Love this {sweet} room...

Love, love, love...found via vivafullhouse blog.

lighting inspiration...

I have always adored the polka dotted lampshade in my friend, Holly's first nursery. I am planning to copy it for my own :). A few years back I got a tall, thrift store lamp for 4.00 that had a big shade on it. I am going to redo to give a similar look to the lamp in her nursery pictured here. I am in the process of painting the lamp base in an ultra flat brown spray paint. I think this brand/kind was used in Cottage Living a few years back to redo a chandelier and it gives a nice smooth looking finish without the little sparkles that spray paint can have. First, I'll use some lightweight cotton duck for a slipcover over the shade. Next, add some brown polka dots with a round, foam stamper and craft paint. Last I'll trim around the bottom with some knife pleat trim found at Hobby Lobby to complete the look!

(fLoKaTi) rugs...

I had a chance to go to ikea this past weekend to do a little shopping for the nursery. I picked up this flokati rug. I want something soft and neutral for the rug in the nursery. Now that I have it home, I am not sure. What are your thoughts on these rugs? I already have frieze carpet in the room, so I couldn't do just a thick shag. It would be like putting shag on top of shag. I would love to do that if I had wood floors. The pictures posted here are a mix of shag and flokati and are from oh dee oh, cottage living, holly mathis interiors (who I got to shop with on Saturday as well!!) and ikea.

more from *that* nursery....

Yes, I am writing about this nursery again. I got these knobs in the mail yesterday from Anthropologie to go on a dresser that is going to be used as the changing table. The dresser is very similar to the one pictured here. Mine is a family heirloom that belonged to my grandmother and members of her family before that. I have had it in my living room the past several years. It will be nice to use it in the nursery and think about how many generations before have used that same dresser. I am going to get this changing pad cover to go on the top.

{elephant} hamper...

Again I apologize for the lack of posts. I have s.l.o.w.l.y. been putting my thoughts together for baby GIRL's nursery. One thing I plan to get is this darling elephant hamper. A splurge for a laundry hamper, but so cute and a fun touch. I first saw it in the fabulous nursery that Laurie Rhoney of Rhoney Design put together for her daughter. I'm sure you all have seen this darling space already and I have been wanting to blog about it since I first fell in love with it. Be sure to check out Erika's post about it. But, back to the hamper. It is just one of the design elements I'm stealing, I mean "borrowing" from that nursery. I have since spotted it again at me and wee. Be sure to check out this precious space, too. The elephant hamper can be found here at home decorators. On a side note, I am planning to go with the topsy turvy toile below and scored it in Dallas this past weekend for only 6.00 a yard! If you are in need of fabric and live in the Dallas area, you need to go to Perth street and check out all the fabric outlets. They have great deals on all kinds of fabric and are right together in walking distance.

toPsY TuRvY...

Sweet Kara asked recently where I've been. I am so behind in my blog reading/commenting and I hope you all will forgive me. I have a good excuse, promise. I've been doing some entertaining the last few months. Someone has moved in with me, literally. This someone, although not very big, has demanded my energy and I will even have to redo a room in my house just for this little person. I am not complaining. I've waited years for this person to arrive. I thought the post title was fitting. Not only is it the name of the fabric I'm considering for somewhere in little one's room, it's how life is going to be in a few months, but that is a good thing and I am so excited for it to happen!

*chai* addiction...

If you are looking for an easy summertime drink, this is it! I had chai tea the other day at a friend's house for the first time and let's just say I am officially addicted. After going through Starbuck's drive through a couple of times in a week for it, I finally just got some at the store to make my own. It is so good and easy. Just pour the concentrate in a glass mug with equal parts of milk and add ice! Perfect for summer and you can be sure I'll try it hot when the weather turns cooler again! Once I've used up this container, I need to just purchase the tea bags so I can make a lower calorie version of it.

(summer) purse...

I am no fashionista and could use all the help I can get! I am in desperate need of a new purse and have had trouble finding something I really like. While browsing the other day I came across this from payless. Do y'all think silver would work for the summer? I don't normally change bags to go with outfits, so I really need something that will be okay with things from tees and jeans to summery knit skirts and dresses. Thoughts? Feel free to point me in the direction of something else!

(Round) Top...

I had such a fun day last Saturday. After emailing back and forth the last several years, this precious friend and I finally met!! We had such a fun day together. It started with a tour of her darling cottage! We then headed out for late morning shopping at Round Top (Texas) antique show, ate barbecue (we are in Texas afterall!!) sandwiches at La Bahia and then headed to Burton to visit The Nesting Company. We enjoyed visiting with the sweet owner, Heidi. The store is in an old building, with lots of charming character and such a cute storefront. Heidi is a florist and is very creative. Just look at that "coral". It is actually twigs spray painted red!! I will have to remember that! Afterward we headed to Leftovers in Brenham where we were greeted by a sweet (but big!!) saint bernard. It is a beautiful store. It was a fun day that went by too quickly! Thanks again Holly for such a fun day!

a little (target) shopping...

I recently picked up this cute top from target. It looks better in person than the picture and very flattering on. It'll be cute paired up with these white jeans. A couple of months ago I found some long sleeve Merona cardigan sweaters on the clearance rack. I love the way they fit and feel. For warmer months, Target has come out with a 3/4 sleeve version and I plan to get it in white. Perfect for summer evenings and cute with tees, tanks and bermuda shorts. I saw these shoes in store and think they are cute. They come in green too. Love the green, but think I would wear the tan more. I still haven't decided on a light, but I appreciate your opinions!

cottage lighting {part two}...

