grace's birdcage

the kitchen project : before and after

2012-01-02T18:55:00.000-06:00

You can read more about our kitchen project at the start here, a list of what we did and some in-process working photos.
Only (ahem) weeks after promised, here are before and after shots of our kitchen. Truth be told, we're still missing the final quarter-round trim along the bottom of the cabinets and base so we're not 100% finished. But we'll call it darn close.

before...

and after...

Our main goal with the choices we made was to have a bright, classic/neutral, durable, functional space that we could still be happy with in 18 years. We wanted to do absolutely as much of it ourselves as we could (which is why it took 5 months) to learn, appreciate and save some moolah. We were lucky that the previous owners had semi-recently updated all of the appliances and while they don't necessarily match each other they're in great shape and work perfectly so we didn't mess with them.

A few of the specifics:
The counters were really what spurred this entire project. They were very old plastic laminate with quite a few chips and stains - not to mention an awkwardly placed built-in cutting board an in-counter blender (a big metal plate with a button - when you pushed it a 30 year old broken blender popped up!) The counters had to go. There are obviously a lot of counter material options out there. Our absolute favorite is white marble, however its known to stain and these puppies needed to be ready for the long-haul. We didn't find a granite we were crazy about (we like a very monolithic look without a lot of grain/pattern to it) so it came down to solid surface (like Corian) or quartz/engineered stone. We really wanted a medium gray and had a hard time finding the right color in solid surface. Quartz is extremely hard and durable (again, looking for the long haul) and we ended up finding the perfect concrete-like gray.

It bugged us that the existing sink was not centered on the window - it was almost - but off enough that we noticed it. Also a personal preference, but we didn't like a double-bowl sink. We used one side 90% of the time and rarely touched the other. We had seen the Kohler Indio sink in a showroom before we even owned a house and declared it the perfect, most amazing sink ever. One big, beautiful basin with an offset faucet and drain. Extra bonus was that the offset faucet hides the fact that the sink isn't centered! This sink isn't crazy expensive - but it isn't the cheap basic model either. The quartz counters had to be cut to a specific sink dimension, meaning we were committing to a sink for as long as we have these counters (which is going to be a loooong time) so we decided it was best to go with what we really, really wanted. We were jazzed when this guy arrived.

The tile is matte white from American Olean's Profile collection. A very, very basic 3"x6" subway tile. We also purchased the coordinating edge trim pieces for our window sill. We decided to use a gray grout (I believe it's Delorean Gray from Home Depot.)

Heck yes that's a bottle of whiskey up there. Along with a few of my cookbooks that I wrapped in brown paper after seeing an image of something similar on Pinterest.
The floor is Johnsonite Linoleum. 'Lineoluem' has mistakenly been used to describe any sheet good flooring - when the majority of the products people are referring to are actually vinyl. Linoleum is a material that was used a lot in the past - it's being used more and more now as people chose it for the sustainable qualities (it's made with 95% natural materials like flax, wood, linseed oil and limestone) and the fact that it's very durable. We chose a medium gray that has a slight marbled pattern of lighter and darker grays and we've been really happy with it. Completely surprised at how good it is at hiding everything - our floor looks deceivingly clean even when it isn't quite so.

So many of the kitchen inspiration images I had pulled together had glass front cabinets. We didn't want to replace our doors so we got quote from a local cabinet company to retrofit our existing doors with glass. It came back around $230 (higher than we expected) - so we took a chance and tried it ourselves. My husband carefully removed the center panel (we tested this on one of the cabinets we had removed just in case). I had glass cut from Lowe's and put it in with clear silicone and added a little wood trim inside (email me if you want more info.) We were happy with how they turned out - and it was only $30!

That's the long-winded kitchen scoop. Let me know if you have any questions or would like more information!

grace

2011-11-20T16:39:00.001-06:00

my Chunky Monkey, Babaganoush, Munchkin, Pumpkin,

le Chat Lunatique.

Rest in peace my Grace.

and there they sit

2011-11-17T12:00:00.000-06:00

So I hope this photo doesn't offend anyone. I'm not sure why it would except that I can see where it might. So I don't know.

That being said, I love it.

I have had the two religious pieces (are these statues? trinkets?) for as long as I can remember. My father gave them to me when I was little and I think there was an association with my grandmother (his mother) but I don't know if the association was just 'she was Catholic' or maybe they were hers. For my entire childhood they sat on that exact shelf of my dresser. Probably with a layer of dust exactly as you see them here.

I bought the hula girl in high school when I upgraded from a 1982 Chevy Blazer to a 1994 sea-green Ford Taurus. Holla. I glued it to my dashboard and we bopped together for a few years. She even came to college with me. Then one day I was in an accident and totalled the poor Taurus. Thank my lucky stars no one was in the passenger seat because when the airbags went off that hula chic was like a plastic missile that definitely could have ripped some one's face apart.

This dresser still sits in the bedroom I had in high school. Over the years I've slowly taken things to my home or thrown things away etc - that widdling away that you randomly do every time you visit. These three are pretty much all that's left.
Holding down the fort, keeping it real.

the kitchen project : evidence

2011-11-16T12:00:00.000-06:00

A better blogger would have done the dishes before taking the official before photo. And probably put these photos in a more story-telling order.

Same corner, three different looks!

Stay tuned for the final result!

the kitchen project : what we did

2011-11-15T12:00:00.000-06:00

I've struggled with how to share the scoop on our kitchen renovation. I started to go all Young House Love and write entire posts about every single decision we made. Which, on the one hand, would provide solid blogging content for the next four months, but on the other hand would probably drive everyone away (I just can't spell it out as well as the YSL crew!)

So this is the process post. With a list of everything we did (and what we hired someone to do) and next I'll do a post of progress photos.

For the dramatic effect of keeping you all on your toes, I'll post the finished product in yet another post. For the drama or for the fact that I haven't taken final pictures yet. It's one of those.

What we did (in order):
1. Ripped down the sexy coffee-house cartoon border. It took about 46 seconds because they put it up with a child's glue stick.

2. Ripped out the wall of cabinets above our stove - along with the microwave. I hate microwaves and I'm determined to never have one again. This microwave was giant and sitting way to low over the stove. Peace out radiant lover.

3. Painted the upper cabinets white.

4. Realized we used the wrong kind of paint on the upper cabinets. Stripped, sanded and primed every single one.

5. Painted the upper cabinets white.

6. Ripped out the plastic laminate counters.

7. Hired some nice young men to come and install new quartz counters.

8. Hire another nice man to come patch the wall where the previous owners had chipped out all of the plaster to put in the old counters. And also shot at the walls with a machine gun by the look of it.

9. Painted the walls.

10. Ripped out the fake-wood/laminate floor. Completely didn't match the rest of the house and was a floating floor (meaning not glued down) on a non-level substrate. So it was bouncy and needed to go. This took us 20 minutes - heck yes on the not being glued down.

11. Tiled the walls, backsplash and window sill. This literally took us over 30 hours spread over a few weekends but it was important to us that it was done carefully (we worried anyone we hired would rush vs. measure and level every damn tile). I tiled while my husband used the tile saw. Then I grouted while he went behind and cleaned. Probably my favorite part of the whole kitchen project and so happy with how it turned out.

