Day 466's favorite color

Photo by Jason Bernhaut for Domino

I've never been one to shy away from purple, but lately I am positively loving all things plum. Something about it seems just right for this time of the year.

Those chairs look just perfect for napping! And here the color almost functions as a dark neutral, but is more interesting and unexpected than brown.

Southern Accents named it the Color You Need Now in the November-December 2007 issue. "The color works well in moderate doses, such as a sofa upholstered in plum silk velvet or on throw pillows ... In velvet it feels regal; in wool or linen it becomes more relaxed," says Molly Pastor.

Elle Decor

That's not to say that I'll be swapping our brown velvet sofa for a purple one, but it works for Ruthie Sommers! PS -- I have a major crush on that secretary. And Ruthie Sommers, for that matter.

Speaking of throw pillows, this pretty Duralee fabric has just the right amount of plum. I'd make a long rectangular pillow out of it and swap it out between our sofa and our bed.

Day 465's update

As predicted, I've already been changing and updating my fall decorations -- and they've only been up a week! I got to bring home some perishable items (that couldn't live in the prop closet long enough to be reused) from a shoot at work, and they really looked great with what I already had going.

I added some seeded eucalyptus to the pitchers, and it's drying a pale purple, which is fun.


I also brought home a small crop of mini white pumpkins, and lined them up on top of our entertainment center (or as I like to call it, my mantle) with more seeded eucalyptus in between.


I love, love bittersweet, and gladly took some off the stylist's hands when she offered! I didn't have quite enough to make a wreath, but I love how organic it looks in my olive oil jug. I think that would be a pretty arrangement for a rustic fall wedding -- too bad we're already married!

Day 464's clumsiness

Just in time for the holiday entertaining season, I have sabotaged my serve ware stash. In the last month, I have broken three of my favorite pieces! What is wrong with me??


I had one asparagus plate from Pottery Barn, and have been meaning to grab one or two more to have for serving small things at tailgate parties and showers and such. I used it at an out-of-town shower last month, and carelessly left it in my car for a couple of days. Something fell on it from the back seat and broke it, which didn't seem like such a tragedy until last night ...


... when I broke two more of my favorite pieces! We have a massive antique wardrobe in our breakfast room that is great for storing our stemware and big, bulky serving items. There are two closed cabinets on either side and one with a glass door in the middle. When we got it, there were only two shelves for the outside cabinets and only enough brackets to hold one of them.

Several trial-and-error trips to the hardware section at Lowe's revealed that we probably weren't going to find brackets that would fit, so we bought the closest size we could, and added some electrical tape to help them fit the holes. In hindsight, perhaps not the best idea? Then Wes took an old bookcase of his apart to use the shelves in the wardrobe, though they were a couple of inches too shallow. It seemed to be working just fine, and I was happy as clam organizing all of my goodies last night, when one of the top shelves fell and my favorite cake stand and dome was completely shattered!

It was a wedding gift from the staff at Southern Accents, so I really hate to see it go (even more so now that I see the dome is no longer available!).


My wonderful and incredibly useful drink dispenser was on the shelf with the cake stand, and though it was made of heavy-duty plastic, the spigot must've hit the ground first, as it came off and left a nice, big hole in its place.

Luckily, I was standing there (in my bare feet, of course) when the shelf began to give way and I was able to stop it from falling onto the one below, which was also full of glass pieces. And I've got a cut on the bottom of my foot to prove it!

What serving pieces would you hate to do without?

Day 461s family members

Our adopting Maddie in March set off a trend in our my family, as both of Jennifer's sisters adopted puppies over the summer (don't hate us because we haven't posted their little mugs yet). They were planning to get one puppy this fall when they moved into a house together in Auburn, but as we found out with Maddie, when the right pup (or pups) come along (and need rescuing!), you can't say no.

You see, we love dogs (well, all animals) in our family. Jennifer's dad is a veterinarian, and her mom is a lifetime member of the ASPCA. It runs in their blood or something!


Meet Maddie's first cousin, Tullie! Whom the baby sis brought home from the animal shelter near the family lake house. She came with a few "ailments" (drainage tube in the hindquarters, mangy ears, fleas, etc.) But she is all better now and has become the happiest pup in the history of puppies! We think she's probably a Golden Retriever or Labrador Retriever mix. Her and Maddie are the best of friends.


Middle sis Allie fell in love with this little polar bear after a friend rescued her from some destructive owners. Her name is Finley, and we thought she was a Great Pyrenees, but as she's grown we've become less and less sure of the original assessment. She's bigger than both of her cousins, but not to the extent we had first imagined. She looks like a little white teddy bear and has a really funny little personality. The hot Alabama summer was a bit much for her thick coat, so she would cool off by standing in her water bucket (and dunking her face in it, as you can see here). She's very protective of Tullie and doesn't get along with Maddie 100% of the time, but hey, neither do we. (She chewed up one of Jennifer's shoes yesterday and has gotten out of the invisible fence multiple times in the last two weeks.) We'll be sure and throw in some updated pictures every once in awhile.

