Wishing for Springtime!

I found these absolutely gorgeous paintings on Etsy. I'm in love with Etsy right now and I can't wait to get one of these for my guest room. Or maybe two...or ten!

The artist also has a blog.

I LOVE THESE HILARIOUS CARDS...but obviously I'VE had too much to drink 'cause I can't remember where I right-clicked the pictures from! Anyone know where I can find these cards?

My Latest Obsession(s)...

The New Year always makes me eager to change things up in my home. As you may have read in November, I've been redoing my guest room in a major way. I felt terrible that every time someone came to stay with us (often to take care of my kids when I was out of town) they had to sleep in this depressing, messy room. So, I've been hard at work to create more of a sanctuary than it's been in the past. One great thing about that room is that it is an addition and doesn't have the massively thick brick walls that the rest of the house has. Okay, so maybe not so great in terms of heating and cooling, but great for laptop users who might get better wi-fi reception in that room. Oftentimes, when Mimi comes to visit she needs to be able to work on her laptop. Plus, I'm dreaming of a white Mac laptop for whichever holiday comes next :). So....I decided to put a little desk in the guestroom instead of a dresser or some other piece of furniture. Besides, nobody ever really stays long enough to need to fill a dresser (atleast, they better not!).
I scoured local antique and thrift stores and found a great little desk. I've spent the weekend stripping and sanding it. Then I had to decide what color to paint it. I wanted something fun...something funky. The rest of the room looks like this so far...





I decided to take the tropical punch pink color out of the window treatment fabric and go with that for the desk. Dr. Daddy was stunned to say the least! He thought I was painting it white. Oops! I'm in love with the result but it's not quite ready for the room yet so you'll have to wait for pictures.

While looking for inspiration I stumbled upon the website of Annie Selke. I've always LOVED Pine Cone Hill and Dash and Albert but I had NO idea that they were part of the same parent company. Now, Annie Selke, the creator of said company, has created a line of furniture with Vanguard Furniture. It's bold, it's fresh, it's light and airy but strongly sophisticated. It's traditional but whimsical. I LOVE IT! I am most obsessed with this bed...



Complete and utter genius. Almost makes me willing to let the kids swing from the top of my Baker rice bed until the posts fall right off and I need a new bed!

I also love these pieces...



This wing arm chair reminds me so much of the chairs at BG, the uber gorgeous restaurant atop Bergdorf Goodman in New York. Another fabulous space by Kelly Wearstler.







I love that her pieces are so versatile. I feel like any one of these could be put into a super traditional room or a super modern room and be right at home.






Also, thanks to Eddie over at Eddie Ross for turning me onto these gorgeous prints from Artaissance. I already have my gorgeous chair prints from Anne Harwell. Now I can add to my "furniture art" collection with these gorgeous prints...







Apparently, each print is custom made to order and you can change up the colors to coordinate with your style. Here's a picture of Eddie with some of his faves...



Great choices Eddie! I'm thinking a lime green for the background on my prints...

Don't forget to check out Eddie's Blog. If you don't know Eddie already, he was one of the contestants of Top Design and used to work for Martha Stewart. His blog is full of great ideas!

Monogram Madness!

I've been helping my cousin plan her wedding and stumbled upon this AMAZING blog. Wedding Monograms was started by BriannaNichole as a way to help people like us understand how to create the gorgeous monograms that she had been creating and selling to brides. Her designs are absolutely stunning. The best part about her blog, however, is that she gives tutorials on how to create the monograms that she has featured. TONS of great ideas here, and it's a wonderful way to get your feet wet with Photoshop if you've been wanting to delve into graphic design but just couldn't figure out where to start. Even better...she has links to free fonts and other great websites. Check it out and if you do use her information as a guide please consider making a small donation to her via the paypal link on her blog. A small way to thank her for all her time and generous effort!

Cookie Monsters Take Note!

I've searched high and low and I think I've finally found my favorite online baker! In case you haven't noticed from some of my past posts...I love baking and decorating cookies. I just hate the clean up! I also LOVE to look at photos of other baker's cookies. While perusing the net I stumbled upon Zoe Lukas' Whipped Bakeshop. Her cookie creations are incredible! Check them out...















Kim, these are for your boys!





And did I mention she bakes cakes, too?





Each one better than the next! See more here!