how are you spending your break??

i spent it on the sofa staying up way too late to watch this great flick....it instantly took me back to high school circa 1994 (the clothes and the clunky mary janes- painful)....but i adore this movie (and the soundtrack). i couldn't quite remember what it was about but the second it popped on my tv, i was hooked...singing 'my sharona' and suddenly liking ethan hawke again (greasy hair and all)....hope you are spending your time off eating chocolate pie, watching cheesy movies, and loving every minute of it :)

you better watch out, you better not cry....

you better not pout i'm telling you why....
i am officially signing off to go and eat breakfast with my fam, look at the "small tree" with a ridiculous amount of gifts under it, and remember what christmas is really all about. i hope y'all have a wonderful holiday and thank you so much for a fabulous 2008. i could have never imagined having a response like this when i randomly created this blog. y'all are the best and have made me a better designer/ person b/c of it. wishing you and your family a merry christmas and happy new year- much love, pink wallpaper

the final countdown....

can you believe its the week of christmas??!! i have officially started my holiday vacation and am enjoying spending time with my family. last night, dad and i went and got/dug up a tree (yes, dug up one). we went to a christmas tree farm and my dad didn't like the idea of cutting it down, so he asked the man for a shovel and put the little guy in a bucket...after christmas, he is going to plant it in their yard next to last year's tree. he's a lot nicer to the trees then we are...kind of makes me feel bad for our "cut" down tree. i guess we will be decorating it sometime today...it's a small guy much like these...i guess the older/wiser you get, the less you desire having a huge tree to decorate.
we have many things on our list today to tackle: wrapping presents, painting an adorable gift my dad made tay (he's so good, i can't wait to show y'all), buying some stocking stuffers, making christmas cookies...the list goes on and on...i hope y'all are enjoying time w/ your fams as well and not reading this silly blog at work...and if you are, tell your boss that working during the holidays is for losers :)

just hand me the bottle....

well by now i am sure all of your homes are decorated perfectly for christmas, right? or you could be like me who started w/ a big bang and then it just dwindled off (like never finding my wreath hanger and so my fresh wreath has been sitting on the bench outside for two weeks)....

anyways, i thought it would be fun to move on to the party...isn't this idea so cute? they are mini bottles of champagne...now that sounds like a fun christmas party!! that's the one sad thing about working solo...no christmas party, no festive cookies, and no cute mini bottles of champagne...

merry & bright

how cute is this little diddy that was in my inbox this AM? love the fact that urban electric does custom coloring w/ a majority of their light fixtures....nothing says christmas like kelly green!! i'm off to eat cheese cubes and goldfish...aka my daughter's school christmas party! have a great day!

i heart christmas....

i just don't know how you can't have a permanent smile on your face at christmas time...there is so much out there that is special...the presents just aren't important in my book. having these christmas memories is something i will always cherish...we took taylor to her first christmas parade last night and despite one tiny meltdown (that was solved w/ a quick lolly pop given by the elves in the parade), it was a blast.

christmas is so much fun experiencing it through the eyes of a child...the lights, the decorations, the music, the spirit of it all!!

where i have been for the last two + days....

sorry i haven't been around much this week. i have been staging a house for a party that was last night. it is a spec home that i have been working on for the last 10 months and it is finally finishing up. kind of makes me sad. i told my husband that if we won the lottery, i would love to buy this house. it's funny how much of yourself you put into a project...at least i tend too. the builder/client decided to furnish the main rooms downstairs and i think it was a great idea. it really allows the perspective buyer to envision themselves living here vs. a huge empty room. i painted the entire downstairs (minus the master) white and i love the effect....the ceilings are a pale blue and it is such a soothing palette. it really allows you to show off the moldings and furniture. if anyone is in the market for a fabulous house in a great area, it could be yours :)

Mrs. Howard, Part II

Dear Phoebe,

Let's be friends......

Highest Regards,

PW

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas (kind of)...

despite my husband having the flu and me in the beginning stages, we managed to get our christmas tree in the house and decorated...i still have a lot of stuff to do with the house; right now there are ornaments and plastic containers all over the place. i need some more inspiration for my table and entry way.....how is your house coming?!! i'll post pics later...this is the first year taylor has discovered the christmas tree. we had to put all of the nonbreakable ornaments on the bottom....i'm hoping an 18 month old can't pull a tree down....

