Sarah 101 Bedroom, Parachute Drapes, Magenta, Pink Chevron and a Glitter Wall

I try to stay away from new blogs, tumblr, and pinterest, because if I go anywhere near them, I usually develop a strong case of insomnia. Of course, everything I see is very inspiring, so I have to save every image, bookmark every site, go to related pages, and so on. Last night it started when I was watching Sarah 101 on TV. I wanted to find this:

Image via Sarah 101 "Industrial Soul Bedroom" via  redoitdesign.wordpress.com and blushink.com

I was more impressed with the fabrics used in this episode than I was of the finished product. I thought it would be a little "darker." But w/e. < another reason I should not go online so often.

Anyway, I proceeded to read a gazillion pages of the Blush Ink blog, was dumbfounded by the fact that not everyone knows what a rollie-pollie bug looks like, went on to "Tayla's" tumblr, which was infinitely fascinating, then the eleganceforbreakfast tumblr, was reminded of my love for the name Lollia, and it went on and on and on. Then I checked the polls over at behindthename.com and realized that I need to stop putting my personal baby name ideas online because >insert angry word here< teenagers and adults with a lack of creativity and lack of morals like to take what is not theirs.

Anywho...here are some of my findings. I seem to really be on a magenta/cranberry/red with or without velvet kick right now. (Even red velvet cake.) Also shades of white (which is typical for me.)

prettyspace.tumblr

Mi Casa Revista via Cococozy (LOVE LOVE LOVE these parachute drapes)

Refined Eclectic Georgetown Digs (tour) via Apartment Therapy

Decorate via Plush Palate

A glitter wall via A subtle revelry via Blushink.com

Adorevintagehome.tumblr (I totally want to make the top right one)

This does not even begin to cover the mass amounts of information I gather each night during my insomniatic internet wanderings. I have not included anything related to deviantart.com, babynames.com, anything wedding or party related, or anything book and/or food related. In other words, I'm addicted to the internet.

About Me

In an attempt to connect with any readers I may have out there, I am going to share a little info about me. I was married this past September to the only person who can handle me with all I come with, understands me, and loves me for who I am. The first year of marriage really is the hardest, but it is worth it to share my life with someone who just "gets me." Besides, what other man would willingly live with our six cats? (Yes, you heard me, SIX.)

We bought our first house in this bad economy only a few weeks before our wedding. We got the deal of the century, it just needed a little TLC. Ok, ten months and counting of really hard work. I learned how to add pages to my blog yesterday, so please click on the link "My House" when you get a chance. I have yet to add 'before' pictures, but I will have to because you don't know just how big of an improvement we've made so far if you can't see what it used to look like.

I love living here. I love being able to call something HOME. I don't miss having to cart all my belongings around once a year because my lease is up. And I think this is something we all aspire to. I spend my days now looking at chandeliers and area rugs in hopes that my house will look even better. This is something my mom and I do, and we won't ever stop because a house is never finished. There will always be tweaking and makeovers and new purchases. A home should be filled with the things you love, and there should always be room for something you can't live without. My husband is always happy having people over because he is so proud of this house. I started this blog so that I could show other people images and advice that would motivate them to be just as proud of their own home.

Here are some of the things I do in my free time: I am currently writing three young adult novels and one Depression era novel, and I hope to edit and draw pictures for a children's picture book that my mom is working on. It is a collection of cat stories she told me at bedtime, and I am a very nostalgic person. I never quite let go of the past. I am also a nature lover, so the few poems I have had published are nature-y, and I hope to one day publish a book of poetry with a nature feel to it.

I am also a name lover. I got into names when I started writing stories, drawing pictures of characters, and after a while I just got obsessed with names. I have a list of baby names I would like for my own children, as far off in time as they may be, and tons of names stored in my head for any other purpose.

"Silvana"

Glittering night –

stars aligned in their famous positions,

moonlight shining down upon your skin,

the forest mist suspended below the branches,

and all I want is to kiss you.

Twigs are breaking under our bare feet

and the smoky blue sky feels like a tent.

You are mysterious to me

and supernatural.

The way the silky strands of your hair,

like spider web galaxies,

fall past your hips and cling together

is like magic. But you are magic all your own.

You move lightly, swiftly,

like a dream. I see your eyes

reflecting light like aqua gemstones,

singing silently of the night,

and the moon is trapped in them as if it were your soul.

Ultimately, I am too captivated by sight

to move on to touch. I imagine

your snow white skin might feel like satin.

A kiss from you would be like breaking a spell,

but this spell is ethereal, and almost sinful.

I dare not pass my hand through the starlight to catch you.

A nightingale, you must be left wild,

and as if you had never noticed me,

I will let you disappear among the trees.



