Diary of a College Weekend

There were eight of us that lived together in college (I'll spare you the college images), but we have all stayed in touch over the years and get together for girls' weekends as often as possible. This past weekend topped them all! My dear friend Allison (and old roomie) got married in Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, SC. The entire weekend blew me away. It was the most gorgeous setting and we loved being there to celebrate with the happy couple. And boy did we celebrate. I have tried to make this funny, but I'm too tired and frankly, was funny all weekend, so I'm kinda funnied  out. At any rate... 

She got married at the Palmetto Bluff Chapel yesterday morning. The wedding was intimate and perfect. Tons of hydrangeas and peonies. They said "I do" at 11:30 in the morning which meant, you guessed it, we had all day and night to celebrate. 

 Some of the guests stayed here in the Inn at Palmetto Bluff, others rented cottages. You MUST visit, it's like going back in time. In fact, we thought we were back in college.

 We lounged (passed out) in the afternoon by the salt water pool. 

 We had a delicious low-country dinner in this club house last night and danced until the wee hours. Check out the exposed beams and teak floors. The only color is from the outside surroundings and tons of oil paintings from local artists.

It's like Pleasantville, only with slightly crazier people. 

... Like my husband (left) and BFF's husband (who look like wax statues). Strange I know. They were practicing new poses we learned from the photographer. It was just too good to leave off the post (and they think they are hot). 

 Here we are. Still young and cute (in our minds). Glowing bride in white. Doesn't she look amazing! We are all certainly much more mature, wise and still 21 at heart.  

 Me and the bride. In my mind, my dress was a little more blousey...a little less wife-beater. I was cute, (I swear). That's it! Kids are asleep and I'm off to bed, it's 8:00. I slight reminder that I am no longer in college. Congratulations to Allison and Jim! Thank you so much for including us! We love you!

Bye bye birdie,

~H

 credit to: Palmetto Bluff, Advil

Get out of my bed....

I am writing this blog out of pure frustration. It is 4 a.m. and I should be  R.E.M.'n in my bed. I'm not.... I'm up, my back hurts from sleeping weird, I can only turn my neck slightly to the left and I'm hot. There's a 4 year old in there and she won't leave. She's starting to say things like "our room", and "our bed".

"Move her" -you say. I do... she comes back. She shares my pillow and wakes me with her hot little breath. Her toes fit perfectly between my ribs and I often get slapped in the face with a flying arm. She has a room...

not bad, right? Maybe if she had one of those beds with a tent and slide she'd stay in it...Maybe it's time for a room re-do...

hmmm... something a bit more sophisticated but still fun?....

Could she need something a little  more free to be you and me?

(or do I just need those floors...)

 Perhaps something with an international flare would keep her from relocating every night...

Will I ever sleep again? Will the dark circles go away? Will I always need 3 cups of coffee before its safe to make eye contact with other humans?

It's the third one that is causing my troubles (cute, eh?)

Your comments and suggestions are welcome...Join my mission- "Get the 4 year old out of the bed!"

(we have been known to bungee cord a door shut but that's another story for another day...)

Good night, or Good morning...

Bye, bye Birdie,

~A

credit to: Addie for my sleepless nights, Amanda Nilsbet, Jonathan Adler, Decor Pad

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