Style & Substance

New posts and photos!

2011-04-23T21:56:00.007-05:00

Laney's Infant Baptism

Most of you know that we placed membership at a Methodist church a few months ago. As a member you can choose to have your baby baptized/dedicated before the congregation. We chose to do this to publicly share our commitment to our faith as a family. It was a sweet ceremony (even when Laney cried after she was sprinkled with water!) and we were honored to have friends and family there with us to celebrate. My mom made a beautiful dress and Donald's parents gave her a beautiful charm bracelet with her first charm, a bible. We hosted a lunch at our home after church. It was a great day!

9 months

2011-04-23T21:56:00.000-05:00

At nine months Laney is crawling!

She's moved to a four hour feeding schedule and eats three meals a day. The doctor said I could starting giving her more table food like cheese and meat so she is eating like a big girl now. She's also had peas, bits of pasta, bread, green beans, bananas and strawberries.

9 month stats:
Height - 27 and 7/8 (50-75%)
Weight - 18 lbs 3.5 oz (25-50%)

She's been wearing a lot of her 12 month summer clothes since it's already getting hot in Montgomery. We joined the zoo and have gone a couple times with friends. She likes riding in the stroller and still loves cruising around on the furniture. I have a feeling she will be walking soon!

On April 8th we went to Atlanta to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. We took Laney to the grandparents and enjoyed window shopping at Lenox and dinner at Ruth's Chris.

More 9 month photos

8 Months/March Madness

2011-04-23T21:55:00.000-05:00

Laney loves to stand and cruise around on the sofa, chairs and ottoman. Can almost pull herself up but still isn't crawling. Takes a 6 ounce bottle every three hours and eats baby food at breakfast and dinner. Loves puffs. Working on using the sippy cup. Sleeps 11 hours most nights and is finally growing more hair! :)

March was busy! And exhausting. The first weekend I went on a fun girls trip to Chicago, then I was quickly brought back to mommy reality the next week when Laney got her first sickness, RSV. We weren't able to hang out with other kids or go to the church nursery for 10 days, but luckily Donald took off spring break week so we were able to hang out with him. One day we went to the zoo and Laney enjoyed swinging for the first time.

On March 20th Laney and I went with Donald on a business trip to Mobile. Let's just say it was a comedy of errors, although at the time it was not very funny. One day we tried to go to the Foley outlets after one of his meetings, but at the first store Donald detected some leakage on Laney's outfit so we headed out to find a bathroom and discovered we were out of wipes. Donald had to drive to CVS to buy some. By the time I got her changed and back in the stroller we were only able to go to a couple more stores before Laney was done. On our way back to the hotel in Mobile (an hour away) I couldn't find a paci. This is a must-have item at all times, especially in the car. I climbed into the backseat of our tiny rental car and sang and distracted her for as long as possible. She cried for half the way back and the car was tense. I realized then that we would not be invited back on a business trip anytime soon. :) Note to other new moms: Pack a big bag with extras of everything and keep it in the car you're in at all times!

The last week in March I went to visit my parents and Laney got sick again! She was really feverish so we took her to a clinic and found out she had an infection. She got more antibiotics and the poor thing threw up a few times that night. She felt better in a couple days but two stressful trips in a row - not fun. I did get a sewing lesson however from my mom and we (much more her than me) made a really cute outfit for Laney.

7 months

2011-02-24T21:41:00.000-06:00

Still catching up...
At 7 months Laney is sleeping great at night and has moved into the 9:00 and 1:00 nap routine. She eats all the stage 1 baby foods and some stage 2. Rice cereal and fruit in the morning and a vegetable and fruit in the evening. She also loves to be fed little pieces of bread from our plates. Her two bottom teeth broke through in the last week of January. Tries to crawl - she gets up on hands and one knee and then flops down on belly - but she would rather pull up to standing using our hands and practice standing up against the sofa, ottoman and chairs. We started Kindermusic in mid January and love it. She still loves her touch and feel books...Pat the Bunny, That's Not My Dinosaur, At the Farm, and Little Hands Love. Her other interests include watching TV (much to the chagrin of my pediatrician brother) and rolling around on the floor toward the remotes, phone, and laptop. :) This is such a fun age and we're loving it!

