State Fair

Going to the state fair has become an annual tradition for us .. and this year was no exception!  We went with our friends Tim and Alena and had a blast checking out the animal exhibits, braving the state fair rides, and getting a little exotic with the food!

Although I was not really impressed with the fried Snickers and oreos ... I am completely in LOVE with their baked potatoes ... haha I must sound like a big fatty ... but actually I've been really good for the past maybe month and 1/2 and lost 7 lbs!  I haven't been doing any crazy dieting or exercising daily ... Just been trying to make smarter food choices, eating smaller portions, and doing 2-3 jogs a week.  Hopefully I can keep it up, because with all the stress of remodeling a house, working 40 hours, and trying to fit everything else in between ... I've been gaining and need to finally get back in control!

Backsplash Bold?

I've been having a dilemma over our kitchen backsplash for over 2 months now and I'm here to admit that I still haven't decided on anything for sure.  Incase you forgot, this is what my kitchen currently looks like .... It's very white, clean and airy ... which is not necessarily bad, but I do want to add a little more interest and pattern to the mix.  Recently we added some grey stripes to our breakfast nook and will eventually be adding either brown or black bench seating around the window.  We sort of decided on our hood and will probably going with this viking range hood.

Now the last major thing left and probably the biggest statement piece in our kitchen is the backsplash!

I originally wanted to go with all Calcutta marble so that the counters would continue into the backsplash like these inspiration pics.  I love that the marble is both very graphic and calming at the same time, but it just seemed a little too overdone for our kitchen and would probably end up more expensive than planned.

The second option that I really considered was a herringbone pattern ... something that always makes me happy when I see it in design!  I was especially inspired by these images from deco pad that look very sophisticated and well traveled.

While browsing at many tile stores, I have seen various versions of the herringbone pattern, but nothing exactly like this.  The color and beautiful texture is exactly what was missing from my kitchen.  So on a late Saturday afternoon, hours and hours into my quest to find the perfect herringbone, I found long limestone strips that are usually used for exteriors and decided to buy a 1 sq ft sample.

I knew it would be loooooooooong and agonizing process to create a herringbone pattern with these tiles, but I was willing to do whatever it took to get the look that I was going for.  After all the trouble it took to temporarily tape these suckers to my kitchen wall, I think I am a little over them.  They are very textured, maybe a little more than I'd like, and just seem way too rustic for my kitchen.  Maybe I am wrong ... I am open to suggestions.

Currently the tile that I am stuck on is a very patterned and bold trellis pattern.

I know that the trellis pattern is very overdone in the blogging community and may just become a trend that will be over in a few years.  To me however, it seems like a classic, beautifully symmetric lines that will never go out of style.

Mission Stone Tile

Personally, I have never seen the trellis pattern in a REAL home, so I think it will definitely be the wow factor in my kitchen and will hopefully make me smile every time I walk by.  I still haven't decided whether I prefer the cream and white or the brown and white for my kitchen.  I know that my hubby likes the toned down cream version, which if we go with, I will probably have to pair with a dark maybe faux wood wallpaper in the open cabinetry to add a little contrast.  The brown will add a ton of contrast and extra interest to our kitchen, but I don't know if it will be soo much that I will get tired of it in a few years.  Please help, any suggestions welcome!

Cabana Summer

We've been having beautiful weather for the past few days ... making me wish that summer lasted forever!  I'm especially enjoying the extra sunshine in our secret garden-esque backyard - which seems like it was perfectly designed for those long lazy summer days!  From our sparkling pool to the serene atmosphere of lush bushes and trees ... it's almost perfect expect for the small eye sore of a spot around the corner of the left side of our house.

Our house came with quite a surprise - a built-in wooden pergola with an above ground spa jacuzzi hidden inside ... what's wrong with that you may say ... I guess not much other than a probably disease infected 15 year old jacuzzi and a rotting deck underneath ... Once removed, it's actually the perfect spot for my dream cabana oasis!

All of our resources are 100% dedicated to the interior of our home ... so for now a little dreaming will have to go a long way ....

Can you think of a more perfect way to spend a summer afternoon than taking a mid-day nap underneath a whimsical canopy? ... did I mention warm fuzzy kittens included?

