New Mirror for Master bedroom

I'm slowly accessorizing the master bedroom. I met an amazing interior designer, Kristin Drohan, through her website, Boulevard Interior Design. She offers "Free Advice Fridays" and I posted question about our master bedroom. She came up with some great ideas about accessorizing the room to bring it up a notch. The fabrics she suggested (by Robert Allen) were so beautiful. That will be my next project. I was able to buy a mirror she suggested to put above the headboard. I love the starburst mirrors and Kristin found a perfect match for our room.

Kristin is so great! Even though I haven't met her in person, I love her personality from reading her blog and she's easy to work with.

Another great thing Kristin offers is eDecorating. You can hire her without meeting with her. Check out her site! www.boulevardinteriordesign.com

Family Room Project

Tackling the family room has been a process. I can't begin to tell you how many Benjamin Moore samples I bought. I had the hardest time figuring out a color for the family room. I went from dark brown to gray to golden to creams and greens. It took over six weeks to have our sofa and chair delivered and that's how long it took me to find the right color. I FINALLY picked a color (BM, Costal Fog). Our sofa and chair were delivered Saturday morning so my husband picked up the paint and started painting Saturday evening. He started cutting in the trim and corners. As he's painting, I'm noticing that I'm not loving the paint color and want to say something but he just bought two gallons of paint. But, he notices that this color looks nothing like the sample color I painted a few days before. Turns out, it's not the same color! What a waste of three hours. To make matters worse, the stores are closed on Sundays and we had to wait till Monday. Our family room is a mess but we now have the right color.

Here's some pics of the sofa and chair.

Progress pics on house

I'm terrible with keeping up with this blog. I have so many things going on right now. Here's the mirror that I finally received from Ballard Designs. I must say, I was very impressed with the mirror. The quality is amazing and the mirror is heavy!

My look for less

I posted a look for less on Decorpad's site (PB's Daniella chest for $599 and Overstock's version for $249). I purchased the one from Overstock. The piece is pretty well made (I'm sure not as good as PB) but it was in my budget.

The look is slowly coming together. I've been playing around with accesories and am waiting for a final piece . . . oval mirror I purchased from Ballard's Design. It's still on backorder (was supposed to be delivered today - ugh!).

Here's what I have so far.

Weekend project

I was able to fit a project in this weekend (yippee)! I've been looking for a sunburst mirror or something similar. I didn't want to spend $300+ on it either. When a friend of mine said she bought one from HomeGoods but wasn't going to use it in her house, I decided to buy it from her.
While I love the look of the mirror the colors didn't work for me . . . white with cooper/gold. Upon a closer view, the paint job was horrible (hence why it ended up in HomeGoods.

I wanted silver with black because it will go with the look I'm going for in the guest room (that will eventually get done). I tackled the project by priming the whole mirror. Then I added silver metallic and flat black paint.

It's amazing how a look transforms with color. The same mirror looks soooo different. See the before and after pics.

Catching up on things

I've been MIA and lazy about posting stuff on my blog. Keeping busy on the homefront. Let's see . . . after three months of living in our new home, we went out to purchase a sofa. So happy we did! Unfortunately, it won't be delivered till sometime in early November. We purchased it from Ethan Allen. It's called the Avanti sofa.

Now, my mind is racing trying to decide what colors I want for the family room. The fabric I chose is called Taupe. Looks more gray to me. I wanted a neutral color other than tan or beige. I love the blues and greens with it. Trying to decide what fabric to put for side chairs (later on) and window treatments and wall color. I want the room to be bright but calm.

Ethan Allen has a great design center and work with you to achieve your look. They even come to your house to measure your space and come up with a design plan for your room. Pretty cool! I'll leave updates as they come.

These are a few of my favorite things . . .

Okay, now I'm singing to the Sound of Music (haha)

It used to be my favorite things were clothes, makeup and shoes. Now that we have our new home, I'm consumed with thoughts about decorating for the home! What style do I want to go with? What colors do I think will look good in that room? Do I like that table? Do I like that mirror? Will I love it later on?

I have to take a "time out" and focus on one room at a time. Even though I would love to have everything done at once (because the mess is getting to me). But, hey . . . working on a project is fun and exciting. Your creating this room with your vision! (That's what I tell myself).
My mind gets pumped up when I see a chair or an accent piece and figure out how I can work this into a design. I'll save it on my computer and wait a few weeks. This helps me figure out whether I still like it or to continue my search. Sometimes my ideas go in another direction. I exhaust myself!

So, here are a few of my favorite things:

Candice, oh, Candice, why do you haunt me with your amazing designs!

I love this Pyper chair for our master bedroom. The price kills me (about $1700).

Here's another item I like to go over the chest we have in our bedroom. I thought it was cute and the price is right. Well, right now, it's unavailable (backordered until . . . ?)

I guess it would help if I posted some pics of our bedroom.

Need something to go over the bed but not sure what. . .

I'm also looking for a bench (the one we have is temporary).

Another piece I'm eyeing is the Daniella chest from Pottery Barn. I would love this piece just past our foyer. It's the perfect size for our space. A silver oval mirror would look great right above. Still haven't found the right silver mirror. The chest is priced at $599 so I'm hoping for a sale soon.

Here's where I'm thinking . . .

More ideas to come . . .

Tackling another project . . .

So, we have a ThermaTru entry door and needed to find someone who can stain it for us. Where we purchased the door, the salesperson said a professional needs to stain it and it would cost $600! I really didn't and couldn't pay someone $600 to stain the door. Thank goodness for Therma Tru's website and a staining kit you can purchase and do yourself. I watched the video and decided, hey, I think I can do this. It looked simple enough. The kit comes with everything you need (dvd, brushes, gloves, stirring sticks, sample boards, rags, etc). I think the total cost with shipping was $92.00. I was willing to take the risk.

