ScotchBlue Giveaway Winners (A Follow Up)

Hey guys, if your name is on this list for the ScotchBlue painters tape giveaway and you have not emailed me your address, please do so!


1. Nicole Marie
2. Janell
3.Bella loves Pink
4. Tina
5. Jennifer
6. Natasha
7.Amber
8. Alise
9.Carrie
10. Chandra
11.Myssie
12. Angela
13. Carly

IKAT…. A NEW OBSESSION

I’m currently digging Ikat prints.  I know that’s nothing new around these parts (blog world), but I’m hoping to bring some into my home in the next couple of months.  For starters, I purchased these cute little bowls from Anthropologie in gray and raspberry

The gray is actually the same color as my walls in the living room!

I have yet to figure out what room they’re going in.  I’m thinking the raspberry in my bedroom to hold jewelry and the gray in one of my bathrooms to hold either soap or more of my jewelry!  I like using different dishes to hold jewelry

These bowls are just the cutest little bowls and can be used for many different things!  They also come in charteuse and navy!

Wanna know how you can win your own set of four?!?!  Head over to Isabella and Max Rooms!

HOUSE OF FIFTY: Finding Inspiration in the Everyday

Happy Monday guys! Today I am excited to announce the upcoming release of the new eZine

Janell Beals, the editor and creator of House of Fifty and Isabella and Max Rooms, has decided to take the online magazine field to new heights! House of Fifty is an online magazine whose focus is to help you find inspiration in everyday life. It will feature DIY projects, meal planning, fashion, interior design, features from bloggers showcasing their amazing talents and stories. It will also touch on different children topics!

House of Fifty is definitely a magazine that is sure to appeal to the masses. Not only will it be full of inspiring images, but also things that are obtainable for the everyday person! I am beyond thrilled that I have been asked to be a part of such a wonderful venture! I look forward to hearing any feedback you may have once the issue premiers May 2011! I hope that you take a moment and show your excitement for the eZine by subscribing today! You know, just so you won’t miss a thing

And just incase you're wondering what my role is with the eZine; it’s to scout for talented bloggers in fields such as design, fashion, organization, food, healthy living, DIY, crafts, kids, lifestyle, etc…

Feel free to email me

L_Duncan(at)houseoffifty(dot)com

and follow House of Fifty on twitter

@houseoffifty

To hear more about the upcoming eZine, head over Janell’s blog Isabella and Max Rooms

To subscribe to the eZine, go to the website HouseofFifty.com

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the magazine!

CABIN FEVER

Many of you may know that the south had snow this week

It was all nice and cute until it didn’t go anywhere and then turned to ice

So now we are on day four of no school and icy roads.  And although the streets have improved a lot, they’re still dangerous. Getting out there last night to pick my sister up from work, the way my car was sliding on the ice they may as well still look like this

And I’m a little on the irritated side since my husband and sister have chosen to go to work while me and four boys are still cooped up here in the house.  We have absolutely nothing to do.  I swear, if I play Candy Land or watch Spider Man one more time…..

 

How’s the weather on your side of town?!

I’LL TAKE A SIDE OF HER TALENT PLEASE!

Candice Olsen is by far one of my all time favorite designers on television (well, aside from Sarah Richardson).

Have you noticed the way she decorates with blue?

What is it about her designs that captivates us? Is it all the sparkle?

Or is it how no matter how luxurious the spaces feel after she is done, there is still a sense of obtainability?

Or is it how she chooses such neutral colors for the walls and the space still feels warm and inviting?

I’ll take a side order of her talent any day of the week!

Who is your favorite designer on television?

BLOGGING MY TRUTH

It has been brought to my attention that it’s easy to think that some blogger’s have a perfect life and perfect home.  Hmm… I can see that! I can see how a person can read a blog post written by someone with three kids, and they show pictures like these and become discouraged about their own home…

 

Let me tell you, things here are not always as perfect as they may appear! Sometimes my dirty clothes are piled high.  Sometimes dinner is late and I have to run out and grab fast food. Sometimes I would like for my husband to help me do some of the projects I do.  Sometimes I just don’t want to do anything around the house because I am completely overwhelmed.  Sometimes the two rooms above look like this

and this

Sometimes I may do a post and say that I will show you the rest tomorrow and I don’t.  Like my family room for instance.  I haven’t shown you my family room because it looks like this

Now who really wants to see a room like that?  I was sick all last week and just didn’t have the energy or strength to do any house work.  Now, do my house look like this all of the time? Of course not.  But it does get like this at times.  I would hate for anyone to think that my life and home is perfect and I doubt any other blogger would want you to feel the same.  I have three boys and a nephew running around all of the time causing mischief

 

No one is perfect.  No matter what you see on a blog or TV.  I have to remind myself of that A LOT!  So, whenever you come across a blog and think “Wow, I wish….”,  just remember this post and what you may not see after the camera is turned off

 

If I don’t get a comment on this post I may never blog again!!!

VIRTUAL TAUPE

As you guys know,  I repainted my downstairs living areas (living/dining, kitchen, and family room).  I’ve been holding out on showing you the spaces mostly because with the holidays and and all of the decorations that come along with them, I wanted the spaces to be free and clear of any of it. 

The above image is what my living looked like when it was painted Sherwin Williams Toasty (6095)

Today I’m showing you the living and dining room that were painted Virtual Taupe by Sherwin Williams.  The color is part of the gray family on the paint deck.  It’s a really great neutral that will pretty much go with any color you put with it.  It satisfies my love of brown without having any of the different undertones that you find when choosing browns.

It’s a must that this carpet comes up soon!

 

The dresser is making it’s way back to my bedroom

 

Both the chandelier and ceiling fan will be replaced

All of the doors and trim are painted Aesthetic White (7035)

As you can see, my living and dining rooms are not large at all!

Now that the rooms are painted, I need to tackle the honey oak banisters.  I’m thinking of staining, but I also have to paint the white railing on the opposite wall.  With that in mind, I may just paint both Well-Bred Brown (7027) by Sherwin Williams. 

I took the picture below to try and show you how the color in the kitchen looks from the living room.  For some reason, it does not show well.  Hopefully by spring, I’ll have better light so you can see both colors the way I see them.  The color used in the kitchen and family room is Accessible Beige (7036) and I’ll talk more about those rooms in another post.

Before I decided on the paint color, you may remember how I tested the colors out first

I also carried the swatches around in my purse and pulled them out every time I saw something I liked for my home just to check and see if the paint worked with the item.  Paint is indeed the cheapest way to update a space, but it can also be the hardest thing to get right.  So make sure before slapping a coat of paint up on the walls because you like what you see in a magazine or in someone else’s home, that the color is going to work in your home too!