I've been wanting to renovate our master bathroom pretty much since we bought the house, but money's not exactly flowing right now, so a quick lift is what I'm thinking. Luckily we have most of what I'm showing you in the below mood board - with the exception of the hooks (I can't decide which I like better so I'm showing 2 different hooks from the Hook Lady) and a new shower curtain - my biggest dilemma!

I didn't have exact photos when I made this, so some of what you see is approximately what we have. In the etagere we keep our toiletries arranged in antique wooden boxes and on a pretty marble tray my mom bought for us. I'm planning on making a skirt for our pedestal sink (a la Eddie Ross) with some lovely grey ticking I found at Fabric World.



{ The paint is MS for Home Depot Sharkey Grey. Clockwise from top: medicine cabinet, antique box 1, antique box 2, Target etagere (not online), grey towels, similar grey ticking fabric, similar marble tray, water hyacinth waste basket, owl switch plate cover, Classic Brass Coat Hook, and Aged Brass Hook }

Now then - the shower curtain! After I made the mood board, I started to second guess my original idea of having a white or similarly colored curtain and I started thinking that maybe a funky punch of color and pattern would look nice. These are the curtains I've been thinking about:


{ Clockwise from top left: White Ruffles, Woodblock Leaves, Antoinette Damask, Green Palm }

or would color be better...?


{ Left to right: Faded Rose, Indian Jewel, Dark Floral }

Any thoughts?

I just saw Refinery 29's post on how to dress for summer concerts and loved the part about "going with a daring up-do". I LOVE the side braid! I can't wait for my hair to get back to the length it was before I donated it (just over a year ago!)


{ john masters organics Sea Mist Sea Salt Spray With Lavender
and cute bow pins }

So, of course, that gets me thinking - how about a breezy, fun look of my own? Here goes:


{ Ruched halter dress in Willow Green, Khaki Travex vest, lovely Sailor Knot bracelet by the Vamoose, and some yellow linen Toms }

I came home from work last night to find quite a surprise! J had taken out the crazy grass that was plague-ing the side of our front walk and planted the hydrangea we bought the other day. Having our as-of-yet flowering plant in the ground makes me so happy and makes the front yard look a million times better! Now if only our clover and wild flowers would hurry up and sprout!


{ I'm not sure what color it will be, though! }

This past weekend I managed to beautify our entry way a bit and planted some succulents in a faux raised planter (two pots stacked with a third on top with the plants inside). Well, it's better than nothing!



{ The empty spot in the front is where I'm trying to start a string of pearls plant. I have a smallish one in a hanging basket out back that I cut from for out here. }

I picked this little guy up this past weekend while at My Favorite Place antiques - isn't this the greatest doorstop ever?


{ Okay, well I don't have a door that needs propping at the moment, so his new home is at the foot of the stairs! }

A yummy lunch of leftover risotto and homemade lemonade



update:
Right after I finished eating, one of my cats, Risu, fell out the window. And let me stress that she is ok, but seriously, she fell from the second level. Apparently she is too heavy to be leaning against the screen (which fell out with her). My poor chunk!

Here is further evidence that she enjoys getting in places she doesn't belong:

Oh yeah - I had quite a week with my good friend Craigslist!

4 bentwood chairs (very poorly painted, but in otherwise good condition... note to self, find time to strip and sand these suckers)


{ the fourth one is sitting outside as we have no outdoor furniture and we've been here for over a year now... that will change soon. }

Now all I need is a Saarinen table to go with my chairs!


{sfgirlbybay via little green notebook}

And now... drumroll please! I scored an amazing Campaign dresser (seriously, thank you Michelle for posting this!) for - get this - $25!!


{ it has a mirror, too! Jenny has a great post on campaign furniture here }

There were also goods scored from My Favorite Place antiques and yard treats from Home Depot. Pictures later.

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Thanks for crap, Blogger. You're lucky I'm too lazy to move...

