Honey We're Home

Organizing & Cleaning Tips from the I Heart Organizing Team

2013-06-18T07:11:00.003-05:00

Thank you so much for the kind words on how James' book nook turned out! I finally got a chance to see what everyone else came up with and I must say there are some pretty lucky kids out there with very creative mamas! You can vote daily until June 23, 2013 and the winning blogger gets to give one of her readers a $500 gift card to Pottery Barn!

VOTE HERE!

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If you're looking for answers to some of your most asked organizing/cleaning questions head on over to I Heart Organizing to see the I Heart Team's Answers. We tackled everything from our favorite organizing products, how we organize our kid's art supplies, our organizing/cleaning routine (including laundry, and counter clutter)!

Photo Credit // I Heart Organizing Contributors

p.s. working on the blog's technical issues today! :/

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Pottery Barn Kids & PBS Kids Reading Nook Challenge (Vote to Win $500 to Pottery Barn)

2013-06-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! As a huge fan of Pottery Barn Kids and PBS Kids, I was delighted to join in a Reading Nook challenge where I was asked to create an inviting kid-friendly space in my home with Pottery Barn Kids goodies. Five other bloggers are participating also and YOU get to vote on the Book Nook you like best. The blogger who created the winning space will get to give one of her readers a $500 gift card to Pottery Barn. I hope y'all like what I've created and that one of YOU wins the gift card! You can cast your vote on Pottery Barn's new blog, Building Blocks.

I found lots of inspiration for my design via Pinterest and created an inspiration board you can find HERE. The products I chose to work with are pictured below:

Canopy * Bean Bag * Bookcase * Rug * Lamp * Galvanized Magnetic Board * Books * Dalmatian Bookend * Glow in the Dark Star Decals

You might remember that, just before the challenge began, James' room looked like this (after clearing out most of the furniture):

And after incorporating the items from Pottery Barn Kids, he now has a perfect little reading nook to call his own.

The inspiration for the reading nook began with the blue and white stripe Rugby Play Tent Canopy. Not only is it a super-cool place for a kid to hide away for some reading time, it makes a bold statement in the room. It's made of durable polyester and is really sturdy. We hung it from the ceiling with a small hook.

A Dr. Seuss quote fits well with the space and is framed just outside the canopy. I simply printed it from my computer. Instant, inexpensive art!

For cozy seating, inside the canopy is the Red Madras Anywhere Beanbag. James is about 3 feet tall and fits this chair perfectly with room to grow. The Chenille Jute Stripe Border Rug ties it all together and is really soft.

I added some pieces from our own house to the nook as well. We are fortunate to have an old (vintage??) red wagon that belonged to James' dad as a kid that is still in pretty good shape for being over 30 years old. After a good washing, it doubles really well as added book storage.

The big star bucket holds extra pillows and blankets for super cozy-time inside the canopy.

I liked how the star bucket mimicked the awesome glow-in-the-dark star decals we put on the ceiling. They really do light up the ceiling like the night sky when the lights are out!

Opposite the canopy is the Pottery Barn Cameron bookcase in white. I'm so pleased with the quality of this furniture- it has a sold wood frame and was easily assembled in about 20 minutes. I like to keep books as well as colorful decorative objects in the bookcase for added visual interest.

On display is part of James' favorite train set from his Great Grandma on top along with the Solid Task lamp in red.

The bookcase holds lots of books and I included a wire basket that can easily corral the smaller board books. Making a label that James can "read" was easy with computer clip art and a laminating machine. It also makes clean up easy since James knows exactly where the small books belong.

I adore this Dalmatian bookend. It's surprisingly solid and keeps the books upright. So cute!

The Galvanized Magnetic boards are perfect for showcasing James' current art projects and I love how doubling them up increases the impact in the room. The "GROW" sign is meant for a garden, but I thought it was completely cute and appropriate for a child's room.

As you can see, James loves his little nook and "reads" in it everyday. He even watches his PBS Kids shows on the iPad in there. We especially love Super Why and I swear it has given him a head start on learning to read. I hear the catchy ABC song in my head as I type . . .

