Passing on a few great ideas....

If you read my post titled Spring Entry: Adding Touches of Color, I mentioned that I drew inspiration for this re-styled entry from several pinterest and blogger ideas:

 
I let Pam, over a Simple Details, know that the styling of her emerald green dresser makeover influenced some of my decisions.  Her is a peak at her dresser:

(please pin image from her blog)

Create a Simple Magnetic Chalkboard

I recently put together a magnetic chalkboard for my son to use in his room (full tour here) that was really simple to create:
 

The artistic renderings were done by my husband during play time....not me.  I'm not really that talented.  I purchased each of the necessary materials over time without a real purpose in mind......

Spring Entry: Adding Touches of Color

A few years ago, I decided, happily, to remove bright and bold colors from most rooms in my house - with exception to the boys rooms.  This winter I finally reached a happy place in line with my vision of many layered neutrals. 

....and then - once again, I felt a shift.....I noticed that I was pinning, to Pinterest, rooms with splashes of bold colors again and again.  I'm still drawn to very neutral rooms, but I thought maybe I could reach a happy medium. 

So, I decided to add some bold color into my life.  Luckily, with the neutral wall colors and furnishings we have, it wasn't too hard to follow my whim and add touches of color.  So, for this spring, I've decided to add some splashes of color into our home through accessories and plants.

Nautical 1st Birthday Party

This past weekend we celebrated my youngest son's first birthday with our family:

Here is the birthday boy; he's a happy little guy:

To plan the party, I made it easy and chose the theme and colors I used in his nursery:

Arrow Valentine's for my Pre-Schooler

This year I needed to pull together Valentine's for my son to pass out at pre-school.....

....ok, so maybe his class passed out Valentine's last year, too, but I was three days away from delivering our second son, so I may have forgot to send something with him.....

...so this year I'm trying to make up for that, I suppose....

Surprise Valentine Spa Day and Getaway

Last Thursday, my husband surprised me with the news that he had planned a spa day, dinner, and hotel stay for us downtown in the city.  And oh yeah....we were leaving the next morning at 10 am!  Today I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite pictures from our getaway at Allyu Spa and Hotel Monaco.

My Ikea Dining Room

Who DOESN'T love IKEA lately?  I know, I know, the parking lots are HUGE and always jam packed, the product names make me feel like I need a translator to simply ask for help locating an item, I can only hope and pray that I find my way out of the maze they call a store - god help me when I have to double back for something I missed - and once I locate an item I'm seeking on the showroom floor, fingers crossed it is in stock once I finally make my way down to the warehouse. 

I'm tired just thinking about it.

With all that said, their prices and great design make it all worth it, in my opinion.  I tried my hand, for the first time, at using Olioboard to create an IKEA reproduction of a dining room I'm kind of crushing on, and that I found recently on Pinterest (follow me!).  Here is what I came up with:

...and here is my inspiration....

Tiffany Eastmant Interiors

Here are a few other dining rooms that are similar and helped inspire my design:

Camera Upgrade!!!

After much debate, I bit the bullet and upgraded to a DSLR camera....

Breathtaking Vistas and Our Stay in the Amalfi Coast

I recently came across a post by Michele at Hello Lovely highlighting her stay at this beautiful apartment while in Paris.  After reminiscing with her, my mind kept wandering back to one of my favorite all time trips.

In 2007, two years after I was married to my husband, we were lucky enough to travel to Italy - a prerequisite of mine before there was any talk of children!  I, correctly, assumed that once our little ones were here, romantic trips to far away places would likely be a thing of my dreams.  Luckily, I had the chance to visit the Amalfi Coast, because it is literally the place that dreams are made of with its soaring cliffs, breathtaking views of the Mediterranean, and enchanting atmosphere. 

My favorite stop of the Italy trip - although I enjoyed it all - was in Positano, a seaside town situated amongst the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast.  The Amalfi Coast, a stretch of coastline and series of towns, is on the southern coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula in Southern Italy. (Wikipedia, baby :))

The photo above is the perfect characterization of Positano: cheerful, colorful, charismatic buildings built into the rugged and soaring cliffs of Amalfi. 

Six Ideas to Update the Living Room

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4614057/?claim=f57jkbwhfmz">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

I was suprised to see that yesterday I reached 100 e-mail subscriptions to the blog!  I never even considered adding that as an option until someone requested it!  Thanks so much to everyone who stops by here.  :)

Looking through pictures upon pictures of my own home brings to the forefront of my mind all of the changes I want to make!  Don't get me wrong, we've come a long way since we first purchased our home.  However, I'm ready to add the finishing touches to our space.

First Stop:  Living Room.

#1 Shoji White by Sherwin Williams / #2 Safi Rug, West Elm / #3 Ivory Velvet Drape, Pottery Barn / #4 Cleo Table Lamp, Crate and Barrel / #5 Modern Art via

Our basics are in place: seating, media table, side tables, and ottoman.  We also have a lot of pillow and throw options available (I just shop from other areas of my house).  So here are several ideas I've considered to create a finished look for our living room.