Daddy brought us home a shower cap from a business trip

In one of my dresses for church. It's surreal to see her in it because I remember my doll wearing it!

Uncle Russell visited while in Montgomery for work

Standing (and falling)!

Catching Up - Christmas and 6 Months

2011-01-27T22:35:00.000-06:00

Christmas, New Year's, 6 months, 7 months....where does the time go?!

So, I'm not a great blogger. I know this and I'm going to try to be better in 2011.

Now that it's practically February, bear with me as I recap Laney's first Christmas. We stayed home and let the grandparents come to us. My parents arrived on Christmas Eve and Donald's parents arrived on Christmas morning. Even though I am 31 years old, it felt strange hosting our own parents for a holiday. We're both used to being hosted and cooked for. I appreciate all the effort now! We had a delicious brunch of Christmas Eggs (from the Junior League of Nashville cookbook), ham and biscuits, hot sherried fruit, mimosas and coffee. Then all eyes were on Laney as she opened her gifts!

The American Girl "Lanie" doll

She also got a SkipHop owl, Sassy pop car, Sassy "laptop," blocks, books and clothes but her favorite gifts were....

bows!

with Granna and Papa

with Doc and DeBe (or BB/Beebs as the older grandkids call her)

Family shot

6 months! (December 20)

At her 6 month visit, Laney weighed 15 lbs, 12 oz (50%) and was 26.75" (75-90%). She eats every three hours and takes her best nap in the morning. Not a great napper in the afternoon. Her favorite toys are the exersaucer, touch and feel books especially Pat the Bunny, and Sophie the Giraffe while in the car seat. Now that she can sit up we've moved from playing on the activity mat to a blanket on the floor. She loves to eat baby food and seems to like everything she's tried. She loves to roll over when she's on the changing pad. Her bald spot is finally growing in. She wears a size 3 diaper and 6-9 month clothes. She is very expressive and makes many faces for us (for others not so much). She loves her daddy and has started to babble "da-da" although she doesn't associate the word to the person yet!

More photos from December...

7 month post coming soon...

Santa Baby

2010-12-19T21:05:00.000-06:00

Laney met Santa at the end of October at the Montgomery Junior League's Holiday Market. We thought for sure she would cry instantly, but she did great. It cracks me up that Santa gives Donald his card. I shortened the video, but at the end Santa asked "I gave you my card right?" like they might do business together or something?? Maybe Santa is starting to think about retirement..

Thanksgiving in Savannah

2010-12-07T19:43:00.000-06:00

Donald, Laney and I took his parents to Savannah on Thanksgiving day to celebrate their 50th anniversary, which was on Friday. We stayed the night in a B&B in the historic district and ate at Paula Deen's restaurant, Lady & Sons, for our Thanksgiving meal. On Friday we had fun walking through the squares down to the famous Forsyth Park, stopping along the way to do a little shopping and admire the architecture. Savannah is full of style and character. I didn't get to stop in all the home stores I had on my list because it started pouring rain, so now we have a reason to go back! It would be a great romantic getaway too.

Our hotel, East Bay Inn

The rooms had these great exposed brick walls

Laney tried sweet potatoes (baby food) for the first time

Reynolds Square, between East Bay Inn and Lady & Sons

Had to get this one since we recently joined a Methodist church :)

Savannah River

Loved this store, Paris Market. This first photo is of a huge corkboard they had on display for customers to pin up what they are thankful for. I will be stealing this idea when we host a Thanksgiving meal!

Colonial Park Cemetery

Cathedral of St John the Baptist

Lafayette Square

Houses on Jones Street (many for sale)

The famous Mercer House from the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which I finished (and watched the movie) just before the trip.