12. Had the floor installed. We chose old-school linoleum (not vinyl floor that people call linoleum) This is a product that used to be used a lot - it's made from cork, linseed oil and jute.

13. Covered the asbestos encased ~~stripper pole~~ radiator pipe with a paintable wallcovering. Much easier/safer than the process of cutting it out.

14. Retrofit some of our cabinet doors with glass fronts (this does deserve a post of it's own as I did it by myself in an afternoon for $30 after a cabinet company quoted us $250).

15. Hung a stainless steel shelf over the stove.

16. Replaced all of the dingy, unmatched outlet covers with stainless steel.

16. Removed the ceiling fan that hung way, way to low in the room. I'd love to say we then put a finished plate over the whole, but to be honest there is still a hole in the middle of our kitchen ceiling.

Things that we still need to do:
-put trim back on the cabinets at the floor and re-install the transition strips in the doorways.
-install the new glass cooktop after I leaned on ours while tiling and cracked it. sonofa.
-eventually replace the lighting - very cheap track lighting that we don't love but it's not terrible. Someday.

Next up, progress photos!

when it was summer

2011-11-14T20:00:00.000-06:00

Having lived in Iowa, you'd think I would have spent quite a bit of time at the famous Iowa State Fair each summer. This is not the case. If it wasn't for the fact that the Goo Goo Dolls played at the fair a few years in a row when I was in high school, I'm pretty sure I would have never attended. Some people like fairs. I like fairs every five or six years. Get your fix and get the hell out.

This year a trip back to Iowa just happened to fall right in the middle of the fair so my husband, his best friend and I stopped for a few hours. The boys tried the gamut of fair food (fried twinkie, fried snickers, turkey leg etc) I had an awesome snow-cone and a vegetarian corndog (also awesome). We rode the ferris wheel just as the Maroon 5 show started movin like Jagger and the boys played a few carnival games.

Obviously we went to see the butter cow (for those not familiar it's exactly what it sounds like, a full-sized cow made out of butter.)

How could you not.

stamps

2011-11-13T19:06:00.001-06:00

So it's apparent how long I've been gone when blogger itself has completely changed in my absence and I have to relearn how to use the darn thing.
Alas, I'm here.

I found this set of stamps a few months ago at a thrift/antique spot in Kansas City. I rarely have the cajones to negotiate at those places but I managed to on this guy - making it all the sweeter. The case needed some wood-glue-lovin-repair and the stamp pad had dried up decades ago, but I loved how used it felt. Clearly created something, somewhere for someone.

This is where I'm going to break some crafter's little heart. I want to display this lovely piece on the wall. Which would result it all of the stamps tumbling to the ground unless you glue each one in place with a little dab o glue. Which is what I did.

I wanted to give a few of the stamps a last hurrah before sticking them in place for the next few decades. Voila - stamp photo shoot. Work it.

fairyland resort

2011-08-22T08:48:00.001-05:00

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At the end of July we went up to northern Michigan to a spot my family has been gathering for a long time. It's definitely one of my favorite places on our little planet. I have more photos to share from the trip, but one of the highlights was this random discovery on the beach one evening. We saw a funny cluster of rocks where the sand met the grass and got closer to investigate. We ended up finding these masterpieces. Tiny little villages someone must have spent hours creating. An insane amount of hours. I can't even describe them and I know the photos don't do justice.
There was a gym - complete with a basketball court (colored rocks created the pattern on the court floor), weight room (dumbbells in all sizes made with little berries on blades of grass) and a punching bag (pinecone suspended by blades of grass). We found an amusement park with rides, a house (dining room table had plates and food). Just this tiny, detailed little world.
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Still fascinated. They created it knowing that the first gust of wind/high tide/dog running etc could come along and everything would be destroyed.
Just a little bit of magic.

the right mix

2011-08-21T22:28:00.000-05:00

via Desire to Inspire

in this dress

2011-08-10T08:08:00.000-05:00

Mia Wasikowska in Harper's Bazaar Australia August 2011,

photographed by Will Davidson. via Dustjacket Attic

eames in black

2011-08-09T08:08:00.005-05:00

This is one of my all-time-absolute favorite chairs. A true classic, looks good in just about any setting, in any color. Red is usually my favorite, but this black is perfect.
Eames Molded Plastic Chairs - photo via French by Design

the kitchen project

2011-08-08T00:12:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of this summer we decided to take on the biggest renovation project we've done (and probably will ever do) on our old house. The kitchen.

Dun dun dun.

I think we figured it was one, maybe two month project. We're currently going into month three. We also figured we could do the entire thing without really losing the ability to use the kitchen. That is hilarious. We haven't used the stove/oven/sink in a solid five weeks.
I'm going to break the renovation into a couple of more detailed posts, but here's the background.

This is our kitchen ala sketchup. For a little context, the door on the left goes to our hallway/backdoor, the door on the right goes to a small butler's pantry and the top door heads down the hall to the dining room/rest of the house.

Things we liked: the big window, plenty of storage, the general layout and the appliances.
Things we didn't like: the crazy wallpaper border, chipped old counters, all of the black cabinets (too dark!) mis-matched/inconsistent tile backsplash, the ceiling fan, low microwave over the stove and the flooring (fake laminate). So a few things.

It started with the 1970's laminate counters. They were chipped in a few places and had a 'built-in' cutting board in a strange location. And the highlight? The in-counter blender. It just looked like a random metal plate until you pressed a button and a 30+ year old blender popped up. It didn't work, ate up the entire cabinet beneath it... and meant we kept a wooden cutting board strategically placed over it at all times. These counters had to go.

The problem with projects like is the way they steamroll from 'we need to replace these counters' to ...
While we're replacing the counters, we should do the backsplash too.
While we're replacing the counters and tile, we might as well replace the sink.
Since we're taking down the border, we should paint.
Since we're painting, we should go ahead and paint the cabinets.
If we're messing with the cabinets, we should rip out the ones we don't like.
If we're doing all of that work, we might as well get rid of the floor.
and voila - you've pretty quickly signed yourself up for a summer project.

So here is the before shot (heaven forbid we do the dishes before taking photos) :

Stay tuned for our first steps...

favorite summer shoe

2011-08-07T11:08:00.002-05:00

I had been watching these shoes from Sam Edelman this Spring and when they suddenly went on sale this summer? Mine. They're sky-high, very comfy AND have velcro. Which is just kind of awesome.

backyard wedding

2011-08-06T11:08:00.002-05:00

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Well hello there. I may have accidentally just taken a two month blogging break. Oopsadaisy.
But now I'm back, all refreshed with lots to share. Backyard wedding? You bet. Tiny magical fairy resort created out of found objects on the beach? On it. Insanely bigger-than-I-expected-completely-draining kitchen renovation? Oh nelly, got it.

Let's start at the very beginning. Which, according to Julie Andrews, is a very good place to start.

