bathroom design

My sister and I do trade offs. She edits every single school paper I write and I do searches for her home improvement projects. This is her bathroom, lovely as the mint green tile accented with black is, Camille wants a change. With a preference for subway tiles, and a love for neutral whites and grays and clean looks, this is what I found.

Many of the rooms used octagonal tiles on the floor, I prefer the gray floor paired with the white subway tiles halfway up the wall.


These have more stark color contrasts which I would tone down, but I like the idea of using a little more color.


My personal favorite from Brooklyn Limestone's remodel.

via Brooklyn Limestone, Arch Library, Houzz, Styling with Children, House Beautiful, Desire to Inspire

the great sofa debate

When my husband and I were registering for our wedding he was fairly indifferent to the process, until we got to the cutlery. You can imagine my surprise when we ended up spending 30 minutes pouring over various knifes, forks and spoons. They had to fit well in the hand, be able to scoop up the right amount of cereal, have a balanced weight, etc. I was shocked, I had planned on looking at the style and really only that. That was the first I learned of his deeply rooted opinions on some household items.

Now as we get ready to start the search for a new sofa these deeply rooted opinions on household items are resurfacing. As he told me, "I spend a lot of quality time on the couch, it's important." I have been throwing around the idea of a leather sofa, when I told him this he had immediate concerns about the temperature of leather when you first sit on it. He brought up the idea of sectionals and ruled out the idea of a high backed couch (it does not meet his primary comfort standards). If his strong preferences came out more often I probably wouldn't enjoy them as much. As it is, I find them hilarious. So here are some sectionals. Any recommendations on a good couch color?

via Crate and Barrel, West Elm, Ikea, Restoration Hardware, Costco, Pottery Barn,

I dream of bathrooms

My dream bathroom? I will take any of the below, especially if it comes with one of these bath tubs...

Multiple heads? Dream come true.



I like the utilitarian look of the sinks.

I love the look of all glass.

via Elle Decor

a favorite

My go to gift for baby showers, children's birthdays etc. is a book. The hardest part about this is that I do most of it online so I can't flip through the book to see if it is good or not. The last time I had to send a present I decided to look at A Window to the World to get some ideas. Sold, sold and sold. I love having someone else tell me which books to check out. Best idea ever.

real life home

We put our condo on the market yesterday. One more step in the moving process. Here are some of the pictures from the listing...

One of my favorite purchases ever is the white shower curtain. No, I don't have kids so it doesn't really get dirty. But if it did, the power of bleach. I love it.

I am dying to paint the desk a fun color, blue perhaps? My husband is not so enthused at the prospect.

The bedroom. I love our bed. The other furniture? I want to sell it all and start from scratch.

You can see my miniature art in this picture. I love this part of my house. What would I change? The cushions on the chair. I also go back and forth on whether or not I should paint the large frame a neutral color a la Brooklyn Limestone. Thoughts?

You can't tell from this picture but the couch is in need of replacing. I have one of two options for replacing it. The first is to get my couch from my sister's soon to be apartment and get it recovered, but she really needs it and I would prefer to let her use it until I have a more formal living room. The second, is to get a leather sofa and draw on this post for inspiration...

r.i.p.

Remember the days where the Razr and Chocolate were the phones to get? When phones that had a camera were the bees knees? I have to get a new phone since we are switching mobile carriers, I was really hoping for Razr or Chocolate type phone. You know, the kind that calls and texts? Those days are gone.

Verizon and AT&T stores don't even put non-smartphones out on the floor anymore. They have all been thrown in a bucket and sent to the back room. And those dinosaurs you find in the bucket? They resemble my very first cell phone, bulky and gray. No more sleek and colorful phones. I am forced to enter the app seeking ranks of my generation. Though I will put it off until the iPhone 5 comes out, so take that Verizon!

R.I.P. regular cell phones.

meals, meals, meals

Really I should say dishes because meals implies more than an entree. If I ever make more than one dish for a "meal" it is Sunday or a special occasion. Here are some dishes I am eying to make in the next month.

Quinoa and grilled pepper salad- I have been trying out various quinoa dishes since buying a Costco sized bag of it. So far the only failure has been my own creation.

Chicken and Lemon- Broccoli Alfredo- I have chicken and broccoli and I am trying to clean out the freezer and food storage. This meets my requirements.

Honey Lime Enchiladas- I had honey mixed in some herbal tea right before getting a mean bout of the flu a couple of years ago. It has kind of ruined honey for me. I am hoping this recipe will help me get past that memory.

wedding hair

For sister's wedding I kind of want to follow Jen's lead... I love the french braid. Only problem, I will probably have to have it professionally done. My fingers are not skilled enough to braid that beautifully.

via omg!