Sunday Inspiration

Snapshot Decorating

One easy blog post that I have plenty of content for is my frequent shopping trips to home stores. I've learned to keep my phone out of my purse so I can snap pictures of all the little accessories that I love. Like any good "home dreamer" I am an expert window shopper but rarely walk out of the store with all of these great finds. I'm hoping to make it through my backlog of outings in hopes of inspiring you guys to get out and (window) shop too! 

Peony Cookie Jar, Pier 1

I came across a cookie/storage jar that reminded me of an Anthropologie canister I saw a while back. I love the similarly raised floral designs and overall shape, and while I'm not crazy about the butterfly on the top, I do like the added color (which happens to match my kitchen!) And at less than half the price, it's definitely a steal.

18x24, Pier 1

I was originally drawn to this canvas because it has a lot of the bright colors that I've used in my apartment and I thought it would be great to fill the blank wall my Christmas tree filled up for the last month or so. I also loved the mixed media on the owl (see the newsprint underneath the paint). Buuuuut, as it turns out the more I look at it, that owl creeps me out. Apparently I'm only interested in owl decor that is more of the cartoon-ized version.














Lastly at Pier 1, as I walked out the door this little place setting caught my eye - not the greatest picture. I have never thought to layer basic place mats for a more interesting, textured look. Just outside the picture at the top right they also had coordinating wine glasses. The burlap bird napkin holder is just icing on the . . . , er, plate.








I also stopped in HomeGoods in search of a new comforter or duvet. As usual, I had to look down every aisle and get distracted by all the pretty things. Over the last year of so I've really been in to the shabby chic / industrial design / country styles - whichever you prefer. I basically just like the natural woods and metals and even something with a little wear and tear to it. The occasional pop of color mixed in makes all of that even better.









 That being said, I came across this great ladder-like storage shelf. It would be perfect in a loft as a bookshelf, open pantry, bathroom storage or even outside as a plant stand. It had a whitewashed effect over natural wood.

HomeGoods night stand

My storage cabinet turned night stand.

< This next HomeGoods nightstand made me want to do a little DIY-ing to create the same effect for my bedroom. I have been thinking of doing my room a little more modern with some crisp whites and grays mixed with a bright color. I currently have a make-shift nightstand (formerly a bathroom cabinet) to accommodate my raised bed. I think that it could look great in gray. I see a test run on painting and sanding in my future!








Back to my love of industrial design - I love the hard look of steel, pipes, cranks, wheels, etc, but I can't resist the feminine versions that have a little *SHINE* If it was a smidge bigger I would love to use this coiled bronze table in an entryway front and center (a la Phoebe Howard) or pushed up against an entry wall donned with a beautiful flowing floral arrangement and wall sconces. *By far my favorite piece of the weekend!

And HomeGoods never has a shortage of shiny eye candy. I'd take any one of these faux silver pieces for a bookshelf or side table.

< This last find is nothing spectacular, but something more for inspiration. I have four storage bins under my tv that really only match, well, the tv - black on black on shiny black (see right). These Kirkland's bins - in my apartment colors! - have a great pattern that could liven up my plain bins. I'm thinking of painting the bases of my black bins a bright color like blue, yellow, green, or orange and then finding a patterned paper I can wrap custom cardboard lids in. Another project on the list! I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks for reading! Have fun window shopping this week!

Sunday Inspiration

I recently found this quote, via Pinterest, and have loved referring back to it since the start of the new year. I always am one to worry and overthink what I'm going to do next and I let myself give the excuse of "I'll do that when . . ." So here's hoping 2013 is my year of taking advantage of my current situation and being happy in the moment! (Not to mention getting around to showing off all my little projects, ideas, and love for decorating.)
 

Life Happened

Hi long lost blog-o-sphere! I've missed having a creative outlet where I can practice my writing. I also have a million projects stacked up in my drafts folder, in my brain, and in my front closet to share with you, but to say that I'm particularly sorry that I haven't posted any of those all summer would be a lie. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed the last 4, er, 5 months of 'free' time. When I have had free time, I have happily filled it with road trips to see family and friends and to go on mini adventures. During my long break from blogging I have . . . 

- relaxed on a dock on Lake Martin and played countless hours of Squirt, Squirt, Squirt

- met Sarah and Brett's son Johnny

- celebrated Luke's 1st birthday

- visited the Georgia Aquarium 

- camped out, rafted the Ocoee River, and kayaked the Hiwasee River with my co-workers

- spent a far-too-short but fun-filled weekend showing my grandparents around the city

- lost all use of my leg muscles after 6 hours on a giant slip and slide

- road tripped to Nashville for some dueling pianos, late night meals, and sno-cones at the Parthenon

- flown to Denver for a Beatles-playin', marathon-shopping, quality sister-in-law bonding weekend

- paddle boarded on Smith Lake, danced the night away on the pontoon boat, and discussed the meaning of life in my pjs

- taken my first Hip Hop class

- eaten countless delicious meals with friends and family - mmmmm Greek Food Festival or Miller Union anyone? I also discovered Pinkberry (multiple times) - delish! 