Now for the fun part, YOU get to vote on which blogger's Book Nook you like best. The winning blogger will be giving away a $500 Pottery Barn gift card to one of her readers! You can vote once a day until June 23, 2013. Thanks! :)

VOTE HERE!

I Heart Michael Kors

2013-06-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

My crush on Mr. Kors is pretty obvious and his summery collection of tan leather heels and wedges are perfection- he really nailed the color. I've been looking for a two-tone watch for awhile now and this one is simple and pretty. May have to indulge- after Father's Day, of course. Hope all the Dads have a great Father's Day this weekend!

1 // Josephine Sandal

2 // Giovanna Wedge

3 // Brayson Sandal

4 // Jet Set - Medium Travel Tote

5 // Slim Runway Watch

The Brayson Sandal makes me so tall (and I need all the help I can get)- but they are actually really comfy and easy to walk in.

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Quick & Fresh Summer Dinner

2013-06-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Are you getting into the summer groove yet? Our temperatures are rising and we're seeing longer days and lazier weekends. Cooking feels lighter and I'm craving all things fresh right now.

I'm loving this easy summer dinner so much that I've had it twice in the last week! The recipe for the chicken marinade and tomato/avocado salad is at Honey We're Healthy if you're interested.

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Keeping Bathroom Towels Fresh

2013-06-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Last week, I finally tackled a simple project that had been nagging at me for months. We switched our towel hooks for towel bars so that the towels could dry better between uses and stay fresher longer. I like the look of towels hanging from hooks, but it seems that they go "sour" or mildewy because they don't air dry as well if they aren't laying flat.

I chose an inexpensive, modern looking towel bar from Target.

I like how they include a template so that you are sure to hang the bar straight. Taping the paper template up with wash tape makes sure no damage is done to your cabinet/wall when the tape comes off.

The towels still have a bit of bunching at the top, but it's better than before. What is your tip for keeping towels fresh? How many times do you use your towel before you wash it? I think I probably use mine 3 times. James' little towels probably get washed once a week.

Dr. Oz said that you should clean towels two times per week or after every 3 uses. Bacteria loves to hide in dark, wet places like a towel. When your towel gets smelly, it is because of the bacteria growing on it that lives off of dead skin cells. Yuk! I have heard that adding about a 1/2 cup of vinegar to the detergent dispenser keeps towels fresh and soft too.

I picked up a couple new towels and hand towels when I was shopping for the towel bar. I dig the color and pattern. They are from the Threshhold collection, but only available in store.

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Outfit Planning for the Week

2013-06-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hope you are relaxed from a great weekend! I spend the better part of mine getting James' book nook ready and photographing it for the Pottery Barn Kids & PBS Kids challenge that goes live on June 17. The blogger who creates the winning space gets to giveaway a $500 gift card to one of her readers, so I hope that's one of YOU! :)

Here's a sneak peek I posted on Instagram and Twitter (@honeywerehome) on Saturday. James is really enjoying it! You can check out my Pinterest book nook inspiration board HERE.

Last night when I was picking out my clothes for the week, I realized I'd never shared that organizing tidbit with you and wondered if part of your Sunday night routine includes this too. I only take about 15 minutes to choose the outfits and if I'm ambitious, I'll include some accessories too. I put everything together on a rack at the back of my closet. This saves so much time in the morning where I could be standing in a closetful of clothes with "nothing to wear."

I put the outfits in order from Monday to Friday, but may not necessarily end up wearing them that way. I try to plan for business meetings or days when I need to be extra dressy or really comfortable.

I do this with my son's clothes too. He's dressing himself these days though!

Sunday evenings are full of weekly preparations around here, including folding and putting away laundry while watching cooking shows (quirky habit), laying out clothes like above, getting James' snacks ready for the week (chopping fruit and portioning out), and mapping out the week in general on my calendar.

Are you doing this on Sunday evening too or are you relaxing by the time Sunday night comes around?

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Creating a Book Nook in My Son's Room

2013-06-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

I told y'all on Monday that I was lucky enough to be part of the Pottery Barn Kids & PBS Kids Book Nook Challenge where six bloggers were given goodies from Pottery Barn Kids to create a reading nook in their homes. Y'all will get to vote on which nook you like best and the blogger who wins will get to give one of her readers a $500 gift card to Pottery Barn. Cool, huh?!

