Hooray for Design

I'm about to embark on a long weekend of house-cleaning and decorating so I needed something to get me in the spirit, sorta like the pep-rally before the big game! I decided to go to my trusty house ideas folder so I could get inspired and pumped up--check these out: The layout of this room reminds me of our living room. The fireplace, windows and bar are all in the same location and the rooms are comparable in size. I found this pick in the Southern Living Idea Houses book when we were looking for set-up ideas and we purchased the exact cabinet for our room--it has been one of the best furniture purchases ever as it is beautiful, sturdy, super functional and it didn't break the bank! This is my DREAM kitchen! I would be inspired to learn how to cook if I could do it in this space! Don't get me wrong, I can cook but if I had that professional WOLF stove and all that prep space, I'd be fired up everyday about making dinner. Maybe if I tell Ray that, he'll get on board for a big kitchen project for our next house! Check out this bathroom. We really wanted a gorgeous bathroom filled with custom tile and a largely different tub in our current house but our options were limited. I hold onto this as inspiration for our next house! While I like this dining room because it's size is intimate and cozy, the brick arch is what caught my eye. I really love the use of stone accents to provide texture and warmth to a space. This foyer is grand and full of wood--another one of my favorite design elements. I love the floors, the cabinet and of course that beautiful staircase! I love how the bottom stairs wrap as if they are the bottom of an evening gown--GORGEOUS! I feel inspired, do you? Pin It

Bye-Bye Curly

I admit I am a bit sad that Macklin's curls are gone. Although he needed a haircut, he did not need this one. Albeit cute, because he'd be cute wearing a clown-wig, it's a tad bit too short. I'll let you be the judge; we went from this..... to this....in a matter of seconds. I turned away to see what Jackson was getting into and when I turned back around, all the curls were on the floor! I hope it grows a tad bit before school pictures later this month and before Fall pictures next month--mommy sure does miss those curls! Pin It

Dinosaur Birthday Bash

Saturday the entire family stomped, chomped and growled like dinosaurs as we made a quick trip over to Atlanta to attend the Dinosaur Birthday Bash at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History and the we had a BLAST!! Jackson is our little dinosaur fanatic and Macklin is happy to chime in with a "roar" every now and then so we thought this would be a fun event. Needless to say, they both had a blast!As we pull into the Museum these three large dinosaur statues greet us at the entrance and Jackson is excited beyond words. He says to daddy, "stop the car daddy, stop the car daddy, ...look at the dinosaurs daddy, look at the dinosaurs daddy!" To say the entrance plaza is packed full of excited children with parents in-tow is an understatement. Daddy dropped us off at the front door so he could begin his fight for a place to park--Jackson can hardly contain himself as we make our way over to the dinosaur statues. All he can say is "I want to ride the dinosaur mommy, I want to ride the dinosaur." I explain that we cannot ride the dinosaur which I'm certain will lead to a fit of dinosaur-sized proportions but instead, he politely gives me a "cheese" for the camera before we begin our dinosaur adventure. We enter into the Great Hall and are greeted by a large dinosaur skeleton and birthday party games galore. There's a dinosaur bean bag toss, a pin-the-bone-on-the-dinosaur game, a giant dinosaur crossword puzzle and Jackson's favorite, a dinosaur egg balancing game. After some dinosaur egg balancing fun, we continue on to seek out the dinosaurs. We come across a large dinosaur head..... a stegosaurus skeleton..... and our most favorite of all, the mighty T-Rex!!! With the discovery of the T-Rex, our dinosaur mission is complete! Jackson decides he's hungry and wants to buy a big dinosaur and go home. So, off to the Museum store we go for a quick purchase, one last photo-op with the dinosaur topiary (no, Jackson wouldn't let me take his picture this time and yes, I would like these at our house).... Happy Birthday Dinosaur!!!! Pin It

A Coveted Space

No, this is not a picture of my craft room, gotcha! But I hope it's pretty close to my end result cause this is the look I'm going for--isn't it awesome! With the craft room move and re-vamp in full swing, I decided to try to create a space that reflects my personal design style. If I had to define my style I would say it is traditional meets shabby chic with a hint of Mediterranean flare and an eclectic twist [is there a word for that, I'll have to research that sometime]. I love the use of symmetry and orderly placed pieces [the traditional in me] coupled with vintage accessories [shabby chic] all in a room of yellow or orange [Mediterranean] with something unexpected to top it off [eclectic]. All this being said, I've been having some trouble putting this style sense in motion for the craft room. I have some ideas in my head of how I want it to turn out but I really needed some visual inspiration, something to get me back on track and I happened across this picture--this is it! I love the farmhouse desk with ornate legs. I love the wire shelving tucked into the nook with baskets and orderly placed pieces. I love the large letters above the window without drapes. I love the rolls of fabric in decoupaged stands and, the leather chair--LOVE! And, the dress form as a touch of the unexpected--how ingenious! I love this space and with it as my inspiration, I know I will love my new space too--can't wait!! Pin It

Umm, Umm, Good

For some reason I've been on a soup kick the past month or so and recently discovered the BEST tomato soup EVER! The cutest, and yummiest, restaurant recently opened downtown and I'm hooked--check them out here. Heirloom Tomato Soup--umm, umm, good! Pin It

