House Envy

Although I love my little old house, it is not old enough for me.  I dream of one day owning a house that is from the 40's or earlier.  The character of an old home is what appeals to me.  The attention to detail and craftsmanship is something you don't see anymore in newer homes.  I also like the idea of separate rooms for each space, not one big great room.   Don't get me wrong, I do like newer homes, I just seem to be drawn to homes with history.  

Shells, Shells, and More Shells!

Those who know me, know I love to decorate with seashells.  The love affair began when my Aunt Nora started bringing back hundreds of seashells from her annual vacations to Sanibel Island, Florida.  Most of my seashells were given to me by her, but I have picked up some of my own along the way.  I decided to give a sampling of all the ways I use my seashells and other sea treasures to decorate.

Easy Art!

Over the past month I have been redecorating my master bedroom.  My bedroom was previously more traditional, with toile bedding and floral accents.  I have now taken a more modern approach with the bedding and accents.  Finding art to fit into the room has been a challenge.   As I was flipping through an old Domino magazine, a quartet of bird sketches caught my eye.  I realized how easy it would be to create my own bird art.  I picked up an 18x14 canvas at the crafts store and used my children's markers to create my own masterpiece.   I decided to leave the canvas unframed for a more informal feel.  As I temporarily propped it against the wall over my dresser, I decided I liked it that way rather than hung.  I may change my mind, but for now I like it as is.  All-in-all, my new art cost a grand total of $14.  Not too bad!

By George, I Think I Finally Found A Couch!

For the past several months I have been combing through magazines and catalogs in search of the perfect couch.  Of course many have caught my eye, but nothing called out my name.  I am not a picky person by any means, I just needed something to fit a small space that was a tad more formal than those slip covered, slouchy looking couches you see in popular home furnishing catalogs.

As I was perusing an awesome furniture and home decor store in Downtown Bethesda, a beautiful linen couch caught my eye.  It was love at first sight!  I was deliriously happy.  I took pictures right away (which do not give the couch justice) and ran to my husband who was down the street at another store.  He approved of my selection.   I have only one problem, I have to save up half of the cost out of my own money.  The couch is not cheap, but my philosophy is "you pay for what you get".  I want a couch that can withstand three kids and look good doing so.  

Pretty In Pink

My favorite room in my house is my daughter's.  Last year we decided to give it a major facelift.  It used to be painted blue and green and had a bug collage.  Needless to say it needed a feminine touch.  I decided to let my daughter pick the color, of course she went for pink.  We eliminated a closet to create more space.  Instead of a closet she has an armoire to hang her abundant amount of dresses (we will have to rebuild the closet when we move so it can be considered a bedroom). On one wall we hung pink toile wallpaper.  Underneath that wall is her antique wrought iron bed. She has simple white bedding with a quilt her grandmother made her.    My husband actually found her dresser in someone's trash pile, go figure.  He scrubbed it clean a refinished it.  

I love to sit in her room and play dolls with her!  It is a happy, beautiful space.  If only she loved her room as much and sleep in it all night long.

Constant State of Rotation

One thing that I love to do is rearrange my home "accessories".  I am constantly rotating my accessories from room to room.  I also change what I have on display in accordance to the season.  For instance, I currently have more summer themed items out.  Driftwood and seashells are two natural items I like to implement into my design theme during the summer months.  I have an armoire that is chock full of accessories.  I have various plates, linens, candles, jars, mercury glass, seashells, and much, much more stored in my armoire.  I must admit that the armoire is quite messy.  I do know where everything is though, I just have to be careful when I open the door.

R.I.P. Domino

This past March my all-time favorite magazine, Domino, went out of publication.  I was truly devastated.  As if it wasn't bad enough that Country Home and Cottage Living went under, now the best magazine I had ever read was gone.  Each month I anxiously awaited my newest edition of Domino.  I read it from cover to cover in one day and would refer back to each edition for inspiration.  I cannot tell you enough the joy I got from reading Domino.  

Today I went on Ebay to buy past editions of Domino that I did not have or somehow disappeared from my house.  I was a little surprised at their going rate.  I guess I am not the only one who loved this magazine.  

Beaker's Anyone?

On a recent trip to Ikea I found textured beakers for .79.  I thought they were neat and figured I would find a use for them somewhere.  Taking my own advice, I gathered a few yard clippings and put them in the beakers to create an affordable centerpiece for my porch table.  

