Just a Touch of Gray

Rustic Elements

2012-02-24T07:02:00.000-06:00

Last week I expressed my love of rustic decor. See my post with examples {here}. I also promised to show you some of the ways we've showcased natural materials in our own home.

You guys are probably familiar with our white washed walls in the living room and dining room. I'm so glad we experimented with this treatment. It could have easily been a swing and a miss (considering we didn't have a clue what we were doing), but it turned out to be a home run (at least in our opinion!). We love they way it makes the room feel casual and cozy while adding character.

Of course one of my favorite things in our entire house is the dining room table my husband built from wood we tore out of the house. It brings texture and warmth to our informal dining space.

And back in the living room... we added mirrored accent chests to each side of the fireplace soon after we moved in. They brought a little bit of glam and dimension to the space, but have you noticed the finish on them?

The creamy paint between the mirrors has a distressed finish which allows them to fit in quite nicely (not too Hollywood glam for our wood paneled room).

And now for one you haven't seen...

I recently added an old barn wood frame to our master bedroom. The dresser display never felt quite right. Everything was a little too "cold" for my liking.

I first thought about changing the artwork, and just before Christmas when walking through historic Franklin with hubs, his mom, and some of her friends we saw this beauty...

I loved the entire look of it, but with a sold sign (and ridiculous $600+ price tag anyway) we immediately thought a DIY was in order. Hubs spouting off, "I can make that" was like music to my ears.

But THEN my sweet mother-in-law remembered she had a very similar frame sitting in her garage. She said we can take a look at it next time we were in town and keep it if we wanted. For real?

Ok, now I was excited. I was hoping this would be just what we needed for our master.

So then the dresser vignette went from this...

To this...

First I thought about replicating the canvas and different quote

but ended up leaving it just like this...

I love it leaning up against our current canvas!

I even love the rustic tangled wire on it. Adds character, don't you think?

On another note, we also recently had five dead trees removed from our yard. Yes, FIVE! I'm glad we did it in the winter so hopefully we won't miss the leaves as much. Overall, I'm just glad they're outta here though. I'd rather have a little less shade then a tree truck through my house!

Why I'm telling you about our dead trees?

Because I asked the nice tree guys to cut me two stumps about 2 feet tall. My original plan was strip the bark and make plant stands for each side of the door... or something.

However when I came home, I was very happy they obliged my odd request, but I didn't know how BIG they would be! I'm pretty sure a friend of ours had back pain for a few days from moving one of them into the garage for me! Oops.

Now I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them.

Any ideas?

Plant stand? Really big cake stands? End table?

Guest Posting Today

2012-02-23T08:37:00.001-06:00

I'm sharing my house tour over at {South Shore Mommy}!

I hope you'll stop by and pay her a visit!

Rachel

A Day to Relax

2012-02-22T07:02:00.000-06:00

Last weekend was an absolute blast! I'm still trying to recover and I'm definitely running on empty this week. However, I'm excited to enjoy a relaxing night tonight!

Speaking of relaxing, I wouldn't have a problem feeling right at home in this neutral space with black window and door trim. All I'd need is a roaring fire and a glass of red wine...

decor pad {via}

And since I'm dreaming I could also get cozy on this beautiful porch surrounded by lush green plants. You know, because it would be 75 degrees with a warm breeze...


Love all the lush green potted plants {Kriste Michelini Interiors}

Yes, that would be nice.

But then I'm sure I'd get a little hungry after all that lounging so then I'd step inside to prepare a simple, yet delicious dinner. Maybe into a kitchen where I still kind of felt like I was outside...

Jeffrey Hitchcock

Yes, that's just about perfect.

But then when the timer dings I'd set the table for two and have a relaxing, quiet meal with hubs.

Joel Snayd

And for the record the casual dining area above is SO good to me. The table, the chairs, that light fixture, those incredible windows, oh and how cute are the black and white family shots below the marine sconces? Yeah, there is not much I would change here.

And to top of my dream relaxation day I'd end the evening here...

Lori Tippins

Did you notice an unconscious trend in these pics? GREENERY! I'm ready for trees to start blooming, grass to start growing, and flowers to start blooming. Thank goodness February is almost over!

Come on Weekend!!

2012-02-17T07:01:00.003-06:00

I am SO happy Friday is finally here! One of my best friends is getting married next month and her bachelorette party is at my house this weekend! I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!!! I cannot wait to see this girl again...

