What a day....

So I didn't go to work today. Yesterday was my last day at my old company and I don't start at the new place until Monday so I spent the day taking a drug test, going to lunch, and furniture shopping. All in all it was a pretty great day. Minus the drug test part. It took forever and there are weird people at those testing places....

Anyway, the furniture shopping was the highlight of my day. Obviously. Much to my surprise, when my husband and I were at lunch he suggested going to Ethan Allen in the Galleria area to see what headboards they had. When we walked up the stairs we saw this:

We were immediately helped by a GREAT salesman named Corbin who helped us pick out a gorgeous fabric and helped us decide on the right nail head trim. We basically wanted to throw down the money right then and there and be done with it but we didn't. Thank goodness!

On the way home I stopped by Louis Shanks to see some friends and to see if they had anything similar to the bed I had just fallen in love with. They did.

In my last post I had a picture of Cameron Diaz's bed from The Holiday which I have absolutely loved since I saw the movie in 2006. This one:

  

I LOVE wing backed headboards...almost as much as I love tufted headboards so imagine my delight when I found a tufted wing back headboard!

Sorry for the terrible iPhone pictures.

The bed above is a Bernhardt Cooper Wing Bed with tufting and it will be delivered to our house about the same time as our new mattress! We chose a slightly different fabric but very similar. Unfortunately, the floor model was sold or we probably would have walked out of the store with it today. It wasn't until after I went to Louis Shanks that I realized how overpriced the bed at Ethan Allen really was. I'm glad we didn't let our emotions get the best of us. Just one more reason why comparison shopping is a MUST!

Is This Heaven?

Well we finally bit the bullet and bought a KING sized bed and I am SO excited!  We were going to wait until Christmas/Anniversary time but the other day I was perusing Nordstrom.com and saw this:

So I clicked "Learn How"! To my amazement I found that this was actually a decent deal on my FAVORITE hotel bed and it was in our budget. Wohoo! So in 3-6 weeks the husband and I will be sleeping on a heavenly Heavenly bed. :)

(Not so) Unfortunately, with this new mattress we will need  a new headboard and bedding. Maybe something like this...

House Beautiful May 2010

House Beautiful May 2010

But really, I'm trying to find an upholsterer who can recreate this for me because it is Amazing. Any suggestions? Here's one recreation I found:

And here are a few other upholstered headboards from Decorpad I am drooling over...

The above is from the movie The Holiday.

Our bedroom is actually very similar to this gray color and I'm liking the contrast between the gray walls and white headboard. I'm thinking we may keep the bedding simple (white) like we've got now but we'll see. Im working on an idea board... details to come.

If you have any suggestions for new headboards let me know!

It's Friday, Friday

So I don't typically post at work (shhh!) but I got WAY too excited about what I saw on Julie Richard's blog Shelter that I had to share. I've been talking about needing proper night stands in our master bedroom for SOME time (like 3 years) but have always put it off because what I liked was always too expensive or I wanted to do something custom but it's hard for me to see possibilities in Craigslist items, etc. BUT today on Shelter I saw these:

This company O'verlays makes these Amazing patterns that you can add to any simple, basic furniture and make it one (or so) of a kind! I am thinking I want to do two Malm dressers from Ikea ($70ea) and add the chinese chippendale pattern to the three drawer fronts. Thoughts?

I'm not so sure about whether I want to paint the night stand or the overlay or just leave it all white. Endless possibilities!I'm sure the husband is going to be super excited about me taking on another project.... We'll see what he says.

I LOVE (some) Junk Emails!

Very rarely do I appreciate being bombarded with unsolicited emails but today I am grateful! Somehow I ended up on an email list for houseplans.com and I don't mind a bit because they provided me with a glimpse of my DREAM HOUSE! I see houses everyday that I think are beautiful and love to look at, but seldom do I see houses that I love and wish one day to live in. Today I found one house I would be privileged to call home... Take a look!

www.houseplans.com

Yes, I know I'm from Texas, but I can't help loving this East coast (unbelievably charming) home. There is just something so comfortable, yet refined, about the shingle style that immediately makes me feel like I could live here.  

