Well, guess what? We finally settled on a color for our living/dining room! And sorry, but no, it is not pink (and the story of why it is not pink will have to wait until another day…) – it is “Linen White”(color #912) from Benjamin Moore, (which, incidentally, reminds me more of buttermilk or champagne than linen) and B and I both are loving it. I may have mentioned that the color of this room when we moved in was a very bright yellow, but I don’t think I’ve shared a picture, so…
Here it is (or was!) This color did absolutely nothing for me. Somehow, the high contrast between the bold yellow and the white trim made the space feel small and awkward. So would you like to see what we have done so far? Oh, good…
…just getting the primer coat on over the yellow made me feel loads better, though I am glad we did not choose a stark white paint…
…Linen White went on beautifully after one coat (pictured here), and became that much smoother and richer after the second coat. My muscles are aching from racing to get the last coat on, and we still need to do the trim – but, hey! I feel quite accomplished just having made it this far. For a while there, I didn’t think I would ever be able to choose a color. And as much as I love pink (and brown, and gray, and lilac, and all of the other choices that were in the running at one point or another), I am very happy to have a clean, neutral backdrop to play around with. Art will look fantastic hung on these walls, and I will easily be able to change up the look & feel of the room by swapping out accessories.
That’s it for now! I am off to spend the evening taping and painting trim, so I will see you back here tomorrow :D
{images: Laura Gaskill}
Yay! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving!! Thanksgiving has to be one of my favorite holidays – there is just something so comforting about sitting down with family to a meal that remains virtually unchanged over the years, don’t you think? We have celebrated Thanksgiving in many different places – from my childhood home to apartments, to my grown sibling’s houses – but each meal repeats the same pattern: turkey (and sometimes a lasagna, too, when my Grandparents were around), stuffing and gravy, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes (with marshmallows on top like my Grandma used to make), green bean casserole and cranberry sauce, hot buttered rolls, pie, and a nap. And just in case you’re packing up to go home for the holiday weekend, I thought I would round up a few cozy comforts to lift your spirits as you take a well-deserved break from work or school…
Clockwise from top left: A comfy-cozy outfit from Saltwater, cute enough for the dinner table and relaxed enough for a post-meal neighborhood walk; Bright little Hable Construction brag books for catching up the fam on your life since the last visit; Super-soft flannel lounge pants and a slouchy beret to see you through your food coma, both from Anthropologie.
Alas, I won’t be with my family in California this year. Instead, I will be joining B’s family here in New England – though I am sure that as the familiar scents of Thanksgiving dinner fill the house and I chat on the phone with my family and friends out in Cali, I will be feeling very thankful for the abundance of love in my life…Happy Thanksgiving, sweet friends! I will be taking the rest of the week off (as is traditional here in the States), so I will see you back here on Monday – and I am excited to share that I have been working on some very special gift guides, so stay tuned for that next week as well! And if you would like to share something that you are feeling thankful for, I would love to hear from you in the comments :D
{images: linked to individual sources above}
Do you love Morelle as much as I do? I have been a fan of her Truffle bags for quite some time, and now Katie, the designer behind Morelle, has a fresh batch of luscious bags ready to ship from her studio in Greece – and a brand new (totally gorgeous) photo shoot to show off the new designs…
…like this amazing multicolored patchwork bag with an across-the-body strap, also made in solid colors like rich forest green or vibrant teal…
…and the new version of the Tulip bag (in the shop soon)…
…or perhaps you are pining for one of the Morchellas in a lovely new shade…
And just as an aside, I was so pleased to see Morelle mentioned in the November issue of InStyle Magazine (Best of the Web) along with some of my other favorite bloggers (oh, like Creature Comforts, for instance – yay Ez!!) and handmade artisans. It just makes me so happy to see passionate, creative individuals like these ladies getting some mainstream media attention. And keep an eye on the Morelle blog – Katie will be opening a new website/shop soon, and I just know it will be gorgeous!
{images: Morelle}
My house is a small, 1930′s cottage with a screened-in front porch. It’s a little funky. Half the floor of that screened porch is rotting away. The exterior is covered in wimpy ice-yellow vinyl siding. Some of the doors open into each other, the closets are minuscule, the bedrooms are teensy, the walls with original plaster have lumps and bumps, and each room has been painted a different primary color (ugh!). Soon after B and I bought this house a few months ago, I found myself getting caught up in these imperfections – and it was making me feel stuck, and just very negative about the whole thing. Do you know what I mean? Have any of you bought a house or moved recently and had this experience? When we focus on the negative, it becomes impossible to see the many creative solutions out there…
Clockwise from top left: Domino, Country Living, House Beautiful, Country Living
I came up with decorating ideas, but nothing felt right. It’s like I was trying to make the house into something it was not, and that will never really work. I did not move forward, because our budget is small and I really didn’t want to make any costly mistakes…plus, in the back of my mind is the thought that while we are happy here for now, this is not our forever house. A few years down the road, we will likely sell it – and I would hate to have sunk money into projects that need to be wiped clean to please a wider range of tastes when we put it on the market. I felt stuck. And as someone who loves spending time at home, it’s been a major bummer living in a home that doesn’t look or feel the way I want it to. But recently something changed as I began thinking about this issue in a different way (and I know it may sound a bit strange) – I began listening to my house.
What I mean by “listening” to my house is not really as hippy-dippy as it sounds, but more about imagination and a bit of common sense. I felt stuck because I was fighting the house. This little place will never be a stately Colonial or a spacious modern loft, and I can’t treat it like one. By looking at my home with fresh, realistic eyes, I could easily see that what this house wants to be is a charming little beach cottage. An unfussy, laid-back approach is exactly what this house needs to turn its imperfections from flaws into charm. This house wants to have a little fun. What does your house want to be? Have you tried listening?
{images: linked to sources above}
With winter approaching (and my delicate Californian disposition so not ready for it), I am all about planning the getaways. Over the upcoming months as the weather turns gray and freezing cold and depressing, I would love to run away to eat fish tacos and lounge on the beach in Maui or just hang out with good friends in the Bay Area. And if I could splurge on a few things to make the journey more comfy and stylish, all the better…
1. For any trip: Fun sunglasses from Anthropologie; Fancy-schmancy calligraphy for your holiday event invites, by Primele; Luxuriously roomy carry-on bag by Valhalla Brooklyn; I heart… necklaces by Truche; Boho hand-painted vintage handbag by Vivien Cheng.
2. For the beach: Zebrawood gems necklace by something’s hiding in here; Super-soft tie top by Out of Line; Recycled gold infinity ring by Oahu-based Sea Babe Jewelry; Embellished bandeau bikini from Anthropologie.
3. Can’t wait to get away? Check out Maui radio station KPOA 93.5 – you can listen online from anywhere in the world! It’s fun for a change, and just listening to the native Hawaiian announcers never fails to cheer me up :D
Happy weekend!!
{images: linked to sources above; except last photo (of Hanalei Bay, Kauai): Laura Gaskill}
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