Our Dining Room (+ A Winner)

I show you guys snippets of our house pretty frequently in "scenes from the weekend" and the like, but somehow I never get around to posting full rooms... But that's about to change (for one room at least). FD Luxe featured three dining rooms in their November "Feast" themed issue, and ours was one of them, which, needless to say, was pretty exciting. And it conveniently gives me the chance to share a peek at the entire room with you guys.

I loved being at the shoot with the amazingly talented photographer Mei-Chun Jau and writer (and friend) Jessica Elliot...The photos above are from the issue which is out in print now, and the snaps below are some of Mei-Chun's outtakes from the shoot. It was just such a fun and cozy day with those ladies...sort of magical even. I love it when that happens.


















And now for the winner of Jenn's awesome ring giveaway...congrats Mary Beth!

A Few Random Bits...

It's possible that this is my most random "random bits" post of all-time, but in my defense I had some minor dental surgery this morning and am typing this post while under the influence of the pain medication that the surgeon so kindly prescribed me... Not sure how wise it is to blog while on pain meds, but I'm throwing caution to the wind a bit.

So first up, that quote above by Thomas Moore (spotted over on the lovely Aubrey Road). I especially like Moore's use of the phrase "ordinary arts, as it's just such a poetic and meaningful way to think about the seemingly mundane tasks you do everyday to care for your home. After reading this, I have a whole new take on making the bed each morning or carefully washing a sink-full of glasses...sort of a domestic game changer if you will.

Thank you Thomas Moore.



Ok next, I wanted to share the exciting news that Babble included Simple Lovely as one of their Top 50 Design Blogs for Mom. The list contains so many blogs that I admire immensely, so I was hugely honored to be among them. (Of course, it's altogether possible that Babble might completely re-think my place on their list after reading this post.)



Now on to train travel (see, random). I loved this article by designer David Netto in The Wall Street Journal Magazine. An overnight train trip is on my list of things I want to one day do with the girlies, and after reading this article, I'm officially obsessed. I can't stop researching possible routes. It just seems like such a cool and memorable way to take a trip in this age of super-shoddy air travel.

Have any of you guys ever done an overnight train trip? If so, what did you think?



Last but not least, on the off chance that any of you out there are in the market for a wedding planner, may I suggest Audrey. She has taken on that very role for lovely cousin Erin and fiancé Ben, and, based on her initial planning document above, I'd say she's doing a pretty stellar job, yes?

Some DIY, The New Kirtsy, A Mindful Home and Marfa... (aka some random bits)

esteban vicente collage via jerald malberg gallery

It's a somewhat random one today friends -- just some mid-week bits that I had to share...

First there's Lucia's latest "art imitation" post for tinyDallas (this one is inspired by Esteban Vicente’s collages)...she just seems to have a bottomless trove of cool ideas for getting kiddos jazzed about art. I am seriously in awe of her creative prowess.



image via le voyage creatif

Next up some weekend DIY action...

Because we are still in the firm grasp of this wicked, oppressive heat wave (and we can only do so much swimming before we, in the words of Millie, start "swiveling"), I am stockpiling ideas to keep us busy, inside. We already have a bunch of string and a big bowl of wooden beads on-hand, so attempting to create some version of this awesome necklace by le voyage creatif is most definitely on the agenda...





images via Kirtsy

And, because all of my (once pristine) white cloth napkins are in sad, sad shape, and the girlies love (forbidden) Sharpies with a depth that can only be experienced when your mean (their words) mom never lets you use them, we'll be making these genius napkins dreamt up by one of my favorite ladies in all of blog-land, the lovely Erin. (Spotted via Kirtsy*.)

{*And speaking of Kirtsy, have you seen their new site that went live today? Holy cow...it's just pure awesomeness.}



Ok I also wanted to share the little post I did recently for Molly...some thoughts/ideas on "Making a Mindful Home" in case you want to take a peek ;-)



And last but not least (whew), we've officially booked a little family trip to Marfa in a couple of weeks... just the four of us, headed to far West Texas to mellow-out together before the hoopla of fall begins. I'm so, so excited. (And look at how little Audrey is in that photo from our last trip. It makes me a bit melancholy, I have to say).

