Want it Wednesday {Pink & Pretties}

This morning it is -30 with the windchill and quite truthfully this post should just be pictures of sunshine and pool time...what I really want right about now. But alas Mother Nature I am not so I'll stick to coveting pretty fabrics and shiny objects.

lamp/ pillows/ monogram/ bedding/ bowl

Now that all the Christmas decorations are packed away, a few accessories have shuffled around the house including our current master bedroom lamps. Since the master is part of our 2015 goals, I went ahead and grabbed a pair of the lamps above to replace the ones now in the family room.

The living room is crying out for the addition of the pink and navy chinoiserie pillows I stumbled upon at pinterest. If anyone knows the source please let me know!!!

And speaking of chinoiserie, I was shocked to see this fab bedding set at Pottery Barn Kids. If we hadn't just finished up Belle's room in July I would be snatching this up in a heartbeat. 

The Allison Evan's oyster bowl has been on my list for a couple years and I've got the perfect spot for it on my family room coffee table.

I finally remembered to grab a second wreath hook for the mudroom door back in November. Now that the Burlap santa is packed away, I need to get my hands on one of these wooden monograms to look at when entering from the garage.

With that I'm off to start the day. The littles are home from school due to the cold. We have a heated game of boys vs. girls monopoly to finish up while keeping warm with a pancake breakfast to mark peanut's Name Day. Stay warm everyone!

Want It Wednesday {Acrylic Barstools}

Our current kitchen barstools are functional and practical but totally miss the mark when it comes to style. In addition, their chunky white feet cover up the beautiful moldings we added during the kitchen facelift. Thankfully, the solution  is a few keystrokes away in the form of practical yet unobtrusive ghost barstools.

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Not only do they look better, but they have a smaller footprint and without a back (unlike our current stools) they can tuck completely out of the way when not in use. And since a visual always helps, what's not to love about this kitchen!?!

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I would snatch up a ghost chair for the kitchen desk too, but Finely's crate is currently occupying that space. I have a feeling there will be a vacancy soon enough though, as he prefers to sleep under the kitchen table more than anywhere else. And speaking of kitchen table, I still am at a loss on what to do with the chairs and I don't want to rush the decision so the beastly chairs remain for now. Happy Wednesday everyone! I'm off to pick up the littles from an overnight with YiaYia and Bopi!

Want It Wednesday {I Bought It Edition}

With summer vacation officially starting tomorrow I've been busy replenishing our summer staples. 

I an not wait to pack up our new Vineyard Vines cooler and use it for picnics, poolside & on the boat. After 8 years our old soft cooler was ready for retirement. 

Speaking of water. I could hardly believe my luck when I found these aqua dot beach towels (oh so Garnet Hill) at Costco for $10 a piece. Even though our club has towel service, my littles enjoy a jumbo towel to snuggle in on the drive home. 

Belle & I are both obsessed with the Trippin and Sippin Lilly print. I picked up 3 new tumblers for summer thirst quenching and since they were delivered one hasn't been out of arm's reach.

I usually drink ice coffee or ice tea but when happy hour rolls around I've found this delightful duo is addictively refreshing. 

While shopping at Target I snatched up this beachy sea urchin inspired bowl. We have quite a few summer BBQs on the calendar and this sure to come in handy. 

How about you, what fun summer staples have you shopped for lately? 

Want It Wednesday {Master Bedroom Inspiration Board & Fabric Love}

I can not get Robert Allen's Neo Toile in Coral out of my mind. After the frigid winter and unseasonably cool spring, I am craving the vibrant colors of summer: teal, coral and aqua. I'm not quite certain in what manner, but I have added this "must have" fabric to my master bedroom inspiration board.

I think the lively colors lend a youthful feel to a rather formal print. And I love the appearance of the print hanging as drapery panels, although I'm not sure I could handle that much color in a bedroom drape.

After a day filled with 3 littles and their continual messes, I for one need a clutter free & neutral space in which to unwind. That said, a little pop of pattern & color helps pretty it all up. How about you, do you like your bedroom to be soothing and peaceful  or do you crave a space that emits energy and bold colors? 

Want It Wednesday {Drapery Dilemma: Cast Your Vote!}

Monday's post I shared with you all the progress in the Living Room. I was happy to leave well enough alone until I saw this fabric posted on Instagram by Amanda over at Dixie Delights.

Could it be that this fabric is the prefect combination of aqua, green, blue & brown to tie in all the colors in both the living and dining room!?! I quickly ordered a sample and I am pleased to report the answer is an overwhelming YES! As an added bonus, the large scale print adds both softness and personality to the space.

Drapery for this room has always baffled me. Mainly, do I opt for floor to ceiling panels (image 1) or hang the drapes between the palladian and transom windows (image 2)?