What could be more fun that having brunch or some afternoon drinks with your favorite people in this ultra sexy coral oasis!

Although these rainbow cabanas are breath taking ... I think I would prefer the simple sophistication of white and black for my own backyard!

In particular, I've had my eye on this bold black & white stripped beauty from ZGallerie -although the pattern is very in your face ... it's still very classic and would go well with any color palette.

Tulips & Lions

Lately I'm inspired by so many things and have so much on my mind .. but I can't seem to get anything straightened out enough to actually get any work done around the house.  After finally finishing the touch ups in our stripped eating nook ... I've been stuck trying to figure out what to tackle next.  At this point there seems to be too much to do and I need to just settle down and concentrate on a couple of major things instead of trying to do everything at once!

So instead of tackling the big things I keep distracting myself with cute little treasures that I seem to be finding so easily.  Like these vintage tulip bowls I found at an antique store ... which by the way pier 1 now carries almost an exact version of.

And these adorable lions head soup bowls that I found at Home Goods for a steal

I really wanted to get at least 6 of these but sadly with Home Goods every thing is in limited supply and unless you get there 1st you end up getting the left overs.  Luckily after a little research, I was able to find almost identical bowls at shopko.com and ordered 4 more ... they should be arriving sometime early this week so fingers crossed that they'll be a match!

Stripped Sophistication

I knew I wanted to add beautiful bold but still sophisticated stripes somewhere in my new house ... just a little something to make me smile every time I walked by.  My choice for white & grey stripes in our kitchen nook became obvious after falling in L-O-V-E with these gorgeously understated inspiration pics quite some time ago

These stripes are the super start of the room for me and create a really interesting layer in the room!  And then the dilemma began ... should I do horizontal or vertical stripes?

 

 

Should I go for a bright bold color ....

Or create a neutral relaxing palette to which I can later add bold colors and fun patterns!

Overtime I noticed that I really gravitated more towards the grey stripes for everyday home living ... especially in the kitchen ... I room that I frequent the most often in our house .. so here is my creation {with the help of my wonderful hubby and a new laser projector from home depot of course}

This project has been in the works since at least we purchased our house in December so glad we finally got it accomplished {still need to do a few touch-ups here and there, but you get the overall picture}  Ohh and by the way we got this beauty of a chandelier from craiglist ... I happen to LOVE capiz chandeliers and can't wait to order a huge 6-footer from the Philippines for our entry way!

Now I definitely need to go a little more industrial with our pendant lighting in the kitchen ... otherwise the space seems a little too feminine and polished ... open to suggestions ... we've been looking but haven't found the right pieces yet!

Gold & White

I may or may have not went shopping after work and my hubby may or may not be mad when he checks our bank account today {which by the way he has an iphone app for & checks like its second nature to him}

I guess I'm willing to face the consequences cuz today I walked off with a shopping cart full of gorgeous goodies from HomeGoods ...

 Seriously that store is messing with my budget ... yeah I know it's supposed to be great design accessories for bargain prices, but that's exactly the issue that I have with this place... everything looks great and everything is a super good bargain!

...Like these white quatrefoil vases ... they're neutral in color while screaming of gorgeousness in design ... how can you take just one, why not two?  and at $30 a piece how can I wait until next week or until I know for sure I will use them ... somebody will snatch them up within a day if I don't buy them.

...or these Gold garden stools ... I was planning to wait on accessories until I bought all of my larger scale items first ... but how can I resist and at such great prices?

And of course what else is a girl to do when she comes home with tons of fabulous accessories ....

These books by the way I bought at an estate sale for 50 cents each ... I was completely intrigued by the beautiful hard covers.

After having so much luck the 1st time, I am tempted to start a colorful vintage book collection ... just imagine the possibilities!

I'm happy that my lonely Lucite table finally found some friends ... although the look is not complete and still lacking some art work ... I'm thinking it looks pretty good so far ... by the way the orange tulips were an accident, but I'm starting to really like it there now ... maybe I just need a little inspiration for my orange console table...

Either way I'm in no hurry to finish my foyer, so this will have to do for now!