Conran's Wisdom...

I tend to be pretty preoccupied with the general idea of "creating a home." (Those of you that regularly visit this space are probably {maybe painfully} aware of this fact, as I talk about it an awful lot.)

I'm guessing (I have a strong propensity toward self-diagnosis) that it probably has something to do with having moved so many times as a child. The constant sense of motion during my formidable years might have instilled in me a sort of amped-up nesting instinct, a driving desire to create a space that at once feels safe and welcoming and warm and cozy and decorated and so on...



image from The House Book via Pink Shirts and Carwrecks

Every once in a while I reprimand myself a bit for this obsession. It is just a house, I reason, maybe I shouldn't think so freakin' much about it... But then I stumbled upon this quote by Terence Conran over on Apartment Therapy:


Having a warm home that looks good and works well, and that you and your family and friends enjoy must be one of the most worthwhile things in life – the foundation of a good life…

Terence Conran’s “The House Book” (1977)


And after reading it, I got all "fist pumpy" (and maybe a little bit righteous) about my house obsession (or at minimum I felt less guilty about the whole enterprise)...

I especially appreciated just how uncomplicated Conran makes this act of creating a home feel -- "having a warm home that looks good and works well". So basic and yet monumental in its potential. And honestly, getting to that state is probably as much (if not more) about home-keeping as it is about wallpaper and vases and couches and art. There is something essential about respecting your home enough to tend to it every day*, so that, in a sense, acts like wiping down the counters, smoothing the sheets, cleaning a window, setting out a vase of flowers feel like little displays of affection toward the very space that's creating "the foundation for my good life."

I will remember this next time I'm facing a mountain of bath towels that need to be folded. I will.


* as a side note, I spotted Karen Maezen Miller's 10 Tips for a Mindful Home over on One Love Organics yesterday and had another little fist pump moment...So simple and basic but so totally right on.

Small and Dreamy

images via the house vote (spotted on Michelle's pinterest)

image via readymade

image via Andersson Wise

image via Aubrey Road

I received an e-mail from a reader last night, Serrin, (great name yes?) suggesting I take a peek at the portfolio of Andersson Wise, an architecture firm in Austin. After an hour spent ogling their amazing structures, I was in a sort of reverie over the idea of a small (tiny even) house.

I realize this isn't revolutionary, but the act of packing away most of our belongings while the house is being put back together post-flood has underscored how very little we need to live. In fact, I'd even say the living with less part has made our day-to-day existence infinitely more simple and enjoyable (despite the general mess and aggravation of the whole process).

Again not revolutionary, but when you have a lot of stuff, you have to take care of a lot of stuff. And this taking care of stuff takes time. I didn't realize how much time I had been spending taking care of my stuff until, well...I didn't have to anymore. I knew this fact inherently; I've even created an entire blog that essentially documents my quest to have a simpler life by acquiring fewer possessions. But "one less shirt here", "one less lamp there" really only inches the needle toward simplicity. By packing everything away, I instantly had the more mellow lifestyle I've been desperately chasing (apparently in vain).

With all this new found free-time, I read (a lot...more on that later), bake, write, conjure-up projects with the girlies. It's been a game changer. So (and I know you guys will be dubious given the copious amounts of griping I've subjected you to) the march toward household "normalcy", which will cumulate in reinstating all of that "stuff" back into each room, makes me just a smidge melancholy. Don't get me wrong, I want our house back, I do...big time, but I'm pretty sold on our current super-minimal existence.

Somehow I'm feeling like there's going to be a really big garage sale in my future...

Perfect Rooms, Portraits and Picking Paint... (a.k.a some random bits)

This house above from the latest Rue completely knocked my socks off. It's this sort of perfect mix of Big Sur meets Brutalist meets (super warm) Modern...and that big white sectional is such a good foil for all the massive organic wood.

So, so good.

Next up... I loved seeing these iterations of my beloved Chance striped "dress" in their (v. fun) portrait series.

And after seeing how cool Brooke Williams looks in that second photo, I'm seriously wishing I had the guts to actually wear it as a dress...



The three contenders...

And a closer look...

