Fairy Tale Reality

Have you seen the Fallen Princesses series by Dina Goldstein? Beautiful, thought provoking images about what could've happened if fairy tales did not have happy endings. Goldstein addresses issues that effect women today such as image and addiction.


Entertaining, creative, and intriguing for sure!

[via SwissMiss]

Ceiling Fans

[Propeller Light and Ceiling Fan by Serien]

Ah, ceiling fans. They are usually so ugly, yet so wonderful when you live in a hot place, and want to save some energy and money. My friend Shannon in Texas emailed asking me if I knew of any good ones out there, and we had actually just installed three into our new house. My big requirement -- no light on the fan! I had to convince Reggie of this -- his argument: but what are we going to do for light? my response: LAMPS!. But this is also coming from someone who is not a huge fan of overhead lights in general, with the exception of kitchen lights and chandeliers. When I walk into our family room at night, the last thing I would turn on would be an overhead [especially now that we don't have one!] -- I always reach for the lamp. And during the day, I prefer natural light enhanced by lamps. I can count on one hand the amount of times I turned on the overheads [outside of the kitchen] in our last apartment. But that's just me. Anyway, back to the fans -- don't feel like you need the light [I found a lot of fans came with a light kit, so you could install them or not].

We are on a tight budget with all the house renovations we are doing, so I couldn't spluge on fans at the moment. I figured since I couldn't spend the money on one I really wanted, I would try to find just a simple fan that wouldn't be noticed, except for the moments of gratitude when it was cooling you off. Here's what we ended up with for the time being:

[Farmington Ceiling Fan in Iron finish - $39.97 at Home Depot]

I'm planning to use Iron finish hardware for the curtains in those rooms, too, so hopefully once everything is finished they will just blend into the scene.

Some others that I liked and would've bought if I had more to spend:

[Concept II Flush Fan from Restoration Hardware, $329-349;

similar Minka Aire fans available on Amazon for around $270 and in bronze]

[Atlus Ceiling Fan from Design Within Reach, $330]

And if you really do want a light [because I understand that some people like overheads!], the Monte Carlo fan by Harbor Breeze [available at Amazon for $136.09] is simple and sleek:

And the Casa Surveyor Bronze Ceiling Fan from Lamps Plus, $199.95:

Do any of you have suggestions for non-offensive ceiling fans?

Orla Stash

I know where all the Orla Kiely for Target products are -- at the Target outside of Gainesville! Not only that, but all of it is on clearance for 50% off. I was surprised because from what I'd heard, it hasn't been easy to find in some areas. And this may be rumor, but were people selling it for a higher price on ebay?? Anyway, it was great timing, and I snapped up a bunch of plates and cups that I can't wait to use for grill outs.

If you are in the area and looking for some fun kitchenware for outdoor entertaining, check it out!

*I know there is some controversy surrounding melamine, but I've done some digging around, and it sounds like as long as you don't put it in the microwave and hand wash it, it's safe to use. It's the heat factor, same as with the BPA in plastic. The alternative for a BBQ where you don't want to bring out the china would be disposable, and I'd prefer not to do that. Such a quandary -- it seems like so much these days has the potential to cause harm.

Thumbs UP!

I took the boys to see Up the movie this weekend -- it was really good. Both boys [ages 5 and 3] sat engrossed through the entire movie [not even a trip to the potty!]. And I cried a little bit during it. I won't give anything away [hint: it wasn't at the end of the movie, but about the middle], but there is a sweet message in the movie [definitely over their heads] about marriage, and how even though things don't always turn out like you planned or thought they would, it's still an adventure with the one you love. The only part where I thought it may be a little rough for them was in the fight scene at the end where one character is wielding a sword with the definite purpose of killing. But it was relatively short, and didn't detract from the overall positive message of the film. The colors and graphics are spectacular as well. If you are looking for an escape from the summer heat, I highly recommend it.

*There is also an animated short at the beginning called Partly Cloudy that is really good, too.

Mix + Match Chairs

We have an enormous dining room table for the new place [it's beautiful dark walnut], and sadly, PB doesn't make the white Morrow chairs that we have been using anymore. I love these chairs. They are perfect for a family with small kids -- inexpensive, easy to clean, look simple and sleek. So, I want to keep them around, and I'm thinking I'm going to have to do a little mix-n-match. In keeping with the small kid-friendly theme, as well as the same modern look, I'm leaning toward these Eames molded plastic side chairs.

