Monday, August 30, 2010

peonies for sibi


one of the things i've been trying to accomplish
since sending the girlies back to school
is organizing the huge amount of photos i've taken recently

i'm a weirdo with organizational compulsions
(is that even a real diagnosis?)
whose day rolls somewhat smoothly
when everything is where it needs to be
&
needless to say
that goal is rarely achieved!

so here are some images taken
back in the spring
that i finally got around to









dan & i have been spending time
trying to pack up his parent's home
obviously a very tender experience
and dare i say
overwhelming

i discovered some of his mom's journals
written the last couple years of her life
while she battled cancer

each entry just a little bullet point of the day
always with a scripture
and always with joy

i could barely get through
the first one....
broke my heart
&
encouraged me at the same time

i can't wait to share some of those entries with you soon



speaking of the power of journaling
& passing on a legacy of simple thoughts
i am guest posting today at sibi's

please drop by & visit
if you have a moment


Friday, August 27, 2010

capture

oh how i wish i my love for capturing
the everyday moments of our lives
had been a priority from the start

while i have always loved photographing my girls
like extreme photo taker mom
my desire to tweek things
to capture more randomness
didn't blossom until this year

no one 'round here even rolls their eyes anymore
if they see me laying on the floor taking "what on earth are you doing" photos

i highly encourage you
especially those of you with little bitty ones
capture their toes
take a picture of what their room looks like
who cares if your 5 year old is picking their nose
if they always pick their nose
capture it
if your teenager is a book worm
what are they reading?
capture it
does your hubby slave in the yard?
capture it
did you do a bang up job on dinner?
capture a picture of what you created
or
capture a glimpse of everyone at the table
while they're not looking of course

for those of you whose kiddos are
totally not digging you & your journalistic phototaking skills
the more you do it
the more they'll get used to it
&
i bet they'll get on board with you

& maybe
your five year old
will
quit picking his nose

well...
maybe


anyway...a glimpse of what i've tried to capture lately




























thanks for all your white home photo love
hope you have a great weekeknd

peace..

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

i can do color. i promise!


the thing about a home built 20something years ago=
 its old enough to need much
as far as upkeep, maintenance, updating etc
but not yet old enough to be charming
& i love charming

i doubt this will be my forever home
so as i vacillate between the desire to fluff my nest
and be content
i try to make little updates here & there
where the budget will allow

when we do go to sell
i'm sure it will be a huge disappointment to our agent
that i have no major appliance upgrades
that i actually paint around heavy furniture
& not always behind it
& that right there...that i am the one that painted
not a professional
will be a deal breaker for some
whatever

a couple of ya'll asked about paint colors
i'm so flattered
but here's the naked truth
i purchase whatever creamy white i see and like
i'm reckless like that

the front two rooms in my home were done with
are you ready for another shocker
kilz brand paint from walmart
cashmere white satin
which despite the primer already included
needed 3 coats anyway
darnola

the back two rooms however are the same color
eggshell country white
walmart brand
wait a sec....elle home decor is calling in now

another answer for you
the chippy frames
for all you atlanta girls
their new urban loftlike shop is a must see
& prices are a little cheaper there than on line
i think..







these slipcovers were from anthro
years ago
major mark down & sadly...all gone


my kitchen used to be raspberry
 i'm talkin like whoa....raspberry
the girls LOVED it
i loved it
but the thing i really love about my now neutral kitchen
is the freedom
to bring in whatever color i want whenever i want
mix it up , frequently no less
orange
red
yellow
free....whenever

i change out the table centerpiece all the time
today
its a snoozer
but you can't go wrong with a white ( nonscented of course) candle smack dab in the center



here's a glimpse of some centerpieces that have made their debut in the past few months

i love the silver glittery goodness that brightens my mood on a dreary winter day



as it got closer to spring i added a pop of yellow



this wobbly chippy candelabra thingy is the bomb
i totally dig these tall candles that i just so happen to have in several colors
the picture is decieving
it's tall
really tall



more yellowness from the spring


my all time most favorite centerpiece eva
is a big bowl of  vintage ornaments




red is probably the color i add the most
red is my favorite color
while white is my favorite state of mind!


another perk to my neutral kitchen
is i can play switcheroo
with colored plates
at any given time





i know i'm preaching to the choir
however
besides adding color with a funky tablecloth
(which i just realized i didn't share...stay tuned)
cutesy candles
or a bowl of glittery fun
probably the easiest cheapest way i add some color to our little world
is flowers
just whatever is on sale
at the grocery store works just fine

LOVE sunflowers
especially these
don't you always smile when you see sunflowers?
thought so


could enjoy these
every
single
day












ok
glad we got that all squared away
i think a few of you were worried
that all white all the time
snorarama 
was continually going on over here

 i can do color
promise


thank you for dropping back by

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

come on in....


our home was built in the 80's
 when i purchased it in the late 90's
it looked like it was still the 80's in here!

chintz & florals
wallpaper
loads of wallpaper
in navy, hunter green and burgundy
draperies, heavy drapery

i was a single mom
who took complete advantage of nap time
& during those precious hours
i proceeded to room by room
rip down wallpaper
& paint

well
that was years ago
& my decor and color preferences have changed

i'll never forget the day i walked into my home
looked around at each room
each in its individual color
& little things everywhere
clutter
it was cute
but there was clutter
&  it had to go

all the clutter
and all the color
just made me nervous
it was not a calm environment
my eye nor my soul had no place to rest

so
i began all over again
with zero budget
by the way


i took things off the wall
put away much of the clutter
painted the entire downstairs floor
creamy white
symmetry
much better

a few months ago i finally finished
this long process
& i really love the final outcome

with our 80's home
we have the typical smaller rooms
vs the current desired open floor plan look
you know...the dining room that is seldom used
etc

i felt that if all the rooms had balance with color
they would flow much nicer
(ok...all you decorators out there, please forgive my lack of current decor lingo)

i didn't save many digi before images
but here's a quick downstairs peek anyway






even a couple of the dining room chairs
got a fresh coat of paint
the slipcovers were from pottery barn several years ago


i  painted over the brass light fixtures
ditched the little shades
& added some crystals



i think i've shared about my primitive dough bowl
given to me by my relatives
its huge
takes up most of the seldom used dining table

shells remain most of the year
but they'll soon trade out with white pumpkins
then silvered pine cones in the winter


as mentioned
our 80's home has a family room and a living room
when i first moved in i had visions of slip covering what was then
blue & white striped sofas
did you have some of those circa 93?
anyway my girlfriend talked me out of the 'messy look ' of the slips
reupholster was the way to go
big mistake
i am a slip cover lover
darn peer pressure

i wouldn't go with these colors again
but for now i have chosen to drown them in neutral pillows









the pillow situation changes frequently
&
i'm currently conflicted
should i add two ginormous ones into the mix?
we'll see...


because the rooms feel sorta small
& boxey to me
i intentionally have left my windows untreated
its probably a total decor suicide
but i love it
makes our home very open & light

 here is another little peek from the kitchen to the family room



this is the room that was so dark
when i moved in
navyarama
ugh
i've painted it twice
oil based on all the molding
or whatever that's called
major project
glad that ones done




when i purchased this home
i needed to be in a great community

between that & the fact that my parents
bought a home just down the street
with a pool
was a big sell for me and my little three

but the ah ha moment for me
was when i saw this back porch

we have loved this back porch
when its not 106 degrees
we try to eat many meals out here





thanks for dropping by!
oh & ps
the dreadful flooring shown below
the thorninmysideflooring
its hopefully
the next project on the list!