I drooled on my keyboard...

I drooled on my keyboard when I saw the most recent Lonnymag online... I am sure you all saw it but I have to play by play it for you anyway...

My house looks nothing like this one, but something about this look draws me in every time. The designer describes this house as casual luxe. hmmmm... I would describe my house as hand me down random! The designer also stresses good design uses lots of JUXTAPOSITION (that's Hooper and my word of the month) That would explain the Victorian lawn chair with the skull above it... but seriously, it does work!

I LOOOOVE the living room and the hanging bubble swing chair. Arc lamp, wallpaper, cool art randomly hung, tons of light... I'm packing my bags now!

So I did scratch my head over the kitchen a bit. I love the painted ceiling, the light and the yellow dishwasher. But practically speaking- I was not that into the fabric around the island. My kids would see that as a giant hand towel and wipe EVERYTHING on it. But on the flip side they would no longer use their shirts as napkins so we might have to sacrifice the island skirt to save the shirts. hmmm....

Ok, so for years I have wanted this Graham and Brown wallpaper. It has been in the Land of Nod catalog forever. I have always wanted to use it but never trusted that it would be cool up. Thought it had the potential to get trashed but I am really diggin it here. It is so fun and looks great with art and such displayed on top. So I am officially re-thinking this wallpaper. (not sure for where...)

So when I (virtually) turned the page to see this nursery I gasped. My mom's room growing up had this pattern on curtains. When we sold my Grandmothers house I took the curtains and have kept them hoping to do something with them. It's amazing as wallpaper. This nursery is so fun with all the modern elements surrounded by that vintage paper. (cute baby too...)

I saved my favorite for last... The old laundry cart bar and the trailing plates. My only concern is that bar has wheels and a lamp on it. We had an ottoman with wheels once... It was ridden and crashed into everything  imaginable. That lamp doesn't stand a chance...

So rush off now and check out Lonny... It never disappoints Happy Monday!

Bye, bye Birdie,

~A

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Off to Disney We Go!

So tomorrow we leave for Disney World! My very generous in-laws are taking the entire family. Check out the shot of me above when I found out. Ok, so that's not really me. She looks a little awkward and I'm much more graceful than that, plus she isn't wearing yoga pants and is in a field which looks buggy, so... 

 At any rate, I can hardly contain myself. The last time I went to Disney they were building Epcot. I'm thinking it's changed a little... Plus, surely that wasn't that long ago. 

Oh wait, the kids... So they are excited too and are on their best behavior because I have Mickey on speed dial (seems to work better than Santa). I say things like... you must not want to go to Disney...why don't I call a sitter that can keep you while we are in Disney... and the kicker...if you feel too bad to go to school, you must feel too bad to go to Disney. 

I'm sure you are wondering what this all has to do with interior design (this is not a blog about bad parenting). Well, 

The Rug Market has taken a cue from the amazing drawings of Walt and created some killer rugs.

(This one is even outdoor!)

(This one is outdoor too!)

(Isn't this one incredible?) 

 The rugs reflect the vibrant colors, depth and pattern from the original Disney artwork...beautiful and not at all contrived. Check them out here. For those of you that have been to Disney (since they built Epcot), please send me your favorite stops and suggestions so I  er um the kids can have the time of their lives.


Bye bye birdie...
~H


credit to: The Rug Market, Walt Disney

Where have we been, you ask?

So, I know we have been M.I.A. but we have been working on a project that is very near and dear to my heart. My sweet sister-in-law and my brother tried (unsuccessfully) for years to have a baby. I'm so thankful they couldn't get pregnant because it lead them to my precious niece, who they adopted almost 4 years ago. She is the cutest little  girl you have ever seen with "strawberry shortcake hair" and huge blue eyes. I truly adore her.

They were out of town when they got the call from the adoption agency that they had been chosen as the parents. Luckily for me, they were out of town and I do LOVE a surprise, so I loaded up the pickup truck and headed to Raleigh. I persuaded the dog sitter to move out for the weekend and took over. They had no idea, but I decorated my (soon to be) niece's room without her parent's knowing about it. Here are some shots of the nursery.... Wish I could post the video of them walking into their new room, but macho brother would be mortified. Suffice it to say that the reaction was Extreme Home Makeover starring blubbering macho brother and hysterical, hyperventilating mother-to-be.

