From the Other Side of the Pond

Big Sky Country...

2012-02-08T15:03:00.001Z

The other day I was rummaging around at my local used furniture shop. I like to stop by there when I'm in a treasure hunting kind of mood. This little shop is where I found our living room chairs. Hunting for treasure is one of my favourite ways to spend an afternoon. The anticipation of not knowing what I will find is exciting. On my last expedition, in the cluttered little shop, I found a painting that I loved. I was surprised because its not the type of painting I would usually be drawn to. When I picked it up I got nervous. I could literally feel my heart rate go up! I thought of my friends and family, particularly the ones I deem to have good taste, and what they might think. Then I brushed my doubts off my shoulder, paid £3 and walked out the door with the new painting under my arm.

When I returned to our little nest I cleaned up the picture frame and ambled around the house wondering where I should place our new treasure. I decided on our bedroom for now. During the cold, grey and wet month that February is proving to be, I've been delighted by the vibrant greens and blues in my mountain view. The sunny vast mountain range boasts of big sky country! I catch a glimpse of it and it makes me smile. I'm also teaching Bea 'blue & green' via our new little treasure. Since its not a family heirloom, I let her touch the greens and blues so she can feel the texture of the painting on her chubby little finger tips. Our winter treasure has proven to be priceless!

Retro frame

A Taste of Something Sloe...

2012-02-06T21:53:00.001Z

My dad's family proudly hails from the beautiful mountain state of West Virginia. I heard stories as a child about family members making moonshine during Prohibition which took place in the 1920s and 1930's. Late in the evening, after dinner, the the elders of our family would sit around the kitchen table chatting. They would jokingly say that if you drank too much of the family's overly powerful concoction you could go blind! I'm not sure how much truth there was to these stories! This past autumn MC and I decided to try our hand at something a bit more tame...

We went to the Dorset Coast for a week to take in the fresh air and beautiful scenery...

Durdle Door

We stayed in a little village called Corfe Castle. The village is shadowed by the ruins of a medieval castle which sits on a hill.

Corfe Castle

In the autumn there was an abundant supply of apples and berries to be had.

Apple trees at the cottage

We ventured out on a few walks and had lots of snacks along the way...

MB & Bea picking blackberries

On one of our outings, exploring the countryside, we passed locals picking berries that we didn't recognise. The berries, we were told, are called sloe berries and are often used to make sloe gin. Mmmm....making sloe-gin sounded like a promising endeavor to us! We returned, with bags in hand, to the hedges that were full of sloes and picked to our hearts delight. We even had to brave a herd of semi-wild ponies galloping by. We jokingly say that we risked our lives for our sloe gin!

MC & Bea picking sloes

Sloes

We brought our freshly picked sloes home and got straight to work...By the way, I miss Mason jars but Kilner jars a great too.

Gin, sloe berries & sugar

We tucked our Kilner jars full of gin, sugar and berries in the under stair cupboard. We gave them a little shake every few weeks. Last week we decided to have a little sip of our concoction. Our sloe gin won't blind anyone, thankfully, and is a lovely way to end our days during this cold winter month.

Cheers!

Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water.

~W.C. FIELDS

Humor me, if you will...

2012-01-27T10:23:00.001Z

Am I allowed to post about Thanksgiving and Christmas when they have more than passed us by? It's January and I think as long as I squeeze it in before Valentine's Day I'll be doing alright.

We met some new friends on the flight over.
There is nothing like an international flight with a one year old.
We were super lucky and met a bunch of Americans
on their way home for Thanksgiving.

We spent six weeks in the States and started our stateside visit in North Carolina. Our lovely friends JJ and KJ kindly let us crash their Thanksgiving. We finally had the pleasure of meeting sweet miss J who is a delight. No shock there! Bea and J crawled around each other and J was kind enough to share her big sister with Bea too! Its nice to have new friends but old friendships are something to be treasured. I was reminded of the ease at which life flows when you're around old friends. Even when MC was sick and the girls were teething like crazy! We took the girls to the mall to get there picture taken with Santa. We have a fabulous picture of the two of them on Santa's lap screaming bloody murder. Hilarious!!!

Bea & J ~ playing and drooling together

After visiting North Carolina we headed south. Florida at Christmas must seem strange to most. For me it is simply home. The sun was shining and I was happy to bask in it. Its funny how when you visit home so much seems to be changing and yet thankfully so much remains the same.

Mom's camellia's

I wasn't the only one enjoying the sunshine...Little miss Bea was happy to get rid of all the wool sweaters, mittens and winter hats. Most days she played barefoot and fancy free on her grandma and grandpa's front porch. It was great to see how much she loves her grandparents. Bea and grandpa are best buddies!

Mom started a tradition years ago of having 'the girls' around for hot chocolate and cookies on Christmas Eve morning. She started it as an interlude, if you like, for all 'the girls' in the midst of a hectic holiday season. It was fun to catch up with everyone and to meet a few new girls too! I loved that Bea was there to experience and meet all these wonderful women.

Speaking of meeting someone...Bea finally met her great grandmother Joy. It was beyond special to have four generations under the same roof. Bea is named after her great grandmother (who goes by her middle name, Joy). They loved each other and are kindred spirits.

Four generations

Bea with her great grandparents

While we were home in Florida Bea celebrated her first birthday. We have a one year old! How is that possible! Everyone told us the year would go by fast and it has. Bea is such a great addition to our family and we love who she is and who she will become. I remember thinking when I met MC that I couldn't remember life before him. Everything changed and the dance of our lives is one we take with blessed ease. I feel the same about Bea. I can't remember our lives before Bea and feel as though she falls into step with MC and I effortlessly. Except when she really really doesn't want to go to sleep!

Our daughter was officially stamped 'nice' by Santa (grandma) so between her birthday and Christmas she had ample practice opening presents. She had a great time surrounded by her family, playing and receiving gifts.

In the States some people tend to decorate their houses with Christmas lights and one of my parent's neighbors decorates like you wouldn't believe! I thought it was a bit much but Bea loved it. We would pass by the house on our afternoon walk and Bea would get so excited, even with the lights off!

Less is not more...

MC and I were married in a beautiful park in my hometown. At Christmas the park is decorated with a ton of lights. Guess what...Bea LOVED this too!!!

Christmas in Florida...chomp chomp

Speaking of old friendships... My best friend lives in the town we grew up in. T is without a doubt one of the loveliest people I know. She is so easy to be around and has got to be one of the most 'real' people I know. We had an english class together our freshman year in high school and we've been friends ever since. I found an old picture of us at our high school graduation and it brought back so many good memories. Here we are at Christmas 2011. A little older but a whole lot wiser!

We finally met K my brother's girlfriend. She is beautiful on the inside and out and is a keeper. Our family just loves her and if that weren't enough she helped us kick the boy's arses playing a 'friendly' game of Cranium. The game ended with my mom and dad on opposite teams attempting to act out 'mud wrestling'. If you don't own this board game, you should!

M & K

Bea and Uncle M

In January when we returned to the UK we had a little 2nd Christmas celebration with MC's family. Bea loved hanging out with her cousin K. K is so sweet and gentle with Bea. He showed Bea how to go up and down the stairs with a little help from granddad.

January is proving to be a long month with Bea having been sick on and off for the last three weeks. I discovered how nice it is to be close to family especially with a little one! Boy do I miss them and how much they cared for Bea, MC and me:)

At the 11th hour...

2011-11-11T10:16:00.000Z

Today is Remembrance Day on this island. It is similar to Memorial Day in the States. In a very dignified manner at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month everyone stops for a minute of silence to remember those who should be remembered for their sacrifice and bravery. I'll be thinking of my grandfather, my father and my brother along with all the other brave men and woman who answered the call.

Grandpa circa 1940's

Daddy circa 1970's

My brother a few summers ago

Still Waters Run Deep...

2011-11-09T22:56:00.001Z

This past October marked an anniversary of sorts. I officially hopped the pond five years ago. To say that the last five years have been an adventure would be a massive understatement! I thought moving to this lovely little island would be a relatively easy and a straight forward process. We speak the same language don't we? Could the weather really be as bad as everyone said? I'm sure its just like home. Before I moved I received lots of umbrellas and fake tanners from friends. Nice!

~Five years ago~

This milestone has made me stop and think about all the changes that life has offered up in the last few years. What would I tell the American girl who is bound for England on an evening flight across the Atlantic ocean? Where would I even begin...

I think I would tell her this...Keep the umbrellas, 'cause you're gonna need them! You'll learn to deal with the weather and it will turn out to be an excuse to buy lots of cute accessories like boots, scarves and adorable hats. You'll need all those accessories to cover up your uber pale skin! You won't have to join a gym because you will be walking to lots of places. That's how european women stay in shape!

You'll freak out and think taking public transport is kinda strange, but do it! You'll change your mind and realise that public transport is awesome, at least in the U.K! Though you'll hear lots of complaining about the trains and buses. If only they knew! You'll wonder how you ever lived without efficient train and bus services.

You'll freak out the first time you get sick and think the medical care won't be as good as back home. You'll be wrong. Two days after you've given birth to your daughter, at the hospital, a midwife will knock on your front door. She will be wearing wellies and have a flashlight in her hand because the snow that has all but shut down your city is falling thick and fast. She is stopping by to check that you and your baby are alright. Over a cup of tea she will chat with you, examine your baby and put your tired and weary mind at ease. A few days after the midwife's visit a doctor will make a house call to check on you and your baby. You won't ever question the quality of your medical care again.

You will miss American food. Not the stereotypical American food that europeans sometimes like to be snobs about. You'll miss the melting pot of American cuisine. You'll miss biscuits and gravy. You'll miss vidalia onions and good sushi. You will miss summer BBQ's or any BBQ for that matter! You will dream about shrimp and grits. All of this mouthwatering and heartache will finally force your hand. You will begin to cook all the foods that you miss. You will learn how to make biscuits from scratch and every time you make them you will feel closer to your granny. The time in the kitchen will be full of laughter and tears. Triumphs and tragedies will all happen in that cozy little kitchen and you will feel closer to home via your plate. You will explore the cuisines of this little island and not so distant lands. You will wonder how you ever lived without an electric kettle! You will wonder how you ever lived without all the lovely wine and cheese. As you sit by the fireside of your local pub with a black lab snoring at your feet and a family eating dinner at the table beyond you'll wonder why we don't have pubs like this back home.

You will learn what 'enough' really means. Enough food in your tummy, enough clothes in your closet. You will wake up one day and realise that you have enough. It will give you a sense of peace that you didn't know existed. Quality will finally trump quantity in your eyes. Details will come into focus.

You will miss home, even five years on. You will miss big American hugs and smiles. You will miss that distinct lack of cynicism which makes home so great. You will purchase the Little Engine That Could and Oh, The Places You'll Go and swear to read it to your daughter a million times by the time she's ten.

We are separated by an ocean and a common language. But remember, calm does not equal cold. You will see dignity in all her quiet glory and it will humbly bring you to your knees.

