Overcoming PTCD

Christmas decorating is going to be a little bit more exciting for me this year- my wheels are turning with ideas!  Why so different?  Well, for the first time in 5 years of living together, Humbug Hubby has given the green light on white lights- on our porch. As a young Jewish boy working in retail during the holiday season, Hubby was traumatized early by Christmas music on repeat and garish, in-your-face decorations.  Being the good wife that I am, I have tried to be sensitive to his PTCD (post traumatic Christmas disorder) and kept the decorating rather simple.  The extent of our previous exterior decorations was a kissing ball.  Last year, in a moment of clarity (or slip of the tongue) Hubby mentioned how nice tasteful white lights can look.  Yes Dear, I agree, we should totally have tasteful white lights on our porch this year!  What a great idea!

Oh the possibilities!!!

So I was thinking of doing something simple like this:

Too much?

I can only imagine what our electricity would cost with that on!  I kid of course, I was more thinking along the lines of this.

The puppy completes the ambiance.  Think I could get Charlie to pose in a Santa hat?

I love the not-too-traditional-but-still-traditional look of magnolia garland.  Mix in a few metallic leaves and it would be magical (IMHO)

No lights that I see here, but if you imagine this simple garland with lights, I could see that working on my porch.  I also love the wreath (I see a non-traditional greenery theme emerging)

This is also a leading contender.  Take away the large red bows and maybe add a simple burlap bow and now we're talking.

I know it's probably taboo of me to say in blogland, but I have no desire to spend exorbitant amounts of time and money decorating when it'll be mainly Hubby and I seeing it.  I'd rather have a few festive vignettes that put a smile on my face and get us into the holiday spirit.

I'll probably bust out the tree and ornaments and get started this weekend- I may even force Hubby to help.  It'll be good therapy for his PTCD, I think.

sources 1/2/3/4/5 If you know the original, non-pinterest sources, please share- I'd like to give credit where it's due!

Flip Plans: Bathroom

I'll be the first to admit, my plans for the bathroom aren't nearly as exciting as my kitchen plans (which I'm super excited to implement btw).  The bathroom is a much smaller space, so I have to be a little calmer.  You can rest assured, however, I will have some fun with brighter accessories when it comes to staging.

The shower is getting a fantastic white subway tile treatment much like Clark did.  It's a small space, but I'm trying to make it look as large and luxurious as possible (on the smallest budget- challenge accepted!).  Since I'm having a contractor put together this space, I'll need to get on top of buying all these pretty materials- chop chop!

I'm absolutely loving this bathroom via The Marion House Book- it incorporates a lot of my vision for the room & I found it AFTER I made all the decisions.  Great minds think alike.

plan sources: mirrors/sconces/vanity/drawer pull/floor tile

Dining Evolution

I am pleased and astonished to announce..... the dining room is DONE (well, as done as any room in this designers house gets) In the 3 years we've lived in this house, the dining room has been through several evolutions to get to this point.

The first iteration was the "drop what we have in the existing space" method.  Not terrible, but it always felt dark and drab (aka SO not us!)

The second iteration was a HUGE step in the right direction.  I added picture rail around the room and painted the walls an awesome (in my humble opinion) purple.  Even though the walls are a darker color, somehow the room felt larger and brighter.

Then I made an attempt to finish the space with chairs and a new chandelier, but something felt off still. *coughTABLEcough*

Which brings us to today.  A proper photoshoot of this space is necessary, but I'm just so excited to share the space with you that I can't wait!

Well hello, sexy, refinished, correctly proportioned table.  (Check it out pre-modification/refinishing here)

I have also started using the picture rail for its intended purpose- imagine that!

Of course since I never leave well enough alone, I may modify the chair color at some point, and install a built-in liquor cabinet on the far wall.  But for now, the space finally feels appropriate to us and the house.  It's about time!

I really apologize for the quality of these photos- with the high color contrast and the position of the room in the house, I just can't figure out the best light and camera settings- any suggestions??