I ordered the kit stain in walnut on Wednesday and it arrived on Saturday! My husband bbm'd me, while I was at HomeGoods and told me. I was so psyched I wanted to rush home. But, hey, I was at HomeGoods and wasn't done shopping! I started the project bright and early, the next morning. All and all, it wasn't that bad. I think the worst part was cleaning the door and taping it up. The kit says you can finish this project in a day but it took me a day and a 1/2. It wasn't completely dry to apply the topcoat.

I'm pretty happy with the results. Not sure how much better a professional would have done.
Take a look . . .

Friends at Decorpad.com

As I ride the bus this morning (from NJ to NY), I watch the men and women getting on the bus, dressed in their business attire, checking their blackberries for messages and scheduling their day with meetings and phone calls. I myself, am checking my blackberry, but checking on the decorpad.com website.

I began to think why I enjoy communicating and sharing pictures and ideas with total strangers. I realized these people aren't interested in the square footage of my house; the neighborhood that I live in; the taxes I pay; etc. They are sincere individuals, sharing ideas and asking for advice. The same as me. I look forward to sharing my latest project with them. Suzie and Freckles chic, rebecca, mrslimestone, lynette perez, etc. are my decorpad buddies. Suzie is a the BEST for creating this.

Some people I interact with on a day to day basis only want to compare what they have to what I have. Not to say that all people are like that, but the ones that are, I cringe when I have to talk to them. Then, I get aggravated because I feel like I was defending what I have. I'm exhausted . . .

Be thankful for what you have each day and enjoy the better things in life.

For the Love of Jimmy

My years of living in NY and working in NYC, I developed a love fashion.

I remember the first time I passed by a Jimmy Choo store. It's a small boutique on 51st Street. I asked myself, do I have the courage to walk in and browse the store? Will they be rude to me because I'm not of a social class? Well, I chickened out and walked away. I kept playing the scene in my head from the movie, "Pretty Woman", (where Julia Roberts' character was shopping on Rodeo Drive and walked into a fancy store, and they were so mean to her).

Shortly thereafter, I had an event coming up and decided, what the heck, I'm going in! I have money to buy a pair of shoes (that I was saving) so my money is just as good as any one else's. I remember walking in and was greeted by the staff. They were nice! I mean, sincerely nice people. Ordinary, working people, like you and me (that just so happened to have the terrific job of selling J. Choo shoes). My first J. Choo's were called "Glow". I think that was seven or eight years ago and the relationship still continues to blossom. Sometimes, I think it's a curse because my addiction to their shoes is filling up my closet.

I soon developed a relationship with one of the sales woman. I was beginning to learn the ins and outs of it all. I received phone calls for trunk show events and upcoming sales. They have sales?! Now, I only go when it's 50% off (LOL). I tell my friends; they tell their friends and so on and so on.

Here's a little peek of my favorite shoes. The silver ones are Christian Louboutin (my wedding shoes).

Would Candice Olson say "how divine"?

So I've been a big fan of Candice Olson for years now. I love almost all of her designs. She has an amazing gift in designing rooms. I wish I had that gift. There was one episode (Julia and Mark's room, episode 409) that captured my heart. While the rooms (dining room/living room) were amazing, what blew me away was the wall color. She kept describing it as steel blue and metallic blue. After that episode I kept thinking about that wall color and had to find out what it was. I went on to the divine design blog and started asking viewers if they knew what color it was. Communication is a beautiful thing. Benjamine Moore, Yorktowne Green with Modern Masters platinum glaze. I sampled some boards and was ready to paint.

Here's Candice's design. . .

Here's our dining room . . .

What do you think?

Putting it all together . . .

Building a home from scratch is a new and exciting experience but can be overwhelming at times. In today's world, you have so many options available, it's hard to make a decision. You hope that the one you chose is the right one (for you). Will I love it when it's all done? Will I get tired of it in 10 years?

The compromises made in the process was enough to make me crazy. My husband and I have such different tastes. His style is whatever hand-me-downs he gets with a little bit of country. My style is more glamorous with a mix of transitional.

So, we're in the house . . . some rooms are complete (as needed) and some are bare. I find myself staring at the bare rooms trying to get a sense of how I want the room to look. Case in point, the family room. My husband has insisted on putting a wood burning stove in the room. My thoughts soon consume me in trying to figure out how a wood burning stove is going to work with "my look". Can I convince him to buy a contemporary style, wood burning stove?

Here's what our room looks like:

Calming colors . . .

I just love the way these rooms look. The colors are serene and calming. It's a big plus when you have lots of natural light flowing in.

I love the large mirror above the fireplace. Ballard Designs has a similar one.

The different patterns: geometric, stripe, paisley and solid greens really add to the look of this room.

I absolutely love the grays and plums in this room. The furniture pieces that tie into this room, add just the right sophistication.

Our wedding

On October 26, 2008, I married (at age 35!) my love, John. I have to tell you, I was adamant about having an outdoor ceremony. The location was in Stony Point, NY (upstate) and the fall foliage was breathtaking. The day before my wedding, it was the worst weather ever! The rain and wind were in full force and not letting up. I prayed that it would stop in time for the next day. Well, after all the rain washed away, my wedding day was picture perfect. Not a cloud in the sky and the weather was near 70 degrees!

My pastor from childhood, married us and I couldn't have been happier (although my nerves started to act up when I was ready to walk down the aisle). We had an intimate wedding (only close friends and family members); no bridal party (only my sister as my maid of honor; the best man and flower girl).

Our photographer (Rick Helman) was amazing! He took us to three locations (the park, a train track and an old textile factory). It was so much fun! We felt like actors on a set. The pictures truly show Rick's photography talent.