Hello Trellis

And no, for once, it's not Kelly Wearstler's Imperial Trellis. It's garden trellis. I'm loving this trend I've been seeing recently of using garden trellis on interior walls. It adds some texture and layers to a room instantly. Here it is in in the home of Kate Townsend-Simpson.

In Country Living adding some pretty accents to a window pane.

In Southern Living framing this gorgeous door.

This one is my favorite. It's from House Beautiful's May 2009 issue. It includes a beautiful mirrored backing.

Lonny Magazine, Country Living, Southern Living, House Beautiful

Hello Heartache

Friday was a bad day, a very, very, very (did i say very?) bad day.  As usual that night I was curled up on the couch with Macky (our nickname for our macbook) perusing through my google reader and all of a sudden my screen froze.  I had to turn the computer off and when I turned it back on, I got the dreaded prohibitory sign.

I knew that this could not be good, Macky would not start.  We googled this wretched sign and tried every thing we could to get our computer to start up, to no avail.  I read enough to know it was our hard drive and to know it was not good.  I went to the Apple store today and was given the bad news that my hard drive was no more - it won't even show up on their high tech stuff.  The option was there for recovery but with a price tag starting at $400 and reaching as high as $2000 it is just not an option for us right now.  The Apple man was kind enough to extend our warranty and give us a new hard drive in turn for taking my old, pathetic, pretty image, favorite things filled hard drive.

Lucky for me, a couple months ago I had transfered all of our personal pictures and most of my inspiration images I had saved over time to my external hard drive.  The real heartbreaker for me is that a lot of blogs, stores, random DIY's, and favorite posts/rooms/homes that I have saved over the last year and half I actually only saved by bookmarking them in safari, which means that by losing my hard drive I lost all of this stuff that I had saved in Safari.  It surely sounds so petty and I know there are much bigger issues people are dealing with but I am really saddened by this.  I've spent a pathetic number of hours looking around online for all these fabulous sources.  The bookmarks were all things I planned on blogging about at one point or another - so I guess I'm starting from scratch.  

So from now on each fabulous thing I come across in the wonderful world of blogs will earn its own special post in the hopes that next time my hard drive decides to stab me through the heart all my favorite little online things will be in one lovely place - here.

Hello Spring

Oh Spring, I've been very impatiently waiting for you. I believe you have finally arrived! There is this shift you can feel and see in Chicago when spring has truly begun. It is like one day the whole city comes to life and all the people come out of hiding. Today is it, (yesterday may have been it really, but I'm going to say today since this is when I'm posting this). It makes me so happy. I wore flip flops. This was probably unnecessary but flip flops make it real for me, along with keeping our back door open. My dogs are also thrilled because this means lots of trips to the park. Nonetheless here are some pretty images that make me think spring.

Images from House Beautiful, Style Me Pretty, Bryn Alexandra, and of course what would spring be without J. Crew

Hello Tile

The tile was started in our bathroom this week. I could not be more excited (well that is kind of a lie, I would be more excited if the entire bathroom was finished - and if someone else was paying for it). For starters its nice to finally get to see some of the items we have picked out actually going into place. On top of that this also means our washer and dryer can FINALLY be delivered! We have been without a washer and dryer for a whopping 6 weeks now. This has been absolutely zero fun, and as pathetic as it sounds I cannot wait to do laundry in my own home. Here is a look at the floor which is now finished.

Here is a closeup.

The tile is a carrara mosaic with blue dots, and is surrounded by rows of a blue stone rectangular mosaic and then large carrara squares.

Here is the beginning of the shower.

One of the decisions that was hardest for us to make was whether to do marble on the walls or white subway tiles. My husband was really leaning for the marble tile and I was really torn. We eventually decided on the subway tile and now that its all going in I'm really happy with the decision. I was very afraid that the marble on the walls and marble and mosaic on the floor would make for a very busy combination and now that the floor is all laid I definitely think it would have. I think the subway tiles are going to look great - very crisp and clean. Plus it's a whole lot cheaper than the marble! The rest of the tile is on hold for now until we get the chair rail in and we get our cabinets and vanity - hopefully these will happen in the next week or two - cross your fingers.

Hello CB Vintage

I've been a follower of Classic Bride since planning my own wedding. Lots of inspirational photos, ideas, and pretty little details everyday. Sarah, the author of this blog, recently started her own little online shop which is full of vintage items. The items are adorable and I think could be used in so many settings - home decor, engagement shoots, or a tablescape at your wedding. Here are my favorite pics from her shop.

How adorable is this picnic basket set?! I love the Beatrice Potter designs. It would certainly be great for a photo shoot or propped up on some open shelving in a kitchen. It's so cute I think I'd be afraid to actually use it!

Fabulous Brooch

I think anyone using blue for their wedding colors should consider this birdcage veil. Definitely one of a kind.

I absolutely love these King and Queen crowns. This photo is a great example of how they can be used for an engagement shoot, I also think they'd be great at a married couples place setting or on nighstands in the bedroom.

Aside from those individual items, her shop also has a large collection of milk glass vases, vintage vinyl records, and beautiful antique books.

There is a lot more on her site so definitely check out her shop, and check out the photoshoot here of Sarah and her husband that showcased some of her shops items. I think you'll quickly fall in love!

Hello Demo

It was insane to see how much change can happen in 1 day. Here is our current bathroom and closet (or what used to be I suppose).

I never knew I could be so excited about plumbing!

It was so exciting in the beginning to see everything get ripped apart and then to see the new form start to take shape. But it's been a few weeks now and I just want it done! It's been rough having no closet and having our entire downstairs covered in dust - no one really gave me fair warning about the extent/amount of dust! But I think the hardest part has been having no washer and dryer! I'll admit I'm very spoiled in that I have never lived anywhere that didn't have a washer and dryer - so this is rough. I just keep reminding myself it will be well worth it once it is all done (and it had better be!).

Gilt Wedding Weekend

Gilt Groupe is having an entire weekend devoted to weddings. They're featuring everything from stationary, to honeymoons, to some really great gifts. My favorite items so far have been the wedding dresses. My favorite were these 3:

Temperley London

Carolina Herrera

Angel Sanchez

The first one is definitely less formal than what I wanted for my own wedding but I think it would be great for an afternoon or backyard wedding. I love the lace pattern over the shoulders. The second two are so classic and lovely - that giant ruffle on that Angel Sanchez dress has me swooning!

Gilt Groupe has great savings on pretty much anything you can think of. Each day there are a select group of companies with featured sales. For those who aren't already members click here for an invitation to join. Trust me you won't regret it when you see their amazing deals.