Sorry, meant this to go below

This pillow is an option for my room below. Keep scrolling down.

Problem spot

Here is my newly re-arranged living room. I like it except for one thing.

This little spot here is tying my thinker into a knot. The area behind the couch where I put a small dresser as a sofa table is a black hole. (Or, in this case, a white hole.)

I was thinking it would be a backdrop to put books, lamp, flowers, etc. Everything I have tried seems to look funny. Lamps look weird because they block or distract the eye from the pictures behind them. I was thinking I could put orchids in this square basket because they wouldn't block the pictures. I can't pile up books because I have books in the fireplace, bench/coffee table and another area you can't see in this pic.

Knick-knacks aren't my forte. I'll have to go buy something. Any fresh ideas? What do you think?

o! And riddle me this. I need a vote on the pillows too. Do I go with the java octopus and the punch of chocolate brown (post above) or the midtone beige/white ones here:
Which one do we like better? Also, do you like the seahorse or the octopus here? They are too cute to have to choose between the two. (The fish kinda creeps me out though.)

 

More beds

Andrew has now said the French caned beds are too girlie. Boys are sooo indecisive.

Awhile back, we had talked about an antique iron bed. This seems doable since it isn't too feminine, but still has character. The only problem is finding one in a queen. What did tall people do before 1960?

How do you feel about seal fur?

A friend I've known since I moved here just started reping for Great Greenland Fur House. Before you picture clubbing baby seals, you must know they are hunted by one hunter who feeds his whole family with the entire adult seal and then sells the pelt. There are 12 k people on the whole island which is 5 times larger than Germany and really them killing seals is similar to Texans hunting deer.

So the hand bags are amazing! It all is, but it's also expensive and I can't even think about a jacket. I'm meeting my friend tomorrow at her house to look at all the bags she's selling and J says maybe one could be a birthday present. Also, I'm making her business cards and she's giving me anything for a bit under 1/2 price.

Will keep you posted!

Flea Market Find from Yesterday

Only 15 euros. And she told me 'thank you'! I am crazy about them! For the entry way? For the first floor hall? Love love love them.

Your evil twin

Did you know you had a long, lost sister on ebay? Really, don't you think this girl looks just like you? It is kinda funny. She even puts her hair up like yours and has great style. You must have been separated at birth.

Let's Play High / Low Fashion

Did I mention I got a job? A real job. In the real world. With adults. I'm very excited. 

I'm looking for work clothes. I finally have a valid reason to support my clothes habit.

Here is an AMAZING Balenciaga ensemble. If I sold an organ, I still wouldn't have enough to make a down payment for these pretties. 

Here is my solution. This is a J. Crew Victorian style high collar shirt. Perfect to dress up with work pants or down with jeans (or both, like above)

Here is a funky little vintage military style jacket. (I've been looking for one of these for awhile now.) For the second look with the fur addition, see below.

More High / Low Fashion

So here is the TDF Dolce and Gabbana denim jacket with removable fur collar. I think its sheer brilliance since you could wear this with everything from black pants and skirts with a white tee or an asian style dress or play down a simple cocktail dress. Since the collar comes off, you could also wear it everyday.

I can't remember how much it was exactly, somewhere between my monthly house payment and selling one of the kids. Crazy, non?

So, I'm thinking a could take one of my denim jackets and sew on some hook and hole eyelets to attach these beauties. Tell me, do you think this is crazy? This wrap is fox and is has a day left on ebay. It is currently at $4.25. (I think I paid more than that for my lunch today, and I ate at home!)

Here is option #2. It is a little funkier. What do you think?

Silver leaf paint

I love the color gray, and I think it gets a bad rap. Look how lovely this room is? I have to say, I personally don't think I could pull off silver plated walls, but they look magnificent here.

I wish I could find a bed *just like this one* in a queen. It is simple, but has enough going on to keep your eye interested with its details. Graceful and elegant, but not ostentatious. 

Any ideas?

May showers bring the flowers (and the boys home)

The boys are back early from their camping trip due to rain. **sigh** This forced a premature ending to my girlie weekend with Kennedy. (and the precursor to a messy house again.)

They walked in to us having tea. I was having such a good time. On the bright side, the rain is helping all my flowers. My kids made me this bouquet that is making my room smell like a French boutique.

Girlie Weekend / Powder Room Update

The boys have gone camping! Kennedy and I are having a super girlie weekend complete with teas, ladies who lunch, shopping, and cheesy Disney love movies. I cleaned the house yesterday and it has actually stayed clean since the boys have left. This is probably an Olympic worthy record for my house.