You might want to stay true to your own voice but lower just a bit. Yes, we really are that loud! When you go back to the States and are chatting to extended family and friends you will get used to being asked where you live in London, even though you don't live in London at all. And believe it or not, you'll get used to saying over and over again, "its a mid-atlantic' state not too far from Washington D.C." You'll also get used to hearing about people's holidays when you mention that you are originally from Florida. "Yes, Disney is nice and yes, they do put on quite a show." After three and half years on this little island you'll learn not to mention Florida if at all possible!

Oh, and by the way, the guy your leaping across the pond to be with...he's totally worth it!

~The Dorset Coast 2011~

Done and Dusted, for the moment...

2011-10-13T13:33:00.001Z

This is Bea's nursery. I want to add some book shelves where the chair is after the new year. We spend many a happy hour vroom vrooming, reading, babbling and snuggling in this sweet little room. I love this room and I hope Miss Bea does too!

There once was a little room that looked like this....

...then it changed into this...

...and then it became this...

Dreaming Spires...

2011-09-10T15:43:00.000Z

Have you ever had a dream or vision of something? I think people have secret dreams. Dreams that ebb and flow in their minds and hearts throughout the reality of daily life. These dreams are incredibly dear, so dear and fragile that people rarely if ever speak of them. They feel silly to have such a dream but it is too authentic to let go of. I think people carry their dreams like one would carry a newborn baby. They shelter their dreams and keep them close because to do otherwise would be unthinkable. Maybe its the dream of another job. Maybe its the dream of a move or a step in a direction that you've never taken before. These secret dreams or aspirations keep us going. We think of them when we have a moment to go somewhere deeper than the motions of daily life. The quiet moment in the car when your sitting at the red light. The dream enters your mind like a friend you've always known. You're probably thinking of your dream as you read this. Quiet is what is needed for this dream to float to the surface. I have a little secret dream of my own...

When I was about 20 I was hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I was hiking along and out of no where I had what I can only describe as a vision. I'm not really a fan of the word 'vision'. I'm not particularly religious and the word conjures up strange things to lots of people. I hesitate to use 'vision' but I'm unable to find a more suitable word to describe my experience. I saw myself picking up a little baby. She was lovingly wrapped in a blanket and placed in a moses basket. She was meant to be with me. I knew it from the moment I saw her. It was effortless, I reached down and picked her up and I knew in that moment that this little wonderful creature and I were exactly where we needed to be. There is one time that I've experienced the same kind of clarity and feeling that I did on the mountain. That was when I gave birth to our daughter. The midwife placed our sweet baby girl on my chest and I looked at her and everything was just as it should be.

I'm not sure what to do with this little dream of mine but I've been thinkin' about it a lot lately. Is there a baby out in the world that we are meant to go and find? I don't know. I just know that I have this constant tug on my heart that there is indeed a little one in need of our love, devotion and attention. I don't know where to even begin this journey. I'm scared of what looking for this child would take. Am I being plain silly? Am I brave enough? Do we have the emotional and financial reserve to spend? Goodness it makes me nervous just typing this out! More importantly writing this feels like a first step towards something. There you have it! My dream. Its been a secret part of me for so long and now its not. Its out there in the universe and we will see where it goes from here. I live in a lofty city of dreaming spires, how fitting....

Who needs coffee...

2011-09-01T19:50:00.000Z

The tiles in our kitchen are really hard and super cold. We wanted to put down a soft 'crash pad' in the kitchen for Bea. I loved the idea of Bea sitting comfortably on the kitchen floor playing with her toys, while MC and I cook. I knew that with a little one a kitchen rug isn't going to last forever so we scooted over to Ikea to pick up two Lusy Blom rugs. When MC arrived home from work he said, "wow, I like it but...we may not need coffee in the morning anymore!" I assured my sweet husband the rugs are only temporary and the colors are fantastic for Bea to look at and be inspired by. Plus it will be nice and warm over the damp and cold English winter.

I taped the rugs together which worked surprisingly well.

Another addition to our kitchen which I think is fabulous is Bea's high chair. I spotted the Lobster in a photo in an issue of Livingetc Magazine which I haven't been able to track down again. Anyways, they featured a London flat owned by a family that had the Lobster on their kitchen island. Just a little side note...Livingetc is such a great mag! Its full of inspiring spaces and I love seeing how people from all over the world decorate their homes. If you can't find my favorite little mag at an international news stand their website is pretty good too.

The photo below sums up our 'kitchen' life at the moment. I've been drooling over a few Hummingbird recipes that I swear I'll make this weekend. I'm not sure whether I really like Annabel Karmel's cookbook or not. The cookbook for Bea, that a kind neighbor passed on, is inspiring and slightly too much all at the same time. I'll be glad when Bea has a few more teeth and can eat meals without me having to puree them. Although, having said that, salmon, lemon couscous, broccoli and plain yogurt make a pretty tasty puree! I've been tryin' to learn baby sign language to help Bea communicate with ease. So far our everyday signs are duck, mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, train, more, bath time, finished and water. Last but not least our Seaside coffee mug. I love American diner mugs. This one has a little crack in it so it was promoted it to pen holder.

Have a happy weekend...

Mom's summer visit...

2011-08-30T12:46:00.000Z

My mom came to visit while MC was away in China for a week. Mom was here for two weeks and we had a great time...Bea just loves her grandma!

We took a girl's trip to London and stopped by Krispy Kreme at Paddington Station on our way into London. Bea was lucky enough to go sightseeing with both her grandmothers!

We kinda saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. This was the view with me holding the camera high above my head. Had we not stopped by Krispy Kreme we would have had a better view. Note to self...Get there early when sightseeing in a major European city in the summer!

This is the Golden Carriage at the Royal Mews. The Mews contains the royal family's carriages and cars. It was amazing!

Bea loves swingin' with her daddy so I had to include a summer swinging photo.

We don't get Sesame Street on this little island so I've been showing Bea a few S.S. clips on the computer. She loves Cookie Monster and thinks Bert & Ernie are pretty cool too!

Bea's room is coming along nicely and mom made some cheerful bunting for her room. On days when I'm missing my mom I walk into Bea's room and put my hand on the bunting and feel loved and just a bit closer to my mom who is back in Florida.

Windmills and kitchen fabric make Bea's room go round...

2011-07-14T13:21:00.001Z

When I was pregnant with Bea, I thought her nursery would be finished within a month or two of her birth. Ha! Ha! We didn't know whether we were having a boy or a girl so we painted the walls light grey and went with simple white nursery furniture. I thought our choices would be a good foundation for creating a boy or girl's nursery. Bea is well on her way to being seven months old! This past week we came a step closer to 'finishing' her nursery. Yeppy!

The very wonderful and talented Melissa Hutcheson made a beautiful crib skirt and blind for us. I am so pleased and excited with the results! The two new additions to Bea's room really warm things up and add a bit of cheer. Or atleast I'd like to think so!

Bea's crib skirt fabric is Cath Kidston's Check Cotton Duck. The fabric is marketed for kitchens but I thought what the heck, let's try it in the nursery! I like plaids but found it really difficult to find a plaid that would be appropriate in a little girl's nursery. This one fit the bill....

Many nurseries that I see tend to be themed or very sophisticated but I didn't want that for Bea's nursery. I hope Bea's room and her childhood are filled with sweetness and cheer. I picked up the blind fabric when we were in Florida and forgot to note the manufacturer. I was having way too much fun with my mom at the fabric shop and I am sadly suffering from an extra bad case of baby brain! Does that ever go away?

I love the little bit of bright pink and green at the bottom of her blind. Gives it a bit of punch...

We live in the city and our window boxes add a touch of 'green' to our lives. Bea's window box has white and yellow flowers and little red, white and blue windmills. Every morning we open her window and see what the weather is like. She loves to watch the windmills spin around.

"Once you can accept the universe as being something expanding into an infinite nothing

which is something, wearing stripes with plaid is easy."

~Albert Einstein

An English 4th of July...

2011-07-04T10:27:00.002Z

It feels a bit strange to be celebrating American holidays when we're not living in the country. We make an effort to celebrate U.S. holidays because I love all that good cheer, food and festivity! Now that Bea is on the scene, we want her to stay in tune with her American roots. MC is coming home early from work to celebrate the 4th. We're gonna make quesadillas, gaucamole and maybe even a margarita or two. I'm aware its more Mexican than American cuisine but the food I miss the most is TexMex, so there you go!

It has turned out to be a banner summer! We've had the windows open, the fans on and the BBQ goin' for the last few weeks. Bea has finally been able to take a few snoozes in the garden....

Side note, notice the little BBQ next to our Weber in the top of the picture. We borrowed it because we had some vegetarian friends over at our last BBQ. The little one tends to be the size of English BBQ's. It always makes me giggle to see how tiny the BBQ's are on this side of the pond.

Naked time in the garden...

My hydrangeas are lovin' all the sunshine and warm weather. I'll be planting more of these lovelies next year...

This is the tree that Bea and I like to lay under. We love to watch all the lovely little leaves dancing in the wind as the sunlight sparkles through....

Have a fantastic 4th of July!

Iron Lady...

2011-07-01T08:15:00.000Z

Some British mamas that I get together with planned to meet up at our local pool. On the day we were to go for a swim the tempature was cooler than expected. Did that stop these lovely British ladies from getting in the pool with their babies? Not on your life! As the hour approached for our little pool date I was prayin' for rain. My prayers weren't answered. Off to the pool I went with Bea in tow. As a Floridian by birth and someone who is used to swimming in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico I am shocked by what passes as 'swimming weather' to Brits.

I don't know why I'm suprised. I clearly remember staring in amazement as Canadian and European vacationers splashed in the water on the beaches of Miami. Why were they so pale and why did the boys have on bikini bottoms! My grandmother and mother explained to me that they were from a place that was very cold and that Miami in January felt warm to them.

I don't want Bea to miss out because she has a Florida mama. I tough it out. I've taken walks in the absolute freezing cold and spitting rain when I would have rather been snuggled in our cozy house with a cup of tea. Now, I can add swimming in a pool when its about 63 degrees to the list. We jokingly say that Bea has the tempature control of a Brit and the volume control of an American. She should count herself lucky to radiate so much heat! The whole time we were swimming Bea was splashing and giggling and thankfully stayed warm as a little bun just out of the oven.

She better thank me for this one day!

Random, but this is the sweetest little sugar bowl I ever did see... Thanks of course to Anthropologie!

What Britian needs is an iron lady

~ Margaret Thatcher

Catching up...

2011-06-25T19:39:00.002Z

Let's play a little catch up. Not a lot of decorating has been done in our little Victorian terrace house but we have been doing other things. Here are some random highlights...

Bea celebrated her first Easter with a bright green felt Easter basket filled with candy that her mom and dad really enjoyed. I bought Peeps the last time we were in the States and it was great to have sugar covered marshmellows to celebrate with. MC doesn't understand the appeal of eating large quantities of marshmellow rabbits and chicks. That's okay, because I still can't wrap my brain around why a hot dog bun with icing on it should pass as a dessert!