House on Monterey Square with a little girl on the porch

Forsyth Park

Five Months

2010-11-23T20:49:00.000-06:00

Since the four month post, we have celebrated a lot of Laney's "firsts." First photo with Santa, first Halloween, first taste of rice cereal, first trip to the beach, and first overnight stay with Grana and Papa (Donald's parents). It has been a busy month and it has flown by.

It's safe to say she liked the rice cereal!

Suited up for a walk on our first chilly morning

Sweet cousins at the beach

Getting ready to try out the indoor pool!

My new favorite expression

Sitting up with a little help from daddy

Happy Thanksgiving!

Four Months

2010-10-28T12:21:00.000-05:00

Laney is almost four and a half months old! The past month has really flown by and she is getting funnier, cuter (if that's possible) and more expressive every day. She's getting better at rolling over and holding things in her hands, which go directly in her mouth. I got out Sophie the Giraffe and she loves chewing on it. She also loves when I sing (yikes) especially Wheels on the Bus, Laney Had a Little Lamb, and a Laney song I made up to the tune of La Bamba, ha.

At her 4 month checkup last week, Laney weighed 13/10 (50%) and was 25 inches long (75%). The doctor said she can start rice cereal now so we're going to try it this weekend. She was sleeping through the night great at 3 months but she's had some setback since then. I'm going to try to feed her more during the day and see if it helps.

Here are some recent photos. Thanks to Lindsey McRae for letting us borrow the Bumbo and Lindsey Miller for letting us borrow Harper's pumpkin dress!

grilling with daddy - check out that bald spot (on baby not daddy)!

her new middle finger trick! ha!

up close on the bald spot

Brooke Rainey Photos

2010-10-19T09:39:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to share some of the wonderful photos from our session with Brooke in August! Laney was a little tired so we couldn't get her to smile but she still did great. Brooke knew all the baby photographer tricks, like pulling the paci out her mouth right before the shot. :)

Yay for October!

2010-10-01T11:43:00.002-05:00

HGTV in Mississippi

2010-10-01T11:39:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to share that the town where my parents live (and where I got married), Aberdeen, Mississippi, will be featured in an HGTV show called "Hometown Renovations." It's scheduled to begin in January. Celebrity makeup artist Billy Brasfield (his hottest client currently is Lady Gaga, he has done all of her videos and major appearances including the VMAs) is from Aberdeen has restored many old houses, including one where he lives part-time. You can learn more about Billy and his work in Aberdeen in this youtube video.

His involvement with preserving the town's historic buildings is how my mom met him and got to be in the show! The HGTV crew followed Billy for a few weeks as he fixed up a couple of the houses he owns and then worked on his own home. We will (hopefully) get to see my mom as she picks out paint colors and arranges furniture, artwork and accessories at Billy's house. She was also involved with planning a fundraising dinner for Save Aberdeen Landmarks, which brings Billy's friend Wynonna Judd to town.

I may even have a tiny cameo! I sat in the audience at a church dedication (an old church was moved to a new home in town) when I went to visit for a week with Laney. It was fun to watch the producer and crew as they set up the shots. They had huge fans going and drinks for everyone because it was scorching. A typical Mississippi day in the eyes of America. It should be a fun show...I'll keep you posted.

Here are a few pics that mom got as was show was being filmed..

"after" shot of one of Billy's rental houses

mom said they did this shot of Billy getting in his car over and over and over

the crew at Billy's house (we visited that day! wish i had gotten a photo with laney)

wall of artwork that mom designed

billy

Three Months

2010-09-21T11:27:00.000-05:00

I chose this dress because I wore it 30 years ago and Laney may outgrow it soon! She is growing so fast. She's now blowing bubbles, grabbing the toys that hang down on her activity mat (and my hair), and scooting around on the floor and in her crib. And as if on cue for her three month post, she rolled over from belly to back yesterday!!! She hasn't done it since, but it just proves that we are on the fast track to all those 3-6 month developmental milestones.

Here are the pics I took right after she rolled over (I put her back on her tummy for a "before" shot).

More tummy time..

This is where she usually starts on her mat..

And this is where she ends up!

