Love :: Louis Vuitton Fall Collection

Daydreaming about a New Kitchen

Casual Dining Room Mood Board

Just playing around today...

Den Ideas

Y'all I'm having a hard time deciding what the den layout should be.  Currently the den layout is like this:

Actual pictures for a better idea:

 

 

 

 

But I'm thinking about rearranging it to look like this:

 

 

... which would require a little extra furniture and decor.  Here's what I'm thinking:

 

 

1. Courbe Ottomans from Ballard Designs - I actually already have these but would have them re-upholstered into a neutral animal print... like leopard.  Love me some leopard print.

2. Coral Herringbone Throw from Serena and Lily - to drape over the back of the couch.

3. Mix and match throw pillows for the couch - I already have two large (20" x 20") pillows in the same fabric as the curtains.  And I ordered (from Summer Classics) some two smaller more neural ones as well as a monogrammed bolster pillow for the middle.  You know us girls in the South, we love monograms.

4. Restoration Hardware English Rolls Arm Sofa

5. Circa Lighting Harper Table Lamps (to be bought)

6. Restoration Hardware Salvaged Console Table (to be bought)

7. Eton Chairs from Ballard Designs - purchased and mailed in custom fabric for upholstery.  LOVE THEM!  Seriously, Ballard Designs does an awesome job with upholstering furniture and I love how you can send them your own fabric with no additional charge.

8. Orange Creamsicle Pillows from Olive and Chloe (not that expensive and reversible!)

9. Restoration Hardware Brickmaker's Table (are you noticing a trend here?)

10. Hayes Round Tufted Ottoman from Ballard Designs (another trend...) - to be bought if this is the layout route I take.  The fabric in the pick is an idea... but I'm thinking an off white linen with maybe some coral greek key trim on the bottom...  Still thinking about this one.

 

I'm thinking that once I get the console table (and table lamps) in there, I can move the furniture around to see if I like the new layout.  Stay tuned.

 

Pedro Garcia Shoes

Y'all, it's been one of those weeks at work.  And you know what I do when I have a rough week.  Shoe shopping! 

 

I just discovered Pedro Garcia shoes - they are fun, cute, and super comfy.  I bought these today:

But have my eye on these (shouldn't be too long - these days are definitely happening frequently):

Renovation Update

I know, I know - it's been quite a while since I posted an update about our home renovation. For the most part we're done.  The interior and exterior are both complete, we've closed out our mortgage loan and refinanced the house.  But, of course, there's still things that need to get done.  The backyard is a disaster - it's dirty (muddy most of the time because of all the rain we've been getting), and the fence is in pieces.  We kept a patio out of the scope of the project, but Winston we can't live like this.  So, the plan is to have a stone patio installed the week of Memorial Day.  Then, we can get a new fence installed.  Ah the joys of home ownership, it's just never ending. 

 

In the meantime, I've been dreaming about my new kitchen.  About a year ago, the entire project was supposed to be a kitchen upgrade + creating a screened in porch on the back patio.  My how a year can change things.  Now, with the recent back room, our current kitchen just looks so small for the house.  Here's how the kitchen looks now:

 

The room in the left part of the drawing was our old den area - now, it sits pretty empty.  For the most part, it's become Winston's playroom (he uses it to gain momentum for running around).  The plan is to convert both spaces into a larger kitchen and a breakfast nook area, like this:

 

 

Doesn't it seem wonderful?  Now, all I have to do is come up with the money to pay for it... :)  It may be a while.

 

P.S. Pics on the design portion of the renovation coming soon.  The back room is really coming together.  The master bedroom not so much.

 

P.P.S. I've gotten some questions about how I create these layouts.  I use a Microsoft product called Visio.  And for the mood boards I've created in the past, I use PowerPoint.  Both products make it super easy to dream up things and put it to paper.

Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie

Y'all this is delicious.  It's about 300 calories.  You get your fruit + some veggies + it's very filling.  Try it!

1 cup spinach
1 frozen banana
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 cup almond milk (I use the unsweetened vanilla - it's only 30 calories!)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp agave (natural sweetener)

Put all ingredients in the blender.  I usually put them in the order listed above.  Press the liquify button - et voila!  Sometimes the frozen banane gets a little stuck so use a spoon to swish it around (be careful not to hit the blades - that could be a mess!).

Note: you can use a non-frozen banana and it tastes just as good.  It's more liquidy if that's your thing.  Otherwise, the frozen banana really makes a difference in the smoothie texture.

Enjoy!