The space I'm working with is my son's room, but first I had to clean out the toys and stuffed animals!

The reading nook will be in the corner of the room where the rocking chair was. The chair has been moved to my bedroom, can't give it up yet- still lots of rocking and snuggles to be had with my favorite 3 year-old!

The nook will be so cool for James with the rugby play tent canopy in a bold blue and white stripe and the red madras anywhere beanbag chair. He is going to totally dig getting in there to read!

I'll add the Cameron 2-shelf bookshelf to the wall where the toy storage bin used to be.

The red task lamp was also chosen.

Along with this adorable Dalmation bookend.

I showed you last week how the room looks now with the walls painted dark blue and the ceiling light blue.

And now we also have a Gallery Wall.

I can't wait to get everything finished so we can start enjoying our books and I can share it with you. Friendly challenges like this are very nice opportunities, but I can't help but hope that the nook I create is special enough for the challenge. :/ What matters most is that James likes it right?!

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Kid Gallery Wall

2013-06-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've wanted to add a gallery wall to our home for a long time, but have gotten totally intimidated and overwhelmed because they seem like a lot of work and I don't feel like I really know how to put them together. When we changed up my son's nursery and put the bed where the changing table used to be, I had a huge blank wall that I knew would be perfect for a gallery wall. And something about it being in a kid's room seemed to take the pressure off. It's not perfect, and it's not necessarily supposed to be, but since taking these pictures, I can already tell I'll be messing with it and changing it up.

Here's how the wall looked with four symmetrical frames in the nursery.

And here's the new gallery wall. I started with frames I already had around the house, then searched my computer for photos we'd like to have on the walls (no small task narrowing photos down when you have a million cute ones to choose from), then ran to Target to buy about 8 more frames in the sizes and colors (silver, black, and white) they had at my store. Sort of random, I know.

I've read many wise words about laying your frames out on your floor and arranging them how you like BEFORE you start nailing into the wall, and I do sorta wish I did that now, but at the time, I just wanted to get it up (twss Cass) and there wasn't that much room on my son's floor with all the toys everywhere. So we did end up with a little bit of a funky gallery wall. I wanted it asymetrical and loose, but the left side is kinda driving me crazy so I'm sure you'll see it revised soon.

But I love the pictures we I chose! After the wall was complete I lay in bed with my son and we talked about all the photos and what was happening in each one. We've got almost all of our close family represented and his best friend from school too. Every single day when I pick up James from school, his little girlfriend comes up to me and says, "James is my friend." His teachers tell me they are inseparable.

I asked James which picture was his favorite and he said, "The white one with Mickey Mouse." Glad I tore that page from the book!

He asked me which one was my favorite and I said, "The one of you and me with the words, 'I love you so much.'"

On his dresser are a few more photos and pops of red.

He's really into the old-time Donald Duck and Chip-n-Dale cartoons so I found these pictures in an old book at Half Priced Books and framed them. I love watching these with him- they're the ones where Donald is all grouchy, so fun.

And the little birdie my friend gave me has moved into James' room for now.

The glossy red tray is from West Elm.

Do you have a gallery wall in your house? Did you carefully plan out the positioning of every frame and object or just kind of eyeball it (like me)?

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Big Boy Bed (Pottery Barn Hampton Classic)

2013-06-02T21:39:00.001-05:00

The transition from nursery to "big boy" room continues and our bed arrived last week. It's the Pottery Barn Hampton Classic from Pottery Barn Teen, on sale for $399 plus delivery. Our deliverymen assembled the twin bed in about 20 minutes and said it's one of the most popular beds they deliver. To make the room feel truly different from the nursery, we switched up the furniture placement too.

Side rails were added to the bed since our little guy is a super squirmy sleeper. These are from Overstock and $32.99 each. So far they are working perfectly, very sturdy and secure.

To dress up the large blank wall over the bed, I chose a paper macho deer from West Elm- this one is the large. When my son first saw it he said, "I don't like it!" But, he's since come around.

The pouf is awesome for adding another pop of blue and also acts as a ladder for James to climb into the bed. It was a sale item from Joss & Main.

