One big item on my ‘To Do’ list this spring is to dedicate some space in my garage or yard to all things garden related.  I confess my garden supplies are in a jumbled state right now with no organization or centralized plan.  It’s sad really. 

Lately, I’ve become fixated on the idea of a wall or bench to store seeds, watering cans, pots and garden tools.  One of the ideas I am actually considering is building a potting bench.  I’ve just got one teensy hurdle – talking the Mister into yet another spring project.   He protests, but in truth, resistance is futile.    

Meanwhile, these images inspire me to really get going before the upcoming planting season. 

Better Homes and Gardens, March 2009

Source Unknown

From ‘It’s Complicated’

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It’s time I spill the beans and tell you all what I’ve been up to this past week.  I’ve been painting my kitchen.  Not only the walls (previously yellow), but also the kitchen island (previously yellow).  I also recovered the barstools, crafted a new valance, and added some new accessories.  I left the existing white cabinetry and backsplash alone.

The main reason it took me foh-eh-vah was that I chose to use oil-based primer and paint on the kitchen island.  And oil based paint dries incredibly slow compared to its latex sister.

Hub and I agreed we were done with the butternut yellow walls and wanted the kitchen to blend better with the adjoining family room and dining room, which are both painted a pale gray green by Benjamin Moore called ‘Camouflage’.

I haven’t even taken the photos of the new space yet, but they’re coming soon !  First, I wanted to share some inspiration images.  I’ve been keeping a lot of these for awhile now because I adore soft green and white kitchens.  Celadon green is a color I keep coming back to time and again.  It’s seasonless, versatile, and always fresh.

To me, this is such an inviting cheerful place, and the perfect shade of green.

  Both Country Living

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I know many of you are blanketed in snow, and part of me wants to be frolicking in a big pile of it right now.  Yet out here on the west coast, we’ve been blessed with a hint of spring.  I was in a euphoric trance this morning as I walked through Lowe’s garden department.   Rows and rows of tulips and daffodils.  Oodles of fresh new plants budding for spring !

It’s still cold around here, but the cherry blossom trees have just started to bud.  Just two days ago, I clipped a few branches off our mature cherry blossom tree, then I brought some branches indoors to force them to bloom.

I’ve never had real  cherry blossoms budding in my house – I’ve always enjoyed the fakes from Pier One.  But these beautiful pink blossoms are making me smile today.

“They’re real, and they’re spectacular.”

I simply followed these steps by Better Homes & Gardens.

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Did you ever wonder why the saying “Home Sweet Home” isn’t “House Sweet House” ?  I think the answer is quite obvious.  The word “home” has a much deeper meaning that is far more intangible.    

Like many of you, I spend hours looking through the pages of design magazines, loving the images I see.  I save thousands of those images in my files.  I get ideas from hundreds of sources and store them all away for inspiration.  When I eventually get around to it, I incorporate little upgrades here and there.

One thing strikes me quite often whenever I swoon over fabulous designer spaces.  Yes, they’re gorgeous.  Yes, they’re mesmerizing.   Yes, they make me long for a cleaner, more pulled together design in my own home. 

Yet one thing is absent from all of those images, regardless of how perfect they are on the pages of a glossy magazine.  Those images, those spaces, and those houses are just not home.   A house is just four walls and a roof, but a home is made up of everything else inside. 

A house may be decorated from floor to ceiling with the finest furnishings money can buy.  But that will never ever make it a home.  A home is a sanctuary.  Home is comfort.  Home is inviting.  Home is a refuge from the world. 

Home is cozy.  Home is lived In.  Home is a pair of shoes in the corner, a blanket on the sofa, books and magazines strewn about, and jackets and scarves on the hooks. 

Home is coffee cups left on the table and beds left unmade.  

Home is where you wear your coziest clothing with only comfort and never fashion in mind. 

Source

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Sometimes I feel like talking about upholstered headboards in blog land is a little bit like saying, “Hey, did you hear?  Tiger Woods is lyin’ cheatin’ philanderer.” 

It seems everyone has talked about upholstered headboards and how much we all love them.   And let’s face it.  Upholstered headboards are FAB-U-LOUS.   Every retailer from Jonathan Adler to Tar-jay has one for you to ogle over. 

Then I got to thinking.  There are a lot of upholstered headboards out there with really amazing curves.  Here are a few dramatic shapes that really inspire me, and I think perhaps could be recreated with careful execution with a jigsaw.  Much of the piping and trim is tricky, but these curves certainly inspire me to get jiggy with my jigsaw again. 

Elizabeth Dinkel Designs

Calico Corners

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I’m a huge fan of adding interest to a space with varied textures.  The use of faux fur accessories is one way to bring elegance and softness, especially during these cold winter months.  Faux fur adds a whole lot of cozy, and a little bit of Old Hollywood glamour.  I adore it, in small doses, and when used in a casual stylish way.

I just want to snuggle up and get cozy with these images.  Each room has just the right touch of faux fur, with a single rug, pillow or throw.  They make me feel warmer just looking at them.

Decorpad

Pottery Barn

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I don’t know what it is about January, but the dawn of a new year makes me want to conquer the world with a paintbrush and a gallon of fresh white semi-gloss in hand.  These days, I can’t help but feel an intense desire to paint my entire house white !  Perhaps it’s just the images of freshly fallen snow, but oh to start the year over with a very blank canvas and an all white home.  There’s just something about a beautifully executed all white room that makes my heart go pitter patter, and makes me want to settle in for a long winter’s nap. 

Would it be to much to ask to have my living room look like this ?

Swoon !

And my dining room look like this ?

Heaven !

And a bedroom, any bedroom, look like this ? 

Perfection !

Of course, this is completely impractical right now because I am surrounded by pets and children and dark wood furniture and messes and well, real life.  Not that I mind.  Pets, children, dark wood furniture and messes add a certain warmth to a home, don’t you think?  

So as much as I may swoon over these designer rooms, in truth, I wouldn’t trade my family and the mess they bring with them for all the glamorous white spaces in the world.   That is, unless these spaces came with a lifetime’s supply of bleach and free dry cleaning. 

My wish for the New Year?  Simply to have more of the same.  OK, so the economy completely stinks, but I’m looking on the bright side.  The bright white side.  I’m looking forward to more fun projects for this blog, more time with my children, a nice vacation with my family, and good health the whole year through. 

And to be sure, a heck of a lot more white paint. 

Image credit:  1) Cote de Texas; 2) Country Living; 3) Layla Grace

 Happy New Year everyone -

I’ll see you in the next decade !

We love to send them, we love to receive them.  Christmas cards are just one of those holiday rituals that some dread, some cherish, yet we all must decide how to display them every year.  Years ago, I used to apply some double sided tape on the back of the cards I received and I would secure them to a door.  Back in 2006, I bought one of those Christmas card display trees on sale from Pottery Barn – that worked fine too.

This year, I wanted to do something more creative, more unexpected.  When I ordered a new chandelier from Ballard Designs for my home office, it came with some extra chain that I never used.

My daughter tried to convince me to make her a Marley costume.  I decided it was better put to use as a tool to display some Christmas cards in front of my window.

Originally, I decided to just use white paper clips.

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I’m inspired by these tablescapes today, in anticipation of the big feast.  Fruits, vegetables, and abundance on display.  

Better Homes and Gardens 

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We’re carving up some pumpkins for Halloween and I can’t decide which ones to mimic – these are all so inspirational. 

From Country Living From Martha Stewart

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