This Life I Live

Hello friends!  Sorry for the prolonged silence.  I went to Mexico for a month--one of the perks of being a Spanish teacher is study abroad trips! (more on that soon).  I am finally starting to get back in the groove, and get back to blogging! 

But the purpose of this post is to introduce you to the new and improved blog of one of my friends, Danielle.  It's called, This Life I Live and it started as a blog about her and her husband's adoption journey--they adopted two beautiful sisters from Ethiopia.  But now it's become a chronicle of their lives and all the fun and struggles and joy.  She also does some pretty great give-aways (in fact I'm totally bummed that I didn't win this week's giveaway--pics by Sara Parker--my favorite lifestyle photographer!).  So, check her out when you've got the time.

And, speaking of adoption, I should have a sneak peak of the nursery soon...Ben finally let me really start working on it, even though we're still waiting.  Yay!  It's gonna be cute, so stay tuned!

Break the Bank or Budget-Friendly Room?

I just saw this gorgeous girls' room posted by my blog-friend over on Full House and couldn't wait even a second to feature it here as well.  She did her twin daughters' room for an incredible price, and I really want you to guess how much it was before you check out the full post on her own beautiful blog.  Here's a sneak peak--I hope you like it as much as I do.  Perfect and precious in every way...

To see the full post click here but don't forget to leave a comment with your guess on the price before you do!

When the Husband's Away, the Wife Will Play

Last night one of my other decor-addicted friends, Elizabeth, and I stayed up until 1 in the morning playing at our mutual friend Liz's house.  You see, Liz's sweet husband is away for the weekend, so we took the opportunity change up a few things in her house.

Although our main task was to help her think about re-decorating the master bedroom, Elizabeth, who has self-diagnosed Room A.D.D. had us moving furniture in the dining room, living room, and re-dressing the bed in the guest room as well.

The funniest moment, however, is when we headed to the back room, which is currently a laundry room/art space/catch-all, and hidden away, back in the furthest reaches of the house, Elizabeth spies a large, beautiful, antiquey/whimsical framed map of Italy (a gift from one of Liz's co-workers, reminiscent of Liz's family background) and exclaims with delight, "I love this map!  It's gorgeous!"  Liz goes on to say how much she and her husband like it as well to which Elizabeth responds, "Oh great idea Liz, take the cutest picture in your whole house, and be sure to hang it where no one will ever see it!"  Poor Liz, they thought they had found a nice place of honor for it, (behind the kitchen on the way out the back door).  So, we decided to place it in the M.B. and we think it should become the inspiration piece for the rest of the room.

Now to decide on a new paint color for the walls...we suggested a light grey, but Liz was worried about gray evoking thoughts of prisons.  So, here are a few pics (via Houzz) that I hope will change her mind about gray.

bedroom design

traditional bedroom design

I'm Back!

Hello friends!  Sorry for such a long silence, but we've been on a rather extended vacation.  Since the end of May, I've hit the big city (NYC), the beach (Outer Banks) and the mountains (Asheville).  What a treat!  I'm not bragging, I'm really just thankful that I get some time off in the summer, and so I try to take full advantage of it!  Anyway, since we just returned from the mountains, I thought I would post on one of my favorite stores in Asheville....The Screen Door.  They have the most interesting and unique collection of incredible art and antiques!  I try to go at least once every time I'm home--but this week I actually found myself there THREE different times!  I know--I'm addicted.

So here are some pics (you all know that photography is not my gift!) that I took of my favorite booth!  I'm getting some inspiration for the future nursery-to-be...

I know it's not particularly babyish--it's just the over-all impression that I like--certain elements of the room.  So, what do you think?  Could these goodies lead to a nature-inspired nursery that's fun, rough and sophisticated all at the same time?

A Nursery

Well, the semester has ended, and I'm back to my fun with design...

As most of you know, Ben and I have been on a bit of a journey to start our family.  We've finally been approved with our adoption agency, and are now officially waiting!  Ben has wisely decreed that I must not purchase anything for the nursery-to-be until there is actually a baby to bring home, but...that does not mean that I can't go ahead and decide exactly what I want so that when we get that phone call, I'm ready to go!  So, I convinced him to peruse some kids rooms on Ohdeedo, and below I've posted my top picks and his top picks.  What do you think?  Any favorites?  Any ideas of how to combine some elements from each?  Any other suggestions?

A few of my picks:

I really like the yellow and aqua.

Ben's picks:

In this one he just likes the car art.

Here he likes the green.

So--what do you designies think?

DIA

 

View Full Album

Well, DIA has come and gone, and it was  a great success!  I’m waiting on some more pictures, and a video, but these will have to do for now.  My favorite part of the whole celebration really was the diversity—we had all ages, shapes, sizes and colors.  It was great!  Nothing better to celebrate than children, culture and books!  We had some fabulous performers, and my students did an excellent job with the bilingual story-time.  Bravo!

South of Market

I went to Charleston last weekend for the day with my friend Elizabeth, and we had a lovely time.  We mostly just walked around town looking at the beautiful houses and gardens, and imagining what it would be like to live like that.  We also happened upon two beautiful stores on King St.  The first, South of Market, was gorgeous!  I wanted everything in the store--but it was a bit out of my price range.

Here's a small sampling:

image via South of Market

The other shop, Lily, doesn't offer a lot yet on their website, but they do have a cute blog that gives you a taste of her classic and fabulous style.

So, next time you're in Charleston, be sure to pop in.