- spent an amazing weekend hiking in the North Georgia mountains with my family, puppies included

- surprised a best friend and her boys for a weekend of UGA football watching, thrift store deal finding, and icee emergency runs

- relieved some stress on multiple occasions with pottery-painting, wreath-making girls' craft nights with Jen

- driven through the cotton fields of South Alabama

- ran the Color Run in the rain and redecorated my apt with Aunt D (blue-stained skin included!)

- and last and least, but something new nonetheless - I have taken on many new responsibilities at the office

 I am sure I even overlooked a few things, but my point is . . . life happened, and  I was happy to be along for the ride. I know this is long winded and lacking pictures, but I am trying my best to write more in October, so if that means not editing a picture to perfection or at all, I'm fine with that. Home Dreams was meant to be about fun interior design based things only, but the more I think about it, the more I realize just how much what we love having in our homes is shaped by our life experiences and the people we have around us.

If you read this far, thanks! and come back soon. I will do my best to write more if nothing else.

Sweet dreams!

Love the One You’re With

I have to admit, I continually put off updating my blog because I don't feel like it is as put together and designed as I would like it to be, but I have been humbled lately by realizing that very few things in life are perfect from the start. So I plan to keep on blogging, and keep on working on the design for as long as it takes to make it beautiful. Thanks for being patient blog readers!!

 - - -

For now, I am extremely excited to share something that I have been holding on to for a while. One of my sweet sweet friends, Madoline, agreed to take me up on my attempt at a regular blog column: Love the One You're With. This post couldn't have better timing because today is Madoline's birthday!!! Check out her beautiful house below (perfect for dinner parties I might add!)

MADOLINE'S HOUSE - - -

I can’t believe I live in my house. Yes, as Amy’s blog speaks of, I still dream of the home that will be all my own to decorate and make mine/my family’s own. But until that time, I am spoiled to live with three other girls in a character-filled older home whose owners updated and added on a few years ago.

I love Amy’s concept of “loving the one you’re with,” but truthfully I overwhelmingly treasure this house’s features and want to take them into my “dreams” with me one day.  

Hardwoods. Some rooms have the original wood, some have new, but they all give a woodsy look that is far superior to tile or carpet. Also, my roommate’s cat likes them.

A porch of escape. The swing is where we go to read, to enjoy being outside, to talk or sit as someone (not me) plays guitar. It’s where I take my breakfast and notebook on Sunday mornings. It’s where I most love to be, and it’s where I (mostly) can’t work on my to-do list (amen to that).

A wall that speaks. The best vertical space in our house comes courtesy of the artistry of a special former roommate in the house. I don’t want just something that coordinates with décor on my walls; blame the journalist in me, but I want each wall of my home to tell a story or reflect a season or people in my life. 

Dream kitchen. Gas range, stainless appliances, cookbook shelf—hello, the real reason I moved into this home and am so very spoiled. I intend for my kitchen to always fully function as a hub of family, fellowship and simultaneous host of my favorite love language, culinary creations.

Something unexpected. I would not have picked our front living room wall color, ever, but now that we inherited it, its gold-brown tones really make the room a standout. Plus, my roommate has quality taste in decorating mantels. 

A cultivated bookshelf. For now, I have one bedroom bookshelf, which forced me to form a collection of my most treasured yearbooks, photo books, the books I want to read and the ones I most go back to. It reminds me that I want the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves of my dreams to not just be decorative and make me feel literary but to be crafted to tell of influences of those who dwell there and to be shared with others.

  ***

Happy Birthday Madoline!
Thank you for writing, and thank you for being such a great friend for the past 3 years!

To everyone else, I am so glad that I could share this amazingly talented woman's writing and a little glimpse of her character and love of cooking with you.
Be sure to check out her blog over at Maple Macaroni for some equally amazing baked creations.

Where have the weeks gone??

Soooo, I'm only a month and a half behind on blogging. No big deal right? Thankfully I have quite a few legitimate excuses for my long absence.

