MacKenzie-Childs

Over the weekend, while in Ithaca, NY celebrating Jay’s brother wedding, I took a trip with a few ladies to Aurora, NY about an hour away from Ithaca to visit the home of the Mackenzie-Childs brand. All of the items this company sells are handmade in Aurora. “Since 1983, MacKenzie-Childs has made handcrafted ceramics, each piece a one-of-a-kind collectible. The company also designs hand-decorates furniture and other home furnishings”.  This brand is certainly something that would be a hit in the south (if it's not already). It’s charming, hand painted, decorative, and I can see it in Southern Living without a problem. So how is it, this line of adorable items have escaped me for so long? Check this stuff out. And FYI, not sure if I need a disclaimer here but I got all these images straight from their website.

It seems that the black and white check pattern is the company’s most notable design. 

I got this cute Kitchen Utensil holder while we there.

 Floral designed items.

They also have hand painted things for your kitchen and home.

Cute tableware!

Interesting furniture.

There is one thing about this stuff, I think a little bit goes a long way.

Kind of excited

I love stripes! Lately, I’ve been all into the trend of stripped tops. They seem so classic yet fashionable. And they’re so easy for me to wear. I love them. And my obsession was confirmed last night when I bought this dress at Banana Republic….

Love it. I don’t however love the model’s shoes in this picture. I'm going to wear flats or healed nude sandals and some chunky gold stud earrings. That's my plan anyway. And I feel like I can wear this dress all the time. It’s comfortable, easy to wear, adds style without being too difficult. What do you think? Do you like stripped tops? I know some people can’t do stripes. Somehow I'm in the category of people who can pull it off; or at least I hope so! Someone tell me if stripes look awful on me! Ha.

Tomorrow

Jay and I leave for Ithaca, NY for Jay’s brother’s wedding. We’re so ready to go! I’ve never been to upstate NY. I’ve been to NYC and that’s it. But I hear the area we are going to is gorgeous!

According to google, Ithaca looks like it’s full of natural beauty. A great place to have a wedding! Look at that view! 

If I wasn’t ready for fall before this trip, I’m pretty sure I will be when I get back!

I’m looking forward to spending some time with the Ellsworths, celebrating Charlie and Caitlin's marriage, and taking in some natural beauty! Woohoo.

Happiness is…

Having my mom in town. Spending a quiet morning in Georgetown together. Laughing, catching up, and having fun!

Shopping for my wedding dress with my Mom and Liz at Hitched. It was a dream. Loved being with them and sharing that magical moment!

Post dress shopping brunch at Peacock Café. Brainstorming, laughing, and dining with my two favorite people.

I’m still smiling. I hated seeing my mom go! But it’s OK. She and my dad are coming back up on Sept. 10th & 11th! Can’t wait. Hope everyone had a nice weekend!! And wasn't the cool breeze in DC this morning awesome?! I'm ready for fall!

Happy Friday

The Dude and Walter. They make me happy. Happy Friday!

I really do take comfort in the fact knowing there’s someone like Dude out there, taking it easy for all us sinners…someone’s gotta do it.

Cross one off, add another to the To-Do list

We installed a new light fixture in our bathroom this weekend. It may not have been rocket science but we felt pretty good about not electrocuting ourselves or burning down the house. The light fixture that came with the house was in need of serious replacement. We got a pretty basic one at Home Depot and it's so much better than the old one. Now the light fixture is fixed (hooray!) and technically the work in the bathroom is done; we're thinking of repainting the bathroom. Sounds like a nightmare, but now it's on my mind and probably will bother me until I just decide to fix it one weekend. So don’t be surprised when I start looking at paint chips again. We love every wall color in our house except the bathroom. I can clearly remember when we were trying to pick out the color for this room. We had bought like 5 or 6 samples of all different shades of green and nothing was hitting the spot. Someone began to get impatient and said we couldn’t buy anymore samples and that one of the colors just had to be right. So we picked one out of frustration. Never a good idea. We had been painting for weeks at this point, and another trip to Home Depot seemed like going to the dentist. We like the color, we just don't love it. It's lighter than the sample looked and we're just not in love with it. So although we crossed one thing of the to-do list this weekend we probably added another also. This seems to be the way our to-do list works.