For the Love of Magazines

If there is one thing I cannot live without, it would be magazines. Some would say that I have an obsession with magazines.  The magazines that I receive include House Beautiful, Better Homes and Gardens, Elle Decor, Southern Accents, Traditional Home, Country Living, and Southern Living.  I also venture to Barnes & Nobles at least once a week to see what international magazines they have on the stands.  Among my favorite are those from England. The English Home, England's House Beautiful, and House & Garden, are my favorite publications from England.  I also tend to pick up Martha Stewart Living, Renovation Style, and Dwell when I am at the grocery store.  I save all my magazines and have them organized chronologically in magazine organizers I purchased from IKEA.  There you have it, I have come clean about my addiction.  Some have their Starbucks or smoking addictions.  I have my magazines.

This past January I mourned the loss of three of my favorite magazines.  Domino, Cottage Living, and Country Home all went under.  I was truly upset about the demise of these magazines.  The editors attributed it to the economy and advertisers pulling out.   Thankfully I saved all my old editions and have them to look at when I feel nostalgic or need inspiration.

One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure

As I mentioned in a previous post, my husband loves to bring home "junk"  He has an eye for creating new uses out of old or discarded items.  Just to fill you in real quick about my husband, he is a superintendent for a commercial developer.  His job takes him all over the metropolitan area.  Some of the more interesting jobs he has worked on include the renovation of a Northeast D.C. elementary school.  MTV documented the construction and aired the footage on President Obama's inauguration night. Currently he is doing his first "green" project on a renovation in Downtown Bethesda, MD.
That being said, he has brought home many items found in the dumpster from his job-sites.  I guess you could call him eco-friendly because he likes to recycle or find new uses out of "trash".  A few years ago he brought home left-over fiberglass molding from a commercial retail space.  He took old hooks he had gotten at a flea market and screwed them onto the face of the molding.  We hung the molding by the front door and now we have a place to hang my purses and our children's backpacks.

Lamp Love

The best way to describe my design style is mish mashed.  I am not traditional or modern but I like to incorporate both elements into my home.  My favorite piece of furniture is an antique armoire from Sweden.  Although we paid a hefty price for it, I love it and cannot imagine my home without it.  I love to display all my favorite accessories on it.  I love seashells and antique books and there is no better place for them than on top of my armoire.  I came to the realization that I needed to spice things up in my living room.  I found two lamps recently that did the job. I LOVE my capiz shell lamp that I put on my armoire.  I think it adds a little unexpected drama.  I also added a lamp with a zebra print shade on the table by my front door.  I think both lamps are fun and add new depth to my living room.  

Unexpected Deal

For the past few months I have been pining over a ceramic table I found in a Ballard Designs catalog.  I could not bring myself to pay the $139 price tag though.  Imagine, to my surprise, the delight I felt when I was in Costco recently and found the exact same table for $39.  Of course I had to buy it at that price!

Crafty Tray

I really love my bottles and jars given to me by my husband, but they looked cluttered on my small table on the porch.  My friend Jackie recently showed me a tray she made from supplies bought at A.C. Moore.  I decided to give a hand at making my own tray to hold all my new-found glassware.  All I needed was an unpainted wood tray, white acrylic paint, mod podge, paint brushes, and craft paper.  It was the easiest project I have ever done under an hour.  Simply paint the tray white, cut the paper to fit the inside of the tray and seal the paper with mod podge.  I was pretty impressed with the end result!

Found Treasures

Recently my husband started bringing home old glass jars and milk bottles from work.  He is currently  working in Downtown Bethesda, Maryland on a renovation project.  Upon watching an excavator dig up the job-site, he noticed glass bottles in the dirt.  My husband is an avid junk collector.  It used to drive me nuts!  Over the years I have come to appreciate the treasures he brings home.  Like my father, he loves to explore abandoned houses or visit estate sales.  He mainly is in search of old tools, but being the good husband that he is, brings me items that he know will look great in our home.  

I must say, I am in love with the bottles he is bringing home!  I look forward to new ones everyday.  The history behind the bottles is intriguing.  For example, he recently brought home a milk bottle that is from an old dairy farm in Washington, D.C.  How long has it been since there was any sort of farm in Washington?   

Sadly, concrete will be poured and the bottles will stop making their way to my house.  Until then, I will await for what my husband brings home to add to my collection!

First Blog Post!

Today I am blogging for the very first time.  I have always wanted to create a blog, but have never done so due to the fact that I have three very young children.  I am excited to start blogging and hope to keep it up.

Recently I was trimming bushes in my front yard.  As I was getting ready to discard the trimmings, I realized that the branches from the bush were quite pretty.  I took the clippings inside and put them into an ironstone pitcher my father gave me.  I have to give my father credit for the pitcher because he loves to go to abandoned houses in search for neat treasures.  He found the pitcher in an old farm house on one of his excursions.  Anyways, instead of spending money on flowers, I created a free centerpiece for my living room armoire.