New Year New Look....

My little blog turns one later this month, 

and I decided to give it a little face lift...

with the help of the fabulous Shari at Little Blue Deer.

So what do y'all think?

I LOVE IT!!!

I have a few "tweeks" to work out 

but I am thrilled with it!

One Room Challenge Week One

So excited to be linking up with Linda, from one of my favorite blogs, Calling It Home,

for another one of her One Room Challenge Linking Parties!

This is my second time to participate and this spring I am taking on our master bedroom!

I have literally not done ONE THING to our master bedroom since we moved in,

other than to take down the nasty window treatments that the previous owners left.

Here is what the room looked like when we bought our home (with the previous owner's furniture)...

It is currently painted gray....

I might add that it is PAINTED OVER WALLPAPER gray...

and the woodwork and crown molding has wallpaper paste stains all over.

There are 20 year old mini-blinds on the windows 

and the ceiling has a giant mark on it where I threw a magazine to kill a bug...

yes...I HATE bugs....and the newsprint left a lovely smear where the magazine hit.

So here is what it has looked like since we moved it...

Except for our new bed, the room is exactly as it was when we moved in.

I have a few challenges with this room...

1. I have too many pieces of dark wood furniture for the size of the room.

2. Although I have two windows, this room never gets direct sunlight and is very dark all day.

3. My desk, computer, and printer really "junk" up the space...my room doubles as my office.
4. The walls are in very bad shape...painted over wallpaper...need I say more?

4. We have a ceiling fan.

I've been working on all of the other rooms in our home and have literally left this one untouched...

until now!

As soon as I found out Linda was doing a ORC in the spring, I started brainstorming.

I spent hours and hours trying to decided what direction to take our bedroom

because I knew I could easily use the entire six weeks just trying to make up my mind

about colors and fabrics.

Check out my post here to see where I originally thought I would go with it.

Then I got on the blue and white bandwagon...I LOVE blue and white!

I could have been very happy with a blue and white bedroom, 

but I already have a lot of blue in my home and it is really not totally "me" like pink and green is.

That being said, I was not going to subject D to a pink and green master bedroom

so for a while I was looking at doing something bright and floral but not too "girly."

Then I did a post on Laura Ashley and it brought me back to an old love....

Laura Ashley fabric in Winter Lilly

And I remembered that at one time I had wanted to decorate my room in this fabric.

It's cool and calming, as well as classic and refined looking.

Exactly the feeling I wanted for our bedroom.

I started looking for inspiration rooms....I was looking for green and creamy white bedrooms.

Here are a few that struck my fancy...

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I was not sure I wanted green walls, 

but I like the idea of the cream and green so I started to scour my favorite fabric stores,

looking for the perfect fabric to use as my jumping off point.

I love the Thibaut fabrics and wallpapers, and they came through for me once again...

I fell in love with this print immediately, and knew it was "the one"

"Hydrangea" by Thibaut in the color Beige

It has a light beige background with white and cream hydrangeas,

and I love the shades of green in the foilage.

Here is a close up photo with a little more accurate depiction of the colors.

My next step was to create a mood board...

this is the FIRST mood board I have ever made...I used Photoshop Elements!

Not too bad if I say so myself....still have a lot to learn though!

I included the furniture and accessories I already have

and blended it with the furniture and accessories I hope to add.

So....down to business.

Here's my plan:

1. Repair walls, paint bedroom, trim, and ceiling

2. New blinds

3. New window treatments

4. New bedding

5. New nightstands

6. Accessorize with new art work, toparies, and green and white porcelian

7. Declutter the room

8. New register covers, light switches, and electrical outlets

9. Rearrange or remove some of the furniture.

10. Negotiate with D to get rid of the ceiling fan....not sure that will go over well...lol!

11. Stick to my budget....and I AM on a budget.

My first order of business is to select a paint color....that is what I will be working on for the next week!