When I consulted a designer for our first set of drapes (which I have since relocated to the office) she hung them under the palladian windows (similar to photo 2).  It is mainly an issue of taste and one I keep going back and forth on. So I'm asking you all, which way would you hang these drapes: image 1 or  image 2. I can't wait to hear all your design advice and opinions. Thanks in advance everyone!!!

Want It Wednesday {Espalier Vines}

I've been logging in quite a few hours outdoors between our new garden & spring cleaning.  I  tend to pass the time by letting my mind dream up new designs for the space I'm working on. Sort of a bad habit, as it only leads to more work needing to be done and the vicious cycling continuing. Nonetheless, I've been stewing over landscaping ideas for the awhile now and here's what I'm loving, espalier vines.

I've always been drawn to the classic design of vines trained in geometric patterns along walls, fences, and houses. So it comes as no surprise that I am plotting a way to add some espalier to my life. From the research I've done, these designs are often high maintenance and require quite a bit of attention. At this point in my life my TLC slots have no vacancies so I'll just have to fill this inspiration away for another day.

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The former owner of our house was very much into the Prairie style: tall grasses & natural wildflowers. Slowly, we are working on changing that and someday I'll have my espalier vines. How about you? What's your garden style? Tailored & crisp? Maybe you're whimsical and cottage? 

Want It Wednesday {Lily of the Valley}

Since it is the week before Mother's Day & I seem to have flowers on the brain, I figured why not continue this week's posts with one of my absolute favorite flowers of all: Lily of the Valley. These tiny little bells have a heavenly aroma and are graceful while completely unassuming.

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I have loved them for ages, in fact I wanted to carry them solely as my wedding bouquet nearly a decade before Kate Middleton, but the florist couldn't guarantee that the bouquet wouldn't wilt or that the flowers would even arrive open (all the way from Ireland mind you). 

So as Hubby & I approach nearly a dozen years of wedded bliss, I think it is time to add some Lily of the Valley to our lives and lucky we have just the right spot.  Right now it is bare mulch under a maple tree, but in a year or so I am hoping it looks like this:

Now it is important to point out that Lilly of the Valley is poisonous so if you have children (or pets) who regularly ingest your landscaping, you might want to seek out other options to get your fix. One of which is Crabtree & Evelyn's Lily home spray. 

I think I used this spray religiously the first few years Hubby & I were married...I was completely obsessed. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to locate some Lily of the Valley pips.

Want It Wednesday {Garage Dreaming}

Organizing and cleaning up our garage is on this summer's bucket list and how is this for inspiration! Completely do able, no?  In all honesty though, in a dream world this would be exactly what our garage would look like; white wood work, built ins, and a chandelier for me & a Porsche parked inside for Hubby (except it would be white and sans roof rack).

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Since our budget in more in the range of a Porsche matchbox car, I'll have to put these plans on the back burner. In the meantime, I've put together a quick inspiration board of a few garage must haves to help corral and contain all our garage mess.

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The garage walls, ceiling and floor all need a fresh coat of paint so swatch hunting is in the near future. Keep your eyes peeled for details in future posts.

Want It Wednesday {Got It Edition: New Shutters & Dining Table}

Things have been hectic around here and it is about to get a whole lot crazier as we are less than 24 hours away from the B family birthday extravaganza: all 3 littles' birthdays all within 3 weeks for a grand total of 5 separate celebrations! So please excuse me if my presence is intermittent until mid-March.

We have been making some major progress around these parts. I am thrilled to say that the craigslist Duncan Phyfe dining table I blogged about was a complete home run. As soon as Hubby returned from a business trip, I carted him & the boys off to check out if the deal was too good to be true. And low and behold it was a legit 98" long Duncan Phyfe with a full set of table pads!



We happily handed over $250 and carted this beauty back home.  The photos just don't do the space justice and at this point in my life I have neither the time nor talent to improve them so you all just have to trust me…the table is bananas!(To those of us who are into these things…to everyone else it is just a grandma table that I am thrilled about.)

The second piece of big news is that the office & living room windows now have shutters further solidifying my granny style of decorating. I was adamant about having colonial shutters on these windows despite countless designers telling me otherwise.

In fact, I couldn't even find a local shutter company to make them for me. Plantation shutters, not a problem. But, 1 inch louvered colonial shutters were no where to be found. Until, one last google search turned up these bad boys at Lowes.

I will save you all the run down of what a royal pain these turned out to be. But my heart was set on these, so come hell or high water I was bound to make them work. (Insert gigantic hugs to Bestie H for her Eureka moment when it came to aligning the shutters & to Bestie B for keeping all the positive texts  coming my way during the install).



I am truly **in love** with the look. I will eventually have curtains made to mirror whatever treatment I put in the dining room, but for now there is no rush. It is nice to enjoy every little step and relish my DIY/ Thrifting victories.

I'll be back Friday with a recap of my baby boy's 2nd birthday! I can not believe I just typed those words.

Want it Wednesday {Dining Room Dreams}

I'm jumping the gun on this one, but I'm just giddy with excitement and can't help myself. After nearly 2 years of searching, I think I've located a dining room table.

