Color Pairings: Yellow and Grey

Lovely new color combo find....I never thought of combining yellow and grey before. Seems like a strange combination, but apparently it's been a hot and ongoing trend. It is subtle exuberance and a combination that appeals to different styles.

[caption id="attachment_560" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Romo Kimura Wallpaper - Yellow and Grey"][/caption]

Like this wallpaper above...to me evokes a bit of romance, chicness. I might just use this for my blank staircase wall!

[caption id="attachment_561" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="From Decor Pad"][/caption]
Vintage chic. A sharper yellow along with dark and metallic grey blends older furnishing styles with more contemporary styles.

[caption id="attachment_562" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="From Southern Living"][/caption]
Perfect for a loft -- a little country modern with the sharp yellow barn door set against the grey bathroom wall. I can imagine this in a loft-style apartment.

[caption id="attachment_567" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="From Homes and Gardens"][/caption]
Urban subtlety.

[caption id="attachment_569" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="From Remodeling My Space"][/caption]
Add a little black with the yellow/grey combo to give a kitchen a modern feel.

[caption id="attachment_571" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Photo by Grey Crawford"][/caption]
Or add white and hints of red for a country kitchen feel.

[caption id="attachment_574" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="From Velvet and Linen"][/caption]

And this... this one is just beautiful.

Home List of To Dos

A lot on my mind today.  So much to do on our Peach, including:

1. Put up new back patio fence.
2. Renovate kitchen.
3. Paint a mural or place pretty decal on staircase wall.
4. Update living room decor.
5. Clean up and organize home office.
6. Organize all closets.
7. Replace light fixtures in entry and over staircase (kitchen too?)

Almost four years into our Peach, and this list is just the beginning....Other life necessities took precedence to updating our Peach.  And certainly #2 and #4 are going to take some time for more saving.  #2 in particular is a little bit of a dilemma.  It's quite possible that in 2 years, the Hubby and I will transition to a different home.  While we'd love to stay in our Peach for a long time, it just doesn't have the space for us to grow.  So what to do?  Do we shell out the dough and do the full redo shabang (i.e., new layout, new cabinets, new countertops, new appliances)?  Or do we take the minimal approach and simply upgrade countertops and appliances, keeping the cabinets and layout?  Where can we get the most bang for our buck?  Anyone out there with ideas?

For those also planning home renovations out there, I came across this thought-piece that may be of interest from MintLife.

Design Notebook: Cherry Blossoms and Empty Walls

I've got a couple of lonely, empty walls that line the staircase of Our Peach.

[caption id="attachment_536" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="My Empty Walls"][/caption]

I just haven't quite figured out what I'd like to dress them with. I've thought of framed art work mixed in with some framed photographs of us and family and friends. I've thought of painting them, but am not quite convinced of a color that will complement the palette we already have. And then I saw this lovely idea from a Young House Love House Crashing post:

[caption id="attachment_535" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Cherry Blossom Mural From Young House Love"][/caption]

Beautiful, eh? And what perfect timing of my find because this past weekend was the official launch of the National Cherry Blossom Festival here in Washington, DC.  The 2010 Cherry Blossom Festival began on March 27 and will run through April 11.  It is an annual celebration of spring in our Nation's Capital.  Thanks to the Japanese, who gave us the beautiful cherry blossom trees that now adorn the Tidal Basin by the Potomac River.

And fantastically, I found other similar ideas of cherry blossom walls.  Looks like I can get a wall decal or "wall tattoo" to place on my walls, just got to find the right one....

[caption id="attachment_539" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="From Uncommon Accents"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_540" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="From IR Korea Deco"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_538" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="From Single Stone Studios"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_542" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="From Red River Interiors"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_544" align="aligncenter" width="261" caption="From Surface Collective"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_545" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="From This Next"][/caption]

And to convince the Hubby of this brilliant idea!

Potential sources for wall decals: Dali Decals, Surface Collective

Dreaming of Del Ray

Del Ray is a quaint little community in Alexandria, Virginia and home to treasure spots like Evening Star Cafe (modern American cuisine), The Dairy Godmother (frozen custard and nostalgic treats),  La Strada (Italian wine and dine), and of course St. Elmo's (coffee and pub).  Del Ray is bounded Braddock Road on the south, Russell Road on the west, East and West Glebe Roads on the north, and Jefferson Davis Highway on the east.  It's main avenue is Mount Vernon.  Hubby and I discovered Del Ray when we were living in South Arlington when we first moved to the DC area in 2003.  We've always enjoyed the neighborhood and have it at the top of our future move-to list.  It is inevitable that the Hubby and I will have to someday leave Our Beloved Peach.  It's a great starter home, but we will at some point be hunting for a home that we can have a family in.  I absolutely love neighborhoods that have a walking community...and Del Ray is certainly that.  I also love that a many of the homes in Del Ray have front porches and large backyards.  So, today, I was dreaming of Del Ray and found these beautiful homes.  Someday....I hope to have one like these...

