it always amazes me what a $12 can of chalkboard paint can turn a space or piece of furniture into....i'm off to spruce up taylor's $5 chalkboard table and then it's time to turn her loose w/ a piece of chalk and let the creativity begin...
when i see an old clawfoot cast iron tub, i am immediately taken back to my childhood....i grew up in a 100+ yr old house that my parent's renovated themselves. all of the bathrooms, except for my brother's, had clawfoot tubs. they were great for taking baths- super deep so the water could get really high w/ out overflowing (except for the one time i fell asleep w/ the water on...the library ceiling unfortunately paid for that mistake). my mom painted all of the bottoms of the tubs. mine was (and still is) red. it matched an accent bird on a vintage scalamandre wallpaper that the previous owner's had in the bathroom. i hope that one day i can have a clawfoot tub in our house....and i, like my mom, would have to paint the bottom a fun accent color!
there is one thing that i am truly blessed with and that is an amazing family. i cannot tell you how lucky i am to have such wonderful parents and in-laws...warren and i are constantly saying this. and they couldn't be better grandparent's to taylor. she is definitely loved...maybe a little bit too much at times :) it is so crazy to think that she is two....here are some pics showing how we celebrated her special day (well twice).
my mom gave me one of those giant cupcake pans for xmas and i thought that this would be a perfect occasion to try it out. luckily, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are fabulous cooks and basically made the entire first one at the beach. it looked great!! we shared the party celebrations w/ my nephew who happens to share my same b'day. both loved opening presents...tay is so animated when she opens a gift...it doesn't matter if it is stickers or a doll house the excitement is just the same! i think that is what makes having kids so special, seeing their eyes light up just makes my day.
we headed to my parent's house after our beach trip was over...tay's actual b'day was on sun. so mom and i went out to find decorations (aka the dollar tree....hello, great balloons for a $1). in the meantime, tay and dad made gingerbread cookies. they were too cute...the m&m's were so randomly placed. on the way home from decoration shopping, i made mom make a pit stop at one of my favorite junkin' spots...she hates it but i love it b/c that is where i scored my DR table. i told her i could make it super quick and within one minute i spotted an activity table for taylor. something that i have been trying to find for awhile now b/c she loves to draw. for $5 and a quick coat of chalkboard paint, it will look better then ever! and btw, tay loved it.
once tay took a nap, it was time to begin making another giant cupcake...well, let's just say that the task is a lot easier when your mother-in-law makes it. mine didn't turn out so great. poor tay, her mom is no betty crocker. once tay woke up from her nap it was time for the presents to be opened...once again the excitement on her face was priceless. unfortunately, by the time her favorite meal was made (hot dogs and pickles), tay was feeling terrible (the beginning of a 103 temp) so she ate very little and went to bed w/ no ghetto giant cupcake or ice cream...
we felt the need to continue the fun in tay's honor and cooked fab hamburgers and homemade french fries. fortunately, my family was sweet and said that it didn't matter how the cake looked but that it tasted fabulous...
i think i need a map that says: you are here....please proceed back to your normal life.
does it seem like life takes awhile to jump back into once you have been gone?? we have been on the go for the past 10 days- celebrating our wedding anniversary (warren was so sweet and surprised me w/ a romantic night away), going on vacation w/ the my husband's family for a week, having two b'day parties for a certain 2 yr old, surviving a double ear infection w/ tay, and now moving onto strep throat diagnosed this AM....
i kind of feel crazy...not to mention the entire contents of my house is sitting on the LR floor waiting to be unpacked...so i'm off to find 'the real world' again. be back soon.
ps. i missed y'all...
*image courtesy of sarah kaye
allison from my little happy place did a fun post asking some of my favorite blogger's to share a room in their house that expresses their individual style...click here to see how we keep it real!! thanks so much for including me allison!!
have a great friday...thank goodness the sun is finally out...back to the beach for moi!! see you next week :)
sometimes everyone needs a vacation...this week, it's officially ours. posts maybe limited b/c the beach is calling my name....
*image courtesy of this is glamorous
my husband turned over this morning and said "what do you think you were doing at this time five yrs ago"....i peeked open my eyes and looked at the clock- it said 5:02...my immediate response was "sleeping" and i closed my eyes shut...he laughed and turned back over...
what is it about a bunch of stacked wood that adds so much to a room....it's so pretty w/ out even trying to be. i think this house has a simple elegance about it. i love the woods wallpaper....there is just enough pattern on that one wall to bring a slight edge to the space.*images courtesy of australian home beautiful
i think one of my favorite parts of having this blog is the visual reminder of what i am inspired by...having all of these images saved, gives me a great resource to go to when i am helping a client. when you are building a house or hiring a designer, images are so vital in expressing your individual style. you can learn so much from looking at pictures: obviously i like open kitchens with a combination of light and dark elements, i lean towards no upper cabinetry and i like introducing industrial touches either in lighting or in a piece of furniture. 
my husband is fabulous...he listens very carefully when i drop hints about what i might want for special occasions....now some people might not find that workout clothes and pilates videos are what they exactly strive for as gifts from their husbands- but let me just tell you what i have learned- the outfit is everything...i am here to say that you can 100% run better if your workout attire is good looking. and i can also tell you that drinking wine and doing pilates isn't such a great idea...you might think that it is only stretching and so an occasional sip b/w trees and leg lifts will be fine....ha, i obviously had no idea what i was getting myself into...
*image courtesy of flickr
it's so sad when our favorite magazines go out of business but i have to say, i get a huge smile on my face when i find old images from them....here are some great ones from blueprint. at the time it was out, i felt like it was a little too much like domino (god rest it's soul)...but now that both are gone, i feel like there is a major slump in my taste of design mags.....
so let's step it up a notch from classic gracie to funky flavor paper....searching for a way to go all out- well, here is your answer: think metallic floral, glitzy wood grain, and powerful geometric... and best of all, think made in the USA! this company is definitely a perfect pick for anyone wanting to add a little rock and roll into their interior!! 
whether it is one sheet of gracie wallpaper or an entire wall, the beauty it gives off is untouchable (as well as the price tag). it's so classic, so pretty, and one day i hope i can afford to have it framed b/w two fabulous chairs....and if i am ever lucky enough to have it wallpaper a room- well, that's when i know i have made it :)