{bentwood chairs}

I scheerer love how Tom Scheerer used the above bentwood chairs for one of his latest projects that was shown in House Beautiful. I have kitchen tables and chairs on the brain as of late. I am now thinking a square table would be most efficient for my space. If only I could find a reasonably priced table like the white one in the top image. Tom had that one custom made. Any custom furniture makers out there in AZ? Anyway the above bentwood chairs can be purchased through Homeward Furniture right here.

still a fan...

Don't you love it when another publication prints the same space that was previously enjoyed in Elle Decor but you don't mind because it is a really great space.

I am confused by that rug..is it navy blue or black? It looks black here in Vogue Living but navy blue in Elle Decor as seen below.

I think black..what do you think?

Which ever way you slice it the above space was designed by the talented Burley Keaton Halliday, an architectural and interior design practice based out of both Sydney and New York.

{junior conductors} scenes and thoughts from the weekend

There was a man walking down the street playing his harmonica who wore a green beaded band around his hat. He looked like he had a story to tell. Just as he passed I saw a couple with their young child walking closely behind. I then thought about the fact that life is ever changing with its many seasons. Change sort of frightens me. What then proceeded was a long train of thoughts. In the end I came back to the fact that I can only control certain things so I am just going to have to drop the fear factor and as the conductor of my life I really want to focus on the things that are most productive for each season.

*********

This weekend we did not find ourselves on the the Grand Canyon Railway as originally planned but on the Copper Spike. The Copper Spike exists in the once thriving mining town of Globe, AZ. The kids were very excited to live out their dreams of riding on a real life size train. At the end of the ride they were awarded their junior conductor certificate. There is so much history that exists in the railroads...and now with our family.

Today I am back to thinking that the real power will come from learning how to master the little things that I actually do have control over...so go away fear because I just plum do not have any time to waste on you.

weekend wishes from a small corner of ...

From a small corner of my home and heart I would like to wish all of you out there a fabulous weekend. I got some new fabric a couple weeks ago. I am pretty sure none of you have seen this fabric anywhere;-)...seriously though I know the fabric has gotten some play in the blog world but I am still not sick if it..phew. To see more on this type of fabric go here.

Just so you know there is a benefit to having somebody recruiting one to make a bridal bouquet because of all the extra flowers. At least there were some extras in my case. Fresh flowers do something for the soul.

Signing off.

xoxoxo

P.S. - The below pictures are on observation of one floral arrangement. Apparently I should just go ahead and marry my floral arrangement.

P.S.S. - On a more serious note my heart goes out to those suffering in Japan.

inspiration board & question of the day

Lately I have really been considering using a fabulous retro floral in my guest room. I originally had a different direction I was going to go with the room but keep coming back to using a floral fabric or wallpaper.

I have really enjoyed the work of Chicago Interior Designer Summer Thornton. Her office certainly played a roll in considering floral wallpaper. To see more of Summer's amazing work go here and I also previously blogged about one of her amazing spaces here.

Are you a fan of the below abstract floral fabric...if so then..

that would lead me to the question of the day. Anybody out there interested in splitting 12 yards of the above vintage fabric? If so, shoot me an email @christinabrian1 @ yahoo dot com and I will give you the details.

P.S. - I am loving that emerald green agate plate.

images 1- seen on merci blah blah via atlantic-pacific, 3- the selby, 4 - green agate plate via vivre, 5 - seesaw, 6- pretty stuff , 8- domino

{wallpapers via designer's guild, anthropologie and claire coles design}

craving some ranch

There is a home on our family walk that we always pass and when we do I always tell my husband that if there ever is a for sale sign out front then I want to pursue it. The style of the home does not rank in his Top 20 but I really see its potential.

For now I will get the mid-century ranch home style out of my system by posting pictures. Do you remember this spread of Barrie Benson's home in Domino? Also do you like all of the red and orange accents?

{all images via Domino}

metal furniture

I think I found my dining table thanks to TPH Angela (the table in the top picture). The thing about it is metal furniture seems like such a great option for a home bustling with children. What better combination than good looking metal furniture at a REALLY great price point. Check out Industry West for and see for yourself...and have a great day.

{life, being grateful and a good quote}

I have a very special place in my heart for much of the Latin culture. In fact one of my fondest memories was when my family & I travelled to Central America. We got to one part of our trip where we came from Belize to Hondorus and the roads were too bad for the bus to go any farther. We had to get into the next town because we were going to be staying there that night. There we were off of the beaten path and daylight was running out so what did we do...we talked a guy driving a cattle truck into letting us ride in the back (where the cows usually ride). Imagine 30 or so tourists bouncing up and down in a stinky old truck. It was quite the scene but made the trip even that much more memorable. Most of the places were fairly poor (unlike in the above photos) but I will never forget the colors, the food, the textiles and the beautiful old towns with all of their happy people. Then it was on the bus ride leaving Antigua, Guatemala that then took us to a smaller indigenous town where small children sang church hymns in their native Mayan language that I declared to the group I was going to adopt a little Guatemalan baby (of course that was when I had zero babies). Anyway after that trip I realized again how very blessed and grateful I was for my life even amongst all of the little trials. I have been trying really hard to replace any negative thoughts with one of being grateful for something. Today I am really grateful for all of the great relationships I have been able to forge with people that have come into my life. To me those relationships are some of the most satisfying parts of life.

Also I recently read the below quote and it really struck a chord because I think it is a good one but also my birthday brought about a age that meant I am not 24 anymore:-) How did I get to this age when my Mom was just this age yesterday..weird.

P.S. - At my next party I am cutting up brightly colored squares and having everyone throw them into the air.

All of the above images were taken by the talented Brian Park. Don't you love how he captured the above scenes?