[color kreyv]: Charcoal Gray

Holy cow, I'm glad we made it to Wednesday! Both Salem and Stella have been sick with fevers.  They are finally feeling better, but I'll be honest, there's a whole lot of mucus goin' on up in herrr. It's gross.  

Speaking of not gross, how much do we love charcoal gray? I love that it pops against white like black does, but it's not as harsh as black can sometimes be. It's almost black, but it's not.  (That was a super deep statement, wasn't it?!) Hey, let's take what we can get after four days of being with kids in bed watching Barbie ten jillion times in a row, shall we? 

P.S. My favorite charcoal is Urbane Bronze by Sherwin Williams.

image from Domino

image source unknown

image source unknown

[color kreyv]: Gray Kitchens

You know I'm a white girl when it comes to kitchens (and...really all the time since I am caucasian--just in case there was any confusion there). A-ny-who...every now and again, I come across a gray kitchen that is so swoon-worthy, that it ALMOST makes me want to change my ways. I mean, really, where do we even start with these beauts? Total. Swoon. 

image from Southern Living

image from Susan Greenleaf

image from Jenna Sue Blog

Ceiling Love

Oh hi.  Remember me? Yes, almost three months later and still trying to get my groove back. I'll find it, right? RIGHT? Please tell me I'll find it! (And don't tell me if I won't, mmmkay?!) Anyway, how absolutely stunning are these ceilings? I would so move into anyone of these houses without even seeing any other rooms, that's how beautiful these are. Ok. I wouldn't really do that, but let's be honest: To. Die. For.

image source unknown

image from Decor Pad

image from NYC & G

[kreyv of the day]

image from Valkoinen Harmaja

Best. Chairs. Ever.

Ok, I can't really prove that these are, in fact, THE best chairs, but, let's be honest...They. Are. A-mazing. Obviously I love a little nailhead trim detail, because, really, we all need a little bit of that in our lives, right? Which one is your fave? I don't like to discriminate, so I would gladly take all three. Actually, make that two of each.

image from Bassett Furniture

image from Houzz

image from Target

Lovely, Lovely Beds

Happy Monday!! (Did the extra exclamation point help--even a little?) Sometimes Mondays remind me that I'm not as young and spry as I used to be. (Using the word "spry" doesn't exactly make me sound young, either.) Every now and again, I do something crazy over the weekend like stay up past midnight (and by "past midnight", I mean 12:30). I swear, it takes me three days to recover. Today is one of those times, and I honestly feel like I need a full day to just sleep. Speaking of sleep, how gorgeous are these beds? I would be totally fine with one of each.  And then taking a good three hour nap in each of them, just to try them out. #inmydreams #nopunintended #whatswiththehashtags #tryingtostayyoung #ish

image from West Elm

image from Layla Grace

image from Serena and Lily

Non-White Kitchens--and I Love Them Anyway

My obsession with white kitchens is no secret, but either is this: I can be obsessed with other kitchens, even if they're not white. That's right, I'm an equal opportunity obsessor. Now, if some kind stranger came along today and offered to build me a house (for free, of course), I would choose white. But, in reality (which is such a buzz kill, sometimes), a non-white kitchen wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. I care more about the style and shape of the cupboards than the actual color.  Speaking of dreams and kitchens, I was really hoping that if I spent enough time writing this post that dinner would magically appear. Once again, there goes reality being a total buzz kill.

image source unknown

image from Still Stars

image from Houzz

Neutral or Not | Nursery Love

Aren't nurseries just the best rooms of the house? For starters, they include babies, and, as if that's not enough, they also have whimsy, charm, color, and calmness. What more could you ask for? I especially love these three spaces, because of the color palettes and the neutral quality they each posses. Any of these could be for a boy or a girl (or both) just by adding simple touches of feminine or masculine colors and accessories. I can't even decide which one is my favorite, but I am really digging the blue and yellow in the first one (and the floors in all of them). Which one is your fave?

image from Me and Wee

image from Little Green Notebook

image from Design Traveler

To. Die. For. | Beautiful Bedrooms

Let's just stop and take a moment...I mean, really, are we so dying over these rooms or what? Gor. Geous. Speaking of bedrooms, I'm seriously considering getting one of my own. In a hotel. Poor Stella has had a rough time adjusting to the move, and she gets up almost every night--more than once. It starts with a trip to the bathroom (regardless of when we cut her off from liquids), and then she attempts to climb into bed with us. (Ummm, if you're not Daddy, get back into your own bed.) I take her back to her room, where she willingly goes, but she returns one to two more times each night. Holy cow, you're killin' me, Smalls, you're killin' me!  It's a good thing that little girl is so freaking cute! And, I'm hoping that like with everything else pertaining to raising children, that this is just a phase...that will end VERY soon. Now, let's just look again at these beautiful bedrooms and pretend I'm taking an uninterrupted nap.

image from Tara Seawright

image from Katy Lydon via Trad Home

image from Taylor Borsari via Trad Home

Floor to Ceiling Wainscoting

I love the look of floor to ceiling wainscoting. It's such a modern way to introduce texture, interest, and warmth to a room. And, from what I hear, it's not terribly difficult to install--especially if you install the way I do: watch someone else do the work. 

image from Houzz

image from Young House Love

image from New England Home

Desks as Nightstands

The best part about moving is getting a new space to decorate. If there was an even better part, it would be going out and buying a bunch of new stuff. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen.  My brain is swirling with ideas of where I might put some of my existing furniture pieces. This is a little bit tricky since I haven't seen our new home in person. I am most likely way off on the spacing and size of every room, since I'm totally guessing. 