1. No internet connection at my old apartment;

 2. Sending off my SIL for her fabulous work adventure overseas! (Aaaand she's back already, ha);

3. Partying with this girl to celebrate her little man who will be here in June (so close)!

4. Spending a weekend with this cutie and his mom and dad;

5. Enjoying this amazing party put on by Richard Joseph SalonSpa at our office;

6. Starting up the office Facebook and Twitter accounts (@AWbham), and soon to be blog (architectureworks.com);

7. Attending a "Dixie Seder" with friends;

8. Picking yummy yummy strawberries with the girls;

 

9. Helping our team decorate (and taste test the jambalaya!) at the Cajun Cookoff;

10. Checking out Paint the Town Red and all the digital displays, like this Mini Coop;

11. Oh right, and packing, lots and lots of packing.

So I really have no excuse for not blogging other than LIFE. I have loved seeing so many people I love in such a short period of time. It will be a whirlwind couple of weeks as I continue to unpack boxes, but hopefully there will be lots of blogging and projects to share on the other end of it all. 

Love the One You're With

LOVE - just in time to finish off February!

I got this great idea from a blog I read almost daily.  The point is to share a space or object in your home that you are truly proud of or really enjoy. I think too often we all, me included, get wrapped up in what's in magazines and what celebrities have in their homes, and we lose focus of the small spaces in our own lives that make us happy. I have lots of little things in my current apartment to share, but I hope to be able to share pictures of other people's spaces too; so start thinking - I may ask YOU!!

I am gearing up to move, but there are a few little things that I captured over the weekend that I love about my apartment. They are nothing extraordinary, but they make my room more cozy and homey nonetheless. 

(Please excuse the low quality pictures)

This is a set of three trivet-like wood decorations I got from a yard sale when I lived in Atlanta. I love the detailed carvings and most of all the weathered look of each one. Even better is they are not matchy-matchy in shape. The farthest one is an octagonal shape, a square, and a circle.  I hope to paint these and reuse them when I move.

 Another great thrift store find! My mom scoped these out one weekend when we were searching for apartment decorations. They were such a deal because (although you can't tell from this picture) they are both about 24x36 in size, so they make a prominent statement, especially when grouped together. Botanical prints are very popular now, so they are hard to come by, let alone pricey! The muted browns, tans, greens, and whites all work perfectly with my current bedroom colors.

       Lastly is this great leaner mirror. (I refused to take a bigger picture that reflected my unmade bed or pile of laundry, I mean . . . ) It was a little addition to my room, but it made a huge difference. It was the first time that I have upgraded from what I call a dorm room mirror. The kind that is tall and skinny and works perfectly stuck to the back of a door. This one is much wider, can sit on the floor, and has a substantial frame.

       I also love the brushed bronze finish. To me, this kind of finish works with darker tones in a room without being too masculine.  

       For a similar mirror try: Kirkland's Home 36x67 

There are many more things I love about my space, but I'll save a few to share later. 

So, what do you love about your home???

A Day of Sweets

 Happy Valentines Day Everyone! 

I hope everyone has big plans today. I wish you were all here to share these homemade goodies with me:

Some HEARTfelt sugar cookies for all of the sweet guys in my life

 

 and a tasty batch of CHERRY swirl brownies for the sweet tooths in my office!

 

 And my favorite kind of sweet: design! 

My roommate found this picture that pretty much sums up everything I want in my apartment style: kelly green, weathered furniture, a graphic print, glass jars, neutral palette, feminine curtains - pure love for sure!

 

And stay tuned for a regular design post I hope to do on LOVING your own home.

Thanks for reading! 

Love you guys!

 

"I might have to wait, I'll never give up

I guess it's half timing, and the other half's luck

Wherever you are, whenever it's right

You'll come out of nowhere and into my life"

- Michael Buble, Haven't Met You Yet

Home (Apartment) Dreams Coming True!

Exciting news - I'm getting a new apartment! Like anyone who gushes over interior design magazines and catalogs, I am beyond excited for the chance to move into an apartment with blank walls and empty space! 

Needless to say, planning out what I want to do in a new apartment is filling up my Pinterest decorating boards fairly quick. I am also quickly learning what my style is and what I love in terms of design.  I'll share a few things over the next few days and weeks that are starting to become themes on my pin boards.

1. KELLY GREEN 

I love this as an accent color in a room full of neutrals or paired with a light blue or crisp whites. I'm even finding that I like larger pieces of furniture, like cabinets and hutches in a weathered kelly green finish.  

Thanks for reading!! 

Happy 2012!!

Happy 2012 to everyone!!

I'm off to a slow start because of a new years cold, but nevertheless I couldn't be more excited for the start of a new year! Maybe it's my OCD-list-making-type-A-personality, but I love the idea of starting everything over on a fresh slate. Mentally, I feel like I can let go of anything that I didn't accomplish in the past year and look forward to more aspirations and motivation in the new year.

That said, I feel like this is going to be a great year! I am coming off the natural high of having spent time with so many friends and family that I love over the holidays, and my new phone is the ultimate motivation to organize my life into one convenient little digital, hand-held life planner. Not to mention I will be 25 this year!!! Blame it on the OCD again, but there is something exciting to me about reaching a quarter of a century - - - seems pretty important to me!

