weekend fun and more progress

this weekend my best friend stephanie and her boyfriend zach came into town for a visit.  before they came into town though, billy and i were working hard to try to get our guest bedroom somewhat put back together.  {working full-time doesn’t leave much time for getting my own personal projects completed.  that’s why our guest room has taken over a month and a half to complete so far.}  we started trying to install the crown moulding weekend before last but ran into a slight complication.  it seemed like a pretty simple task.  weekend before last i went out and bought the piece of crown moulding that we needed.  i measured, marked and billy and i cut.  i found out while trying to install it that i marked my angles and cut them while the crown was upside down.  when we went to fit it up on the ceiling it was too long and too short in the wrong places.  by the time we figured out that i had marked the wood wrong it was too late on sunday evening to start everything over.  so, the project went unfinished for yet another week. 

saturday morning was mine and billy’s last chance to get the crown moulding installed before steph and zach got into town.  we made sure that i had the angles correct this time.  we measured, marked and cut again.  when it came time for the install all was going well…that is until the guest bed that i was standing on BROKE!!!!!  i guess all of the moving we did to my grandmother’s antique bed wasn’t too good for the railing because it literally broke in to.  having a functional guest bed in our bedroom for our guests was much more important than getting the crown moulding up.  luckily we had an extra bed frame in our storage unit so we were able to disassemble the broken bed and assemble the new one.   unfortunately the crown had to wait once again.

once stephanie and zach got here we had a fun day of running around atlanta.  they had never toured the sweetwater brewery so we took them down there to taste some good beer and go on the tour.  it was so great to visit and catch up with them.  they had tickets to a concert last night so billy and i took it easy while they went to their concert.  today we all had brunch, and then billy and i got back to work on the guest room. 

i am happy to say that the after 2 long weeks of trying to get the crown moulding installed it is finally up!!  now i have a little caulking to do to finish it up.  well actually lots of caulking to do, but i’m just really happy that i’m one step closer to getting the guest room finished.

i promise that i’m going to post pictures as soon as it’s all complete.  i’ll also give a girl’s tutorial on how to install crown moulding.

how was your weekend?  anything exciting happen?

LiveJournal Tags: guest bedroom furniture,guest bedroom

Not So Mellow Yellow

Have just returned from 2 days of the walking marathon that is the biannual trade fair. Buyers flock to 3 venues to see hundreds of wholesalers' wares set out in countless aisles. Sorry if I sound exhausted.

One colour that made the whole process bearable was the odd splash of cheery yellow. I am loving yellow as an accent or teamed with deep grey for a more up-to-date look.

The best use of yellow and grey I've seen lately is in the home of J. Crew's Jenna Lyons. She is not a fan of pastels in kids rooms so painted her son's walls a deep grey and the ceiling in yellow and white stripes.

The kitchen shot shows how you can update a room with coloured accessories.

loving…

1.  this ikat rug from william-sonoma home.  so pretty.

2.  this cool wood-grain tool.  now you can i can faux bois whatever my little heart desires.  i saw this tool here and you can purchase it here.

3.  this blog called isabella & max rooms.  i stumbled across it earlier this week and can’t get enough.  there are wonderful pictures and plenty of great diy tips.  i’m loving her ongoing tutorial on how to make window treatment panels.  if only i had a sewing machine.  in my guest room i’ve been making my own but i’ve been cheating and using the no sew method.

4.  this mushroom wreath, new at crate and barrel. 

5.  this playful hopscotch rug from cb2.  how cute would this be in a kid’s room.

i’ve been in houston all week installing a model home.  it was a fun time but i’m ready to get home.  i’m heading home this morning and looking forward to the weekend and seeing my best friend.  she’s coming into town for a visit.  i’ve got a lot to do before she comes though.  hopefully my plane doesn’t get delayed. 

have a great one!

LiveJournal Tags: loving...,william-sonoma home,faux bois,blogs,crate & barrel,cb2

one kings lane and a special offer just for you

most of you who frequent the blog world have probably heard of one kings lane before.  we’ve mentioned them quite a few times because they are pretty awesome.  if you haven’t come across “okl” on a blog or found them some other way then you really should go and check them out.  onekingslane.com is like a private shopping club and they sell some of the best home products on their site at amazingly discounted prices.  here’s the trick though the quantities are limited and you only have a short window to buy them in, like say…72 hours.  if you are a member of okl then you get an email each day notifying you of the great sales events that will be going on that day.  their website also shows the current and future events going on so that you don’t have to wait for that email to come in.

one kings lane was founded by susan feldman and alison gelb pincus, two home enthusiasts that decided they wanted a to figure out a way to offer home decor and accents to the public at an affordable cost.  at the atlanta market i was fortunate enough to meet susan.  not only is she beautiful, but she was so sweet as well.  after talking with her about my blog she connected me with alison.  alison through out some ideas of how to bring a little piece of one kings lane to you guys.  we decided that instead of having a giveaway with one gift we would have a giveaway for everyone!!!! 

here’s the deal.  anyone who signs up to be a member of one kings lane on the charmhome sign-up page will receive a $10 credit.  as long as you sign up by march 10th on my sign-up page (click here to get to my sign-up page) you can use that credit to shop for any of the items on the okl site.  the $10 credit will expire on march 31st so you have to use it up fast. 

these are just a few of the great items out there on one kings lane right now.

archipelago candles

bliss studio pillows

hillary thomas bedding

 

bailey street tables

culinhome cutlery

simrin table linens

there’s much more to check out so if you haven’t signed up before hurry and sign up so that you can get your $10 credit and start shopping.