I love this one, it's the first pic that I've actually caught her smiling. I took it with my phone last week when we were shopping with my mom.

Prayer Request Update

2010-09-02T15:56:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your comments and prayers for my Meme! She is still in ICU but is expected to be moved to a regular room in a few days. She had a heart issue controlled by meds before the stroke and they are trying to regulate that and thin her blood before she's moved. Apparently her blood was too thick upon being admitted to the ER so that may have been what caused her stroke in the first place (her meds were not thinning her blood enough). Once her blood is thinned enough, the blood clot should break up on it's own (?) but that's still an unknown. It looks like it will be a long rehab process to regain the use of her left side not to mention walking. Please keep her on your prayer list as she begins this process, as she will need all her willpower and strength to improve. Thankfully she only has physical limitations at this point -- her memory and personality are still in tact!

Prayer Request

2010-08-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

Friends,
Please say a special prayer for my grandmother Meme. She had a massive stroke on Friday night and is in the ICU in Birmingham. My mom, my brothers and I were able to visit and talk to her yesterday, but at this point no one is sure how the treatment of the blood clot in her brain will go. We're leaning on hope and prayer.

Two Months!

2010-08-24T13:13:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that Laney is two months old (9 weeks to be exact). Since last month's photo, she has really changed from a newborn to a baby. She has found her hands and loves to suck on them, she can push back on her activity mat and changing pad with her feet, and is now smiling and cooing all the time. We try to capture it on video, but as soon as the camera is in her face she stops what she's doing and stares at it.

In the last month this girl has been on the go. We've been to Birmingham twice, Atlanta, Aberdeen, MS, and (don't get mad Nashville friends) Nashville. We went for a last minute, one-night visit to see a few of Donald's friends so I didn't tell anyone. I will see you Nashville girls in a few weeks when Laney and I come back! So far Laney has been great in the car, sleeping 90% of the time.

Here are some recent photos...

This one cracks me up

Self Portrait

First time wearing shoes

Coolin' off with daddy. Check out all the cute rolls!

One Month Pic

2010-07-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

First 3 Weeks with Laney

2010-07-14T12:16:00.000-05:00

I really planned to pick up the pace on blogging after Laney was born because babies "sleep so much" and I just knew I would have time and be really motivated to post lots of pics. Ha! I hardly have time to check my email without her waking up or getting hungry again. I think she can sense when I'm not giving her my full attention. I do have lots of pics to post, but I've been putting off sorting through them for the blog. I will get better once we start getting on more of a schedule and start venturing out of the house.

Labor and delivery went very smoothly, but it was not how I envisioned it. I thought I would go into labor at home and stay at home for as long as possible before heading to the hospital. I was actually going to attempt a non-medicated birth. But with Laney approaching 10 days late, we went ahead a scheduled an induction for Sunday, June 20th while my doctor was on call. What a great Father's Day gift for Donald and the grandfathers! We arrived at Baptist Medical Center East in Montgomery at 5:00 am and was in a hospital gown with IVs hooked up by 5:30. I had actually started having mild contractions earlier that morning and they were five minutes apart by the time I got hooked up, so the nurse said it was more of an augmented labor rather than induced labor. My doctor broke my water at 8:30 am, and I wasn't allowed to get out of bed after that. Contractions got really painful about an hour later and I got an epidural around 10:30 am. The day went by really quickly after that with visitors and nurses coming and going. I wasn't completely pain free the whole time though. At one point I had a lot of pain on my left side and got nauseous right before it was time to push. But then pushing was the easiest part! I started at 3:45 and she was born at 4:24 pm. The doctor and nurses said she looked big, probably 8 pounds, but we didn't find out her official weight until she got her bath and stats done in nursery. I couldn't believe she was 8 pounds 11 ounces! She must have really packed it on in the 10 extra days. The family was so excited that when she went to the nursery everyone crowded ran down there and forgot about me! :)

Mom and me in the early stage of labor

Big girl!

