Nursery | Man Cave | ElemenOPillows

Did you have a fun Halloween? Holidays are just so much fun with kids…especially because there is always chocolate involved. I like chocolate.  I like it a lot. 

Here are two design boards: a nursery and a man cave. Both were inspired by the black houndstooth pillow from ElemenOPillows. I love how versatile pillows are, and they definitely play a big part in setting the tone for a room. Don't forget to enter the ElemenOPillows giveaway for your chance to win a $50 credit to the shop…just by leaving a comment on this post. 

Linking up to

This Ole Mom

[color kreyv]: Pastels

It may have been mentioned that I might have a slight obsession with white. Aaand...it may be true. But, do not fear, I am not completely voiding my life of color, I still LOVE a good pastel in a kid's space or nursery. Who am I kidding? I LOVE a good pastel, period. Pastel greens, blues, yellows, and pinks? Don't mind if I do!

image from Chalk White Arrow

image from Inside Home Page

image from Julie Goldman via Trad Home

Neutral or Not | Nursery Love

Aren't nurseries just the best rooms of the house? For starters, they include babies, and, as if that's not enough, they also have whimsy, charm, color, and calmness. What more could you ask for? I especially love these three spaces, because of the color palettes and the neutral quality they each posses. Any of these could be for a boy or a girl (or both) just by adding simple touches of feminine or masculine colors and accessories. I can't even decide which one is my favorite, but I am really digging the blue and yellow in the first one (and the floors in all of them). Which one is your fave?

image from Me and Wee

image from Little Green Notebook

image from Design Traveler

Naked Floors

Naked floors: what are your thoughts? I am typically a rug girl every time. I love the way a rug adds texture and defines a space, BUT the natural fiber rug I had in my living before is the wrong size here. It just doesn't work. Normally, this would be a good excuse to buy a new rug, but we might only be here for a year, and who knows what I'll want next?!  So...rather than buy a square rug that would better fit into the space, I think I'm just going to enjoy the floors...the bare, naked floors. After all, if you remember correctly, I had to have this place for the fabulous floors wonderful Mr. Hubs did give up an extra garage space for the great floors. I might as well enjoy them. Every bit of them.

image from Marion Alberge

image from Ty Larkins

image from iVillage

Displaying Children's Books with Picture Ledges

I have wanted to create a book wall for quite some time. We found out we were moving over a year ago, so I thought I might save our walls from additional holes and save Mr. Hubs from patching said additional holes. Plus, it's kind of a need-to-live-close-to-an-Ikea project, because that's where I would buy the ledges. I'm a huge advocate of being able to see book covers. It's the (retired) second grade teacher in me, but let's be honest, it also looks super cute. I can't wait to do this in our next place. 

P.S. I also want the stripes, but we'll save that little bit of good news after Mr. Hubs finishes his boards and gets in a few rounds of golf. Timing is everything.

image from Elizabeth Sullivan Design via House & Home

image from Jones Design Company

image from Sydney Morning Herald

[color kreyv]: Gray

Guess what. The sun came out today. And it was magical and wonderful and delightful and any other good adjective you can think of. Know why? Because it was in my "range." Just ask Mr. Hubs...he kind of has me figured out. This was his response to an email when someone invited us to a football game: Jamie doesn't get invited to outdoor sporting events due to her low tolerance for "extreme" conditions. Extreme meaning slight breezes which may disorganize her hair, high humidity, or slight drizzles which have similar effects on her plus some undesired effects on her make-up, and finally, temperatures beyond her comfort range of 75-76 degrees. It may or may not be slightly exaggerated, but the man knows where I stand.  We have an honest relationship. For instance, I can let him know that he's not that funny when he writes things like that.

P.S. In my defense, this was an invitation to a Packers game. Those are out of most people's comfort range, with the exception of Eskimos and, of course, Packers fans. 

P.P.S.  This post has nothing to do with gray except for the fact that I started out thinking about how happy I was that the skies weren't gray today. Sometimes I get distracted. 

image from Car Mobel

image from Jean Larette Interior Design

image from Sissy + Marley

For the Love. Of Stripes.

