M.I.A.

Yes, I know, I have been M.I.A. lately. I vow to upload pictures and post some recent projects THIS WEEK (or, maybe this weekend). I have been super busy with some freelance projects and wedding parties. But, I have found time to catch up on:

I love Blake Lively, especially with her hair like this:

and I love Blair Waldorf's rad style. But, my favorite part about GG is:

And on top of GG I enjoyed some:

I was reminded today by one of my daily "home" reads, La Dolce Vita, that The Hills and The City returns to MTV tonight. Very exciting. I mostly DVR all my shows and watch at my leisure with NO commericals. 

BARGAIN SHOPPING

I have found the best purchases lately at the most surprising places. Don't get me wrong, these stores have great items, but typically I don't find myself imagining these items in my home. Most of these purchase ideas were found on other blogs and led me to playing around on their websites. I love a good deal, so when these items caught my attention for style and price, I was in!

PIER 1 IMPORTS:

The den (pictures to come, I promise!) has a casual nautical theme and I knew this lamp was perfect for the entryway console. And for $100, you can't beat that!

It is even more beautiful in person! I love the shade - it is white, and covered in a nice, thick fabric that does not look cheap or see through. 

I knew I wanted  "boxy" lamps for the night stands in the Master. Originally, I was hoping for crystal ones similar to these: 

But they cost an arm and a leg pretty much. So, when I saw these:

I thought they would be a perfect fit for what I was looking for. They have a mirrored base with a cream shade and were on sale for $50! I bought 2 and have 1 on each side of the bed. I did have to go to 3 different Pier I stores to find all of these, but it was well worth it.

JC PENNEY:

I knew needed a bookshelf of some sort to put in a "nook" in the den, but it couldn't sit directly on the floor because of the air vent. This "nook" is next to my art easel that sits within the bay window. So, I knew I needed some kind of table/stand/stool for my art supplies (brushes, paint, etc) while painting. I didn't know exactly what I was looking for until I spotted this baby on a blog.

She is originally $200, but is on sale for $90! I thought this would be perfect for a few baskets to store blankets, paints, etc. and I could have an ENTIRE shelf for my paint brushes and jars! Pottery Barn sells one very similar but almost double the size for $300 which is absurd - beautiful, but absurd. If needed, I may by 1 more to have 2 next to each other, but I am going to try out a single first.

Did you know Cindy Crawford has her own line at JC Penney? Some I like, some I don't. But, these curtain rods I LOVE: 

I knew I wanted the gold immediately. And, these were on sale for a surprising $50 each! I only needed 2 so that was great. They look fabulous in the room (to me) and really look good with the mirrored lamps. 

If you have any fabulous bargain finds, please share!

SPRING TIME AT MELROSE

Spring has arrived! The tulips are in full bloom and the bees are a buzzin'. 

My Mom made a trip up to Birmingham to help me in the yard. Jill has a green thumb. She was a naturalist at Wind Creek State Park in Alexander City and then Lakepoint State Park in Eufaula, so she knows her stuff! She was extremely helpful and I learned a lot. Plus she bought me some pretty flowers to plant! Not sure the names of the flowers, but I know the yellow will "run" and spread and the red is to match the shutters. 

If you haven't noticed, the pollen is everywhere right now! Mom was kind enough to attempt to sweep it off the brick. It looked good while it lasted. Pollen should have been created brown or black to blend in with nature, not neon yellow/green that shows up everywhere! I could sweep all day long and the same amount of pollen would be back the next. 

The nice owners before us left these pretty, cement pots. Mom and I planted a hosta in each. It really adds a nice touch to the porch. I can't wait to see the flowers - it is a surprise!

Thanks Mom for all your help! Can't wait to do it again. Next project, the backyard - scary!

MORE STRIPES

I found these while cleaning off my desktop...

love the photo collage and old trunk [aubrey road]

[6th street design school]

[brabourne farm]

Hope everyone has a good weekend. I plan to finish up my stripes in the study so wish me luck!

WATERCOLOR

My design mind has been triggered lately by a lot of watercolor designs. I don't know if it is because of our current camp 2010 theme at work, or what, but I love it. I incorporated watercolor into my blog header, my friend Lacey's save the dates, and eventually in a design identity for myself. 

I recently stumbled upon the works of Kristy Rice from Monumental Designs through one of my favorite invitation blogs, Oh So Beautiful Paper. Her work is phenomenal. She uses a combination of watercolor and ink to create custom designs. I love her sparse brush stokes and simplicity allowing the watercolors to be the focus. Here are some images of one of my favorite pieces she designed for her save the dates to her 10-year renewal service:

And, the renewal wedding invitations: 

[all images Kristy Rice via Oh So Beautiful Paper]

She letter pressed the invitations and then added touches of "shimmering copper and cobalt blue" to "give our guests a sense of how the water reflects light on the towering rocks and dances shadows in every direction". They turned out absolutely stunning. Her work is such an inspiration.

Here are some more of my favorite watercolor/paint inspirations:

[unknown]

This, along with several images, was my inspiration for my blog header. [unknown - I have seen this illustration many places, but I keep forgetting to note the artist, sorry!]

[all the best]

[uknown]

[beast pieces]

STRIPES GALORE!

I have been painting the study (which used to be the front porch until somebody closed it in) for about the past two weeks and I have finally made progress! It was an olive-ish green, but it will soon be white with "grant beige" vertical stripes. The walls have paneling and I debated about just following the panel grooves, but I found that they are not even widths. Me being a perfectionist, I knew this inconsistency would bother me so I decided to ignore the panels and draw my own 6" stripes. 

I have been collecting inspiration images of rooms with stripes for a while now and I wanted to share a few of my favorites. Of course, I like the neutral colors the best, but bold colors can always be fun. And, for some reason I am always drawn to the narrow stripes. I like big, fat wide horizontal stripes for hallways or long walls.

My "main" inspiration for the study. [unknown]

[aubrey road]

[unknown]

[decorology]

I think I will eventually do the hallway to the master bedroom something something similar to this. [unknown]

[unknown]

[unknown]

Love the stripes on the worn floor. [unknown]

And, here is a sneak peek of my own stripes. I think it is going to turn out great, and Brandon said he is very impressed with my straight lines! More pics to come!

Again, sorry for the poor resolution and bad lighting - the picture is from my iphone.