I think Donald felt like a celebrity with all the cameras pointed at him and Laney through the nursery window

My twin brother Russell checks out Laney Russell

Laney and her cousins Miller, Peyton and Laura Brittain

Proud parents. We were amazed at what we created.

We were smiling but we were nervous about taking Laney home. Thankfully my mom stayed with us that first night. And my pediatrician brother Wes was just a phone call away!

Millie met Laney a week after we came home. She had a vacation with Donald's parents. She still doesn't know what the baby is doing here.

We've played dress up and had photo shoots a few times. Our plans to bring Laney home in her Feltman dress got squashed when our hospital discharge was delayed and she was sleeping soundly after being upset from her heel stick. First of many plan deviations I'm sure!

First bath!

Laney's favorite way to sleep. So much for swaddling.

As all mothers know, having a newborn is all-consuming and sometimes overwhelming. We're still learning how to calm her when she screams (and the girl can scream) and how to interact with her. But really she is a good baby and we are so blessed that she is healthy and normal. I heard a good quote this morning...you can never be truly "ready" to have a baby. You just do it and get through the best you can when the time comes. You take it day by day!

Fireplace and Chairs

2010-06-14T17:20:00.000-05:00

While waiting on baby (now on day 4 past due date!), I thought I would share pictures of the finished fireplace and Donald's chair painting skills.

The fireplace had been "undone" since we moved in and I was tired of looking at it. We had two square mirrors made out of old wood with chippy blue and green paint, so the idea was to get a few more mirrors and do a collage. I couldn't find the right thing to go with with square mirrors until a couple weeks ago when we visited a flea market here in Montgomery. Among the junk - and I do mean junk - I saw this cute twiggy mirror.

It was the right size and shape to balance out the square mirrors and the price was unbelievable....$12! It's no dinky mirror either, it weighs about 15 pounds. Even though we used a 25 pound picture hanger I had fears of it crashing down on top of the hurricane candle holder (and Millie's dog bed) below it. I ended up switching the glass to the other side to ease my mind and after a few days I was reassured that it was secure!

I forgot to take a pic before we started but to get an idea, the square mirrors were sitting on the mantle propped against the wall, the candle and books were on the right side of the mantle, and the wooden balls were on the left. I took the basket with starfruit off the top of the armoire to fill in the mantle. We weren't sure about hanging the fleur de lis at first but decided to go ahead and hang it to add even more visual height. I like how it turned out and love that's it's finally "done."

I discovered Donald's skill for painting/distressing furniture a couple months ago when we found a $17 desk chair at a local antique mall. We had been using one of the dining room chairs after we moved and were keeping an eye out for the right chair. The chair we bought was black so we had the idea of spray painting it the same turquoise blue as our outdoor side table since we had some of that paint left over.

Donald did a great job of painting it and then using sand paper to let some of the black peek through. I love how it turned out!

Next up were the bar stools. They used to be a beige color and they blended in too much with the wall. We talked about color options (navy blue, green, white) and then one day it dawned on me that we should use the leftover gray from the dining room.

Again, no before picture but here is how they turned out...

Now, back to waiting!

Finishing Touches

2010-05-25T09:59:00.000-05:00

The nursery is finally done! Pillows are in place, chandelier is hung, and a few family mementos are displayed.

I love the fabric on the glider, it's an Annie Selke design. I blogged about Annie Selke in one of my first blog posts.

The mirror above the twin bed was a steal at $40 from Hobby Lobby. All wall decor was 50% off the day we went.

The photo below is of my maternal great-grandmother, Minnie Lee Laney (Jenkins). The brooch on the book belonged to her mother, Ola Laney. The silver brushes were mine and the diaper pins were Donald's.

My mom and I found the iron hook piece at Hobby Lobby and hung my point shoes (used briefly before I quit ballet at age 13), dried flowers from my family shower, and a sweet little dress that my sister-in-law's mom and sister got us.

Speaking of dresses, here is the dress that Laney will wear home from the hospital. It's a family tradition to bring babies home in a Feltman (or similar) outfit.

