wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* That I'd planned some posts for you while I was out last week. No doubt you were devastated.

* How cute is this dress? And it's from JCPenney!

* That I hadn't left my favorite self-tanner in my hotel room. Bummer.

* Skinnier legs. It's practically summer, people.

* This pillow reminds me of The Lion King. And who doesn't love crewel?

What's your wish?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

you can buy it for me, if you want.

* To meet up with Joy the Baker when I'm in L.A. next week!

* A total yard makeover. Any volunteers?

* Pretty much any dress from Madewell these days.

* A super-cute one-piece swimsuit. Is there such a thing?

* Who wouldn't love a couple of these adorable chairs?

What's your wish?

sneak peek

Much has been made on this blog about my bedroom makeover. I've got a sneak peek for you, if you'd like to see...

What do you think? The orange and green fabrics are velvet, and I could die I love them so much. And you'll likely recognize the pillow in the back as well.

What are your Easter plans? This will be our first one just the two of us, and I'm going to make my first attempt at dressing. I'm nervous!

Have a blessed weekend.

yipes! stripes!

I have a sewing machine. It’s sitting in a cabinet in my dining room, collecting dust, as we virtually speak right now. I’ve even used it once, under the supervision of someone who knew WAY more about what she was doing than I do. I’d like to learn, I want to learn, but I’m scared of messing up or breaking a needle or having to thread the bobbin and not know what to do.


So I’d like to add horizontal-striped curtains to the list of things that I can’t do because I can’t/won’t learn to sew. I cannot quit thinking about how badly I want these…



How great is this watermelon-y color?
From Better Homes & Gardens



Amanda Carol sewed together West Elm shower curtains for her home office.



The Alluvian was doing horizontal before horizontal was cool.



Perfection in a nursery. (source unknown)

My absolute favorite! (source unknown)



Don’t you love this look?

Of course to have these custom-made would probably cost a fortune (these on etsy aren’t too bad, but the fabric isn’t what I want). How hard would it be for fabric-maker-people to make horizontal striped fabric? Seriously? If there are any fabric designers out there, be aware that you are missing a huge chunk of business, especially with the all the striped curtains I’ve seen out there. I found a tutorial for painting them, and I’m considering trying it out.

What do you think? Do you love this look enough to DIY?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?


photo from HowSweetItIs


* Dry shampoo for curly hair. Is there such a thing?

* The J.Crew No.2 pencil skirt. How great is the citron color?

* That this humid weather would hit the road! It's too early for frizz like this.

* That these shams came in king-size. This king bedding stuff is hard!

* Garlic Bread Pizza Crust counts as breakfast, right?

What's your wish?

re-do to do

What’s the deal with Daylight Savings Time? (Doesn’t that sound like the opening line of a bad Jerry Seinfeld act?) I totally get why we did it in the beginning, but is it really necessary in 2012? This pretty much sums up my thoughts on it:

PC? No. True? Yes.

While I was lying awake last night at 11:30 p.m., I put together a to-do list for my bedroom makeover and even set a deadline for myself: Memorial Day = installation day. Why then you might ask? Supposedly that’s when the mattresses at Miskelly go on sale. Who knew? Kell did. And since I have not heeded his opinion on anything décor-related yet, I decided to give him that one little nugget.

3 Euro shams

Ivory king shams

Throw pillows (one of which is my beloved Chiang Mai pillow)

Mattelasse bedspread - ivory

Paint walls

curtain panels

Sunburst mirror (I got one at Big Lots!)

headboard

Lamps for bedside tables

Painting above bed

Bedside tables

Art above bedside tables

And I will say that for me, the best way to get started was to choose a color pallette. Fortunately, Chiang Mai Dragon has so many great colors, Shumacher did that for me.

So, now there’s no excuse but to get to work, right? Oh, and there’s that little hurdle called a “budget” to get over, but shoot first, apologize later, right?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* Just a few days of winter. I never got to bundle up this year!

* I love this handpainted necklace! The colors are so great for spring.

* That Joy the Baker would swing through the South on her book tour.

* I bet Mary-Kathryn is wishing for this storage bench.

* That the Avett Brothers were coming to Mississippi soon. Oh wait, they ARE!

What's your wish?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* One of these candles for every room in my house. They are divine!

* That this cordless mouse wasn't so wonky.

* To try some of this beer risotto. Would you make it?

* How cute is this dog wrapping paper?

* That I hadn't eaten so much at Ubon's today. But it was worth it!

What's your wish?

re-do

bedding by Urban Outfitters

I’m overwhelmed. May I tell you why?


Kell and I are re-decorating our bedroom (I even started a Pinterest board for it!). Actually, I shouldn’t say “re-decorating” because it was never decorated in the first place. Unless by décor, you mean some hand-me-down furniture from our parents and the comforter Kell had on his bed in college. True story. Don’t even ask for a before picture.

So I decided to sit down and make a list to share with you of everything I want to do. Well, now I’m daunted. Look what I have to do…in no particular order!

