{painting brick and a stunning home in Brooklyn Heights}

I've been thinking...there are quite a few homes that come through on the MLS that have outdated brick and in my opinion are not so attractive. I was having the conversation with a family member about buying one of these said brick homes and white washing the brick or just painting over it completely. I know that for me and this Arizona sun that if it were my home I would choose white but with that being said I can not get the above image out of my head..that dark brick is just stunning.

Just in case you wanted to see the interior of the above Brooklyn Heights Greek Revival Home look below because I felt like gifting them to the blog world. All photos via CWB Architects.

Let's play a game

Can you guess the age of these interiors?

If you guessed about 15 years old then you are the winner.

Even though these are a little more traditional than I prefer I really appreciate that they still look very fresh and classic. All I would need to do is bring in a few edgier pieces and mix the place up with some different accessories every few years and then these interiors could last a lifetime.

{All images Martha Stewart}

{scenes from the weekend}

I am feeling really soft inside right at the moment. You know how there are moments where one might be missing the boat a little bit and then something happens to come along and bring a little perspective. Sometimes it doesn't have to be anything life shattering thank goodness. Anyway the other night it was late and my husband wasn't home so I let one of my little boys who was very restless come lay in my bed for a while. At first it was because I didn't want him to wake the other boys. I soon discovered that his wakefulness was such a gift to me. In the beginning Wells quietly laid there in bed and I felt really good about that because I was so tired. A few moments later a little hand tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Momma do you want to play rock, paper scissors?" It was the most random time for a four year old to want to play a game and believe me I was fully prepared to tell him no but something inside of me could not resist. It was dark so with a little help of my cell phone light we pressed forward with the best game of rock, paper, scissors ever. No doubt the glisten in buddy boy's eye and the most infectious laugh helped to up the stock of the game when we played that night. I then thought about how there may be many moments I might be missing like this because of being consumed and distracted with other things.

Here is to being focused on playing a good game of rock paper scissors this week;-)

I thought it was a pretty scene when the girls went into the guest room where camp Easter was set up (that is the room where all of the Easter baskets were assembled and set up). The room sort of looked like an Easter egg in all its lilac glory. I feel kind of bad because Maren wanted to use the above pink and purple "fancy" Easter basket this year but I told her she needed to use the one I had already set out. That is when she started rolling around the bed saying, "PLEEEEAAAASE" over and over and over and over again.

How was your Easter weekend?

P.S. - I think candy helps kids to sit still and not wiggle about at such an unnatural frequency.

Chintz and The Greenbrier

My Mom is really not going to be a fan of this post. She chintzed herself out after the 90's..

Well I have recently been attracted to floral sofas. In fact I told my friend to go online and look at some campaign furniture at a local consignment store that she told me about. She came back and said "Did you see the floral loveseats?" They were gone because I had already journeyed over to see them so apparently I am not the only one who can appreciate a good piece of chintz...but only in small doses. I am loving that Carlton Varney wallpaper in some of the hotels suites on the bottom row of images.

Ever since I read an article about The Greenbrier Hotel in Travel & Leisure I have associate all of this florally/ chintzy trend to that hotel.

Dreamy Beach House in Australia

If I had a beach house in Australia I would want it to look like the above.

Well Done Sara Davidson. To see more go here.

My new favorite tool

This is how we roll...

paint.

I picked up the camera to take some pictures of one of my new favorite tools when painting so that I could share it with you. When I went to download the photos I got much more than I thought (refer above). My son apparently found the camera. The pictures made me smile though because they reminded me that I have a hard time learning my lesson when painting...I am a lazy painter...hence I hardly ever put on proper clothing and never never tape. For that I always put myself at such high risk of ruining a completely good outfit...it has been known to happen. When I went to pick up the girls with my paint encrusted hands their teacher said, "You painted in those clothes?" Yep I sure did. She just shook her head.

Well now that we have disclosed that I am a lazy painter how about I share some of my lazy paint tips that have been really helping me get the job done without taping. My new favorite tool comes in the form of precision tip Q-tips and I have a feeling I will be using these little things quite a bit in my future. Just imagine all of the possibilities with this things..or just imagine John Cusack in Better Off Dead..please say you know what I am talking about or else I'm going to feel really old? When it came down to it today the little red shur line tool could only get me so far in the corners. That is when I recruited the little white precision tip...worked like a charm.

Next up trim and baseboards...those dirty suckers.

{bathroom regimen}

Last week I developed an appreciation for the above bathroom of Jenni Kayne after seeing it in Marie Claire when I was in the waiting room of a doctors office. I think I really liked the space for a number of reasons that don't stop at those glass paneled doors. I'm thinking that I would even step up my bathroom regimen game if I were to have a place like that. Perhaps I would even bump up my hair washing sessions to 3 times a week;-)

A few after bath/shower products that I have been loving lately include the following:

Almond Glow Coconut Skin Lotion - I am not a fan of traditional lotion so this oil seems to do the trick. Seems to work best when freshly damp and just out of the shower. Plus it smells like coconut and absorbs pretty quickly.

Magnesium Oil - I am in love with the below magnesium oil. I use it for all sorts of things like sore muscles or headaches since it is a natural muscle relaxer. It also can be combined with toothpaste to tighten the gums. For some reason I feel the need to rub it onto the bottom of my freshly cleaned feet. Here are some of the reasons as to why I use it.

Osis Dust It - Great volume when applied at roots before blow drying.

Bumble & Bumble Styling Lotion - One of my favorite hair styling products at the moment.

Happy weekend!

Take it from the kids and spontaneously bust out in happiness, peace and utter joy this weekend over the smallest of things.

We picked up some confetti eggs a month or so ago at Wal-Mart. Kids had a nice little egg smashing party yesterday. It probably was the best $1.98 I've spent in a long time.

pastels & pillow talk

Sometimes I get on little kicks.

I am on a pastel kick.

and

I am on a Pillow Talk kick.

For some strange reason I have gotten up early the last few Saturdays and starting doing my chores and felt inclined to turn on Pillow Talk..it seemed helpful.

It would make my day to hear what kind of "kicks" you all are on..so please do share.

Interior shots via Frank Roop.

All other sources go here.

cuff craze

Hi there this fine Thursday. I just thought I would post a reader's request on finding an agate cuff. As you probably know some can be pretty pricey (like the above Kelly Wearstler agate cuff) but I feel there are quite a few options in the above mix that are very affordable. I posted before that I get a ton of wear out of my agate cuff but recently have found myself really attracted to plain brass cuffs...they make me feel like wonder woman:-)

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spherical

I am working on a project that includes the love of light fixtures that come in the spherical shape. The below are just a few that actually are affordable..pls. ignore the circa hicks pendant unless you have more pennies than most.

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