Day 685's fun

As we speak, I'm headed to San Diego for five days of family fun. In my absence, I hope you'll come back to hear from three of my favorite bloggers, all who happen to live right here, in Birmingham. I have had the pleasure of meeting Paula, Marianne, and Brooke, and believe me, they are as sweet as they are stylish. And just to whet your appetite, they'll all be be showing a little tid bit from their own homes -- who doesn't like to see a bit of inspiration at work?!

Happy Weekend!

Day 684's lovely party

Check out Martha's beautiful peony gardens. Can you imagine?!


Last year she hosted a garden party to celebrate their arrival. Beautiful!

Day 683's further inspiration

Are you tired of hearing about the guest bedroom yet? I hope not. I wish I had some more progress to report, but so far all I've managed is to clean out and organize the closet and get the mattresses set up with new white sheets. Progress is progress, right? Oh, and I found more pictures with my "color scheme," so I made a little idea board. It serves absolutely no purpose, but it's pretty! {click on it to get a better look}


I couldn't justify spending $60 on any of the lamps I saw at HomeGoods last week (this was supposed to be a budget-friendly project!), so we hit a few yard sales on Saturday morning (which might be my new favorite hobby) and hoped for the best. I bought this bright green ceramic lamp for a whopping $1, which proceeded to fall of the seat of my car onto a cute little black planter (it set me back 50 cents).

I was kind of bummed, because the planter looked like my beloved basalt pitcher. I gorilla-glued it back together, but didn't take any pictures of that process because I was afraid I would glue my camera to my hands! Did glue some hairs together, but that's no biggie. It's not perfect, but it'll work!

Day 683's K/BIS favorites

I took about a million pictures of this sink at K/BIS, but now that the press kit has arrived in the office with such beautiful photography, I love it more!


I've also tacked this one up on the walls of my cube. Is it weird to have a toilet on your wall? I think probably yes, but oh well.

Day 682's request for help

My dad is taking my sisters and me to San Diego this weekend on a last little mini-vacation before 2/3 of us are married. Have you been? Or better yet, do you live there? What should we do? Where should we eat? Any suggestions you have for fun little outings or local-favorites will be appreciated! Thank you in advance!

Day 682's lovely bedroom

I believe I have posted this bedroom (by Nicholas Haslam) before, but I recently came across images of the rest of the room and had to share. I've been drawn to darker, more intimate rooms lately, and this one fits the bill.


This might be my current favorite bedroom. I love the headboard, the chests used as end tables, the grasscloth on the walls, the lamps, the plaid ... all of it really.


Especially the french doors out to what looks like a little courtyard. Heavenly!

Day 681's peonies

Courtney has been on top of the Peony Watch in Atlanta, and after seeing that they were in on Friday, I couldn't help but make a little detour to our own Whole Foods just to see. The floral department was a little crowded with early Mothers' Day shoppers, but sure enough, there they were.


None of the buds were open, so I knew I'd get my $11.99's worth.


Now that they've opened, they look spectacular in my basalt pitcher (and they smell great, too!).

Day 678's pretty

Photo by Lily-G

We're looking forward to a quiet weekend, doing a few things around the house, and, of course, taking some time to let our moms know how wonderful and special and loved they both are.

Happy Weekend!

Day 677's HomeGoods jackpot

I went to HomeGoods and TJ Maxx last night (yard sale cash in hand) to look for some things for the guest bedroom. I didn't find everything I needed, but did find lots of things I didn't need.

They usually have great pillows, but I always check the clearance rack for the ugly ones on sale. If the cover is removable, you can get a great pillow form -- usually down, too -- for next-to-nothing. My latest find is a lumber-sized down-filled pillow for $5!


The rug racks were open and this one was beckoning me with a siren's call. I don't often find rugs I like, and this one is perfect! And $150 is not-to-shabby for a hooked wool rug of this size.


It's so pretty I can't even stand it. Color looks a little weird here. It's a few lovely shades of blue-green -- my favorite!


I never have much success in the lamp section, but I could have happily taken home a half dozen last night. This glass jar with the cork lid and linen-look shade is cute.


So are these ribbed glass spheres with navy shades.


And these white ceramic ones with the gray drum shades. Love them! Would have to displace other beloved lamps to find a place for them at the moment.


I always check the baskets, too. We have a very shallow little closet next to the hall bath which is a total hazard to open, as all of our spare bottles and things are perched precariously inside.


I've had my eye on this little blue-green table with the metal detail, but again, really no place for it. A steal at $40.


And speaking of apple crates, how cute are these planters? They are actually intended to be planters, with drainage holes and everything. The darker stain was especially pretty.


Then I headed next door to TJ Maxx and was surprised to see several Dash & Albert rugs. There were a couple of cute little cotton ones for $12.99 and a couple of indoor-outdoor rugs in a larger size. I couldn't believe my luck when I found the one Wes wants for his office for more than 50% off retail (had to bring that one home -- surely you understand!).

Maybe you can offer a happy home to some of these fun things (except the rug, unless you plan to gift it {just kidding [sort of]}). What are your favorite discount store scores?

Day 676's thought

Photo by Erika Powell

Apple crates (though perhaps these are more like barrels) as planters. Of course, I'd need something inside to hold the actual plant, but that could be inexpensive, and they wouldn't have to look good, or match.

Photo via Brilliant Asylum