*images all from country living

beautiful is right....

if only i could read the site i have been on for the last hour...but the images speak for themselves...

veere grenney....

i just found this fab british design firm, veere grenney associates, from vogue living. i love their interiors...they are so soothing and i adore their use of accent colors (particularly pink). there's just enough of it! and that kitchen is to die for....it feels like you are stepping back in time. i adore the bronze towel bar...so chic! veere grenney also has a fabric collection that is worth checking out (aren't the bows on the bed canopy so pretty).

deck the halls....

okay, so i am getting there with my christmas cheer....played christmas music for tay while she ate her breakfast, then went shopping and was really digging it...now i am kind of ready to get into my attic and start pulling stuff down...if i can only convince my husband that we should start decorating this week....

no more turkey!!

i am so excited not to eat anymore turkey today...we have eaten so much turkey the past 4 days...did you know you can make turkey soup?? we had such a wonderful thanksgiving. i can't believe it has already come and gone...makes me sad....

i can't quite make the shift to christmas, although our wallets already have. warren and i played santa yesterday for our daughter. it's kind of strange buying her gifts when she is sitting in the cart....i don't think we will be able to get away w/ that much longer!

i hope y'all had a wonderful thanksgiving...i guess today is officially dec. 1st so start that christmas music and bring on the red and green :)

Happy Turkey Day!!!

i LOVE thanksgiving! for the past five years, warren and i have hosted thanksgiving at our house for my family and his. it is just the best. there is nothing more special then having everyone you love in your house eating, drinking, and sharing memories on this special day....i am so thankful for all of our family (and will miss our extended fam that can't be w/ us).

currently, i am running around w/ my head cut off trying to finish up some work and get my house ready.....so i better start mopping-seriously hate mopping, get showered, and out the door!! xoxox from pink wallpaper!!! remember calories don't count of holidays :)

** oh, that turkey isn't burnt! we grill our turkey every year- a tradition that began over 25 yrs ago w/ my dad and his best friend...it's the best way to eat turkey (let the men cook it)!!

i heart chesterfield sofas....

last weekend, my mother-in-law and i were in an antique shop and there was an old leather chesterfield sofa hidden in the back of the store. i ran over to it and said "i adore these sofas" and gayle was shocked! i think she thought i had lost my mind b/c all she saw was a lot of tufting and some ratty old leather.....but gayle, here are some perfect examples of the updated chesterfield that i would love to have sitting in my house!! i love them in white with nail head trim and how can you not adore windsor smith's feminine take on it, the chloe sofa?? i am on the hunt for one of these at my local thrift stops (which by the way, i haven't visited in over two weeks...remember i am trying to stop shopping for a while)!

*oh, but don't think i don't love the old ones too; i think that the antique leather one we saw would look divine in a house w/ a great library or man room....unfortunately, we have neither.

wish me luck....

i wish i had taken the 'before' but it is too ugly for me to even look at so i will not subject y'all to it...i am officially starting my bedroom transformation from a room that is drab and (keep your fingers crossed) turning it into fab....the first step- painting. the lovely shade of khaki is no longer working. while i liked it when we moved in 4 1/2 yrs ago, i now want something fresh...so i am painting it.....white! i have had my paint chips out for over a month trying to decide on the perfect shade of white. do you know how many shades of white actually exist? do y'all have any favorites?? as a designer it is so hard for me to commit to things...just b/c i feel like i am constantly seeing new fabulous stuff. but i am super excited about my headboard and am not looking back....however, i can't put her in place until the room is painted so i better go get started....

the edison bulb

i cannot help but fall in love when i see a light with an edison bulb...it totally changes the look of the fixture. these carbon filament bulbs are perfect for any fixture that has exposed light bulbs (like these killer white industrial wall mount lamps) . while they may be a little more pricey than a regular bulb, the end results are priceless....

the many looks of cole & son...

i just cannot seem to get enough of this european wallpaper manufacturer (and i try to use it as often as possible). every wallpaper tells such a vivid story. and for people who have a hard time visualizing a wallpaper, cole and son has a great tool on their website that allows you to see each paper in a room scene. do y'all have a favorite pattern?? i have some many its hard to narrow down but it's b/w pompeian, orchid, and hick's hexagon (all part of the new contemporary collection).... i hope y'all have a great weekend :)

pretty kitchen....

i think this kitchen is so peaceful....the calming color palette w/ a touch of the unexpected- yellow. and who doesn't love lights from schoolhouse electric?? i am still holding on dear to my catalog, looking for a perfect spot to place one of these beauties! btw, i found this image from oliveaux, one of my new favorite blogs!

linda & harriett...

the mail fairy must have known i was looking for something to write about this AM...look what was sitting in my mailbox....how cute is this company??!! i am in love with that pig and that christmas card. linda & harriett has amazing note cards, flats, etc. i am glad i checked this little diddy out!