So their story gets even better, my sister-in-law (who is evidently unable to have children) miraculously gets pregnant with my nephew who will be 2 this weekend. He is adored and equally cute and looks much like one of my twins, so I'm partial. Now, when they have one of each and are perfectly happy and content, God has another plan... introducing miracle # 3.... She's not here yet, but is in desperate need of a brand new nursery. I was honored to create a space for my new niece (only this time her parents knew about it). We started with this fabric....

This medallion fabric is going to be made into a chair but it's not quite ready...

 

We threw in a rug and hit the road to do the install. When we arrived, we discovered a queen size bed we hadn't quite planned on using, but frequently visiting aunt decided to work it into the room. Hmmm. Need bedding and headboard quick. Think.

Riddle: What do you get when you mix me, Ann and 8 wooden Homegoods panels? 

 Answer: A $100 headboard and two geniuses. OK (according to Read), two idiot savants, but still. Pretty good huh? We fastened them together with double sided tape, and with a laser level, hung each row as a unit, reinforced with drywall safe 3M wall hangers for easy removal. 

 There is lots more to see, but not until it is completely finished! No peeking... we'll give you a tour just as soon as it's done. 
Bye bye birdie...
A&H

If we told you, we'd have to...

It's not that we like giving death threats but every now and then we stumble across a source so great that we just can't tell you about it... (if we told you, we'd have to kill you) We do not want any blood shed in blog world and certainly not on our hands...

We just got these swatches in and they are AMAZING! The whole site is delicious and in our heads we have both redone our houses with these fun, punchy, cool vibe fabrics. We can't wait to show you where we use these...

Unfortunately, not here. We didn't get this chair (remember at my fave. junk shop with a sold tag on it... I was in mourning for months...just stopped wearing all black...remember?) Even though we didn't get it, I still think about it...and how killer it would look in one of those fabrics- in the right spot of course!

(a.k.a. my house)

 We hope your weekend is fun, punchy and with a cool vibe too!

Bye, bye Birdie,

~A & H

credit to: (you thought we'd slip up!)

You're Invited...

Who doesn't like love jewelry? Colorful, playful pieces that make a bold statement... perfect for Summer or as the ultimate accessory. So, you ask, what does this have to do with interior design? Not much, except for the fact that tonight, I'm hosting a Stella & Dot party at my house. 

 Wednesday, June 1

905 Twisted Oak Place

Wilmington, NC 28405

Stop in from 6-8 pm

Please, please come and bring friends! I promise beautiful jewelry and fun conversation. So, again I ask, what does this have to do with interior design? I found some of my favorite pieces from current and past Stella & Dot collections and while surfing the internet working, I came across some pretty fabulous and inspired rooms and as it turns out, the two have A LOT in common.

I love the kelly green and small pop of coral in this Garden Party necklace. Wouldn't it look great with a white sun dress? 

I could throw it on, on my way out of my fresh and fabulous bedroom...

Ok, so an interesting color combo for sure. How would a room look done in these colors?

 Pale pinks, shades of plum and ivory. Reminds me of a Neapolitan bowl of ice cream. Yum.

I adore this cuff. I'm thinking I'll wear it with white jeans, a turquoise tunic and some sandals (right after I buy it at the show).

I can sport it when I prepare a funky dinner party in my cherry kitchen.

Or, stack on some of these leather bangles when I'm feeling more mellow and quite cool...

and entertain some of my edgier friends one night with red wine and tapas. See? I'm just so versatile. I have no idea what pieces I will actually buy at the show because I love them all! Hope you can make it!
Bye bye birdie,
~H


Credit to:  Stella & Dot, Diamond Baratta, House Beautiful, Apartment Therapy

Happy Memorial Day...

Memorial day is the (un)official begining of summer as labor day is the (un)official end to summer. But yall know by now that I like little history lessons and facts. So here goes... Memorial day began in  Charleston, South Carolina (one of my favorite places on Earth)in 1865. Freed slaves built a graveyard for Union soldiers that had died in Charleston. And on May 1, 1865 up to 10,000 freed slaves (including women and children) visited the graveyard for sermons, singing and a picnic. This was the first 'Decoration Day' celebration that we now know as Memorial Day.

We celebrate by heading to the beach... And on Thursday, Jeff(sweet hubby), called me to say we were staying at the beach for 2 nights!

