have you ever tried to take a picture in a closet...that's what i felt like i was doing!!  our house was built in 1950 and so our bathrooms are tiny!!  i have no idea how photographers take pictures in bathrooms....it's impossible.  but you get the idea.  before my bathroom was just a painted box.  there wasn't anything wrong w/ it....it just wasn't me.  so over thanksgiving, i convinced my dad to stay a week and help make my bathroom pretty.  now, i can officially say "it's me".  we added wainscoting and that made a huge difference.  it made the bathroom feel taller and brighter.  it was a quick, inexpensive way to get a big impact...dad had the wood up in about 2 hours....then it was just painting (3 coats of white) that made it official.  the next step was wallpapering.  dad has wallpapered numerous times so i was just the assistant.  it's kind of fussy work but wallpapering is one of my favorite things to add to a space!  and b/c we used the wainscoting, it cut down on how much wallpaper i actually needed.  the wainscoting was $115 for all the materials and then it was just the cost of the wallpaper....we used about 3 single rolls.  the wallpaper is quadrille/china seas java java in navy on white.   and i love her.  thanks for y'alls sweet comments and a huge thanks to my dad for being the best handyman a girl could have!!

All I Want for Christmas...



is a Hermes something.


I know the blankets are on the trendy dendy side and god knows I loathe the thought/word but sometimes you just have to suck it up and follow the masses.

This is one of those times...








The top of my list includes the pink bracelet, black cuff and the creamy/white blanket.

The only item I really don't totally want is the tray- love it but orange just isn't in my scheme.

So how about you...any Hermes pretty on your list this year?

xo


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Room Tours: Kirsten Krason

The next living room tour is from one of my favorite blogger ladies, the lovely Kirsten Krason of 6th Street Design School! I loved reading all about her beautiful living room. Thanks so much for sharing, Kirsten! xx


Welcome to my Living Room! This room has come so far since it's humble beginnings. I love spending time in here with my family.


Enjoy!










Our sofa and chair are wool and were originally purchased at Pottery Barn.


We bought them on Craigslist. I think it was like $1,300 for the set. The fabric is wool which has been interesting. It's not the softest fabric but it does hold up pretty well with messes and spills. I love the color of these. Not too dark and not too light. The rug is by Nate Berkus from HSN. It is no longer available. I sure wish it was. It's been a great rug. I love how graphic it is. It's a flat weave which means it's not super soft. But the nice thing is that when one side gets dirty we can just flip it over and the same pattern is on the other side.


The clock above the sofa is from Pottery Barn. I bought it about 5 years ago for $50 on sale. It's no loner available. It's been a great clock. It's not functional though. My husband thought I was crazy to buy a clock that doesn't actually work. The decorator in me only cared that it looked good. Plus for $50 you can't go wrong!


The yellow flower pillow was purchased at Target. It's become a little trendy but I still love it. The shade of yellow is just perfect.










The silver bowl on the coffee table was bought in Mexico and is a gift from my Mother-in-Law.


I bought the Pottery Barn books at T.J. Maxx a few years ago. When I was first married I used to study these books religiously. There weren't really blogs back then and there definitely wasn't pintrest. We were too poor to afford design magazines so these books were my only source of information on design. The fuschia orchid on top of the books is fake. Ahhhh!! I know it's horrible to have fake plants but guess what? I kill everything. Plus I just love the color. I purchased it about 6 years ago at Target.











The blue trellis pillow was purchased on Etsy and is made from this fabric. Imperial Trellis is trendy, I know, but I love it. It is an amazing fabric and this pillow is one of my favorite things in my house. It was actually one of the first things I ever bought for our home. I didn't know what our home was going to look like or be decorated like but I knew this pillow would find a way to fit in.


The peacock pillow is made from Pottery Barn's Bettina fabric which has been discontinued. It's an amazing pattern. I got emails about it all the time. You can still find Bettina items on Ebay every now and then. You could totally make some pillows out of old curtains or a duvet. So keep an eye out.


The large navy pillow is from Pottery Barn found at DownEast. I think it was like $10. I like having large blocks of color to break up all the pattern I have going on.










The small lumbar pillow is also from the Bettina Fabric.


The large blue pillow is an outdoor pillow from Pottery Barn found at DownEast. It has a monogramed K on it. My name is Kirsten Krason so you'll find a lot of K's in my house. I love that letter.


The blue lamps were bought at Home Goods. I went back and forth on if I should get them or not. They are a little large scale for the small Lack side tables. But ultimately I love them. I think they are such a huge part of the room. I would be devastated if anything ever happened to them. Since they are from Home Goods they are pretty much irreplaceable.


The "love" print is from Made By Girl. I love her stuff! This shot of pink in the room is very "me" and it makes me so happy.










The loveseat was bought on Craigslist. It's honestly not my ideal piece of furniture. The shape is nice but there isn't really anything special about it. But it's leather (or at least part leather) which makes it super easy to clean. The scale is also great and the price was right. Only $250! The garden stool was bought at a consignment shop for $10. I think it's one of the best deals I have ever found on anything in my life.


The curtains were made with this fabric by my friend Erin. I was a little nervous about this pattern I'm not going to lie. I actually didn't love it the first time I saw it. But sometimes the best pattern for a room is not your obvious choice. Step back and think how this fabric is going to work with all other elements of a room. You may not like it by itself but when it is combined with other elements it can become something special. That's what happened with this fabric. Once I got it in the room I loved it. I go the fabric for a killer deal on Fabric.com. I've never seen it on there since. But you never know.


The red pillow is from this etsy shop. The chevron one is from this etsy shop. I love chevron. I'll hang on to that trend as long as I can!










Coasters from Furbish. La Fiorentina is one of my favorite fabrics. These coasters are very unique and I get lots of complements on them.