And she is going to kill me for this one...

Key West

Gosh, we had some good times in college together!!

See? So sweet and innocent

Always trying to keep this one in line!

These were my roomies!

And this was pretty typical.

But here we are now all grown up...

Well, not all the way :)

I cannot wait to be reunited this weekend!!!

Hurry up and get here!

Rustic Decor

2012-02-16T08:31:00.003-06:00

I'm loving the rustic wave that is blowing over interiors everywhere. It is just my style! I'm always looking for ways to incorporate something rustic-chic in my house. Natural materials tend to bring warmth and coziness to any room.

Amy Morris

Tineke Triggs

Nate Berkus

{via}

Meredith Baer and Associates

S. Russell Groves

Meg Ryan's kitchen via Elle Decor

Jeffers Design Group

Tineke Triggs

EJ Interiors

Need I say more?

Next week I'll highlight ways I incorporated this style into my own home!

Love is in the Air!

2012-02-14T07:02:00.001-06:00

Happy Valentines Day to my sweet husband!

Love this guy.
{photog}

We're playing it low key this year. Right now, nothing sounds better than a delicious home cooked meal and some good red wine. Then we'll continue to escape the cold and cuddle up in front of the fire for a movie. Can't. Wait.

And HAPPY V-DAY to you all too!

Design Work - Living Room

2012-02-10T14:05:00.000-06:00

I've been working with a friend/coworker/client on the design of her living room. She wanted a fresh start to her dark and dated room. It is so fun finding pieces for her space and seeing it all come together.

It's not finished yet, but we've made lots of progress over the last 2-3 weeks. We're waiting on the linen curtains to arrive, but it could be another 6 weeks. Gosh, I sure hope they come sooner. I'm dying to get them into the room to see how they look!

We also need to choose a slip cover for one of the chairs, add a tray on the coffee table for housing table top necessities (they have an almost-one year old), and order the pillows!

Of course I want to wait until everything is in place before I reveal the entire room, but I just couldn't wait to share some of it with you.

We've been on multiple shopping trips and storage was always on the front of our minds. As many of you know (and I'm quickly learning), having a baby = lots of stuff. The tricky part is disguising it all but still keeping it handy!

We also wanted to inject some COLOR into the space. I drew inspiration from these three pieces of art from {Jennifer Lommers etsy shop}...

We ordered them as prints to incorporate them into a gallery wall.

With coupons in tow we hit up Micheal's one Saturday afternoon and lucked out by scoring all the frames 40% off. Gotta love that.

We were on a tight budget so we re-purposed furniture where we could, rearranged furniture and rug placement, purchased a couple lighter and brighter furniture pieces, and added fun accessories to give the room pops of color as needed. It's all looking so great!

Here is one final peek...

This is a BEFORE shot of one corner of the room...

AFTER

I promise to share pics and my full design board as soon as the rest is complete! It might be a while if those darn curtains don't get here soon!

Have a great weekend!

Giveaway Winners!

2012-02-09T13:07:00.003-06:00

The grand prize winner of the $25 gift card to {sneak peeq} online shopping website is......

Shannon from {Wine Taste Girl}!!

(I swear this is not rigged, hah!)

AND the three runner up winners who each get a $10 gift card are..

Gail Joyce

Monique Flesher

Michelle Montgomery

CONGRATS to you all!

Your credits should appear in your {sneak peeq} accounts today!

Didn't win? If you entered/joined through my link {here} you'll still get 20% off your first purchase!

PS- Tomorrow I'm showing a little snippet of a project I'm working on so stay tuned!

Fashion Fun

2012-02-08T07:02:00.008-06:00

I've been seeing the cutest outfits on Pinterest lately! I am admittedly (and intentionally) late on the Pinterest train. Everyone talked about how amazing it was but then they always added... and addicting. Up to this point I really didn't want to become addicted to something that would be a total distraction. So I waited and waited and now... although I haven't quite figured it all out... I'm in. And I'm hooked.

I mean, really how could you not be?

Check out these {cute outfits I've pinned} and of course I related them to some beautiful interiors!

Sarah Richardson. I mean she is SO good.

{via}

Martensen Jones Interiors

Happy Hump Day!

