Merry Christmas

 

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Scenes from the weekend...

This weekend was spent wrapping gifts, baking cookies for Santa with the Littles, stuffing my face, and continuing in the usual holiday festivities.

Happy holidays to you & yours!

Happy Weekend!

Cozy Bedrooms

I normally gravitate towards light, open, and airy bedrooms, but lately, I've been drawn to darker, moodier spaces.  I truly believe in making the rooms in which we live evoke positive feelings in us, especially our bedrooms because they are our sanctuaries, after all.

I've recently taken on the task of (slowly) redecorating our master bedroom.  Not because it needed it, just because I'm ready for a change (which happens quite frequently around these parts).  It's a bit on the small side, and the huge king-size bed we both love doesn't help to make it feel any bigger.  For that reason, some might shy away from using a darker color here for fear of making the room feel smaller, but I beg to differ.  I think the right color can completely transform a room.  Darker walls help to enhance that cozy feeling I'm after and can actually make a small room feel that much more expansive.

If you don't believe me, here are some pretty images to help persuade you...

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This is the mood board I put together to help evoke the coziness I'm longing for.  Each element is a loose interpretation of what I envision for the space, so things will surely change once everything is complete.

A complete rundown of my final choices and the materials I'll be using is soon to come.

Stay tuned....

Sunday Inspiration

A 1920s Charmer

This is the story of our first home.

(All photos are from the original real estate listing.)

We purchased the home in Fall 2010 after many months of searching.  I don't think we were all that picky and we were definitely open to committing to some minor renovations, but for some reason, nothing came through for us.  We must have made about 6 or 7 offers and every. single. one. fell through.  I think this house was just patiently waiting for us and our paths were destined to collide.

Here are a few pics of what the home looked like when we first moved in.

It was almost like a large peach threw up over the entire house.  Peach paint EVERYWHERE (moldings, walls, light switch plates  etc.) and peach carpet.  My husband and I do not have a strong affinity for peach, but the home felt very warm, cozy, and inviting from the moment we stepped in.   You could say it was love at first sight.

After our initial offer was refused, the seller approached us about a week later just as we were ready to sign on the dotted line for another home we liked (but not nearly as much).

It's not large by any stretch, but that's okay for us.  We do have quite a bit of work ahead of us (as evidenced by every single picture in this post) to make it more our style, but it's ours and we love it.

"And the rest," as they say, "is history."

Loving: COZAMIA Fine Art Prints by Nancy Ramirez

I stumbled upon Nancy Ramirez's work some time ago on The Hunted Interior.  Kristen posted about a beautiful Cozamia print.  Considering I'm a huge fan of bright colors and affordable, quality art prints, that little glimpse had me at 'Hello'.

Here are two of my favorites that already have reserved spots in my home:




Sweet Chinoiserie



Flamingo Mingle



Check out Nancy Ramirez's full gallery at Cozamia.

Holiday Gift Guide (for me)

In case any Secret Santas are lurking....

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

So true....

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WHOOOooooo says you can have too many gold accessories?

Not this gal.

Isn't he cute?  I scooped him up from Target's dollar bin about 2 years ago.  He was originally decked out in more owl-appropriate colors - black head & wings, white chest, white eyes with black pupils - but I wanted more for him.... So I spray painted him using Rustoleum mettalic spray paint.

It's the brass color, for those who wanted to know.

LOVE