Bamboo Mirror.

Recently, I have been on the hunt for an affordable bamboo mirror to hang in our master bedroom above the desk.  Here are some of the options I found during my search:

From ebay (buy it now price: $1,050):

(photo: ebay listing)

Hampstead Mirror from Williams-Sonoma Home (on sale for $466.25):

 (photos: here)

Greek Key Mirror from Ballard Designs (for $269):

 (photo: here)

All of those options were more than I wanted to spend.  But after some persistent looking, I happened to come across the perfect vintage bamboo mirror on craigslist for $150!  These are the seller's photos:    

And here it is in its new home above the desk:

I originally thought about cutting off the top part and hanging it horizontally, but I love the detail in the top.  Now I just need to decide on what color to repaint it.  Any suggestions?  White, black, something else?

Penguin Classics.

I received 5 of the Penguin cloth-bound Classic books for Christmas and love how they look on the bookshelf in our living room.  I was excited to see that they recently released some new editions!  How fun are they?

(photo: here)

I finished reading Jane Eyre a couple of weeks ago. I have never read it before, and loved it!  I need to add the new releases to my Amazon wishlist and decide which book I'll read next.

My Two Cuties.

Just thought I would share some cute pictures of Riley and Zoey . . .

Here's Riley helping us out when we hung the gallery wall.  Clearly, he was worn out by all of the hard work.

And here's Zoey looking a little goofy on the way to the dog park this evening.  Her tongue is covering the fact that she lost her bottom two front teeth yesterday!

If the number of pictures we take of our dogs is any indication of when we have kids, we are in BIG trouble.

Bedroom Update: Wallpaper Panels.

I posted previously here about deciding what wallpaper to use for the panels in our bedroom.  While I really love the look of the romo kimura wallpaper, after a lot of thought, it just wasn't the best choice for the space.  So I ordered 6 more samples from Graham & Brown.

(click to enlarge the pics to see the samples close up.)

I had to include this one because Riley is such a good helper!  

Here's a close up of the 2 on the far right.  After seeing them in the space, I'm not going to use either of them for the panels, but plan to frame them and use them somewhere else.  You gotta love $2.00 art!

Here's a close up of the 3 on the far left.  I love the pattern and that they're metallic.  We decided on the one on the left for the panels.  It's the manderley in gold.  It's perfect -- the flowers are gray and pick up the wall color and the duvet cover, and the background is a gold-ish beige, which picks up on the linen piping on the bedding and the headboard.

Hopefully the wallpaper will get here this week and we can put up the panels shortly thereafter!   

Bedroom Update: Gallery Wall.

I bought some Ikea Ribba frames a while back for a gallery wall in our bedroom.  I had a hard time deciding how to lay out the gallery wall, which would be on the same wall as the TV.  (note: don't let your husband have unfettered discretion in picking out the TV for the bedroom because his definition of "reasonably sized" may vary from yours.)

I couldn't decide if I wanted a random arrangement . . .

(photo: element interiors)

or a more organized symmetrical arrangement.

(photo: decor pad)

Then I saw this picture and was immediately drawn to the layout.
 

So from the inspiration pic above, our gallery wall flanking the TV was born:

Here's a shot of the layout straight on:

I like how it turned out!  Next steps:  deciding what to put in the frames, accessorizing the dresser, and hiding the TV cables behind the wall.

5 things . . .

5 things I am thankful for . . .

1.  My mom.  We had a great brunch yesterday at Mockingbird Bistro.  I am so thankful to have such a wonderful mom.  Clearly the dogs didn't get the memo that the camera was straight ahead and not to our left. 

2.  My super cute dogs.  Although I really wish the little one would learn that it is okay to rest.    

3.  Not having to travel this week (typed as I knock on wood). 

4.  Root beer floats.  I have recently been craving these.  So delicious.  We also tried root beer float shots not too long ago, and they are super tasty as well.  To make them, mix root beer vodka with some kahlua and a little bit of half and half.  Our friend Kevin is really the master at making the drink.

Justin isn't a fan of root beer floats (despite his love for root beer and ice cream), so he just takes vanilla ice cream and puts some chocolate syrup on it with a little bit of milk poured on top.  It's so weird to me.  He calls it a "milk float," and I refer to it as a "deconstructed shake."  

5.  The show Community on NBC.  This past week's episode with the paintball competition was so good!     

Not only is the show hilarious, Joel McHale is so dreamy.

Dallas Hotels.

During a two of my recent trips to Dallas, I stayed at the Warwick Melrose Hotel.  The hotel is very charming, and I enjoyed my stay both times (even if it was for work).  The rooms were nice and spacious, comfortable, and decorated beautifully.

How great are those crystal lamps and mirrored-top nightstand?  And the chair and ottoman were so cute.  

One of my favorite pieces of furniture was the mirrored dresser.  I wish it would have fit in my carry on! :)

Both of my rooms had nice bathrooms.  Here's the first one: 

and a portion of the second one.  I loved the scones.  I didn't get a good shot of the whole bathroom in my second room because the natural light wasn't cooperating.

I don't know if my favorite part of the room was the glass doorknobs . . .

or the ceiling fan (which is really a must in Texas).

I loved the lanterns that lined the entire hallway.

The staff was also extremely friendly and the bar there was great too.  Overall, two thumbs up.  I would definitely stay there again. 

I also stayed at the Fairmont during another one of my trips to Dallas.  It was nice, but nothing super special.  I was also in my room for all of about 8 hours, 6 of them spent sleeping.  The room was big and had a large closet as well.  It just didn't have the charm of the Melrose.

But I did have some great views of the hotel pool and of the city from my room:

(Pardon the quality of my pictures, they were all taken with my blackberry.) 

Despite staying at nice hotels and eating delicious meals, my favorite part of every trip is coming home to my wonderful husband and the cutest dogs.

Office Inspiration.

I must have offices on the brain given my crazy work schedule recently. But how great is this office?  It seems very soothing.  Love the wallpaper, light green desk, and of course, the amazing chandelier! 

(photo: decorpad.com)

I am headed back to Dallas for the fifth time in 15 days . . . glad it's a quick flight!