[caption id="attachment_523" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="I love the vibrant eggplant color and the detail on the trims."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_522" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Looks so cheerful and cozy at the same time."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_521" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Beautiful landscaping, and the bungalow style is always a favorite."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_524" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Love the farmhouse style; this might just be my favorite yet."][/caption]

*All images from Jen Walker.

Color Pairings: Spring Green

Thinking green today.  Wonder why?  Happy St. Patty's Day!  So you should be wearing green or else you might get pinched! Did you know that St. Patrick was originally associated with the color blue? But then he started using the three-leaf shamrock as a way to teach to the Holy Trinity (i.e., Father, Son, Holy Spirit) to the pre-Catholic Irish. After that, it was spring green for St. Pat. So today at Design Palate, we are celebrating green. Religious or not, for those with a passion for design and St. Patrick's Day -- these green decor inspirations are for you!

Create a cozy corner nook with heavy lighter olive green drapes offsetting lime green walls. Soften the palette with a jute rug and pink flowers:

[caption id="attachment_488" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="From Better Homes and Gardens"][/caption]

For a little glam, mix gold and green. Use visual texture to create interest:

[caption id="attachment_493" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="From the Desk of Annie"][/caption]

For a comfortable feel, a light sea green against white:

[caption id="attachment_497" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="From Country Living"][/caption]

Perfect for the coast....complementary to ocean blue -- light browns, reds, and greens:

[caption id="attachment_496" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="From Completely Coastal"][/caption]

Bring the outside in, mix in wood with green:

[caption id="attachment_499" align="aligncenter" width="420" caption="From DecorGreen"][/caption]

Cottage chic--pinks and greens:

[caption id="attachment_511" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="From Blissfully Domestic"][/caption]

And finally, for a modern touch--blend citrus green with black/grey hues:

[caption id="attachment_506" align="aligncenter" width="325" caption="From Good Housekeeping"][/caption]

A Little Something Tweet

When I was a little girl, we had about 10 or so differently colored lovebirds. Okay - that may be exaggerating...though it seemed like we had a lot. I was only about 5 years old, but I remember how I loved watching them in their cage just hanging out, mostly. I still remember the cage. It was a white, palatial-like cage...beautiful with all the colorful lovebirds in it. I haven't thought about that for a long time. My mother loved loves birds! She often has a bird feeder out on her porch, deck, by the kitchen window (she moves around a lot). Wherever she is, she's got one. I'm not sure that I'm a bird-pet person. But I do enjoy listening to them chirping outside of my window signaling spring time.

Maybe it's my childhood lovebird memories or my mom's love for birds having influenced me, but I've somehow found a way to bring them into my home--well, bird prints anyway (one step at a time, you know!). And I never thought I'd develop a taste for bird prints. But I somehow find myself absolutely adoring them.  There's just something very peaceful and soothing about them for me.  I'd put up as many as I could, if the Hubby would let me! Well, maybe not that much....and he did allow for a few....

[caption id="attachment_478" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="not so much a bird print, but i though i'd share this bird ornament with you anyway!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_480" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="gracing my upstairs hallway. beautiful, isn't it? i got two!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_479" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="my most recent additions -- from the national gallery of art. had the three prints custom framed. a delight in my home office."][/caption]

So what sparked all this?  Well, I stumbled upon a lovely Etsy shop owner, Geninne, who had a number of lovely bird prints that were just too sweet not to share with you!  Here are a few of my favorites....

[caption id="attachment_469" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Lotus by Geninne"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_472" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="White Flowers by Geninne"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_473" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="Bird No. 32 by Geninne"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_471" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Five Sparrows by Geninne"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_470" align="aligncenter" width="430" caption="Three Little Birds by Geninne"][/caption]

Recipe Redo: How to Reupholster a Chair

Want to turn something like this...



Into this?



Then, watch this!


Oh, I guess -- the video doesn't address how to re-paint a chair. Before you re-attach the seat to the chair frame, here are some quicky re-painting steps:

1. Sand it.
2. Spray paint it with the desired color -- make sure you get the glossy finish or else the imperfections will show through. A couple of coats should do. Remember to spray 6 inches or so away from the chair in a controlled left to right/right to left movement. Be sure to fully cover the areas you want to paint, but try not to go over areas you've done more than a couple of times otherwise the paint will start to run and that's not gonna be pretty. If the paint starts to run, you can use a paint brush to try and blend it all in, but the look won't be uniform throughout the chair, unless you use the paint brush throughout. So, to keep your sanity just try to avoid running the paint altogether! (Believe me on this!)
3. Let it dry.
4. Screw back in the seat onto the chair frame.
5. Enjoy it!

PS. For less fumy, non-toxic, and more environmentally-friendly spray paints look for paints with zero to low [e.g., lower than 150 grams per liter (gm/liter)] Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Avoid paints that contain toxic elements like Toluene, Ammonia, Phthalates, Heavy Metals, and Glycol esters. I wish I had known about this information before buying my spray paint. It's hard to find spray paints that are eco-friendly and non-toxic. After a little bit of research, I just found the Krylon H2O Latex spray paint as one option. For wall paints and stains, there is Safecoat. Does anyone know of other brands? Please do share with us, if so.