Hooked on Phonics

I was in California for work all of last week and when we had a work luncheon, my efforts included running to the local Walmart to grab cookies. Not very creative, but I get an E for effort since the local Walmart is anything but safe & friendly;) I'm close to East Oakland people! They try and sell everyone watches, purses, and dvd's out of the back of cars as you try to walk into the store!

Anyhow, I about died laughing when I saw what I'm about to share. Thank goodness I had my co-worker there to help document the hilarity. Without further adieu, please enjoy the wondrous signs of the East Oakland Walmart:


HAHAHAHAHA - it still makes me laugh. Somehow, "potatoe" chips just don't sound nearly as appetizing!

Chinoiserie and Azure Skies

Earlier this year, you may recall that I posted about the inspirational pictures I had gathered for our front entryway. Well...I think we're about done! It's missing a little thing here or there, but the pieces I have in mind I may not find this year or the next (I'm on the hunt for a vintage clock, preferably gold...obviously!) so for now this is it!



What do you think? It's interesting to compare my inspirational picture to the final product. There's definitely some clear similarities. Clearly the blue and white chinoiserie influence came through loud and clear, but there's definitely a twist to the whole look, a bit of CLD (Camp Little Deer) influence if you will...



Also, important to note: Ty picked out the table! Isn't it perfect? That's all Ty right there. I was concerned that it was too much white, but nope. I stand corrected, it's just right!

AND...just so that you don't think that I never get out given my recent bout of interior decorating blog posts: This is what it looks like outside my door right now! AGH, CAN IT GET ANY PRETTIER?



Oh, Tennyson...This is exactly what you must of had in mind when you wrote of the "azure world." Who didn't obsess over his poem "The Eagle" when they were younger? Oh, just me? Weird.

Home Project #543 and Counting...

So...are you sick of the home decorating posts yet? Well, in case you're not - here's another! This project was super easy and quick to do, though it's definitely a two-person job - thanks, Mom!

Here's the deal...some time ago while perusing other home decor blogs (and my heavens, are there so many wonderful ones to choose from! I thought it was bad when I was wedding planning with all the wedding blogs, home decorating/interior design is on blog overload and boy do I love it!) I stumbled across this post.

In particular, I loved this picture, everything about it except for the pink:

(Country Living)

Then I thought...I can do that! So I did. But only after checking with fellow future HGTV design star, to make sure I wasn't crazy and that this was in fact a good project to undertake:)

So, I kept my eye out for a good deal on wallpaper. Because let's face it - wallpaper can be expensive! Then two weeks ago, while Ty and I were home dreaming at some stores in Rice Village (we call it home dreaming because we're not really shopping, just dreaming!) we stumbled across these discontinued bins of wallpaper! Amidst the rolls of seashells and other nautical motifs, there it was - the most perfect damask print wallpaper you ever did see:) And for only $13.00 for the entire double roll, home it went! Mom came over that week and in an hour the project was done.

Bookshelves au naturel:

All done!

And here's one more shot, just so you can see the wallpaper a bit better:

Now, I know they've still got a ways to go till they look like what I envision, but thought I'd share where we are now! I'm on the hunt for stacks of vintage books plus some other decorative pieces to really get the look just right. But for now, this is a step in the right direction!

We'll see if it all comes together in the end:) Hope you all are having a great week!

A Chair with Flair

Yes, I realize the post title is kind of dumb. But I have a head-cold, and it rhymes, ok?? I am lacking in brain power, the phlegm is crowding it all out;)

Anyhow...yesterday I wasn't feeling well (see head-cold above) and Ty was working...but it was such a gorgeous day and with the clear blue skies overhead I felt inspired. So I decided to re-do one of the bargain chairs I had bought when we first moved to Texas (remind me to tell you all about how I went a little nuts with the furniture. Can we say 7 pieces? AND this is before we had bought all the formal kitchen and living room pieces you've already seen! I have a problem...) Anyhow, the chair wouldn't mind if I was hacking, sneezing, and snotting while I put it together, right? Better the chair than a person!

I am pretty thrilled with the results, so thought I'd share, but I'm warning you - it's kind of a long post, so sit back and enjoy or just scroll to the bottom for the final product:)

The pair - painted a metallic silver and covered in a brown and black chenille! Ugh. Hideous. But for only $20 for the pair, it was worth it!


Since this was my first attempt at re-doing a piece of furniture, I decided to just tackle one chair, here the culprit and my materials wait for me in the sun:


I removed the seat pad and primed the chair:


While the primer dried, I removed the old cover to find the original (plaid) and used the cover as a pattern to cut out my fabric of choice. The new fabric was gotten on clearance too, hooray!


The new cushion, covered with a fabulous new fabric:


I painted the chair with a warm gray and then slightly distressed it with a glaze. The glaze was definitely the hardest part because I'm not a huge fan of heavy distressing, so I wanted it to be ever so slight, so it took a little patience but in the end it was worth it:


A little before and after action:


All done!


In its final resting spot:


I plan to finish the other chair next weekend and then will be on the hunt for the perfect little side table I can put between the two! OR even better - perhaps I can score a little vintage tea cart, wouldn't that be cute? So check back later...I'm sure I'll have more to share:)

Our First Christmas in Texas

Before we get too far along into the New Year, I figured I owed you all a Christmas re-cap. But rather than create a crazy long blog post with a slew of pictures, I figured a slideshow would do the trick! I'll let the pictures do the talking and leave it at that:) Enjoy!

Some New Year's Inspiration...

So, it's official. The new home = obsession with all things home related.

It's a new year, so I might as well come clean: I am a "House Beautiful" addict. The magazines spill over from every room in our house with dog-eared pages making the issue look ten times more full than it really is. I was in Barnes & Noble yesterday and looked down and I had 4 magazines (two of which were British, what good does that seriously do me?!?!) that I had picked up and had convinced myself I needed to buy, meanwhile I was holding a copy of Regency Redux in my hands and was also convinced it needed purchasing. Thankfully, a little thing called "two mortgages" persuaded me against such a decision:)

But in the meantime, we are working on putting the "magic" in our house and we have stumbled across a few steals and deals that were totally worth the splurge! For a long time I've been dreaming of entryways that look like this:

Design by Windsor Smith

Design by Kelly Wearstler

Design by Ashley Whittaker

Design by Jonathan Berger

So then this last weekend, while at Home Goods (really, to all who know me - when am I NOT at Home Goods?!) Ty and I found this steal of a mirror on clearance. Perfect amount of Asian influence, ornate detailing, and G-O-L-D! Midas ain't got nothin' on me;) Can we say the perfect start to our entry, yes we can! Here she is:

I figured I'd share my inspiration pictures and "blogument" my artistic trial and error as we really delve into getting the house put together. Let's keep our fingers crossed that my inspirations match up to my aspirations - I'll keep you posted!

One Wintry Day

I didn't think I was going to post more pictures before the upcoming Christmas holiday, but I can't help myself! So, I thought I would post some additional pictures of Houston's "snow storm 09" for you all to check out! Plus, looking at them makes me feel like Christmas is really here!

Enjoy the pictures...













And last but not least...Raleigh wasn't too sure about the snow so Matthew had to carry him out. He looks like a grumpy old man here, I love it!


Yay, Christmas!!!! Hope you all have a most fabulous holiday:)