Destiny

I bought this landscape oil painting over the summer, unframed, with the intention of matching it with one of my antique frames. But when I brought it home, I realized that it was a really odd size!

So I figured that eventually, I would have to have one of my old frames cut down to fit (which costs about $100). Then yesterday, I was in the city looking through some antique shops when I came across this antique gold frame above. To my utter shock and pure joy, they were a match!

Both frame and painting are very happy to have found each other - I think it was absolute destiny! xo

Details on where I hung it will come later!

Happy Halloween

This was our first snow fall. It happened a couple of weeks ago and I'm happy to say that it hasn't been back - it will be a long enough winter as it is!

If this photo looks familiar, you may have seen it over at Tara Dillard's blog - she's doing our landscape design!! She sent me the beautiful landscape plans a few days ago and it's very exciting...I'll post on that soon!



This is the extent of my Halloween costume. I'll wear it when we carve our pumpkins tonight - and when I toast the fresh yummy pumpkins seeds!

Have a Happy Halloween!

loving…

1.  this sofa from martha stewart furniture with bernhardt.  i haven’t priced it out but her collection is really reasonable.

2.  this color combo.  the room was designed by pamplemousse design inc. and i spotted it on this blog.

3.  this A-DOR-A-BLE crib from pottery barn kids called the olivia fixed gate crib.  i love it.  it has so much character.

4.  this hayden crib bedding from caden lane.  i mean is this cute or what.

5.  these precious mobiles from the etsy shop pink perch.

6.  these fun pumpkin pics.  thought they would be a good way to end the list.  HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

images - here

i know what you are thinking…no, i’m not preggers.  sorry to disappoint.  i’ve got baby on the brain because i’m about to start working on a nursery.  it is fun to window shop for baby things though. 

have a safe and happy halloween!

LiveJournal Tags: loving...,martha stewart furniture,pamplemousse design inc,pottery barn kids,olivia fixed gate crib,hayden bedding,caden lane,mobiles,etsy,pink perch,halloween

Getting in the Spirit

I'm a little bit of a party pooper on Halloween. I think my favorite part is toasting fresh pumpkin seeds. In fact, it's probably what motivates me to carve the pumpkin!

I did put out this carved bird on the window sill, which isn't very scary, but it kind of looks like a silhouette against the light.

bringing in the fall

i finished decorating for fall today.  i didn’t do much and i definitely didn’t spend a lot of money, but i think that it turned out quite nicely and it will last through thanksgiving.

here’s our dining table center piece.  i got the monogrammed pumpkin idea from layla over at the lettered cottage.  such a cute idea.  i picked up a 1/2 yard of burlap from the fabric store and cut it to just fit under the arrangement.  without the burlap it didn’t have anything to ground it.

in our pass-thru archway that leads to the kitchen i used an old tray and and placed a jar candle and some leaves inside of it.  i didn’t like how the jar’s label was showing so i used leaves and raffia to cover it up.

our entryway is more like a long hallway but it is big enough for us to have a part shelf, part table .  i added a hurricane vase filled with limbs from our dogwood trees that are a lovely shade of red-orange right now. 

i had a couple of brown pillar candles that i bought earlier in the year so i wrapped them in leaves and raffia and placed them on the table too.  i’m not a huge fan of raffia but for this project it worked.

for the very last little project i used a vase that i had in the house and added some of the left-over dogwood limbs to it.  i placed it on top of painted shelves that we have in our kitchen.  we also got a halloween card from a friend last week so i added that up there too.  it’s simple but it works.

and that’s it.  the house is decorated for fall.  can’t wait until i can decorate for christmas though.

LiveJournal Tags: decorating for fall,thanksgiving,the lettered cottage,hurricane vase

cover ‘em

cool idea for staircase spindles.  if you don’t like ‘em…cover ‘em.  even if you do like ‘em…cover ‘em anyway.  it’s like accessories for your staircase.

image – belle maison via nicole hollis

LiveJournal Tags: staircase,belle maison,nicole hollis

bring on the holidays

i’ve never really gotten into decorating for fall.  although i love the colors, i’ve never been one to fill my house with pumpkins and spooky things.  it’s probably because around the time most people start to decorate their house for halloween and fall, i start to get super excited about decorating for christmas.  once i get christmas on the brain it’s hard for me to get it off.  billy has to try really hard to keep me from getting a tree earlier than thanksgiving.  once it’s up it would suit me just fine to leave it there ‘til easter.  i’ve even been known to start listening to my christmas cd’s as early as september.  christmas is my favorite holiday, can you tell.  LOVE the decorations, the colors, the smells, the music, the sweet little baby that we celebrate it for…pretty much everything about it. 

saturday my restoration hardware catalog came in and guess what, there were the first signs of christmas in it.  i love the way they styled this issue.  i’m definitely going to be stealing quite a few of their ideas this season. 

like this one…hanging christmas ornaments on lots of tree limbs.  i don’t thing i would drape my whole dining room in them but one or two limbs hanging on the wall would be a nice touch.

on my side table or maybe my coffee table i’ll be using this arrangement.  pretty much the same idea as the last but just arranged in a large hurricane vase.

berries, pomegranates and candles make a perfect casual dining table centerpiece. 

love the idea of hanging a wreath on the inside as well as the outside.

even though i could decorate for christmas tomorrow i’ve decided i’m at least going to do a fall centerpiece this year.  if it turns out like i hope it will i’ll post some pics later.

LiveJournal Tags: halloween,restoration hardware,fall,christmas

A Clean Slate

I've been enjoying this fantasy that we've just bought our house and everything is just as it is now...crisp, clean and ready to decorate! In this fantasy world, it is as if the era of pea green carpeting and faux wood paneling never existed...

