and steady with the Big Move project.  Yesterday after a lot of debate we finally hung some drapes in the new office.  I also want to mention that I LOVE our new office space.  Here's what it looked like before:


I had been looking for the perfect fabric for weeks now.  I loved this:


and had the sample tacked up on the window.  I love these colors.  It's so fresh looking.  But I am a cheapskate at heart and couldn't see spending the money when there are so many other projects that need our attention (and cash!!) Then I remembered some Ikea Henny panels that were unused from a previous project.

I'm not going to lie.  There were some tears shed and some very bad words uttered much louder than a whisper when I tried to install the new (cheap) rods.  I thought I was destroying our freshly painted walls.  My Sweet Husband stepped in and saved the day (and our walls!) with the proper tools and a little more patience than I possess.  It's to him that I owe this project checked off the list. 

These Henny drapes would not have been my first choice but they are fresh and light and a little fun too. 

officeprogress_9-14-11

Rosie loves the new digs too.  Check her out in her supervisors position under the desk!  I'm super happy to have this crossed off the list.  Now on to the next project!


Friday, September 9, 2011

I Want It Inspiration

I want this deep tufted winged headboard with nail-head trim for our new guest room. 


And I think I'm going to try to DIY it.  Am I completely crazy????  I'm super slow with the house projects but I wanted to put it out there as a reminder that it WILL happen...eventually.  I'll keep you posted.

Happy Friday!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

This Week's Chair Love plus One

As I have stated may times before I have a chair problem.  I have now reached a point where I don't really have room for more but that doesn't stop me from looking.  Let's see what I found on Friday. (beware, iphone photos aren't the best)





I LOVE this little cane chair!!  In the photo even the upholstery is pretty fab, not so much in person.  I love those colors though so I would want to find something with a similar feel.  I so want to bring it home with me but I'm trying to be strong.  Though I could make a home for it in the new office....gah!  I need a chair intervention.  For this I may have to fall off the wagon.  What do you think?

Then I found this wing chair.


It's actually a pair!


These could really be made fabulous.  They are what happens if a wing chair and a bergere chair had babies. I could see the pair in this:



I also found this lovely chest with beautiful veneer work but in need of some love.  




It's not in the best shape by any means but it sure is pretty.  Makes me wish that our guest room was big enough for more than just a bed!  Something else for me to think about. 




Thursday, September 1, 2011

Stripes! and Staying on Budget

I've been trying to focus on finally pulling our guest room together.  We had guests last weekend.  Thankfully they had a bed to sleep on, but it wasn't pretty.  Like a lot of designers, when it comes to my own home my brain goes in a million different directions and it is hard to make a decision.  I have some inspiration photos that I love but I also know that there are lots of options and at this point I could go in a completely different direction because it's a blank slate and nothing's been purchased.  Too many choices does NOT make a better design.  (Sadly this is something I counsel my clients against but I can't seem to follow my own rules!) 
I've decided that I need a fabric choice to inspire me.  I've shopped around a little bit but haven't found anything that grabs me yet.  Today I've been thinking about stripes a lot.  I was first drawn to this Japanese import Kokka violet stripe from Purl Soho



I love the skinny white stripe on the violet background.  I wasn't even thinking of using violet in the guest room but I could make this work!  Sadly this room has a super tiny budget so $26/yd is a bit rich for the long panels I'm envisioning.  Of course that didn't stop me from falling in love with some other budget busting finds (I didn't even mark anything over $30.  Why make myself cry, right?

Okay, maybe one like this Ralph Lauren that would completely break my piggy bank



This Robert Allen piece is called Aimee Stripe in Indigo!!  It's named for me!!  How could I not keep it in the running.  Maybe if I do something different on the windows I could make pillows for the bed. It seems meant to be.



Here are a couple of more budget friendly options from Fabric.com

Source: fabric.com via Aimee on Pinterest


Source: fabric.com via Aimee on Pinterest


Source: fabric.com via Aimee on Pinterest


Of course I could be swayed by a buffalo check!



Which reminds me....I have some navy plaid drapes from my college days packed in a box somewhere.  Maybe that's the solution.  If I can lay my hands on them I could recycle those drapes into something fab and I could spend that saved money one something even more fab somewhere else in the room.  I'll keep you posted.  I now need to go dig around in my attic for awhile.
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