Things that Strike my Fancy..

Here are some items and designs that serve as inspiration for a lot of my decorating ideas and dreams. Hopefully some of these may serve as positive inspiration for you as well. Enjoy.

Who says a stunning dining room table has to be long and rectangle? I love the character in this room and really like the mismatched furniture. I think the simplicity pulls all of the different items nicely together.

The ways to incorporate nature indoors are endless. I like this fun nature idea that can work for any dining room table.

I have always been a huge fan of white cabinets and green kitchens. I like the fun way that this picture includes both. The light lime interior of the cabinets serves as a hidden splash of color in this simple, well put together, kitchen.

I love, love, LOVE a couch where no two throw pillows are alike. This simple wall color, and white couch, goes great with the frame and fabric choices in this lovely room.

I enjoy this office space decor. The choice of light blue, white and black are an interesting, yet fabulous choice. A work space like this makes heading to work a little less dreadful.

I can't get enough of decorations and plants that are vibrant greens. I love flowers, however, I really enjoy a mixture and feel that they are not always needed. I like how this simple table really makes a statement in the room.

I like to choose a single room in my home and make it bright, cheerful and all around warm. I am a firm believer that rooms, such as your master bedroom and bathroom, should be tranquil and a living room or dining room can be bright.

This is a new favorite of mine. I think if you decide to decorate a wall in stripes you have to be careful to not over do it and aim for simplicity. I love this picture because the pretty teal mirror adds just the right splash of color.

Speaking of tranquil, how more intimate and relaxing can you get than a gorgeous chandelier over a soaking tub. I love this.

I enjoy the idea of painting thrifty chairs a fun color and covering them with a pretty fabric. This works on any kind of chair, whether for a kitchen, dining room or living room.

I hope everyone's manic Monday comes to a peaceful and relaxing end.

xxoo,

Sarah

A Wedding Weekend

Hi all.

I had a great weekend. One of my friends got married and the ceremony could not have been more beautiful and intimate, even the weather was absolutely perfect. Of course you can't talk about a wedding without mentioning the bride. The bride was stunning. My friend is 5' 11" and has always been simple and a bit of a tom boy, but on her special day she had us all amazed and smiling at how breathtaking she looked. The bride wore a mermaid style dress that had about twenty buttons running down her lower back. She chose a curly bun up do, soft red lipstick, a pretty pearl necklace and a short classic vail. To top it all off, she was constantly smiling from ear to ear on her special day. In my opinion, nothing is more pretty than a very happy bride on her very special day.

Here is one of the gifts that I made for the amazing bride and groom. It consisted of scrabble pieces that spelled out their last name vertically and both of their first names, horizontally. I feel this gift symbolizes what the day is all about, two becoming one.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

xxoo,

Sarah

A Dandy Dad Day!

Hi all.

I hope you all had a great Father's Day and made a Dad, or two, feel special. I spent Father's day with my Dad and enjoyed spending some quality father/daughter time with him. My sister and I bought my Dad a couple of small items but I also decided to make him a gift that thankfully turned out great!

I grow mint in my garden that is slowly, but surely, taking over so I have given starts of mint to my parents on a couple different occasions, but the starts never survived for one reason or another. So for Father's Day I dug up some nice, tall mint and placed it in a brightly colored green pot. Around the pot I used a white paint marker and wrote "When life gives your mint, make mojitos... Love, Sarah" I gave the gift to my dad and placed the colorful pot on their pool deck. I figured this way they could enjoy the smell of fresh mint and easily pick some for their chilled mojitos on a hot summer day. I will be sure to post a picture very soon because I just love bright, colorful pots set around a patio or pool. Bright orange, yellow or green flower pot can really give an area the extra splash of color it may need for the summer season.

For now I will leave you with some spaces that I adore.. enjoy!

I hope you all had a fantastic Father's Day and weekend!

xxoo,

Sarah

A Birthdays Not Complete Without A Hiccup.. Or Two

Hi all!

Yesterday was my birthday and it was a crazy and fabulous day, to say the least.

My day started out bright and early, and things were luckily going smoothly at work. The weather was perfect at a sunny 75 degrees without a dark cloud in the sky. My sister has also been in town and I have been enjoying visiting and spending some quality sister time with her.

Birthday Bliss Pt 1

I decided to get caught up on work before taking my lunch break and finally reached the point, like I often do, where I force myself to stop, breath AND eat! I grabbed my lunch, got situated and had began eating my food when I got the phone call.

My sister had surprised me by taking my pups to get their nails trimmed and was on her way to see me, when it happened.

I answer the phone to hear my sister quickly babbling that she is lost downtown, people are yelling at her from the streets telling her that her tire is flat, and the pups are wildly hopping around in the back seat. I, able to picture this scenario so clearly, try hard to muffle my hard-to-breathe laughter. Needless to say, I put down my fork, make sure she is safe, dial AAA, and dart out the door to go find her. My peaceful and blissful birthday had suddenly come to a screeching halt.

