Fabric options & dining room updates

I pulled a few John Robshaw fabric samples from his line with Duralee (and a couple for L's room - I'm already thinking about how I want to make it more girly!)  I'm thinking of taking some simple, ready made curtains and adding a band around them in one of his darker, indigo fabrics.  I'm also considering making some cushions for our Bertoia chairs.  I love the look of them but they aren't the most comfortable chairs to sit in and I'm not a fan of the pads that come with the chairs.  I do like the simplicity of them and would definitely mimic the style, I just think it would be better in a different fabric other than vinyl.  I want them to blend into the chairs and not stand out so I like one of these white options.

Oh, and I found a settee I love from Ballard Designs.  It's kinda pricey so I'm saving my pennies because it is perfect and exactly what I had in mind.  It's also customizable in one of their fabrics or my own.  It would look pretty amazing in one of the lighter fabrics, don't you think?

My Dining Room makeover

We are in the process of giving our dining room a little face lift.  If you've been reading for a while, you might recall that it has looked like this for the better part of three years.  Ok, it hasn't exactly looked that bad but after Mike removed the cheap 70's wall paneling, we tried covering those liquid glue squiggly lines with every kind of paint you can imagine but it bled through...EVERY.TIME.  Our painter at some point suggested using an oil based primer so we gave in and let him have his way with the walls. 

We also got crazy and told him we wanted navy blue walls.  This has been a decision I've been contemplating for months but ever since the words flew out of my mouth, I've been in sheer panic mode.  I've asked Mike like a hundred times if we are making the right decision (he thinks we are).  I've told everyone I know about my plans seeking some kind of desperate paint color approval, I even showed our pest control tech my inspiration pics....clearly I'm panicked! 

While he performs his paint magic and turns my dining room into what might be the best or worst design move I've ever made, I've been busy putting together all kinds of design ideas in my head.

Valentine's Day Finds

Valentine's Day is a holiday I usually tend to skip over...Mike and I don't do much more than cook a nice meal at home with a bottle of wine and I think it's one of those holidays that's just a bit over commercialized. Blame it on the new babe, but this year I'm kind of getting into it. I imagine in future years I will even go as far as decorating the house a bit but this year I just created a roundup with some of my favorite finds from around the web.

I'm curious, is this a holiday you tend to skip over as well or do you make a big to-do about it?

Sources: 1. Heartfelt Garland via Terrain / 2. Heart mugs via West Elm / 3. Hello Heart by Darling Clementine via Blissful B / 4. Mini Valentine Packages via In Honor of Design  / 5. Love ring via Fabulous Wire / 6. Heart Hole Punch via Lark / 7. Growing Hearts Pillow Cover via Classic by Nature / 8. Waterwave Throw via Beyond Half / 9. Helena Cutout Bra via Journelle / 10. 'Come to Bed' Nail Lacquer via Butter London / 11. Pucker Up Lipstick via Nordstrom / 12. Martha Stewart's Valentine's Sorbet Sandwiches via Blissful B / 13. Veuve Cliquot Champagne via InStyle / 14. Simplicity Flute via Cb2 / 15. Lace Insert Drape Dress via Miss Selfridge

Why I love West Elm

I can remember years ago, in my college days, when West Elm first arrived on the scene.  Its catalog arriving on a semi frequent basis, filled with things college students love - small, space-appropriate, boxy and modern furniture at reasonable prices. 

Over the years their look and product base has changed and today, the company has become a source to be reckoned with.  Pairing up with designers and artisans from around the world, West Elm brings an eclectic and unique mix of thoughtfully produced goods that wouldn't have been accessible to the masses before.  Because of the wide range of goods you can easily fill your home with several pieces and still not be left feeling like you decorated from a big box store. Instead, you will find yourself with a beautifully curated space designed with intention rather than a stale mix of generic goods.

Stylish & Functional Household Essentials

It seems that many of the common household necessities we all keep on hand are just so...unattractive.  Things like sewing kits, pencil sharpeners, and others of the like are a 'must have' but also a 'must keep hidden' because of their boring, ugly and utilitarian nature. 

First spotting this gorgeous, dare I even say sexy looking fire extinguisher on Pinterest a while back had me thinking that there must be other beauties out there like it - other common household goods that we all tend to keep stashed away in a junk drawer or storage closet but that had been made beautiful by like minded, style obsessed people. 

So I started searching - looking around my house for inspiration and finding that there were so many things that I consider a necessity and that had been made pretty - pretty enough to keep out on display, all the time if I had to.  Things like this French press, which to give credit, aren't bad to look at on their own but wrap it in gold and it's suddenly a stunning conversation piece on the kitchen counter.  Extension cords are another cringe worthy necessity - bright orange, tangled contraptions usually come to mind but these cloth covered beauties might even be better than the bedside lamp they are connected to. 

I'm curious, do you have any household items that you can't live without but must keep hidden in the confines of a cabinet or closet because they are just too ugly to look at or have you found a beautiful counterpart to it like the ones below?

Sources: 1. Reclaimed Apothecary Matchstick Bottle via Terrain / 2. Merchant & Mills Sewing Notions Kit via Kaufmann Mercantile / 3. Matte White Fire Extinguisher by Brandslackaren via Pinterest / 4. Small First Aid Kit via Best Made Company / 5. Bodum Eileen French Press via Wayfair / 6. Leather Bound Desk Dictionary via Graphic Image / 7. Acrylic Stapler via Design Darling / 8. Dux Adjustable Brass Pencil Sharpener via Kaufmann Mercantile / 9. Scissors via Brook Farm General Store / 10. Red Bakers Twine via Brook Farm General Store / 11. Blackwing 602 Writing Pencils via Kaufmann Mercantile /12. Cloth Extension Cords via Best Made Company

Happy 2013!

Happy New Year! How is 2013 treating you so far?  I know there has been major radio silence around here for months but they really mean it when they say having a baby is hard work!  I won't say that I am completely adjusted to life with baby but I'm getting there and I'm starting to find more time for myself which means more time to do things I am passionate about again - like blogging. 

Every year I create a list of lofty goals and resolutions that seem reachable because I can put them off for some date in the future and what really ends up happening is I forget about them or ignore them. This year I thought I'd do something a little different and create a monthly goal list - a small list of totally obtainable things I want to accomplish before the month is over. 

Yoga classes, daily walks and weights
Start blogging again
Ask painter about finishing paint and trim work in dining room
Create a photobook using Artifact Uprising
Use the Fuji Instax
Finish decorating Linden's room
Give my wardrobe a makeover
Get quotes on having the concrete patio poured
Choose pillows for living room
Begin 365 day photo project - take a picture everyday of our family life
Cook more at home, especially on the weekends
Begin designing and budgeting our guest bathroom reno

What's on your list of new year resolutions?  

Photo: Zü via Pinterest

Our little one has arrived...

We welcomed little Linden in to the world on Mike's birthday!  She is perfect in every way and we are so very much in love with her.  I admit this has been the hardest job I've ever done, being a mother, but we are all adjusting to one another and starting to get the hang of things.