Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thank you....

Like the rest of the blogging community, here is my Thankful on Thanksgiving post.

What am I thankful for? This is one question that was hard to answer because so many things came to mind all at once.

First, my husband. I am grateful for his patience, understanding, support, sense of humor and abundance of love he gives me every day. I can truly say that I am a woman now and most of it is because I am now a wife to a man who has helped shape me into the person I've always wanted to be.

My family, who continue to help, support and love me even from afar. I am so grateful for the emails, phone calls, and occasional card I receive that helps me feel like I'm still in Delaware with them.

My new family, who have welcomed me with open arms. They are so happy, loving, and easy to get a long with. I couldn't ask for better people to have entered my life.

My job, while, it isn't my "ideal" job it has given me the sense of contribution I so badly needed and helps to further my education in my future field.

School. It isn't always fun but I am grateful I am able to go. Not everyone can and I am fortunate to be blessed with a husband who welcomes furthering my education with open arms.

My Heavenly Father. He continues to reign blessings down upon me and show me the love, comfort and support that I so often call upon him for.


Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

It's triptych

I FINALLY finished my art project and now have some art up on my large, previously empty, media wall. (insert applause here) And I am really happy with the result. The hubs likes it too, he can’t stop saying how impressed he is with how good it looks.

That being said, I now find myself wishing I had something else there. Specifically, I wish I had this:

This octopus triptych is from Natural Curiosities. It represents everything "curious" about what they do as a company. They have introduced a number of octopus images over the last few years, and Lord Bodner's triptych is the newest addition to their continued fascination of the octopus. The detail of the image is the finest that they have found. The original is a copperplate engraving by Lord Bodner and was published in 1826 in London as part of a series studying creatures of the deep.

When I came upon this gem this morning my jaw literally dropped. This piece could not be more perfect for our room and that wall.

However, at $5000 (without framing) it will never happen. Ever.

But one can dream right?

And while we are ogling this beautiful space. Check out the bedroom. Its gorgeous!



Gorgeous.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Hello there, Happy Chic!

I have always loved Jonathan Adler. I love the sense of whimsy he brings to every room with his unique style and incredible ability to pair almost anything together. Unlike many designers his rooms feel like someone really does live in and use the space.

And he's got a new book out!

(don't you just love that hand chair?)

After my rant previously about tablescaping, I couldn't be more pleased to have found this. I can't wait to get it and see what treasures are inside.

Here are the 10 decorating commandments according to Johnathan;

Our 10 Commandments for a Happy Chic home

1.
Thou shalt embrace maximalism.

Thou wilt find minimalism to be something of a bummer in thy abode. Thou wilt grow tired of an endless sea of beige and thou wilt long for a splash of color & a dollop of pattern! Bargello pillows, Furnace bottles, and rustic modern lamps - these shalt be the accessories that add some panache to your pad.

2. Thou shalt not deny thyself hotelish comfort at home.
Thou shalt furnish thy rooms with paw-pampering, hand-loomed llama wool rugs, luxurious lighting and our fabulous furniture.
Thy rooms shalt feel like the most opulent hotel rooms in which thou hast ever stayed.
Thou art worth it.

3. Thou shalt buy an X-Bench.
Then, thou shalt buy another. Thou shalt use them in pairs, perfect under thy console or placed near thy sofa. Thou shalt rest thy feet upon them & so will thy guests. In fact, thy guests might even fight over who gets to rest upon them. Therefore, thou shalt establish house rules about thy X-Benches. Perhaps thou should consider a sign up sheet.

4. If thy nest needeth zest, consider thy crest!
Thou shalt emblazon with thine initials wherever possible.

5. Thou shalt mix fancy with frisky.
Thou shalt not be overly formal, for if thou art, thou will be sad. Conversely, thou shalt not be overly whimsical, for if thou art thou will not feel chic. Therefore, thou shalt embrace a mix, pairing the chic classical foundation - excellent proportions, classic furniture - with a layer of playful punctuation. Then thou shalt rest.

6. Thou shalt honor the funsters of yore.
David Hicks, Alexander Girard, Piero Fornasetti, Bonnie Cashin, Bjorn Wiinblad - if thou dost not knoweth them, thou should. Thou can use Google Images to learn more about them and thou shalt channel their fun, idiosyncratic, playful spirit in thine own interiors. Thy home will be fun, happy, and chic.

