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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Before and After

Don't you just love a Before and After? Me too. A good friend of mine, Maria T. decided to redo her powder room and let me take pictures during the makeover.




I wish I could have taken a picture before the room was primed. It was bright red with a gold birdcage hand painted on the wall. Very cool to everyone except Maria who was tired of it.


She replaced the old vanity with this cabinet from Susan Covington. If you live in Wilmington, I am sure you know Susan and all her fabulous furniture and doors.




She had the tile removed and hardwood floors put down by this very happy worker. Then she had them stained, and restained and worked on them some more because, you know, nothing is ever easy!



For a fun touch Maria painted the ceiling a bronze metallic color...love it!



And then the most exciting part of all...the wallpaper!! Isn't it amazing!! It just makes the bathroom.



This gives you a better look at the vanity all finished and ready for guests!
What a difference! Great job, Maria! If you are in the neighborhood and need a bathroom break, stop by. Maria won't mind and it looks even better in person.


Here's the same wallpaper in green. It has such a fun, crisp feel.
The wallpaper is from the Velluto Collection in Tile. You can see more here.

Someday I'll have to show you a few before and after's from my house. Just picture a pink and maroon bathroom with a giant square tub. Only problem is I haven't finished the after part..but I am working on it.

Have a great day and don't forget the Big Green Warehouse sale starts tomorrow! More info here.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Color Test

Do you have a favorite color? Doesn't everyone? Mine is blue. I know, big surprise. Color can say a lot about a person, especially the colors they use in their home.

Country Living from Elements of Style

White: Symbolic of purity, has strong connotation of youth.
I have white slip covers in my house, but all they're saying is "Wash me! Wash me!"


Celerie Kemble

Turquoise: Complex, imaginative and original.


Palmer Weiss from La Dolce Vita

Orange:The color of luxury and pleasure. Appeals to the flamboyant and fun loving person.


Peter Dunham


Green: The color of harmony and balance. Symbolizes hope, renewal and peace.


Melissa Rufty

Pink: Symbolizes love and affection.


Better Homes and Garden from Elements of Style

Blue: Soft, soothing, compassionate. Blue is the color of deliberation.


HGTV Green Home


Yellow: The color of happiness and wisdom and imagination.


Ruthie Sommers


Red: The color of strength, health and vitality.



Now you know what the colors mean, but what do the colors you like say about you? Can the colors you like determine your personality? Want to find out? I found a great test at Glidden Paints. Click here.



It was pretty accurate when I took it. How did you do? Don't you love a test you don't have to study for?

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Rosemary Beach


I hope you had a great holiday weekend! We ended our weekend with a bang!


Fireworks in the front yard with the neighbors. Redneck baby wearing only his diaper and up way past his bedtime and the twins setting trash on fire..yes, it was a great night!

Now that summer is here I got to thinking about great beach houses and I dug out an old issue of Country Living Magazine. Very old, August 2006.

But first I have to give a big Thank You to Urban Sardines for telling me about SnagIt, otherwise these pictures would be really lame. SnagIt is a great program that helps you cut and paste pictures from web sites that are being difficult. Now I don't have to take pictures of the computer screen. Isn't the blogging community great? Be sure to stop by Urban Sardines and say hello..here.


A lot of you may recognize this architecture..Rosemary Beach, Fl.
The first time my husband and I left the twins for more than two nights we went to Rosemary Beach and stayed in a great little guest house. (I have to admit we got homesick and went back after 3 nights). This was when we lived in Atlanta and our dear friend Heather recommended it. It is a little to far to drive now, but it was wonderful! So I was excited to see this home featured in Country Living. I think you'll like it too.




I love the over-sized drum shade and the laboratory dining chairs.



The industrial metal cart is a great pop of color.
It is from Victory Vintage in Decatur, Ga. Wonder if they're still open and if I should add them to my shopping list while I am in Atlanta...



This beach house kitchen is nicer than my kitchen at home. I'm not bitter, just saying...



The homeowner's portrait helps tie in the red accents.



This great porch is off the master bedroom and if you look very closely you will see a Corona Light on the table by the hammock. It's like they knew I was coming! (O.K. I know it is hard to see, but I am holding the magazine and I promise you it is a Corona Light!)

Monday, May 25, 2009



Happy Memorial Day!




I am here...





Looking at this...wish you were here!
My kids are around here somewhere.....

Hope you are having a great weekend with your family..see you tomorrow!

Friday, May 22, 2009

TGIF Part Two

It is Friday again and time for some of my favorite pictures of the week...see anything you like?


Design by Delight
If only those were blue hydrangeas it would be perfect!!



Haven and Home

Love the wooden table with the metal chairs and the fabulous light and look, hydrangeas again...hmmm.



Eddie Ross
This home is amazing! If you want to see more, and who wouldn't? Click here.


Country Living
Maybe this week I'm just loving big puffy flowers, they seem to be in all the pictures. Except the next one...


