Wallpaper Stencils

Right now I'm helping (i.e. watching & providing wonderful & lively conversation for) my husband paint this wallpaper stencil all over our living room wall:

A very sweet reader, Mary, gave me the idea to try stenciling after learning that I lusted after wallpaper for my living room & entry. (It's a RL stencil from here and reminds of a henna tattoo & I just LOVE it!! ) It's INSANELY intricate and will most likely take years to complete... No really, it's baaaaaad. It's taking FOREVER. The ceiling is high and the wall continues into the entryway...

Stenciling is for the extremely patient, crafty or BROKE person. (And I'll give you a hint, I'm not patient or crafty... ;) Can you guess what color I chose for the stenciling? The Color Queen from Colour Me Happy (AKA Maria) recommended it to me & it's prefect!!

Have a great weekend & we (he) will be meticulously painting away-- ahhhhhhhhhhhh

xoxo,

lauren

Arranging Accessories & Books on Shelves: Before & After

Like most people, we have a TON of books. Since we moved into our new house last May, they've been in boxes in our downstairs hallway... NOT PRETTY. or organized. or easy. So, yesterday, we headed over to Ikea and purchased this bad boy for our living room: To go in this spot:

We'll still need some more bookshelves somewhere else in the house but I'm really happy with this start:

I mixed in lots of flea market/ thrift finds with the books:

I did a horizontal stack of books (these turquoise ones are some of my favorites- haha although I've only read one of them... it's just the color!!! but The Golden Fleece is on my 'to read" list) to make a little pedestal for my wedgewood bowl. The spot was looking really bare (and we need the space for books!) so I opened a pretty book behind the "pedestal."

I love this fun monkey "see no evil, hear no eveil, speak no evil" vase (and some more pretty blue books!) that I recently found in Volo, IL for $8.

I did a combination of junky paperbacks turned page-side out (I still have all of my Christopher Pike & LJ Smith books) and beautiful leatherbounds. My grandfather has been giving the grandkids a leatherbound classic every year for Thanksgiving since we were kids. (I think my English-teacher-husband was sealed on marrying me when he found this out! ;) ;) I also layered in a flea market painting & some prints to add some interest in the background...

And since I've got lots of green in my living room, I made this fun horizontal stack of green design books. I'm sure you recognize a few! ;) I topped it with tis crazy vintage peacock soap dish ($4) that I found in Volo this summer. Again, I opened up a book to go behind it because the space was feeling bare and I loved the etchings from The Aeneid. I also tucked in a few family photos:

The two bottom shelves are for (you guessed it!) toys!!! I'm using those old wooden wine boxes again & they're smashed in between more books. Even though it's the living room, I like to have toys in every area (as long as they look okay when put away) so that we can all enjoy all the rooms in the house.

And I know how weird & creepy this alligator head is, but we found it at one of my favorite shops at the beach & for some odd reason, we just loved it. (This is the first time my husband actually wanted an accessory MORE than me so I was really happy to get something he was so excited about.) We haven't named him yet...

Below is a bust that I got for around $2 at Unique Thrift Store in Merrifield (AMAZING if you havenm't been... He was made of black-reddish-bronzey glass. Really one of the scariest/ ugliest busts I'd ever seen but I painted him white & then tea stained him. He's been outside too & only gets better-looking with age ;) (Ignore the blue painter's tape!!) He's on top of one of my favorite series of books.

I was able to stack 3 columns of paperbacks in this space above the bookshelf. It will definitely be a pain when I am looking for something but this is the price of beauty ;) ;) I layered in a huge hurricane glass & candle because I needed items of large-scale up there:

And one last look at the new bookshelf. It practically looks built-in & I was so excited when the shelf was only 2.5" smaller than the wall.

If you didn't get the chance, check out this post because it explains a lot of the principles behind what I did here.

xoxo,

lauren

ps- did you notice that the baseboard is in around the floors too?!!! wahooooooooo (we have a little more to finish tonight ;)

Accessorizing with Ferns

I love fern. Whenever I see a photo of a room with it in it, I take a second look. It just gives this awesome fresh jolt of green & energy to a space. It has a classic feel yet it's a bit wild & untamed & perfect for any modern space. (And they're so inexpensive & available!!!)

