Morning Snack-A Little Bit of Everything

Whew, it's Friday, what a week. The race to the finish is in full swing and I am almost out of gas so today I am going to keep it light. Abode Love posted this picture last week and I have not been able to get it out of my mind since.

Sure I was initially drawn in by the nail details around the room, but if you look there is so much more to love. The floor, see the pattern? Orange lacquer ceiling? Love the sofa upholstery fabric and plaid pillows, have I ever mentioned how much I love plaid?

Then there are the leather side chairs and gorgeous secretary. I also love the little gold side table in the right corner and full urns in the back. This room teeters on being guilty of having too much going on but somehow it all works.

Today

Happy Anniversary to the best husband a girl could ask for.

It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating with friends and family on one of the hottest days ever recorded in Nashville, apparently we prefer the milestones in our lives to be when it is toasty.

The picture above is from our rehearsal dinner and there is a great story behind my dress, but I need one more picture to fully tell it so I will try to share soon.

First image via Sweet Nothings

Blog Interruption- Opinions on Strollers

I have to break for a moment from things I love to things I need, like a stroller. We have been all over the world and back again. I would love opinions on what you have used and like/don't like, I am overwhelmed trying to make this decision!

Here are the models we are currently debating:

1. Uppababy Vista- We love the bassinet feature, several different seating options including an option for baby #2 (one day), large basket and great features like screens and you can exercise with it. I plan to walk a lot although I don't run so it should work for that. Love everything about it so far. Cons: $$$2. Bumbleride Indie- To be honest I don't know a lot about these but it came highly recommended so I thought I would throw it out there.

3. The Bob Revolution- It seems everyone in Birmingham owns this stroller and raves about it so it comes with a lot of positive feedback. My concern is the size since this baby will be going everywhere with me if possible, he will be working on my "off" days eventually.Help please! I am looking for something that is functional enough to be used on an everyday basis, can take miles of walking for exercise, will hold up and is really a one stop shop- we don't have room for several strollers.

A Tale of Two Sofas

New catalogs mean new inspiration and I am loving both of these sofas....

Although something about the middle leg above on the Ballard Griffin Sofa is bothering me.Tufted gray perfection from Anthropologie's Ditte Sofa.

Dining Delight

This weekend was spent working on the nursery (updates coming), but I did carve out 30 minutes to catch an old (although new to me) episode of Sarah 101. I was glad I did because I think this dining room is a-mazing.Images and sources HERE.

Love The One You're With- A Perfect Gray

Today I am happy to say Donna from A Perfect Gray is my guest blogger!

From my very first post I have proclaimed my love of gray so naturally I knew I would love Donna's blog when I saw the name. But the mutual love of a color is not what kept me coming back, it is the realness you sense, she is so genuine and sweet. This guest post is a perfect example....

I freely admit it. I am so guilty of lusting after OPH. Other People's Homes.

Daily.

If I stop to think of the spaces I love the most, I think the more I see the homeowner's personality, the more I like the space. In other words, it's personality and not perfection that I love. So what makes me 'love the one I'm with' the most?

I think it's this wall:

Just off the hall in our house you'll find this corner wall

where we mark each birthday that our son has.

It's one of the places that we've truly made our very own. If our kitchen is the heart of our home, I think this spot is the soul.

This wall really does make it easy to love the one I'm with.

Marianne, thanks so much for having me. I am honored.

Maybe you'll do a similar wall.....?

best wishes! Donna

Thank you Donna, I will certainly do a wall like that, I could not love it more. I agree with you, the best homes are the ones that show the owner's personality and real live along with great style.

Quiet Time

Well, well, well
If you need it, God's got it!
God's got everything that you need
If you need it, God's got it
God's got everything that you need
If you need it, God's got it
He's got everything that you need
He's got every, everything a poor boy needs

-Lyrics from God's Got It, Black Crowes

Inspired By Showers

You would not believe how hard it was for me to pick what type of pleat I wanted for the nursery drapes. In addition to decorators never being able to make a decision when it comes to their own house, pregnancy brain has nearly debilitated me from making any decisions for this nursery (luckily clients seem to be exempt from this side effect). Anyhoo, the workroom called to say they are ready and the pleats look great, which somehow lead to a discussion about Jan Showers. A light bulb went off in my head...ahhh Jan Showers an old favorite I had not visited in a while. I took a moment to visit her site and left feeling refreshed.

One of my all time favorite rooms...

After looking at Jan's website I quickly went over to Amazon, credit card in hand braced for a healthy dose of impulse buying when I remembered that every last penny these days need to go towards this, this, this and more. Booooo. I am putting Glamorous Rooms on my Christmas list though, assuming I can wait that long.

Love The One You're With- Danielle Oakey Interiors

My next guest in the Love The One You're With Series is Danielle from

I love everything Danielle shows on her blog, I really feel like we have such similar tastes. So often when visiting her blog I will find the same images and items I have been focused on lately. What can I say?

Hi, I am Danielle from Danielle Oakey Interiors. I am so excited to be here today. Since I am typically thinking about what my next project will be, it is nice to take a step back and share what I love about my home.

My little abode is small, just over 900 sq.ft! Although it is little, I have managed to squeeze in a couple things that I love. First up, my chevron drapery. Did I mention my husband is a medical student? That means one thing, our budget is tight tight! I purchased the chevron fabric here and made them myself. They were inexpensive and add so much life to my living room.

My absolute favorite piece of furniture, my yellow credenza. I think it steals the show! I love the bright yellow, it really brightens up my small condo.

A couple months ago I painted black and white chalkboard stripes in my daughter's bedroom. I can not get enough of them. They add so much character to her bedroom.

And I am still crazy about my DIY sunburst mirror. I wanted one so bad but couldn't swallow the cost of a new one. So, I made one and I think it is perfect in my little home.

Thanks so much for having me Marianne.

xoxo,

Danielle

Thank you Danielle! It would be hard to pick my favorite part, every picture was so full of inspiration!

Morning Snack-Sparkles

Maybe it is because I am soooo sick of wearing the same 5 dresses/outfits over and over and over again (although it does make getting ready in the mornings really easy), but I am in the mood for something sparkly to wear. Just like this.And a place to wear it would be nice too.

The Nursery: Looking Up

The ceiling is now complete thanks to a lot of work by this guy....

While it is not wallpaper, I do love the way it turned out, a more complete post to come.

Ohhhh but the labor did not stop there for Patrick (of course he had a great sidekick), so much was accomplished this weekend and I can't wait to show more.

Much more to come soon....

Beauty With Age

Today is my Dad's birthday, Happy Birthday Dad! My Dad loves antiques and taught me the value in unique, one of a kind pieces.
My favorite place to go day dream about antiques is 1st Dibs. It has been a while since I was on there so I thought today would be the perfect day to go back...

I would take any of these. I would love to have a house one day that was filled with more unique pieces and less with items made in China....just waiting on the money tree to start sprouting in the back yard.

All images 1st Dibs