HANGING PLATES?

Now that you have seen Melrose's den, don't you think this collection of 4 plates would be perfect to display on the wall and accompany some of the coastal items? I am thinking next to the mantel above the La-Z-Boy (yes, we have a La-Z-Boy). I especially love the knot set.

I all ready have 2 Thomas Paul pillows on the couch - the oblong whale pillow and a square anchor pillow. They aren't the best pillows to lay your head on, but they get the job done. Who knew burlap was not soft to the skin? ;) I got them on sale at Anthro! Check their sale rooms frequently - they are often hiding some exciting items.

MEMORIAL DAY PLANS

Happy Friday! I was just making my "to do" list for the long weekend and here is what I have planned:

[click on picture to enlarge]

What do you have planned for the 3-day weekend?

Brandon is gone to Destin to go deep sea fishing with his buddies and left me in the dust! But that is okay, as you can tell, I have plenty to keep me busy! I will also be heading to Lake Martin Sunday for the holiday so that should be fun. 

Also, getting excited about seeing SEX & THE CITY 2 tonight! Girls night!

DAVINA + DANIEL: photographers

This morning I was skimming through one of my daily read blogs, A Life More Fabulous, and I saw an interesting post with BEAUTIFUL pictures. Lately, I have been on the search for unique, original artwork (at reasonable prices) for Melrose. These pictures stopped me in my tracks and when I realized they had their own etsy shop I was stoked. Etsy is the best place for all things original and homemade. 

Davina + Daniel are wedding photographers based out of Montreal, Canada. After a long winter, the couple decided to hit the road for a 2 month road trip hitting all the must see spots. You can check out their journey here.

Here are some of my favorite photographs for sale on their etsy shop (**hint, hint, gift ideas):

[Lighthouse along Pacific Coast]

[Hills along Pacific Coast]

[Flower Field along Pacific Coast]

[Sunset over Pacific Coast]

I would love any and all of these! I think my favorite may be the Flower Field. They also have amazing black and white pictures as well.

B&A: DEN

I am finally ready (or really, finally found time) to share some pictures of the den. Here are some before pictures.

[standing at the back of the room, close to the front door - straight ahead is the dining room)

[reverse location - bay windows open to the front yard]

Our first step was to paint. As you can tell, I love white and neutral palettes so that was definitely the direction for the den. I chose Benjamin Moore's white dove for the walls and decorator's white (oil semi-gloss)for the trim. I think Brandon was a little nervous about going all white (he still says the white walls give him headaches), but he trusted me, and it turned out great. White is so clean and fresh and allows you to use accents of any color of the rainbow.

Do you remember the industrial rolling cart project? And the framed print inspiration? Or the bargain shopping bookshelves? Well, here they all are in Melrose:

So, this is the basic overview of the room. I still need some "filler" items on the back shelves, but for the most part I think we have her under control. If you can tell, there is a hint of a nautical theme. Which just so happens to be the theme at Pottery Barn right now - great minds think alike! ;)

I purchased the sea life coral prints from One Kings Lane and framed them myself. After checking at Hobby Lobby and several places online, I found that I could buy the black frames individually, get the glass and backing cut, and assemble them for much cheaper. We actually had an "assembly party" one day at work during lunch over pizza. Thanks girls!

Brandon helped pick out the natural bound rug at Pottery Barn and many of the other items were found at antique shops. 

Since Brandon loves to deep sea fish and we have a nautical theme going, I thought a coastal map of the Gulf would be perfect. He helped me find the perfect one and voila! Paired with an old clock, ratty books with ship cast iron bookends, and a few blue mason jars - and you have yourself a decorated mantel! 

Remember the fireplace inspiration? Done! I was kindly given a trunk load of awesome firewood to strategically place in the fireplace and I love it.

Last, my favorite area: the painting corner. I actually purchased this gorgeous drafting easel at Scott's Antique Mall last Fall - before I even knew Melrose, but she fits perfectly in the bay window. I am on the search for an industrial stool, but so far they are all too expensive. 

I have my paints, brushes, fresh canvases, and old paintings all ready to go! I am also looking for metal locker baskets for the open shelves, but I am having a problem finding ones small enough. Also pictured, decorating books on the coffee table - Domino's Book of Decorating & New Farmhouse Style by Terry Woods. I have probably looked and sticky noted both of those books a million times! 

I will keep ya'll posted on more finds and future progress. Thanks for reading!

SPRING TIME AT MELROSE: update

Brandon has been working hard in the yard and it is a-maz-ing. Seriously, the grass is SO green (in the front yard) you would think you were on a golf course! Maybe it is because I accidently sprayed a whole container of Miracle Gro on the lawn - or maybe it is because Brandon takes pride in his yard. Definitely the later of the two...

Here is Brandon in action and admiring his work. 

We really have some work to do in the backyard if we want our grass to look as great as the front yard. We just have lots of dirt patches and empty flower beds. I hope to fix the flower beds this weekend, but in the meantime Brandon has kept it very clean cut. Along the back fence we had a lot of shrubbery that had just "taken over." Brandon got busy on it basically cut down an entire tree.

The flowers Mom and I planted are growing like a weed (ha)! Their colors are so vibrant and make the lawn look so pretty. I just hope they don't die. This is my first, true experiment at gardening so I hope it goes well. 

Check out the overflowing rose bush around the mailbox. Beautiful! Also, over the weekend I noticed that my hostas we planted have buds. I can't wait to see the flowers that bloom - it's a surprise!