It's never too late...

I can't even tell you how nice it was yesterday to actually be able to walk into a bookstore, and pick up a current issue of a shelter mag - in my case, Canadian House and Home. I realize I'm the last person to attend this party, but I've got extenuating geographical circumstances, if you will.

The magazine certainly lived up to its reputation as the latest go-to for the perfect mix of interiors eye candy. ...And, speaking of candy (which we'll all likely be enjoying a bit too much of this Easter weekend), look at the lovely shade of pink on this wallpaper!I'll take my Easter Brunch right here, thank you!

Warrenton Warriors

We went, we saw, we CONQUERED! (and yes, I'm still in gestation mode)
To be honest, my expectations for the excursion were low for a few reasons:
a) We only planned to shop for 2-3 hours (you could easily commit 2-3 DAYS to covering this, and the surrounding antiques festivals)
b) We had Mini-Me in tow. (need I explain?)
c) We had Me (waddling, water-retaining, dilated, Me)

On top of all that, the last couple of times we've been to Warrenton, it seems we see the same 'ol stuff, over and over. It's one of those places where the wind blows in a trend, and EVERYONE seems to hop on it. Since we're attempting to outfit Mary's semi-formal living room in a way that appears it's been culled over the course of years, not weeks, we certainly don't want a lot of look-a likes.

Having prefaced with all that, I'm thrilled to report it was one of the most successful trips we've ever had! You know how shopping karma often works: when you're looking for something in particular (for us, a coffee table, as well as unique accessories), you never find it, but when you have no shopping goals, you find everything you love.

Perhaps we had beginner's luck, as it was Mary's first trip to the antiques festival, but we found an awesome coffee table for her at the very first booth we stalked. Can you say, Done and DONE!?! After that, everything else was just icing on the proverbial cake!

There were also several new vendors carrying a unique selection of wares. Most said they were based out of Atlanta, so thank you, Peachtree natives, for sharing the shopping love!

Quite a bit of Swedish, Belgian/Industrial-Chic was on display... Giant angel wings as statement art? Yes, please!

Half-way reasonably priced Mora clocks and tons upon tons of demijohns. (I especially loved the giant bottles converted to lamps)

If only I had a great bar or table to surround with these fab industrial stools.

One of the new vendors whose booth I could've done a lot of damage in, had I a way to get anything back to Brazil. Check out that terribly impractical gorgeous, white settee! Or that jade green little bureau! Mix those in with some non-trad pieces, and you've got one hell of an interesting space!

There's Mrs. Mary, the Lady who's mission we accomplished (oh, and a linen and nailhead chair-and-a-half my Mom was drooling over!)

Well, what d'ya know - we even ran into my cousin, Lindsey and GF's! Linds is in the first trimester of her first pregnancy, so we had to take a requisite Belly Shot.

And then a fam pic: Mini-Me, Preggo Pumpkin, Linds, and Mom

And, at last, the pièce de résistance: the coffee table. Kind of a strange pic, as they were still unloading the booth, and had random things stacked, but that's it in all it's industrial, zinc-topped glory! It's the perfect foil to Mary's french-ish settee, and works amazingly with the cowhide! Can ya picture it? Then, hold that thought and stay tuned, because this room is shaping up nicely!

It's ON!

With a forecast like this, I simply CANNOT resist making the roadtrip to Warrenton!

Promise of pics, and a full recap on Monday. See ya then!

Bummers...and Silver Linings

Yesterday, a few fabric samples arrived in the mail - one of them being an ikat I hoped to use on the skirted glider in our nursery (oh yeah, remember THAT project?)
The online image made it look just right...

...But, when the swatch arrived, this is what it looked like in person

Ugh. Can you see the sheen it has? Much less true ikat, much MORE granny than I had in mind. Don't you hate it when that happens? Bummer.

How-EVAH, I was catching up on blogs last night, and lo and behold, saw that Jenny is offering to pick up and ship some of this fantastic (and all-too-perfect-for-my-chair) gray and cream ikat. Laaaaa!

Truly, a Silver Lining.

In other news...Please give Jessica over at Lavender and Lilies some love today - she has kindly selected me to participate in her Featured Bloggers series.

And LASTLY...I'm debating whether or not to head to the Warrenton Antiques Festival tomorrow. I try not to miss the twice-yearly offering of all things vintage, eclectic and cool - it's one of my favorite treks. I'm especially driven to go in order to scout some pieces for a room redo, but I'm sitting at 36 weeks prego, dilated to 3+ cm, and having quite a few (what I hope are) merely Braxton-Hicks contractions.
Dare I traipse around open fields for hours on end? My gut says, GO! (And, OB on Tuesday said I'm probably OK) But there is a part of me that wonders if I'll:
a) Be mistaken for one of the grazing cattle
b) Have the sort of fortune that'll cause my water to break with nothing more than a Volunteer Fire Dept. retiree within 30 miles.
What would YOU do? ;)

Teaser

Mary's room is coming along nicely. We were successful in snagging the Craigslist settee I was tipped off about. Rugs, fabric and furniture are trickling in, but, I have to admit, it's all in a state of flux as we assess scale and balance. Anyway, thought you might like a couple of teaser shots...

