"There's a Zombie on your lawn!"

It's Friend Night!!

Just have to say that it is friend night at my house tonight.  We deserve to sit around in our sweatpants, eat, drink, and enjoy the company of each other!  I am so looking forward to it.  Reserve some time with you friends.  Life is so full of running errands, working, and keeping the home that we really need time to connect with one another.  Enjoy Life!

"Off with HIS head!!!"""

http://www.buffalonews.com/topics/mo-hassan/article142153.ece

I am so angry and disgusted...why are these people allowed any courtesies at all??!! Read the article about this beast.  He chopped his wife's head off.  I can't even comprehend how any human can have a look on his face like this after what he has done.  Sad, sad days.

Bathrooms Pretty In Pink?? I don't think so!!

This is an article from The New York Times Today...http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/garden/30pink.html?hpw 
Pink may be the next "design color rage" but do you know how this color affects your mood?  Just think, if you are using this bathroom on a daily basis to get ready for work or even to just start your day, you may not like it after a period of time.  Here is a study that was done on the color pink that I think you may find interesting...

Darren Higgins for The New York Times

Nancy Burns plays up the bathroom in her 1959 split-level house in Fairfax, Va., with poodle decorations and a vintage scale. “Pink makes you happy,” she said.

By KATE MURPHY

Published: December 29, 2010

DRUNK TANK PINK

http://www.colormatters.com/body_pink.html

Don't get me wrong, I like the color pink.  But, when painting the interior of your home, you should be very careful of the colors you surround yourself with!

After Pictures...

Stone wall accents with square stainless steel backsplash tiles

Another backsplash done with 1/4" stone along with tile floors and skylights for natural light

The client requested stainless steel, natural stone, tile floors and the look and feel of a warm working environment. Skylights provide natural lighting and the green color brings in the feel of outdoors.

Horrible Space!!

I want you to see some before pictures of a space that I turned into a brand new kitchen.  I will not post the after pictures until next week.  Yes, this is a tease, yet I would like YOU think of ways that you might design it and see what your creative juices come up with!  Keep in mind that I had to do this within the clients' budget and their tastes in colors, etc.

Make a small bathroom look larger!

Trade a standard door for a sliding pocket door to gain additional floor space once reserved for the door swing. Bifold doors (doors that fold up like a screen) can also save space.

Mirrors stretch space by reproducing it. Mirroring the long wall of a narrow bath, for example, can change the room's proportions and make it seem wider.

Because pale and cool colors reflect light, soft whites, pastels, and neutrals can make a bath feel bigger. Woodwork, trim, and doors will "disappear" if they are painted the same hue as the walls.  Also, Black is the perfect look for a little drama and draws your eye to object!

Mood-Lites!!

Remember my posting about how colors affect your mood?! (look for it!) Well, here are some more facts and even light bulbs to help...you can find them at Bed Bath and Beyond. You spend time, energy, and money creating a colorful and unique environment with your paint, curtains, and furniture. Why not do the same with your lighting?  Introducing Mood-lites.

Mood-lites allow you to create the atmosphere you want by using color, just as you do with everything else you select to make your space beautiful.  Research has shown that colors affect our moods, so they have taken that concept and applied it to lighting.   All of the products are named according to moods.

Interested in feeling Tranquil?  Add some Tranquility lighting.  Need some extra Happiness?  Try the yellow Happiness Mood-lite.  They have taken the guesswork out of the sense of sight, color, and moods by naming the products according to the moods they provoke. Check out their website!!

http://www.moods-inc.com/main.sc

I love these houses...

Cody Foster Christmas Houses.  They are the most adorable representations of cottages in my book!

http://www.codyfosterandco.com/index.html  To view their website click on the link!

A Wonderful Birthday Present! Thank you Darling!

These are two beautiful HAND MADE recipe books that my tender hearted cousin made for my birthday!  One is solely for my Halloween recipes (our favorite Holiday) and the other is for everyday collections.

The inside cover of the Halloween recipe book

The inside of the everyday recipe book

They are hard cover and bound with a coptic stitch as well as parchment signatures on the inside.  I can't wait to start personalizing them and adding recipes.  Please feel free to send me any recipes you would love to share!!  Home made gifts are the best to give especially this time of year.

Here is our snow!

Trees at my driveway heavy with the wet snow

Close up of my miniature crabapple

Lights are still working on the patio!

Now I am in the mood!

I woke up this morning to snow!! The 1st day of December and I am so happy to see snow to get me excited about decorating.  It also helps that "The Grinch" agreed to getting the holiday decorations out from the cupboard under the stairs tonight (just like Harry's).  Big chore ahead. Will try to post some pics of the craziness!

Visual exercise from the mind to the palette...

This is a a study how the mind visually can affect our palettes. Below is a picture of a hot meal prepared for your pleasure.  After the meal picture are three kitchens.  This is a personal taste test...which kitchen would you like to think this meal was prepared in?  And, how do you think the meal would taste in each of these kitchens??!

 

Hot grilled steak!

What do you think??