Day 459

October is breast cancer awareness month. In honor of everyone who has been touched by this epidemic, please enjoy Martha's pink guesthouse.




I think gray and pink is such a great combination, and would make for a chic and sophistocated bedroom for a baby girl.




Love that little chair! It looks kind of like mine.

Day 458

Looks like I'm not the only one with antique shopping on the brain lately. My Notting Hill shared a great-looking shop that has several locations in Virginia, Random Harvest. I love, love, love this tufted sofa, and the semi-symmetrical arrangement happening around it.


Mrs. Blandings discovered this lovely shop, which is filled to the brim with treasures (you're going to want to click to enlarge this image to get the full effect). This gorgeous desk (or one like it) is on our dream list for Wes' office. Pieces like that are just destined to become heirlooms, and are therefore more justifiable in my book. Though I suspect this Italian beauty is much too unjustifiable for our budget.


Eddie Ross and Heather of Habitually Chic took the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market by storm, and each came home with some great finds (including that pair of marble lamps, which Heather scored for just $100).


Joni of Cote de Texas brought back the most drool-worthy images of the week. The shop was so gorgeous, in fact, that it made her want to redecorate. Coming from a woman with a beautiful home, that says a lot, I think! But, you know what they say about the grass always being greener.


Is this place not fabulous?!

Found any great antiquing spots lately? Leave a comment and let me know!

Day 457's fun

Wes had to be out of town over the weekend for work, so he left Maddie and me to our own devices, and we had some fun girly time. We headed to Auburn on Friday night to celebrate my sister's 23rd birthday and tailgate with friends and family before the Auburn-Tennessee game. Both of my sisters have pups that are just a but younger than Maddie, so she really enjoys hanging out with them (and is still pooped two days later!).

On Sunday I piddled around the house decorating for fall. I'm always moving things around so it'll probably change before Halloween, but I like it so far. All it took to spruce up the living room was a fun blue-green-gray pumpkin on a cake stand, and a couple of white pitchers from my small collection (probably inspired by this).


The front of our house is seriously lacking in curb appeal, and I was amazed at how much better it looked with the easy additions of two urns filled with yellow mums and a couple of pumpkins!


We bought these urns at the end of the summer last year, but haven't made much use of them (though not for lack of trying). The cement color was getting a little lost against the gray-green of our siding, so I took care of that with a little black spraypaint. I love the graphic statement they make.

Now if we can just do something with all of that wrought iron ...

Day 454

Photo by Michael Luppino for Country Living

I hope you all enjoy the first offical weekend of fall! I'm going to try to squeeze some autumnal decorating in between all of the football and socializing that I've got planned.

Happy Weekend!

Day 453's kitchen

Our kitchen remodel seems to be getting further and further away (ugh, stupid economy), but that's fine because it means we can really get our thoughts together about what we want/can afford.

I found this beauty floating quietly along in the blogosphere and just had to share. The countertops are honed granite, and the single-basin farmhouse-style sink is flanked by two dishwashers. And those windows!


This new home is outfitted with plenty of classical touches that make it seem more like a carefully restored farmhouse -- but with all of the amenities! I really love the latches on the top cabinets.

Notice the cabinets go all the way to the ceiling. The owner notes: "I am so thankful I stuck to my gut instincts on the kitchen. So many people tried to talk me out of going all the way to the 10' ceiling with the cabinets. Now I have that rare space up top to store holiday items and outdoor entertaining stuff."


In lieu of a traditional island, the homeowners found a slab of oak and had it slightly planed (to make it more level) and then built legs and an apron to support it. Love that. She didn't name her source on the oak slab, but did tell us its location. My best guess is this place.


On a narrow stretch of wall across from the pantry, they added a built-in hutch to house dishes. "We had just enough depth for plates, so it was meant to be. Now the kids can set the table for meals and NOT be in my cooking space. Its so nice," says the homeowner.

I love the bins full of pasta and such, too!


And now a little something for you appliance junkies (ahem, Erika!). When I find out the make and model I'll let you know! Until then, enjoy the pretty vignette above with a cool corbel from an old church.

Day 452's combo

Photo by Melanie Acevedo for Domino

I'm dying for a chest-mirror-lamp combination in our dining room.

Photo by Annie Schlechter for Domino

My mom is dying to know what we want for Christmas, so I'm feeling the crunch to come up with one I like.


I lurve the French Directoire Dresser from Wisteria, but it's a little bit out of the price range. I'd love to find something in bleached wood, but I'm not holding my breath.

Martha Stewart Living

I'm open to something that can be rehabed from drab to fab with a little paint and some new hardware, so here's to hoping my favorite auction will produce something decent before December 25!