When I saw this room by Carlton Varney (in HB), it was the fern that got me. How beautiful is it against all that white?!!


I've always wanted a house with a front porch & hanging ferns on it. Something about it is so romantic & nostalgic. (2 images below from Martha Stewart)

How perfect is this porch?!! (below)

Eddie & Jaithan had a fern in their apartment:


And Eddie used one as the centerpiece for his New Orleans Showhouse dining room:



Below is a fern I used at my old townhouse a couple of years ago... (I killed it pretty quickly though--- eeeeek!!) I loved sitting in here with my fan going (this was the old big square plastic one that broke) and the windows open, blowing in the white curtains... Something about the fern and all these elements really relaxed me. Great place to read a book or take a nap...

Love how the fern below (BHG) is just sitting casually on the stairs. (It's much better than my pile of stuff that needs to go either up or down!!!)

Below is a pretty little fern in a bucket in the kitchen of the Ruthie Sommers house we all love so much: (Also, Things That Inspire let me know that the adorable crab painting is actually by a very talented artist friend of hers!!!!)

Here's a simple fern arrangement accompanied by fern plates (Country Living):

LOVE LOVE LOVE the table setting below from one of my favorite houses, Rice Cottage.

The plant below isn't a fern but I included it because it's so fern-esque ;) (BHG):

The fern in the corner gives just the hit of life this room needs (below, BHG):

Here's another pretty little fern from BHG in a shabby chic dining room:

And finally, this fern in a room done by Carrier and Company is one of my favorites. I LOVE what it does in this room (again, a white background) and it looks so perfect next to the turquoise gourd lamp. So much life!!! love it!!!

I've been waiting to get my ferns this year because we're going away for another 2 weeks and I don't want them to die while I'm gone!! (I've pledged to take better care of the next ones ;) I'm putting one in my dining room in an urn I just found. Home Depot and K-Mart have a ton for under $15. Also, if you plant them in the grount just before it gets too cold, they'll come up next Spring!! (I did this when I started to kill my indoor ferns and the ones that made it were beautiful in the Spring!!)

We'll be in the Outer Banks (North Carolina) and I'll be posting from there for the next 2 weeks!!! The house we rented is so pretty and I can't wait to show pics!!! (hahaha totally picked it because of how it was decorated ;)

xoxo,

lauren

Cheap "Vintage" Fans!

I love fans. Especially at night when I sleep. But I also love a chandelier in my bedroom and don't want to sacrifice it for a ceiling fan.

SO, I've been dying for a vintage floor fan or vintage look-alike fan. (check out Haskell Harris's bedroom below. You can see her whole house here.)


When we were visiting my dad (we're home!) I went to my FAVORITE antique mall, Volo, and saw so many beautiful vintage fans (below found at retro.net)


However, I really didn't like the visual I got when I pictured Christian's arm in the fan. (The slats are so far away!!!) I've also been wanting Restorations Hardware's Allaire Telesoping fans (below) but was having trouble justifying forking over $200+ for a floor fan when the ugly ones are so cheap. So, you know me... I went almost a whole summer without a fan because I wasn't willing to spend the dough or buy an ugly one. haha



Ahhhh, so pretty!!!






Anyway... Enter Walmart. Oh wow. We never go because we don't have one near us at home. But we love that place. My eagle-eye husband saw fan boxes labeled "vintage" and we snapped them up right away!! At only $38 and $25 (?I forget exactly?) I couldn't have been happier!!! Below is the desk on and it's almost identical to RH's desk fan.

(hahah like my vintage map styling? ;) ;)

And here's a closeup of the floor fan in my bedroom. (The top pic in this post is also of my walmart fan):

a bit more of a gunmetal finish in some places (why there would be more than one finish, I have no idea) but for $38, I'm ok with it... Actually I should say THRILLED with it! :)

(I'm almost ready to show you some after pics of the bedroom- just waiting on a couple of items to arrive!) We found some more amazing deals this past week & can't wait to show you!!!

xoxo,

lauren

Blowing Up Images on Canvas: Your Thoughts??

