Day 562's fun event

I'm back from Atlanta and have so many fun things to share. Not the least of which is an exclusive sale that Lee Kleinhelter at Pieces has invited you to enjoy. Starting today, January 12th, mention The Newlywed Diaries and recieve a 30% discount on all items. The general public won't know about the sale until the 15th, so head in early for the best selection. If you can't make it to Atlanta, ask about their shipping policies. Have fun, and please share your fun purchases!

Speaking of sharing, I'm sure several bloggers were with Eddie Ross at Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta this weekend. If that's you, I'd love to include a link to your coverage of the weekend here. Shoot me an e-mail!

Day 559's fun

I'm headed to Atlanta this weekend for market, a little flea marketeering with Eddie Ross, and some much-needed quality time with a dear friend. Should be one for the record books (or at least the blog!).

Happy Weekend!

Day 558's replacement project

In case you were wondering, I never did turn five yards of plaid fabric into Christmas stockings (I'm sure Lindsay will be quite relieved). I'd still like to make one for Wes (and then do something different for me, and subsequently for every other stocking that will join our family), but 12 months to do so sounds so much more manageable than 10 days, and Christmas 2008 still came and went even though we did not have stockings (oh the horror!).


Now I've got myself wanting something bigger out of that fabric: a pretty blanket with a nice trim. Like this. I even unrolled some of the fabric the other night and sat under it while watching something on TV. Wes laughed at me.

Day 557's new series: designer profile

Today I'm beginning a new series, of sorts, profiling designers I love. You'll probably know many of them, but I'm hoping I can uncover some folks who might be new to some of you. I think it will be fun. First up is Mary Evelyn McKee, who works out of Birmingham, Alabama (where we live!).

I was first introduced to her work exactly two years ago this week, when I started an internship at Southern Accents. Her Birmingham home was featured in the issue that was on newsstands at the time (January-February 2007). Her style is decidedly traditional, always gracious and warm, but at closer inspection, is layered with interesting things.


Her bedroom is one of my favorites. The Fortuny-covered bed (brought from an earlier home -- more on that later) looks so fresh against the walls upholsterd in Peter Dunham's Udaipur.


Wall-to-wall seagrass covers the floor, and a pretty trumeau is propped above the fireplace (oh, the luxury!). In the mirror you can see that a lantern hangs from the ceiling. And I'm sure you can imagine how much I just love that little Udaipur-covered chair -- there was a great shot of it in the magazine.


This kitchen is quite sleek when compared to her earlier work. It seems she is getting away from the super-traditional look, and adding more modern pieces. I love the juxtaposition against her typically-English antiques.


In the dining room, a Chippendale dining set looks great against what looks like raw or pickled wood (the magazine does not list the finish).


Maybe you have seen this image before, as I have seen it scattered around blogland probably twenty times! It is usually attributed to Cottage Living (because it can be found in an application on CottageLiving.com), but it was actually photographed for Southern Accents and is the entry of Mary Evelyn's previous home (also in Birmingham).


The Normandy-style house was finished much more elegantly than her latest home, which I prefer.


Here's the same Chippendale dining set, looking much more formal.


In the kitchen you can really see the evolution of her style. This is quite pretty (and is another blogland favorite) but is very, very different than the Bulthaup kitchen in the new house.


And here's her Fortuny-covered bed again, with the same bedside tables, too. Which do you like better?


Southern Accents must really like her work, as she was chosen to design their Birmingham showhouse (in 2005, I think). The house was featured in the November-December issue, which explains the holiday decorations (which I do know where created by Ray Jordan of Flower Buds here in town). It's a bit hard to tell here, but that nook behind the bench is upholstered and then finished with nailhead trim -- love it! Love this whole room, really.


I love how comfortable and collected this feels. It definitely doesn't have the feel of a showhouse that you couldn't come into and prop up your feet.


Okay, scratch my previous statement, this is my favorite bedroom of all time (blue, of course!). Just enough modern, just enough traditional, just enough perfection. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to go tone-on-tone-on-tone like this -- even the door, moldings, and ceiling is blue!


Love the double front doors and big lantern in the entry, and the diagonal stripe on the carpet in this eating nook.


Here's another modern kitchen, one that is rumored to have caused a stir in halls of Southern Accents. The wood beams on the ceiling humble it a little, I think.


Are you still with me? I know this is getting a bit long, but I couldn't go without showing you this gorgeous bath! Her Web site says this bath is in a "Twenties Tudor" but she did something really similar with a screen in that showhouse. She definitely knows a good thing when she finds it, and she's not afraid to repeat. I also love that she created two identical vanities instead of one massive one.


Here's a bit more from that Twenties Tudor -- of which there are plenty in Birmingham. One of her favorite accent colors seems to be red, a happy coincidence in a house with a red maple by the front door!


If you just can't get enough -- like me -- stop by her Homewood shop (see what I mean about the red?). It's filled with beautiful art, to-die-for custom upholstery, and really fantastic accessories -- like my fun antique bells.

Mary Evelyn Interiors
2815A 18th Street South
Homewood, Alabama 35209

http://www.maryevelyn.com/

Day 556: in need of inspiration

Design by Anne Coyle, as featured in Elle Decor

Wes looked around the living room the other day and said, "you know, I think this one's about finished." And he's right. We've furnished it, painted it, hung curtains, put down a rug, and I'm always adding and taking away accessories here and there, just because it's fun.