As you can see, instead of a "car" bed, we compromised with "Cars" bedding from Target. My son loves them. I toned the comforter down with a reversible light and dark blue blanket also from Target. A fun guitar shaped pillow was a Homegoods find.

It didn't take James long to figure out that he can climb in and out of the bed now, so we are dealing with lots of nighttime requests for, "one more hug and kiss" and "another drink of water" and on and on. I know you all with little ones have encountered that too!

For you eagle eye readers, I have started a gallery wall on the wall adjacent the bed. It's not perfect, but I hope to show you tomorrow. :)

Sure is cozy in the big boy bed!

The timing of creating a new room for James is perfect because I am also participating in a "Book Nook Challenge" with Pottery Barn Kid and PBS Kids, who have teamed up to promote reading in conjunction with Pottery Barn Kids' annual summer reading program. The cool thing is they have asked six bloggers to create a kid-focused book nook and gave us items from the Pottery Barn Kids collection to work with. I was lucky enough to get to participate and got my goodies last week! It's been really fun creating a special reading nook for James - I'm not done yet, but will be sharing soon! There will be a contest to see which bloggers' book nook the readers like best, so you can vote if you want to. The winner will get to give one of their readers a $500 gift card to Pottery Barn!

Details to follow . . .

I also created a Pinterest board with Book Nook inspiration if you'd like to check it out.

*This post contains affiliate links.

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Big Boy Room Paint

2013-05-27T15:03:00.001-05:00

I hope you all enjoyed a nice long weekend! I made some progress on my son's room, including changing up the wall color and adding a colored ceiling. You might remember his nursery walls were light blue "Blissful Blue" by Sherwin Williams and the ceiling was "Divine White" also by Sherwin Williams.

Now, he's got darker walls "Indi-go-go" by Benjamin Moore (color matched at Sherwin Williams) and a light blue ceiling "Honest Blue" by Sherwin Williams. There is a Sherwin Williams near my house, so that's where I get all my paint.

Below are the paint formulas if you're interested. I can't wait to get his bed (should be delivered this week) and drapes (backordered until late June!).

Ahi Tuna Salad

2013-05-23T06:48:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite starters to order at a restaurant, aside from the cheese plate, is the tuna tartare. To satisfy the craving at home, I make something similar once in awhile. This recipe does call for a couple of unique ingredients you may not necessarily have on hand, but you can pick them up at most grocery stores.

Ingredients

Ahi tuna
Tomato
Avocado
Scallions
Spicy mayo (I get it from the sushi counter at my store- it's about $1.00 for a small cup)
Wasabi paste- comes in a tube in the Asian aisle
Black sesame seeds

I sear the tuna in a skillet over medium high heat for about two minutes per side and them remove and let rest while I dice the tomato and avocado. Add in a bit of chopped scallion, the spicy mayo and wasabi paste to taste and sprinkle with the black sesame seeds.

Are you into sushi or not so much? I know people love it or hate it. I'm definitely in the love category! This is one of the recipes on my health and fitness blog, Honey We're Healthy. Join me over there for more! :)

Thank you, Pinterest . . .

2013-05-22T07:08:00.001-05:00

for finally alerting me when I'm about to pin something I've already pinned! I've done this so many times in the past and on Sunday, got this friendly little message twice:) Has this happened to you?!

You can follow me on Pinterest HERE.

Kid Spaces

2013-05-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Perfect timing for today's post from some of my favorite people over at Small Fry blog. As you know, I'm in the midst of making over my son's nursery into a toddler room, and below are two creative kids rooms I know you'll love. Don't these girls look like fun?! Their personalities translate into their children's spaces too!

Jenna:

I started the concept of Quinn's Room with the colors I wanted:Aqua Blue, Orange & Grey. I can't remember where I got my initial inspiration for those colors, but color is where the room started. It was important for me to have a room that was very little boy inspired but still masculine. I'm not a fan of sports themes or any of the typical "boy room" designs so I stuck to bold patterns, simple ikea furniture & beautifully painted walls. I had five versions of the aqua i eventually used on my wall for a month! I sent over my ideas to my designer friend, Kirsten & she helped me find the striped bedding from West Elm & the beautiful rug from CB2. Both bold patterned pieces I think make the room! I love being in Quinn's room, it is cheerful, happy & calming & the perfect room for my little boy.