Silver trays are from Target and side tables are from Ikea. I adhered the trays to the table so they actually appear to be a part of the table. This gives those little Lack tables an extra oomph!


.







My coffee table is from Alice Lane made by Shine. I am in love with it. My client bought it for her living room and when she got it in there we could both tell it wasn't really "her". The fun thing about it is that it's 100% "me"! It's bold and unique and white. I love this dose of white in the room to break up the pattern and color. One thing that never bothers me is the mixing of white and cream. I know to some people that is a deal breaker but to me it just makes things more interesting. You may notice the stripes in the rug are a little more off-white, the background in my curtains is a little more ivory and my garden stool is cream. But I mix it all with white and I think it's great. Doesn't bother me in the slightest.










My credenza was bought at a garage sale for $100. I stained it, painted the sliding doors white and added some knobs from Home Depot. I don't know what it is about two-tone furniture but I just love the look of the white mixed with the wood.










My subway sign was bought at Pottery Barn via DownEast and is no longer available. However, I've seen a lot of DIY projects on these so I'm sure you could make one yourself. I love NY so this is my way of bringing a little bit of the city to my home in the suburbs.










I put together this living room on a tight budget and I still really love it. It's colorful, happy and comfortable. I hope you enjoyed it!


Wall color is Hazy Skies by Benjamin Moore

Sofa and chair originally from Pottery Barn bought on Craigslist

Loveseat bought on Craigslist

Coffee Table from Shine Home bought at Alice Lane Home Collection

Side Tables from Ikea

Wall Clock from Pottery Barn

Rug from HSN

Pottery Barn Books from Pottery Barn bought at T.J. Maxx

Silver bowl from Mexico

Faux Orchid from Target

Blue lamps are from Home Goods

Love print from Made by Girl

Imperial Trellis pillow from Etsy

Solid blue pillows from Pottery Barn bought at Down East

Yellow flower pillow is from Target

Floral Peacock pillows are from Ebay, fabric is Bettina by Pottery Barn

Large Blue K pillow is from Pottery Barn via Down East.

Red ikat pillow from Elegant Touch on Etsy

Blue chevron pillow from Deco Yellow on Etsy

Curtains made by Erin from Plush Studio on Etsy, made with Kalah Blue Fabric

Credenza found at a garage sale

Subway sign from Pottery Barn bought at Down East

Silver trays bought at Target


Thanks again, Kirsten!!

Guest Post - Inspired Design

Good morning all.

I've arrived in Chicago and am waking up an hour earlier than I'm supposed to thanks to the time difference and my monster boy.

The good news is that I'm over at Inspired Design today taking part in Debby's fabulous Falling for Fall series.

Pop over and have a little peak at my autumnal inspired post....


Of course, you MUST stick around while you're there and have a long gander at all of Debby's pretty.

Her blog is the definition of gorgeous...truly...so one of my faves.

In keeping with the palate of grey, camel and black from my post, here's a little peak at Inspired Design...glamorous fall styles....










Happy Tuesday lovers.

xo

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my dad and i gave my bathroom a little makeover over thanksgiving.....here's a sneak peek.

Room Tours: Linda Roberts' Living Room

Today's room tour comes from the lovely Linda at Lime in the Coconut. I love the earthy and ethnic vibe of this gorgeous room!! Enjoy!


"When we bought the "hacienda" the first thing we did was rip out the red shag 1970's carpet. We decided we liked the coolness underfoot, and chose to have the floors acid stained. Absolutely bombproof!

"The coffee table was a garage sale find...It is rusted metal and had tiles inserted in it, and was clearly used outside. I even used it outside in a previous home. Added some glass to the top...and now it fits in perfectly. Leaning against the back wall is a favored piece of art...actually a door...in the ADORE series by artist Aimie Phillips.

"The window end of the room (large black metal windows) Has three big pieces of art
by artist Ginny Piech Street...each one has a light over it which casts a beautiful glow at night (I love using timers for these...I don't need to remember to turn them on).


"I had two loveseats...also from 1970! Slipcovered them both in white duck cloth...am always switching out pillows. Art is a...well...bit of a problem in this house. I LOVE all of it...and collect too much. Building art ledges solved the problem of easily revolving my pieces. Mid century credenza...found at goodwill. 14 clams. This room looks into the library (with blue wall) if you look closely, you will see a speed bump of a great dane lounging on the linen slipcovered love seat. lovely. White chairs in the back are waiting to be upholstered into something else....just not sure what. Found them at Habitat for Humanity for like seven bucks each.


"In the foreground you can see the side of my lovingly named "big Ass Chair" I upholstered it...not so gracefully...but have come to love the uniqueness of it....and COZY...is it ever. The chair was a steal at 10 bucks. you can read a bit about it here . The beautiful and lively velvet is a Schumacher print...and believe it or not...I found it in a bin for 4 dollars a yard. Needless to say, I bought what was left (4 yards). It retailed for $395 a yard. Call me eagle eye. and lucky. Carving is from a Mexican artist of a mother and child with laundry on her head and a baby on her back. Story of my life. sigh.



"Turning around and looking into the foyer through the LR. More art on walls...many acquired at thrift and estate sales. The portraits I name....the guy is Buenaventura and the woman with the parrot on her shoulder is Paloma. I know...strange. I'm ok with it.


"A close up of the desk...collection of magnifying glasses, an old necklace display (paper mache) I found at a jewelry store when still in college. Some mercury glass, and an old steer horn.


"A closer view of the art ledges. I constructed them out of 1X4's and molding. Halogen lights (on timers again) light the wall at night.


"And another favorite painting from Michelle Armas..


Thanks for the room tour, Linda!! Everything's beautiful!