Here’s a photomontage of the step by step process we took to get the light replaced.
The old light.

At this point, I began to get a little concerned we may have bitten off more than we could chew. I began to think of where the phone book was and whether electricians worked on the weekends.

But we got all those wires sorted out.

And then the whole light was off the wall.

 

And then, bam, we put the new one up. I didn’t get any photos of the process getting the new up because getting all the wires connected needed my and Jay's undivided attention.

And that was it. It took us 3 hours, including one trip to the hardware store because our new light was missing the little bag of screws and such that was supposed to be included.
So there you have it!

Happy Friday

This picture does not need any captioning.

Except to say, notice the wedding rings! You’re all with me on this, right?  

Almost as exciting as Kate & William…almost.

Just Scandinavian

If you know me, you know I love anything and everything Norwegian. It's a little out of control and a little endearing. I even go as far as to love all things Scandinavian, which just basically includes the lesser surrounding countries (like Sweden) that are around Norway. If your name is Gudrun, and you’re born to a father who is 100% Norwegian, and raised in a family where Norwegian culture, jokes, foods, and decorative items are in endless supply, well you pretty much come out like me. We also make viking boats out of watermelons and have been known to wear viking helmets in photos. So, loving everything about Norway is only natural, right? Anywho, so when I saw a link on another blog I follow that was called “justscandinavian.com” well, I had to click right on over and check.it.out.

This store sells furniture, accessories, textiles, lights, etc.

http://www.justscandinavian.com/accessories.html

In the about us section, I learned the owner of the store “comes from Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, and has a Master of Arts Degree in Art History. After decades of extra studying she decided it was time to do something useful in life and decided to bring Scandinavian design to NYC.” Art Historians are awesome and I think they make wonderful interior designers. I know many that have made the jump. It still breaks my heart thinking about letting my art history go. But I'm Ok people, c'est la vie. And who knows what the future holds!

But I digress. Back to my point, there was some awesome fabric on this website. Maybe not quite our style, but awesome none the less. And I can see serious Art in the fabric which demonstrates the eye and the knowledge that this store owner posses. I’m thinking these farbics look like happy, modern versions of Hieronymus Bosch paintings. The plants look like ones he would use. Anyone still with me here?

Cool, right?

good feelings

It took some time, but the wedding excitement is here! I was of course excited when we got engaged, but it was hard to imagine the reality of the situation. Now I get it! We booked the church which has set all the other wheels in motion. At this point, I’m happily looking at options and daydreaming about what our wedding will be like. So far, my imagination has something very wonderful in mind. I’m sort of bubbling over with ideas and happy thoughts currently. Not in a crazy “bridezilla” way, but in a “this is really happening” way. It’s a peaceful high. Bottom line, I feel pretty great! I’m going to try and keep my feet on the ground as much as possible. I am going to keep calm, and remind myself it’s only a wedding.

I love this image. It reminds of William & Kate. And that’s always a good thing. I stayed up late last night watching a special on William & Kate, AND THEN (Dude Where's My Car reference) a special on Harry came on. How was I suppose to go to bed? Those people over at the TV network knew what they were doing with that line-up. They had me hooked for 2 hours. But hey, it’s OK. I haven’t sat and watched 2 hours of TV in months. It was awesome.

Free Art Finds Me

A couple years ago, when I still lived in my condo I found my favorite Picasso print framed and for free outside someone’s garage with a sign that said “Free! Please take anything you want!” So I did. I took the Picasso and put it right up on my wall. Sweet.

And last week, Jay was walking home from a movie with a friend in Old Town and stumbled into the exact same situation! Outside someone’s townhouse was a pile of stuff and a sign that said “Free! Please take anything you want!” So Jay picked up this framed photograph. The blue tinted flower looks great in our entry hall against our gray/blue wall. Still looking for that umbrella stand though. I want to put one right below that picture...

What is it about Free Art that just finds its way into my life? Maybe Free Art is all around. So keep your eyes open people!