Emily:

When we found out we were having a boy, it was around Christmastime and my husband had this awesome teal cashmere sweater that he would wear. It was the coziest thing ever, I wore it around all Winter. I fell in love with the color so I took the sweater to Home Depot and had them color match it! It represented comfort to me, and isn't that what a nursery is all about? We knew we couldn't do more than one wall teal without the already small room feeling smaller, so we painted one, picked a complimentary lighter blue for the others. To add texture my husband installed some pine flooring on the one wall, with original plans to do a high gloss white, but we sort of loved the natural wood, so it stayed!

We are huge music lovers and had a collection of concert posters that we wanted to put up in the nursery. They all had a mustard yellow hue to them, so that became the secondary color throughout the room. I was like Jenna in the sense that even though it was a nursery, I wanted it to feel masculine and ageless. The gallery wall helped with that tremendously. I found a super cheap rust colored rocker, and threw that in for good measure. By now my color scheme was all over the place, so my goal with the crib bedding was to tie it all in some how. Low and behold I found this adorable woodland creature print with you guessed it, mustard, teal, rust, and light blue. My husband built the shelves and hanging racks into the standard closet, and an Ikea shelving system gave us extra storage.

Thank you Jenna and Emily for sharing your inventive kids' rooms with us!

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Kristen at 6th Street Design School kicks off her series this week and I'm honored to have chimed in with what works in our house as it pertains to kids + good design.

Cleaning Up

2013-05-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling a whole lot lighter after tackling a chore that I'd been avoiding for a couple weeks- cleaning up the accumulating mess in my office. It's the result of James' art projects from school, home files, Stella & Dot stuff, craft things, and magazines. It's all the stuff that didn't belong downstairs, and so I rightfully bring it up, but instead of putting it away properly, I just dumped it on my office floor. You do this too? Move one pile to the next until you can't stand it anymore.

I avoid my office completely when it looks like this so it was time to get it cleaned up. It didn't take long to throw out the trash and put things back where they belonged.

So much better! Doesn't it feel so good to get things organized and cleaned up? It's a fresh start to the week! Hope you have a great one!

Living Room Before & After (Danielle Moss)

2013-05-16T07:02:00.003-05:00

I'm a big fan of Danielle Moss (Breakfast at Toast/The Everygirl) and really appreciate how honest she is about not just the successes in her life, but the struggles too. We all have them, trust me. But, blogs are generally our "happy place" so let's enjoy her gorgeous apartment! Have you seen it already?? So bright and full of personality in the little details.

In true Danielle style, I love how she shares the unglamorous "before" photos.

*all images via Breakfast at Toast

Amazing what some paint and styling can do to a room! And I'm reminded to "enjoy the process"!

Big Boy Bedroom Plan

2013-05-13T20:34:00.001-05:00

My 3 year-old son will soon be sleeping in a big boy bed. He's been quite content in his crib (only crawled out once!) all this time. I took my time searching for a new bed and didn't go with the car bed although I did consider it, opting instead for a better quality twin bed and "Cars" bedding.

I searched everywhere, looking online and in several stores. I almost bought one from Wal-Mart.com, but the reviews weren't that good and said the color (Walnut) was more orange/red than pictured.

via Wal-Mart $229

I really loved the dark blue Pottery Barn Camp bed, but it was $599 (on sale from $749).

Ultimately, I chose a twin bed (Hampton Classic Bed) from Pottery Barn Teen that is on sale for $399.

I found Cars bedding at Target

and also a red and white patterned sheet set with a red jersey knit pillow case (for "accidents" and when I want a change).

This West Elm shower curtain will become his drapes after a little sewing to make them longer (thanks Amanda!)

and the upper part of his walls will be painted something similar to this, Indi Go-Go by Benjamin Moore.

There will be pops of red, perhaps one of these bean bag chairs from Pottery Barn:

It's a start - finally!

*This post contains affiliate links.

Happy Mother's Day!