Choose paint color

Headboard

Euro shams

A little chair to throw stuff on

King shams

Bedspread/Coverlet

Throw pillows

Curtain panels/hardware

Bedside tables

Knick knacks/sit-arounds

Lamps

Art for over bed

Paint chest of drawers (if Kell will let me)

I have some ideas for a few things, but seeing it in list form seems like so much! I’ve never liked decorating a little at a time. I suppose it’s my impatient nature, but when I want something done, I want it done now! Oh, and there’s this little thing called a budget that we have to take into consideration as well. Of course my first plan is to win some money from a raffle to which Laura Merrill sold me tickets. But in the off chance that doesn’t happen, I need to be prepared to some bargain-hunting and DIY.

What are your ideas for me? What should I invest in, and where can I be frugal? What other advice do you have?

I’m getting worked up just thinking about it.

Have a lovely weekend, friends!

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* I'm not afraid of the dark, but for this nightlight, I could fake it!

* Sir Paul's new CD. The man's still got it!

* That Uggs were work-appropriate.

* How cute are these red cropped pants? I actually wish I had them on right now.

* Some Spicy Parmesan Shrimp. That'd be fine for breakfast, right?

What's your wish?

house of fifty

Do y'all read House of Fifty? It's an incredible online magazine about home, lifestyle, food, blogs - basically everything I love - that's a spinoff from Isabella & Max Rooms, a beautiful home design blog that I adore.

Check it out here (they have an iPad and iPhone app!), and maybe you should follow them on Pinterest, too. Like I just did...

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* How 'bout some actual cold weather in January? I'm practically sweating over here.

* A cool print shirt like this to spice up my usual weekend uni of top + jeans + boots.

* I LOVE the colors of this club chair! With the right throw pillow, it could go from super mod to traditional in a snap!

* Have y'all seen these? They affix to Ikea furniture to make it custom!

* A storage bench for all our blankets. This cool ikat one is from Target!

What's your wish?

bedroom re-do

It's no secret that I am totally enamored of Jenny Komenda and Joanna Goddard. Fortunately, they are blissfully unaware of how stalk-y I am of their blogs. Imagine my happiness when Jenny re-decorated Joanna's bedroom! Have you seen it yet? I'm so envious of Joanna's life in NYC with her cute husband and little boy; this did NOT help.

Here's her before...

Pretty, but how cute is the after?

Joanna and Jenny both posted about it on their blogs (images from Joanna's blog), so you should read them and get inspired like I did. Kell and I (well, let's be honest - just me) are working on re-doing our bedroom (Thanks, Freddie!), and I can't quit thinking about fabric and paint and bedding! I even created a Pinterest board dedicated to it so I don't forget the stuff I like!

In other totally awesome home re-do news, check out Mary-Kathryn's uber-cool Oxford crib. Yes, that's a garage door in her kitchen! Fab, right? Go to her blog to see the whole thing. I'm telling you, it's like something out of Garden and Gun.

I'm so envious of her vision, and her adorable hubby's handyman-ness!

What's your favorite room in your house?

wish list wednesday - etsy love!

What Etsy items am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* I love the color combination and pattern on this pillow.

* I'm not sure what I'd do with this yellow lantern, but I love it!

* These adorable gift tags, hand made by Mary-Kathryn's talented sister-in-law Amy. The burlap is perfect.

* One of these sweet custom house portraits. She can add dogs, too!

* You could wear this cool bracelet with anything...year round!

What's your wish?

welcome 2012 - better late than never...

Yowzaa!

Where did December go? Remember being a kid and it seemed like Christmas would NEVER get here? Maybe it’s a sign that I’m aging at a rapid pace, but man, it flew in and out to me.

I am going to admit something to you guys: I hate new years. Not New Year’s Eve, a new year. I know everyone always says they can look ahead with fresh perspective, think about all the good things that could happen and all the stuff they are looking forward to. Well, perhaps it’s my anxious nature, but I can’t help but think about all that bad things that will/could happen. I’m not going to run through the list that’s in my head; trust me, you don’t want to hear it. Plus, that’s not the operation I’m running here.

Instead, I’ve decided to make a list of things I’m looking forward to in the next few months or so. I can’t think too far past spring, so forgive my lack in forward-thinking.

The Civil Wars concert January 10

MK and I are going to see the Civil Wars in Memphis next week, and I am so jazzed! You might remember my post about them a few weeks ago. One of my resolutions for 2012 is to go to more concerts, and I think this is a great start. YAY!

My sister’s wedding January 14

I can’t believe my little sister will be a Mrs. soon! I still think of her as the little pipsqueak that I used to steal french fries from. Sweet tee, Harris. You would.

Joy the Baker’s cookbook – out February 28!

I cannot wait for this. I was so disappointed to find out that it wouldn’t be out before Christmas, but now I’m glad so I can look forward to it! I love a cookbook.

