I can’t take…I love it all!

I’m not sure which is my favorite…the lighting?  the floors?  the built-in shelves?

What’s yours?

And I am happy to say that my toe is much better today.  After I realized that I was probably stung by a scorpion, I immediately Googled “Florida scorpion stings” and was relieved when the first thing that came up read “not capable of inflicting a lethal sting…… just very painful…”   Phew.

Now onto the pretty stuff!  I’m not sure if it’s the summer season that is quickly approaching, but these images of the classic, tried and true color combination of blue and white have been stuck in my head.

This one started it all.

via

Then came this one.

via

 And then this great little chair from Pier 1 in seersucker.  Adorable.

Then Serena and Lily came out with these.  Really cute, right?

And this little number makes me want to take a vacation.

To where?  The Hamptons, of course.  Where all roads blue and white intersect.

Do you love all things blue and white?  Or do you have another color combo dancing around in your head?

images via

Have any of you tried it?  I have an old armoire that I purchased off of Craigslist a couple of years ago that is in desperate need of repainting.  It is currently painted in a latex paint, and I would like to give the old chalk paint a try.  I’m just curious if it will go over the latex paint like it said…”without sanding or priming”.

I did some research on it this weekend and came across these images on the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint website.  Love the finishes and colors that are available.

I’d love to hear your experience with this paint.

Now, onto my second question for the day… what do you know about scorpion bites?

Seriously.  Last night, I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and my toe was feeling fine.  Didn’t notice anything, but as I laid there trying to fall back to sleep, my toe started hurting.  It felt like I jammed my toe.  I could not bend it…it hurt!  Then it started to feel like a bite of some sort.  We cleaned the garage out yesterday (I know, not real exciting on Mother’s Day but it was a great way to guilt the kids into helping without nagging) and I figured a spider bit me.  Still, thought it was odd that it took that long before it started hurting.  Then this morning my husband found a live scorpion in the bathroom sink.  I said, “that’s what bit me!” and he said, “well how would it get in the sink?”  and I said “umm, probably with his creepy legs?”  I think that nasty little thing was in the bathroom when I woke up in the middle of the night.

The moral of the story…turn your bathroom light on in the middle of the night!  I know I will be from now on.

I still can’t bend my toe and it hurts to walk on it.  The plus is this gets me out of waking up at 5:30 am tomorrow to go running. 

Wishing all of you sweet moms a relaxing and peaceful Mother’s Day.

I am so proud and thankful to be the mom of these three.  They make me quite happy.

All the best.

 Well here are some links to a few good deals on accent chairs.  I know we all love a good deal.

Serena and Lily Piccadilly Chair starting at $895 plus $150 shipping surcharge (ouch!)

Overstock Sutton Tufted Beige Armchair  $264.99 plus $2.95 shipping!

And here’s another great buy….

Zentique Amelie Slipper Chair  $699 and free shipping

Grandin Road Gwen Chair $239

Happy shopping.

 Do you remember this adorable Grayton Beach cottage from Cottage Living?

One of my favorites.

The other day I received a call from the homeowner’s sister-in-law who is also realtor.  She came across my blog post and contacted me to tell me that the home is for sale.  She sent me the link and pictures.

  Now there is even more to love about this house….take a look and you’ll see what I mean.

Please contact Stacey if you would like more information on this beautiful cottage.  I’m sure this house will be well-loved by the new owners.

After seeing images of this modern farmhouse circulating around pinterest, I clicked over to Garden and Gun to take a closer look.  I showed them to my husband and said, “this makes me want to move to the country and live a simple life.”  He responded and said, “yes, but if you are going to live a simple life you would have give up your ipad and computer.  Could you do that?”

Ummm.  I wasn’t thinking that simple.  But then it got me thinking.  Could I go without the internet?  blogs?  pinterest?

  What about you?   Could you give all of that up in order to live the simple life?

I hung a set above Carson’s bed….he wants bigger ones.  Like moose antlers??  I snuck in a shot of the desk chair that I purchased last week for $39…and yes it actually works!

Hope you have something fun planned for the weekend!!

This go around, I chose this beautiful living room by one of my favorite designers, Tammy Connor.

It’s light and airy and easy on the eyes.  I don’t think I could get tired of being in this room.

This is what I came up with………

The standout piece in the inspiration room is the rug….I found this rug from Dash and Albert (9×12 $414)

It is tone on tone like the one in the inspiration room and it’s a casual cotton rug in keeping with the feel of this space.  For the sofa and chair, I turned to good old tried and true Ikea.  The lantern is from Ballards and is a great price..$329. I love it!

Here are a few more pieces to complete the room.

The surveyor’s floor lamp is from, get this, JCPenny..yup…$180 dollars.

For the armoire, I decided to check my local Craigslist to see what these things are going for these days.  I found this one, it’s solid wood and b.i.g. for only $200.

Of course it needs a coat of creamy paint to give it the look we are after, but still a bargain.

For the desk behind the sofa, I found this desk from Overstock for $160.99.  It is traditional looking and dark like the one in the inspiration room.

For the two wicker chairs that go with the desk, I once again turned to the budget friendly Ikea, and you can’t beat the price…$79 each.

The drapes in the inspiration room are sheer and have a subtle pattern to them.  I came up with these light-weight linen panels from World Market for $24.50 per panel.

And for the coffee table, I found this coffee table with similar lines as the one in the inspiration room for $249.

OK, so here is the fun part, the total cost for the living room is………….$2693.

In many cases, that is the cost for just one sofa!

Have a good one, friends!

Gift Certificates are available and can be applied towards phone consultations, E-Design or if you are local, full-service design and hourly consultations.

Just forward this to your husband and ask him to contact LL@LaurenLeonardInteriors.com

and tell him not to worry…..I can keep a secret.