Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Fallin' for Walls

These walls are worth taking a look at.
Sometimes adding texture to a wall with either paneling or tile
can make a huge statement in your home.
I would love to add some of the following details to the cottage.
Hope you all enjoy!

This foyer is perfection
I'm loving the classic white walls with the dark trim
and the smokey charcoal sideboard.

Check out those beams.
The dark drapery panels pop against the creamy paneled walls.

I'd LOVE to do this in my kitchen.
The subway tile with a little extra...goes along way.
I can't stop staring.

Dark paneled ceiling and white paneled walls.  Good stuff, people!

Marble all the way up.  Yes, please!

I've always loved this home.  The varying color of wood is stunning.

The corner concrete beam and wall mounted sink is gorgeous!

Oh my lord.

Go ahead and paint your paneling!

Make one wall stand out.  Loving this in a bathroom...or a nursery!
Hmm... 
I'm fallin' for walls...what about you?
*photos courtesy of atlanta homes magazine, atlanta homes magazine, unknown, decorpad, haute indoor couture, house of turquoise, houzz, things that inspire, unknown, with two cats blog

Thursday, February 9, 2012

In God's Hands

Some days it's hard for me to believe that things will eventually get better.

I've heard...
"Ashley it's so worth it."
"As soon as you hold your child, you'll forget all of the pain and suffering."
{i trust you but it's hard for me to believe...right now}
"Yes, you'll have another one."
{are you sure about that?!}
"The morning sickness should pass?"
{yeah, yeah...i'm well into my second trimester and see no relief, but thanks}

I came across the above quote the other day.
It's not anything I haven't heard before. 
Everyone says this in so many words, right?
But it hit. 
The plan for my life far exceeds the circumstances of my day.
I plan on staying strong for our little nugget...
and will not allow myself to get down {as hard as that may be}.

I promise this won't be the topic of my blog for long.
I'm sure a few of you don't mind the baby talk, but when it's all I'm doing
it can be a bit, well, repetitive.
If you could bare with me, that would be wonderful!
While I'm laying in the hole I've imprinted on the couch
I've done some daydreaming.











I could go on for days...

Stay tuned to watch our nursery come to life!
Thanks for all the support and kind emails!



*photos courtesy of mango watermelon love, crush cul de sac, unknown, unknown, urban grace interiors, unknown, littegreennotebook, unknown wanderings of a wannabe, apartment therapy, amy meier design, pinterest

Monday, January 30, 2012

Nursery Underway!

I'm a pitiful blogger, I know.
Who would have thought that this little gift from God
 could make me so darn miserable and unmotivated?
I've learned quickThis isn't an easy job
I'm baby making, that's for sure.

Sleeping has become my favorite thing to do lately.
Antiquing... not so much.  Can you believe it?
I've received quite a few comments from family and friends about the nursery
and how they look forward to seeing what I put together.
Talk about pressure.

I finally got enough energy to explore and purchase the first piece for the room.
The changing table.
Not willing to splurge on the real changing table deal, I knew I had to find
a piece that would work well as a dresser, as my babes gets older.
Behold, the yummy empire dresser.

We'll probably take it off the casters to make it
a more comfortable height for changing.
I'm in love with all the storage
and am totally digging the large built in cupboards that we can stack diapers in.
All I have to do is buy the changing pad to place on top! Voila.

While I was out an about, I happened upon this gorgeous antique chandy.

Not knowing the gender of baby D yet, I was hesitant to make the purchase.
Is it too girly for a boy
I didn't think so, but I wanted to make sure with the hubs.
He seems to like it.  What do yall' think?

I'm hoping that decorating baby D's nursery
gives me the energy I need to put back into good ol' Hickory.
I love you so, Hickory! Even though it may not appear that way.
Baby steps...right?



Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Baby on Blog!


As some of you may have noticed,
my blog posts have been less frequent with less progress.
My first trimester {now over!} has not been an easy one.
Ever heard of hyperemesis gravidarum
I'm in that 10% of women category who has been
 fortunate enough to get a taste of it. 
I'm still battling and my husband has been my hero.

We are over the moon thrilled.
We are due in July and feel like the luckiest duo on the planet.

We're madly in love with you baby D!




Sunday, January 15, 2012

Hello Blog, It's Me Ashley!

Boy, they're not joking when they say time flies.
Rob and I have been busy.
Tomorrow will be Rob's first day off in 13 days!
Can you believe it?  I miss that man, like crazy!

When it comes to home renovation, we're a team.
I've been patiently waiting for a day off together to search for countertops
among other things that we are in need of.

I know they say to take your time when it comes to chipping away at your house.
Unfortunately, there are certain things we need to get done before summer.
It seems far away considering we just got our first big snow fall,
 but I know better.

The refrigerator gets delivered tomorrow.  That's great news!
The new fridge is going to be chilling out in the garage
until we can remove the built-in, rearrange the plumbing and fix the woodwork. 
That's the bad news.
Patience, AshleyPatience.

I'm hoping that tomorrow gives us some closure on our countertop dilemma.
Marble?  Veiny white granite? Quartzite? Quartz?
And not to confuse things more, but check out these photos that have
sent my mind on a soapstone daydream.
Since the hardwood floor in our kitchen is darker and because our cabinet
color tends to jive so well with lighter stones, I haven't really considered a
darker honed granite or soapstone.
Not seriously, anyway.



