There's an Elephant in the Room

When I ran across this photo, I immediately escaped to a tranquil, restful place. I could just imagine myself lying back on this sofa, reading a good book and daydreaming of all things beautiful!

Although I'm usually not a huge fan of wicker furniture, this elephant table is just too adorable - what a great conversation piece! It adds just the touch of quirkiness this space needed. Oh, and I love the orange side tables for a punch of color, and the sofa pillows add that summery "seaside" touch to the room. All in all, the room is the perfect blend of eclectic, comfortable pieces. What do you think?

Image from Lonny

Welcome to the Neighborhood

We recently had some new neighbors move in across the street. I wanted to welcome them to the neighborhood so I decided to bake them one of my favorites - fresh banana bread. I actually recently posted about this fabulous recipe from The Cake Doctor cookbook- check that post out here. Last night, I whipped up a few loaves of this yummy treat (I had to make some for me and Collin too!) and spent some time this morning wrapping it for delivery. And if I haven't told you before, I love to wrap! It's so much fun and is such a great way to express your own personality.

I hope our new neighbors enjoy the bread as much as we do. One of my favorite things to do is give a "happy" when someone least expects it and to put a smile on their face.

How do you like to welcome new neighbors? Is there a certain recipe or sweet that you like to make for special occassions?

Oh, and it's Friday!! Be excited!!

A Sunbrella Summer

If you're like me, you love a great fabric...and better yet - a great outdoor fabric! I thought I would share some images from my favorite outdoor fabric line, Sunbrella! The company offers a wide range of fantastic patterns and colors for all outdoor applications such as pillows, cushions, draperies, umbrellas and hammocks. The list goes on and on. Of course, you can use them indoors as well, but there is no doubt they will add serious pizazz to your favorite outdoor hangout.

As a side note, I used one of the neutral, solid patterns from Sunbrella for exterior draperies at our front entry (see first photo). They have held up beautifully in the hot, humid and often times rainy MS weather with no fading or staining. I couldnt ask for anything more!
 
What Sunbrella fabrics have you used, if any? What are your favorites? Do you prefer bright, bold patterns or soft neutrals?

Our Front Entry (below)

With exception of first photo, all images from Sunbrella

A Striking Resemblance

I just adore the Perillo Chair by Martin Ballendat for Zuco - a Switzerland based furniture manufacturer. Don't you love it too? It just makes me smile! 

Here are some other views...

(Love this wood look)

I hope you are having a great week so far. Happy Tuesday!

Mountain Weekend!

I had a fabulous weekend and hated to see it come to an end. It started on Thursday evening when my mom, Joe Joe (my great aunt whom I'll talk about often) and me headed to Birmingham for what would be a weekend of a little shopping (well, let's say lots of shopping!), quality time with family and special time with some of my very best friends!

Friday, my mom, Joe Joe and I started the day off at Whole Foods - and man, do I love that place! I picked up a few snacks to take on my "Girls Trip" to Mentone that evening and then we headed to do some shopping. We started off at The Summit and ended the day at the sidewalk sales at Mountain Brook Village. There were some great deals to be had. I found some fabulous things for my Office Renovation project (check it out here and here) and picked up some clothes and accessories along the way too :)

And making the day even better was getting to enjoy lunch with a dear friend of mine, Leighton, at O'Carrs. She introduced me to their chicken salad, and it was wonderful. I wish I had been able to bring some home...yum! Leighton and I are always able to catch up where we left off, and that is what makes a friendship so special!

Friday evening, I headed off to Mentone, AL to stay at a mountain lodge with my best friends from college. We spent the weekend relaxing, snacking on yummy food and catching up for hours on end...just like old times! Saturday morning we indulged in a wonderful breakfast buffet at The Mountain Inn Restaurant at DeSoto State Park and ended the day with dinner at a local spot, Wildflower Cafe. The atmosphere was so quaint, and the food was delicious!

Jessie's adorable little girl, Morgan

This morning, I met my mom and Joe Joe back in Birmingham, did a little more shopping and headed back to Jackson to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. The  weekend was just perfect! Oh, and Collin went to the Mize, MS Watermelon Festival while I was away with his family and took this fabulous photo! Oh how I love watermelon - it's my favorite!!

How was your weekend?!? Happy Monday!

Sunday Surprise

I just found out that I was the lucky winner of the CSN giveaway on Jana Marie's blog, Bonitas Cosas!! If you're not familiar with her blog, you should definitely check it out. As her blog title references, she features beautiful things - especially in the area of fashion and interior design.

Thank you so much, Jana Marie, for the fabulous gift! I am thrilled beyond belief and will definitely be posting about my CSN purchase. As I mentioned on my comment, I've been wanting a muffin top pan or possibly a new accessory or two for my new office space. Hmmm...decisions, decisions!

Guest Blogging!

Today, I am honored and excited to be guest blogging on...

I will be giving some tips that will make every dollar count when designing your next space. If you aren't familiar with Beth's blog, Design A-Peele, you are missing some good stuff...so check it out! I hope you enjoy the post, and as always, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you, Beth, for having me!

Generous Givers!