I have to include this adorable card that my nieces Laura Brittain and Peyton made and is now on the cork board in the nursery. The "I hope she's cute!" part is so funny. Love it.

Nursery Art

2010-05-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share photos of the antique plates and other art we've hung in Laney's room.

I love the transferware dishes we found on etsy.com. Thanks Mom for buying them for Laney! They are considered red, but they have faded to pink with age. They look great with all the fabrics and furniture in the room. And I'm proud that I managed to hang them by myself!

Next to the window is this Degas print that I've owned for years and finally found the perfect place for it.

And between the door and the closet is a bulletin board and small rabbit painting. I like how the gold frames pull in the gold from the drapes.

Mom is finishing up the pillow for the gilder and pillowcase and throw pillow for the twin bed. Then we'll hang something over the twin bed - either the framed dress I wore as a baby or possibly a mirror. Can't believe only 5 weeks to go and she will be here.

Nursery Part II

2010-04-21T17:49:00.000-05:00

Here are the latest nursery pics. It's getting close!

Mom and I found the little side table on sale at Hobby Lobby! It's the perfect size for the space.

Here is my little craft project. I didn't like the shade the lamp came with so we got an adhesive shade that you can customize with your own fabric. I used some leftover material and added pink ribbon trim from Hobby Lobby. It's a little crooked at the top but it turned out better than I thought it would since I'm not very crafty.

Mom made this pillowcase for the twin bed while she was here.

Here you can see the cute detail of the lace and ties.

Here are the antique red transferware plates ready to go on the wall above the crib. They should be up by tomorrow.

Ahh...The Beach

2010-04-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

There's almost nothing quite as relaxing as going to the beach. It was a quick trip - -left Saturday morning and returned Sunday evening -- but still worth it. We wanted to take advantage of living a few hours from the coast and celebrate our anniversary. Crazy to think that it will be our last trip without a baby in tow.

Baby Update

2010-04-09T14:06:00.003-05:00

Our baby girl is expected to arrive around June 10th. We are naming her Laney Russell. Laney is my great-grandmother's maiden name and Russell is my twin brother. I thought the name Laney was pretty unique, but maybe not. My mom saw an ad for the new American Girl doll the other day and her name is LANIE. She's Girl of the Year 2010. Ha! So she will probably have a few Lanie's in her school. And of course we will need to buy this doll even though they stole our name. :)

I had a 4D ultrasound on March 15th and got a peek at her! It took almost the entire session to get her to move her hands away from her eyes.

Here's a good foot pic. The tech said her feet and legs are long!

And here is her sweet smiling face!

Here are a couple of my most recent belly pics (taken a few weeks ago). I'll have more after our trip to the beach this weekend for our anniversary.

Nursery Update

2010-04-08T11:20:00.001-05:00

I'm back! I decided to keep the old blog address and just change the name and create a new template. It's so much easier for people to keep the current link they have in their saved blogs.
So I'm now almost 31 weeks pregnant (tomorrow) and the nursery is coming together! I picked the fabrics first, then paint samples. The swatch with the orangey/gold background is going on the window and a throw pillow, the pink dot is for the crib skirt and twin bed skirt, the leaf print will be the glider pillow, and the white/raspberry pink is an accent fabric for another pillow on the twin bed.

We ended up not going with any of these paint samples. The center one (Ralph Lauren Gardenia) was my original favorite, but it was too white on the wall. I decided I wanted a softer lavender so we went to Sherwin Williams and found Light Lavender. Home Depot mixed the final product.

Donald did a great job!

Once the paint dried, we moved the twin bed back to it's spot and brought in the glider, stacked dresser, and crib!

My talented mom is making the crib skirt, twin skirt and curtain panels. We picked up the crib skirt a couple weekends ago when we visited Aberdeen. I couldn't wait to put it on the crib and see what it looked like.

The first level of the crib is not as high as we expected, so the skirt is going to be hemmed slightly, but I love the way it turned out.

Next are the curtain panels and twin bed skirt. Mom is coming next week to bring these, so I'll post more pics then. The final touches will be pillows, light fixture, and art on the walls. This is the light fixture I picked out...(PB Kids)

New Town, New House, New Blog!