Please be sure to visit Calling It Home to see Linda's fabulous ORC participates

Abby M. Interiors 

Because it’s Awesome 

Bijou & Boheme 

Calling It Home 

Chez V 

Chinoiserie Chic 

Copy Cat Chic 

The Decorista 

Design Crisis 

Design Indulgence 

Design Manifest 

The English Room

The Glam Pad 

Little Black Door 

Mimosa Lane 

My Notting Hill 

The Pink Pagoda 

Simple Details 

My Sweet Savannah 

Verandah House

as well as all of those who are linking!

Pink and Green Spring Bling!

I tend to wear a lot of gold and/or pearl jewelry in the fall and winter,

but in the spring I break out the bright colors and my pink and green jewelry.

Here's some pink and green spring bling I'm loving...

I LOVE this bracelet and wear it with a pearl bracelet and a gold chain link bracelet.

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Lilly Pulitzer Earrings...great with my Lilly dresses for spring and summer!

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Loving this necklace from KEP designs!

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Fornash Geko Bracelet...love to stack pink and green enamel bangles with this!

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And if I had an unlimited accessory budget, here are a few lovelies I would add....

These are lovely and would be perfect to wear to a spring wedding.

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Gorgeous!!!

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Beautiful!

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Do y'all change jewelry with the seasons?

What's On My Birthday List?

My birthday is in a couple of weeks!

The best thing about my birthday is having my family together...

so we rarely celebrate my birthday on my actual birth date

because it's almost impossible to have everyone available at one time.

I'll probably wait until Easter to celebrate this year so that Caroline will be home too!

I usually have a hard time coming up with birthday and Christmas lists,

but this year I had no problem!

Here's what's on my birthday list....

Butterfly Prints

This is one print in a set of four,

 and I would love to have the set of four to hang in our upstairs hallway.

Green Chinoiserie Ginger Jar

I am decorating our master bedroom and would love to add this beautiful

ginger jar to my collection of bedroom accessories.

Moss Topiary

I would love a pair of these for my master bedroom as well!

Green Provencial Personalized Frame

I love anything Marye-Kelley makes, but I especially love her frames and clip boards!

Again, I would love this frame for my master bedroom!

Can you guess my master bedroom color scheme?

Patagonia Fleece

OK I know I already have several of these fleeces, 

but all of them are in "winter" colors...I would love one in the pineapple yellow

to wear in the spring and summer...and it would be perfect for USNA football games!

LL Bean Gingham Shirt

I would love to have this cute kelly green poplin shirt

 to wear with my pink sweaters this spring!

Longchamp Le Pliage

No birthday or Christmas list would be complete without a handbag or tote!

Would LOVE to add this Longchamp in the color Lagoon to my handbag collection!

Soooo...kind of a random birthday list....

but all things I would love to have!

Baby Baby....gift ideas!

I'm at a stage in my life where I'm not buying many baby gifts.

Most of my friends are well past the "having babies" stage,

and my own children are not anywhere near the "having babies" stage...
in fact I thank the Lord above they are NOT having babies right now.
I do, however, have a new niece....
my BFF sorority sister has always been an "Aunt" to my children,
and a few months ago my BFF sorority sister adopted an adorable baby girl.
It's her first baby and she will be one at the end of this month!
Of course Aunt Christine wants to spoil her new niece.....
I want special things that say "special girl"
soooooo.....what to do?
Well here's what I've been doing...

Baby Lilly Shift Dress

Be still my heart....my own baby girls wore these!

Fancy Pants Diaper Cover

These are a "must have" for every Southern baby girl....

I had my niece's monogrammed in pink!

MacKenzie-Childs Toddler Dinnerware Set

This set comes in several different patterns and arrives in an adorable decorative gift box.

Pluff Mudd Designs Baby Girl Print

They sell these darling prints at the gift shop where my daughter Caroline works,

and they will add a monogram to the bottom of the print....PRECIOUS!

They have them for boys too!