We journeyed into London so that Bea could become an official U.S. citizen. It was cool to go the U.S. Embassy and I was really proud when they said, "congrats Bea, you are officially recognized as a citizen of the United States of America!" Yeppy! Our daughter is now a dual citizen of the U.S. of A. and the United Kingdom. Lucky girl! On the journey into London Bea experienced her first train, cab and Tube ride. After our appointment at the embassy we stopped by Fortnum & Mason for picnic supplies and wandered over to Green Park to celebrate Bea's dual citizenship.

Speaking of celebrations, there was a wedding on this little island. Bea wore her party dress for the event. I loved watching the wedding and MC even watched a bit of it too!

We have an amazing cake shop in our town and they made a special cake for the big day...

More celebrating... The Obama's made a visit to England and Mrs. O made a special trip to Oxford. Bea and I went along to wave to our first lady. Funny that I had to move England to catch a glimpse of our first lady. We were even interviewed by the local paper!

That's Mrs. O in the car.

Some random cute pics of Bea...

I've noticed since becoming a parent that families of little ones take walks and lots of them! Our family is no different. Even though we live in the middle of town we have a beautiful and magical place to wander and walk in.

We celebrated Father's Day with a few special treats and of course a little stroll too! Bea is a lucky girl to have such a kind, thoughtful and tender hearted dad.

Last but not least...I don't think these pics are going to win me 'mother of the year'! I was in desperate need of a little sit down. This is Bea watching CBeebies in her bouncy chair which we've aptly nicknamed the 'ring of neglect'. Is that terrible or what! Keeps mommy sane and that's important, right?

Finding My Marbles....

2011-05-31T15:18:00.000Z

Since becoming a mom the question I keep asking myself multiple times throughout the day is, how do I create a home that caters to all my family's needs? I want our house to exude charm, whimsy and hopefully a bit of wit. I love little ginger jars and lots of other breakable things and we have a 5 month old that's starting to scoot around!

Did I mention our house is approximately 900 sqaure feet!!! We have a living room, a dining room and a kitchen with a breakfast bar. There are no communal rooms in our house like a family room or basement. I've always had a thing for small spaces. My friends and family think its funny and fitting that I live on this little island! I'm not fantasizing about moving out of our pad in the city for a McMansion in the burbs but.... I've realized that living in a small home with children AND attempting to keep it as welcoming to grown-ups as it is to little ones requires ALOT of skill. Bea is on the move, so its time to think about how I'm going to keep our tiny English home in tip top shape. In the coming months I'm prayin' for imagination and creativity to be my guide.

Image from Simple Magazine

Oh, the fun of arriving at a house and feeling the spark that tells

you that you are going to have a good time.

~Mark Hampton

Little treasures...

2011-05-24T21:02:00.001Z

I've been searching for chairs for the living room for a while. The other day I put Bea in the sling and went for a walk. On our stroll we wondered into a used furniture shop in our neighborhood. The shop is small and is packed to the ceiling with old dusty pieces of furniture. Amongst quite a bit of junk I found these little treasures. These granny chairs with pontential were exactly what I had been looking for! Sweet! The owner agreed to break up the set and sell the two chairs which is just what we wanted!

When MC returned home from work I warned him that he would have to look past the uber awful cushions, which he kindly did...

...I cleaned them up in our kitchen. Excuse the dirty dishes!....

...I couldn't wait to place them in the living room and quickly realized that we HAD to cover the cushions IMMEDIATELY...

...so I put some left over Windsor Smith's Riad from our headboard on one of the chairs and an Ikea cushion on the other. This will do until I find the right fabric. I kinda like the Windsor Smith fabric...

...here is the living room in all of it's messy glory... home sweet home...

First....

2011-05-19T13:51:00.001Z

The other day I saw an interview with a famous ballerina. She was lovely and honest. Her description of dancing brought back memories of 16 years of black leotards, tights, shoes and scratchy classical music echoing in mirrored rooms. At the age of three I started moving my slippered feet across warn wooden floors. Ballet started out as something joyful. Is there anything more fun than little girls with pig-tails, chubby legs and tummies dawdling around in ballet shoes? Some where along the line chubby legs weren't considered as cute and a stomach was something to be brought in and hidden behind a curtain of muscle or at the very least a deep controlled breathe.

As the years skipped along my love of dance became about more than just controlling the arch in my back or foot. Slowly I started to see myself through the harsh lense of a perfectionist. Attempting to be perfect in every way is a trap you can easily fall into when trying to master an art in mirrored rooms. By decree 'enough' and 'perfection' do not reside in the same place. It would be years before I would become grateful for the healthy body I am lucky enough to have.

In my neighborhood a flyer is hanging up in a window. Adult Ballet Classes - some experience needed. I'm tempted by this flyer that I pass by daily. I'm tempted to sign up for the class. A little part of me is nervous about the idea of slipping on ballet shoes after all this time. My posture is not what it once was. I question whether I can do warm ups at the bar and not contemplate the indention my tights will make on my post preggo tummy as the tips of my fingers reach for the tips of my toes.

While I deliberate I'll stick with running. I like the way running makes me feel. It requires virtually no skill only practice. I cried the first time I went for a run after Bea was born. I was free to run and so grateful for my health and hers. On my first run I also discovered a new found responsibility. I have a daughter who smiles at herself when she sees her reflection in the mirror. As her mother its my responsibility to lead by example. When I look in the mirror I must smile too because she will be watching. As Bea grows up I want her to watch her strong mom run, skip, stretch and maybe even dance. I want her to love herself and be aware of what a gift it is to move as she sees fit.

We live in a beautiful place and I often run on the grounds of a cathedral. I lift up my offerings and gratitude and lay down my burdens as I pass by. I think the gargoyles except it all. When I feel like a different scene I'll run in town. I have the streets to myself. Well, almost! This is a small island! I run below spires and beside stone walls. As my lungs push me forward I am in awe at the place I've arrived at. It is beautiful, and I am grateful.

Bluebells & Babies...

2011-04-24T21:08:00.001Z

On this little island Easter is more than a Sunday morning celebration. Good Friday and Easter Monday are Bank/National holidays so we have an extra long weekend. The weather over the last two weeks has been fantastic! Or 'just brilliant' as my British husband MC would say. With all this 'brilliant' weather we decided that a handful of hikes were in order. So we put Miss Bea in the sling and headed out into the sunshine.

We went in search of bluebells and we were not dissapointed! These dainty little flowers danced across the forest floor and made our walk a delight! I loved how the fresh spring forest leaves protected the cheerful little bluebells.

On our search for bluebells we walked along a few public footpaths that cut through some pastures. When I saw these little lambs I was giddy! They were so sweet looking and stayed close to their mums as we walked by. Does it get any cuter than that!

We ambled around our local park too. Side note... My goodness Brits do an amazing job on their public parks. The parks are so well kept and EVERYONE uses them. This seems like an insignificant thing but it gives me a real sense of being part of our local community. At our park on any given sunny spring day you will find families canoeing in the river, young couples holding hands as the stroll along, moms and dads with little ones enjoying a picnic. Life seems to slow down in the park and I cherish it all! The baby geese have hatched on to the park scene and we spent a bit of time watching them as they were herded around by their grownups.

This spring seems more vibrant and overflowing with gifts than springs in my past. Maybe its the new light of parenthood which is coloring my vision. Maybe its because we recently had to say goodbye to a loved one. I'm not letting all that this spring has to offer slip by. Life in another country, winter and becoming a mother has demanded that at times I be a lion hearted girl. As Florence says, "this is a gift and it comes with a price." This season of rebirth and renewal seems more important than ever and I'm very grateful for it.

Note... I take it back! Bumble Bea is way cuter than the lambs...

Have a happy Easter & Spring!

Cuppa

2011-04-14T20:20:00.000Z

We were in Florida last week and had a great time visiting with family. It was amazing how much Royal Wedding stuff there is in the U.S. I swear the whole event is getting way more news coverage in the U.S. than in the U.K.! How is that possible!

One of my favorite pieces of wedding tat are these...fitting and funny, Wills and Kate tea bags...

The V&A

Mothering Sunday....

2011-04-03T13:24:00.000Z

Today is Mothering Sunday on this little island. As an American it always seems a little strange to be celebrating Mother's Day in March or April instead of in the month of May. Having said that it fills my heart with joy to think about how every culture celebrates mothers in their own way and in their own time. Since becoming a mother myself on Christmas Eve, MC asked me if I wanted to celebrate by the British or American calender. I chose the American. Not that I'm opposed to celebrating twice a year! On my side of the family Mother's day comes in between my parents anniversary and my brother's birthday. The month of May in our house is a bit like Christmas, there is much to celebrate.

This Mothering Sunday finds us in Florida. So our wishes and love are being sent to MC's mum from a little further a field. We are so lucky to have such a lovely mum. She always enters the room with cheer. She has given so much to MC and his brother throughout their lives and you need only look back at their family photo albums to see how lucky her family is to have her. When I moved to the UK I felt like I was a long way from home. I was! MC's mum scooped me up like a long lost daugher, never missing a beat. In the last year she has become and grandmum and has shown once a again why she is so treasured and loved. Since becoming a mother myself I've realized that motherhood seperates the women from the girls. Wallflowers need not apply! MC's mum is no wallflower and has proven herself to be a women of immense strength, love and integrity. We simply could not ask for more than that! So happy Mother's Day from across the pond. Near or far, we are lucky 'children' to have such a lovely mum!

Quack Quack...

2011-03-17T12:31:00.000Z

I spotted this fabric the other day at Cath Kidston. I think 'Check Cotton Duck' will be perfect for Bea's room. I love all the cheerful colors in the fabric. There IS a little cotton candy pink in the fabric but not much, so I think we'll be alright:) Having a fabric with many lovely colors will make putting her room together a much easier project. This can only be a good thing as I don't have lots and lots of time to ponder decorating these days!

Other little things in Bea's room...

My chevron blankie that Bea has to snuggle with....

Have a happy weekend!

You Are My Sunshine...

2011-03-11T17:05:00.000Z

I am willing, pleading and prayin' that spring arrives on this little island. We've had a few sunny and warm days. By 'warm' I'm talkin' 50 degrees. As a Floridian and a lover of all things sunny, I struggle a bit at the end of the winter. Living on this little island can sometimes feel like living under the hull of a never ending grey ship. I had to stop checking the weather back home because it was too depressingly warm and sunny. Sooooo, I was beside myself when I spotted these little ladies on one of my granny jogs the other day. I imagine that these lovelies put on their ballet shoes & sunglasses and dance around in the sun when no one is looking.

After whining about the weather I should list a few of the MANY things that I'm grateful for. First of all Bumble Bea was in the presence of a master's work. She was so impressed she snoozed right by this lovely painting of Rembrandt's. One of my mom's gifts to me is a love of art and all things bright and beautiful. I remember her talking about the way Dutch masters used light in their paintings to frame their subjects. I think I was nine years old at the time! I hope to pass on to Bea the great affection I have for art and an afternoon spent aimlessly wondering through a good museum. I'm so grateful to have so many wonderful museums on our doorstep.

