Design Block

The last few days I have felt uninspired.

A bad case of design block, one might call it.

Feeling this way and not knowing why drives me absolutely bonkers.

My uninspired mood put a damper on our weekend.

Until today, that is.

Rob had a brilliant idea.  Let's go somewhere you've haven't been before.

Genius.  That boy knows how to make a girl smile.

For the most part, I've hit up every possible antique store in our city.

Or at least I'd like to think so.

How could have I missed these places?

Industrial. Modern. Primitive. Craftsman.

You name it, they got it.

Their use of reclaimed vintage materials is super inventive.

Doors upon doors...

Too many mantels to count...

 Antique bed frames too gorgeous for words!

Ahhh...feeling refreshed, friends!

We were able to snatch up a few things for the cottage!

{antique mailbox}

The mailbox is now hanging in our laundry room!

A great place to throw our keys or misplaced mail.

{architectural header}

Where the foyer and the family room meet...

Where the foyer and dining room meet...

Love how the header is working with the corbels!

The sun was pouring in this afternoon.

So I snapped a better picture of our window treatments.

It didn't take me long to get out of my funk.

JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING

ISN'T HAPPENING FOR YOU

 RIGHT NOW, DOESN'T MEAN

THAT IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

.unknown.

Window Into My World...

hello, friends!

We finally got around to adding window treatments in our family room.

What a difference fabric can make!

Who ever said diamonds are a girls best friend?

Yes, diamonds are good.  But burlap...it makes a close second.

Who says that? I DO! ;]

The burlap takes away some of the contemporary-ness of the grommets.

It's a good balance, in my book.

Speaking of books.

I adore old books.  The history...the smell.

I can't seem to get enough.

The school I work at was planning to donate some of their old books.

I offered to take them off their hands.

My favorite color is minty-pistachio.

So naturally, I grabbed as many green colored books that I could carry.

I tend to search for book titles that intrigue me.

Super-power memory.

I need some of that.

it's time to crack the books.

C'mon Baby Light My Fire

"fire" appears to be the theme of my weekend.

This is in part due to my obsession with our fireplace.

We've been waiting since July to get our flat screen recessed.

The waiting game is the absolute pits.

My apologies for the not so pretty word.

Not only are we waiting for the tv to be recessed and

additional molding to be added, we are "throwing" around the idea

of changing the fireplace color from a creamy white to a grayish/green.

My obsession goes further.  Check out the tile we're currently working with.

Do you love it as much as I do? Hee!

An easy enough project for us to tackle?  I think so!

I scanned the web for some inspiration.

Love the subway pattern!

Smaller sized tiles are equally beautiful!

I'm leaning towards travertine subways in hopes that they will compliment

the existing surrounding stone.

Decisions, decisions!

thoughts, anyone?

Creamy white vs. grayish/green???

Another headache : /

We're currently digging this shade.

{Sherwin Williams Intellectual Gray}

Ring the bell!

I'm pretty thrilled with our antique school wall-mounted fire bell!

Even better, this bell lived out it's early life in the

elementary school I attended.

My dad was able to get his hands on it and pass it on to us.

We welcome the bell into the cottage!

Very happily, I might add.

Nighty, night!

*photos courtesy of inspiredmodeling, themarionhousebook, travertine-mosaic-tile.com, marketplace.hgtv.com

Thankful...

I admit, as good as it felt, I feel selfish for my last post.

I believe it's natural for humans to want.

Always want more, that is.

This happens to me all the time.

I'll finally get what I've so desperately been wanting...

and then...bam...there is something else I have my eye on.

amen.

*photo courtesy of mangowatermelonlove

I'm On A Roll...

I've always been told to...

Each day I tend to dream a little different.

Call me selfish, but after a long exhasting day, I'm dreaming for things for me.

Sounds awful, no?

It just so happens that today I'm dreaming for all things "roll."

I dream that once we begin renovating our kitchen

{countertops and backsplash}

that we can add some lovely vintage rolling pins, just as Martha did.

Dreamy.

I dream for all those things that roll on casters.

That color doesn't hurt one bit.

I'm dreaming that we can eventually add barn doors that roll on tracks

 to conceal our television.

I dream for a mini vacay where I can roll around on one of these beauties.

And while we're at it... I'll dream real big.

A rolex.  Beautiful, but not something I can't live without.

That was great!  I suggest that you give it a try.

Happy Tuesday, blog friends!

I'll dream {for us all} that the weekend rolls around quickly.

*photos courtesy of peony and fig, martha stewart, mangowatermelonlove, unknown, houzz, confessions of a true addict

Hickory Dickory Dock

crazy weekend!

So much so, that I'm in need of a weekend.

We lit our first fire today.

Having had a gas fireplace at our past bungalow,

the wood burning crackles are new to us.

Without a doubt, we're getting spoiled!

It was a shopping extravaganza on Saturday.

We purchased a few dishes to hang in the dining room...

a bottle drying rack {not the real deal...but lovely nonetheless}...

a few of those anthropologie glasses I blogged about a few days ago...

a ironstone soup tureen from Pottery Barn...

and some pillows for our new couches.

way too much but necessary.

Did any of my fellow bloggers check out the Family and Friends at Pottery Barn?

I hope you got some goodies!

There was more online that I had my eye on then what was in the stores.

Too bad it was only good in stores...no special orders.

Ticks me off.  Coupon code, PB!

Without further ado...our crazy weekend.

The deer silhouette is now hanging.  He needs friends.

Not really...just something to flank the sides of the frame.

Sconces, possibly?  I'm on the hunt.

Deer and hunt...that doesn't sound good :\

We finally hung our Hickory sign in the mudroom! 

On another note... you need to locate and order one of these candles.

It's from the Swan Creek Candle Co.

We're currently enjoying Vanilla Pound Cake.

Pure Heaven.

These candles come in a variety of pots.

They look good and smell good.  You can't go wrong.

Lastly, I'm hoping that you can offer me your opinion.

We have a carpenter dropping by to take a look at our fireplace.

We plan on recessing and mounting our flat screen.

I can't help but feel that a black screen against white wood will appear harsh.

We are tempted to paint our fireplace a grayish/greenish hue.

Similar to our cabinetry.

I think it will make a statement, but am on the fence?

Can you help me pick a side?