Making my master bedroom presentable

Ever since we moved into our house, I have closed the door to our bedroom whenever we have company. I finally picked out the color palette for the room, and I’m so ready to start getting stuff together. It will be so nice to have pretty bedding and curtains on the windows and coordinating bedside tables! Oh my!

What are your feelings on a new year? What are you looking forward to in 2012?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* That I could have gotten a few posts together last week. Sorry I left y’all hanging! I know you were totally lost. ;)

* Some of these ballet flats. I am so digging on the poppy ones!

* A new chair for my living room. I’m so enamored of the colors in this one, but frankly anything would be an improvement from the blue recliner.

* This cute shirt I spotted on Pinterest (you can follow me here!). I think it would be so cute in the summer with black shorts and wedges, too!

* A leopard scarf. Isn’t it so hard to find the exact print you want?

What’s your wish?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

* How cute are these 12 Days of Christmas plates? (Even though I loathe the song...)

* To make some homemade marshmallows. This recipe looks like a good one. Fran swears it's easy...

* This super little glittery bag. It would be so hard not to carry it every day!

* This book spotted on A Cup of Jo. Dogs rule!

* A classic Christmas movie film festival with Rudolph, Charlie Brown, The Grinch (the original, NOT the Jim Carrey one...), Elf and Christmas Vacation. What are your faves?

What's your wish?

it's beginning to look a lot like Pinterest

Who up in here is digging on Pinterest? I am (follow me!). Something about it has re-energized my creative spirit, and that makes me happy.

Last year, I didn’t do any Christmas decorating other than a tree. I kind of thought it was pointless since only Kell and I would see it, but turns out, I was a little depressed about it. So this year, I knew it was on like donkey kong. And where’s a girl to go for inspiration? Duh.

All that said, would you like to see my mantle?

I can’t take credit for the look, and please excuse the poor photo. I had to take the picture with my phone, and there’s just not a lot of natural light in my living room. Here’s the mantle muse (image from there, too)…

What do you think? Did I get close?

I have to admit, when I first start copying a project, I can have blinders on for everything except what’s exactly like in the original. I searched high and low for the candlesticks, but they were nowhere to be found. (What’s the deal with no one selling hideous glass candlesticks anymore?) I even scoured our local Hancock for fabric just like what’s in the picture, but that didn’t happen either. When I got over the hurdle of not executing a carbon copy, it was much easier to visualize (and breathe).

Wanna know how I did it? As if it’s really complicated.

The trees are just floral foam trees from Michaels, and that’s where the garland is from too – it’s actually yarn from the knitting section. The only reason I even recognized it from the picture is because I used the same stuff in pink for a baby shower this summer. The sequined garland is from Big Lots – don’t you dare knock that place.  I tore strips of fabric for the trees and pinned them on with those pins that have the little white balls on the top. It didn’t matter if it matched up perfectly; in fact, I didn’t want it to. I like the overlap here and there – it reinforces that it was handmade.

The blue trees are circles of felt pinned with the same pins. I saw the idea here and went along with that tutorial, except I used pinking shears. Not sure if you can even tell, but I think it adds another layer of cuteness, and as we all know, cuteness counts.

The other stuff I had – the window is old, the “MERRY” I got years ago when I lived in Greenwood, and I have no recollection of where the glittery trees came from.

I have to say, I’m proud of my little mantle, and I’m so glad I decorated this year. I feel like much less of a Grinch.

Have you decorated yet?

wish list wednesday

What am I wishing for this Wednesday?

image from here

* One of these clever street sign pillows. Wouldn't they make a great housewarming gift?

* A cupcake. Right here. Right this second.

* This cute table lamp. I love the circles!

* I saw these booties a few weeks ago, and I can't quit thinking about them...

* That I didn't loooooove Halloween candy. The grocery store is killing me!

What's your wish?

gallery walls

Home décor is always a work in progress, isn’t it?

I’ll think something in my home looks really great for a few months or more, and then one day, I decide I’m totally over it and need a new look. Well, I’m there.

If you’ve seen my house before, you probably remember an obnoxiously huge bare wall. I had a couple of large pieces of art there, and I kind of hate them now. What else can you do with an enormous wall? A gallery wall, of course!

My Pinterest followers may have noticed I have an entire board dedicated to gallery walls, simply because each is totally different than the next (which is what I LOVE about them). There are perfectly matching ones, some have completely straight lines, and lots use the same frames and mats. Y’all know I could never get anything to match OR be completely straight, so I’m drawn to the more fancy-free walls.

Here are some of my favorites I’ve found…

I just love this room as a whole.

So many gallery walls I've seen are on light-colored walls. This is more workable for me.

I love how this one isn't just paintings or prints. That bust is cool!



Jenny's (aka LGN) gallery wall in her own home. Look at all the different textures and sizes and colors! She can do no wrong.

Another green wall.

I love how low these are hung. I have a chair rail, so I'm not sure if I could make this work.

I’ve already started collecting little pieces here and there, but I want to do it NOW! Do you love a gallery wall? If so, what kind? If not, why not?