I am also an experimental cook. My specialties are minestrone soup and Chicken Nina, my own special recipe. I learned this "way of the accidental cook" from my mother, who has a few time-honored recipes from her mother and from years of entertaining, but sometimes just happens upon a recipe that turns out well.

And, lastly, I volunteer for a local cat shelter that also does Trap-Neuter-Return. This is the most fulfilling, since I have loved cats since I could crawl. I love knowing that just by catching feral cats to be spayed and neutered, then returned to where they were found, there will be less and less the next year, meaning less and less euthanized in humane societies and other shelters. As for my own cats, I have come to realize that there is nothing else on this planet that will love you so unconditionally and faithfully as your own pet. People hold grudges, leave, change, or just aren't around sometimes. Your pet will always be constant, and although they will leave you behind one day, their image stays clear in your head forever.

The Cutest Nursery & A Well Done Room

I think this is the prettiest nursery I've seen so far. If I was having a baby, I'd be really torn between this color palatte below and an all white one with hints of bright magenta.

Happy Nostalgic Nursery Tour via Ohdeedoh

And I could totally see this room being one door down the hallway...

Jarlath Mellett via Lonny mag July 2011

Anyone Can Do It

As the title of this post suggests, this is a room that is very easy to mimic, althought it can be deceiving, because this room has one thing that yours probably does not: simplicity. I would say nine out of ten people have way too much stuff packed into their bedroom. And I would love to say "Get rid of all that! Your room would look so much better." But, of course, I'm a hypocrite. I have two dressers, two bulky nightstands, a king size bed, a TV, and a gun cabinet in my master bedroom. So perhaps this simplistic room may be better for a guest bedroom. Just know that it would take minimal effort to achieve a look similar to the picture below. All you have to do is clear out the clutter. A nice bedframe, curtains, table lamp, and something to go over the bed (like this mirror) with just a few colors total.

Home Sweet Home via Decorology

Modest and Attainable

I may have forgotten (among all the pretty, expensive things I come across and inevitably post here) that I began writing this blog for those who are not rich, those who really can't afford updating their home in any way, but still want to make it look beautiful. Those who have updated their middle class suburban homes have sometimes waited an insanely long time to do so, even 20 years. (There's this thing called priorities that I can never seem to remember.) Most do little projects as they can afford them. However, they almost always got their inspiration from larger homes, belonging to wealthier families. You  know, the homes you see in your favorite magazine or on your favorite TV show. So, sometimes I may go off that path and choose to post something that requires a lot of spending, because you can't ignore good ideas, but I promise I'll try to stick with the theme: LITTLE House Well Done.

My mother is one of those people who waited to have the best, and made it look as good as possible while she waited. She didn't even redo the kitchen until the year we decided to sell the house. I grew up in a middle class ranch-style home with many of its items belonging to time periods before I was born. However, my mother grew up in what she calls a "shack" that was barely furnished. She is very sentimental, and often tells me about my grandmother, who lived in a time when women hand-made their own dowries. Sheets and linen towels were a must, and they were not easy to come by for women like my grandmother, who lived on a tiny Italian island, a 60 mile boat ride from the mainland and nearest commercial city where they could buy fabric. When my grandmother came to America she brought three trunks filled with neccessities, such as a twin size lamb's wool matress, linen face towels, sheets, and pillow cases. My mother has found ways to use these items, especially an item that she calls a "pillow cover." It is about 45 inches by 15 inches and has my grandmother's name embroidered in the middle. Traditionally, these items covered pillows when the bed was made. My mother had this professionally stretched and framed so that it is now a decorative piece of art that she can see every day. It makes her happy and it has been repurposed. Knowing all of this, I don't buy new if I don't have to. I try to take what I can from my mother, what she took from her mother. She wants me to take care of all these things and teach my children their heritage. Things have changed so much since my grandmother was young, talking to her family by candlelight, to now, when a new sideboard to keep all her glasses and accessories in would cost me around a thousand dollars. I wonder if my grandmother ever gave thought to her grandchild knowing the importance of how her sheets were made, washed, ironed, and folded - how a set of four sheets were a lifetime gift.

So here's a picture that made me think "Anyone can have this great room." It looks like something you could pull together using carefully selected second-hand furniture and accessories. The sofa, for example, could be your mom's retro sofa that went out of style and is now mid-century mod cool. The coffee table could be something you picked up at a garage sale. You can find curtains you like at Target, among several other places, for a great price. And the blue paint is such a great color. In my opinion, it says "summer" and "caribbean." Then mixed with the eggplant-y color it says "playfully elegant." Notice that the room isn't too big (in other words, you can picture it being your small house instead of a mansion) and it is not cluttered. It has just enough pieces to make it comfy, just enough color to make it feel right, and interesting objects. You don't have to spend a lot or buy too many things to make a room well done.

