Shaq has your back

Check out some of the really cute design elements thrown into this Comcast commerical featuring Shaq.


I wish I had a granny that had elephant fabric chairs.

On the needles: Sideways Grande Hat

Winter At Last (a wish)

Hermes, a puppy, snow and a sled pulled by huskies = perfection

Helping the dude out

Every year my dude complains that my birthday is too close to Christmas and Valentines Day. Here's a realistic suggestion list for him:


Holga 35MM Camera


Lace Shopping Basket


Built By Wendy sewing books


Kiehl's Original Musk



Melissa Joy Manning Initial Earrings
(on sale and additional 60% off with code TAKE60)

How do you let your spouse/family/dude know what you'd dig for birthdays and holidays?

olsen Haus

Sorry, this post isn't about where the Olsen twins live but rather a stylish shoe brand that is eco-friendly and vegan. I'll take one of each!

olsen Haus

Collections I

Off the needles: 'alleged' 6 Hour Afghan

Pattern: Lion Brand 6 Hour Afghan

Yarn: LB Homespun

For: Lauren's oldest son, Christmas 2009

(Yep, I'm still working on Xmas gifts. That's how I roll.)

What they never show you on those home improvement shows...

Staples! The amount of staples that await you when you rip up carpet = total fun.

Carpet in the process of being removed (upstairs):

Carpet is up!

We decided to start with removing just 1/3 of the carpet and baseboards in the upstairs attic/bedroom. Since we have a lot of stuff on the other side of the room, my next step is to clear out the downstairs office to make room for storage.

Originally we were going to paint the floors but now we are thinking about sanding and staining. Our goal is to get everything done by the summer so we can move our master bedroom upstairs.

Any advice for refinishing the floors?

Taking some moments...

...to think about those in Haiti.



American Red Cross

The Salvation Army

(Feel free to add other sites to the comments section)

House Limitations and Compromises

Compromise and limitations seem to creep their heads into my decorating style/renovation plans in order to fit the style of the house, the dude's preferences, or budget.

The one limitation that drives me really crazy with our house is the outside. In my dream version, the exterior of our house would have a metal roof, cedar plank on the house and a river rock base. I guess the limitation is that there is no good reason to replace the vinyl siding or cover up the base. We are planning on a new roof in the springtime, but will probably just go with asphalt shingles (compromise to my metal roof).

How do you deal with compromises and limitations when renovating and decorating? What's the one that really bothers you the most?

After watching a recent episode of Renovation Nation in which the Omey family's remodel was featured, I was ready to "accidently" put a hole through our vinyl siding to replicate what the Omey family did to their exterior. They installed recycled cedar plank using a rainscreen siding method. Love it and there would be no compromising!

In the end, I guess I find relief in compromising and limitations by blogging. Sorry, readers!!

pictures from Ernest R. Munch Architect Urban Planner

Upstairs plans

Since the weather is a little to chilly to cut wood outside, we discussed today that we need to keep up the motivation with renovating the upstairs bedroom. Ripping up the carpet seems to be the answer. Oh, fun. We'll be ripping up the carpet in small chunks for about an hour every night. Hopefully by Spring, we'll be ready for the real renovation!

In the meantime, I'm also starting to collect upstairs storage inspiration. Under one of the dormers, we are considering building a storage bench (which means, I have to come up with some solid plans in about two months). The upstairs includes one large space, which will be the master bedroom, and a full bathroom. Since we live in a Cape Cod style house, the upstairs is really just a finished attic space.

Here's some inspiration for the upstairs reno:

Better Home & Gardens, January 2010 issue

(closet detail)

This Old House

(I like the idea of bottom drawers and tall storage on the side)

This Old House

(I like the depth of the window seat for napping)

Cottage Living

(ooo, more napping spots)

Southern Belle Custom Homes

(I like the storage space on the sides)

Snowflake love

Over the weekend, we headed out into the coldness for our first ski trip of the season.

With snow and skiing on the brain, I'm thinking of some snowflake inspiration for the house.


From CasaSugar via Marie Claire Maison
(I want that poster!)


Cottage Living


Martha Stewart

Snowtable by Nendo


Southern Living


East Tennessee applique cotton quilt from Case Antiques


Wilson Bentley's snowflake photography in NOAA's Photo Library
(Hmmm....I'm thinking of framing a few!)