I finished the hallway and am still puttering away in the bathroom. Kennedy picked pink ranuculous--I love them! I picked a wall color for the kitchen. It is a pale, icy blue. Can't wait to show you. Take care. Love and kisses. XOXXooo 

I have a problem.

I know, I know...I need a new white dress like a kangaroo needs a purse. But they are so darn cute! Look at the lace and the linen. I can't stand it. 

I think I have a kind of disorder or something. Maybe there is a textiles anonymous meeting in my area. 

Bathroom

This is the old look:

This is our new look:
I added new accessories to my bathroom--fluffy white towels with little ruffle detail and a shower curtain with coordinating ruffles. The paint will be a pale watercolor grey. It is very girlie, but surprisingly the boys seem to like it. (Not that they had any choice whatsoever.)

There is more to do, I'll send more pics soon. I am painting my hallway today.

Garden Porn

Wouldn't this be great? A teahouse/hothouse/playhouse/etc....

Now that I think about it though, we don't really need a hothouse in Texas though.

Sweet Dreams

I found these pretties on ebay. Not cheap, but oooo sooo lovely. I'd have to pay shipping from Philly. ugh!

Where were you thinking of doing wall paper? ; )

Foodie stuff

Thought you'd like it to see this too.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/foodinc/

Here's the link to another site.

 http://www.takepart.com/foodinc/

Yes You Can!!!

What do you have to loose? I think 'go for it' with the painted rattan headboard. Once you get rid of that pecan color it will totally transform them. Remember the chairs I painted black? I LOVE them now! Today I took the cushions and some antique white linen to a man in town to make me some simple slip covers. Love it.

Coming home soon

Love your picture of line drying your clothes. I really hope to get in the habit of doing that when we get back. My friend Marci who line dried regularly swore that the Texas sun baked out more stains than Clorox.

This week I've sent my 'porch to foyer' sketches to two different companies to get a bid for the project. We've pretty much decided to only do that & as many of the windows as we can afford and leave the rest for another day. I am getting so excited about coming home. The next few months are going to be very full with moving and redoing the house and starting home schooling, but at the moment I'm feeling excited about it all. And I cannot wait to be able to see you and be in your time zone!

Cyprus was amazing and the beach I posted a picture of in the post before I left? That was Cape Lara, where the sea turtles lay their eggs. I think you commented on FB picture of me sleeping on a beach blanket next to my mom. Good memories.

Best go start dinner for the girls! Hope you are having a great day.

I've been wondering....

Do you think I can make a bed like this....

from a bed like this?

The top bed is from Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic. It retails at $2,200. The second bed is milk money. Seriously. It doesn't come with rails, just the headboard. Do you think it would be cute painted white? I think it will work, but I need a second opinion.

***UPDATE****

I just showed Andrew the bed, and he said it looked like it was pulled from a mid-seventies Arizona La Quinta. That pretty much ruined it for me : ( 

I can't get that thought out of my head. I'm going to keep looking.

New reasons to hate eBay

As if I didn't have enough  problems controlling my white addiction and my overwhelming love for textiles, I just discovered vintage nightgowns and linens on eBay. This is very, very, very dangerous!!! Just look at these early 1900 French linen gowns in pristine condition. The cutwork! The tucks! The hand sewn seams! I can barely type for all the trembling in my fingers.

They are calling my name. I hope Andrew will understand.

Unfortunately, most of the bed linens originate in France and the shipping is a killer. Tempting, but safe to say this is cost prohibitive.

This is modern copy, but you can buy little matching mother/daughter sets.

Transition

Yesterday I found a silverbug in my closet. I really detest those little buggers. Not only are they uglier than roaches (if that is even possible) but they eat your clothes!!! I decided to empty out my closet, wash everything for winter storage and bring down spring things from storage.

As an aside, my spring clothes were found in a box upstairs with the Easter baskets. Andrew doesn't know why he stuck them in there...and at this point I don't care. Yea!

I spent all yesterday washing f/w and today I washed all my s/s. I hung almost everything on the line so my closet smells like a box of sunshine. It is almost 8:00 pm and this is my very last load. I am lucky it has been breezy today.

Having my warm weather wardrobe fresh and ready-to-go makes me excited for the upcoming season. Summer this year is going to be wonderful. I'm looking forward to so many things, one of which is your homecoming!!!! It is all so exciting. 

I hope your vacation is wonderful. You are so lucky to have your mom to join you. What fun. Is this your last trip before departing? I don't know anything about Cyprus, so you'll have to fill me in.