The sweetest couple in their 80s has listed this Duncan Phyfe table for sale. When I spoke to the seller on the phone, she mentioned it belonged to her sister and that the sister's townhouse was being sold in March and they needed to get rid of the table asap. Hubby & I have plans to go see it tomorrow morning. If it works out, I'm quite certain I'll need to make some sort of sacrificial offering to the home decor Gods (perhaps some of the girl scout cookies I posted about on instagram last night).

For now, let's just hope for the best and have a look at what I'm envisioning in this potentially new space:

Crossing my fingers things finally work out! 

Want It Wednesday {Kitchen Chairs}

Let's talk dining chairs. Our current kitchen chairs have to go. The littles have a difficult time maneuvering them and blame the hard seats for the ants in their pants during dinnertime. Decorating paralysis has stopped me from making a decision for well over a year. After repeated reminders to return to their seats, I've finally hit my breaking point and I'm ready to make a switch.  Here's a run down of the chairs that have caught my eye.

Love this one but not sure if I could handle the blue on a daily basis.

Similar to the one above, but toned down.

Classic French ladderback…just can't go wrong with this. Plus it could transition easily into formal dining.

Cafe chair which would work great for the littles now, but don't think it is substantial enough for the future. Plus I can't imagine sitting in this for any length of time.

I have always loved Chinese Chippendale chairs, just don't think they are a livable solution for everyday dining.

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Oh I wish I could just bring each of these home & place them around the kitchen table for a test run. But I'm pretty sure there isn't a retailer out there who would give a family with a 2, 5, & 8 year old dining chairs to "try out". Can you say spaghetti! 

Anyone else dealing with decorating paralysis? If it was you, which chair would you select?

Want It Wednesday {Vineyard Vines Mega Sale & Tory Burch Tote}

I am going to divert from home decor to talk fashion…particularly resort wear because given the frigid temps and snow we've been dealing with around here, I am eagerly counting down the days until we are on Spring Break with our toes in the sand!

So while I was browsing Vineyard Vines for beachy lovelies like:

To go along with the Tory Burch Marion Patchwork Tote I am crushing on:

I was thrilled to discover that all Vineyard Vines' Final Sale items are still an additional 50% off!
I happily snatched up these matching cords for the boys to wear next Christmas.

whale cords
Have I mentioned that our school mascot is the whale making it totally acceptable to sport whale embroidered clothing in the midwest in December.

I can't get enough of the pom-pom & whale combo on the hat I ordered for Belle.

whale hat

And I also grabbed a few goodies for the Hubby & myself.

markers polo

cardigan

fair isle crewneck

So if you are still trapped indoors on account of the weather, try curing your cabin fever with some major bargains at vv!

Happy Shopping & be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you snagged…the best part about getting a deal is sharing it!

XO
Amelia

Want it Wednesday {Dreamy Master Suites and Why Mine Is Not}

So with good reason, I have never posted a single shot of our master bedroom on this blog. It is a room that is least reflective of our decorating style. Even Hubby detests the room, which is saying a lot because my better half isn't one for design. Clearly, the serene retreat pictured below is not ours.

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We have a very masculine, black Restoration Hardware bedroom set that I scored practically brand new at a garage sale for $200!!! Yes an entire set of 2 side tables, queen headboard & tall dresser all for $200. Deal of the century except for the fact that the style of furniture has worn on me after almost 7 years. Redeeming factor, it will go perfectly in the baby's big boy room once he's outgrown his crib, but I'm not rushing that.

So many times we have gone to do something about the room, but then I stop because I don't want to make the wrong choice. Our eventual goal is to rework much of the second floor and convert the unused attic over the garage into dressing or sleeping or bathing space. The overall game plan is still quite fuzzy.

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Currently we have 4 bedrooms, 2 baths and anticipate that in the near future, it would be advantageous to carve out a 3rd bathroom for Belle. That would require us to rework our master bathroom separating it into two and relocating our master closet over the garage. We would also like to figure out a way to move the washer and dryer upstairs. Clear as mud? I thought so

We've simply settled for leaving the room as is because we don't want to expend resources (time or money) on things that maybe short lived. There is a good chance the dimensions and over overall shape of the room would change and present the opportunity to add things like wall sconces, vaulted ceilings, built ins or a fireplace.

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Also, if we do decide to convert the attic space into a closet, that will mean our current 10'X7' walk-in will explode into a dressing room that is 20'x14'. And as a result, our master would not need to house a dresser or chest of drawers. It is quite likely that bedroom furniture that is ideal for the room today, would not be ideal after the renovation.

So for those reasons, we simply stick with what we've got. Although, I'm getting the serious itch to at least slap a coat of BM Dove White on the trim and add a few new accessories…..remember that whole focus problem. I'm not even a month into 2014 and I'm already breaking my resolution.

Anyone else have a less than dreamy master?  How are you dealing?