7. Thou shalt not commit murder,
...unless thou art murdering for a decorative accessory.
If thou should find thyself at one of our stores and seeth the last bird bowl on our shelf, thou shalt feel free to use whatever means necessary to obtain that special something.

8. Thou shalt not be afraid of orange.
Thou shalt use orange copiously in thy interior, whether it beeth in an orange breakfast room or via the zing of an orange lacquered box. Thou might even consider painting thy front door orange to pique thy neighbor's curiosity. Thou shalt also covet chocolate brown.

9. Thou shalt play ping pong.
Better still, thou shalt have a ping pong table in thy living room. Then, lo, thou shalt play ping pong with thy spouse rather than sitting around watching thy tv.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house.
In fact, after following these 10 commandments, thy neighbor might covet thy house. So there.


Mr. Adler, I could not agree more!
Here is a little eye candy to get you started on your day.



(All images taken from JohnathanAdler.com)

Bye!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Hello there, pretty details....

Lately what seems to be a consuming obsession of mine is tablescaping. There is an art to doing it right. Placing the right objects on a table or surface will enhance and finish the look of your room. Its like putting on make up. No matter how great your hair and clothes are you just don't look finished with out make-up, and your make up has to be done right or it will clash with the rest of what you are wearing.

That being said, here are some tablescapes I love and use as inspiration in my own home.






There is a fine line with table scaping between, wrong, cluttered, bare, and then beautiful. And slowly but surely I'm starting to get it right. :)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Hello there, mainstream crafts!

x
My my my, well would you look at this! West Elm has gone and jumped on the the shabby chic crafted bandwagon. For those of us who are already in the know in the design blog world we have been seeing and doing this for quite some time but West Elm has lots of cute home decor items for sale or, in my case, great inspiration for some DIY projects.



(my fav!)



I mean really. Isn't it all just adorable?
I especially love the paper mache bird which I intend on making asap!

bye

Hello there, blog twin...

As of late, I have been nothing short of obsessed with home decor blogs. My dear SIL Julie, is an awesome resource for said blogs. That being said, she recently referred me to this blog.


She has a portion on there where she post's what she wears for the week and while it isn't exactly design related I found one of her posts really spoke to me. Why? Because if I change out a few words I swear I could have written the exact same thing.

Its a post she called:


And every single thing in it is DEAD ON me (except the living in Seattle part). It was honestly a little scary to read something that so perfectly reflected my thoughts which is why I'm blogging about it now. Especially what she says about how her wardrobe reflects her decor style, her use of neutrals and solids with feminine details, and that her go to colors are blue and gray. (I would estimate about 95% of my wardrobe is blue and gray) So instead of writing the exact same thing just go check out her post and then her blog because its cute and so is she.

Bye!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Hello there, long lost blog.....

Its been FOREVER since I last blogged. Where have I been? Nowhere really. I just got caught up in married life, job hunting, school searching and settling into my new home and new life.

So what do I have to say... everything and nothing all at once. Haha. So instead of blabbing I'll show you.


Meet Sundae! She is our sweet and sassy new little girl. She's half Persian half Himalayan. We had a little health scare with her when we first got her but she's healthy and happy and absolutely LOVES her big brother Jax.


We went to see Norm McDonald. Let me save you the money. It was not worth it. He was drunk, and mumbling and therefore not so funny. BUT it was still fun to get out on a fun out-of-the-norm (no pun intended!) date with John.

I started knitting again! These socks are so warm and comfy. If they didn't look too ridiculous I'd wear them everywhere if I could. Now I'm trying to finish the never ending Hazey Embrace sweater.





It was John's 31st birthday! Happy Birthday Love! We went to GORGEOUS Sedona for the weekend. We fell in love. We stayed in a "hike out" hotel that connected right to Margs Draw trail behind it. We took lots of pictures, ate lots and lots of good food, did some sight seeing and sat back and relaxed.

I'm studying to take the HESI A2 Nursing entrance exam. It is HOPEFULLY my last step before being accepted into the RN program here and starting in the fall. I start a CNA course on Saturday. It's every weekend for six weeks and then I'll be licenced to do the job I was doing back in DE. Hopefully, I'll get in with a hospital here but who knows!

And now I'm working as an Administrative assistant for a Hospice company here in Chandler. Its not too busy but I'm sure I'll appreciate that when I am overburdened with homework.

And now I will resume my regular random design, beauty, and life postings.