I just got home last night from a quick weekend jaunt up to Seattle, one of my favorite places! It wasn't all for fun though (ah, who am I kidding, it was) as I was on a mission to bring home this cutie:


{ his name is Fatty, pleased to meet you }

We gave my aunt and cousins Fatty (our pick of the litter) when our Bell had pups this past fall. Unfortunately there wasn't a perfect match, so we found him a home here in Atlanta and I flew out to Seattle to spend some quality time with the fam and bring the beastie back home.

I was only there for 3 full days, so we made the best of it and had a good time, heading out to Vashon Island to check out an amazing lake property with a killer garden (cultivated over 20 years!), my little cousin drove(!! She'll be 16 soon!) us out to Ballard where we were on a wild search for food (we got out there late in the afternoon Sunday and tried 3 places before we got some food - they were all either closed or sold out! But we ended up at Gabriel's Fire which was the best BBQ I've had out of the South - and better than some I've had down here, too!) and shopped a bit (I love love love 20 Twenty Vintage) and made it to Delancey! We got lucky after being told there was over and hour and a half wait, someone didn't show up, so we only waited about 40 minutes (biding our time scouring the bookshelves at the new Value Village). Oh, the pizza was soooo good! I'm pretty much in love with the crust. Just for the record.

We also got to hit up the International District where I spent way too much money at Kobo at Higo and Kinokuniya (but I got tape! Beautiful tape! And cheaper than anywhere I've seen online!)

I will give you pictures now:





{ These are from Nouveau Bakery in West Seattle. And they were terrible. Stale tasting and with a gross texture... I had high hopes as they seemed very popular and were so cute. It's even more a shame since I was touting the beauties of macarons to my aunt and insisted we buy some... }


{ next to Kobo at Higo.. I wanted to go in but they were closed :( }

Oh, and for the record, Fatty is the best pup ever! He was so incredibly good on the plane ride - didn't make a peep! I had his carried opened so he could stick his fluffy head out and was as happy as could be.

A quick interlude of cute:



That is all.

Oh macarons... such a delightful treat, so frustrating to make, but so worth the trouble


{Almond macarons with green tea buttercream filling and dark chocolate ganache filling}

I got a very nice Valentines treat from J this year:


{photo from Laduree

This lovely velvet-covered book (in French!) is filled to overflowing with beautiful pastry photos and accompanying recipes. And right at the front? Macarons! So, armed with my knowledge of the basic recipe, J's rudimentary French, and Google Translator, we managed to translate the basic almond macaron recipe and actually made them earlier this week! I had been using an Italian meringue-based recipe with some success, but this recipe was easier and seemed more consistent.

My oven is old and luckily I have a new thermometer for it, as we learned that the inside temp is about 40-50 degrees cooler than the display - not a good thing. I'm so glad I have that thermometer (and recommend you get one, especially if you have an older oven!) or I would have cried if my pretties had been ruined.


{Mmmm... So good!}

I only wish I had thought to take more pictures! Next time - and believe me, there will be a next time :)>}

Last night my mom and I got to use our Christmas present from J - a cooking class at Salud (a part of Whole Foods). It was so much fun and delish, too! If you have a Whole Foods near you that offers cooking classes I highly recommend trying one.

One of my favorite tyoes of food would have to be Indian! It is also one I don't know too much about, so we decided to take the "Tour of India" class and made naan, chicken tikka masala, vegetable samosas, lamb kofta meatballs, coriander chutney (possibly my favorite thing ever!), and pistachio cardamom ice cream - so much tastiness (and free beer and wine to boot)!

So I'm at Target, shopping around, minding my own business when I see it. This quilt/coverlet that I've been eye-ing for the better part of year - and it's been marked down by 50%. I was surprised that after a year the blanket is still there, but I quickly snatched it up and stuffed it (rather unsuccessfully) into my basket and made off like a bandit!

I love how it plays nicely with the other colors and patterns on the bed:



I started searching for a new quilt after reading this interview and drooling over the subsequent photos of such an amazing New Orleans home. In particular the master bedroom with its gorgeous, handmade embroidered silk quilt:



I think that the above bedding combined with another favorite of mine - Amanda Peet's bedroom (from Domino) and her John Robshaw quilt - create a similar look to what I found at Target