You might remember back in October my sister got married in Northern Michigan. It was a small ceremony with a few family members by the beach. This June they had a backyard reception to celebrate with all of their friends and family. We had so much fun dancing the night away under the lights, surrounded by trees on a perfect evening. Once again I got to try my hand at a little flower arranging...
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We used lots of roses and craspedia with stock, rosemary, larkspur, bupleurum and lavender. My sister collected a crazy amount of blue glass bottles and jars for the flowers and candles. She also gathered vintage/thrifted plates for dinner which I loved - way more fun than plain white rented plates, more friendly on the environment than paper and added a fun eclectic element to the tables.

This is my sister and her husband's ~~pony~~ dog. He insisted on sticking with them throughout the evening, even laying down in the grass beside them during the first dance.

It was an amazing evening and a great celebration of their relationship! Awesome way to start the summer.

neocon details

2011-06-17T09:22:00.000-05:00

Just returned from Neocon (commercial interior design trade show at the giant Merchandise Mart in Chicago) always a great source of inspiration checking out new products and getting to see installations. Aaaand a few days in the fabulous windy city isn't bad either. A few random detail shots...

1. Bernhardt chair w/ Maharam textile 2. graphic in...Turnstone? Izzy? 3. Steelcase media wall 4. Vitra rubber band wall 5. Maharam Deconstructed Rose 6. Lamp in Haworth showroom

heyo

2011-06-08T22:41:00.000-05:00

Remember the test I mentioned this Spring?
I passed. Kind of excited.
That's all.
:)

peony

2011-06-01T21:16:00.000-05:00

Our peonies bloomed again this year. I'm going to be honest though, it was a pretty poor showing. The blooms were small and lasted approximately 14 hours. I think it's because they were jealous of the neighbor peonies. Aka the were the biggest things I've ever seen in my life and lasted weeks and were feathery and light and gorgeous.
Do see? The bright white fluffiness?
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Neighbors love when you go into their yard to take pictures of their landscaping.
And I love when they let their dog poop in my yard and don't clean it up.
Good neighbors are all about compromise.

joplin relief prints

2011-05-30T21:47:00.001-05:00

Miss Tobe with Because It's Awesome is selling prints to benefit the American Red Cross effort after the devastating tornado in Joplin, Missouri - fabulous prints with a great cause! Check it out

chandelier bed

2011-05-26T23:08:00.001-05:00

via French by Design

repin

2011-05-25T22:27:00.001-05:00

When facebook came out I said that sounded like the silliest idea ever. And then I signed up.
Twitter came out and I said it sounded like a waste of time.
And then I signed up.
Heard a few rumblings about Pinterest...
and I said SIGN. ME. UP sweet baby tom cruise.
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If you are a visual person, you should be on Pinterest. Virtual inspiration board + your favorites folder all in one happy site. You can find me here.

If you're a pinner (is this the term? pinter? pinny?) let me know - I'd love to find some new favorites to follow.
If you're not a pinner (officially the name. according to me) the site is still invite only, so let me know if you'd like an invite!
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Also- had to switch begrudgingly to blogger's new publishing format and for the life of me, I can't get my images centered. This one says it's centered. But it's ugly. Grr. Any helpers?

shabby apple winner

2011-05-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

Blogger and I have been having a fight (pretty sure blogger has been fighting with everyone) but I apologize for the delay in getting this up...

Congrats to #7, miss Meaghan!

I'll email you for details.

Thanks to Shabby Apple and everyone that entered!

rope detail

2011-05-19T22:04:00.004-05:00

The Brick House via Whorange

Oh! One more day on the Shabby Apple giveaway - I'll draw Friday evening!

iris

2011-05-16T22:53:00.002-05:00

They're out.
In all their purple (and a little pink) snazziness.

katie ermilio

2011-05-11T16:58:00.000-05:00

Katie Ermilio Fall 2011 lookbook via From Me to You

shabby apple

2011-05-09T21:40:00.003-05:00

I, for one, am an apple a day gal. Every morning on my way to work.

Besides watermelon, it's my favorite.

This is neither here nor there.

In other fruit news, I am love-love-loving the womens dresses from Shabby Apple. Quite the variety of style and color for just about any occasion. Also love the amazing vintage inspired swimwear - women looked much more glamorous hanging by the pool back in the day, didn't they?

My favorite dress has to be the Gondola (on the left in the image above) I rarely wear green but paired with those crisp navy and white stripes? Perfect for a summer wedding by the beach. Or far away from a beach if every single wedding you're invited to this summer happens to be in Iowa.

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Lucky for you crazy apples, Shabby Apple is giving away one of their great summer numbers - the classic Azure Coast wrap dress! How to win?

Just comment below with your favorite Shabby Apple dress (or swimsuit!)

Easy as pie.

For an extra entry, feel free to tweet about the giveaway (just comment again with the link to your tweetietweet)

And if you don't win (sad face) - or find another piece that you just must have (happy face), Shabby Apple is offering a 10% discount to Grace's Birdcage readers - just enter "GracesBirdcage10off" and you're all set!

Good luck!

sapling press

2011-05-05T20:48:00.001-05:00

Um. These are hilarious. Kudos Sapling Press.

(which is 'in cahoots' with Dear blank, please blank. Also hilarious)

fashion for a cause

2011-05-05T12:08:00.000-05:00

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Always love a fabulous fashion event in Kansas City!
Tickets are available now for the 2011 Fashion for A Cause event at the new Club Level of Arrowhead on May 13th.
The event benefits Truman Medical Centers' Women's Health Programs.

yes yes NO

2011-05-04T17:08:00.000-05:00

Yes sexy one-of-my-favorites-of-all-time Wegner chair.

Yes gorgeous dark wall color with meaty white trim.

Yes little white teacups.

NO scary gold shiny busy lamp. You are too much.

via French by Design

pretentious ass recipe

2011-05-03T21:04:00.001-05:00

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I have to thank miss Emmy-Ray for recommending I check out My Drunk Kitchen. It's the best cooking show to ever be created in all of time. Love the editing, love the humor and love her.
Hilarious.
Favorite line? "Some people are afraid of burning some people's apartments down. I'm not. I'm not afraid of anything."

the patterns

2011-04-26T18:58:00.000-05:00

via things I like, things I love

my kind of math

2011-04-26T06:58:00.000-05:00

(RAH)² (AH)³ + [ROMA (1+MA)] + (GA)² + (OOH)(LA)²

love it.

via It's Always Awesome on Easley Street

clean and bright

2011-04-25T21:36:00.002-05:00

I never get tired of clean white spaces.

via Lace & Tea

my girl

2011-04-20T17:08:00.003-05:00

Cutest summer movie ever.

Image via LoveMore

in bloom

2011-04-19T17:08:00.000-05:00

layered diy art

2011-04-18T21:21:00.006-05:00

While doing a little guest room prep this weekend (woohoo for friends coming to stay), I decided the guest bathroom needed a little something to pep it up. That being said, guest bathroom artwork is not at the top of our very long wish-list for home purchases, so I got a little crafty.