How was your weekend? Did you watch the Super Bowl, which in my case means, Did you stuff your face with awesome food and occasionally glance at the commercials and half-time show? Seriously, I think our friends thought I was actually into the football, because of the fact that I started talking about the party months ago. It's all about the food, people. The food. The food that I rarely indulge myself in, and the food that, quite frankly, is better than Thanksgiving. Some people like turkey and stuffing, and some people like chips and dip. Potato, po-tah-to.

In the meantime, I am still loving stripes. Throw in my recent obsession with black, and you get black and white stripes. They're perfect, especially paired with wood tones. Perfection.  

image from Emily A. Clark

image from Crate & Barrel

image from Lifestyle Home

Completely Functional

Know what I do a lot of? Wash sheets. Know what I really don't like to do? Wash sheets. I like to get up in the morning and make the beds. But, Little Miss is still in pull ups at night, and quite frankly, I think she has the largest bladder in the world, because when she goes, she REALLY goes. Sometimes the pull-up contains it, sometimes the sheets need a washin'. My point with all this bladder and pee pee talk is that if I just had two beds, I could really just save myself some time. More accurately, I'd save Stella from sleeping on her bed without sheets when I forget to take the sheets out of the washer. And, let's be honest, two beds is just about the cutest thing ever. And functional. Completely functional.

image from Anne Hepfer

image from Garnet Hill 

image from Amy of Maison Decor via Houzz

[kreyv of the day]

image from House & Home

Stripe Addiction

I love them. I have them on my walls in two different rooms. I have them on hooks. On curtains, frames, and baskets. I would have them on pillows, but I already have them on rugs. I bet you're thinking the same thing as I: I need stripes on my floor. 

image from Veranda

image from HGTV

image source unknown

[so cheap, so easy]: Painted Curtains

That's right. You can pretty much paint anything. And, after painting my rug, everything else seems to be pretty easy. After all, I didn't try to change the color of the curtains, I just painted stripes. (What can I say...sometimes I just have to learn things the hard way!)

My dining room curtains desperately NEEDED to be replaced. This is probably the only time that when I say NEED, it's actually true. Not that I should remind anyone of how bad they were, but if you don't believe me, check them out here. They were sad, sad, sad--wrong color, saggy, the lines were neither cut nor sewn straight...they had some issues (more accurately, I have cutting straight line and sewing issues). My new curtains? I'm happy with these. And, even though stripes aren't that unique anymore, I still love them, and the impact you get for the price of some cheap curtains, paint, and tape...you can't go wrong. Check out the full tutorial at Reckless Glamour. The only thing I would add is making sure you apply the paint generously so that when the sun shines through, you don't have any splotchy areas. I also taped my curtains to the floor to make sure they were pulled tight.

Linking Up At:

How to Nest For Less
Mom on Timeout

[color kreyv]: Black & White

I left my friend's house tonight thinking,"Geez, I talk a lot." On the way home, I called my mom for a quick hello. It was a 10 minute drive, but I talked to my mom for 40 minutes. (Yes, that's our version of a quick hello.) Mom, I blame you for my gift of gab. Karma, sorry I was at your house for so long. It's my mom's fault. I learned it from her.

And now, here are my thoughts on black and white...I know you're just dying to hear what I have to say! I love the simplicity and sharpness of black and white; however, I think it needs some natural elements  and textures to warm it up (i.e. natural woods, baskets, etc.). Otherwise, it can feel stark and cold, and no one wants an unwelcoming house. Unless you don't want people to stay at your house forever. Like I do. Because I can't stop talking. Apparently, I feel welcome almost anywhere.  

image from Houzz

image from Therese Sennerholt

image from My Home Ideas

I [heart] Stripes

LOVE them. I always think I need to change things up, but I always end up going back to stripes. After all, they are a classic. I mean, really, they've been around forever, and they always will be in some capacity. In fact, my WONDERFUL husband is getting me that Olin Black rug from Crate & Barrel for my birthday. He just doesn't know it yet, but he is. Isn't he the best? And, don't think just because I've bought roughly 7,392 rugs that he will oppose. Quite the opposite, ladies. I've worn him down. He just doesn't care anymore. Sometimes the craziness pays off.