If you're new here, and wondering what I'm referring to, go here.

Wisteria Lane

One of the nearby homes in my parents' neighborhood boasts an amazing fenceline of blooming wisteria- the arbiter of Spring.

The heady aroma drew me in, camera in tow......And got me thinking about the use of the delicate color in home design. There is perhaps no one better at incorporating the flattering hue than Chicago designer, Anne Coyle. If, like me, you aren't necessarily on a first-name basis with her, you'll certainly recognize her work as pics you've tagged before into your "lovely" file.

Anne takes lavender from a whisper, as seen in this soft-but-crisp living room...

To bold statement, in this entry.

What keeps it from looking too Easter egg-y?
Graphic stops either in form - see those white, Chinoiserie side tables?

Or grounding color - black here.

And my favorite, this unexpected red lacquer Campaign console.

Keeping accessories and art "un-fussy" is another way to enjoy lavender without committing to an overly girly look.

Check out that faux snakeskin coffee table!

But alas, the color 'tis not for everyone - like uncooperative toddlers! ;)

Need an Upper?

In case any of you, like me, could use a little Pick-Me-Up this Monday morning...

Totally. Obsessed.

With the Newport Coffee Table from OOMPH. The price tag, not so much. Seriously, OOMPH, $4200? Let's get real. In the meantime, if you wanna live in my la la land for a bit - check out the myriad of colors, and try, just try to pick a fave - I double-dog dare ya!

I was green-free yesterday...

I guess people don't feel good about pinching a preggo, which is just fine with me! I was a bad St. Paddy's day patron, yesterday, but I had good cause for the lapse - a cut 'n color session with my genius of a stylist. Sure, it takes four hours for her to apply base color, highlights, and then cut and style my mane, but it is beyond worth it, and when it was all said and done, I even felt less pregnant, and these days THAT'S a feat!

However, to make up for the lack 'o green posting yesterday, I thought you might like a glimpse of the chair experiment we're trying for Mary's room redo - which just so happens to involve a lovely, bright green fabric!

When considering seating for her semi-formal living room, Mary fell in love with the Strasbourg chair from Ballard - covered in ikat medallion.

However, selecting two of the chairs would eat up a substantial part of our budget, and that didn't sit well with me (pun intended!)
I want to give Mary the design look she desires - somewhat French-ish chairs, covered in an apple-green ikat, but also want to have enough room in the budget to complete the project...

In doing a little research, I came across this fabric

And, started thinking about less-expensive chairs we could just recover...

enter The Substitute - yes, it is unimpressive as -is, and more Bergere than the initial choice, but we can order Two chairs, adequate fabric, and have them reupholstered all for the price that ONE chair from Ballard would cost. Additionally, it's likely we'll have it all completed in less than the de rigueur six weeks completion time for Ballard. No hating on Ballard here, as I love their catalog, just letting the creative (and budget-friendly) juices flow!

Hmmm....

Beverly Patina Accent Chair

Looks like the O-stock buyers fell in love with Sally Wheat's IT-covered, modern chairs just like the rest of us...

Sally's beautiful sitting room has been a keen source of inspiration for the formal living room redo I'm assisting with, and you must admit, it's rather easy on the eyes! image via cote de texas

DIY Sunburst Mirror

One of my Design Dilemma Divas, Jana, figured out a way to achieve a fantastic Look for Less à la Sunburst Mirror. I think it's a rather brilliant idea, and thought you might appreciate a little how-to as well.

Here's Jana's finished product - not bad, huh? Not bad at All! (Especially when you consider total cost: $25)

...And, here's her tutorial:
First, find an inspirational mirror as your guide (Here, Jenny's via MFAMB)

*Be sure to measure the area you intend to place the mirror.
Gather your supplies:

7 bags of 12" wooden dowels

10" ceiling medallion

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

One 10" circle - 1/4 inch thick wood (a sturdy cardboard would work too)

7" round mirror

Gold spray paint / craft paint

Picture hanger

After assessing the diameter, measure out tick marks so you'll know where to glue the dowels. *Hint: Protractors and an elementary recollection of geometry helps!

Next, glue the ceiling medallion to the front, and paint. Jana used gold spray paint for the base color, then touched it up with gold artist's paint to give the color more depth.

Finally, glue the mirror onto the the ceiling medallion, and consider yourself a genius!