In borderline-hoarder style I had held on to this tissue paper from a gift for quite a while. I wasn't sure what I'd do with it, but couldn't bear to part with the little birdies. Luckily we had an unused, random frame to fill. I used three layers of tissue paper, slightly shifting each (and flipping the middle layer backwards) simply wrapping a piece of cardboard, taping each piece in the back...

and voila! Cheers up the little bathroom and hides about 42 nail holes. Seriously you'd think the previous homeowners just ran around with a hammer and nail playing... some game that involves those things and lots of holes in the wall. If you know that game, I don't want to play.

What's that? The wall behind the frame looks like painted, wrinkled wallpaper? Oh don't be silly. It's our house. Of course it is.

a lovely mix

2011-04-13T21:41:00.001-05:00

via Desire to Inspire

orange crush

2011-04-13T20:49:00.006-05:00

Taking a cue (aka stealing fun blogging topic) from miss Meghan at The Perfect Compilation Tape's Top 5 Thursday list - my top 5 celebrity crushes (past or present)...

Heath. oh Heath. Cannot even name the number of times I obsessively watched A Knight's Tale. Loved Brokeback Mountain. Definitely my top crush, but also one of my favorite actors ever (seriously, the Joker? Incredible.) Still so sad that he is gone.

Eric. or I think his name is Alexander. Whatever. Admittedly, this is a crush on Eric the True Blood character- I'm not sure I'd still have the love if there were no fangs.

Vinny. I get this is a weird one. But the guy is funny. I'm starting to lose the crush - as the show (Jersey Shore) gets bigger, so does his head and he's losing a little bit of that humble charm. But alas, funny.

Robert. Didn't get it until I read the books. Now I get it. Nom nom nom.

Johnny. Johnny (Goo Goo Dolls front man) and Heath were the only men to ever grace the walls of my bedroom growing up. And Chris Farley. I recently went to the concert and got to stand a few rows away - realized that I've been crushing on this guy for a solid 16 years. Go Johnny go.

And yours are?...

blog meetup

2011-04-11T17:08:00.000-05:00

. Head's up if you're a Kansas City (or closeby) blogger! We'd love to see you there.

gray

2011-04-10T22:10:00.004-05:00

1,2 & 4 - via French by Design photographed by Morten Holtum

3- via Interior Porn

one day window

2011-04-04T12:08:00.001-05:00

My bathroom has (for a bathroom anyway) a very large window. At some point a previous owner installed this greenhouse window-thing with shelves and little ventilation holes and the whole shenanigans. Which is great. Except for the part where I don't like my neighbors to watch me when I'm in the bathroom. Just a personal choice. Sooo the clunky/heavy blinds stay closed pretty much all the time. Which makes the otherwise-lit-with-two-little-sconces bathroom pretty dim.

This morning I commented to my husband that if we could just apply some quick frosted film then I could leave that puppy open all the time. And even (gasp) put a little plant out there. I'm not good with plants - kind of a death sentence to come live with me. I don't know what it is, I make a valiant effort. I digress.

One quick trip to Home Depot, $20 and 2 hours later - we had a frosted window. You can see the top almost skylight-type portion we left un-filmed. The only thing that's visible out of it is trees (no neighbors) and this way if I do decide to have/kill plants they still get a little sun. We used the Gila privacy frosted film. I was worried going in that this could be a disaster that ended up looking like we superglued plastic wrap to the windows, but luckily I was wrong and it went up pretty easily (we followed the directions. yay!)

Once we had the film up we decided the blinds weren't really necessary and the whole window looked much happier without them. A little screwdriver action and voila! It seriously feels like a new bathroom, so bright and cheery- and bigger! Now we just need to work on the multiple layers of painted wallcovering surrounding the window... but that is for another day.

*sorry for the ehh photos - it's hard to photograph in a bathroom...

waking up

2011-04-03T20:31:00.005-05:00

Seriously feeling awesome today. I don't care if awesome is a dorky word to use. Feeling awesome. Test? Done! Unfortunately I don't find out the results for a few months (months?!) but it's done!

The test was all day Friday and Saturday - so I had a lot of weekend to make up on Sunday. Spent some time outdoors snapping pictures of the little blooms popping up all around, did some spring cleaning and a quick house project. That's right - a house project in one day! I'll post pictures asap.

But yay! That's all, just yay! I hope you had a great weekend and are having a fabulous hair day today.

Harlow also says yay.

brb

2011-03-29T21:14:00.002-05:00

Ok giggledrops, I'm taking an official bloggity-break until this weekend to study. T-minus two days until my exam. dun dun dun...

Photo by Mr sAg

ace hotel

2011-03-27T22:00:00.007-05:00

. When I came across the Ace Hotel New York on things I like, things I love I was a little (ok, a lot) smitten with this space. The basics, the old-school elements. The gray+wood+white+perfectblue. The giant A. The warm glow. Love. But then checking out more of the photographer, Douglas Lyle Thompson's site, I'm just as infatuated with the way it was photographed. Highly recommend checking out more of his stuff. Just conveys this relaxed simplicity. Nothing fussy. Just nice. .. Hope you had a great weekend! I start my great new adventure tomorrow morning and I feel like a kid before the first day of school. Lots of things going through my head. At the forefront? What do I wear?

the first step

2011-03-25T07:08:00.002-05:00

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are. - J.Pierpont Morgan
..

Today is my last day at the firm I've been with for the last six years.

Definitely a bittersweet day. I have been so blessed, more than anyone deserves, with some of the most wonderful co-workers you could ask for. It's still hard to imagine not seeing them everyday!

Next week I start with a new firm - an opportunity I am so, so excited for. New inspiration and experience in a different environment. So excited and grateful to take this step!

Hope you have a great weekend! I'm kicking mine off the right way with happy hour. Most likely spending the rest studying (only one more week!) with a break for yummy brunch with family.

hat made for spring

2011-03-23T22:54:00.003-05:00

Patrick Demarchelier for Harper's Bazaar US Feb 1992 via Dustjacket Attic

a garden party

2011-03-20T22:08:00.004-05:00

Here's what I should have done today: laundry, study.

Here's what I did today: laundry, play in the yard, attend adorable garden party at one of my favorite vintage shops, sit outside on a patio with bbf/beer/guacamole, go for a loooong walk with my puppy... and then study. a little bit.

It was 78 degrees here today. Seventy eight. So obviously this excuses the reduced study time, right?

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Photos snapped at Donna's Dress Shop Garden Party (her cute shop was filled with fresh flowers and happy shoppers with lemonade umbrella-worthy drinks in-hand.)

I fell in love with the most amazing purple sequins top. Walked away from it... now wondering if I should call Donna and ask her to pull that beauty behind the counter for me (if it's still there! yikes!)

ahhh Blue Moon. You little lover.

I hope you had an equally Spring-y day!

candles + bottles

2011-03-17T12:38:00.000-05:00

(we were cheap students living abroad,

wine was a-plenty and we needed decor)

remember

2011-03-16T22:04:00.003-05:00

I have been singing this little ditty over and over to myself the last few days. I just feel like I'm about to step into the sun.