Guest Bedroom Rug

2012-02-06T07:03:00.000-06:00

Ok guys, I need your opinion. We're finally starting to fix up the office (progress pictures to come) and I ordered an "orange" Fallen rug from - can you guess? - Overstock. It came promptly but wasn't quite the "orange" we were hoping for in our Auburn themed office. It's going to be hub's office, in case you were wondering. But back to the rug...

We kept it in the office for a day or so trying to make it work, but then we had to face the facts. This rug had WAY more pink in it than we hoped. Our tipping point was when I brought our guest room pillow in and plopped it down on the rug.

Yup, it was coral.

BUT... don't you think that meant it was fate to live in our guest room? I think so too! However, it's a 5x8 rug. If we wanted to put it all the way under the bed we'd need an 8x10. However we messed with it in the room a little and I think it looks good like this....

Do you? (ignore the wrinkles and bad photography)

Hubs thought it looked too small at first, and thought it should go under the length of the bed like the rug in our {master bedroom}.

Of course I'd love to have our guests wake up and step foot onto a rug.

However, placing it like it is still gives some relief to potential cold feetsies and lets the pattern steal the show. I love seeing the pop of color and pattern on the floor in there.

So what do you think?

Does it work in the space?

See full guest room reveal {here}.

Guest Posting Today!

2012-02-03T08:32:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you guys, but I am SO glad it's Friday! Today I'm guest posting over on my friend Shannon's blog... {Wine Taste Girl}. Her blog is all about having wine taste on a beer budget. So if you love to shop at boutiques and have an eye for designer things check her out! She only features items under $100, and since she lives in Nashville I get the insider scoop on the local stores too - whoop!.

Light posting week guys, but I have some exciting projects I'm working on and will share soon!

Have a great weekend!

Last Day to Enter Giveaway!

2012-01-31T11:25:00.000-06:00

Today is the last day to enter the {sneak peeq} giveaway!

There will be four winners!

These will go a long way on sneakpeeq's amazingly low-priced boutiques!

And that's not all...

sneakpeeq is offering all Just a Touch of Gray readers
20% off your next purchase just for entering! (even the winners!)

______________________________________________________________
How do you enter?
You must click {here} and join sneakpeeq (it's free)!

US readers only (sorry!)

Good Luck and Happy Shopping!!!

Brilliant - Community Art

2012-01-25T07:02:00.000-06:00

I love this idea from artist, {Candy Chang}...

In Candy Chang's words...

"It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget what really matters to you. With help from friends and neighbors, Candy turned the side of an abandoned house in her neighborhood in New Orleans into a giant chalkboard where residents can write on the wall and remember what is important to them."

"Before I Die is an interactive public art project that invites people to share their hopes and dreams in public space."

"Painted with chalkboard paint and stenciled with the sentence “Before I die I want to _______”, the wall became an enlightening way to get to know your neighbors and discover the hopes and aspirations of the people around you."

"Once the wall is filled, we wash the board with water and start with a clean slate again. We are documenting all responses and some will be included in a book."

What would you write?

Giveaway Reminder!

2012-01-23T14:57:00.001-06:00

Ok, if you guys haven't tried out {sneakpeeq} you have got to get on this train! It's so fun to "peeq" at the prices! And let me just tell you they are worth a peeq! I love a good deal!

Currently on the site they have the cutest things!

Like this fun necklace....

This gorgeous ombre scarf...

And this bracelet... (I'm a sucker for leafy jewelry)

Best of all it's free to join and if you click through my link{HERE}you'll be entered in my giveaway!

See my post {here} for more details!

But back to more goodies...

How cute are these bath bombs? Great for gifts!

They even have specialty chocolates, need I say more?

And workout equipment!

This website is very well rounded! :)

Ok, one more scraf because they are so cute and SO affordable!

Ready to take a {sneakpeeq}?

Giveaway details (in brief)

1. Join sneakpeeq by clicking {here}

2. Leave me a comment telling me you did so {here}

That's it!

I'll annouce one lucky winner of a $25 gift card and three lucky winners of $10 gift cards later next week!

But if you want to shop in the mean time (and who could blame you?, sneakpeeq is graciously giving you 20% off your next purchase just for entering!

My Favorite Birthday Gift

2012-01-19T07:02:00.000-06:00

Just this past November Nashville brought in the holy grail of organization - {The Container Store}. And it's pretty much awesome. I have to admit I didn't know what all the hipe was about, but after visiting - I caught on real quick.

So as you guys know, I just had a birthday a couple weeks ago. And this year hubby had a surprise up his sleeve...