The thing I'm must grateful for is my family. MC & Bea are the joys of my life! I didn't know life could be this much fun and filled with this much happiness. It has been such a gift to be able to spend my days with these two people. I feel incredibly lucky to know them both and have such fantastic partners in crime. They ARE my sunshine and they DO make me happy when skies are grey! Have a happy weekend:)

Blush and Bashful...

2011-03-09T16:04:00.001Z

I should be writing thank you notes for the cute little outfits we've received since Bea arrived on the scene. OR, I should be doing laundry... OR sit ups ... OR preping dinner... Instead I've decided that the blog of this girl's adventures on this little island needs some love and attention! Which I'm going to give while sippin' a sprite and eating a few hardgums and checking on our sleeping daughter from time to time! Classy, I know! Hey, can I still refer to myself as a 'girl' if have one of my own?

Remember when I started thinking about the nursery in our little Victorian Terrace house and posted my ideas and inspiration? I noticed something lookin' back the other day. I chose primary colors for a little boys room and pastels for a girl's room. When I wrote that post we didn't know that Bea would be a girl. Truth be told I was secretly keeping my fingers crossed for a girl, so yeppy! Color can be so important and I'm just wondering why I chose the colors that I did. The answer to that question must be just around the corner and somewhere out in the universe but I'm not lookin' for it today.

What I can answer with a 'YES MA'AM' is that our daughter is no wall flower. I told my mom this fact on the phone and she laughed a very 'knowing' laugh. Bea is the loudest baby in her baby group and she loves smiling and cooing and does not suffer in silence. So is cotton candy pink her color? I don't think so, she doesn't even wear pale pink well. Note the picture below.

We're hopping the pond in a few weeks time. Yeppy and hello sunshine! There will be some serious fabric shopping goin' on when we arrive. MC is thrilled, his 'ideal' vacation does not include fabric shops! I promised that I'll just be loading grandma and Bea into the car for that little field trip:) I'm so glad that I didn't decorate Bea's room before she arrived. I'm lovin' getting to know our daughter. Bea is sweet and strong. I'm going to give her a room that will compliment her personality.

Could it be the cardi...can I get 'amen'!

Little changes...

2011-03-04T18:00:00.000Z

See that little white box in the corner of our living room. That little box hides our electric meter. It seems really strange to have it inside the house but that's how we roll on this little island. When the meter reader shows up to read the meter he comes in the house to do so! One morning when I first hopped the pond, the meter reader came by and knocked on our door. I opened the door and he said, "I'm here to take your electric reading." I gave him this really confused look and said I didn't know where it was! How embarrassing is that! Anyways...

I'm in the midst of starting to do the 'new baby' decorative shuffle. Its time to start getting things off the floor and out the reach of those fast growin' cute chubby fingers. I haven't done much but I did redo this little corner so the pictures and painting will be out of Bea's future reach. It was a small project but I felt a major sense of accomplishment. On to the next project...

Bumble Bea (our one sock lady) has been adding lots of 'color' to our lives in all senses of the word and we're lovin' it....

Bumble Bea...

2011-02-08T18:22:00.000Z

Bea is seven weeks old. To say the first few weeks of her life were busy would be a major understatement! She was born on Christmas Eve and we bundled her up and brought her home on Christmas day. It was a Christmas we will never forget!

Life in the past few weeks has been all about getting to know Bea and making the transition from being a wife and teacher to being a wife and mom. I'm really lapping up all the time I have with Bea. I may be way too easily amused but I find motherhood to be the most fullfilling job I've ever taken on. Its as though the rest of the world has melted away. I'm happy to spend my days getting to know the fresh new little person that has arrived on the scene.

As far as decorating...reality strikes! Finding the balance between my love of makin' things look pretty and having a little one is tricky. I'll be searching the blogosphere for good ideas. Our main issue is storage. Where DO we put all those crazy colored toys! Any good advice is appreciated!

Have a happy week!

Lovely little bell jar...

2011-01-15T12:34:00.000Z

I picked up the December issue of Elle Decor (U.S.) so I could have something to read while I was in the hospital waiting to have Bea. Ha! Ha! I needed to be induced so I thought I'd have lots of time to check out my favorite mags. What was I thinking!

Needless to say three weeks later I've finally got around to picking up Elle Decor and stumbled across this lovely bell jar pendant light. I'm in love! It is so pretty and ever so feminine. I think it would look great in our little entryway. Now, I just need to come up with an extra grand... a girl can dream...

Our little Bea...

2011-01-11T18:01:00.000Z

From the 'radio silence' you may have gathered that our little one was born. MC and I had a little girl. 'Bea' arrived on Christmas Eve. She is such a cutie and we are having lots of fun being her mom and dad. I can't wait to start decorating her room. As soon as we get some sleep and manage to get showered and out the door in a somewhat timely fashion!

Have a happy week!

Little Gifts...

2010-12-16T13:01:00.000Z

Today we went to the doctors and got to hear your little heartbeat. It is the sweetest sound I have ever heard. You are due to arrive in less than two weeks time. Your dad and I wait with excitement and a bit of nervousness. We've sanded and painted, assembled furniture, taken birthing classes, purchased little outfits and tiny diapers and packed our hospital bag. Our house has taken on a different form and so have we. You have changed our lives and you haven't even arrived on the scene. Your grandparents are planning their journey to visit you from across the pond. We have all been waiting for your arrival for more than just nine months.

We are ready for Christmas and your arrival and we look forward to both with so much joy. Your dad and I have decorated the Christmas tree...

...and spread Christmas cheer around our cozy little house...

...presents have been bought and wrapped for loved ones...

...your dad ordered a bit of Christmas wine. We will see how much is actually consumed. I've been waddling around a cozy kitchen baking and cooking...

...I've also been reading about all the accomplishments you will achieve in your first year...

...and now we will wait for you to arrive...We already love you so much and know that you will be the best Christmas gift we will ever receive...

Guest Room & Office (before & after)...

2010-12-12T16:39:00.000Z

MC had to go to work for a few hours this afternoon so I thought I'd mess around with our new camera and post some pics of our guestroom/office renovation. I've always owned relatively cheap and easy to use cameras. MC on the other hand has always enjoyed photography and has an eye for it. I snapped some shots of our newly renovated guest room/office after fiddling around with the very complicated device for over an hour! It was fun and frustrating all at the same time! I'll keep fiddling...

Anyways...we live in a three bedroom Victorian terrace built in the 1890's. With a baby on the way we needed to rearrange a bit. Like so many of our friends that have kiddos, we needed one bedroom to function as a guest room and an office. So we moved our guest room furniture into the ~~old ugly dumping ground of an~~ office. Actually, we did way more than just move furniture. We replastered the ceiling, tore down one of the ugliest built in wardrobes ever seen by man or woman, added some built in bookshelves and desk and painted, painted and then painted some more! Oh, and last but not least got rid of the peach carpet! Phew and yeppy! Later we plan to get a new desk chair, hang up black and white photos of friends on the walls and some art. For now I'm super grateful for this cheerful room which will shelter our loved ones and our paperwork!

The 'office' BEFORE photos...Pictured below are the spaces on either side of the fireplace which is hidden behind that giant piece of cardboard.

The 'AFTER' photos... The wardrobe used to be where the desk and chair are now.

I love the vintage door knobs and locks in our house...

...the old cast iron fireplace...

...this pendant shade is a total knock off from Marks & Spencers. Our best friends have the real deal in their dining room which is really beautiful and where we got the inspiration. Not bad for £25...

...the little nightstand from Ikea with an Anthropologie knob...

...MC's dad is so talented! He took the wood from the ~~ugliest~~ old wardrobe ~~known to man~~ and made these built in shelves...Now that's recycling!...

...I have a desk and space to putter which I'm so excited about! Now our paperwork, magazines and office paraphernalia aren't all over the dining room table!...

Have a happy week!

The Nursery (so far...)

2010-12-10T09:47:00.000Z

The nursery is 'finished' for now. Yeppy! Originally this space was a guest room. Over the last couple months we have transformed it into a cozy room for our little one. At the moment its cheerful but slightly colorless because we decided wait to find out whether we're having a boy or a girl. People often ask which we would prefer to have. I'm just prayin' for happy and healthy! I won't lie though, I can't wait to find out so we can add COLOR to this cute little room! To start with the plan is to have curtains and a crib skirt made, replace the metal dresser knobs with colorful ones from, you've guest it, Anthropologie and to add a colorful rug.

The old guest room...

The nursery...

If we happen to have a girl...We've picked out some fabric from John Lewis to make a crib skirt, curtains and maybe a throw pillow or two.

If we happen to have a boy... I found some fun fabric at Ikea that I thought would be cool.

Will we be making a trip to John Lewis or Ikea? I'll keep you posted and have a happy weekend.

Sweetness Sublime

2010-12-03T18:43:00.000Z

Last Christmas seems a world away from where I sit now. A year ago Mom and Dad came for the holidays and we did lots of fun things like visit London. We window shopped at the arcades (pictured below) and had lunch at Fortnum & Mason's 1707 Wine Bar. Mmmhhh, champagne flights...We were super busy and had a blast. BTW, if you find yourself in London and love all things food go to F&M. I promise you will not be disappointed!

Christmas 2010 is going to be a little different. We are as ready as we are going to be for the arrival of our first little one. The idea of walking and shopping for hours seems pretty far off to my pregnant brain and body. I've been puttering around the house putting the 'finishing touches', atleast for now, on each room before the baby and Christmas arrives. I promise to post more photos of the house this week!

We've already had our first snow which makes Christmas seem like it must be just around the corner. I've been snuggled in our warm and cozy house baking and freezing lots of food for the Christmas holiday. MC and I like home cooked meals. I've been told we won't feel much like cooking after the baby arrives so I'm doing lots of cooking and freezing. Our little English freezer is getting quite full! Oddly enough the first things I prepared were Ina Garten's Parmesan & Thyme Crackers and Paula Deen's Slice & Bake Cheese Straws. I froze the dough for each and feel strangely prepared for whatever comes our way. I've got Christmas snacks and for some reason that gives me a huge sense of peace!

I've had this saying for a long time and this Christmas it seems very fitting... Have a happy weekend!

You are cordially invited to attend

to nothing but your peace of mind

leave merry this and happy that

behind

come dine on hot chocolate

and other sweetness sublime

take care of this

and that

and the other thing

another time...

...And So To Bed...

2010-11-17T12:18:00.001Z

We finished decorating our bedroom and MC and I are really pleased with the results. This is the first time that I've 'put together' a room. Choosing fabric, paint and carpet has been fun but a little scary too. I wasn't sure the ideas I had dancing around in my head would translate to reality, but they have! Yeppy! My aim was to create a space that was calm but cheerful. Being a Florida girl I also wanted to invite as much natural light in as possible. We decided on light cool colors for the walls and floor with splashes of vibrant rich colors in the accessories.

Before....

...and here are the 'after' pics...

Replacing the peach carpet with a light nuetral colored carpet has made a big difference!

We went with blinds instead of curtains. I know many people like curtains but in small rooms they can make a room seem even smaller and heavy. Plus I love the white woodwork around the windows.