2013-05-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hope you have a great day!

DIY or HIRE??

2013-05-08T21:27:00.001-05:00

You might remember me talking about wanting to paint our media cabinets dark grey last week. They are currently Sherwin Williams Divine White (flat) and Jamestown Blue (Sherwin Williams??) on the back wall.

And I want to paint them dark grey like this:

I actually don't WANT to paint them myself, so I called the painter who painted my office for $100 (well worth it in my opinion) to get a quote. I'm not sure what I expected, but it sure wasn't $750! He said he would paint it with his spray gun and the cost is really in the care he has to take in covering everything else in the house so it doesn't get sprayed with paint.

I politely declined.

My question is: Is this something I can tackle myself? I painted the back wall, but that was easy, no drawers and doors, etc. I really admire all you DIYers out there that wouldn't even hesitate to paint this yourself, but I'm very hesitant because I want it to look good, especially because it's such a focal point in the room.

Would you paint it yourself?

What do you think is a reasonable price to pay to hire someone?

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And please come say hi to Jenna at SAS Interiors- she invited me over to talk about creating a meaningful home. Thanks for having me Jenna!

BOY

2013-05-06T22:16:00.001-05:00

My little baby is turning into a full fledged BOY. We had a date night last Friday which included a trip to the bookstore (his request) and dinner at a restaurant, just the two of us. I told him when I dropped him off at school that when I picked him up we were going on a date. Hours later when I returned, the first thing he said when I walked into his class was, "Are you ready for our date, Mom?" So sweet!

But he's not all sweet all the time anymore. He wants to play rough, pretend he's Darth Vader, and challenge me. We can't go anywhere without his lightsaber or Mack/Mater/McQueen. He tells me, "No," goes straight to time-out for one minute, and then chastizes with that pouty face, "Don't be ugly to me!" And he wants to negotiate all the time. Mr. Let's Make A Deal, I swear.

He's developing his independence and exploring the world. Finding out what he likes to do and what makes him happy. Testing boundaries and asserting himself. Asking questions and making connections. Struggling with discipline and rules. Getting so good at talking and communicating. He might be more and more boy, but he is still so friendly and outgoing, talks to everyone, and loves to give hugs and kisses. He's already teaching me more about myself as a person and woman and mother than I'm probably offering him. I get lessons in patience and self-control and staying "in the moment" daily. I'm so proud to be his mom- I feel like I should thank him on Mother's Day for coming into my life and making me a mom. It's the best thing in the whole world.

Abby M. Interiors

2013-05-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday friends! Over the weekend I was thrilled to hear my friend Abby announce the launch of her new interior design blog, Abby M. Interiors. I've been following Abby since she first started blogging (A Delightful Design) and we started our blogs around the same time- hard to believe it's been about 3 years now! I think Abby is so talented and beyond classy and I'm just so happy for her success. It takes a lot of bravery and determination to follow your dreams, so big KUDOS to you Abby!

Here is a sampling of some of her work, but you can visit her new blog for more photos and info about hiring her for your own project.

All photos via Abby M. Interiors.

Have a great week!

Basket Addiction

2013-05-02T19:39:00.001-05:00

Happy almost Weekend! If you have a chance, head on over to my friend Jen (I Heart Organizing) where I'm sharing my tips on how to organize your home with baskets! I must have at least 50 baskets over here, what about you??

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Gray Built-In Bookshelves

2013-04-30T16:11:00.000-05:00

Joni, of Cote de Texas, is famous for bring us gorgeous home tours and I came across this West University home she featured back in December 2009, as decorated by Sally Wheat. Although the entire home is beautiful, what really caught my attention was the gray built-in bookcases in the family room. Ms. Wheat is definitely ahead of the trends as gray is as relevant as ever, four years later.

via Cote de Texas

I scoured the entire post for the name of the paint color and found that Joni graciously shared it in the comments.

Here's another darker gray built-in from Home & Design.

via Home & Design

Laura at Bright, Bold, and Beautiful featured a home office remodel by Niki and Bradely Davidson that has the same dark gray built-in look.

via Bright, Bold, and Beautiful

I'm in love with just about every design from M.E. Beck Design, Inc. including her use of dark gray in this living room.

via M.E. Beck Design, Inc.