This is what my closet looked like when I left for work...

BEFORE

After hubs got his hands on it...

So sweet of him to document it all for me!

Hubs said he tried to keep everything in somewhat of an order.

He knows I can be OCD like that. haha

Let the building commence!

Sadie was helping (of course)

Looking good!!!!

The finished product.... I *love* it!

And when I came home...

It's hard to believe this board and rod were the only things in there before.

I have SO much more room now!

My pants and blazers were in my other closet before and now they fit in here - love that!

Hubs bought all those dividers for my purses

Shoe rack and baskets for small things.

I can even use the shelf about the pants for things.

He even got me two "valet bars" as you can see the ruffle shirt is hanging on. He knows I always hang stuff sideways like that. There is proof in my unknowing "before"! He said he was going to get me three but the lady at the store said that might be a little much.

So there you have it! Hubs put a lot of time and thought into the design and it does not go unnoticed by me. I absolutely love my new closet!! Thank you so much, babe! You did good! :)

Do you have a closet system? Or any storage tips for those of us living in older homes with small closets?

New Giveaway with Sneakpeeq!

2012-01-17T07:01:00.000-06:00

Is there a better way to start a Monday than with a giveaway?

I think not.

I'm so excited to offer FOUR of you the chance to win gift cards to {sneakpeeq}!

"Come see all the things you love but haven't discovered yet"

What is sneakpeeq?

It's the largest and fastest growing social shopping company on Facebook. They have primarily partnered with brands in the fashion, home, and gourmet food categories and have already established partnerships with over 500 brands! sneakpeeq offers new products that we've never seen before. I love that! There are so many new brands and products just asking to be discovered daily! So go ahead and sneak a "peeq"!

To top it all off sneakpeeq was named one of the "Top Best Social Aps of 2011". Click {here} to read what they had to say.

Now on to the fun part - the giveaway!

The grand prize winner will receive a $25 gift card...

...and three runner ups will get $10 to spend!

That will go a long way on sneakpeeq's amazingly low-priced boutiques!

And that's not all...

sneakpeeq is offering all Just a Touch of Gray readers
20% off your next purchase just for entering! (even the winners!)

How do you enter?
You must click {here} and join sneakpeeq (it's free)! Once you have entered (joined) leave me a comment below telling me you did so.

This giveaway is open to US readers only (sorry!) and will end January 31th.

Good luck!!

Green with... Ivy?

2012-01-13T07:02:00.000-06:00

That is the question!

My friends I have a predicament. You see there is ivy growing up the front of our house and although we probably should be ripping it off, it's really growing on me. Get it? Hah, oh me.

But really...

Ivy can be SO beautiful on homes.

Whether it's all over....

{via}

Or just a little...

Eric Roth Photography

{via}

This house is actually for sale in Nashville as I type...

{via}

But lets get serious for a minute. We don't live in a little historic cottage or huge English manor. We live in a ranch. BUT we do have a prominent chimney on the front, and boy is it looking good with

some greenery on it.

Ok, so now here is the ivy on OUR house...

It was almost dark outside last night when I took these so sorry for the bad lighting.

corner shot

Of course we need to trim it and ignore our other "landscaping".

I mean I'm not talking about getting all crazy with it...

I'm just talking about letting it grow a little bit...

Bee Cottage {via}

But although pretty to look at ivy may not good for our little brick and mortar house. People say they can become an insect haven and worse they could even damage our house and make it difficult to see underlying problems. But they also say is acts as insulation. However, we would need to worry about the vines getting into the joints of the bricks as the moisture could will pull the mortar out.

Hmmmmmm.

What do you think?

Do the pros (being gorgeous, hello!) outweigh the potential cons?

Ty Larkins {via}

If you were us, what would you do?

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T08:48:00.000-06:00


{via}

{via}

Ok, I lied. Maybe a few words....

I'm over guesting on The Wayman Family Nest about my favorite "nook"! Check it out {HERE}.

Jennifer is a fellow Nashville blogger and is in the process of adopting her first child. She also blogs about the transformation of their adorable home! Check her out!

National Championship

2012-01-10T08:47:00.003-06:00

Did any of you watch the National Championship game last night?

Being an Auburn grad this is very hard for me to say, but...

Congrats to the University of Alabama for pulling off the victory.

Windsor Smith Home

But can you believe they did it in a shutout?