I'm so pleased with Windsor Smith's Riad fabric for our headboard. We painted the room a really pale pink (which by the way looks ALOT more pink in the photos than in person) so I wanted a headboard fabric that was geometric and handsome versus floral and feminine. MC totally agreed!

Look, there's my little dragon! I'm so grateful and excited to have been able to find Chaing Mai for an affordable price from Oliver. The pillows add a splash of drama and color which I love. MC's mum and I made them this past week. Actually, truth be told I watched and did a little assisting. The foot pedal on sewing machines can take some getting used to! I seem to have a 'heavy foot'! This reminded me of dad taking me out in the old pick-up truck for my first driving lesson. I can still hear my dad, "your giving it too much gas." Vroom Vroom!

The treasures on my bedside table...a pic of MC on our honeymoon and my little Florida sea shell collection.

O bed! O bed! delicious bed!

That heaven upon earth to the weary head.

~Thomas Hood

...and the award goes to...

2010-11-16T14:45:00.000Z

Annabel at and so I whisper gave me an award! Yeppy, I love awards and haven't received one in a long time. My inner seventh grade self was very pleased! I felt really special and wanted to pass that on to some of the bloggers who's creativity, style and lives delight me on a regular basis.

RULES

1. Thank and link back to who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy
4. Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award.

So seven things you may not know about me....

1. At the moment I can no longer see my feet when standing up!
2. My favorite colors are pink & green. Although, having said that I do love quite a few other colors too!
3. I wouldn't change a thing but...I'm slightly nervous to be having our baby on the other side of the pond which
seems so far from the 'rents and the good ol' U.S of A.
4. I love watching The Daily Show.
5. My favorite Podcasts are This American Life, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me and Desert Island Discs.
6. At the moment I'm a bit high off the smell of new carpet and I like it alot!
7. I've had Lungs playin' in the car for a couple months and I'm still lovin' it!

I'm passin' on the Versatile Blogger Award to...

Pink Wallpaper
Sixty Fifth Avenue
Living in Pretty How Town
Lime in the coconut
Deliciously Organized
Two Ellie
Southern Exposure

Thanks for all the inspiration! You ladies rock! MB

Oil & Water...

2010-11-11T12:38:00.000Z

Can I tell you have much a HATE oil based paint?!? It came as a revelation to this first time home owner that oil paint YELLOWS. After spending a lot of time sanding and painting when we first purchased our house, we noticed that all the beautiful woodwork was starting to look kinda dingy and yellow. When I mentioned this to the guy at our local paint shop he said that oil paint ALWAYS yellows and that they were getting lots of complaints about the new more environmentally friendly oil paint yellowing even more. YUCKERS!

So with all the renovation going on upstairs we decided we might as well get to it and 'fix' our mistake. We sanded down all the woodwork upstairs and repainted it in a white eggshell water based paint. I'm so glad we made the effort! Especially in the guest bathroom where the woodwork was goin' yellow as our pretty little tiles stayed ever so white. Here are some before and after photos. BTW, enjoy that lovely green and peach carpet 'cause your never going to see it again! The new carpet will be installed on Monday which means we can FINALLY unpack the nursery furniture. Yeppy! With about seven weeks to go I REALLY feel the need to get that nursery done!

The 'yellow' before.....

The 'white' after....

Cute little Anthro knobs for the linen cupboard...Yes, I'm addicted....

The 'yellow' before...

The 'white' after...

The woodwork now matches the tiles. This OCD girl is very happy!

The soon to be decorated nursery...

“When a good bottle of Scotch cost more than a barrel of oil, you're in trouble!”

Putting Down the Paint Brush...

2010-11-05T09:59:00.001Z

Big news! We have finished painting and renovating the upstairs! Yeppy! I'll post pictures of everything in the next couple weeks. My painting clothes are presently in the washing machine and then will be put away for what I hope will be a REALLY REALLY long time. MC and I looked at each other this morning and said, "what are we going to do on Saturday!?!" We decided on reading the paper and sipping coffee and maybe a walk up to the ice cream shop in the afternoon. I love how people smile sweetly when they pass my very pregnant self with an ice cream cone in hand, waddling down the street. It restores my faith in society and makes me smile back. I wonder if they will smile as sweetly when I'm pushing a stroller and blocking half the sidewalk! I'm thinkin' not...

Our headboard will be reupholstered next week and I can't wait. I chose to go with Riad by Windsor Smith. I didn't realize that the fabric Pelagos which I had chosen for the living room curtains was by Windsor as well. I'll be saving for those for a while! I did a google image search and was suprised to see that my all time favorite kitchen is Windsor's! I pretend its mine, but I'm willing to share:) I've had that kitchen picture stored on my computer for quite some time. I always come back to that lovely kitchen and think, 'yep, still my favorite.'

Have a happy weekend...

Riad

Pelagos

Images from Windsor Smith & Absolutely Beautiful Things

Boy oh boy...

2010-10-26T16:41:00.000Z

There are few pleasant suprises left in life so we thought our babies gender should be one of them. When I told my best friend that we had decided to wait to find out what we are 'having' she laughed her you know what off! She said I was a 'planner' and thought I would be the last person on earth to wait for the big day! I had to laugh with her! She is totally right! I suprised myself with not wanting to know.

Much to my mom's (grandma) irritation! Mom offered to bribe the doctor doing our last ultrasound. Her exact words were, "just give him my phone number so he can tell me and I promise I won't let it slip or tell a soul!" Never mind that we don't even live in the same country at the moment! She mentioned on the phone that she had been to a craft show and seen ALL these lovely things that sadly she couldn't buy because she didn't know whether her grandchild would be a boy are a girl. I think my dad (grandpa) owes us big time! Think of all the money and luggage space we have saved him! Dad don't forget the Aunt Jemima syrup, JIF peanut butter and some Mac & Cheese when you're packin' your bags to come visit!

So all of this is to say... I'm thinkin' about boys rooms today. We've painted the nursery light grey, which is a great modern neutral color for a small space. I'm thinkin' of adding primary colors as accents. Something along the lines of these....

Okay, I know what you're thinkin' SHAG GREEN CARPET in a nursery! Don't worry its not happening. MC's exact words when I showed him this picture were, "you cannot be serious." I don't know why but there's somethin' about the green carpet and the world map that I just love. It makes me think of Peter Pan, treasure maps, trains, planes and boats. It must have something to do with being a child of the 1970's in Miami, Florida!

Images from Grace Happens (3rd) and I'm not sure about the rest. If you know please let me know:)

Some parents say it is toy guns that make boys warlike. But give a boy a rubber duck and he will seize its neck like the butt of a pistol and shout "Bang!"

~ George Will

Sweet Dreams

2010-10-22T20:56:00.000Z

The upstairs of our sweet little English house is starting to come together. After spending evenings and weekends sanding and painting we have moved from the guestroom back into our bedroom. Thank the Lord! ~~Note to self...get a new guest bedroom mattress!!!~~ We painted our room very light pink and I couldn't be happier with the results. Now comes the fun part... fabric!!! I finally decided to go with Riad by Kravet for the our headboard. The fabric shop called today to say that our Riad had arrived and that I could come pick it up, yeppy! Here are some pics and have a happy weekend. We will be...that's right you guessed it, painting...

I'm still awaiting the arrival of our Chiang Mai Dragon fabric which we will be using for throw pillows. But here is my uber tiny sample...

We were planning to use these Anthropology knobs on our linen cupboard. Which I found for $1.50 a piece, sweet! They were way too cute for the linen cupboard so we put them on our wardrobe doors. I guess this means I'll have to go back to Anthro to look for knobs for the linen cupboard. It will be tough, but I'll manage:)

My favorite lamp... I'm so glad that it worked with the pink walls. If not, we would have been painting the room AGAIN! Phew!

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

~ Benjamin Franklin

The Mighty Mouse of Master Bathrooms...

2010-10-14T20:06:00.000Z

We've finished renovating our tiny master bathroom. I'm really excited by the results as it is the first time I've ever completely renovated a bathroom. Our new bathroom is still uber small but really packs a punch style wise, or atleast I'd like to think so. I took some photos before we moved our stuff back in, knowing full well this is the tidiest the bathroom will ever be! The photos are obviously not even remotely professional but you'll get the idea...Enjoy the pics and have a happy weekend.

Before

After

I chose these tiles because I had to get a little grey in there somewhere!

We decided to go with inset built-in shelves to save some space as the bathroom is super narrow.

I like old fashioned looking plumbing mixed with sleek subway tiles.

Is it weird to be excited about a toilet seat?!?

I chose a brown toilet seat instead of the obligitory white seat to

break up the rest of the white in the bathroom.

In the old bathroom we had two faucets, one hot and one cold which I had never seen while living in the US. The two faucets system is a real pain and I'm super grateful to have what people on this side of the pond refer to as a 'mixer tap'.

It really is the small things in life...

Before

After

We picked up the oversized mirror at Ikea and

it goes some way in helping to make the space seem a little bigger.

The only time the world beats a path to your door
is if you’re in the bathroom. ~ unknown

A Bit of Color

2010-10-08T05:14:00.000Z

I woke up at 4:30 again and found myself cruising around the net reading my favorite blogs. At the top of my blog list is Pink Wallpaper. Shannon posted a pic of a Tom Scheerer kitchen so I had a look at his website. Which reminded me...As if we don't have a enough going on right now...I've been contemplating adding just a bit of color to our kitchen by painting the inside of the glass cabinets. Our kitchen cabinets are cream instead of white but I think it could still work. These lovelies add a bit of character and warmth. I think I'll contemplate for a bit longer as we have a guest room and bathroom to sand and paint this weekend. Have a happy weekend.

Images from Tom Scheerer, House Beautiful & Martha Stewart

Ain't No Mountian High Enough...

2010-10-05T19:56:00.000Z

Its amazing what the upcoming arrival of a little one can do to a 'planner' like myself. Talk about a 'domino effect'! We decided to get new carpet before our Christmas baby appears on the scene. Then we thought it made sense to renovate our bathroom before we get new carpet because we all know how messy bathroom renovations can be.Then we thought as long as we are renovating the bathroom we should probably go ahead and renovate our room AND sand and paint the upstairs woodwork. THEN we decided to move the guest room into the office and turn the present guest room into a nursery. I think you can see where this is going.

We have been huddled in our little guest room for the last month and half while the work continues on the rest of the upstairs. People are asking us what we've gotten for the nursery. This question really gets my heart rate up! The nursery! Yikes! Our bathroom is half usable, I literally can't get into our room because there is furniture piled up to the ceiling. This morning I asked MC to please move a door that was leaning against my dresser so I could get some clean clothes out of it. I can't seem to find anything and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with nothing being where it belongs and my ever shrinking prego brain. But you know what...its totally worth it. I'm mean look at that cute little profile! Is that not the cutest nose you've ever seen! Okay, I know its like every other ultrascan ever taken but I can't help thinkin' its the cutest!

I'm beginning to realize that the love a parent has for a child is really special. I'm sure our baby won't notice new carpet or freshly painted woodwork but we want to give him or her all that is good in life including new clean carpets to crawl around on. We can't wait to shower our little one with lots of cuddles and kisses. There isn't a mountian I wouldn't climb for this little one, including the mountian of furniture in our room and that is an amazing and wonderful feeling.