2010-03-12T17:19:00.002-06:00

Since I last posted, we sold our house in Nashville and moved to Montgomery, Alabama. We had three big life changes happen to us in October.....I found out I was pregnant, Donald was offered a new job with his company, and we decided to accept the job and move! We have been in Montgomery now since January 28 and are nearly settled. Now it's time to revamp the blog to include all the new in our lives and especially keep friends and family posted as we prepare for baby and transition into parenthood. I'm 27 weeks pregnant now and am due around June 10. Check back soon for a link to the new blog (I have to create one first)!

For Sale

2009-11-21T20:58:00.000-06:00

Our beloved cottage is on the market. Donald received a job offer in Montgomery, Alabama that we couldn't pass up. If you know anyone looking in the West Meade area (near 70/100 split), please send them our way! Realtracs listing here.

Keyway Before and After - Part I

2009-08-01T16:12:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how much our house has changed since March 2008. And we're still not done...probably won't ever be! I'm sure as soon as we finish our to-do list, I'll find something else to replace, recover or repaint...

Notice the ugly plant window..

After with new paint and window

Living Room in very beginning

Living Room a few months later..

Living Room now (minus shower gifts)

Dining Room as it was staged when on the market

Dining Room After

Family Room as it was staged

Family Room After

I'll go into more detail on these rooms and show more pictures after I post Part II (bedrooms and bathrooms).

Palmer Weiss

2009-06-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

Palmer Weiss is a San Francisco designer who is originally from Charleston, so she has a great mix of traditional design with a fresh California twist. I like her story of becoming a designer. She worked in business for a long time before changing gears and starting her own design firm (following in her mother's footsteps). I hope to do the same one day.

Window Transformations

2009-06-10T21:13:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what 5 - 10 yards of fabric and some hardware can do for a room. In the last six months I've had the pleasure of assisting two friends with choosing fabric for their windows. Here are the before and afters!

Megan's dining room window - Before

Megan's dining room window - After

Megan and I settled on this fabric to pull in the red, green, brown and gold from her downstairs rooms, and complement her black furniture. I think it turned out great!

Megan's living room window - Before

Megan's living room window - After

This greenish gold fabric worked well because it didn't compete with the patterned PB rug and had enough shine to add a touch of formality to the room.

Megan's bedroom window - Before

Megan's bedroom window - After

This damask fabric brought pattern into the room and created a dramatic statement when hung right under the tall ceiling.

Nicole's living room sliding doors - Before

Nicole's living room doors - After

As you can tell, there were many changes in this room including the sofa and flooring. More on that in a future post!

Create Cottage Style In Any Home

2009-05-12T21:12:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share this great slideshow that someone must have created for me and my blog. I found it tonight on one of my faves, myhomeideas.com. It's a great site for decorating ideas featuring photos from Southern Living, Coastal Living, Sunset, and Cooking Light (Cottage Living pics can still be found on here too!). Check out the slideshow here.

Atlanta and Pillows

2009-04-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

I went to Atlanta about a month ago with Nicole to visit our friend Lindsey, who is expecting her first child in July. Here are photos from a few of the great homes stores we visited.

Terra Cottage

Loved this store. It carried lots of Pine Cone Hill and had a whole wall of Dash & Albert rug samples.

Urban Cottage

Wish I had taken a photo of the main room, but I only got one of the buffet that I loved. I found out the store owners manufacture these and they're surprisingly affordable. We may order one later this year.

Armour & Co

Loved, loved, loved this store! A great mix of clean lines with rustic touches and fresh colors. This style would work in any room, from small cottage rooms to large rooms with tall ceilings. Great pillows here, but none under $200. More on pillows in a minute.