The only thing left on my "list" is to hang something above the sofa. We bought a set of four (reproduction) architecture prints on our honeymoon in Charleston and they need to be framed. But how?! I'm not usually at a loss, but framing brings me totally to my knees. For one thing, it's super expensive! But even if I could afford it, I don't think I could decide how to frame them.



I love the frames in this room by Martha Stewart (via Style Court, who happens to be writing a series on framing). I suspect they are antiques, and I'm certainly not holding out for four identical frames in the size we need. Where does one find new frames that look like this? Not at Hobby Lobby, I've discovered. Man, do they have some big frames.


The framed prints in this room (featured in Cottage Living) caught my eye. Wes really likes these so-called floating frames, and though I've always been lukewarm about them, I like the scale of these. OR should I break up the set of four, and do a gallery-style grouping? Oh me, decisions, decisions.

Now it's your turn. Where do you get things framed? What kind of frames to you like? What would you do with our architecture prints Help!

Day 555: celebration

Today is my wonderful husband's birthday! We've been celebrating since Saturday night and I hope he's enjoyed all of the festivities -- he deserves it!


He is nearly impossible to surprise with gifts, partly because he is particular about things, but also because he is sneaky. I did manage to pull of a couple of fun birthday treats: season three of our favorite show on DVD, a subscription to his favorite magazine and these three vintage beer bottles from Sweden. He knew I bought them here while I was out hunting after-Christmas deals, and confessed to scouting the Web site looking for something I may have bought him -- told you he was sneaky!


Lucky for me they weren't listed online, but I did spot them in this pretty photo. I suppose the moral of the story is that I must shop for him in stores that I like in order to surprise him, right?

Day 550: holiday transition

This morning I reluctantly took (most of) our Christmas decorations down. Our neighbors were out early on 26th untangling garland from their porch banister, but us? No sir. I feel like I just finished putting everything up! I did finally decide to put all of the ornaments away, and now we're left with what would make lovely decor for a New Year's Eve celebration (though it's looking like our celebration is going to consist of eating a pot of soup on the sofa).


I always love how the tree looks with just the lights. Or maybe I'm just saving the hardest part -- wrestling the lights off and getting it out the door -- for tomorrow when Wes is at home, who knows?


I patiently waited until the after-Christmas sales before picking up these antique church bells (half off! sweet!) in a favorite store, and I'm just not ready to pack them up just yet. Paired with my mercury glass votive holders, they look quite festive.


On the table, I tucked a few mercury glass ornaments in a footed bowl, along with a card leftover from wrapping Christmas gifts. And you'd better believe I'm turning on our lighted garland one last time tonight!

Happy New Year!

Day 538's pretty

I'm currently counting the hours until my two weeks (!!) of holiday vacation begins! Don't be too jealous though, as my lap top is coming home, and so it a little bit of work. But I will be working from my sofa, so I'm happy to have that ability. I'll be in and out (probably mostly out) and want to wish a very Merry Christmas to those who won't be back around until 2009.

Happy Weekend!

Day 536's garland ... finally.

I was determined to make my own garland this year, and I'm glad I stuck to it. After the lot where we bought our Christmas tree tried to charge us $3 for a bunch of discarded branches of Fraser Fir, I got a little discouraged, but Courtney suggested hitting up the big-box hardware stores. Sure enough, Wes came home from is seemingly-weekly Saturday morning trip to Lowe's with a car load of branches. And all for free, my friends! Thanks, Courtney!

I made the garland by gathering small bunches and wiring them together with floral wire. Then I added them one on top of the other (so that the next covers the wire of the first) and wired them together. Some of the heftier branches were helpful in created a "template" to attach the bunches (Courtney also suggested that).


Hanging it was a little trickier. I made two long pieces and intended to attach them to the door so that the branches went "down" both sides, if that makes sense. But, that turned out to be a little too heavy. Plan B seems to have worked better. I attached the two side pieces to nails on the door frame with twine, then made a seperate piece for the top (also attached to nails with twine).

It's a little wonky, and uneven, but I kind of like it that way! Next year though, we'll have to hang it a little farther from the door, as we are now using the side entrance exclusively to keep from shutting the garland in the door multiple times a day. Oops.

I also made that wreath! It was super-easy, and I followed the same basic guidelines, except attached the bunches to a wire wreath form. And even after the garland on the television cabinet, I've still got some branches left over! I may just have to pick up a smaller wreath form and make one for the kitchen window. Can one have enough Fraser Fir during the holidays? I think not.

Day 535's alternative

Our Christmas tree is definitely not huge. When we were bringing it home, I had a pang of "oh, maybe we should have gotten a bigger one," but as soon as it came into the house, I knew we'd hit our max. Our little 1959 rooms just can't handle a big tree!


The more I see these gorgeous tabletop trees, the more I like them, and I can certainly see their value. After all, our's is bare on the bottom fourth to keep the ornaments out of Maddie's reach anyway (Wes was worried she'd confuse the round ornaments with her balls, but so far so good).


They'd be a great place to really showcase a collection of ornaments that might get lost in the shuffle of a big tree. We have a box of Wes's grandmother's ornaments, and I'd love to have a place to really show them off. Eddie Ross (the second tree) suggests trimming the weaker branches to make room for more ornaments, and it looks like Martha's team employs that strategy, too (the first and third trees).

Photo by Don Freeman for Country Living magazine

And it goes without saying that this is great for a small space. What about you? Do you have a humongous tree? Would you consider giving it up for one of these?