I have LOVED my Parson's Mini Desk. It fit perfectly in my little nook in our bedroom...in this house. Chances are, we're not going to have that same little nook in the new place. I definitely still love the piece, and I want to incorporate it, so I think I am going to put it next to our bed. I won't use it as a desk again, but rather as a nightstand. Hopefully, it will be perfect. My back up plan is to use it in Stella's room in between two twin beds, which would for sure be super cute. Of course I would have to buy another headboard, bed, and bedding, so let's hope that plan A works! Or, maybe I don't want it to work. Hmmm...and the swirling of the brain continues...

image from Melanie Turner Interiors via 2013 Atlanta Designer Showhouse

image from Lonny

image from Alice Lane Blog

[color kreyv]: Charcoal Gray

I'm not going to lie. Between the cardboard boxes, lack of decor, piles of clothes on the floor, and the three things we have left in our fridge, I'm feeling a little bit white trash. I figure I should just get into character and quit altogether with the hair washing and make-up. (Who am I fooling, it's not like I was a frequent hair washer before...) On a brighter note, I did clean the oven today, and I was glad to check that off my list. Let's just say it wasn't pretty, and I may or may not have avoided that task altogether. For three years. Don't judge.

Now that you have several unflattering images in your head, let's talk about charcoal gray and the fact that it's my new favorite color. Wanna know why, cause you know I'm going to tell you. It has presence, and it makes a statement, but it's not as harsh as black. It pops against white, but it also looks awesome mixed with wood tones, and really, any color. It's masculine (not that I care about that), but it's still super glam and looks super posh with golds and other metals. And, really, I just love it. I think it definitely needs to make an appearance at the next place...somewhere other than my oven, because that was pretty much the opposite of posh. And P.S., we're still not judging.

image source unknown

image from Thom Felicia via House Beautiful

image from Decor Pad

[color kreyv]: Gray

Guess what. The sun came out today. And it was magical and wonderful and delightful and any other good adjective you can think of. Know why? Because it was in my "range." Just ask Mr. Hubs...he kind of has me figured out. This was his response to an email when someone invited us to a football game: Jamie doesn't get invited to outdoor sporting events due to her low tolerance for "extreme" conditions. Extreme meaning slight breezes which may disorganize her hair, high humidity, or slight drizzles which have similar effects on her plus some undesired effects on her make-up, and finally, temperatures beyond her comfort range of 75-76 degrees. It may or may not be slightly exaggerated, but the man knows where I stand.  We have an honest relationship. For instance, I can let him know that he's not that funny when he writes things like that.

P.S. In my defense, this was an invitation to a Packers game. Those are out of most people's comfort range, with the exception of Eskimos and, of course, Packers fans. 

P.P.S.  This post has nothing to do with gray except for the fact that I started out thinking about how happy I was that the skies weren't gray today. Sometimes I get distracted. 

image from Car Mobel

image from Jean Larette Interior Design

image from Sissy + Marley

A Place for Velvet Furniture

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Ours was kind of wet with some sore throats, but regardless, it was the weekend, and weekends are kind of the best part of the week, dontcha think? I've come to the conclusion (again) that I could never live somewhere with a lot of rainfall...like St. Louis has been the last few weeks. It's cloudy and rainy and wet. I've never really liked being out in the rain , and I REALLY don't like being out in the rain grocery shopping, loading a toddler into the car, or going to a place with no parking (inside snuggling is a completely different story--that's pretty awesome). Speaking of things that don't like to get wet (other than me), check out this velvet furniture. Pretty maj, right? I think I could definitely use a velvet sofa in my sitting room. With my baby grand. In my imaginary house. I guess I should have stuck with piano lessons. Maybe Stella will be a pianist. If not, who wants to come play the piano while I sit on my velvet furniture and listen to you? I know. This blog of mine sparks quite the imagination in me, doesn't it? 

image from Little Green Notebook

image from Domino Magazine

image from Anne Hepfer

[kreyv of the day]

image from Houzz

What Color Are You?

I've always thought color psychology to be very interesting. When I was 12 or 13, I went to girls camp, and there was a presentation about color. I tried to be a yellow...the fun color, but CLEARLY I'm a red. Clearly. This post on House of Fifty was about being drawn to certain colors and what it may say about our personality. I thought it was super interesting, and hey, if being drawn to white, black, and gray means that I'm conservative, honorable, reliable, individualistic, innocent, disciplined, and strong-willed aka boring, I'll take it. Fortunately, there are no negative adjectives on any color, so it's pretty much a feel-good exercise! So, what color(s) are you drawn to, and does this describe you?

[kreyv of the day]

image from Greige

Wait For It...

I'm pretty good with secrets, so I'm not going to give this one away. Let's just say it has something to do with a giveaway. On this very blog. This very week. And it rhymes with Gutting Ledge Pencils. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

image from Balancing Home via Cutting Edge Stencils

image from Cutting Edge Stencils

image from Cutting Edge Stencils

[color kreyv]: Black & Gray

I love black and gray (and of course you've got to throw in a little bit of white). I know it sounds all gloomy and dark, but it's not. With the right gray, lighting, and use of black as an accent, it's quite delightful. Yes. Quite delightful. Opposite of the nights I've been having. It's crazy how a few mosquito bites can go unnoticed all day long until the moment you try to sleep, and then they itch like crazy. How do those little creatures know to bite you right on your ankles and toes? How did this post go from black and gray to mosquitos? I have no idea. There's no connection. No connection whatsoever.  Now, let's just look at the pretty pictures and try not to think about our mosquito bites, shall we?

image from Jenny Abbot Interiors

image from Sarah Richardson

image from 30 Elm

[kreyv of the day]

image from Caldwell Flake via Decor Pad