He must of realized he'd be visiting my grave soon if he didn't get me away from the house and life for a few days...So we packed up and left town..um, er drove over the bridge 15 minutes from our door... (We are counting that!) We had a blast! I even got the annual forced family fun photo of the kids on the porch. I take this picture every year and every year you would think I was asking them if I could chop their arms off. Only took 300 pics. to get this one!

Friday night my cute bro. and his family joined us on the beach for a competitive game of soccer... (we smoked them...it was sad really...)

Anyway, here's a family shot after the soccer game- AFTER I ran up and down the beach for 30 minutes trying to be the cool active mom... I'm not really in to sweating or feeling like I need an oxygen tank strapped to my back for survival... let's just say in this picture I'm glistening and breathing great on my own!

Tonight we will finish off the weekend with a cookout and if I get my way, bedtime for all of us by 7:30!

How about you, any big plans?

Hope your weekend has been great...

Bye,bye birdie,

~A

credit to: Wikapedia

Barn Sale Recap

We promised some pictures of the barn sale. It was a big success and I promise, after this post, we will not talk about it anymore, but a promise is a promise! We had so many great things and thought you might like to see some of the inventory.

 Lots of fun accessories... can you spot the white cane chair in the background? You can see the chair before the facelift here.

Stay tuned, we had some hot selling pillows that might show up very soon as a give away! Happy Memorial Weekend!
Bye bye birdie,
~A&H

Craig and I, so happy together

I always seem to get in trouble when my husband goes out of town. I venture onto Craig's List to have an affair with my long-time love, Craig. Sounds very dirty, but we've actually never met. We spend hours together and I often get lucky. Really lucky.  Last time my hubby went away, I bought the ghost chairs. Remember? My strategy was that since they were clear, he may not notice them. They are practically invisible. Well this time, I came across something that I absolutely could not, would not sleep until it was in my possession. 
Look what I found...

 No joke, it is not resin. It weighs about 3,000 pounds (quite heavy with no hubby) and it came with the glass. I don't always tell my secrets because I like to remain mysterious. OK, twist my arm. It was $350. It is so beautiful that I can't even cook dinner because I get so carried away looking at it. 

 Real wood, driftwood, with a gray/ivory wash. I'm telling you, it is stunning. My husband is now home and has still hasn't noticed. Yep, that's why I married him. 

My children have noticed because they like to smear yogurt, peanut butter and sticky stuff all over the glass at every meal. Oh and the crevices in the weathered wood now hold tons of fruit loops which evidently are the perfect fit. None the less, we are in love....
Bye bye birdie,
~H

Congrat's Liz!

My friend, Elizabeth Redenbaugh, will be accepting the Profile in Courage award this morning. She is in Boston as one of two recipients of the nation's most prestigious awards for public service. I wanted to tell you all how extraordinary she is and tell her how proud I am of her today! She is being honored for standing up for what she believes in and inspires me every day. Congrats Liz!

Now, moving onto less important issues, but super important in design blog world, our Barn Sale was a success. Tons of people came and we had to part with some of our favorite items. You know, the one's we bought secretly hoping they wouldn't sell, but told husbands they were for the barn sale, so not to worry... 

Ann was devastated when "her" Sputnik lamp sold to style girl, Jess James. If you love something, set it free, right? Jen's bags were flying out the door...

And people were coming right off the beach to join in on the fun. More pics and details to come... off to bed, I haven't slept in a week.

Bye by birdie,

~H

Top 5 Reasons you should come to the Barn Sale...#1...

Because...YOU CAN! Come if you know us...come if you don't know us... bring a friend...have some wine...Visit with Hooper, Ann, Sissy or Jen (trust me the entertainment alone will be worth the trip over the bridge!)...check out all the fun things we have been collecting...

...this base has a glass top and makes a 30x30 coffee table...I snuck in and took the hide tray WE BOUGHT FOR THE SALE out of Hooper's living room and tagged it...

Also... I have these lamps (only mine are white with a cool base shape & pagoda shades!) These are $250 on Circa Who and to quote Sissy "lucky for you we were not smoking crack when we priced things"...

Anyway...should be a good time and a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

 See you tomorrow!

Bye,bye birdie,

~A&H

credit to: Circa who, Sissy...