That weekend I was on a mission for pillows to go in my living room. I have struggled with finding the right pillows in there for months and it frustrated Donald to no end. Why couldn't I just find pillows at Pottery Barn and be done with it, he would ask. But I couldn't find just the right color, fabric or pattern at PB or anywhere else I looked. Well, I didn't buy any in Atlanta either, but I did seriously consider these, which had been marked down from $400 to $75 each! At the time, it seemed dirt cheap compared to the $250 to $700 (yes, $700) pillow price tags I had seen.

But I am happy to report that the pillow search is now over (for now anyway)! I found some at PD's in Franklin last weekend. Blue pillows - $15 and off white pillows with shell pieces - $39.

Oh and you may be wondering what happened to the Dash & Albert rug in this room. Well, the trip to Atlanta got my creative juices flowing and I decided that it would look better in the dining room. So we switched them out when I got home that Sunday night. I think it looks much better.

Annie Selke

2009-03-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share my recent discovery of Annie Selke, the designer behind Pine Cone Hill and Dash & Albert Rug Company. Before I knew of her cottage style brands, I saw a home she designed in a recent issue of House Beautiful. I was immediately drawn to all the blue and beachy casual feel to the home. And I loved the nontraditional use of a striped cotton rug and cotton fabric on the chairs in the dining room. It wasn't until a couple of weeks later that I put together that the designer used her own fabric and rug lines in that home. I realized this when visiting Pembroke Antiques on Hwy 100. I was drawn to the bed linens (a lot of blue) and also noticed the store carried the Dash & Albert rug line that I had admired in magazines. I mentioned this to the lady helping us and she picked up the same House Beautiful to show me that they carried the designer's products....and that the store could order any of the rugs we saw online. I was so excited! As soon as we got home I researched the brands and discovered Annie Selke. How cool that she is not only a talented designer, but also has developed her own popular (and well published) bedding and rug line, and has partnerships with Calico Corners and Vanguard furniture. That's success! And, I think it's cool that her work has a unpretentious casual feel that's refreshing.

Needless to say, we are now the proud owners of a Dash & Albert rug! It was surprisingly affordable....$385 for a 9x12.

Check out Pembroke (such a cute store!) for smaller versions of the rugs and a good selection of Pine Cone Hill bedding and pillows.

More Annie Selke designs

About Annie Selke

Click here for the Dash & Albert site

Click here to see her Calico Corners line

Oh and what do ya know...a March 8 article on Annie Selke in the Chicago Tribune! I seriously just found this!

Cottage Living

2009-02-22T19:56:00.001-06:00

I was extremely saddened when my favorite mag Cottage Living ceased production after it's December 2008 issue. I have subscribed since I bought my townhouse in 2005 and realized the magazine reflected my style perfectly. Each issue was treasured then, but even more so when Donald and I bought our first home, a cottage, last year. Saying it's arrival in the mail made my day is an understatement...Donald got a lot of entertainment from the production I made when he pointed out its arrival. He grew to like the mag too though, he even started flipping through it before I got home! I have torn out so many pages over the last four years. Thank goodness I have kept up with all the torn out pages and just recently compiled them in a 3-ring binder.

Some of my favorite issues ever have been published this year. In December (right before I found out about the end of CL) we began to transform our kitchen to look like the one below, from the final issue.

And just this past weekend I find out that another fave, Domino, is being shuttered too! How wrong is it that the magazines who "get" how the average household lives (pretty modestly) get sent to the graveyard in a recession when the mags with stuffy, expensive, same-old, same-old interiors get to live on?

So, with that said, I want the style I love to live on through this blog. Cottage style to me means functional, comfortable, a mix of old, new, modern and traditional. Here I will post some my favorite photos and ideas I've found, as well as projects I am working on at home and for friends. I welcome any questions you have for your own home. Just don't be surprised if my answers are pulled directly from a back issue of Cottage Living.

Cottage Living Kitchen

My Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

The pictures don't tell the whole story. We also added paneling to the ceiling (popcorn ceiling before) and a new stainless pendent light fixture. And I fretted over the bottom cabinet color for weeks! However it's still a work in progress....we still need new countertops, sink, and oven. I will post more photos as it continues to morph into the kitchen of my dreams. The copied kitchen of my dreams that is.