Modern, Fresh Family Room

Have you seen the latest family room by Emily Henderson?  Emily describes this room as young, fresh and modern but family friendly and comfortable, which is so accurate.  I think this would be the ideal room for my family and I.  I love the white trim and ceiling against the light grey paint.  Plus I love dark wood floors but these lighter wood floors are making me swoon.  They look fresh, they wont ever be dated and are probably easier to clean.  This room is going on my vision board for my future family room.  I also love how the room is styled, so I may have to just copy this exact look. 




 

Lovely Spaces

Sometimes I just I can't help spending my afternoon getting lost in the Living Room photos on Lonny.  

"When Love Arrives"

Sometimes I listen to spoken word over and over again and this is one of them. 

Lune

I am loving this video, what an incredible advertisement.  It makes me want to go get a Volvo right and runaway to Iceland or Sweden. 

Ever since I started watching Mad Men I have been really thinking about what goes into advertising.  What a creative and interesting job.




via

Hello Perfection

                                  via

Table Lamps in the Kitchen?

Do you have that one friend whose house always looks perfectly pulled together?  Well, I was at my dear friend Roger's house this weekend and I all of sudden I noticed he has 3 lamps in his kitchen.  His kitchen isn't very big but it is cozy and perfectly accessorized, just like the rest of his home.  I on the other hand, have such a hard time accessorizing, I either do too much or too little.  I really do believe that accessorizing is the hardest part of decorating a space.  Accessories are what personalize your space, they reflect your personality which is probably why it is so difficult to get it right. 

 

My new lamp

 

I think table lamps in the kitchen make it so warm, plus the indirect lighting is much nicer then the harsh overhead lights.  I prefer the table lamps on the counters instead of the kitchen island.  Lamps on the island look beautiful and make the island look more like furniture but in our house lamps on the island would never last.  They would be toast. 



                                                      1



                                               2



                                     3


 
                                   4

Be Still My Heart

 

My heart literally skipped a beat when I came across these photos of Kelly McGuill's house on Two Ellie today.  It seems perfect to me, warm and modern yet clean and crisp with great texture and materials.  I finally found my inspiration for my home.  I am going to try and stay focused on this look and not get distracted by all the great designs and "stuff" I come across.  I really like the uncluttered and clean look of this space.

A View My Window

I remember reading something once, which I believe was from Mr. Nate Berkus, that you should decorate your room with colors that compliment the view.  The idea of using the colors from your view as the color palette for your room. I want to embrace this idea, however, the colors obviously change from season to season but I think I am most fond of the cool winter colors.  I love the white with blue, grey and brown hues and just a pop of green. 

My family room needs help.  It is outdated, doesn't have a window treatment, the walls are still the builder beige color, the carpet is old and cheap.  We have been in this home 12 years now and it is definitely time for a change.  I never painted this room because I could never decide on a color, I am afraid to commit, but I am ready now.  I'm ready to take the plunge and make some decisions.  I have an extremely tight budget and I'm not sure were to begin but I think if I take things slow and get lots of inspiration/ help I will be OK and the room will look great.

Less is More

I must admit as far back as I can remember I am/was a Black Friday Shopper.  I have wonderful memories of getting up early the day AFTER Thanksgiving and hitting the stores with a pile of ads and my Mother and Sister in tow.  This was a ritual, a welcome to the holiday season that we participated in for as long as I can remember, probably 20 years, and I loved every minute of it.  It can be really exciting when you score that great deal or watching my Mother shop commando style in the mall, she had mad shopping skills. 

Lately, it seems like things are getting crazy in the world of Black Friday shopping.  Maybe it's the economy, because most people do not have the disposable income they once had and they need a good deal.  Maybe it is just the media making a big deal out of everything and scaring people into thinking these deals are so great they must go out, shop and buy stuff they don't really need.  I don't really know.

What I do know is that when I went to Everlane on Friday to order a Christmas present, ok and maybe a little something for myself, I was peasantly surprised to find this....



and it got me thinking.  I love this philosophy, I want less stuff but I want the stuff I do buy to be excellent.  I want to focus this holiday season on bringing high quality gifts, decorations and food into my life.  I want to teach my children that it is better to receive and give fewer, well thought out, high quality gift then several gifts that will never be used.  I want them to think about the money they spend and how that item will affect them, the person who receives the gift and the global community they live in.

I realized what I really enjoyed most on those Black Friday shopping trips was the time spent with my Mother and Sister and that is a tradition I plan to continue, just not at Walmart.

Living Their Dream

I love stories of people who follow their passion.  People who work hard to make their dreams come true.  There is just something about the process that I love to watch and learn from.    


via

More Lovely Hair Styles

My dream hair.

www.intothegloss.com

www.pintrest.com

Hair Style Help

I need help with my hair desperately. I need some style. It has been way to long since I got my hair cut and I am hoping to get it cut and colored this weekend but I can't decide what will look good on me. I love these rich deep brown colors but my roots come in lighter and my grey shows to quickly if I try to go darker. Also, as I get older I think I look younger with shorter hair instead of longer but I'm not sure. It is so hard to pick out a style for my hair, which is thick and wavy, and my face which is round and full. Ugh... I need help. I want to feel stylish and cute so I need to pick one of these styles but which one?

Fall Plus Style- Old Navy

Old Navy has a great selection of plus size clothes.  The clothes are pretty stylish, they even look young and fresh.  In addition, the clothes are very reasonable and they always seem to be having some kind of sale.  The only problem with the clothes is you get what you pay for them.  The can be a bit cheaply made.  The boots kind of feel like plastic, but they come in wide leg.  The clothes don't hold up as well as they should, so if I buy something I just wash and wear it very carefully.

I love this leather like motorcyle jacket but I wish I could see it in person before I buy it. 







   I bought this demin tunic and I love it.  It does run a bit big which is nice over skinny jeans or leggings, if I was brave enough.  However, it is very thin, so I am going to wash it on delicate and not dry it.  I may even buy an extra because they are so reasonable and I really like it that much.

Wholehearted Parenting

I come across this today on Brene Brown's blog Ordinary Courage and it is just what I needed today.  As my children age I am finding it harder to communicate with them and it is making my days a lot harder then they need to be.

Barn Door Style

I have wanting/needing French doors for my office. I came across these barn style doors an instantly fell in love with the way they look. I really like the more modern looking ones better then the country looking ones. The following pictures are from Houzz.

Ceiling Lust

My ceiling is awful. It is a white, popcorn ceiling that is in desperate need of some help. I can't stop thinking about these wood treatments.

My ugly ceiling.

All pictures via Houzz.

Restoration Hardware

I really miss this store, especially at Christmas time.  Since moving to the Buffalo, NY area, I have been deprived of great stores, no Restoration Hardware, no West Elm, no Ikea, no Crate and Barrel, no Z Galleries, the list could go on forever.  I have been forced to resort to online ogling and I can't stop thinking about these chairs from Restoration Hardware.  They are only $69 dollars, YES only $69.  They come in a variety of finishes also.