Hunting for Conkers...

2010-10-01T19:35:00.001Z

Last week MC was in Canada on a business trip so me and my ever growing bump waddled walked over to one of our favorite spots in the city. We are lucky enough to have a lovely meadow within a short walk of our house. I went hunting for conkers in the meadow and had a great time. I'm sure people thought it was a bit strange to see a prego chick walking around in circles staring at the ground. I had forgotten how much fun it is to go hunting for something, even something as simple as conkers. I like them because their outer shells are different than the nut inside. The outer shell of a conker looks alien-like and tropical but strangely the nut on the inside looks traditional and ever so autumnal. These little treasures are a great reminder of how nature influences what we chose to place in our homes. One day I would love to have wood floors the same beautiful shiny brown as the conkers I collected on my walk in the meadow.

BTW...Speaking of 'hunting'... my Chiang Mai Dragon search was successful! Yeppy! I stumbled across Oliver which is located in Charlottesville, Virginia. I called up and said I was living in the U.K. and was looking for my little dragon at a more affordable price than what I had found it for on this side of the pond. Oliver has a great selection of beautiful fabrics at fantastic prices. They were ever so kind and are shipping the fabric to my sweet friend Tab in Florida who is then shipping it on to me. Thanks for all the 'good lucks', they worked! Have a happy weekend.

Puff Went the Dragon...

2010-09-25T16:35:00.001Z

Living in England is lovely but not cheap. I've discovered yet another aspect of life on this little island where you will pay through the nose for something. Fabric! I wanted to purchase a tiny amount of Chiang Mai Dragon from Schumacher. My plan was to make two throw pillows for our bedroom. I love this particular print and have yet to find another fabric that combines so many rich colors so beautifully. I had planned to decorate our bedroom around this particular print.

Well...when I went to the shop to price it up and place my order I was suprised to find out that just one square meter of my favorite fabric would cost £200! Note to my fellow Americans... £200 is the equivelant of about $350! Ouch! So I'm searching online to see if I can find a better deal. Ironically I've found my little dragon online for significantly less in the U.S. I use the word 'ironically' because today I read that my much loved fabric is made in the U.K.

I feel like having one of those John McEnroe moments. You know, where he's standing in the middle of centercourt at Wimbledon, jumping up and down yelling at the ref, "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS." Funny enough that's what my husband said when I told him the fabric's retail price! I won't REALLY throw a fit because I'm from the South and we don't do things like that. Well most of time anyways. Wish me luck as I search for my dragon and have a lovely weekend.

My precious little sample of Chiang Mai, how sad is that! LOL

Wall of indecision paint samples

When in Rome: A bathroom renovation and beyond...

2010-09-19T14:07:00.001Z

September is proving to be BUSY! Did I mention I'm almost six months pregnant too! Is it dangerous to be making so many design decisions when prego hormones are running rampant? We will see...

As I've mentioned we live in a little house on a little island. When the real estate agent first gave us a tour of our house I thought the extra door in the master bedroom would open to reveal a closet. To my delight the door opened to reveal a bathroom. Not that I would have minded a walk in closet! Finding a house that was in the city and in our price range with a master bathroom or a second bathroom at all was a small miracle. A miracle which I'm really grateful for! It may be tiny but darlin' it works! So two weeks ago we started a renovation on our tiny bathroom and I'm so excited that its finally coming together.

Before

It still amazes me that all the internal walls in our house are solid brick. These homes were built to last.....

Because the bathroom is narrow we've added spaces for inset shelves to save space and keep things from looking cluttered... Don't you love the orange lamp!

We went with white subway tiles which will hopefully make the bathroom feel a little less tiny. Subway tiles seem to be really popular in the States but aren't as popular on this side of the pond. I hesitated to use them because of the reactions I got from some of our British friends, "but it will look like a public toilet!" When living in a foreign country should you stick with your host countries style or just go with your own? I decided to throw caution to the wind and decorate with what we liked.

Shower tap

I love the old style radiator and thought it went well with the subway tiles.

The floor tiles were uber cheap but I really liked them.

Our bedroom is the next project but at the moment its the 'staging area' for the bathroom work! Good times...

Big Girl Decisions...

2010-09-07T04:10:00.000Z

We are sleeping in the the guest room as our bedroom and bathroom get some much needed attention. After the projects are complete and the dust has settled we want to paint our bedroom a new color. Presently the walls are painted white. I've been told that the best way to decorate a room is to first choose fabric for the room and then find coordinating paint. We've purchased a headboard that we are going to reupholster, so that will be the piece that will inspire the rooms decor. The bedside lamps and sunburst mirror will be staying too. This week I'll be going to the fabric shop to find fabric for the headboard. I'm trying to decide between a bold geometric design or a solid color that I can easily coordinate with throw pillows. I can tell that MC would like this be our FINAL paint job for some time as we've already painted the room FOUR times in the last three years! How silly is that! So the pressure is on to finally get it right! Any suggestions.....

Fading Leaves

2010-09-01T16:47:00.000Z

There is a tree in our backyard and its summer green leaves are starting to fade. The leaves haven't turned a brilliant autumnal yellow yet, but the faded green leaves are the first sign in our little backyard/garden that one season is drawing to a close and another waits in anticipation. The upcoming Fall is a season that I had forgotten in the heat of the summer sun. I forgot about the glories of warm cups of tea, freshly baked cookies and spiced breads, the sun fading a bit earlier in the day, my comfy fleece and the sound of dry leaves rustling in the wind. I'll be enjoying the last drops of the late summer sun while looking forward to what seems like a long lost friend, the Fall.

We have lots of projects that are starting next week. The contractor promises to be here bright and early Monday morning. We have an upstairs to refurbish and decorate. I've noticed that my preference for cheerful summer colors is fading. Greys, oranges, yellows, reds and greens seem to be dancing in my head. Can the season you decorate in affect your color choices? We will see...

Image by Martha Stewart Living

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn

a mosaic of them all. ~Stanley Horowitz

The Forgotten Coast

2010-08-22T15:07:00.000Z

I'm typing from our hotel room in downtown Boston. Sounds of the hustle and bustle of city life below are rushing in through the open sliding glass door. It seems a world away from the Forgotten Coast of Florida where we spent the first part of our holiday. Some may disagree, but I think some of the prettiest beaches in Florida are in the Panhandle. If you want a beachouse that resides by virtually empty white sand beaches and clear blue waters this is the place for you. We stayed at a house on St. George Island and enjoyed time with family, cookin' and eatin' fresh seafood, hammock napping, sipping coffee on the porch watching the sunrise and the waves roll in, walks on the beach, fishing, sand dollar and starfish hunting and soaking up a little sunshine.

The view from the house

MC dug a hole for my prego belly. For the first time in a while I got to lay on my belly! Luxury!

If that's not love, I don't know what is!

A few of the hundreds of little clams along the beach.

Sunrise

Homeward Bound...

2010-08-12T21:00:00.000Z

MC and I are heading home to Florida to visit family and friends and soak up some sunshine at the beach, so starting Monday I'll be posting from the other side of the pond, the gulf coast of Florida. Yeppy and have a happy weekend!

A Wedding in Wales

2010-08-09T09:45:00.003Z

We meandered our way to Wales this past weekend. Some friends of ours were getting married and guests came from near and far to celebrate the day near the peaks of Snowdonia National Park which resides next to the Irish Sea. They are one of the most authentic, sweet and unique couples we know and their wedding was too! The ceremony took place in a disused slate quarry on a mountian top. The wedding invitation described the attire as 'wellington chic' and that was the perfect footwear for the event. I used their wedding as the perfect excuse to finally buy a pair of Hunter Wellies which I'd been wanting for some time. Sweet! We climbed up the path to a cave, lit by beautiful little lanterns, that opened up to a blue lake. They said their vows at the waters edge. There were cheers, a bit of singing and okay, maybe a tear or two.

I was standing in this amazing spot pondering how wonderful life can be. I have 'these' little moments from time to time when I marvel at where my life has taken me. The American, Florida girl who wondered if she would ever get a stamp in her passport is now standing on Welsh mountian top in wellies watching two lovely people get hitched. Dr Seuss said it best, 'Oh, the places you'll go!'

The view of the Irish Sea on the hike up

The little cave to Blue Lake

The bridemaids

Speaking of places... the bed and breakfast we stayed at Graig Wen was lovely. I highly recommend it if you find yourself in this part of the world.

Last image from Graig Wen B & B

One road leads to London,

One road runs to Wales,

My road leads me seawards,

To the white dipping sails.

~ John Masefield

Houses of the World

2010-08-02T16:02:00.001Z

We are looking for a new coffee table to replace our old one. A friend of ours refers to our present table as the 'iTable' because it resembles an iMac, which is you can imagine was not the look I was aiming for! The beauty of an Ikea mistake is that it can soon be forgotten by yourself and your wallet. I still secretly love how well the 2nd shelf stores our oversized books and my many editions of Elle Decor, Living Etc. and MC's science journals. Alas, we are going to need more floor space for baby and tummy time so the big 'I-Table' has got to go.

I stumbled across Maisons du Monde trolling the web for coffee table ideas. These are a few that caught my eye....

Totally not practical for a little one but a girl needs a little glam!

Too big but I still love it

Fingerprint central but I like the X's and the 2nd shelf

This looks modern yet warm

Again, too big but so fresh & fun

This belongs in my imaginary beach house

I know, not a coffee table but this would look great in my imaginary sitting room:)

"Cause someday, believe it or not, you'll go 15 rounds over who's gonna get this coffee table. This stupid, wagon wheel, Roy Rogers, garage sale coffee table!"

~ Harry Burns in When Harry Met Sally

LOL

These little lights of mine...

2010-07-27T17:24:00.001Z

The summer break has begun and it's go time here in our little Victorian terrace. We are lining up lots of 'projects' for September. Today my inlaws came over and hung our new dining room lights. Nothing and I do mean nothing would ever get done if it weren't for them! For the last three years we've been living with one of those paper lanterns. You know, the kind that collect dust like there is no tomorrow, are made of tissue paper and probably featured in your first college room. Who can beat a lamp shade for a dollar!

It was time to replace the college dorm lantern with something slightly more grown-up. I was flippin' through Living Etc and came across these little lovelies. They are from Retrouvius a reclamation and design shop in London. The glass funnels were made for a science lab many moons ago but were destined for our dining room. Did I mention MC is a scientist, quite fitting don't you think...

ps....excuse the light bulbs that don't really fit, I'll be picking up the right ones tomorrow.....

Live in rooms full of light. ~Cornelius Celsus

Bathroom Inspiration

2010-07-17T16:10:00.000Z

We will be redecorating our bathroom in September so I've been searching online for design inspiration and these are my favorites....

Our bathroom is tiny and I do mean tiny! So inset shelves would be a great space saving idea...

Hard to see but I'm lovin' the small marble floor tiles and frameless glass shower doors....