Peter Dunham

Not going to lie it was a pretty boring game, but a well played one by the Crimson Tide.

Tilton Fenwick

I mean, where were you LSU?

Zoldan Interiors

You were ranked #1 in the country and you blew it.

But your colors sure do look lovely in this play nook...

Gwen Driscoll

Sorry, I digress...

So sorry for your loss LSU.

Congratulations, Bama!

Molly Luetkemeyer

But I can't help but remember the excitement of being the champs just one year ago...

Waaaar Eagle!

All images {via}

So tell me, did you watch the game?

Exterior Beauties

2012-01-03T14:51:00.003-06:00

Prepare to "oooo" and "ahhh" over the next set of images.

These homes are not only timeless, but drop dead gorgeous...

{N ashville architect Norris Architecture}

{Christian Gladu Design}

{John Kraemer & Sons}

{Stonewood, LLC}

{Murphy & Co. Design}

{Felhandler/ Steeneken Architects}

{David Ludwig - Architect}

Gorgeous, right?
Which one is your favorite?

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T13:00:00.000-06:00

Wow! So I wasn't exactly planning to go this long without posting, but with the swirl of Christmas season, being sick for most of last week (boo!), ringing in the new year, and now back at work today (we were off Friday) it has been quite a whirlwind two weeks!

AND... guess what?

Today is my birthday!!

So to make my 2012 debut post short and sweet...

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and happy 27th birthday to me! :)

{photo}

Holla!

It's almost here...

2011-12-22T08:21:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

{via}

***Don't forget to enter the My Memories giveaway {here}!***

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Giveaway Winner & NEW Giveaway!!

2011-12-19T07:01:00.000-06:00

I'm excited to announce that Patience from {White Lacquer} is the winner of the

Shabby Apple dress giveaway!

Proof it was random :)...

Congrats, Patience!! I'll email you shortly with details!

Bummed you didn't win? Don't fret because I have another awesome giveaway for you this week!

__________________________

It's the recently launched My Memories Suite Version 3!!

(a $40 value!)

My Memories Suite is the #1 rated digital scrapbook software out there, and it is so easy to use. I have been playing around with it a little and in the first 10 minutes created this cute page...

This was the photo we used for our Christmas cards this year!
My favorite photographer {Candice} took it! :)

Obviously I'm not a pro at this online scrapbooking thing yet, but I can't wait to dig in and get more creative with all the features and options the My Memories Suite offers! They have tons of patterns and colors for page backgrounds, embellishments, etc.

I've made a few scrapbooks in my time and they take so long to finish. I think I could easily get used to doing them online to skip all the cutting, gluing, and mess!

I have to admit this is a touchy post for me since I recently lost a ton of photos when our laptop crashed last month, but now this is my ammunition to capture all the fun moments throughout the year via this scrapbook software!

My Memories Suite isn't just about scrapbooking. There are a ton of other things you can use this software for such as cards, invitations, gift tags, calendars, etc.! Check out this video for more info and applications...

You can do so much with {this software}!

Ok, so My Memories has graciously offered me the latest and greatest Version 3 suite and now I get to offer one to YOU!

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To enter:
1. Follow Just a Touch of Gray via Google Friend Connect.
2. Visit MyMemories.com and tell me the name of your
favorite digital paper pack or layout.
-------------------
For extra entries:
(*you must complete #1 & #2 first)
3."Like" My Memories Suite on Facebook and tell me you did so.
4. Follow My Memories blog at http://blog.mymemories.com/.

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Simple as that! Good luck!!
Giveaway ends Friday, December 23 at midnight CST.

PS- if you need a last minute Christmas gift or simply can't wait to see if you win, My Memories is giving Just a Touch of Gray readers a special coupon code!
Get a $10 discount on the software AND $10 to spend in their store!

Code: STMMMS91287

Good luck & Happy Monday!

Last Day to Enter the Giveaway...

2011-12-16T07:21:00.004-06:00

Today is the last day to enter the Shabby Apple giveaway

for this gorgeous dress...

All you have to do is...

1. "Like" Shabby Apple on Facebook by clicking {here}

2. Follow Just a Touch of Gray via Google Friend Connect

3. Leave a comment under {this post}!

Afterall this is a giveaway for my awesome followers!

GOOD LUCK!

And hope you all have a great weekend!!

PS- I have another fun giveaway for you all next week that I can't wait to tell you about!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T07:01:00.000-06:00