Lighting upgrade

When we moved into our house we put replacing the outdoor light fixtures on our to-do list. This was a low priority project but we were so tired of looking at the ugly things that we decided to tackle it this weekend.

Observe the existing light fixtures:

Back and side door (both have the same light)

Front door

Stylish, no?

(In this picture you can see some other projects on our to-do list: clean dirt off porch ceiling, paint door, replace door hardware.)

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And here are the replacements:

Back and side door

Front door

It was an easy and inexpensive project ($80 for all 3 lights!) and we think the new lights are so much more attractive!

Growing Up

I just realized tonight that Zeke doesn't have puppy-breath anymore ... dog-breath just isn't quite as delightful.

This is a sad day.

Can you believe how grown up he looks?

Respond if you dare

The first three people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2. What I create will be just for you.

3. It'll be done this year (anytime).

4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may something I sew or take a picture of, or something I paint. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who do the same on your blog.

The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!

Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

Sproost quiz

Josh and I took this fun quiz where you rate pictures of rooms and it tells you your decorating style.

I was 60% cottage chic, 20% rustic revival, 20% zen style. I was surprised (i.e. didn't believe) that cottage chic was my main decorating style so I took the quiz again (it gives you different pictures) and I got 57% cottage chic, 29% contemporary, 14% nantucket style. Apparently I like cottage chic - who knew?! Josh has been teasing me ever since that I'm going to turn our house into a cottage.

Josh's results: 57% contemporary, 29% modern elegance, 14% vintage modern (exactly what I thought MY style was!!)

(I really loved this room and I'm pretty sure its not cottage chic)

What's your style?

Book Worm

I love the classics so when I came across these books on a blog reading spree I fell in love with the gorgeous covers and wanted a set of my own. Unfortunately they were only available in England and had long since sold out. Then I found a Canadian bookstore that was selling them so I did some international online shopping. They just arrived and are fabulous! A good read and cute decor in one package. Perfect!


I'm still figuring out where to put them so for now they're hanging out on our bedroom dresser.

Suggestions Needed

We're making progress in our family room but we hate the fireplace/mantel.
We'd rather not spend the money on major overhaul so I'm hoping someone has some (inexpensive) suggestions to make it look better.

Things we don't like:
*The molding around the tile is too small in scale for the fireplace
*The mirror mosaic is tack-o-rama and poorly executed
*The brass trim on the fireplace doors (we're more into the silver tone finishes)
*The fireplace doors are broken (note the tape)
*The tile has a pink-ish tone which is not really our thing

I'm open to any and all suggestions because right now I'm at a loss - every time I see that ugly mirror mosaic my mind goes blank!

Please ...

... can I have a treat?

Seriously, who could say no to that cute little face?

What's your IP?

Interior Personality, that is. This quiz was created by the folks over at paint manufacturer Pratt & Lambert. According to them my personal color profile was "shades of pale". A year ago I would have completely disagreed (I always thought I was a fan of bright colors) but all the paint colors I have picked out for the house have been very muted and pale so apparently this is an accurate assessment.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

While I was driving to work on Monday morning I saw the most beautiful rainbow. It was so pretty I had to pull over and take a photo. I am usually not in the greatest mood when I arrive at work on Mondays - I guess I resent the weekend being over - but this past Monday I arrived in great spirits thanks to this beauty.

Parental Failure

When we got Zeke we decided that we weren't going to let him up on the couch (we already have a cat hair problem so we didn't want to add dog hairs to the mix).

So much for that. We're such push-overs.