Heather Mnuchin
I don't like cocktail clothes, black tie makes me rashy, but this I am loving! The white t-shirt just makes it!


Absolutely Beautiful Things
Absolutely beautiful fabric!! If anybody knows the name of this fabric or who makes it, please share. It has ALL the colors of my house and I think I am ready to make a commitment.


Did you ever think a white van could make you so happy? Well, it wasn't so much the van but what came in the van...



Billy! The G.E. repair man with ALL the parts to fix my dryer!! Happy day!! He was such a good sport to let me take his picture. Have no idea what I'm talking about? Click here.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Southern Living

Early April in Wilmington, N.C. means one thing. The N.C. Azalea Festival. There are many activities including concerts, parades, art shows and we even a Queen. But one of the highlights for me is the garden tour. Today I want to show you a few pictures from two of the gardens..

Do you remember the post I did on Sharon Swartzlander, art teacher from Forest Hills Global Elementary? If not you can see it here. Well our teachers are a talented bunch. Take a look at the garden of Karen Strawn, another teacher from our little school!

What a welcome.
The garden had a pink theme that Karen carried throughout.


Don't you wish your window boxes looked like this?


The garden even has a fountain. I know my kids would end up in there. May not be a bad idea for some summer fun.


I need a deck like this.


Karen really paid attention to the details. Love the finial leading up the deck stairs.

One last surprise on the way out...a pot lady. This garden was full of charm and so much fun to walk through. More impressive? She did it all herself. You know being a teacher she has the summer off..I wonder if she would like to spend it in my yard....?


The next stop on our tour is the home of my good friends Betsy von Biberstein and Frank Hobart. They live just down the alley from us, but it is light years away in design. I bet they want to spit when they drive by my yard. Of course, being friends, they are too kind to say anything. Thank you Betsy and Frank.


This is the gateway to their parking area.
I would love to have something like this in my backyard to give us some privacy while still looking charming.



I love this picture of the Parterre Garden. Parterre Garden: A formal garden of planting beds or tightly clipped hedging and gravel paths to form a symmetrical pattern. Yes, I had to look that up. It reminds me of a tiny Versailles.


Have you ever? Isn't this a fabulous water feature? And yes, they have children, two boys, and I swear their yard/garden is always perfect. It is a joy to spend time there. I don't have a good picture, but they also have an outdoor fireplace where they can relax and visit. If you don't have a nice yard, it's good to have friends who do.



Every year a number of girls are picked to be Azalea Belles to visit with people as they tour the garden and to represent the festival. It is a big deal these days and quite an honor. I too was an Azalea Belle, many, many years ago. This year our cousin Roxanna was a Belle. The two shorter ones are mine, Peanut and Doodle.


More Belles with Butterball..spit out that passy for heaven's sake!


The Hobart boys, in the white and blue hats, were smart enough to set up a lemonade stand. Not only lemonade, but homemade cookies too. Peanut, Doodle and Butterball were helping out. It's good to get them working early.

This year's festival was a big success. Want to join us next year?

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Dirty Laundry and Ma Ingalls

Last Thursday my dryer broke. Friday the G.E. guy came to fix it. At 5:00 on Friday he said he would have to order a new part. It would take a week. Do you have 3 children? Have you ever gone a week without a dryer? Yes, I know there are people in the world who have never had a dryer. I am not those people.



But I have become one of those people. I feel a little like Ma Ingalls. If only I had Half Pint to help me!

In truth it hasn't been that bad. In truth it hasn't been that great. There is laundry hanging all over my house. But I will say it smells really good. My dire laundry situation got me thinking about laundry rooms and where I would like to dry my clothes...



This is a fancy, fabulous laundry room. Maybe we should call it a laundry nook. It is from the home of Heather Chadduck of Cottage Living. The picture isn't great. It may be because the site wouldn't let me download it, so I just took a picture of the screen. You know, they take away your magazines; then they take away the websites and now they won't even let you download the pictures. What is wrong with these people? If you want to see better (much better) pictures go here.


Yes, behind the fabulous curtains are the washer and dryer. When Heather is not doing laundry she uses the area as a bar. Love the concrete counter top.



picture from Garden Web

Can you say "Holy cow!"
This has got to be the mother of all laundry rooms.



picture from Garden Web

The other side of the room.
If this is the laundry room can you imagine what the rest of the house looks like?





picture from apartment therapy

Orange crush.
Just a bright, happy place to do your stinking laundry!




picture from Domino

Nice, bright, neat and organized. Everything a laundry should be.
Oh, I need one of those drying racks!!


picture from Domino

This is one of my all time favorite laundry rooms which is funny because it looks a lot like this...




Home sweet home. My laundry room!!
Yes, there it sits, the no good, lazy dryer!!! Oh well, it will be all better Friday and once it gets cranking and drying all will be forgiven!

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