Timeout for a long soak...

Why yes, I was on vacation all last week - but I'm off to Atlanta tomorrow afternoon for market and will be there until Sunday. Thinking of all the rushing around...I'm wanting to take a timeout for a long soak in a beautiful tub. Here are some inspirational tubs I've found.

via Decorpad

via Lonny mag

via Lonny mag

It was the 4th of July...

Happy late 4th of July!!! If I were a real professional blogger, I would have given you all these ideas last week, but seeing as I like to implement before I give advice - here it is now. These were the decorations that we I set up for my mother's birthday celebration.

Notice the paint chip bunting hanging on the cabinet. I strung it together in the car on the way down. For more information on the bunting...click here. I think it turned out great! And the chinese lanterns were very effective (and easy to pack). I probably would have done some vases with smaller necks, but thought these galvanized flower buckets would be easy to travel with. unbreakable. 

 The red raffia placemats I found on the 'fly' at Garden Ridge for $1...no I didn't leave out a 0...yes a dollar. And the Pomegranate seaspray chainstitch napkins, at Table Matters of course - my first stop for quality linens. 

 

And did I mention...I love the subtle red and seaspray combination!!!

Happy JULY!!!

Fabulous Finds Fridays...Oyster Art!

This past week I have been vacationing with my family in Grayton Beach, Fla. Most mornings, I've been taking long walks and on the way home stopping in some shops to look around. In this shopping development, I found a cute little art studio (not much of anything else in the shopping center). It's right off 283 before you get to 30-A...I think its called the Shops of Grayton Beach.

So in The Studio, I found these eclectic mixed media oyster paintings. I love them. And they were only $45. These were 6 x 6.

They are made by an artist, Jennifer Allen - and she is actually from South Mobile County. What's the chance that I love something by a Mobile artist. These were done on old tin ceiling tiles, but on her website she also has them on salvaged wood and on shutters! For my Mobile readers, her website indicates that you can buy her work at Ashland Gallery.

Right now, I don't have a beach house...but maybe one day. I thought how cute would it be to put a grouping of these in a bar area to create an "Oyster Bar." And if oysters aren't your thing, don't worry she has crabs, fish and crawfish.

The Alley's Alley Garden

So, apparently I'm back into gardening. I've created another new bed at the back of our house, where there is a sidewalk leading to our english ampitheatre patio. My neighbor artfully coined my new bed - The Alley's Alley. (I guess it is an alley of sorts.)

We started with foundation plantings of Kleim's Hardy Gardenia's - I wanted something evergreen, but also I wanted some flowers to see, smell and pick. (Klein's Hardy has a rounded form, growing to 4 feet. The flowers are single, ivory and very fragrant. The foliage is lustrous green. It also has good cold hardiness.)

Then I came back with some purple coneflower and russian sage And I found this great zinc piece in my shed during a spring cleaning exercise. And found those beautiful sunflowers to fill it! Happy Summer!

From Drab to FAB!

So I'm working with a  new client on her house. And our main goal has been short-term -- fluffing for a party. But eventually, there will be (colored) paint on the walls. And we'll do some reupholstering and some dressy-er pillows!

Here is the after (or the middle), you can see we got new lamps (from Antiquites in Mtn. Brook Village). The dark ones were a drab and weighing down the look the room (new ones also added height). We also got a new coffee table from L'Argent in Homewood. I love the mirrored piece with the brass frame - just gives a more formal look to the room. Its hard to see in the above pic - but the coffee table before was a heavy, scroll-y iron and had a pink marble top. It was also very short and the new provides some more length thus lengthing the room. Next, we'll be putting Banjamin Moore's Titanium on the walls...I can't wait!!! And reupholstering some chairs in new fabric!

Paint Chip 4th of July Flags

So I have to admit, I saw this somewhere else first. (I would give credit, but honestly can't find it. I found it one night when I was jumping from blog to blog.)

I've started working on the decorations for my Mom's Birthday which happens to be the 4th of July. My mom is a decorator, so I thought the buntings made of paint chips would be very apropos considering that she is a decorator. Here is the beginning of my bunting....

Fabulous Finds Fridays...Rain Gear!

After a week of (much needed) rain, I thought it would be appropriate to share some of my favorite rain gear.

I saw this super cute umbrella holder at Z Gallerie a few weeks ago.Love the look of these faux riding boots as a umbrella stand and could just see them in a corner next to my front door - as if they were waiting to be worn. $79.95

LOVE THE WHITE! SO MOD!

AND THE BLACK TOO. SO TRADITIONAL!

And now to share with you, my favorite rain boots (to wear). I love DAV! Functional and cute.They have many designs (some resembling those above), but I love the cowboy in houndstooth and I'm not a Bama fan.

Perfect for making a splash on a rainy day! $49.00

Also, love this cute little flat that they make....$29.99

And I just found the Pagoda Umbrella! No wonder they call it Bella! $129