And look how pretty it is at night! LOVE!

The front entry isn't too stuffy and the dining room with the tray ceiling and the built-ins has an antique charm about it.

I am loving the banquette in the eat-in kitchen. It seems so functional and inviting. I think this kitchen is perfectly set up for entertaining. I can see my girlfriends and I in the kitchen making food and talking while the guys are in the great room watching football or something.

Here is another view of the kitchen. The glass front cabinets separating the kitchen from the great room are beautiful! I love the crosses across the glass. The same pattern is repeated in the transom windows around the house.

The master suite is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G (minus the leopard print)! First it's huge, second it has a fireplace, and third it has the amazing sitting area right when you walk into the room. 

I'm pretty sure I could spend countless hours in a room like this reading... or just doing nothing.

Nothing too special about the Master Bedroom, but it's Big with enough room for a sitting area.

The Master Bath is a great size with a full vanity and a screened in porch to take your morning coffee on. Yes, please!

The downstairs floor plan:

 The upstairs floor plan:

So if the husband and I win the lottery in the near future you know what we'll be doing with the winnings. And for the time being this Dream House will remain a dream. In the meantime, I will do what I can to transform our current house into something that almost, kinda, could possibly resemble this amazing home! Wish me luck :)  

  

Opps!

So its been awhile. Sorry about that. I've been doing a lot but haven't really had the inspiration to put a post together :(

BUT I was inspired because our living room got a new addition! And then we got another, different addition because I found a BEAUTIFUL chair at a friends furniture store and he gave me an amazing good deal on it. I took a picture of it just to show it to the husband and he liked it so much he said I could get it! Imagine my excitement! But we did order another chair before buying this one so I'll just have to find a home for that one somewhere else in our house.

Here she is!

 
Anyway, what are your thoughts on the chair? Its huge so we'll need to get some other large scale pieces but its a work in progress!

Be Our Guest

The in-laws are making the trip down from St. Louis next weekend for my husband's birthday and the Memorial Day holiday! Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can spend the majority of our time enjoying the newly improved/ still in progress backyard.  Pictures coming soon.   

With the impending stay, I started thinking about what is required in a guest room to ensure that all of our guests feel at home. Below are some of my thoughts on the matter:

1. Provide a nice place for them to lay their head 

My favorite thing about staying in a nice hotel is the bed. I love the sheets. I love king sized beds. I love the pillows. For me, there is a direct correlation between how well I sleep and my level of enjoyment of the place I'm visiting.  Sadly, a king would take up too much space in our guest room, so a queen will have to do.  Hopefully the bedding is comfortable enough that they don't mind snuggling a little bit closer to their significant other for a night or two. A couple of things to keep in mind about bedding:

• Keep the bedding layered. I am always colder than my husband so having sheets, a blanket, and a comforter is a necessity for us.
• Keep the bedding fresh. There is nothing better than lying down after a long day and smelling fresh sheets.  
• Keep different types of pillows available. Some people prefer hard pillows and some soft. Let your guests pick what works best for them.

2. Let them unpack and stay awhile

Country Living

There is something hectic about living out of a suitcase for any amount of time. It's unsettling. If possible, I'm a big fan of unpacking wherever I stay. I know it's silly, but I hate crouching to the floor to dig through my suitcase for an item that is inevitably always at the bottom. Unfortunately, our guest room is pretty small and it doesn't have a dresser. At this point in time, I don't see a dresser purchase in our future so I'll have to make due. Here's how I plan to accommodate our guests despite our lack of storage:

• Putting a luggage stand in the closet will keep guests from squatting on the ground to dig through their belongings and hide the bulky luggage pieces that take up so much space. Winner!
• Making room in the closet for guests to hang items is definitely a must. Some clothes just don't travel well and will need to be hung. I think it's better to have a designated space, rather than a doorknob. Your guests will appreciate that you've made space for them.