I Found A New Project

We have enough projects in our house right now to keep an entire crew busy for months but, I found this project idea today and I can't wait to try it myself. Ray and I have been trying to decide on the boys sleeping situation for some time now and this is the perfect solution. They each have their own bedroom on the same hallway. We thought they would like it more, and Jackson would sleep more, if we co-bunked them in one room and turned the other into a playroom. I think this project will solve our problems--thanks Design Mom!!! Pin It

Getting Technical

While I love interior design and space planning, I have never actually taken a formal class; that is, until now. I registered for the Interior Design class offered at Jefferson State Community College and needless to say, I'm super excited! Here's the class description: ....to teach each participant how professional designers work in the home, how to solve design problems, and how to make a master plan for your own home. Topics include color, guide to design terms, furniture, fabrics and window treatments. I can hardly wait for September to get here; now I just hope I can remember how to be a good student! Pin It

Back in the Swing of Things

Last week was a crazy week. I had surgery on August 6th and it disrupted our little world. Nothing major (thyroid removed) but it did slow me down a bit. Before surgery we were in the midst of a major craft room re-do, a back-porch and patio deco project, and several sewing projects so I'm a bit behind on all fronts. Until I get things moving along again and documented, I wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures of the boys playing and being the fun, crazy little boys they are this summer--hope you enjoy!

Swimming with daddy.

July beach trip--love those beautiful Alabama beaches!

Swinging at the park.

Playing in the swimming pool. Having fun in the backyard. Pin It

Our Family Wall

Have I mentioned I'm a picture FREAK!!! I will take pictures of everything--I just can't help it. I always have my camera with me and Jackson's favorite thing to tell me right now is, "Mommy, no more pictures." With my picture obsession in full swing, I decided to make the most of my habit and turn it into a family wall in our study. I see these types of walls in magazines all the time and I always love them. Ray, on the other hand, was a bit skeptical and didn't know if it would look nice or cluttered. I eased his fears and decided to find some frames to bring my idea to life. My mom and dad go to this little country auction-house every Saturday night. It's a fun little place where you get to bid on a variety of items brought in by different vendors. I remember my grandpa taking me one time when I was young and he bought me a unicorn touch-lamp--I thought it was the best thing ever!! One night, one of the auction vendors had a tote full of odd sized picture frames. My mom remembered I was on a mission for picture frames so she got them for me at the bargain price of $4--SWEET! The next weekend she brought them to me and I could hardly wait to spruce them up and create my family wall. At first glance they didn't look so nice. While in good shape, they had odd colored mats and most were missing hardware. But a quick trip to the craft store, some spray paint (I know, I love some spray paint) and Ray's help with spacing made the family wall come alive! It makes me smile when I go in the room and see how our family has changed throughout the years. It has a calming effect on Macklin--each time he gets fussy we'll go to the family wall and talk to him about the pictures; who's in each one, what they are doing, where they are, etc. I really like how it turned out and I'm excited to see how it evolves in the future. Pin It

The Sweetest of Chairs

I admit it, I have a thing for chairs. I'm not sure when I developed it but I just can't seem to resist a cute chair in need of some TLC. I stumbled across this little chair on a recent weekend bargain trip and couldn't wait to rescue it and find it a spot in my home. Since it already had a few gold-painted accents, I added a few more to the top posts and the legs. I removed the tacky Asian-themed fabric, freshened up the cushion and recovered it with some fabric I had on hand and wa-la, the sweetest of chairs was anew! Pin It

A Diamond in the Rough

Recently, my craft room has expanded from a small area in the upstairs bedroom to a room all its on. My sweet husband decided that I just didn't have enough room to spread out and complete my projects so he helped me begin the recent move to another bedroom upstairs. I now have a dedicated room and much needed space to grow. With the craft room expansion project came the need for some new furniture. And by new, I mean new to me and cheap--not new as in go to the nearest furniture store and pick out something for delivery. So, the search began. I happened to come across this wonderful, old dresser at a junk store a few weekends ago while my mom and I were out looking for another furniture piece for yet another "expansion" project--another post on that to come soon. It was a bargain price but at the time, not a piece I needed so rather than buy it, I filled it away in my mind and moved on in my search. With the new craft room in swing, I remembered that the dresser was large, cheap and had tons of potential so I decided it would make a great sewing station in my new craft room. Ray was completely on board with going to get it and he negotiated and ever better price--gotta love a him!!! Its a sturdy piece with 9 drawers--3 on the left and right and 3 more tucked away behind the doors. I plan to organize all my patterns, fabric, thread and accessories. I cannot wait to finish its makeover and get it to its new home in my craft room. Pin It

A Weekend of Projects

What a project-filled weekend! I think we painted and moved furniture all weekend and boy was it fun. Remember that desk I mentioned in my Estate Sale Fun post, well here it is and all I did was clean it!! Its new home is at the top of the staircase on our second floor and its new friend is a precious chair I found a few weekends ago. The chair was a great find and all I did to it was paint a few gold accents and recover the cushion with a fun fabric I had in my fabric stash. Pin It