nudes...





I have long been drawn to the human form as art. Maybe that explains why I have three dress forms in my dining room. Either that or I'm just weird. These are a few images of portraits and nudes that I liked. I have five drawings - one portrait and four nudes - by local artists that I look forward to hanging in my bedroom


These images came from my newly fixed laptop. Yes!
1. Traditional Home via Greige
2, 3 and 4. unknown to me

People, we are SO validated!


Here's the same garden bench I bought at Home Goods in a room designed by Michael Smith featured in Elle Decor, 2009.



And here is my new favorite look. Of all time. Ever. It's from the talented gal at Shelter. I love everything about it. And guess what?  The lamps? Home Goods. 



Yum. I would take every single thing in this photo. 

You rock, Home Goods.


Top photo via Tear It Out
Others: Shelter 

silvery



Love the silvery feel in the silk panels and the antiqued mirror. Perfect wall color. And I just noticed the chinese paper lantern. It's a good mix. A nice, light, gray-feel without being gray.

Sorry, source unknown to me.

working it out. . .


Friday we caught a virus.

Not me. My laptop.


Now I kinda wish it was me. 


'Cause I know I can get better. I don't know about my laptop. And the fate of the gazillion photos I'd collected over the past few months. I know it's a small thing, really. But I'm kinda crushed. I loved those images that I'd been fortunate to find through you wonderful shelter bloggers. Especially the ones I was saving as inspiration for our bath re-do. (And all that gray. *Sigh*)

I'm keeping fingers crossed that the 'fixers' are able to recover my files.   

But, if not, it's all good. I'll have fun re-collecting. 

So, my babies, back up. Today.



All our personal family photos and documents are thankfully on our desktop, which is, to date, healthy!

Top two images were saved on my dinosaur desktop long ago and I don't have credit. Sorry.
Last image is from Elle Decor via today's post from the gal at Shift, who also has a virus. Feel better. 



  

the goods

The lovely Nelya of Head over Heals spotted this garden stool in one of my photographs. It's a new SCORE! from Home Goods. My most recent one. I don't always come away from there with something but when I do, Ima Happy Gal. I'm thinking this stool will eventually be my seat for the vanity in my bathroom re-do.  Or it could live here, who knows?



I also got this mirror for our guest bath at Home Goods a while back. It has a wonderful antiqued finish.  

I love me some Home Goods. You?

Rooms with a Brood










What shall we call this? This funky, mix-y vibe that the depths of winter often put us in? So dark and moody. 'Broody?' I like that.

"The room's air was broody and sullen, like the season's own, full of storm clouds."   (Nicholas Proffitt) 

Yes. That about sums it up. 

Photos: 1. via Casa Sugar 2. via Desire to Inspire 3. unknown 4.  unknown

Sorry there's no credit for 3 and 4. I started gathering before blogging and didn't think to credit. 

Don't mess wid me today. I'm broody.







Eric Benjamin, Greenville, SC

"My images are based on the landscape, real or imagined. They are a representation, not a documentation of nature.  While the landscape is a jump-off point, I am more concerned with creating a strong emotional and positive image than recreating a specific place." 


things in my attic


I am a ruthless cleaner-outer. The hubs and I recently pulled all my stuff out of the attic so I could go through it and get rid of what I could. A couple of years ago, I stashed away some stuff while I was painting my livingroom and dining room a lighter color (gray!) and going through a more spare look. These are some things I pulled out of the boxes. . . childrens' shoe forms. . .

  

. . .and my collection of copper loving cup trophies. . .


I've collected these over the years, starting with the largest one. It's a tennis trophy from 1916. Another is a tennis trophy from 1905 and one is a cricket trophy.



Now I can't believe I had these tucked away.



I guess this is a week for re-discovering my own treasures.

Bench


I am re-loving my old leather-top bench/coffee table after reading Lauren's weekend post about a close encounter she had with a thrift store bench.


This one is worn and torn. And that's why I love it. 



some gray love on a friday









 

1. and 2.  House Beautiful
3. and 5.  via Apartment Therapy
4.  via Cote de Texas 



vintage signs


This vintage wooden sign hangs in my kitchen. It came from the local Belk-Hudson department store, now closed for many years. The hand-lettering is awesome up close.




I just found this little cottage sign at an antique shop. The lady who rang me up said, "Wow, you found your exact house numbers?"

Silly girl.  Doesn't she know art when she sees it?



Love this 'or' sign that I got at a junk shop. The guy said it went in between "For Sale" and "Rent".  



My little man made this sign several years ago with his Dad's help. My favorite.

How Nick Olsen Validated My Entire Life in a Single Blog Post


I've saved this image of Nick Olsen's apartment for a long time. Love the cheeky glam. The glossy white paint on the sofa frame totally did it for me. But over the weekend Nick posted on his blog that this sofa, or at least its high gloss white, now bugs the crap out of him

Cha-Cha-Cha Changes. . .  

Here's how I wear that same shade of crazy: 

Monday -  tired of livingroom chairs. replace with something cool! hip! fab!

Tuesday - replace all antique etchings and prints with abstract art

Wednesday - re-arrange all furniture. again

Thursday - convince the hubs we need to move to way cool house three doors  down

Friday - toss out all abstract art


Thanks, Nick. I think I'm gonna be OK.   

yummy books for a gray bookcase








Sunburst Mirror Project


Remember my sunburst/starburst mirror project here? My vintage sunburst clock-turned-mirror just came back from the framer and it's really better than I expected. I like it so much more than the 'new-but-made-to-look-old' sunburst I hung over the other screen.

  

The one on the right, the one just back, has much more of a detailed, classic look. It looks older, and of course, I'm all about that.

  

So, now, I guess I gotta replace the other one!

If you want to do something similar: do not reinvent the wheel like I did. O, how I wish I had seen this post from the fantastic blog An Aesthete's Lament before I started my project. This smart cookie kept the clock intact and just silver-leafed the inside of the glass cover of the clock! It is exactly the same clock/mirror as mine and it looks just as fabulous, maybe even more so.

And be sure to check out this great post at Caitlin Creer Interior Design. This talented gal was working on this very same project a little while back, with some terrific results.