So my fantasy goes like this...Hubby and I pull up to a lovely country house that's in our price range! Wow, huh? We're instantly in love as we can see that the house has been well-taken care of. We walk up to the front door and as I step in, I begin to glide through the each room seeing nothing I don't like.

When I make my way to the living room, my eyes light up and as I turn, Hubby takes me in his arms (suddenly I have my wedding dress on) and we begin to dance, giddy with laughter as we know that we have finally found exactly what we're looking for in our new home. We pause only for a moment, with bright beaming smiles, and say to our realtor without any doubt or hesitation, "we'll take it!"

Nothing in this fantasy had anything to do with what really happened, especially the part about the doubt and hesitation. But I'm enjoying every minute of my fantasy as I stare into this empty room, dreaming of how I'm going to decorate! It feels like such a luxury!

So let me take you through the room...

This is the perspective you get when coming from the kitchen. The french door next to the picture window will eventually take you to a balcony, which we'll build this spring. The original 'deck' was torn down when they put in the new Marvin windows. The door you see through the entryway, goes to the wraparound porch...this is our formal entry into the house.

This is looking towards the fireplace from a corner that no one will ever stand in, but I thought I'd give every perspective. Entry is where the hall tree stands.

If I pan left a bit more, you'll see the coat closet to the left and to the left of that, the hallway where the den, guest bedroom and downstairs bathroom are located.

So this is what I've come up with so far...

...the main layout. The couch will face the fireplace and the two chairs will flank each side of the fireplace. I love the coziness that this layout will offer and I know that there will be many hours spent snuggled in front of the fire.

Here's the new couch we've ordered...accompanied by two of the above chair! We went with a couch with more modern lines to contrast a little with the more traditional lines of the coffee table. The coffee table (you can see here) is an antique pedestal with rounded feet and oval top, which will compliment the round lines in the chair.

Here are the fabrics we chose...the sofa fabric is a beautiful velvet (so luxurious) and the chair fabric, which goes really well with the tarragon velvet, is linen-esque (the photo doesn't really show the chair fabric very well). And due to the furniture store's amazing sale - I made sure that I picked out the highest grade of fabric - of course I did!

I've also been considering a tall narrow table to put behind the couch. I'd put two table lamps on each end to illuminate the room. I was thinking of something a little modern, made of mostly glass so that it doesn't feel too heavy. I think this would be the best option as end tables wouldn't work well with the tuxedo-style (high arms) couch.

Also, we'll order a 9x12 natural fiber rug, perhaps this one from Pottery Barn, to go in front of fireplace. All the furniture fits on the 9x12 size. I'll accent the rest of the room with antique rugs I already have.

I'll put an antique rug in front of the french door. This door will eventually lead to a balcony. There's about a seven foot drop outside the door right now. The balcony will have wide center stairs going down into the yard. It will be big enough to put a couple of rocking chairs or a small table and chairs for an extra place to eat or drink.

Our existing dining cabinet, that I'll be stealing from our dining room (photo below), will be relocated to the above wall. Instead of holding dining odds and ends, it will be transformed into a secretary that will be a place for beloved books, unframed art, special momentos, etc. I'll be stealing this cabinet from the dining room because we've decided to add two more windows on the wall where the cabinet is now. But I'll go into the dining room plans later.

Here's the cabinet we'll be stealing for the living room. Hopefully, someday I'll find a narrower dining cabinet to replace it.

On that small wall to the right of the kitchen entry, I've been considering a temporary bookshelf. Lauren at Pure Style Home inspired me when she put one in her house, on a similar sized wall, and it looks fabulous - like everything else she does. And I say 'temporary' because as you can see in the next photo, I have plans for Hubby (wink, wink Hubby), to build a built-in bookcase (love the look of those - I have a gazillion inspiration photos of them) on that huge wall.

We're waiting to begin this project until after we get rid of that floor furnace. It's the one 'functional' thing in the house we have yet to figure out. But whatever we decide to do, that floor furnace grate will eventually go...and hello bookcase. ; )

So odds and ends still left to find are: some sconces for above the mantle (any suggestions?), a 9x12 natural fiber rug, perhaps a white bookcase, a tall modern table and...

Any other inspiring ideas? I would love your feedback! Just love it!

*Also, I've made another friend over at High Street Market. ..... Kelly has the most amazing Etsy shop with so many beautiful treasures. I was eyeing the pair of marble table lamps, an antique oval mirror and a lovely pewter pitcher...and it's all so reasonably priced! How fun is that!

doesn’t get much prettier

i just came across this 2009 idea house from coastal living.  i could so live here. 

i mean who wouldn’t want to live here with this north carolina view.  i can just imagine lounging in a chaise out under this lazy tree, sipping on a cup of tea and listening to the wind blow through the grass.  that’s the way i would start every day.

i could also get used to this kitchen.  love the two-tone cabinets and the light fixture that’s almost identical to one of my favorites.  i would trade the man out for my husband though.

i’ve always wanted a kitchen with a nook…just like this one.  i’m sure sweetie, my little jack russell terrier, would be looking out this window all day long.

on rainy days i would curl up with a book in the sunroom.

or in this cozy room by the fire.

i’d love to entertain guests in the living room.  the muted colors are so soothing.  i absolutely love the bird artwork on the back wall.  it’s so elegant.

having an outdoor kitchen like this one would make entertaining a lot of fun too.

and when i had guests stay overnight they could stay in this lovely guest suite.

jewelry and accessories included in the stay…

after entertaining i would retreat to the lovely master suite.

maybe some day….

all images – coastal living

LiveJournal Tags: 2009 idea house,coastal living,north carolina,kitchen chairs,two-tone cabinets,nook,muted colors,outdoor kitchen,guest suite,master suite