I am typically a cold-weather gal. But this winter? Has been too much. Anyone agree?

Luckily I feel like Spring is finally, almost here. Add the this-exam-is-almost-done, ill-have-free-time-again cheer mixed in with an exciting new step in life to look forward to... and you have one positive-outlook gal.

I just need to keep repeating this to myself this weekend, when its cold and rainy and I have locked myself in a conference room with textbooks for 9 hours.

Almost there.

fuzz + jitters

2011-03-13T22:16:00.005-05:00

I feel guilty for being a terrible blogger lately.

I am taking a big exam in a few weeks and every spare moment has been filled with reading, reading and reading. My brain is a fuzz of building codes and design principles. Mixed in with the fuzz (and making it hard to focus on the fuzz) are fabulous jitters over some changes coming in my life. Stay tuned for details (no babies are involved.) But to say I'm excited is an understatement.

In general, what's left of my mental capacity isn't focused on blogging right now. The thing is, it's silly to feel guilty about blogging. I started to blog as a fun, daily journal - for myself. It's an added (and extremely awesome) bonus that you come check in to see what's up. As a journal, this is an extension of my real life. And will be affected as a result of what's going on in my real life.

So. I need to try and not feel guilty. But I love this blog and I miss the daily interaction - so I'm looking forward to getting back to normal eventually! Thanks for sticking around:)

I took this photo when I was studying abroad in Rome. Detail shot of an entire giant mosaic - which I have no recollection of what it was - but I love thinking about someone setting each one of these tiles one at a time.

Things used to move slower.

when the tide

2011-03-10T08:08:00.001-06:00

When the tide goes out for the last time, all the shipwrecks will be waiting for us and the bones of the earth will shine bright white in the sun.
When the tide goes out for the last time, I'll meet you by the planes that never made it past Bermuda.
When the tide goes out for the last time, I swear, we will have nothing left to lose.
- I Wrote This For You

*I posted this Thursday before the news from Japan - the topic is a little eerie. My thoughts are with everyone affected.

it's all in the collar

2011-03-08T12:08:00.002-06:00

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Image 2 from Glamour France September 2010,

Images 1 & 3 from Vogue Germany September 2010

both via Dustjacket Attic

march madness

2011-03-07T17:08:00.000-06:00

I don't like basketball.

My folder o'wonderful images runneth over...

1: Stacey Branford / Yatzer via Desire to Inspire 2: Lonny via Desire to Inspire 3: The Design Files via Desire to Inspire / Emily Henderson via mimi + meg 4: Emily Henderson via mim + meg / Susan and William Brinson via Design*Sponge

magic climate

2011-03-06T22:58:00.003-06:00

This photo is such an example of the magic that stylists work. I don't love any of these pieces by themselves - the shoes, the hat, the sweaterjumperthing. But together? Fabulous. The gloves and eyeliner are the icing on the cake.

Also magic because I'd like to know what climate requires gloves, hats and furry boots - and yet no pants.

russh December/January 2011 styled by Steve Dance via Lace & Tea

bring the height

2011-03-03T17:08:00.002-06:00

Some of my favorites as the summer-shoe shopping season begins (ok, technically it might snow this weekend so we're not quite there - but let's pretend.)

These heels are as high as Charlie Sheen but I say as long as you can walk in them, the more height the better!

Frye Fran, Fry Corrina, Michael Kors Waverly Crisscross on Shopbop

sketch

2011-03-02T22:58:00.002-06:00

Truly loving the incorporation of figure sketches in the collection of wall art. Need to jump on etsy and find some - any recommendations?

Image via The Decorista

clemence

2011-03-01T23:25:00.001-06:00

Clemence Poesy photographed by Eric Guillemain for Vogue Turkey via Fashion Gone Rogue

the things we seek

2011-02-27T23:48:00.004-06:00

I am not sure why I titled this post what I did. Sometimes your brain spits things out - it's probably moving one step ahead of where your mind is. If that makes sense.

Random thoughts:

Our books are arranged by color.

The Oscars. Overall I'd say I was completely underwhelmed with the fashion - for the whole awards season really. I don't know, just (in my opinion) no iconic ensembles. Nothing I will remember in a week. Who knew Anne Hathaway had such pipes? Totally impressed on the singing. Totally un-impressed with James Franco. The set was gorgeous. What did you think?

I think I am addicted to Jimmy Johns. #6, easy mayo, don't be shy with the avo.

I am excited for this week. Really excited. I hope you are too.

Go get 'em tiger.

the new contender of ugly

2011-02-26T12:08:00.001-06:00

In the competition for ugliest shoe in the world, there is a new kid in town. In my book, it's been a pretty clear tie up until this point. You have the croc. And you have the ugg.

Now the croc I get if you are a nurse. You are on your feet like 73 hours per day and you get yucky things spilled on your shoes and so that whole hose-them-down thing comes in handy.

And the ugg thing I get because well... I have a pair. BUT I don't wear them out of the house. Except sometimes to Home Depot because they don't judge. My Whooga's are freakishly warm and I'm wearing them right this minute. But that doesn't mean I don't think they are ugly. They are.

But then these crazy round things show up on the scene and the uggs and crocs are all shaking in their ugly heels because who is this? Does the whole 'butt sculpting/shaping whatever' concept really work? Because to wear something this chunky my behind better be Klum-like within about three blocks if my feet look like that.

Alright boys, I wanna see a fair fight.

*Please note I'm just having fun and don't mean to insult any one's shoe taste:)

dorm room door

2011-02-24T23:16:00.004-06:00

Like many students, when I went off to college I secured a spot in the typical dorm and was randomly placed with a name. You hear so many horror stories of these scary pairings but I had the opposite - an experience I wish for everyone and pray my children get to have.

T was unlike anyone I had ever met and she scared me for about 30 seconds (mostly because she liked Britney Spears.) But then I loved her. By our second day everyone we met assumed we had been friends for years.

On our second night together she woke me up to tell me not to worry about the blood on the carpet. And that she might need a motorized wheelchair.

On Sundays she would say she was going to church, pull our dorm-issued desk chairs together to create a bench, sit quietly with her hands together... and crank Madonna's like a prayer at full volume.

She let me paste pictures of my completelyobsessedcelebritycrush Heath Ledger all over our dorm room door. Until someone stole them. Which I couldn't even be angry about because I get it, they were adorable.

We ended up living together for four years. She can still make me laugh harder than just about anyone on our little planet.

To my energetic, happy and hilarious T, we need a late night of cocktails and pokey sticks sometime soon. And Shakira songs. And your red pleather pants from Prague. And paper mache that I will spill on the carpet. Also, thanks for being awesome.

Heath Ledger photographed by Bruce Weber for the 2000 Vanity Fair article.

Any good roommate stories?

i hope

2011-02-23T12:08:00.000-06:00

I hope that you're having a good week.

gramercy lights

2011-02-22T22:59:00.004-06:00

The Gramercy Park Hotel was one of my favorite places to visit when we were in NYC last year. We had a cocktail at the bar one afternoon just so we could check out the space (there was an Oscar-nominated actress sitting at the table next to us which kind of upped the glam factor!) Design Love Fest had a great post about the hotel and reminded me of some of the fabulous interior details - especially the gorgeous field of light bulbs.

you notice

2011-02-21T21:54:00.000-06:00

You notice someone cutting you off in traffic.
But not that the earth is still here for one more day.