Well, it seems to be the week for fabulous giveaways! Check out some of my favorites below and go enter. It may be your lucky day!

Cottage and Vine Depuis Giveaway - Enter here!

Green Street CSN Giveaway - Enter here!

The Painted Hive Acorn Apron Giveaway - Enter here!

Mood Change

Isn't it amazing how simply changing the wall color in a space can drastically change the mood? Benjamin Moore Co. recently posted a few photos showing how their paint colors do just that! In addition to their inspiration, I am sharing some other images that show how paint has been used to set the tone. What are your favorite paint colors to use for more intimate spaces? What about for brighter, more open spaces?

Happy Hump Day!

Love these chairs above too!!

Images from 1,2,3,4,5

Bright Beginnings: Office Sneak-Peek

As I mentioned in a June post here, I have been working on an office renovation project. The office space is actually that of my family's business, and I have an office as well. The project is not totally complete (that post will be coming soon I promise), but the light fixture that I ordered for the bathroom came in and looks amazing. It is the Lantern with 3-light cluster from World's Away, and once I decided to go with the Antonia Vella organic-inspired wallpaper, I knew this fixture would be perfect! Don't you think it's a keeper?!

And since I've given you a look into the bathroom of the office project, I will give you a sneak peek into some other areas of the space. Keep in mind, not all furniture and fixtures have arrived yet so there is not much to really show right now. And speaking of not much to show, this business really makes you patient. I have been waiting on some shipments for over 2 months now! Anyway, enough about that...here are some of my favorite pieces.

Painting by local artist, Pryor Graeber;

Jonathan Adler Large Bird Bowl that I posted about here

Table with limestone top found at a local interiors market

Custom lumbar pillows out of one of my favorite fabric lines - Romo

I'm anxious to see the final project but am extremely pleased with it so far. An updated, refreshing office space is so close I can almost taste it!

Keepers of the Kitchen

I was so inspired by Julie's Kitchen Reno Part II and Giveaway post on her blog, Milk and Honey Home, that I thought I would do my own post on a couple of my kitchen favorites. In her post, Julie showcased her amazing kitchen renovation and also asked her fellow bloggers to comment on their kitchen must-haves, favorites and splurged-on items. Check out her post here.

Although there are many things I love about our kitchen, one of my favorite accessories is a French wine basket from a local antique store. Collin and I stumbled upon this unique piece while shopping one afternoon, and it was love at first sight. The basket works perfectly on our countertop and brings just the right amount of french country charm to the kitchen!

As for a kitchen must-have, Collin and I could not live without our gas cooktop with flat griddle. Collin is a killer hibachi chef at home, and we LOVE this appliance. When we bought our house, it was under construction and had a 6 burner gas cooktop - which was great - but we just had to make the change for this amazing 4 burner gas cooktop with flat griddle. It was worth the extra pennies for sure and is great for all kinds of meals - chicken, steak, hamburgers, hashbrowns...you name it!

What is your favorite kitchen appliance and accessory? I would love to see pictures and hear all about them :)

I hope your week is off to a fabulous start!

Me? Really?!

I'm still in shock that I won a fabulous giveaway from Keeping Up with Stella. I must admit that my odds at winning are usually no good so I was super excited to see that I was the winner!  I do not have kids of my own quite yet so you may be wondering why I even entered the giveaway. My answer is simple: I love Marla's blog, have 2 adorable nieces and a nephew that I spoil rotten and hope to one day have kids of my own...plus, I try to support all of my fellow bloggers in every way possible. Not to mention that my sister, sister-in-law and friends keep me up to date on the most stylish baby gear. It's just so much fun!

So thank you, thank you, thank you to Marla and Babylicious for the goodies. I will definitely keep them tucked away until I have a little one of my own. Click here to see what I won!

I'm a Yellow Fellow

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend ahead. I am looking forward to relaxing and hanging out at the house - maybe I can do some cleaning...or maybe not!

Happy Friday!!

I just love this photo below for several reasons:

1) Yellow is my favorite!
2) Neutral base with a splash of color
3) Fabulous side table
4) Floor Basket! (hmm...this may deserve a post of its own)

Can you hear me now?

Now our cellphone conversations can be even more fun! These colorful, retro handsets are from Horchow and Nieman Marcus, and they just make me smile. With this technologically savvy world we live in, it's nice to see a new twist on an old classic.

Plus, it's almost Friday...and that's another big reason to smile!

"I Ain't Afraid of No Ghost"

I just adore, and will always adore, the Louis Ghost Chair by Kartell. It's clean, spunky, simple and has SO much style! Because I love this piece so much, I decided to check out the other chairs that Kartell boasts as their own, and let me just say, they have quite the selection to boast about. Here are some of my favorites!

Of course, the infamous Louis Ghost Chair

Mr. Impossible Chair (love this name!)

Image from Trendir

LCP Chair

Mademoiselle Chairs - covered in fabric!

Image from Apartment Therapy

The Barbie Ghost Chair - so feminine!

Eros Chair

Thayla Chair

Starck Ghost Chair

Image from Peach New Orleans

Frilly Chair designed by Patricia Urquiola

FPE Chair

Aren't they all fabulous?! Happy Hump Day!