Ok, so I wanna have a little fun in my dining room... When I saw the gnarled tree print (below) that Nina Griscom had blown-up onto a canvas, I was in love & wanted to try it out for myself.

I also LOVE the massive size of the hawk print in Victoria Pearson's home (House Beautiful) below.

With these 2 houses in mind, I started searching for images. I've always loved The Little Owl by Albretch Durer (below). (And of course, the Hawk got me thinking birds... And I would actually go nutty for an exact copy of Nina Griscom's tree in a larger size to be honest.)

But then, checking out morel of his work, there were so many others I loved!! A lot of them were of really dark subject matter and they were so beautiful, but my husband & I both love the one below.... Blown up to say 6 or 7 feet tall, it would be sort of like a modern tapestry.

I found a bunch of companies that do giclee canvas transfers on custom size super-large canvases but they're really expensive. I'll give Kinko's a shot. Does anyone have any other ideas?? We're still loving the idea & considering the splurge but here's my next worry: Obviously when you enlarge something so big, it loses quality. It gets pretty pixelly. Below is an image of a preview of what it would look like 6 feet tall:

Kind of reminds me of comic books... So what are your thoughts?? Still doable??? Or are we crazy??? I think it would be fine at a distance and most likely still really interesting up close--- but will it look too poppy???

Here's the (hopefully!!) dining room table:

And below is the the massive canvas would in. (The shelf will be gone of course--- it's needed in the storage room.) And also, I'm moving (ok, my husband's moving) the chandelier to the entryway. I want some sparkle in the dining room & have a huge tall entryway that needs some spicing up.

For furniture in the adjoining living room, I've got the green velvet sofa and the two matching reverse- toile green/white chairs. I'm planning on doing parsons chairs with white slipcovers & some type of green fabric for the top part of the chairs.

ok, I need some honesty on this blown up canvas... I can't gaurantee I'll listen but I think the truth will help. thanks.

xoxo,

lauren

***UPDATE**** Thank you SO MUCH for your ideas & thoughts!!!! Quality was my biggest worry about this project too. We tested the blowup out on paper & loved it (even though it is pixelly- it reminds us of the fibers in a tapestry & it looks really cool... If you're considering doing this, have a portion of the image blown-up to the size it will be (on regular paper) and see if you're ok with the quality.)

****** new update: Kinkos doesn't do enlargements this big... I went here: http://www.wizardprints.com/pricing.php I'm having it printed onto fabric with an adhesive backing that sticks right to the wall. It will have to be done in 2 pieces because of the size but I think I can make that work!

Doggone Days of Summer

Well, summer is officially here for us (my husband, a teacher, is DONE FOR THE SUMMER!!!!) Which means we'll be spending lots of time outside & more time with our dog, Ashby.

(above pic from Country Living) A lot of us have dogs & they're like another member of the family. Unfortunately for our pup, when we had our son (about 2 years ago) she got less & less attention. We try, but those kids can be demanding!!! She was THE BABY before he came. She came on every vacation with us and was always in my lap (at 45 pounds!!). Now, she still sleeps with us, but she stays home when we vacation (with a 2 year old we have to stop and eat at restaurants on road trips & we can't leave her in the car) and she's much harder for me to carry because she's gained probably 10 pounds thanks to our son feeding her from his high chair!!! I also just don't have as much time to baby her in general. (Which I actually think she might be pleased about, because as I've said before I'm like that weird little girl Elmyra from Looney Toones with poor Ashby... loving & hugging & squeeeezing her) Anyway, she's such a sweetie & puts up with so much from our 2 year old, so I thought she'd enjoy this post. Here she is (below on the right) with her very best friend, Boudreaux, (an American Bulldog) who also recently became second fiddle to a baby. (oh it hurts to put into words!!!)


One summer in college during my PR internship in Washington, DC (my major in college!) there wasn't enough work for me. So what does a lowly college intern do with no work? She surfs the internet! (i hadn't even heard of blogs at this point in my life or we would've met sooner!! ;) Anyway, I desperately wanted a dog when I graduated, so I began researching all the different breeds, picking my favorites and lusting after ones that were so cute but would shed too much for me. Needless to say, I know a lot about dogs, thanks to that wonderful internship.