This kitchen designed by Melanie Davis is flawless, in my opinion.
Am I crazy for loving the pairing of gray with the darker stone?
I'm totally loving the window trim painted
 in a slightly darker shade than the cabinets.
This kitchen has also pushed me into wanting
 to paint our walls a lighter, truer white.

Here's another photo of darker cabinetry paired with a dark countertop.

Oooh, the rug and the skirt beneath the sink really complete the space.
I'd willingly do laundry all day long.

So, we'll see what they say tomorrow.  I'll keep you posted.

A few things that have caught my eye recently...

The palma stripe dhurrie runner rug from Pottery Barn
would be the perfect addition in front of our kitchen sink.
I love the idea of hanging a clock in the window.  Nice, Pottery Barn!

I'd like two of these sabine spindle armchairs from PB, too!

I'm looking so forward to a day with Rob.
Regardless if it involves shopping or lounging on the couch.

I hope you enjoy your weekend!
For those of you who have Monday off, enjoy the extra long weekend!


*photos courtesy of the cottage mix {first three photos}, pink wallpaper blog, pottery barn {last two photos}

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Cool as a Cucumber

After much deliberation, Rob and I finally settled on a refrigerator.
The decision took much longer than expected due to our ongoing conversations
on whether or not to splurge on a built-in model.
We realized that the kitchen as a whole needed much more attention and would
require our piggy bank to be as heavy as possible.
Spending $7,000 dollars on a refrigerator just wasn't in the cards.
While the free standing counter depth model we decided on was in no way
inexpensive, the money we would save with this model would give us
 more wiggle room when it came to choosing counter tops.
{which, we are currently on the hunt for!}
Here is the model we chose for the cottage.
{bosch linea stainless steel sxs refrigerator}

One thing I wasn't thrilled about was the exterior water dispenser.
I guess you can say I'm not a water dispenser gal.
I prefer a seamless look.
What we did like was the long doors and hidden hinges.
Glass shelves helped seal the deal for us.
There is nothing worse than opening up a fridge and smelling plastic.
I'm odd, I'm telling ya!
The final factor was having a side by side model.
As lovely as french door units are, we weren't willing to deal with
one again.  It was a bit of a hassle for us.

Our carpenter who completed our fireplace ensured me that it would look built-in.
We shall see.
Since we currently have a 42' built-in model in it's place,
 a lot of work is in order.
The new unit will not be as tall or wide.
Since we don't have much/if any open shelving in our kitchen,
 I'm leaning towards keeping the space above the new refrigerator open.
It could be a great place to store my cake dishes
or display ironstone pieces and milk glass.

I realize that some these spaces aren't above a refrigerator
 but they inspired me for our work.
{copper kettles both old and new look pretty snazzy!}

{white cake stands and pitchers look lovely}

{i'm digging the separation between the cake stands}
Cookbooks could be another option.

{canisters filled with an assortment of kitchen essentials}

{cake pedestals, tureen's and darling bowls}

During my search for a built-in look, I came across another idea I'm considering.
{especially since the carpenter will be around...tee hee hee}

This may be sort of tricky to see in the picture or explain well.
I'll give it a try!
I like the idea of adding crown molding even though there is a soffit that
separates the cabinet and the ceiling.
The molding really finishes off the look, in my opinion.
This may not work in our kitchen due to some of our unique ceiling angles,
but it's worth asking about.

I'm a little hung up on counter tops at the moment as
no one in the area carries quartzite.
I adore the look of marble, but being as ocd as I am, I'm not sure I could
handle the natural patina.  I wish I could say I was one of those people.
I'm considering light granites, like river granite, but I'm not sold.
Any suggestions would be appreciated more than you know.
Or those of you who have honed marble and can testify I'm good to go,
I'm willing to listen!
How do you clean those awful spots?

thanks for reading, friends!


*photos courtesy of bosch, country living, country living, martha stewart, all the things that make a house a home blog, pinterest {unknown}, cote de texas

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Hello 2012!

Yes, I do realize that I've been extremely neglectful of the blog.
No, I am not proud of it.
The end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 have brought on a list of things to do.
Or occupy my time.

As time unfolds, you will have a better understanding of what I'm talking about.
Until then, you need to stay tuned.
One thing that I can share with you 
is that we have a lot of plans for the cottage.
The kitchen continues to be at the forefront of our remodel
 and we finally have a fire under our
you know what's.
So hopefully you'll start seeing some work take place.

The carpenter completed the fireplace. 
We're very happy with how it turned out.



Lousy quality.  Early morning darkness, too!
My husband is going to kill me (not seriously!)
For Christmas Rob bought me an insanely amazing camera
that I have absolutely no clue how to operate.
I continue to use the old camera. HA!
Thus, him killing me.
I'll get there
Another new year resolution...better quality pictures on
{hookedonhickory}
woohoo!

The fireplace needs a good coat of paint. 
We haven't gotten around to that quite yet
But that too shall happen.
This year and move in particular have taught me one thing.
these things take time.

What are your plans for NYE?
This year the hubs and I plan on laying low.
That sounds nice for a change.

We were very blessed in 2011.




May 2012 be just as wonderful.
Wishing you joy, love, and prosperity in 2012!

* photo courtesy of live beautifully blogspot