Heidelberg Suites via Lonny Magazine July 2011

A Creative Tool Chest Idea

Found this gem of an idea online and thought I might share. I know tool chests like this come in different sizes and colors, so maybe if the man in your household wants a new one, you could turn the old one into a flatware chest, table linen drawers, a place in the pantry to hold little things, etc.

Image credit: Vintage Berwyn Bungalo via Apartment Therapy

You can do it with a vintage find, too, like this idea below from Better Homes and Gardens

www.bhg.com From Flea Market Finds to Savvy Storage

Metallic Backsplash

I don't know how I didn't know about this sooner. These metallic backsplashes are amazing.

via This is Glamorous

Elle Decor via This is Glamorous

Frigo Design

http://stylefurniture.blogspot.com

HGTV

www.carpet-tile.org

Ultraglas

Toyo Kitchens

Toyo Kitchens

So, what do you think? Would you put up a metallic, glass, or stainless backsplash? I personally love the bathroom backsplash from Elle Decor and the wavy kitchen backsplash from Ultraglas.

Beautiful Bassinet and Pillow

I am in love with this bassinet by Kenneth Cobonpue called Le Petit Voyage. You can see in the picture below, a picture taken by Cococozy of the Windsor Smith house.

Also really loving this leopard (cheetah?) pillow from the Dana Gibson Shop. It would look so great on my sofa.

Water for Elephants & Decorating Big Top Style

I couldn't have waited longer to see Water for Elephants. I didn't even wait to finish the book. I'll skip the explanation of how good it was, how unexpected some scenes were (which makes me glad I didn't finish the book yet,) how I wished it had been longer, and how much I enjoyed it.

After I turned off the TV, I felt like I had been watching actual history, and like I  was somehow connected to the story. I remembered how my father used to take me to the circus, although I can't remember how many times, but it felt like a lot. I regret never being able to see a traveling circus like the ones that ran around the time of the Great Depression, only the ones that were shown in the same type of indoor arena as concerts. The only thing close was occassionally going to local carnivals. However, seeing the circus will always be a very important memory to me, in fact, possibly my happiest memories with my father. Besides going to the Cedar Point amusement park, going to the circus was something I lived for. I loved to see the animals performing, and I loved seeing a glimpse of the lifestyle circus performers lived, the talent they showed. There was even a time when I entertained the idea of running away with the circus (before I knew it could ever be a "real" job, but now people make tons of money doing themed acrobatic shows this in Vegas.) I thought maybe I could swing on the trapeze or train the animals. Seeing this movie brought back those childhood daydreams, and I will always believe that there is something incredibly magical about the circus.

The scenery in the movie was also strangely familiar. My grandmother grew up during the Great Depression, and watching this movie reminded me of her, her house, and her neighborhood. It wasn't anything extravagant like the colors and fabrics in this movie, but even flipping through family photos of that time, I can see how accurate the movie's set is (other than the outdoor string lights, which is the coolest thing.) Even the character Marlena's hairstyle is very similar to how my grandmother wore her hair.

So anyway, I thought it would be great to do a post with circus-style home decor, and somehow, with all the lights and youthful magic, 4th of July seems to be the perfect time to do it. A few years ago I flipped through the pages of Tradtional Home magazine's take on the idea, and it was really inspiring. Since I was a kid and my dad took me to see the circus I have always loved the array of colors, the lights, the animals, the acts, and the splendor. And I love that feeling you get when you're with other people at night for a theatrical event.

Apartment Therapy - Golden Globe Lights available via Napa Style

Here are some wonderful circus themed pictures to inspire you. They are from Traditional Home magazine March 2009. At first you might think "No way would I try to have anything in my house look like a circus," or, "It already is a circus with my kids!" But you don't have to make it obvious. try taking just one idea out of it. These rooms bring you fun at the same time glamour. You can add something "circus" to your home by doing something as simple as framing a vintage circus photograph as art.

Don't you just love the rich colors and drama in these pictures? My favorite is the bold purple and black damask wallpaper, which I could totally see in my small hallway between bedrooms. Here is a picture from Traditional Home's website, an online article titled "3 Ring Style." The house was previously the "winter headquarters" for John Robinson's Circus. It has been redecorated, and honestly looks fabulous. As you can tell, it doesn't scream "circus," and in fact looks very modern.

I think there are some major factors that can create a home with the circus in mind. Tassels, stripes, mixing bold colors and candy colors, elaborate fabrics, lights (especially string lights and the classic "dressing room" lights) animal prints, carved wood and detailed furniture, vintage items, canvas, red velvet, and even picnic tables.

And here's some more eye candy for you: a circus themed wedding! I couldn't resist adding these pictures. The wedding was gorgeously done, if I do say so myself. Photography by Josh Gloeman.

see my latest post: http://littlehousewelldone.blogspot.com/2011/09/circus-chic-carnival-sweet-kids-room-or.html