One thing I always love to see in people's homes is dsog art, sculpture & accessories, so I thought I'd share a few I found with you. How cute is the poster below?! (from Country Living) It's graphic & fun, and adds a colorful & quirky punch to the space.




The Egyptian dog statue (from Livingetc) below is a big presence in this sparse room. It adds interest. (and, obviously, the homeowners like dogs!!)


Surprisingly, a lot of rooms you see with dog paintings or prints, have a more serious, formal feel. (Or a more serious blue blood feel: Think of Ralph Lauren-type rooms with hunting pics.) In the image below (from houseandhome.ie) I think the dog painting works really well with the scheme of the room but its placement is a bit off for its small size.


Below, from Country Living, I love how this springer spaniel painting is just casually leaning against the wall on the ottoman. It makes the space!



In another Country Living pic (they must love dogs!! :) there are adorable dog embroidered pillows. (I think Lindsay from Everything LEB did a post that included these adorable pillows once.) Love their stately attire!! I found one really similar to these that looks exactly like our dog. (sans hat)



And, in general, I love it when prints are layered casually as in the image below. (Country Living!) This person really loefvs dogs, as she has a pillow, little figurines all over and a door stop under the table.



Below is one of my favorite images (via Simply Natural by Rob Lowe) as much for the room iteself as for the fact that it has a picture of my favorite dog, a German Short-Haired Pointer.



My dad always has a pointer and the one above & below (encoreeditions.com-- awesome prices!!) looks just like Hershey, the one I grew up with. Hershey was the best dog ever and a German Short-haired Pointer is the epitome of "dog" to me.



Below, I also love this tight grouping of breed prints. It's graphic and beautiful and the room has an elegant feel. (via House Beautiful)



So, the great theing about dog art is that generally, it's really affordable! (I'm not talking antique oils though!) Google it online & you'll see. Check out the painting below. They're too cute!!




This hunting painting reproduction (below) is of foxhounds, which are so commonly found in old paintings & prints. (reminding me of those Ralph Lauren hunting rooms)



And Ballard Designs has these great hand-colored prints ($119, below) of almost every dog you can think of!!! (I'm not so keen on the price though, and I think you could find a cheaper print of your dog (like one from encoreeditions.com) & write in pretty cursive around it! ha) But, I do love them. Below is of course, a white & liver spotted German Short-haired pointer who looks like my dad's dog (She was my 17th birthday present, but he couldn't part with her!!) Quaisley. (She's such a crazy cutie!) The painting below by SJ Merwin is of a Welsh Terrier, and looks just like my dad's dog, Bailey. (We got him when I was 12... )(I have included him later, after posting without poor Bails, because my dad left the first comment under 'Anonymous' and brought up Bailey, who I unintentionally left out! :)

This giclee (below) from Ballard Designs has been on my wishlist since before Christian was born. My original plan was to do a dog theme nursery for him with black and white photos of all the dogs my husband & I have had over our lives and then use this adorable canvas. I planned to use a glavanized steel tub like the one in the pic painted turquoise for his stuffed animals. The funny thing is, today, Christian reminds me a lot of the baby in the picture. This may be a theme for Baby 2, so let me know what you think! (again, I wasn't too happy with the price!!)


And finally, if you're anything like me, you love it when you find pictures or paintings that look like your dog. Ashby is a mutt (part Jack Russel, lab and Aussie Cattle Dog) so it's not as easy to find mutt pics as it is to find full breeds. But here are just a few I've found over the years. Here's Miss Ashby:

And here is a painting I found (of her, I'm convinced!!) at Lucketts:




And this drawing looks more like her now that she's put on some weight (wrong sex though! she wouldn't be happy with me if I bought this one.)
A
nd finally, I found an image of this antique oil painting with a pup who looks just like Ashby when we're eating and she's watching. hee heehee


So, go google prints & paintings of your dog. Lots of them really are affordable and with the right frame and location, they could be adorable in your house! Below, is one last pic of Ashby with her boy toy:

(This was when they were still our #1 babies, see the lifevests??!!! hahah)
xoxo,
lauren