CLICK HERE to be taken to my sign-up page. 

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

LiveJournal Tags: one kings lane,giveaway,hillary thomas,simrin,culinhome,bailey street,bliss studio,archipelago candles

can you help me???

i have been eyeing a rug from pottery barn for a while now.  it’s their flat-braided natural jute rug.

i need an 8’x10’ in my living area.  the problem is that i don’t want to spend $500 for it.  i love natural fiber rugs but some of them can be quite rough on the footsies.  this one is so unbelievably soft though.  it’s like you’re walking on a cloud.  i’ve seen them at the pottery barn outlet up in dawsonville, ga before but i haven’t had a chance to get back up there to see if they have one now.  the last few times i’ve made it up there they haven’t had an 8x10 in. 

i also like this one from ballard designs. i haven’t seen it in person but the description says it’s “surprisingly soft.”  it’s right at $300 after you add the $20 up charge for an 8’ x 10’. 

i’m going to throw this out to all my reader’s.  have any of you found a very soft, inexpensive jute rug?  if so, where?  i’m looking for something less than $250.  i’d be thrilled with one for around $150, but i think that might be pushing it to think that i could find one for less than $200.  hopefully one of you has an answer.  surely there has got to be one for less than $300 out there.

please help me if you have any insight on soft braided jute rugs. 

LiveJournal Tags: braided jute rugs,pottery barn,ballard designs

sneak peek

my weekend trip to murfreesboro for a dear friend’s baby shower was so much fun.  i got to see some of my best friends and it was so great to catch up with everyone.  i also loved seeing my friends’ little baby bumps.  they of course, think that their bumps are huge, but they honestly look amazing.  here’s a picture of us after the shower.  can you guess who’s pregnant?  you probably can’t because they look so amazing.  the two girls in the front (sitting down) are the pregnant one’s.  jenny (to the left) is due in april and shelly (to the right is due in june).  i’m one of the non-pregnant one’s standing up to the far right.

i have been working on harper’s nursery for a while now.  harper is jenny’s daughter-to-be.  i was sooo hoping that the bedding would be done in time for the shower so that i could finish the nursery completely and take pictures.  unfortunately it didn’t get completed so there i’m not going to do a big reveal yet.  i am going to give you a teaser though.  once i accessorized the nursery this weekend jenny and i didn’t want to leave that baby girl’s room.  i’m so happy with how it’s turning out and i can’t wait to be able to show you all everything.  here are a couple of teasers to tide you over.

try to picture full, flowy skirting made out of the plaid silk.  the bumper is going to be made out of the vintage circus fabric.  the details on the bumper are so precious.  you’ll have to wait for the bedding pictures to be able to see them though.

here’s a more close up picture of the crib and bedding.

i think my favorite detail so far is the antique changing table.  here’s a before picture. not too pretty.

here’s the after though.  absolutely adorable.

i can’t wait for this nursery to be complete!!  i want to see it for myself but i also want to be able to share it with you all.

LiveJournal Tags: harper's nursery,nursery

The Crosby Street Hotel

The coolest new hotel in the worlds right now is the Crosby Street Hotel in downtown Soho, NYC. Part of the London-based Firmdale Hotel group, it was decorated by owner Kit Kemp who has a wonderful touch in mixing classic and modern styles, with a bit of the unexpected thrown in.

I was reminded to check it out recently by a journalist friend who was staying there to write about it for one of the big newspapers.

it’s the weekend

house & home

{i’ve inserted bright and happy images for your enjoyment due to the bright and happy weather that’s outside right now}

i’m heading up to murfreesboro, tennessee for a baby shower today.  i’m so excited to see all of my college friends.  it’s been since september since i’ve seen most of them so i’m really looking forward to some good girl time. 

house & home

i just got finished with a presentation for a client and i can’t wait to reveal the design boards to you.  i’ll probably put them up on the blog sometime next week, so be on the look out for them.  there were three spaces that she needed me to design…all of them kid’s rooms.  i had a blast putting the design concepts together and i can’t wait to get started on everything. 

house & home

i hope all of you have a fun weekend.  i can’t tell you how excited i am that i don’t have to wear my jacket outside today.  it’s definitely not bathing suit weather yet, but this warm blast is such a refreshing change from the arctic chill we’ve been under.  hopefully it’s warm wherever you are too. 

house & home

LiveJournal Tags: house & home

new nesting newbies

last week i wrote about a new online magazine called nesting newbies.  there’s a new “nn” out online now, the winter issue.  when i posted that blog last week i didn’t realize that i was a few days early from the new issue being released.  i got a tweet from @NestingNewbies just after that post saying that the winter issue was out.  of course, i headed right over to check it out.  

the winter issue is once more filled with a mix of decorating tips diy projects and yummy recipes.  it’s also twice as long.  i’m glad too, because i found myself wanting more after the last issue.

here’s another sampling of the online mag.

read the full online version of the magazine here.  if you want to see some more info from the people at nesting newbies check out their regular website here.  enjoy!

LiveJournal Tags: online magazine,nesting newbies

Dark Mood

Not that I am in a dark mood but am wondering if we are seeing the first signs that the all-white interior has had its day? A recent Living Etc Magazine article devoted a decoration feature to dark colours and now they seem to be popping up everywhere.

London designer Abigail Ahern has been putting it out there for a while now with her deep grey backdrops with punches of bright, often fluoro colours.