Remember I posted about doing a little updating to our back porch light? Well we now have moved on to adding lights to our two car carport. It's just a basic carport, made of wood, open and held up by posts. Across the front three posts, my plan is to put one of each of these lantern lights pictured above on each post. On the side of the carport, at the top where the roof crowns I want to put one of the lights below, but can't decide which one. I love the industrial warehouse, vintage feel they have and the iron pipes they hang from. I need your opinion ladies! I need to order soon, so which one do you like?

(new) candle...

I went into Bath and Bodyworks this afternoon and picked this up. The scent is pineapple mango, smells incredible and was on sale for only 5.00! I need to go back in and get some different scents. It is by Slatkin & Co. I've not used this brand of candle before and I'm hoping it burns evenly. I hate when candles just burn down through the middle and leave lots of wax on the sides.

tissue storage...

Sarah at Serendipity posted this image she found via decorology. I like this idea of using a tall glass vase for holding extra tissue. I have seen similar vases at TJMaxx and Target probably has them too. I am loving the tile floor and wood walls in this picture!

the ::industrial:: look...

I love the unexpected look something industrial gives a home. These clothes closets Courtney found at Installations Antiques in Houston are fabulous. They would be great for a child's room or a laundry room. Someone commented on her post and left a link to L. K. Goodwin, a company specializing in material handling equipment. I am loving these canvas bins and baskets. You can find tons of uses for them such as storing laundry or toys. I have a stainless restaurant kitchen work table I use as an island in my kitchen I got at a local restaurant supply store and after seeing this similar looking one, (mine has a shelf under it) I think I need to put some casters on mine. I also think these stainless shelves are a great addition to a pantry or even out in an open kitchen. Check out how fabulous Erika's pantry looks with them. I am loving her lockers, too! I just wish I had a pantry.

cottage lighting...

We recently replaced our backdoor light fixture. It was just a simple, glass nothing special fixture. I found this one at Lowe's and thought it would be a simple, little fix up for that area. Wouldn't it also make a fun fixture above the mirror in a boy's bathroom? Look how adorable these similar fixtures are above the baby bed in this nursery! Go ahead and check out the entire room that Lauren of Pure Style Home did for her son. It is worth a separate post entirely!

{porch} curtains...

Ever since I saw style editor Heather Chadduck's porch curtains in Cottage Living (still mourning that loss) I have wanted to do this with my own porch. I also love the way the cloths are are rolled up on this Baton Rouge cottage. This is such an easy, inexpensive way to add a bit of style to this outdoor area. These can be done with simple canvas drop cloths found at Lowe's and they come in a variety of sizes. I plan to use galvanized/iron plumbing parts for the rods like Heather Bullard did with hers and maybe these cheap rings from Hobby Lobby sewn at the top. I think there is a spray available that can be put on the cloths to help prevent mold/mildew issues.

*edited to add another picture. This home was featured in Cottage Living, but I can't find it on their site. The owner did a fun upholstered door that I want to try for a couple of my doors that are not original to my home.

pictures on canvas...

One of these days when I am finally blessed with a child, I am so going to do a large picture like the one I have pictured here and I think it would look so good on canvas. The big, precious picture above the armoire is of Katie Brown's daughter and this is in Katie Brown's home. It has been featured in Country Home and Cottage Living. Her home is just darling and I love her mix of unique elements. Erin of Elements of Style recently posted some pictures of a condo she decorated. It featured wonderful pictures on canvas. Here is a link to where you can send in your own pictures and they can put them onto canvas. I love this look. I found this image via here!

{billy reid}...

I had the opportunity to go into this fAbULoUs clothing store this past week. Just like with Anthropologie, I could easily move in and LIVE here. The interior looks like the inside of an old, southern house. It has wood floors, oriental rugs and vintage items displayed. It would be so fun to work there! There was one table that had a big, tall, glass vase filled with lots of little branches. Such a simple, easy to do thing. Inside the store, they were burning this Henri Bendel candle. It was just a perfect scent for this store. If you go here, you can click on each of the stores for a slide show of the interiors of each one. When I saw this blog on a new JCrew men's store, it reminded me of Billy Reid. If you ever have a chance to go into this store, do so!

taRgET {deals}...

No week is complete for me without a trip to Target! I recently got these shoes. I think they are going to look good with my black toes ;). They are low enough to be comfortable for wearing all day, yet will look like I'm wearing much taller heels with longer jeans and pants. The color is darker than this in person and I think they will look good with lots of colors. They had them in bronze on the website, but are no longer available. I would have liked those, too.

I first started thinking about this bag when I saw it here. I went to Target to check it out and got it. I brought it home and then decided to return it. I wasn't sure about it, but I kept thinking about it. The thing with Target is when things go on clearance you can get stuff at such low prices. So when I spotted the bag for a mere 5.75, I knew it had to come home with me permanently! Notice it was even featured in this great article! It is a big bag, but I love that it can hold lots.

a walk on the *WiLd* side...

I got a much needed pedicure today. This is the color I went with. I like it although it is a huge change from my usual colors. I normally wear a french baby pink, a light cafe latte color, or go bare, but I thought for fall I'd give this a try. Do you wear black polish?