Honey

Reis's birthday is coming up in a couple months and I'm not gonna lie, I started planning for it about a month ago, maybe longer. The invitations have been done for weeks.

Since I'm a design junkie I like having a theme for Reis's parties so that I can carry it out through all the details. Andrew and I brainstormed all sorts of ideas but the one that stuck out the most was Honey.

Our boy LOVES honey! It all started with attending the Shining Rivers Waldorf School. Each Friday we go there to play and make bread. When it's time to eat the bread there is always butter and honey. Well, this has started a borderline unhealthy obsession. Many mornings the first word I hear is "Honey?"

The other reason that the Honey theme was so fitting was becasue the theme for Reis's first birthday was watermelon. I like this idea of creating a tradition where each birthday theme is a food. Eventually he can help select what the food theme will be. Ideas we are hoping for in the future are pickles, doughnuts, apples, bacon... the list could go on forever!

Speaking of honey, we got some from Yellowtree Farm as part of our CSA last week. Check it out...it's still in the comb!!

Dining Room Storage

Stopped at an antique mall this morning to take some pictures and measurements for a client. May have also glanced around quickly for myself... dreaming of some fun storage for our dining room.






Check out that awesome old quilt hanging behind this piece! They are tulips. Really, really lovely wall hanging.

This is Milosh.

I wanted to bring him home with me.

Dallas: The Breakfast Nook

Another room that we focused a lot of time and energy on while I was in Dallas was, what I like to call, the Breakfast Nook, or Nook for short, because really isn't it just more fun to say Nook?

(Remember when I said this house had fabulous ceilings!)

(and fabulous windows!)

Sheri and I are of like minds because we both think it is kind of silly to have two perfectly good tables to eat at, right next to each other, one in the Nook and one in the Dining Room. So instead of a table Sheri wanted to make the Nook feel like a bistro reading room. The key component for this room would be two really comfortable chairs to sit in while she drinks her coffee and watches her two beautiful children play in the backyard.

We found two contenders. The first is from Lee Industries.

The second option was the Hathaway Swivel Glider from Crate and Barrel.

Sheri really likes the glide and swivel features and it is another slipcovered piece for easy cleaning.

It sounds like we may have decided to use both chairs. One of them in the Nook and the other in the living room. Next up, deciding on fabrics.

Dallas: The Kitchen

Back from Dallas! It was a whirl wind weekend of shopping and brainstorming. Dallas is lovely. The weather was fabulous; the neighborhoods welcoming and the shopping is so much better than here in St. Louis.

Above is the new house that I was there to assist with. While some of it is stuck in 1977 (hello crazy cabinetry!) it has an amazing layout and even more amazing ceilings. I am seriously jealous. Our main focus for the weekend was on paint colors, the kitchen, breakfast nook, half bath and office.

The most challenging room is the kitchen.

Unfortunately it won't really get an overhaul for about a year, so we had to think of quick, inexpensive fixes to make it liveable in the short term. The heavily decorated 37 year old cabinets are really overwhelming. We are going to try removing some of the cabinet doors and most of the hardware, as well as, adding a fabric valance to the window and a neutral paint color on the walls. I can't wait to see the improvements!

Design in Dallas

Packing for my first ever out-of-state design consultation. So excited!

Skif

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At the auction we attended last weekend, one of the items auctioned off was an outfit from Skif. If I had realized that it was part of the auction I most certainly wouldn't have bid on 50 POUNDS of sunflower seeds!

If you aren't familiar with Skif, they are a small knitted sweater company here in St. Louis. Their claim to fame is having designed the sweaters for The Matrix and its sequel. All of their designs have a deconstructed, edgy look but I think they are really flattering and fabulous.

Since I didn't get a chance to bid on the outfit at the auction and I won't really be able to afford a Skif sweater anytime soon, I figured I should look into knitting my own. After some online searching I found some Skif patterns here at www.deepsouthfibers.com.

However, I ended up finding some patterns from Cocoknits that have a Skif design feel, look a little easier to knit and I like even better. I have a gift certificate to spend on some yarn so I think one of these sweaters will be my next project.

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Chandelier

Waiting for this to arrive too.

Only took me five months to make a decision on a new chandelier for the dining room after the cheap one that came with the house burst into flames. Okay it didn't exactly burst into frames...but there was one flame involved that Andrew blew out like a birthday candle. Regardless, it was disconcerting. Wanted something a little bit modern, a little bit country and preferably under $500. Should be here this weekend so hopefully I'll have an installed picture next week.

Sunflower Seed

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This weekend Andrew and I were graciously invited to attend a fundraiser for the Shining Rivers Waldorf School by our friends Ned and Kelly. I take my son Reis there every Friday for a parent-toddler program. We had the most FABULOUS time. Seriously, I was so giddy I couldn't sleep that night. Not only was it wonderful to have a night out with friends but we got to raise money for a school we really believe in.

There was both a silent auction and a live auction. The live auction was really fun, and addicting! We blew all our money on the very first item. It was for a tour of a sunflower farm here in Missouri, as well as 50 POUNDS OF SUNFLOWER SEED! 50 POUNDS people! Initially we thought it was only 25, which was MORE than enough, but it turns out we now have 50. SO, if any friends or family out there have a need for sunflower seed, just let us know.

I'm embarrassed to say that we actually don't even have a birdfeeder! I've been wanting one for about three years and just have never made it a priority enough to spend money on one. I guess now is the time. I just did a search on etsy and found these beauties. It turns out they are made here in St. Louis!!! It's karma...one of these must be mine...

New Glasses

Waiting for these to arrive.

Reis's Room

So when we moved into this house 1 year ago, the first room we worked on was my son Reis's room. It had wallpaper that needed to be striped which we mostly finished before we moved in.

Here is the real estate agent BEFORE photo:

Well it's time to finally post the AFTER photos.

Watching

Reis watching his Dad plant apple trees in the backyard. Three apple trees to be exact. Arkansas Black, Golden Delicious and Honey Crisp. Hopefully strawberries will get planted this afternoon.

P.S. The rocking chair belong to my mother and her siblings.