Pinterest Love

When we first bought our house in 2003, it was a blank slate. We are the first owners, and walked into a completely unpainted, unlandscaped, builder-grade home.  Since I had never owned a home before, I didn't know quite where to begin.  We didn't have any money to hire a decorator, or furnish the house in one shot, and this was well before design blogs were created, so I didn't have access to all of the amazing ideas that are out there today.

I bought myself a spiral-bound notebook, slapped an "inspirations" label on it, and kept it on a bookshelf.  Any time I saw a photo of something that I loved: a room, fabric, a paint sample, a window treatment, I would rip it out of the magazine or catalog and shove it into the notebook.

This worked well until the internet and design blogs came into play.  When I wanted to save something that I liked on the web, I would have to bookmark it or save it into a folder.  And that was fine, too.  But I recently discovered a website that's changing everything, and I'm not sure I'll ever go back to the ol' Inspirations notebook.  It's called Pinterest.

Pinterest is exactly like a virtual Inspirations notebook.  When you see something you like on a website or blog, you "pin it," and add the item or photo to your own Pinboards.  I have a Pinboard for "Favorite Spaces and Places,"  and "DIY Projects I Want to Try," and "Fabrics," to name a few.  And when I look at my Pinboards, all of the things I love are right there, with links to them.  It's a great way to save and organize all of the things you love.

Here's my Fabric pinboard:

I'm searching for ideas for the wall around my mounted TV.  I saved inspiration photos for that project to this pinboard:

And here's my Favorite Places and Spaces Pinboard:

Pinterest is a bit like social media websites in that you can "follow" people, and they can follow you.  If you are following someone, their recent pins show up on your homepage.  I follow a few interior designers so I can see what kinds of things they are pinning.  If you are a member of Pinterest and are interested in following me, you can do that here.

If you aren't on the Pinterest site yet, and you want to join, it's not too difficult.  First, go to the Pinterest site and request an invitation.  (Yes, they make it feel like an exclusive club so it seems more special.) It will take about a week for them to send you an invitation, and then you can join! If you can't wait a week, then I can send you an invitation.  Just leave your email in the comments section of this post (or email me) and I'll invite you.

Happy Pinning!

Great Minds Think Alike!

Remember when, just two days ago, I was thinking about painting my thrifted desk emerald green?  Looks like someone (with excellent taste) beat me to it!

Visit Natalie's Blog, Natty by Design, for the details!  I think it looks gorgeous...now I need to go buy some green paint!

Design Dilemma:: TV Wall

For reasons that I can't quite remember, we opted to hang our giant flat-screen TV on the wall in our family room rather than going with my first choice, hanging it over the mantel.

Hanging the TV over the mantel would have been extremely difficult and expensive.  It had something to do with the wiring.  The details are fuzzy for two reasons:  One, when the electrician came to hang the TV, I had 18-month old twins who were running around, and I was pregnant with Nathan, so I was t-i-r-e-d, and TVs weren't top on my list of priorities.  Two, I didn't want a giant TV in my family room in the first place, and I was bitter.  I wanted a small TV that could be enclosed in an armoire or TV cabinet, out of sight.  So when the electrician tried to talk to me about it, I was all spiteful.  "Yeah, whatever.  Hang that monstrosity where ever you want."  The electrician assured me that within mere weeks I would absolutely love having a giant TV.  Let me tell you, I can't say it's happened yet.  Nonetheless, the TV is here to stay.

So for now, we have a giant TV hanging on our wall, and nothing else.  I've been searching for some solutions to take the focus off the of the TV, so it isn't such an eyesore.  We have the canvas artwork to hide it when we want to:

But I've been looking for something more permanent. Here are my ideas so far:

1.  Add Shelves Around the TV::  It would be easy enough to add shelves on either side of the TV to draw the eye away from the TV.

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I particularly like the second photo with the cubby shelves.  Seems a bit cozier to me.

2.  Create an Art Wall Around the TV::  I've been wanting to do a gallery wall for some time now.  This would be the perfect excuse!

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                                           contemporary family room design by charlotte interior designer Emily A. Clark

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3.  Paint a Contrasting Color around TV::  I found several photos of TVs that were framed out in a contrasting color or design.  Interesting idea.

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Those last two have the contrasting color AND shelves, which frames the TV nicely and makes the wall look much more interesting, and not as stark.

I already know which option I'm leaning towards.  What about you?  What are your thoughts?  Do you have any ideas for making a mounted TV look less austere?

Color Crush:: Emerald Green

Lately, I've been totally in love with the color emerald green.  My house is so neutral, and I'm dying for a little color.  These photos have me totally inspired.

                                       contemporary family room design by atlanta interior designer Cristi Holcombe

                                                                   spaces design by austin showroom inglenookdecor

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Remember the desk I bought at ReStore?

I'm sensing an emerald green update!

A Terrific, Mildly Creepy Greenhouse

This week is my Spring Break, and since my college days of jetting off to Daytona Beach are a thing of the past (this year, anyway), I decided to do the next best thing:  go to an out-of-the-way, off-the-beaten-path greenhouse with my mom and my sister, Katie.

The people there were...interesting.  I'm pretty sure I heard the banjos from Deliverance playing when we pulled in.  I don't think advances in personal hygiene have reached them there yet, either.  But that doesn't matter, because they were super-nice and helpful.

This greenhouse was not for the faint of heart, or the claustrophobic.  There were plants everywhere; the ground, tables, the ceiling.  And the aisles through the greenhouse were so narrow that only one person could fit down at a time.  But the selection and variety was amazing.

And then, to top off my awesome trip to the greenhouse, I made a stop at the doctor's for a check-up.

I may not be 21 anymore, but I still know how to live it up!  

Easter Egg Hunt

We went for an Easter Egg Hunt today.  It's been a chilly, rainy day here.  Funny, because I remember our egg hunt last year being cold, yet Easter Day was actually in the 80s.

We live very close to the Byer's Choice Factory and Museum. You may have seen their carolers at Christmastime.

They host an Egg Hunt every year, and I had never been there before.  It was a nice surprise!

After the Egg Hunt, we spent some time strolling around their gardens.  I plan to go back in a few weeks to see this place in full bloom.  I'll bet it's gorgeous!  The perfect spot for some family photos.

Definitely a fun way to spend a Saturday morning!

Mogo Bracelets

One of my third grade students walked into class the other day wearing this adorable charm bracelet.  Poor girl didn't know what she was in for, wearing such a cute bracelet to school.  We spent our entire snack time side-by-side by my computer, looking up different charms, talking about whether we could make these ourselves, voting on which color we liked best.

They're called Mogo.

The band is grosgrain ribbon, and circular magnets are attached all the way around.  You choose which magnetic charms you want to add to your bracelet.  The charms are sold in groups of three, and are "themed."

I actually think the bracelet looks cool even without charms.  My student only had three charms on hers, and I loved it.

Wouldn't this be a great gift for a tween?  Or your favorite teacher?  :)