Well, I haven't made concrete resolutions this year, but one of my personal goals is to devote more time to writing, photography, and blogging. Hopefully I will be able to pour more into this little blog and really focus in on my interest in interior design and everything else inspirational.

I know my passion for design is still there because of the overwhelming joy I got out of finding these little gems in our office mail on the first day back:

West Elm

Design Within Reach

Pottery Barn

Birmingham Home & Garden

Birmingham Magazine
I mostly love this for the fun graphic layout and fonts. I'm excited to see where the new management takes this magazine in 2012.

I hope your new year is off to a great start. Check back often for great blogging in 2012!!

"We're live!"

This morning our whole office got an email with that message - meaning after months of hard work by my co-workers, we finally have a brand new, fabulous, website!!!!

Check it out! www.architectureworks.com 

Be sure to look at the PEOPLE page under FOUNDATION. I was able to put my photography skills to use and take everybody's picture for their profiles!

Playing Catch Up

Busy! Busy! Busy! The weeks since my last major post in November have flown by. It is that time of year where everything seems to be in fast forward, but I love having a busy schedule, getting a lot accomplished, and spending time with people I love. So what exactly have I been up to . . .

UGA beat AU - bragging rights for a year at the office! No SEC title, but we put up a good (first half) fight against LSU!

Mom came to town! It is always so nice to have visitors and it seems like every time she comes to town there is a lot of productivity, shopping, decorating, good food, and all around fun minus checkbook balancing ;). I love having her here and always hate to see her go!

Mom walking through the Moss Rock Festival

Decorating the Children's Hospital Tree - Every year our firm partners with Books-A-Million to decorate a tree for the Children's Hospital. I headed up the decorating for the second year in a row and got to put together the tree with a few co-workers. (Thanks Mom for picking out all of the great decorations and being such a big help that weekend!) It's always so fun to see the little patients pass our tree and point out their favorite Christmas books - it warms my heart!!

I finished my photography classes! Hopefully blogging will make me stick to practicing regularly. I always have my ever-talented photographing brother to teach me more too! I'm hoping to take more classes in the Spring - possibly Graphic Design or Marketing-related.

A lot of my time was spent doing more party planning; I could get used to that! I was asked to help pull together last minute decorations for a young adult church conference. The theme was "Under Construction - Building Your Talents and Testimony," so me and an amazing group of people from church pulled some long nights and made awesome decorations out of little more than duck tape and poster board. The crane was not my idea, but it really made the dance look great! I was thoroughly impressed with what we pulled off.

Construction-themed food table

I think the crane turned out pretty neat - all paper and cardboard!

Some of the Birmingham people in front of the fun little photo booth backdrop.

Baking for the office - My own little twist on a boxed cake: Raspberry Chocolate Cake: Sometimes I surprise myself with my baking 'skills.'

Fall party with my Southern Progress girls! I had tried a great Pumpkin Stew a few weeks ago at a church luncheon and really wanted to try it out for myself. It doesn't take much to get these girls together for a little recipe testing and dinner party - complete with plenty of gossip and Birmingham-To-Do-List-Creating. My sweet little pumpkin that Mom bought while she was in town (thanks Mom!), while it looks sad, tasted absolutely delicious!!!

Auburn Football - I survived. Somehow just a week after cheering on the Dawgs as they beat Auburn Between the Hedges, I managed to survive using the office football tickets and going to the Samford v. Auburn game. My roommate Kimberly came with me and made sure I was decked out in just enough orange and blue that I didn't get nauseous from the near-Gator colors. I have to admit - it was pretty fun to be at another SEC football game - it seems like it's been so long! Not to mention - rolling Toomber's Corner is kind of a fun tradition. No worries - it only lasted a day - I'm back to bleeding Red & Black!!!

Thanksgiving in the mountains!!! I can't tell you enough how much I love being around my family. We may get on each others nerves from time to time, but as far as families go, I am pretty fortunate to be related to a group of people who work hard, and play even harder. We were fortunate enough to be able to spend Thanksgiving in the house my sister-in-law grew up in. It's tucked away in North Georgia and made for a great, unplugged, relaxing, weekend with the family. We ate a lot, played a lot of games, attempted a lot of crafting, and snuggled up around the fire. Mostly we just sat around and gossiped while the boys did projects around the house - it was perfect! Not to mention a day trip to go ziplining!!!! See a great overview here.

Gearing up for Christmas! I already have an ever-growing to-do list to mark off with my Southern Progress girls - from Christmas movies at the old Alabama Theater, to ice skating, and tours of homes - I'm ready to get shopping and decorating underway too!

I'm sure there is so much more I'm missing, but hopefully that gets me caught up for the most part!