-I Wrote This For You

before and kindofafter

2011-02-19T12:42:00.006-06:00

The week before Thanksgiving, my husband and I got really ambitious and decided we should do a quick room re-do in our library to get ready for entertaining over the holidays. When you say 'quick project' in an old house, the old house laughs at you and jinxes the bajeezus out of you because it's been around a long time and it's all 'oh hell no we don't do things fast around here.'

We quickly learned our lesson.

So now it's February. The project is basically done except for the furniture and getting things on the walls. But as far as giant-mess-good-god-what-have-we-done, the project is done.

As I've mentioned before, every square inch of our walls and ceilings are covered in wallcovering. In some rooms, we have stripped it down (and subsequently had to have the walls refinished before painting) and we've painted over it (which is basically a giant sin in my book...but we'll just have to go to renovation-confession.) We went into the library project thinking we'd paint over, but when we started finding too many peeling/cracking/loose pieces we decided the right thing to do was take it down. Layer numero uno was down in a flash. Um layers 2, 3 and 4? Had to be chiseled off in tiny quarter-sized chips. It. took. forever.

Once it was down (the week of Christmas) our favorite wall-guy came over and refinished the walls. This left us with a clean slate. When choosing a color, my husband made one request: no gray. Yikes. I told him there was only one color I could imagine besides gray... and that was an uber-saturated, jewel-tone blue (see some color inspiration) and luckily he was on board. In all honesty the finished color is not as dark as we were thinking, but it's close enough (and we're tired enough) that it's going to stick around for a little while.

So we painted. Once the walls were painted I realized how much it drove me crazy that the bookshelf paint did not match the trim paint (for shame previous owners, for shame) it took two different cans of paint and 16 hours of painting, but they were finally righto.

While the rest of our house has some form of original crown molding, this room's had been taken down at one point and replaced with a thin little trim piece (which was broken in spots) and a painted band to attempt a little trim-trickery. Not cool. We took down the thin trim piece and the band was obviously removed with the wallcovering. We found a stock profile at Home Depot that went well with the rest of the trim (a custom carved profile to match the house's original trim would be awesome...but so would paying our mortgage. so no.) Once the paint was finished we tried our hand at trim carpentry (yikes- we're not quitting our day jobs anytime soon) but the trim is up despite many hours of 'how is nothing square/level/even in here!?' breakdowns. You can also see our grasscloth ceiling in these images - luckily we love it, it's in great shape, and it's staying put!

Wow. So much rambling. Here more before and kindofafterbutnotquitedone photos.

Now we just need to work on artwork (wall art inspiration) and our ideal furniture. The current arrangement feels stiff and out of scale (this big daybed, lamp and drafting table are all on the wish list.) All in good time.

And that's the end of the Thanksgiving project that took a little longer than expected. We're excited for this room to be the cozy reading/hangout spot we know it wants to be.

firework

2011-02-17T23:40:00.002-06:00

Katie Perry photographed by Carter Smith, styled by Joe Zee for Elle US March 2011 via Dustjacket Attic

twigs & honey

2011-02-17T12:08:00.000-06:00

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About three years ago I was preparing for our Spring wedding and randomly searched Etsy for a fun hair piece to wear for our rehearsal dinner. Magically came across Twigs & Honey and started chatting with it's creator, Myra. I've followed her ever since and I have to say she's one of my favorite success stories:) As word spread of her fabulous talent, Myra's orders began stacking up and she eventually quit her 'day job.' It's been so fun to watch via her website and blog the growth in her business and her creations becoming more and more amazing. So excited for her to hear that some of her products are being carried at Anthropologie's new bridal website, BHLDN. Congrats Myra!

Photographed by Elizabeth Messina, images via Twigs & Honey

search party of one

2011-02-16T23:28:00.004-06:00

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I'm up in the Northwest - technically on work business - but I have another agenda. I'm totally finding the Cullen house. It cannot be that hard. And then Edward and I will hang out. The only icebreaker I need is to be like 'ugh, isn't Jacob annoying?' and then it's basically bff from there.

In the meantime, a couple shots I grabbed on our quick stop by the coast (taken with my phone as we were ushered out of the closing park so excuse the amazing quality.) Unfortunately once I find the Cullen house I will be sworn into vampireawesomesecretsociety and I won't be able to tell you about it. Such is life.

a winner

2011-02-15T21:45:00.003-06:00

The winner of the CSN giveaway is...

#18 Beth Grace from Fresh Grace!

Contact me for your code to start shopping:)

creaky in a good way

2011-02-14T23:32:00.005-06:00

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There is something to be said for an industrial, smoky, creaky-in-a-good way space like this. The chairs would squeak in just the right way and you'd be saturated by the worn-in colors and textures around you. Love!

Roman and Williams via The Decorista

psst - have you entered the CSN $45 giveaway? I'll be drawing a winner Tuesday evening!

cozy with a side of sparkle

2011-02-10T12:08:00.000-06:00

Rebecca Taylor Fall 2010 via Knight Cat

Still some of my very favorite winter looks. Cozy without the bulk.

I'm heading to Chicago for the weekend! Lots of meetings/little free time, but still fun to get out into one of my favorite cities. Unfortunately the coats and boots required to trek around the snowy city are not leaving much room in my suitcase for shopping space (boo!)

Have a great weekend!

petra

2011-02-09T22:52:00.002-06:00

Petra Dufkova via Simple Blueprint

great accents + great giveaway

2011-02-08T23:13:00.004-06:00

As we wrap up our latest room makeover (photos coming soon!) we're starting to search for the perfect pieces of furniture to fill this finished space. There is definitely an effort to find a balance of more traditional pieces that work with our house's old bones and more modern furniture with clean lines and an element of fun.

Once we find those perfect pieces, we'll need some accents to help make it a little cozier. I am loving these accent pillows by Thomas Paul! They seem so versatile - could be used in a really traditional setting or something more contemporary. Despite the fact that I get seasick and basically hate boats, that ship has to be my favorite:)

You can find these pillows (and about a gazillion more along with just about anything for your home) on CSN's All Modern site. And... dramatic drum roll... one lucky Grace's Birdcage reader will win $45 to be used on any of CSN's sites, including All Modern!

It's easy to enter - just leave a comment below! For additional entries, feel free to blog or tweet about the giveaway! Just leave an extra comment to let me know if you do. I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, February 15th! Good luck!

*Please note this giveaway is only available for US and Canadian residents. I'm sorry to exclude anyone!

kendi inspiration

2011-02-06T22:35:00.005-06:00

Just as I decide I'm done with TV (for a few months at least) I watch my first episode of Glee. Addiction to follow.