I'm diggin' the subway tiles and rectangular pedestal sinks.....

Images from Style at Home, Bryn Alexandra Interiors, Door Sixteen, Pink Wallpaper,

not sure about the 2nd and 6th.

Out in the Garden

2010-07-11T16:07:00.000Z

Summer has finally been delivered to this little island wrapped in a ribbon of beautiful warm sunshine. We have slowly worked in our garden/yard over the last couple years. MC and I are not by nature gardeners. We can think of quite a few things we would rather be doing. Like sleeping in or reading the Sunday paper or walking up to the ice cream shop. Some dinner guests recently asked if we had done much work in the garden and I responded, "well, a little." Its funny how if you do a little work at a time on a house or yard, you forget all that you've done. So this is what we've done with our piece of green in the city....

Before

After

'After' view from the kitchen

Before

After

One of our window boxes

Okay, time to relax.....

Guest Bathroom

2010-07-02T16:05:00.001Z

I'd like to think we are half way through our journey in breathing new life into our Victorian terrace house. These days I'm feeling an urgency to get the ball rolling. We have until Christmas to get things done in a 'we don't have kids, watch how fast we can get this done' kinda way. I say 'halfway done' because besides a little tweaking the downstairs is lookin' good. It's now time to turn our attention to the upstairs, which is not lookin' so good. We're planning to gut the master bathroom, redo the ceilings (popcorn be gone), sand and paint all the woodwork, build a wardrobe, paint our bedroom, turn the guest room into a nursery, and turn our dumping ground, that we sometimes refer to as an office, into a guest room/office. I'm tired just thinking about it! I can already see the construction dust floating in the air!

There is one room upstairs which is finished and that's our little guest bathroom. Oh how I wish I had the BEFORE photos of this bathroom. Just imagine ugly purple paint on the walls AND woodwork, aque blue linoleum on the floor and a clear toilet seat with a 'sea life' scene trapped in the plastic. Nothing says CLASSY like a fish bowl toilet seat! Anyways, this is our sweet little guest bathroom and I'm using these images to muster up the energy to get my pregnant self in gear.

Maps, Globes and Books

2010-06-24T15:17:00.000Z

MC and I are having an ongoing conversation over whether we want to find out the sex of our baby at our next ultra sound. We have a while to make up our minds. I'm leaning more towards finding out at the ultra sound. Finding out suites the organized, control freak that I try to pretend I'm not. I'm not really all that into 'gender neutral' nurseries and the idea of picking up a paint brush after birthing a baby sounds incredibly unappealing. I've started to compile lots and lots of pics for my nursery file.

I've already compiled a bunch of pics and I've noticed a trend already....

...our son or daughter will hold passports from two different countries and have family members spread out all over the world, literally. I thought it only fitting that they be able to see where their uncles, aunts, grandparents and great grandparents reside.....

...MC and I are both in the business of educating tomorrow's bright young things and we love our books...Knowledge is power... Sam I Am!....

Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully

furnishes a house. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Images from Apartment Therapy, Grace Happens, Ryann Ford.

Wasn't sure about the 3rd pic. Do let me know, I always want to give credit where credit is due:)

Iron for the Baby

2010-06-16T13:15:00.001Z

Sorry I've been MIA lately. I've got a good excuse, I swear! We are super excited that after trying for a long while we are expecting our first baby in December! We had an appointment lined up to see a fertility specialist and I had decided to go ahead and turn the 'extra bedroom' into an office. I have to admit I was starting to wonder whether we would ever have kiddos of our own. It goes without saying but it took more than one positive pregnancy test to prove to me that I was actually pregnant! Anyways, I've been tired and instead of coming home and blogging after work I've been coming home and napping! I had to take a sick day because I was feeling so badly, but thank goodness for laptops and wireless! So whats been goin' on...

This past weekend we went to Dublin for a friend's wedding. They are the sweetest couple and their people were too. It still amazes me that a flight from England to Ireland is a whopping forty-five minutes! Its like hopping from one lovely little patch of green to another. Ireland is exactly what I expected it to be. The people are warm and ever so kind. I have to say I felt right at home and plan to go back in the not too distant future. MC and I want to rent a car and go explore all that lush green countryside.

We had the good fortune of being in Dublin for USA vs. England in the World Cup. We watched the game in a pub in the Temple Bar area of Dublin. It was fantastic because there were lots of Americans, including some US soldiers at the table next to ours. At the beginning of the game they played the English Anthem which was great but no one stood! When they started the Star Spangled Banner every American and a few Irish people in the bar stood up and sang. We got a few heckles when we stood, but by the time we got to 'the land of the free and the home of the brave' no one was laughing. I think people were slightly stunned that we actually stood for our anthem. My husband said he didn't think he would ever forget me hopping off my bar stool with my little baby bump and singing with my hand on my heart in the middle of a pub! By the way Becks makes a pretty good non-alcoholic beer, look for the blue label. Now there's some free pregnancy advice you can actually use! Its amazing how much 'free advice' starts flying your way when people find out your pregnant! I've sang my national anthem a million times in the States but I can't tell you how much it meant to be standing with fellow Americans singing in Ireland.

Speaking of Ireland...I didn't think our trip would be complete without a tour of the Guinness Brewery. I know its a little 'touristy' but I'm so glad we went. The tour was great and at the end you get a free pint of Guinness in the Gravity Bar which is a bar surrounded by glass windows with a great panoramic view of Dublin. Ironically, I'm three months pregnant so I had a sip MC's pint. It may be the hormones but I gotta say Guinness brewed in Ireland was ten times better than any I'd had in the States. The funny thing was Irish women that I met kept telling me, "oh luv, have yourself a half-pint of Guinness, its good iron for the baby." I think I'll stick with my vitamins and spinach but I thought it was pretty sweet!

Cheers!

Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T17:42:00.000Z

I'm the great-granddaughter, granddaughter, daughter and sister of military men. So today all I can simply say is, "thanks for all you've done and do." My life would not be the same without you!

One Of A Kind

2010-05-24T20:31:00.002Z

Long time no talk! My goodness life has been busy the past few weeks! I'll fill you in on the details later. For now, I want to share the little treasure that I found while we were in Charleston. Thanks to a tip from Libby Wilkie at An Eye For Detail, I had the pleasure of meeting Libby Ganong from Add Libb Designs at a boutique opening in Charleston. I have yet to meet a Libby I didn't like! There must be something to that name! Libby G. is a very talented designer who creates gorgeous clutches, totes, wallets and handbags. I wanted to buy ALL of these one of a kind treasures...

...but I controlled myself and bought this one...

...pretty cute isn't it...

That which seperates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize!

~ Clairee Belcher in Steel Magnolias

Sunny Side Up

2010-05-12T19:27:00.001Z

I love breakfast nooks. I think that they are perfect for a family home. A dining table and a breakfast table are important but serve very different purposes. One is familial while the other is intimate. One is cheery while the other often has a touch of drama and sophistication. One may be covered with the Sunday paper and coffee mugs while the other frames an elegant place setting. The floor plan of my dream house includes a breakfast nook. If I could have a space for our Sunday brunches it would look something like this....

...or this...

...or this cozy space...

Images from Buckingham Interiors, Domino and not sure about the first photo.

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-09T11:26:00.001Z

Dear Mom,

Thanks for not freaking out when you gave birth to a little girl with a folded over ear! You never let me believe I was anything other than absolutely beautiful. Thanks for changing all those diapers and giving me all those bottles. Thanks for putting up with me when I was cranky, drooly and teething. Thanks for always packing my school lunches with such care. Thanks for hiring tutors when I needed a little extra help in school and thanks for the hours you spent helping me with my homework. Thanks for saying 'no' when you should have and 'yes' when it was right. Thanks for not letting me call adults by their first names and teaching me to respect my elders. That one has come in really handy in life! Thanks for letting me have lots of adopted uncles & aunts. Thanks for sitting your family down to dinner together every night. Thanks for always being so amazingly industrious and creative. You were always the MacGyver of mothers! Thanks for taking me to countless ballet classes and youth group meetings. Thanks for putting up with me when the hormones kicked in and I became that scariest of all scary creatures...a teenage girl! Thanks for saying 'no' to those hooker-chic outfits I thought were so cool when I was 16! Not my finest hour... Thanks for not letting me date until I was 16 and thanks for putting up with a few of my less than stellar boyfriends. Thanks for knowing when to say something and when to not. Thanks for all those Saturday afternoon phone conversations between Florida and North Carolina. Thanks for always welcoming me home and our morning chats on the back porch. Thanks for being supportive and positive when I started dating my future husband and told you he lived on the other side of the Atlantic! Thanks for making our wedding day so special and sweet. Thanks for keeping the ties that bind strong, even from across the pond.

Happy Mother's day with love, MB

Me & Mom

Guest Room Cheer

2010-05-07T15:08:00.000Z

When we were in the U.S. I had ample time to do a bit of shopping. Volcanoes, yeppy! One shop that I visited numerous times was Anthropologie. I LOVE their stuff... the clothes, linens, dishes and especially their hardware. I chose a couple pairs of knobs to bring back to the U.K. with me and I'm so glad that I did!

I exchanged the old boring metal knob on this Ikea side table in the guest room for...

...this cheerful little green glass one. Isn't it cute!

I also picked up these coral knobs at Anthro. One of them has a tiny chip in it so it was only $1.50! I plan to use them on the doors of our linen cupboard. As soon as I start finish painting it.

Monogrammed

2010-05-04T16:11:00.001Z

I love monograms! I'm currently looking for someone to monogram some towels and pillows for our house. Its not popular on this little island so my search continues. For now I'll just drool over these lovely creations....

"When Charlotte really liked somebody she said their whole name. It helped her picture their future monogrammed towels."
~ Sex & The City

Images from Emily Clark, Mrs Howard's Personal Shopper, Lonny Magazine &

not sure about the last two beautiful rooms. If you know, do share:)

My Happy Place...

2010-04-28T16:38:00.000Z

Today has been a crazy day! I'd like a big ol' porch to relax on, watching the sun set and the world go by...

Images from Coastal Living, Southern Accents, Musings of a Night Owl, not sure about last photo.

Charleston

2010-04-21T23:37:00.001Z

We are stranded on the southeast coast if the United States. Not such a bad place to be stuck if you ask me! After two flight cancellations due to the Icelandic volcano, we are booked to fly home to England next week. We knew we had a week to kill, so we decided to take a little road trip. We are in Charleston, SC at the moment.

We've spent hours wandering the streets of this enchanting town. My husband deserves lots of praise for accompanying me the whole day! MC you rock! Charleston makes my top ten list of 'best places to live' with ease!

Shannon from Pink Wallpaper very kindly shared her local knowledge of Charleston and one of her many great recommendations was South of Market. Thank you Shannon! I walked into this home decor shop and was completely smitten! If you ever find yourself in Charleston check out this delightful store! I wanted to cram everything into my suitcase and take it back to England with me!

I swear I could have photographed everything in the store, but here are my favs....

I'm going back to dignity and grace. I'm going back to Charleston, where I belong.

~ Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind

Town on the Hill

2010-04-18T17:05:00.001Z

We came to the States with a ten day holiday in mind. A volcano in Iceland has extended our stay in Chapel Hill ~ Carrboro. We aren't sure when we will be able to get home to England. For now because of our gracious and loving friends, who we are staying with, we are soaking up the Carolina blue sky and all that this beautiful spot on the map has to offer. I called this place home for a long while and in the lovely April sun I'm remembering why. Here are some of the sights that have caught my eye while wandering...

A music poster at the Local 506.

A nation of many colors..

Lovely painted poster at the old Carrboro train station...

A chandelier of sorts at Southern Rail Restaurant & Bar, a train and station turned restaurant...

One of the many beautiful Mill houses in Carrboro, I love that porch!

Neal's Deli makes some 'lose your religion' sandwiches and is worth a visit, seriously!

...they deliver too...

Sutton's Drug Store is one of the few drug stores in America that still has a grill. You can get root beer floats, milkshakes, grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and some seriously good sweet tea.

Crook's Corner serves up some pretty darn good Southern food. Think shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, biscuits and gravy and maybe a mimosa or bloody mary to go with your Sunday brunch... yes please...

Toots & Magoo is a lovely little boutique which caught my eye because of the amazing window display. The lovely dress in the window display is made out of paper! The owners niece made it, pretty talented if you ask me!

I knew it was paper and I still wanted to try it on!

Black & White

2010-04-11T22:11:00.000Z

After going through my 'yes, please' files I see a pattern... A winter rug for our sweet little living room is going to be ordered as soon as we get back from North Carolina.

Images from: Habitually Chic, Alkemie, DecorPad

Living Room

2010-04-05T17:04:00.000Z

One of the reasons I started this blog was to document my adventures while living on this little island. I never imagined that I would marry an Englishman or live anywhere else outside of the U.S. Now that I've gotten a taste of living in another country, I can totally see us living other places in the world. I want to remember it all, even the way we decorate our house. So this is what we've done in our living room...

I know I've mentioned this before but we tore down the wall between the living room and dining room. Never under estimate the difference natural light can have on a space!

Its hard to believe that internal walls used to made of brick. They don't make houses the way they used to....

Aahh, natural light....

After cleaning up all that construction dust we decided we needed a place for all of our books...

Tester pots and wallpaper samples... I wanted the bookshelf walls to be a different color than the rest of the walls in the LR.

I decided to go with paint ~ Laura Ashley Sky. I think its a good background color for our books and the black stereo and television.

Monkeys seem to be the most common creature for hear no evil, speak no evil and see no evil but when I found these little buddhas I couldn't resist... If you look closely, you can see them on the shelves amongst our books.

I went with glass and gold knobs for the cabinet doors, which adds a touch of glam and character...

I love the detail in the cast iron fireplace...

I bought these tea lights for eating outside in the summer. Later I realized that you don't need candles in the evening when you're this far north, the sun doesn't set until really late. So I brought them inside and put them on the mantle where they have been put to good use on dark winter nights.

Summer rug, if the summer ever arrives! Fingers crossed...

I bought this tray at a junk shop in North Carolina. I love it! A bit of Americana. We keep our remotes on it.

This is the little silver umbrella stand that I turned upside down to make into a table...

The vintage citrus crate labels that I had framed...

My favorite oil painting and a photo of my mom and me...

Things we are planning to do....

   1. New Side tables
   2. New curtains
   3. Replace our ikea chairs with a slipper chair and an old odeon chair
   5. Replace the existing coffee table. We call the one we have the 'I-table' because it looks like a
   giant I-Book! Not the look I was aiming for...

Make Mine a G & T...

2010-03-31T17:32:00.003Z

This is the third bedroom in our house. Awful isn't it! I'm a neat freak and an organized person but you would NEVER know it looking at this room! When guests come over I always shut the door in a panic. We were hoping to turn it into a nursery but mother nature is taking her own sweet time. So I'm gonna turn lemons into gin and tonic lemonade...

I have a few projects that I'm working on and I want a space to shelter my ideas and creativity. My plan is to turn this headache inducing dumping ground into a serene workspace over the next two months. Wish me luck 'cause I'm gonna need it!

Little inspiration to get me going....

Kneeling at the altar of Nate...

Little strange but I like it...

I obviously have something for 'A' framed desks...

Images from DecorPad, Urban Grace Interiors and not sure about the 1st & 3rd photos.

Guest Room

2010-03-29T22:07:00.003Z

Before we bought our little English house, I started imagining how I would decorate the guest room. I spent a lot of time thinking about it! Looking back, I realize I was really dreaming about loved ones visiting and being close by. I was homesick. I missed my friends and family terribly. The goal of finding a house with a guest room and then decorating that room kept my spirits up. I imagined loved ones sleeping in our guest room, all comfy and close by.

Its still a work in progress but this room has sheltered loved ones from near and far. I painted the walls yellow because that's my mom's favorite color. Black and white photos of our friends hang on the walls. On days when its cold and gray outside I'll often make a cup of tea and curl up with a book in this cheerful little room.

For less than £200 we have created a cozy happy place for our loved ones when they come to visit.

We painted an old black metal headboard white.

The bedding is from Ikea and Target

We cleaned up an old mirror from the bathroom renovation and added ribbon.

MC's dad made the coat rack

Shopping in Your Own Home

2010-03-26T14:58:00.000Z

If I had to hand over my house keys to an interior designer it would be Nate Berkus. I don't think I'm alone on this one! If he ever wants to hop the pond and decorate an English house, I'm his girl! His work is amazing! I used to get so excited when he was on Oprah. What's Nate going to do this time...holy crude that is awsome! Nate, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I called him by his first name, gave some great advice regarding decorating during an ecomomic slump. He recommended shopping in your own home. It takes a lot of courage to re-imagine and re-order things you already own. Nate practices what he preaches and his Chicago apartment is proof.

This is the 'before' photo of his living room and dining room

The 'after' taken from a different angle, but you get the idea

Notice how he has 're-used' almost all the furniture. I love how he mixed browns and blacks together effortlessly.

The 'before' dining room

The 'after' dining room. Same chairs, just reupholstered

Just because...

Images from So Haute, DecorPad, Apartment Therapy & Habitually Chic

Swedish Love...

2010-03-23T20:17:00.002Z

I was reading Taking Notes the other day and I came across a post that Katrin had written about Ikea Family Live. I had no idea that Ikea had a magazine which features real homes. Versus the fake ones in their catalogs! Katrin's lovely home in Vienna is going to be featured in the summer edition of the magazine. I can't wait to see it!

Like the homes featured in IFL, I wouldn't want to decorate my ENTIRE house in Ikea, but they do have some pretty cute stuff. What are your thoughts on Ikea?

A few things from Ikea that I've been pondering...

A winter rug for the living room...

A new light for the hallway...

I think this light would be perfect in a guest room or little girls room or dining room, OKAY pretty much any room!...

I'm lovin' the fabric on the top of the pile...

Cute outside light for the patio...

More tea towels, Lord help me!....

Images from Taking Notes and you guessed it, Ikea

Morale Boosting Beverage

2010-03-21T07:48:00.005Z

I didn't realise how much I liked drinking tea until I moved to the United Kingdom. Back in the States I would have a cup of tea once every couple months. Now that I've hopped the pond, I drink about four or five cups a day. Decaffeinated! There is something soothing about drinking a hot cup of tea. At the office there are tea breaks and when workmen are at the house a cup of tea is always offered. There was a WW2 documentary on the BBC. In black and white film were images of Red Cross volunteers handing out cups of tea to a British family. The family was standing on a pile of rubble that was once their village home. Keep Calm & Carry On... Life in the United Kingdom is gentle and dignified so it seems fitting that the beverage of choice would be too.

I came across some cheerful tea towels at Megan Price Designs. I think I'm gonna get a few...

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea. ~ Henry James

Mr. Golden Sun

2010-03-18T19:17:00.001Z

I came home from work and did something I haven't done in a LONG time. I opened a window! I know, this doesn't sound like something to get excited about. Especially if you're reading this from a place like Florida or North Carolina or anywhere that is closer to the equator than the North Pole! I was suprised to find, when I moved to this little island, that in the winter months the days are REALLY short. We are talking dark by 3:30 or 4:00pm! Children walk home from school as the street lights are coming on. We go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. Not fun for a Florida girl.

Thankfully the days are lengthening and its slowly starting to warm up. The sun is still shining when I get home from work! Yeppy! I look forward to the summer when the sun will shine on this little island from 5am to 11pm.

Thank the Lord...our open dining room window...

The view from our dining room window, looking out onto our little garden...

The sun shining on the old bricks of our house...

Purple at Heart

2010-03-15T20:36:00.002Z

I'm starting to focus my decorative energy on our dining room. I'm thinking about paint and I'm thinkin' lilac, lavender or purple. This tricky color isn't very popular but I'm starting to see more of it on this side of the pond and I like what I'm seeing. When its done wrong it is AWFUL but when its done right its lovely...

We'll be going through a 'few' tester pots to find the perfect shade...

How can you not be drawn to a color called 'Brooklyn Nights'...

My best friends wore lilac dresses at our wedding...

Their doing it in Paris...

I love the color on the back of the bookshelves...

Speechless in a good way...

If Eddie Ross is using this color I think its worth consideration...

Images from: Voice of Color, Marie Claire Maison, Apartment Therapy, Design-Ties, Eddie Ross, Potter House Design, The Lennox

I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice.

~ Alice Walker

Mom & Mum

2010-03-14T18:39:00.001Z

Today is Mother's Day on this little island. So I thought I would post cute baby pictures of MC's mum and my mom. I love how I get to have a mom and a mum. I get the best of both worlds...

Two lovely happy girls who I adore...

If These Pillows Could Talk...

2010-03-12T17:48:00.002Z

My wonderful husband takes all my design fanaticism in stride. I'm a real perfectionist so every once in a while for a laugh MC rearranges the throw pillows on the sofa. He knows this drives me slightly crazy! Its a funny and loving reminder that our living room is a room to be lived in! Imagine that...

Even now, I just want to reach in and straighten those pillows! Good Lord, how OCD am I...

There, that's better...

Little Gems

2010-03-08T06:47:00.003Z

Do you ever flip through a magazine and wonder, where do they find all that cool stuff? I do, all the time! I like the featured homes in glossy mags because for the most part they look unique. I don't need lots of space or crazy expensive objects which is good because I'm livin' on a wonderful but very expensive and very small island. What I'm aiming for is authenticity. Nate Berkus said, and I'm paraphrasing, a person should be able to walk into your home and have a sense of who you are by the home you have created. So inspiring and slightly scary too!

Moving to another country has meant saying goodbye to my old favorite flee markets and antique-junk shops and at the same time creating a home from scratch. I'm slowly starting to find little gems on this side of the pond.

Speaking of gems... I stumbled across a blog that is a gold mine of lovely objects that are unique and beautiful. The blog features objects from the London store Elemental. I love how they share their adventures in collecting. A foundery in the Czech Republic anyone...

These are just a few of my favorites...

All images courtesy of Elemental