happy

memorial day.

i hope you are somewhere with fabulous people,

eating fabulous food.

and hey...if you happen to have a fabulous

view like this, all the better!

image via coastal living

more stripes...

cuz i just cannot get enough!

all images via elle decor

little shed

this picture makes me *sigh.

image via country living

design plan: anne's study

anne is looking to transform her

formal dining room into a

cozy neutral space for her three teenage kids 

to study and use the computer.

here's what i came up with for her.

as the project progresses, 

i will update info on sources.

my urns

as soon as we moved into house #1,

i bought a pair of urns for my front porch.

i love the symmetry it creates,

and enjoy the yearly ritual of selecting

the color scheme for the flowers.

i am currently on my third pair of urns.

the first pair broke, and we left the second

pair in tennessee when we moved to utah.

last year, i filled my new urns with 

mini cypress trees, and a mixture of

red and purple flowers mixed with creeping rosemary.

i was hoping to keep the cypress trees alive, 

but they died. i am really diligent

about watering the precious content of

my planters for the first few months,

but once september hits,

i lose all interest and every thing dies.

so, i am currently trying to decide what to do this year...

i usually try to have some type of tree in the

center of the urn. i really love the height it

creates, and it is a great backdrop to the 

colorful flowers.

i love the pink + white in these urns.

this look is bold and bright.

two shades of pink are nice here.

wow.

this one is amazing! 

i love the colors.

i like the wild look in this urn...

and the blues and purples are really soothing.

this one is gor------geous!

love the orange.

i could just fill my urns with herbs...

or succulents. 

i love the way this looks!

do you have any "tried and true"

plants that you have used in the past?

if so, let me know---

i need all the help i can get!

images found via: country living,

 southern living, flickr, deborah silver

design*crush: mary mcdonald

until a week ago, i didn't realize i had a crush on mary mcdonald...

but one of her rooms caught my eye, and so i googled her.

oh my.

 i realized that i recognized dozens of her spaces

because i have them stored in my design files!

serendipity at it's finest.

this woman has phenomenal taste.

she is a true master of color,

and i LOVE the 

layers and textures 

and details she uses

to create 

dramatic, 

chic, 

elegant, 

whimsical, 

and refined rooms.

ahh...my new favorite designer!
images found at mary mcdonald, veranda, patricia gray 

****

did you have a favorite room,

or something that really caught YOUR eye?

i'd love to hear what you think!

pretty vignettes

sometimes i tear a picture from a magazine

because i just love the

 styling of a vignette.

i like the stacked photos...

hung fairly low, 

and the eclectic, masculine feel of this one.

nice "wow" wallpaper, 

star light fixture,

gorgeous golden bamboo mirror

and matching lamps 

all had me swooning.

traditional with a little edge.

the greenery is really a nice touch.

love the architectural chairs against the 

chocolate walls,

with pops of chartreuse.

the layers and textures are so interesting in this one.

it really looks like a cozy place to sit...

simple and chic.

love the texture on the walls!

and you can never go wrong with orchids

or a great black and white photograph.

so simple.

so elegant.

stripes!

the wall stripes for the half bath 

in the tween hangout

just got finished!

i am really excited.

it is going to be such a FUN space!