Does it make sense to say I have a big outfit week coming up? You know when you just have all kinds of important/random things on your calendar? So you start thinking about what to wear for each and every one, trying to plan and pack for days ahead. Despite my intentions, I mostly found myself standing in my closet looking...and looking...and getting frustrated at the nothingness coming out of my head. So I look to the internet for inspiration. yea!

For all of the fashion blogs I read I rarely save my favorite looks and consider how I can reinterpret their ensembles with my own duds and my own twist. I recently found Kendi Everyday and can say I have a solid bloggercrush. She has fabulous style and is pretty funny. Some favorites filling my inspiration folder...

All images via Kendi Everyday

Also, as I'm typing this Harlow is asleep next to me and she's having a very crazy dream - a feet kicking, tongue licking and ears twitching - dream. I like that dogs dream.

insert good black/white title here

2011-02-05T08:08:00.000-06:00

If you've been a reader for a while you've seen the gazillion images of kitchens with bright white cabinets/walls/everything that I've collected for inspiration.

Of course I moved into a house with all black cabinets. And they're in good shape. So it's hard to pull the trigger and decide if we want to paint them or leave them. One option we've discussed is white on top but leave the black on the bottom. Add in the white subway tile and gray counters and voila.

So excited to find this image on Birch and Bird from Canadian House and Home.

black ribbon on her sleeves

2011-02-03T22:54:00.002-06:00

Natalia Vodianova photographed by Glen Luchford via Fashion Gone Rogue

black walls

2011-02-03T12:08:00.000-06:00

I'm not afraid of black walls. In fact, we love our charcoal dining room so much I think we're going to expand the 'coal to a cozy nook upstairs. Put it on the painting list...

Unfortunately/fortunately I am taking a big exam this April (I'm glad I'm doing it, just not really excited for the prep!) and have decided to put all house projects on hold until after. For my sanity (in-the-works-projects make me feel unsettled) and for my passing exam grade:) Girl needs to study!

Image via I heart Norwegian Wood

the snow came

2011-02-02T17:48:00.000-06:00

Like most of the Midwest, we were buried under lots of snow this week (although it sounds like we were blessed with only 10 inches compared to some other areas!) Luckily we have some adventure buddies equipped with 4-wheel drive that were able to make it over for a blizzard-sledding-excursion last night (followed by tasty beverages and warm pizza of course.)

By this morning the wind and snow had stopped, the sun was making an appearance and we were ready to start digging ourselves out. Unfortunately we're barely out of the single digits for temperatures and its supposed to keep dropping over the next few days!

She's either stir-crazy or getting used to the snow, but Harlow started jumping through shoulder-high - or higher - drifts in search of her squirrels.

After I came to terms with needing new boots last week, I decided to stick with tradition and get a new pair of classic Sorels (growing up in Colorado my family looked like page from the Sorel catalog every winter.) Luckily they arrived just in time!

If you're also in the middle of this crazy weather I hope you're safe and warm! And if you're someplace warm and sunny near a beach...can I come stay with you?

white snow white flowers

2011-02-01T20:08:00.001-06:00

A little preview of our latest house project - blue blue blue!

I'll share the before/after shots soon:)

easy a + snowy days

2011-01-31T23:52:00.003-06:00

Harlow and I stayed cozy on the couch Saturday night and watched Easy A. I planned on an ok/fun to watch/girly chic-flick - but totally under estimated it! It was a fabulous/fun to watch/girly chic-flick. Highly recommended.

My only complaint would be that it heightened my already severe desire to color my hair red. I have blonde hair. It is my natural color. I tried to color my hair one time in college, going the college-budget route with a $7 box from Target. 25% of my hair stayed blonde, 25% turned strawberry blonde (the goal) 25 % turned maroon - like dark, dark maroon. And the last 25%? Pink. Like I-can't-make-this-up-Barbie-hot-pink.

Four hours at a salon and $90 later (so much for college-budget) my hair was stripped and I had made a promise to never, ever, under any circumstance, color my hair - which I have totally stuck to and never questioned. But lately I keep seeing these fabulous chicas with fabulous red hair and I just wonder...

The real thing holding me back is the slippery slope that is hair-coloring. Because once you do it, it starts fading and then you need to do it again and then years go by and you have to keep doing it you're spending more money on hair color than shoes and you just start to wish you had your real hair color back and then you have to do this whole awkward grow-out thing and it turns out in the meantime your hair kind of changed colors and you're like why Eddie Murphy, why did I do this? And he doesn't know.

I might get a wig.

In other news - a blizzard is coming. Yikes. Don't pretend like I didn't rent the third Twilight movie on my way home from work. If you're snowed in, you need entertainment. But instead tonight I watched the Bachelor, which I'm not really proud of, but there it is. I've never watched this show before and its kind of fascinating. For those following along I like Emily and Chantal. I'm pretty sure Michelle is going to try and kill the whole cast. Seriously - she's freaky and a little bit of a flooze. Part of the reason I like watching this show is so that I understand The Sports Gal's tweet recaps the next morning. The Sports Gal is the wife of one of my husband's favorite sports writers. She's kind of hilarious and doesn't talk about sports at all.

And while we're talking Twitter, if you're just on the edge of your seat after this stream of random thoughts and you really just need more (or you're snowed in and bored) you can find me here!

"At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul." - Billy Madison

what is classic

2011-01-31T12:08:00.000-06:00

I love this. Couldn't agree more.

(the irony being I personally don't like Platner's classic furniture)

via French by Design

two white dogs

2011-01-30T22:12:00.001-06:00

Harlow & CeramicDog. Keeping watch.

life is short

2011-01-27T20:58:00.001-06:00

via Everything Fabulous

exterior

2011-01-26T18:08:00.000-06:00

Doing an interior remodel is a project in itself - I can't imagine an overhaul like this on your exterior (adding in weather, neighbors etc etc.) But the results... just fabulous! kudos.

A house crash via Young House Love

*If you're fixing up a house (or just like to read about people that are) I highly recommend Young House Love. Do I want to reach through my computer screen and kick them for their crazy speed sometimes? You bet. My husband and I moved into our house almost seven months ago. They have been in theirs seven weeks and gotten way more done (in all fairness - aka what I tell myself - this do this as bloggers for a living where we have day jobs and have to do these projects at a slower pace.) But they have great tips, a positive outlook and always motivate me that we can diy anything and save moolah everywhere.

en egg cream

2011-01-26T08:28:00.001-06:00

When I was younger Harriet the Spy was one of my favorite books. I would read it over and over and over again. One detail I had completely forgotten about was one of her favorite treats, egg creams. I had no idea what they were. I hated eggs (still do) and this sounded like something egg-y so I'm pretty sure I was a little horrified at the thought.

Turns out it's a real thing. An egg cream. And it sounds delightful.

via Audrey Hepburn Complex

seriously

2011-01-25T08:08:00.000-06:00

This (to me) is the definition of couture.

Lili Ji photographed by Sun Jun for

L'Officiel China Sep 2010 via Dustjacket Attic

boots

2011-01-24T12:58:00.001-06:00

When I went away to college (a little more than 10 years ago - yikes) my mother insisted that I have a new pair of winter boots. Clunky, heavy, rated to a billion-below-zero, way more than a college student would ever buy herself, winter boots. For walking around campus in the winter and snow, she said.