All of this gorgeous gray is making me want to paint our living room media cabinet/bookshelves gray. Here's what they look like now. Who has photoshop and can give me a rendering?? :)

I painted a white door gray and love the look, so I'm thinking I'd love the look in the living room too. It's more interesting and dramatic.

I'm just not sure how dark I want to go. The door is painted Urbane Bronze by Sherwin Williams.

What medium to dark gray paint do you like? I'd love to hear.

Impromptu Picnic

2013-04-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend, in between thunderstorms, we had a pocketful of really nice weather. The kind of mild weather that is perfect for an impromptu picnic, and just the excuse I needed to bust out my new picnic basket I found at HomeGoods. They are designed by Cynthia Rowley and come is several different colors and patterns.

The padded handle is nice and inside, they are insulated. I was able to fit a small cutting board, 4 tupperware containers, 2 boxes of crackers, a juice box, hand towel and ice bag.

A small pocket on the outside is great for napkins and cutlery.

You don't need to get all fancy for a picnic, just a few light snacks are perfect.

I showed my son that, on a picnic, you can take off your shoes and enjoy bare feet:)

But then he was off to the playground.

Have you enjoyed a picnic lately? Next time I'm bringing the wine.

Our Living Room Sectional (Pottery Barn Pearce) - A Review

2013-04-24T20:36:00.001-05:00

Our sectional is from, the Pearce Chaise Sectional to be precise and I wanted to let you know the pros and cons in case you are considering this sofa for your home. Overall, I would buy this couch again, but I wish the back cushions held their shape better.

This sectional comes in four pieces and can be configured so that the chaise is on the left or right. You have to be careful when placing your order so you get the correct piece.

The couch is big! It's long enough seat several people and also to take an afternoon nap.

For our space, the sectional fits our living room perfectly. I love having the chaise lounge and you can typically find me there. I claimed it from the very beginning. Well, James and I claimed it.

The fabric on our sofa is Everyday suede in Light Wheat, but it also comes in a variety of different fabrics and colors. Light Wheat is a neutral dark tan. You can take swatches of their fabric home for free. The suede is great because it is soft and wipes clean easily. The only stain I haven't been able to remove is an ink pen. All spilled milk and other unidentified spots have disappeared with a scrub of soap and water.

My disappointment in this sofa is the back cushions. They get so "mushed" and lose their shape- especially the ones that get the most use. I continually have to refluff them. The cushion covers do unzip, so I guess I could purchase a new insert- I haven't looked into that, but might consider it. For now, I've added another pillow insert into the one cushion that goes where I sit.

Be mindful that with a sectional like this (with the chaise), you can't have a very large coffee table in the middle. There are about 70 inches inside, but you need to have room to walk around the coffee table, so the widest coffee table you can reasonably have is about 40 inches.

I think this couch is popular- I've seen it in my friend Courtney's home (A Thoughtful Place). I'm not sure we have the same fabric/color though. And her cushions don't look as smushed. :)

Balancing Home has the Pearce in Oat.

If you have any questions about this sofa, let me know and I'll answer in the comments.

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P.S. I'm sharing a spinach and fruit smoothie on my health and fitness blog- Honey We're Healthy. This one's surprisingly yummy!

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Head over to Babble for 12 "Real Mom" tips on how to stay organized.

Have a great weekend!

Wisteria

2013-04-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

I got the new Wisteria catalog the other day and pretty much flagged every page for items I liked. I have never ordered from Wisteria, have you? I'm surprised I haven't at least gotten this x-base stool. I've admired it for years. I could be sitting on it instead of the floor when I bathe my son.

I'm crazy over this Reclaimed Pine Bookcase. I envision it in a dining room - it would be great storage for linens/serve ware with all those different sized drawers.

And this French Directoire Dresser is definitely on my list.

I like seeing the different ways they style it.

And those chairs. They come in a variety of soothing colors.

Wisteria's mirror collection is amazing.

If you don't mind a desk without drawers, this glass desk is pretty cool.

Have you ordered furniture from an online retailer where you haven't gotten to see the furniture in person first? How was your experience?

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