And last but not least, I'm happy to report that I've decided to officially make lemonade out of lemons and use the "great flood of 2011" as an excuse to change up a few things in the house that I've long loathed. Most exciting is the Travertine floor that will replace the really unfortunate developer tile in our entry, bar area and laundry room. This switcharoo alone is (almost) worth the nightmare that this whole experience has been.

Other fun tweaks include new paint for the den, as I've been itching to kick that burnt orange to the curb for a couple of years. We're currently marinating over the finalists above...

Any votes?? I know they're all so drastically different ;-)

Scenes from The Weekend...Sort Of

It was a bit of a rough weekend, as we spent the better part of it packing in preparation for the continued "operation house destruction/put-back together". I have to say, it's reached a pretty hilarious (in, as my friend Tiffany put it, a "Jack Nicholson laughing" sort of way) point around here. We're now down to 2.5 functioning rooms -- the kitchen, guest room and 1/2 of the dining room, where the girlies and Bryan's mother (who's been staying with us while his dad is in the hospital) are sleeping. We've also had some weather related pool delays, so there's nowhere to escape outside either for fear that one of the girls will trip and fall into a huge, gaping concrete hole in the backyard.

Good times.

But here's the thing, no matter how bad things seem to be, no matter how much I want to scream and cry (and trust me, I've cried...maybe even this morning in the parking lot at Millie's school, to the aforementioned Tiffany), I am reminded that we are lucky. Just when I'm feeling epically sorry for myself, I get a call that a dear friend unexpectedly lost his brother Saturday morning, followed by news from another dear friend that her father had passed away... or I flip on the computer and read about the aftermath of the tornado in Missouri. It's humbling. Truly.

So again, we're reveling in the small (I'm thinking that will be my mantra this year)... a particularly good ballet class on Saturday morning, a slow breakfast yesterday and, maybe best of all, watching the girlies endlessly rally amidst the craziness -- they are hugely creative and adaptable and cool. I could learn a lot from them right about now, yes?

Bring on The Summer…

The pool that started it all -- the "dream pool" spotted in Cookie magazine. it's been front and center on my inspiration board for years...

outdoor movie inspiration via the lovely Jora...

I typically spend June, July, August and a good portion of September in a state of non-stop lament about how hot it is in Texas/how hot we are/how much I hate. the. heat. It's my M.O. I am a heat hater, always have been... So I can honestly say I never thought I'd write anything on this blog summonsing the arrival of those dreaded sweltering months, but friends, I am ready for summer.

Admittedly this unlikely longing is largely due to the fact that we're so, so close to the inaugural swim in our long-awaited pool -- the pool which will be the panacea to the insane Texas heat. (I know, I know that's a lot of pressure to put on a pool.)

But I'm also longing for, well... the essence of the season -- the laid back, slow-moving, languorous vibe of summer. Spring has been topsy turvy. It has rocked me a bit. So I spend an awful lot of time fantasizing about simple, mellow pleasures to temper the craziness of the past four weeks -- dinner at our little table in the corner of the yard, outdoor movie nights, homemade popsicles, ping pong tournaments and a steady soundtrack of the summer-esque stylings of G. Love...

Heck this embrace of summer might even require a moniker, a logo, some branding if you will -- you know, like they do for crazy breaking news on the 24-hour cable news channels...

I'm going all in...It'll be all summer, all the time. Bring on the triple digits.

Some Corners...

Friends, I'm not going to lie...my house is jacked up. Big time. Almost every room is in disarray. There are very few spots that still retain vestiges of their (somewhat) normal state. Audrey's room, the kitchen, the dining room and the guest room are still pretty much ok, but the rest of the house, well...not so much.

I'm a visual person and a nester. I just am, always have been. Puttering around my house, tweaking things, setting them right, making little arrangements -- this is my hobby, my therapy, my refuge. So needless to say, I'm feeling a little unmoored of late.

As a coping strategy, I'm trying to focus on the wee spots of normalcy. Sort of like a woman in labor that fixates on a single object while she's breathing through a contraction (only without the mind-bending pain). Ok that might have been a stretch. See told you...unmoored.

Herewith some of the spots I'm taking refuge in. Let's call them the "spots of sanity", cool?