robin egg blue

I love these robin egg blue kitchens but would be delighted to have one of these in mine...

You know, for kids.

I like this particular idea found via Simple Mom.

I like really big things and really little things

and I like THIS idea.

decorating inspiration...

...found here.

Feedback requested because I have severe issues with decorating my own house...

So, for awhile I've been planning on putting bookshelves on the wall behind my couch.

I figured that 2 would work proportionately too the couch BUT now I'm thinking that 2 feels weird. There should be 3, right?

BEFORE:

AFTER - Ignore the stuff I've thrown on the shelves for now. I'm thinking~ get rid of the tall lamp and push 3 books cases closer together:

Lightweight over the bed decor?

I stumbled across this post on, well, now I can't find the blog I was looking at.

I'm always keeping an eye out for light weight over the bed decor (you know, in case of a middle of the night earth quake, of course). This could work. Painted lightweight urethane ceiling medallions.

Book storage solutions continued...

Another great post on keeping things simple for kids. I'm working on the boys' room and the baby's room... I've lived here for 2 1/2 years and now trying to get as much as I can done in the next 4 weeks. I'm trying to remember that I will be somewhat functional post-baby.

She uses a rain gutter to store books! Which got me thinking about other things that might work and excited to visit the hardware store to see what I can find... planter boxes... plate racks & shelves...

Looking for book storage solutions...

I'm looking for this type of a book shelf. Have you seen any locally? (as in, cheap knock off version? OR plain ones I can paint myself?)

Time for an upgrade...

Today I bought curtains!

After 2 years of the street light peeking through my blinds at night, it has finally started to really bug me. So I picked out a curtain that will block 99.9% of the light, save energy, reduce noise, and look lovely while doing it.

This pewter rod should work with my windows (one being about an inch from the closet molding).

And here is the bedding that's next on my wish list (it looks a little more blue to me in natural light).

P.S. Since I've posted this - wouldn't you know. I've found a different curtain. But it's still dark brown! I'll post about it one of these days (when curtains seem interesting again).

Pseudo shopping spree...

If I were on an internet shopping spree splurging right now here's what I would buy:

A set of these tumblers, this plush throw, this rug (then I wouldn't let my kids near it), these boots to make me smile on a rainy day, and finally, a subscription to this magazine:

Mommy brain...

I swear I was reading on someone's blog that they were looking for a new decorating magazine... requesting favorites. I want to see what people responded because Better Homes and Gardens just wasn't doing it for me anymore.

I've been looking at domino online and I'm loving it. It's my next subscription for sure.

Brilliant!

How to create a quick, cheap rug on Apartment Therapy.

I swear I was contemplating this just last week for my entry way. I'm glad to see it would actually work.

HGTV quiz - my style

My style is Rustic Comfort. I didn't like the sounds of it at first but it actually fits -

Rustic Comfort

The verdict is in, but there's a twist. Your design style is a combination: part updated country, part ethnic flair, both with a contemporary look and feel. You need a home with casual and practical style – an environment that'll work for kids, pets, company and more. The emphasis is on simple yet attractive, durable furniture will hold up over time while your colorful accessories energize and entertain for years.

"The furniture for this design style could be contemporary or traditional, says Julie Rackley, an interior designer in Bellevue, Washington. "The common threads are comfort and durability" That means easy-to-clean synthetic blends like micro-fiber, which cleans up swiftly with a sponge. (So long silk!) Function is a key consideration as well. A multi-purpose ottoman that doubles as a coffee table or storage unit would work for you.

Design Tip for Rustic Comfort
Choose color! Dress up your functional style with worldly colors, borrowing from Mediterranean and Hacienda styles. Try high energy colors like sunny yellows and oranges, but don't forget the popular jewel tones for a splash of elegance in the dining room or bedroom. "For 2008, we're going to see a new direction in red, towards bluer jewel tones," says Becky Ralich Spak, a senior designer At Sherwin Williams. "Shades of violet and deep purples that have been absent for so long are going to start showing up again. These energizing colors are also elegant."

It's that time again...

I'm starting to think about Spring (since Christmas, New Year's, and my ski trip are done - who needs winter anymore?) which makes me think about decorating. I posted some of my favorite pictures here but today came across photos (via A Little Sussy) of some more great rooms that I love. I'm definitely going with a light green, blue, yellow color scheme in my LR (Whenever I actually start decorating it that is).

A dream come true!

My very own local IKEA opens today!
It makes me SO HAPPY just thinking about it.
MUST.... GO..... SHOPPING!!!

Latest project...

I have a dresser that we've had around for awhile. I always say I want to paint it.. Well, I found a great picture of a dresser painted dark blue with silver handles in a pottery barn catalog. This is what I'm going to duplicate for Charlie's bedroom.


I needed to keep the boys busy while I cleaned out their toy room, so I gave Charlie a screw driver and set him loose on removing the old knobs from the dresser. I was impressed! He did a great job. He only needed a couple of them to be started. He was so cute, each time he remove a screw he'd stick it in his pocket (so Jack wouldn't get it) and then rattle his pocket. He really loves anything involved with tools.


Now I just have to find something for him to paint or do while I do the actual painting of the dresser.

Awkward space above the cabinets... first attempt

BEFORE:



AFTER my first attempt at decorating the space:



The problem is that on top of the shelf, it crown molding of the cupboards hides a lot of the stuff, I've tried. I put 2 books underneath the 'fruit bowl' to heighten it.. I think I need to find something to hold the plates up higher & maybe pull them forward a little bit.

I don't know.. tell me what you think. Suggestions.. critiques.. comments on my brilliance.. let me know! It needs something more, I think???

Color scheming

I love my pottery barn catalog.

The summer catalog makes me wish that I lived in a beach cottage... but I think I've found a couple of good examples of color schemes that I want to incorporate into my living room.

This is my favorite (I love that rug!):

And here's another similar one (I think I really like the little bursts of yellow here and there--- Okay, Greg has already made fun of me for saying 'bursts of yellow'.. but seriously, can I really grow a lemon tree in my living room? What could be better than fresh citrus right off the tree while you're watching TV?):

But this one really caught my eye. It's so soothing. Maybe the blues/browns for the bedroom???

Grand Opening

IKEA Draper to Open!
Air out your camping gear! Customers can begin lining up at IKEA Draper at 8:00 am on Monday morning, May 21, 2007 - in advance of our May 23rd opening.

(holy cow.. do people really line up that early? Well, we were planning on doing some camping this summer anyway...)

I WANT MY HGTV!!!

I'm SO BUMMED! I just realized my cable line-up changed & I don't get HGTV anymore. My sit-back-and-vege-channel is gone because there's no way I'm going from paying a mere $14.95/month to paying $51.60/month to get it back. *Sigh* Well, I'll just take this as an opportunity to watch even less TV & spend more time doing other things.. I guess... I haven't fully convinced myself of this.. but it'll come... I hope.