Goodnight Moon Board Book

I loved reading to my children when they were little,

and I put together a basket of board books that were my children's favorites.

The titles include Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Guess How Much I Love You,

Five Little Monkey's Jumping On The Bed,

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

and Goodnight, Gorilla. 

Do y'all have a "go-to" baby gift that you traditionally give?

I want to start collecting ideas!

  

Beall's....A Florida Institution

My visits to Florida are not complete without a trip to Beall's with my Virginia mom.

Have y'all heard of Beall's?

It's pronounced "Bell's" and my Virginia mom and I love to shop there!

It's sort of like Kohl's goes on vacation...

tons of "resort wear" at very reasonable prices.

It seems like they have an "extra 20% off" sale every other week,

and many of the regular sales are 40-50% off.

You can find name brands such as Nike, Sperry, Columbia, and Jones of New York,

but they definitely specialize in "Florida-fashion" and carry a lot of their own brands.

Here are some of my Beall's favorites from this season...

Chambray Shirt

This shirt actually looks better in person...it's a little more" fitted" then the picture shows.

I bought one and it's very similar JCrew's chambray shirt,

but the fabric is much softer and it's a fraction of the price.

Anchor Shorts

These are just ADORABLE....pink twill Bermuda shorts with white anchors embroidered.

They also come in kelly green and navy blue....LOVE them!

Columbia Knit Skirt

This navy and white skirt hits just above the knee,

 and I plan to wear it with a simple white t-shirt and my navy and white Jack Rogers...

perfect outfit for work this spring and summer!

Sperry Topsider

These were on sale and my Virginia mom ended up getting them for me for FREE

with her "Beall's Bucks" which is the same thing as "Kohl's Cash"

if y'all know what that is.

Pink Flower Statement Necklace

This is also similar to JCrew's flower statement necklace

and it comes in many fun colors.

They had a MILLION different statement necklaces, which I don't wear but my girls do!

Anchor Print Shorts

These are similar to the ones above, but the anchors are printed on the fabric,

and these have a shorter inseam....they also have a hint of stretch!

They also have a skort in the same print but with Nantucket red anchors...

I couldn't decided between the two...so I got both.

The prices are SO reasonable that it's easy to go crazy in this store....

If you are looking for some fun spring and summer things at bargain prices,

Beall's is a good place to shop.

They also have home decor, beach accessories, kids clothes, menswear, luggage...

it truly is a department store.

They do have a website so you can order online,

and they have many locations all over Florida.

Have y'all ever heard of Beall's?

What I'm Reading....

I just finished this fun book...

The Next Thing On My List

Total chick lit.....no substance here...

but a cute and a really fast read...

as in a "I read the entire book in two flights and a layover" read.

The story is about June, a thirty-something young woman

who is the driver in a car accident that kills her passenger,

a 24 year old acquaintance named Marissa.

 Marissa had made a list of things she wanted to do before she turned 25,

and June found it after Marissa's death.

The book chronicles June's determination

to finish all of the things on Marissa's list before Marissa's 25th birthday

in order to honor her memory.

Of course June learns a lot about herself throughout this process,

and the book is fairly predictable...

but if you're in the mood for a fun and mindless read,

this is a book for you.

The other book on my reading list is one that Lauren from Simply LKJ recommended last summer...

I downloaded it to my Nook in August and FINALLY got around to reading it on vacation.

Unglued

This book was written for me.

I am having a particularly difficult time with my twin boys right now...

hormones I suspect...

theirs, not mine...

and I find myself losing my temper with them,

frequently,

which then makes me feel horrible.

Her book is easy to read,

she uses examples from her own real life

that I can certainly relate to,

and it's spiritually based and quite enriching.

(which happens to be one of my New Year's resolutions)

I haven't finished it yet, but it has already spoken to me.

GREAT read if you are a mom and run short on patience at times.

What a blessing to have such wonderful blog friends like Lauren,

who share everything from good books to good bargains!!!

What are y'all reading right now?