Have a happy Easter. Kisses to you and the family. Love you so. skt

Holiday

We leave tonight to fly to Cyprus for the week. I am buzzing with excitement! So are the girls. My mom is already there as of last night and we'll pick her up at her hotel and take her to a little vila we rented that is walking distance from the beach.

Can't wait to tell you all about it.

Have a great time on your romantic get away to New Orleans!

Love to you!

What's your vote?

I'm leaning lots more towards tiling the new foyer, former porch. What's your vote? I'm still in super love with the original one under the post "I'm in tile love." But these are tempting too and I like incorporating some black in the tile since I have so much black in my house. Your vote?

For the record, all the above choices are patterns that take 4 tiles to make. I love that btw. For more choices, I linked the blog title to Mission Tile West. Lisa turned me on to them. Very groovy stuff. Is this going to break my bank?

I love flea markets!

For some time now I have been looking for large white serving pieces & platters and yesterday I hit the mother load. I paid only 21.50 euros for all 7 of these! And it feels like a miracle, but found the matching large and small platters the same day but at a different flea market booths.

I bought this 'tellerboard' on ebay maybe a year ago now and I think these platters will be so fun in this piece in my dining room. It's painted so decoratively that I can only see white pieces on it.

Truly, the flea markets may be the thing I miss the most when we go home. I also got Leonora and Gillian roller blades and pads at the flea market. Gillian tried them for about 5 minutes, but Leonora loves them so much she all but slept in them! It feels like spring finally - thank you Lord!

hope you guys are having a fab Sunday! oxox

How do you feel about a girl trip?

How do you feel about a girl trip after you get home and settled? Maybe a long weekend in September to relax and celebrate your homecoming? Here are a few ideas to consider:

A spa in New Mexico

Shopping and broadway shows in New York 

Culture and sightseeing in San Fran

Ladies who lunch in historical Savannah

Lounging by the sea & laughing at the drag queens in Miami

Hippie culture, enchiladas, and vintage shopping in Austin

The Four Seasons Resort and Spa in Houston (if we drive we could justify the cost!)

What do you say? Are you game?

I won them

I won both the bookcase with liquor bar and the desk for 99 euros each and just arranged to have a guy get them for me next week. I am so excited! This will also allow me to go ahead and sell some of my current living room pieces without living in a bare house for the next three months.

So nice to see a plan come together after all of this debating what to do with the den. I agree that this is going to be so flexible and great for entertaining!

Hope you are having a great weekend.

oxox

The Consequence Jar

Griffin and Kennedy were in the examination room waiting for a doctor to come in, so we had some time to kill. We brainstormed a list of what the kids called "tricks" and "treats" for the consequences jars. Here is what we came up with:

Tricks/Consequences

• No electronics--no movies, Gameboy, xbox
  
• Clean toilet
  
• Clean windows
  
• Unload diswasher
  
• First bath (my kids always argue about who has to take the first bath)
  
• Do a math sheet (teachers provided practice math sheets)
  
• Vacuum one room
  
• Empty wastebaskets
  
• Backyard poop patrol
  
• Go to bed 15 minutes early
  

Treats/Rewards

• Mini-date (alone time) with mom or dad
  
• Bite-sized candy
  
• Being able to eat first at the dinner table (I have *no* idea why this is special to them)
  
• Breakfast in bed
  
• Don't have to make bed in morning
  
• Bubbles in bath
  
• Stay up 15 minutes later
  
• Picking dinner menu
  
• Picking dessert
  
• A quarter
  
• Adding a "mercy" card to the consequence jar
  
• Holding the leash when walking Coconut

What are yours? I'm looking for ideas!

Nawlins

I am so excited I think I am going to bust at the seams! For the first time in I can't remember when, Andrew and I are going away on a trip....drum roll please...ALL BY OURSELVES!!!!

No packing lunches, no cutting someone else's meat, no don't touch your sister/brother or else, no pick up your clothes off the floor or I'm going to explode speech, no please don't toot in my room (Griffin) for three whole days. Wooohooo! I just made airline arrangements.

I'm going to spend three whole days sleeping late, eating, shopping and looking at old houses and historical monuments without anyone pulling on my arm whining "Let's go mom!". Basically being completely sloths. We picked New Orleans since it was the one place where we knew we absolutely could not take the kids.

Did I mention it will be warm enough to hang by the pool? I just bought a new swimsuit today for the occasion. Thank goodness the modest look came back last year. whew!

It doesn't happen for a month and I can hardly wait. I feel like a kid waiting for xmas.