Mothers like you to be warm.
College students do not like to be warm walking around campus in the winter and snow. They want to be cool. Even if they're slightly hungover, hauling more studio supplies than they can carry and its blizzarding out and they really couldn't be less cool - heaven forbid they wear clunky boots. Good God.

So these boots sit in my closet for 10+ years. I may have worn them twice.
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We moved into our house this year and we're spending our first winter in it, getting used to the drafts, the drifts, the icy paths and the endless shoveling.
And do you know what I decide to wear? My boots. My practically brand-new, oh-so-warm, surprisingly comfortable, what was I thinking, I want-to-wear-them-everywhere boots.

But here's where we get ironic. Maybe, sometimes I'm not sure I'm really using that word right. But this feels ironic.
After about two wearings they started to crack. And with every run around town they crack more. And more. And they are literally falling apart and are no longer wearable. Apparently this is what happens when you put boots in a closet for ten years.

This is one of those times where I would like to call my mom so that she could say I told you so. Instead I am shopping online. Buying a pair of clunky, heavy, rated to a billion-below-zero, way more than a college student would ever buy herself, winter boots.
And somewhere my mother laughs.

almost

2011-01-23T23:40:00.003-06:00

Then I was somewhere else, and it was bright.

A voice said "If you'd carried on practicing that song you almost got right, you would've been great. Bigger than the Beatles."

It continued "If you'd carried on working on that book you almost finished, it would've changed the lives of many, many people."

Then it said "If you'd tried to reach the one you loved just a little bit more, when you almost had them, your life would've been completely different."

And I asked "Is this what happens when I die?"

And the voice said "Almost."

-I Wrote This For You

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I have this saved in my favorites and I've probably read it 68 times. And I'm still not sure I get it. But it fascinates/haunts me and I just can't shake it. Like it's strongly triggering something in me but my brain isn't quite grabbing what it's triggering. Thoughts?

cold wandering pancakes

2011-01-19T08:08:00.001-06:00

Wandering around in the cold this weekend after a yummy breakfast at our favorite stop. There is no pancake like a peanut butter banana pancake.
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Bundled and mix-matched to the max. With my chopped-thumb gloves (the thumbs wore out...but turns out its much handier for iphone usage) H&M hat, F21 scarf, JCrew coat, Shane&Shawn boots, vintage Coach purse via etsy.

currently loving

2011-01-18T18:08:00.000-06:00

Loving everything about the first two.

Clean and crisp -yet cozy- with the tiniest accents in the right places.

On the bottom I'm obsessing over the sofa color.

Which is a weird color to obsess over.

Top images Joe Schmelzer via Desire to Inspire. Bottom via The Decorista

inside the lines

2011-01-17T22:56:00.001-06:00

this fascinates me.

via Glorious Nonsense

repeat

2011-01-17T22:07:00.001-06:00

breathe in.
breathe out.
smile.
repeat.

a cross section of cold colors

2011-01-16T11:49:00.005-06:00

I do not wear yellow. or orange. or pink. and rarely red

(that one sneaky blazer.)

My closet looks cold.

And because we live in an old house, my closet is cold.

before they crossed the street

2011-01-16T10:56:00.002-06:00

What a fabulous photo - the back story of something so iconic.

via Love Puppy

saipua

2011-01-12T12:08:00.000-06:00

Cannot thank Emmy Ray enough for her recommendation to check out Saipua. I swear I can spend hours flipping through their pages - such gorgeous images! There is something beautifully wild and unkempt about the arrangements. Just lovely.

abundance

2011-01-11T08:08:00.000-06:00

Abundance is not something we acquire.
It is something we tune into.

-Wayne Dyer
via Sweetie Pie Style

in january

2011-01-10T23:05:00.003-06:00

Quiet little things to remember the normal days.

I'm addicted to pomegranates.

In our snowy drive to work this morning I made up a story about Harlow meeting a dinosaur for my driver (aka my husband.)

Such a little model. Her tshirt looks very 80s.

Weekend breakfasts are our new favorite thing. Lots of tea required (notice we don't eat the same thing. Except when I steal bites of hashbrowns off of his plate)

on a string

2011-01-10T12:08:00.001-06:00

via Dustjacket Attic

this gallery

2011-01-09T20:51:00.004-06:00

Love the balance, the accidental perfect proportions

and the lack of color.

Inspiration for our library walls (that are finally painted!)

via The Decorista

yes please

2011-01-05T22:35:00.003-06:00

I feel like I've been searching for a great bag for a while

and really haven't seen anything.

Until this little lover. So basic, so perfect.

(and I'm loving the shape of these shoes)

From Anthropologie

2011 : the year of projects

2011-01-04T17:08:00.001-06:00

I have my new year's resolutions, but they are fairly boring and typical (the whole be healthy/tidy/positive yada yada.)

BUT my goals for 2011. My to-do list. Most of what I want to accomplish.

All revolve around this house.

Its been interesting that the longer we're in this house the more we get each room and it's purpose, the way it functions for us and what we want it to be. In some rooms that's a coat of paint (in theory - famous last words) and in others its full-on overhaul from top to bottom. The problem is that the more we understand and make plans the more I want to get started! I'm excited to see the progress and learn more about the process. Of course that takes time and moolah so we need to take things one step at a time.

In the rooms we want built-ins I am all over Ana White's website and am determined that my husband and I can tackle some of these and become quite the handypeople. Have you ever tried any of her pieces? Any home projects on your plate for 2011?

Original photo by Michael Paul Photography via French by Design. I doctored the blue book (it was green) to reflect my current perfect color scheme:)

mumford & sons

2011-01-03T19:50:00.008-06:00

A few months ago Christina from Second Skin had a great post regarding music and what each person is drawn to in it. Basically that most people are either drawn to a beat or to lyrics. I'd say I am 75% beat, 25% lyrics. I can (and do) listen to music in other languages - if the beat, the general feel of the song is there I don't care what the words are. My husband, on the other hand, is like 90% lyrics. He's frustrated when songs don't 'say' anything. For me, on a random Tuesday, it's what you can bob your head to. There are occasionally exceptions - that 25% of the time when I love a song/artist for its beat, sound AND the lyrics. These often become my favorites of favorites. Lady Gaga, Fleetwood Mac, Goo Goo Dolls, Damien Rice (very random collection, I know) - these are the artists that I love to write down the lyrics for as their own poetry and can listen to one million times and never tire. They don't even need the music - but the music - ahh its amazing too.

Well I have a new favorite to join the ranks! Mumford & Sons, for me, is one of those rare groups that comes along that has an amazing, unique sound - try not tapping your toes listening to some of their stuff - and yet the lyrics are a work of art on their own. I'm obsessed. To say I've overplayed this album in the last few weeks is an understatement. On their website it mentions they "marries the magic of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young with the might of Kings Of Leon." Such a perfect description (and two more of my favorites to boot.) Ahh. Highly recommended.

What about you, do you think you're more beat or lyrics?

Great video - live performance of Awake My Soul