How I picture It

I was going through old drafts for my blog and came across this little gem. I'm not really sure why it took my over a year to post. Oh wait. It probably has something to do with the whole, having a baby thing. I kind of fell off the face of the Earth for a while. Anywho. Here it is for your amusement.

My house is a constant work-in-progress. (As is everyone's) I've been working on ideas for my front entry for quite some time now and here are my inspiration photos with a narrative of what I drew me in from each one.

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The black door is what really draws my eye to this one. It pops against the crisp white entry and looks classic. 

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 I love this DIY table. I've been oogling it for decades! Kay. Maybe not THAT long, but you catch my drift. It is modern but inexpensive! Win Win!

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Under said table, I would really like a bench. It would serve 2 purposes. 1. It would be an obvious way to add some interest. Obviously this one is simple in design, but it would be easy enough to get one with a pattern. 2. It's an entry. People typically take off and put on shoes in an entry. A bench would provide a convenient place to do so. 

 Other than the obvious gorgeousness of this entry, I love the garden stools flanking the table. Other than decoration, I'm certain they serve little purpose. Nonetheless, I want my blue one in my entry.

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 I love a good wainscoting! I mean, who doesn't?! This picture frame molding is perfection. From the tall base, to the chunky chair rail. This is my top choice for my entry wall.  

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This 2 tier board and batten is a really close 2nd. It still has the tall base and chunky chair rail. I also love the picture rail at the top and the added dimension with the row of square molding above the rail. Decisions. Desicions.

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Of course a couple of these bad boys for extra lighting. 

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Everyone needs an over-sized Gold framed mirror in their entry. Including me!

Here are a few beautiful entries, merely for your oogling.

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Target Tuesday

It's been a while since I put together a Target Tuesday board. Here's what I've been loving at Target.

A great bench is hard to find (at least I think so). So I'm totally loving this one with a very classic design.

A Tangerine Clutch!?! Yes Please!

I'm slowly converting to a more contemporary eclectic style and I love this Henri Oak end table. Very Chic.

Who doesn't want a Mercury Lamp somewhere in their house? I know I sure do!

This is something that I've been needing, but didn't want to pay $40 a pop at PB. 

And last but certainly not least, a good sunburst mirror that costs about as much as a homemade one. Can't beat that!!!

Linked up at 

A Compromise

Traditional Bathroom design by Portland Maine Architect Whitten Architects

In light of my recent post about the trim fiasco that is know as my house right now, I have been searching desperately searching for a solution to the problem. I think I may have found one. He says, "Never in a million years will I LET you paint it all white!" (he's dead serious) I say, "It feels . . . bleh and the base isn't even the same stained color as the door casings and the doors! It looks stupid." Here's what I think now. . .

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DUH!!! Paint the trim and leave the doors stained! I have to admit, the doors in my house are absolutely beautiful!!! It's the trim that gets me. Don't have stained doors? No problem!!! You can always paint. How's this for eye candy in your home!?!

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I think this could possibly solve the problem. It would allow for wood filler on the trim (without having to spend decades of my life sanding and restaining all of the trim and hope it matches the base and doors) and would also allow my wall color to contrast better with the white. (which is what I had in mind when I picked it) It will ALSO give the hubs what he wants by not painting the doors or "all of it." I'm pretty excited to present this idea to the hubs. What do YOU think!?! let me know!

Agree to Disagree?

Since we've moved into the new house we've begun our decorating adventure. Adventure is definitely an understatement! I have discovered that the Hubs and I couldn't have more different decorating taste.

Exhibit 1. We have stained wood trim throughout our home. I say wow! This has great bones and would look Amazing WHITE! He says (and I quote), "Ashley, if you paint that trim white, I WILL divorce you." My response? "You better start writing up the papers." hahaha! Probably not the ideal way to begin our new life in a house, but We'll eventually come to an agreement on that. 

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I know that this dark stained trim can be beautiful, it's just not for me. My Aunt has agreed to sneak in while the Hubs is out to help me turn it from that into. . . 

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This white trim that looks so crisp! I love how the color pops against the white! "Pops" is also a word that he dislikes when I'm describing color. haha. He's so silly.

Exhibit 2. I want WHITE cabinets and MARBLE counters with the classic subway tile backsplash. HE wants DARK stained cabinets with TAN granite counters. 

This kitchen from Honey We're Home is a PERFECT example of what I want. If I could just take this from her house and put it right into mine, I would be the happiest woman ON EARTH! Her home is pretty much EXACTLY what I would want. It is beautiful. If you haven't already, you should check it out.

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Although this kitchen is beautiful, I don't want it in my house. haha. That may make me a snob or whatever, but I just think that if we're going to invest that kind of money into our home, I should love it! . . . but I guess so should he. . . maybe. I dunno.