Happy Monday

After a weekend with my family and Jay exploring Charlotte, I have the deepest feelings of satisfaction, appreciation and love. My family and my future husband mean everything to me. Meeting the pastor that is going to marry us and standing in St. Luke’s with Jay was a wonderful experience and I’m so excited for the next several months. All morning I've been a bit starry eyed. A feeling that has become more common place since getting engaged. This is how my coffee seemed this morning. And there is no project at work that could ruin my mood today!

Want

I’ve seen these pillows places, but on this blog I follow http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/ I finally found out where to get them. I’d love to get these pillows for myself and Jay. But I think they may have to be a Christmas present because they’re $149 each! Why is everything I want so expensive?! Blerg.

I've been dreaming

Of a blue and white umbrella stand. Is it strange to day dream of such things? It’s just every time I leave the house, I see the empty spot on the wall in the entryway where one would fit perfectly. And I see the umbrellas just standing against the wall. Here’s what I imagine, for our gray/blue entry hall.

TOMORROW

Jay and I are heading down to Charlotte, NC to check out a venue for our wedding. The Morehead Inn. My parents have already been there and say it’s great. I can’t wait to see it for myself. I think it looks and sounds perfect!!!

We're gonna check out this sitting room. And all the oriental rugs in there...

And this staircase. Seems quite Southern and charming. It'll feel like home!

The entire Inn and grounds are available at a one great price. The party could be indoor and outdoor! I really like that idea. Sometimes it's nice to step outside for a bit of fresh air during a party. And I really like the size of the Inn. It’s small enough to feel intimate but large enough to accommodate up to 250 guests; we’re not having that many people but it’s nice to know we won’t be cramped. I love all the furniture, rugs, gardens, and details. Can't wait to check it out this weekend. Pretty much just can't wait to get out the city!

Foo Dog Lamp Love

I’m dreaming of a super cool lamp to go on my new bedside table. I found this one at http://www.shadesoflight.com/. But dang, it’s $200. That's not gonna happen. So going to keep searching. Or maybe I'll do another fun lamp DIY project. I loved my first lamp DIY. Maybe I can do another one!

Anyone Else Missing Will & Kate?

Here they are, caught on a walk. Jay and I like to take walks in the evening when it's nice out. We usually walk down to King Street and back. Usually just a 30 minute stroll. It’s nice to see Will & Kate enjoy a nice walk too!

And who knew William wore glasses?! I’m happy to see them again!

Get Ready

I’ve got some before after photos that I haven't been sharing. Lots of them. It's so crazy to look at the photos I took when we first moved in. We really have come a long way. Here’s a  sneak peek of the before and afters I've got coming. First up, our bathroom. This before photo was taken when we first moved our stuff in. We basically had to pile everything we had into the bathroom because we were painting and re-carpeting the rest of the house. Lovely isn't it? Looks like an episode of Hoarders or something. If you ever thought that we did everything right, think again...

And here’s where we are today.

What we did: Obviously, moved all the stuff out. Painted the walls, painted the ceiling, painted the cabinets, added new door knobs, added a new towel rack, painted the bathroom door, added a shower curtain, took down the old mirror and added a new one, installed a storage shelf over the toilet, and refinished the medicine cabinet. You can’t see the medicine cabinet here or the new towel rack, but maybe I’ll post on that later. The only thing we have left to do is replace the light fixture. And that’s on our to-do list this week. We already bought the light, so all we have left to do is install it. Then I’ll post about it and then we’ll be done with the bathroom! I can cross this entire room off our to-do list. Until I want to re-do it in six months….

Inspiration

Stumbled across this photo today during a search for inspiring images. Jackie “compared the Kennedy years in the White House to King Arthur’s mythical Camelot”. Isn't this a cool picture?

Can you imagine if this were your life?

This weekend

I relaxed and tried to get my balance back.

I bought this night stand at Crate & Barrel. It was on super-sale!
Floor sample, last one, more than 50% off! And I love it.

And Jay and I saw this crazy pillow at Target. It’s an ice cream sandwich pillow. What?!