It's so hard to imagine what they would look like mixed in together, but I figure if I buy something that I love and mix it with something else that I love, it can't be too bad, right?!

It looks like they have the Morrow barstools on sale, so I wonder if those are on the way out as well -- I'm thinking I should get some for a kitchen bar before they are gone...


What do you think about a little mix-n-match?

Fabric, Paint + Tape

It's been a crazy week and a half -- lots of packing, loading, unloading, and DECISIONS -- oh my goodness, the decisions! I find it hard enough to think when I'm moving, and then add onto that the indecisiveness of a pregnant woman and half the time I think my brain will go into overload. Thankfully, I have my sister to help with some of those. Yesterday, while we were doing this:



...I walked into the workshop to find the boys doing this:


Which quickly turned into this:



Hope you guys are having a great weekend!

Up to Our Ears...

...in BOXES! It's hard to find an attractive image of what our apartment looks like right now, but this one is pretty darn cute. He really did climb up there and fall asleep this way. We are loading up the moving truck in 2 days, so posting may get a little scarce for a bit.

Hope you guys had a wonderful long weekend!

Summertime

These pictures are from a cookout we went to this past Saturday...something about them [the colors, the subjects, the slip-n-slide obviously] make me think of the quintessential summer afternoon...

Sweet Dreams

I like the design of this pillow from Sugarboo Designs...I can't decide if I think the sentiment is cheesy or sweet. Maybe a little of both. They also have a version with initial + initial [like a + b]. I like the burlap, though, and the simple, bold type.

Speaking of a little cheesy, I confess that I got sucked into the season premiere of the Bachelorette last night. Favorite quote of the night, as one of the rejected guys was leaving, "I don't know what to say...I guess she just doesn't like awesome guys."

The Ranch

It looks like things are going to work out with the house! We had some things come up in the inspection, but negotiations went well, so now all we have to do is hope the bank doesn't come up with some new regulation before we close. Here's a picture of the front of the house. I'll have more "before" room pictures coming soon with my inspirations to transform them...

Ultimate Cargo Bike

I just saw this cargo bike by Madsen on Swissmiss, so I went over to check it out. Turns out, you can enter to win one of these beauties! Click here to find out more details. I know my boys would have a blast cruising around in the bucket of this bad boy, but I wonder how challenging it would be to ride. I mean it's so long, and I wonder if it would be like steering those massive two seater carts at Target. Know what I mean?

My Boys

They gave me such a wonderful day yesterday for Mother's Day...and now today, I'm trying to focus and it's dreary and rainy and I can't. So, I started thinking about them, and thought you might enjoy a picture.

Another distraction...we are waiting to hear from the sellers after we submitted a request for repairs after the inspection on the house...pins and needles!

Sixx Design on Bravo

Did you catch the NY Times Home section this morning? There was an article about the family that is Sixx Design, who are now filming a reality show for Bravo TV. The show is scheduled to air beginning of next year, and I am happy to say that we should have Bravo back by then. The couple has 7 kids, and has been renovating houses for over a decade. And by renovating, I mean renovating in it's most thorough and creative way. I've been looking through the projects on their website, and finding lots of inspiration...




They've also got a book out called Downtown Chic -- I definitely want to check that out while we start our own [albeit small in comparison] renovation...

Yes, They Should

Check out the latest in Ann Sacks SHOULDN'T ALL ROOMS BE LIVING? ad campaign -- love it.

Let Me Introduce You...

...to number 3!! As if I needed another preoccupation, this little peanut has been consuming a lot of my thoughts and energy lately. We went for the big ultrasound today, and although it was hard to resist, we did not find out the gender. What can I say? I like the suspense! Although, I thought it looked like Reggie, so maybe we are having another boy:) Anyway, we'll know one way or the other at the beginning of October [my first summer in Florida is going to be a HOT one for sure]. Now we are off to eat dinner at Moe's [their Sweet Tea -- I could drink it by the gallon if it wasn't so full of sugar and caffeine!] -- Happy Monday!