3. Bathroom Etiquette

The first time I ever stayed the night at my in-laws I remember walking into the bathroom to see an assortment of hotel toiletries neatly organized on the sink with a little note that said "Welcome" and a smiley face. It was so simple, but I was amazed that they had gone out of their way like that to make sure I had everything I needed. That's how I want my guests to feel when they come to stay with us. Here are my tips for bathroom pampering:

• Travel sized essentials. You can buy nice brands or just pick some up at the grocery store, but offering shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face soap, lotion, etc. ia a nice way to pamper your guests. Keep extra toothpaste, razors and toothbrushes in the bathroom just in case your guests forget those too.  
• Big, fluffy towels. There is nothing more awkward than trying to wrap yourself in a too small towel. You know what I'm talking about. Don't do that to your guests. Also, make sure they have hand towels and wash clothes. 
• Extra TP! Don't make your guests hunt for toilet paper or ask you for more. It's less awkward for everyone this way. 

I hope some of this was helpful! I'm off to continue planning and making sure everything is up to snuff around our house. It's funny because I'm not nearly this neurotic when my own parents come... oh well! 

Have a great weekend!    

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Are we there yet?

We just finished weekend #3 of our backyard project and I can now report we actually have updates worth reporting. No, we are not done, but we have started making some obvious progress. I wasn't sure I would see the day after the first two weekends, but with some a lot of help from my mom who contributed some sweat (and blood) for the sake of our backyard we now have a taste of what's to come.

Progress?

 

The picture on the right is about 1/4 to 1/5 of the patio so we still have A LOT of work ahead of us. I am hoping that I actually want to come home after work and lay pavers.

It has taken a chain saw, a stump grinder and a lot of patience to get where we are today. The husband did tell me at one point during weekend #2 that this was my "worst idea yet." And I can't disagree with that. Next time I think we'll hire a professional.

More to come....

Backyard Blues

The husband and I are currently in crazy backyard improvement mode. We've neglected our backyard basically since we bought the house (aside from mowing the grass and taking care of the pool) because neither myself, nor the husband, has the patience or time to deal with the crazy amounts of plants/trees/ivy/etc. The previous owners would surely be disappointed if they saw what we did (or didn't do) to all of their hard work. We'll have to do some plant planning to get this backyard to a manageable place that we can maintain. If only I liked rock gardens...

Anyway,  I blame the first picture below for our current endeavor. This all started because we wanted a designated area for our chaise loungers instead of taking up the only main patio space and we had an annoying tree with berries that was wrecking havoc on our poor pool. Solution: Get rid of tree and extend the patio in its' place. Much easier said than done.

Current Inspirations:

I am absolutely in love with grass pool decks. Not all that practical because you would constantly be cleaning grass from the pool but isn't it pretty?!  We are thinking about using large  concrete pavers like the pic below. Probably a little smaller though.

Can I transport this backyard to my backyard?

  

Or this one?

We'll be back in the yard tomorrow so hopefully we'll have some progress to post. And Sunday will involve heavy machinery!!! :)

How It Began

When the husand and I were looking for our first house, we had VERY different ideas of what we were looking to buy. I wanted a bungalow in the Heights and he wanted something that required little to no work. Needless to say, I found LOTS of places I wanted to live and very few he would even agree to look at, let alone put an offer on.
One of the reasons I think we had such a hard time selling each other on what we wanted was because there is a large chasm between our design preferences. Let me show you...

Me:

Husband:

I might be exaggerating a little but he was very adament that he did not want to live in a construction zone. I finally came to terms with this notion and we found a great house that fit both our needs. He got a more updated place with a pool and I got a place that I could update as we go along.

To be honest, I'm actually pretty relieved that he convinced me that a bungalow in the Heights would be more than we were capable of handling. That being said, the house we bought doesn't have the potential for profit like the Heights does either... Either way I'm happy where we are, especially with summer quickly approaching. And with the current projects planned for our backyard I think this summer will be better than last year! More to come on those projects later....