image from Crate & Barrel

image from House & Home

image from House Beautiful

[color kreyv]: Coral

In the words of Rachel Zoe (so excited it's on again), "Buh-nan-nuhs." Okay, not proud that I quote her, but she does have impeccable style (wish I had her non-budget clothing budget). Regarding the coral: It. Is. A-mazing...beautiful, love it, want it, etc., so forth and so on. And, don't even get me started on the navy/coral combo...and those entry hooks...to die for! If I bought a house today, I would definitely paint the entry coral. For. Sure. Geez, who thought a few pictures could get me so excited?! For that alone, I definitely need more coral in my house. Apparently, it makes me very giddy!

image from Moffly Media

image from Lynn Morgan Design via Decor Pad

image from Elements at Home

Our Entry(ish)

After an entire year of living here, we finally painted stripes in our pseudo entry way. I love it--I want to wrap my entire house in stripes! Too bad we will get charged tons of money when we move for every wall we paint. I'll have to decide if that might just be worth it, though!

Here's the thing. I've been wanting to paint stripes here forever, but I was just waiting for the right time. Let me rephrase that. I've been wanting Jeremy to paint stripes, but I was just waiting for the right time. Well, the opportunity arrived, my friends.

So, for a few months, Jeremy has been saying that we should buy an iPad. His first tactic was telling me that I needed one. When I didn't go for that, he decided that he needed one for work. (He SO doesn't need one for work.) Well, I actually wanted one, too, and it was tax free weekend in Missouri. What a great excuse to buy an iPad. I went and bought one, and Jeremy was like a little boy on Christmas morning.

Don't worry, I had my fun, too. Let's just say that my Honey-Do list no longer exists. So, though my four stripes may have cost $151.50 each ($600 for the iPad, and $6 for the paint and tape), it was totally worth it. Let's be honest, the real situation is that I have the best husband ever, stripes on my wall, and a brand, new iPad that I get to play with every day while the hubs is at work!

Stripes. The One Size Fits All.

So, I know that all of my pictures are of nurseries, but my point is that my love of stripes goes far beyond, er, something with a lot of stripes. (Forgive me for my lack of creativity. It's late, and I'm sick.) Walls, ceilings, lighting, rugs, pillows...the possibilities are endless. Whether they're in a boy's room, girl's room, living room, or kitchen, stripes are so versatile and timeless. As for these nurseries, they are just adorable!

image from Better Homes and Gardens

image from KFD

image from Wee Decor

One More Place to Decorate

I love these pictures. Of course, the first one is my favorite. I've never seen such a thing! The stairs are often just looked over, but talk about making a statement! I most likely would not carpet my stairs, because I have bad memories of having to vacuum the stairs as a little girl. I hated that chore!

image from Living Etc.

image from design sponge

image from unknown source

Rug Redo: Painting Rugs

Wow, I've been obsessed with rugs! I promise this will be my last post on rugs--for a while, anyway! Ever heard of painting a rug? Well, my curiosity got the best of me, and I tried it. Here's how it went down:

I started with this 4x6 jute rug in sage. I also started with the idea that this would be a little project that would probably only cost about $20. After all, it was only a 4x6 surface, right? Wrong!

To appease my navy mood, I chose a shade of navy. I started with a quart of latex paint (not even close to enough) just to see how this little project would go. As you can see, one coat could not finish the job. I ended up buying another gallon. The fibers of the rug soak up the paint. I painted on the first coat, and then rolled on the second coat. At this point in the process, I didn't know if this would work, but there was no turning back!

When the navy dried, the rug actually looked really good, so I decided to move forward with the stripes. I taped on the stripes and painted them white. I was going for a less formal, faded look with the stripes, so I only did a couple of coats of the white. It took hardly any paint.

I pulled off the tape, and I was quite pleased with the finished product. My little project: $65-$70. I should also tell you that I simultaneously painted another jute rug in orange, but I didn't have enough paint to finish it, so it's upstairs in a closet. I'm guessing it will eventually go to the dumpster! This is typical of a lot of my DIY projects--they end up costing more than buying, or they end up in the garbage (or both)!

Now, the question is, "Would I do this again?" Though I would not cover an entire rug in paint (it took FOREVER to dry), this technique would definitely work if you wanted to add stripes or other patterns to a rug. It would also be a lot cheaper! Important things to remember: use latex paint; use an outdoor, sea grass, or jute rug; and don't try to paint a green rug navy!