We wait for about an hour and AAA finally comes to put on her spare, jump start her car battery (don't ask), and give us the grim diagnose that her wheel (with only 1,200 miles on it) had was finished. We part ways and I head back to work while she heads home to wait for my boyfriend and await their trip to the auto shop. I am happy to report that by dinnertime, my out-of-town sister was fine and her car was in much better shape. Thank goodness.

Birthday Bliss Pt 2

What would a birthday be without a few unexpected events? Oh yeah, peaceful and relaxing. :) After work I made my way home and was greeted at the front door by my boy, who anxiously led me out to our garage. There I was greeted by the 1950s bicycle, I had wanted, a bouquet of fresh flowers and a picnic basket complete with wine and a few of my favorite treats. The final touch, him presenting me with a single rose and asking me "Sarah, will you accept this rose." I happily obliged.

We packed up our picnic dinner, adjusted the seat on my new bike, grabbed a blanket and were off to the park. The weather was still gorgeous and people at the park could be seen walking dogs, pushing strollers, fishing in the lake and even practicing a play. We enjoyed people watching, taking in the scenery, and munching on fresh shrimp, chocolate covered strawberries and chilled wine.

After the picnic we continued to take my new wheels for a spin around the neighborhood. I avoided any and all curbs, holes or other miscellaneous "tire damaging" hazards. My boyfriend quickly noticed this and commented on my extreme cautious actions. My reply, "one bad tire was enough for this birthday gal!" And this is where I jinxed myself... darn it.

My tire did not pop, deflate, or fall off, however I can't say the same about my left pedal. My boyfriend asked if he could take my new bike for a spin, but when he didn't return I went to find him and see what was up. What did I find? My poor bike, pedalless. I hopped on and attempted to ride but each ride ended with the pedal falling off and rolling down the street. Bummer.

The night came to an end as the sun began to set and we started our journey home. Me wrapped in a blanket with a basket and the boy pushing the two bicycles down the open street. Unfortunately, my birthday ride was short lived.

Although my birthday wasn't as quiet and peaceful as I had dreamt it would be, it was one that I won't forget anytime soon. I am also happy to sat that the new ride has received the appropriate care and maintenance and will be back on the road again.

Happy birthday to me!

xxoo,

Sarah

Pretty Wall Decals

I love, love, LOVE wall decals. They are a cute alternative to wallpaper, pictures and other wall accessories. After painting the master bedroom gray, the wood trim white, and adding splashes of yellow around the room, I noticed that the wall above the bed's headboard was a tad, bare.

That bareness had to go.

As I searched for inspiration and chic ideas, I stumbled upon wall decals. I ended up choosing three white flower decals for above the headboard. They are simple and give the wall that extra little something that it needed.

Here are some wall stickers that I love and think are great. Let me know what you think or if you'd ever use wall decals in a room.

xxoo,

Sarah

Wedding Elegance

When it comes to planning your special day, the choices and possibilities are endless. Here is an idea that I recently saw and thought was extremely unique, creative and just plain cute!

Let me know what you think!

Also, as promised, here are the results of my frame and fabric adventure. I think I may need to iron a couple of the fabrics, but I am still enjoying it in the meantime.

Are you currently working on any creative projects? If so, please share! I love swapping creative ideas and sharing creativity. :)

Have a great weekend,

Sarah

Wall Flair

I am always keeping my eyes and ears open for inspirational decorating ideas or better yet, dreams. I recently took on a project that involved grouping multiple hanging frames on a single wall. I began my project by collecting old white frames that I had lying around the house or packed away in the attic.

Secondly, I pondered the thought of what to put in the nine frames that I had been able to collect or make. At first I thought photos of family & friends would be a nice choice, however I really wanted something a bit more simple and relaxing to match my newly painted blue walls. I finally came to the conclusion to frame different fabrics to compliment the space.

Next I began my journey up and down the stairs (my home is 4 levels) searching for scraps of fabric. I framed a little bit of everything. Everything from an Italian, cloth wine bag to leftover fabrics from pillows I had made. I even used a gift bag that happened to be the perfect shade of color and matched the room perfectly. During this process I quickly learned that fabric does not have to come from a fabric store and can come in a variety of forms. I looked at wash clothes I had, pillow cases, decorative paper, gift bags, a wine bag, magazine clippings, etc. I left no stone unturned.

The project took a couple of hours but I can honestly say that I am impressed and pleased with the results. The BEST part, I didn't even spend a dime. I love it. I will be sure to post and share pictures very soon! In the meantime, I will leave you with some lens flair that has been satisfying my decor appetite lately. Enjoy!

If you decide to take on a similar project, please feel free to contact me with any questions, or concerns, if you'd like. I'd be happy to help! :o)

XX,

DearSarah