Destination: Snuggletown.

In my opinion, there's not much else cuter than two puppies snuggling.  Thankfully, Riley and Zoey aim to please.

Sand Volleyball.

Justin played a little sand volleyball yesterday afternoon. While he was gone, I had visions of the volleyball scene from Top Gun.

But based on the strawberries/scrapes on Justin's face when he came home, I guess that probably wasn't how it was.  While trying to save a ball, he dove face-first into some chairs.  

I'm sure Iceman and Maverick had their blooper moments too!

Bedroom Update.

One room I don't post much about is our master bedroom.  That's mostly because it was neglected for a long time.  But now that we are making some progress, I thought I would share with you where we are:

 

Here's were the exciting part comes in . . . we hired Erin of Element Interiors to give us some suggestions on accessorizing the room.  I loved the basics we had, but was struggling with wall hangings and accessories (clearly you noticed from the above pictures!). 

Here are her beautiful boards for the bedroom and sitting room.

And here's a fun mock-up of the bedroom!

We have purchased several items from the boards and are working on putting everything together.  I will post pictures of how things are looking as they progress (and I am sure, asking for some input too)!

Sarah's House: Family Room, Living Room, and Kitchen & Dining Room.

I have got to get caught up on Sarah's House since a new series started this past weekend!

Up first, the family room.  I like the masculine feel, but it's not overwhelming manly (i.e. no super dark colors or an over-sized leather couch).  In my opinion, brown and blue will always be a classic color combo.

I love the simple light fixture and the blue chairs are amazing!

Next is the gorgeous living room.  I love the color palette and am glad Tommy convinced Sarah to incorporate pink.  How adorable are the striped ottomans? 

The kitchen also turned out great (of course).  Can you believe the cabinets and counters are from Ikea?  I love the idea to paint the upper cabinets white and leave the bottom ones the beige color.  It definitely breaks up the beige color (and I love white kitchen cabinets).

And last but not least, the dining room.  My absolute favorite thing is the chandelier.  Love it!  I would have never ever thought the table would work, but with the updated chairs, it does. 

(all photos hgtv.ca)

Happy Easter.

Happy Easter!

(photo: marthastewart.com)

Entryway Wall Decor.

I received some great antique keys from my mom and mother-in-law.  After thinking about the perfect place to hang them, I finally decided in the entryway.  Here's how I decided on the layout and placement:
 
I took a large piece of paper (wrinkled paper is optional) and tried several different layouts -- some more haphazard than this more linear layout.  Once I settled on a layout, I traced the keys onto the paper.

Then, I had to rummage through the garbage bag the next day to find the paper with my tracings Justin had accidentally thrown away.  Once I rescued the paper from the trash, Riley decided he would assist by laying on it.

I taped the paper up on the wall and then, based on my outlines of the keys, hammered in the nails.  I used the paper as a reference and hung the keys on the wall.  (For a very detailed and thorough description of hanging a gallery wall, check out this post over at Brooklyn Limestone.) 

Then step back and admire your handiwork!  Well . . . after getting the keys hung, I decided I didn't like the way it turned out.  They needed to be framed out or something.  It just didn't look right.  So all that arranging, tracing, trash digging, and hammering for nothing!
 

Thankfully, my mom got me these awesome chair prints, which work perfectly there instead. 

If anyone has any ideas on how to display the keys, let me know!

Zoey Pictures.

There's rarely a dull moment anymore at our house with Zoey and Riley.  It's fun to watch them play together -- Zoey is sassy and fearless.  We try to always have the camera nearby because they are so cute!

Look at those crossed back legs!

She was asleep with her head in Justin's shoe like this for over an hour.

She takes after Riley and loves to sleep on top of the cushions on the back of the couch.

Unfortunately, she is so tiny she slides down between the cushion and the back of the couch all the time.  Here she is after she fell (and stayed asleep).  That's her tail in the back and her ears flipped up in the front.

From the pictures, it looks like she is always sleeping, but that's certainly not the case!  That's just the only time she holds still long enough for us to snap a picture of her that's not blurry!  Here are a couple of her actually awake:

Riley likes to hop up on the ottomans when he wants a break from his little sister.

Baby H Is Here!

Jeremy and Meagan had their beautiful baby boy yesterday!  Sawyer Henry weighed 6 lbs 6 oz.  Isn't he so precious?   

Congratulations to the new mom and dad!

5 things . . .

5 things I am liking . . . 

1.  This gorgeous room:

(photo: decorpad.com)

2.  The April issue of Traditional Home.  It was perfect reading on the plane this morning on my way to Dallas.  There were so many inspiring pictures!

 
3.  A restful puppy.

4.  The ice cream social we had last week at work.  Yum!

5.  That it is almost the weekend!

Kitchen Update.

I mentioned a long time ago about getting new kitchen lighting (here and here).  The lights were installed before Christmas, so besides just flat out forgetting to post pictures of them, I have no excuse for not sharing them earlier!

Here's the breakfast table area before (and notice the "boob" light, as Sarah Richardson would say, above the sink):

And after with the 18" clemson pendant from Restoration Hardware:

 The kitchen island area before:

And after with two 8" clemson pendants:

And here's a shot of all of the new lights, including the schoolhouse pendant over the sink.

I love having the extra light over the table and the island.  Looking back at before pictures makes me realize how empty the space looked.