Laundry Closet Solution

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Well one thing's for sure, y'all like to daydream about Pottery Barn as much as I do! A few people mentioned that they'd love to have a Pottery Barn house, except for the fact that it's impossible with young kids. Hello?! That's what Pottery Barn Kids is for!


All you need is a little pink kitchen set for your daughter...



...And a craft cubby wall system for your son.



Problem solved, eh? Oh, and if you're a really good mom, you dress your children to match the room. I think you get extra points for that.


Okay....enough...I'll stop now and get to today's REAL blog post.



Remember when I bought these curtains a couple weeks ago at Ikea? I had a few different ideas of where I was going to hang them, but when I came home from work the other day and found out that one of the doors on the laundry closet had "broken" (allegedly...I wasn't there to witness the whole situation). So, I knew exactly where the curtains needed to go...not that the whole one-door thing isn't classy.
I pulled out an extra shower curtain rod I had in the garage (don't ask me why I had an extra shower curtain rod..I honestly can't remember) and voila! My laundry closet went from ghetto to lovely.
I also hung a few cute little mirrors I had around (are you getting the impression I have extra stuff tucked into every corner of the house...I promise I'm not that bad).
I actually love the curtains so much I may send my mom to her local Ikea to buy another set for me...you know, so I have options in the future. I always hate it when a pattern I love sells out and I can't ever find it again. It's the Alvine Smal pattern in black and white in case you're interested.

The Pottery Barn Lifestyle

Monday, April 6, 2009

Oh Pottery Barn...you wiley little temptress. As much as I resist, you get me every time.

I sometimes tell myself I can't like Pottery Barn because it's too commercial, not original enough, too expensive (it IS too expensive by the way...you listening Pottery Barn?), but I'm still entranced every time they come out with a new collection.

The thing is, I think Pottery Barn is genius at selling a lifestyle...and, I don't know about you, but sometimes I kind of want that lifestyle. It's kind of like how I secretly want a J. Crew boyfriend...but that's another story .

I really want to go outside on a sunny Saturday morning and soak in some rays on these outdoor sofas.


And then later in the day I really want to have a summer evening dinner party that looks like this (and yes, a built in grill would be great).



"Cold drink anyone?"




"Oh wait, I'll bring it to you on this adorable galvanized tray."



"What?! You brought me a present. Oh you shouldn't have. I'll set it right here on my perfectly organized and accessorized desk."



"Where did the guys go? Oh, you say they're inside watching the game on our ginormous 60 inch flatscreen? Oh...those silly guys...."



"What do you say we take our stemless glassware inside?..."



"...And sit and chat by the fire?"


"Oh the game's over already? Thanks everyone. That was a great night. I'm off to take a soak in my tub..."


" ...And then curl up in my incredibly fluffy and inviting bed."



Um...is anyone still reading? Please say you'll keep reading my blog :)....

I love my imperfectly perfect life and I wouldn't change a thing about it, but it is kind of fun to pretend sometimes, isn't it?

Oh, and if you know my J. Crew boyfriend give him my email address...HA! Seriously, don't start giving strange men my email address. I was totally kidding about that.

My Faux Vintage Grain Sack

Remember when I was playing with the idea of making my own faux vintage grain sack in this post? Well I finally did it!

I basically followed Joy's instructions on Joys of Home. First, I put together a pattern I liked and then printed the words in a large font. I held the pattern and fabric up to a window and traced the pattern on the fabric in pencil, and then painted the design with black craft paint.

I think I have the perfect spot for it, but I can't show you yet. Stay tuned....

Polyvore - Ok...I Get It, and I'm Hooked!

Friday, April 3, 2009

It's been a slow afternoon so I finally decided to check out Polyvore.com to see what all the fuss is about, and I "get it" now. It's pretty darn cool. Here's what I've created so far.


Serene Living Room 1

Ok...my fictional room isn't super impressive, but it's enough to make me want to go home and tweak my living room. Oh wait....maybe Polyvore wasn't a good discovery...drat :).

Have a great weekend everyone!

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I edited this post because I kept playing around in Polyvore and I discovered they have Anthropologie stuff in there! So I had to create an Anthropologie room, right (good heavens...somebody stop me!)? This room is a little more bold than I could live with, but it's fictional...so I can just admire it :).


Anthropologie


If I come back with another room, I think I'll need an intervention.

Let's Hear it for the Girls!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

I am so impressed by all of the women out there with Etsy shops (,..I'm constantly amazed by women with blogs too, but that's a different post). This is one of the things I love about the internet - that brilliant women now have a place to share their creativity and passion with the world. Love.it. So today I thought I'd feature a few Etsy stores run by amazing and talented women.


LITTLE BIRD STUDIO
I've been a fan of Kimberly's blog Mimi Charmante for a while, partially because of the incredible photography, and now she has an Etsy store!







MARLEY AND LOCKYER
I fell in love with Ness's blog a few months ago. She is always posting gorgeous and inspiring decorating photos, and I'm equally in love with her store.





MABEL + LOLA
This is a new store opened recently by Christy, who's also a new blogger (here's a link to her blog). I'm loving what she has out there so far, both on her blog and in her store. It's really fun and fresh.




MY SWEET SAVANNAH
I'm sure many of you are already familiar with the blog and store, but I had to include this one today. Melaine constantly amazes me. She is always on the lookout for new ideas and is regularly adding new creations to her store.