The list could go on! and on and on and on! Is anyone else experiencing this!?! I suppose until we can reach a total agreement, we'll just have to take it one thing at a time. Literally. I love this guy and know that we'll be able to figure it out. This should be fun. . . or at least interesting. :)

Wish me luck as we make a house "Ours" whatever that may end up being

Under My Mulberry Tree

New House!

So it has happened! We finally bought our First House and couldn't be more elated! I smile every time I drive up to it and and just so happy when I'm inside! It has so much character that you can't hardly find anywhere in AZ anymore. It's perfect! Well almost perfect. It still needs a little TLC if ya know what I mean. wink wink. 

Before we actually moved in, we took an ENTIRE DAY with these people helping majorly (Mom and Pops the in-laws, Kid bro-in-law that's actually older than me, Dude that married Kim other bro-in-law, the Hubs and me. My bro showed up in there too) to get the place clean enough that we didn't say, "Don't touch that! It's ucky!" to our little munchkins every time they tried to walk on the carpet or touch a light switch. During the events of the day, the Hubs and Kid decided to rip the carpet out because it was beyond being helped with just, "Oh we can shampoo that out." Since we ripped it all out on Monday, we had to find someone that could install decent carpet by Friday so we could be ready to move in on Sat. Since carpet was going in on Fri, the Hubs decided we should paint EVERYTHING NOW! So Pops and the Hubs, 2 of my cousins and I set to work painting like maniacs. We found out during the process that Pops had been a pro painter earlier in his life and nobody knew. It was a trade that came in very handy. He worked like an animal and we couldn't be more grateful! It looks beautiful! 

Once we got everything moved in I was able to start "settling." Little did I know. . . the art and pictures that I have, all of a sudden seem "not good enough for my new house." hehe. You ever run into that before? It was great for the apartment, but now it seems ho hum. That's the problem that I'm facing. I have our family pictures in place, but have yet to decide what the heck I'm going to do with everything else. It'll come in time I suppose. I just wish I had a million dollars right now to just go crazy with. Don't we all. Anywho. . . Here are some of the before pictures. I'll reference back to them as I post "Afters"

Living Room

Family Room

Kitchen and Dining

Pantry (love, love LOVE it!)

Main Bath (the yellow is horrible in real life)

Play Room (Yes that's blue paint swirled on the wall)

Craft Room (I'm so blessed)

Master

You know you want that ceiling fan!

Vanity in Master

This is what NOT to do with gold.

My Oh So Wonderful Closet!

The not so wonderful master shower. Also ucky)

So there you have it. My house BEFORE I started anything. Now it has new carpet and paint. There is also a bonus room off the back of the house that I don't have a picture of. It's going to be the Hubs' "Man Cave." That's right; Man Cave and Craft Room! Saweeet!! 

In the words of my Grandpa, "It's going to be so wonderful when you're done with it" hehe. Love him!

Although I don't have a Mulberry Tree in the yard they've been banned from AZ cause they have too many allergens. I can still dream from underneath.

Boys' Room Inspiration

It's been ages since I've posted, but things have been so busy. I've been thinking a lot about designs for different rooms in our house. Today I'm going to share my ideas for my boys' room. It's all just inspiration right now, but hopefully I'll be able to turn it into more.

Here's the breakdown (left to right/top to bottom)

Bunk beds. I found an awesome plan to make bunk beds. Ambitious I know! It's the only way I can get exactly what I want without spending a small fortune. If you haven't read Ana White's blog, YOU SHOULD! She's amazing! Anyway. The plans for the bunks can be found here on her blog. 

 

The chair is from Ikea. It was a little PB-esque and that's why I love it. And with a price tag of only $19.99, it sings to me!

The curtains are also from Ikea and have a great wanna-be trellis pattern on them. They're very simple but the pattern adds a little extra. 

I've recently been on an "Are there really no normal comforters for boys beds" kick. It is so hard to find non-character, non-neon, non-sports, normal and can transition from kid to teen bedding for boys! I want them to have nice bedding, but can't justify spending $80 on a duvet unless I know it's something that can grow with them, no matter what the "theme" of their room is at the time. Fortunately I found this normal plaid that could work for a lil boys dinosaur themed room, but could also transition to a teen boy's room. Having said that, I'm not actually expecting it to last that long, seeing as my boys are only 1 and 2 right now, but that's not the point. Anywhoo! I found this wonderful one at PBTeen.

The adorable robot art, I found on Etsy. If I want to actually own any of them, I had better start buying them now before someone on the other side of the country decides they want the same ones and I'm out of luck. 

The little rugs are from Ikea and are a whopping $3.99! Not sure if I'll have room in the budget for a splurge such as those. ;) They aren't big area rugs, obviously but would be great right next to the bed. 

The little Red Bench is another Ana-White design. I thought one of these bad boys would be great at the foot of the bed for putting on shoes and whatnot. 

Last, but not least, is the paint color. It's London Fog by Benjamin Moore. I love the shades of their paints. The colors are so rich and supple. Makes my heart smile. 

So that's the room I have planned for my little men from my view

Under My Mulberry Tree