inspiring goods: pictures from my files

when i started reading blogs i created a file on my computer labeled "interior design ideas". these are my favorite photos from that folder. unfortunately, in the beginning i didn't take note as to where i found the pictures. so, if you see one and you know where it's from please feel free to leave a comment and give credit to the designer/blogger.      

i really love seeing how people organize and display art and photographs. i love the unexpected blue frames here and how the common color ties together the miss-matched frames.

(absolutely beautiful things)

love this wall. love the different colors and how random it all is.

(absolutely beautiful things)

this room just makes me happy. love the rough bed.

this is one of lauren's (pure style home) favorite books. i must own it someday as i am constantly dreaming of white filled rooms.

love the combo of the floral with the stripe. what a fun laundry room!

(canadian house and home)

love this chandi. want one for my master bedroom.

closets are a perfect place for wallpaper.

(houzz)

genius use of a hall closet. a reading nook/coat closet. love it! so cute!

(houzz)

 this pic has been everywhere on every blog but i still love it. some day i will turn a barn into a home and it will look like this. (cote de texas)

 i am in love with the use of the blue-green shutters and porch floor boards. this picture has been on my mind a lot lately. i have been imagining this color scheme on every dreamy house i see these days.

(design sponge-corbin lee)

i can't get yellow out of my system lately. love these stairs.

(design sponge)

here's yellow again. beautiful room, eh?

(jeffrey bilhuber via colour me happy)

i have never seen a claw foot shower before and now i am pretty sure i need one.

(house of turquoise)

love how sophisticated this room is and then how quirky the patchwork sofa is. love the pop of color.

(colour me happy???)

hmmmm...yellow again. stripes.

(jenna lyons-domino)

dream kitchen. 'nuff said.

(house of turquoise)

did i mention i want to turn a barn into a home? bingo!!!

(nest egg)

numbered stairs number two. these are in my future.

like the ceiling here. and just about everything else.

love the pops of color here. love the sofa. love the artwork.

(rashida jones studio)

clean, simple, open, easy.

i will be doing this in my upstairs hallway. my frames will be yellow.

love the ceiling here. thinking about doing this in our kitchen but all white.

(style swoon)

i hope you have enjoyed a little peek into what inspires me. soon i am going to go through my piles and piles of magazines and try and get them as organized as the photos on my computer. i think doing this will help me hone in on my style. sometimes i feel like i am inspired by too much- too many different design styles. going through my magazines, tearing out what i love and getting it organized will help me focus.

i am envious of people who know exactly what they love and hate. that's sort of the whole reason why i started blogging. i need a place to put my thoughts down, experiment with what i'm inspired by, put it out there and then see how i feel about it a few months later. it's much cheaper than decorating and redecorating a room. on a blog you can change, grow and evolve more freely than in your own home or closet.

ok, it's late and i'm rambling...until next time!

~elisabeth

perfectly imperfect goods: matilda jane

i have been spending way to much time on the matilda jane website and blog lately. every heard of it? the most adorable girls clothes (some boys and women's too) you will ever find! you can purchase through the website or host a trunk show at your home. i just love the quirky spirit of this company, not to mention the stinking adorable clothes. the combinations of colors and patterns are perfectly imperfect. sometimes when i'm dressing my girls i try and achieve the unmatched, gypsy, bohemian, girlie thing but it never quite looks right. matilda jane has got it down to a "T". i think it's about time for me to be a jane.

i am in love with this dress.

oooo...are those linen pants?

doesn't this just look as comfy as can be???

my girls would die over this lace. we have a dress up skirt like this. maybe i should incorporate it into their every day wardrobe....i may be mother-of-the-year after all.

adorable.

one of the best things about spring? chubby legs for all to see!

now THAT is a perfectly imperfect outfit. well done!

i'll take one of those skirts please! 

tween sizes too, at matilda jane. (it's hard to find tween clothes that don't look like they should be in the pages of maxim magazine. matilda jane to the rescue! up to size 12.)

(all pictures from http://www.matildajaneclothing.com/)

pretty adorable, eh? i am currently trading emails with a "trunk keeper" as they are called. trying to decide if i should wait and do a "back to school" trunk show or do one now for spring. hmmmm...may have to do both. i'll keep you posted.

hope you have a perfectly imperfect day!
~elisabeth

before and after goods: a valentine closet

my very stylish friend stephanie made over this adorable linen closet for her husband as a surprise for valentine's day. isn't she sweet? he needed a place of his very own to store his computer and youth group supplies. she took out the shelves, repainted the inside of the closet (you know how i love a painted closet!!!) and added some new shelves, accessories and a sleek new chair. her hubby was away for a few days for work and that gave her the perfect opportunity for the surprise re-do. he returned the other night and love it! what a thoughtful valentine's day gift!

stephanie's closet before:

stephanie's closet after:

happy valentine's day everyone!

xoxo,

~elisabeth

organized goods: the junk drawer

time for another one of lauren's organizational projects! this time, the junk drawer! i think the images speak for themselves!

lauren's drawer "before"

lauren's drawer "after"

to read more about lauren's drawer go here. i loved the way she used a gift bag to line her drawer so i found some pretty wrapping paper i had to use in mine. this whole project took me no more than 20 minutes. it left me wondering why i don't clean out this drawer more often?

my drawer "before"

my drawer "after"

there were sooooo many things in this drawer that just didn't belong there; tools, glue, outlet covers, other child safety devices, first aid kit, tons of matches and lighters. most most of these items found a new home or got pitched. the pink divider is from my daughter's 'melissa and doug' bookmark making craft. it was the container the craft was packaged in! solid wood...go melissa and doug! i love them. it works perfectly as a little organizer for her odds and ends. i have always needed a place to put her random hair ties, clips and lip gloss. i'm wondering how long it will take for all this empty space to get filled up again? well, it looks good for now anyway!

set the timer. 20 minutes. do it! ;)

i can't wait for lauren's next project!
~elisabeth

craig's goods: finally a deal in my town!

i don't know what it is about the area where i live in SC but people want a TON of money for antiques down here. i'm a girl who likes a bargain. a deal. a steal! i can appreciate that some people collect antiques and are willing to pay top dollar for a specific item. i am not that person. i love antiques. i grew up with them, have tons of them in my house, love to shop for them, look at them, search for them. but i don't and won't pay top dollar for them. since we've lived here i have been searching for an antique buffet like this one:

this one belongs to my friend kelly. she originally purchased it for her dining room but is now using it in her daughter's room. so versatile! isn't it lovely? i was smitten by it from the get go and have been searching ever since.

searching on craigslist in sc is sooo frustrating!!!! people are asking hundreds and hundreds of dollars for things and i keep thinking to myself, "WHO is buying this at THIS price???" "they are CRAZY!" now, i don't claim to be an expert on antiques. i know what i like and what looks good to me and what seems to be good quality. could it be that the people of my town are just selling more valuable stuff? maybe. all i know is that i am a frustrated craigslister. here is a little example of craigslist items in my town vs. ohio (ohio is where i am from and i often search the list there in the hopes that if i find something wonderful my lovely mother will go and fetch it for me. i often do and she often does. thanks mom!)

SC steamer trunk $350

SC steamer trunk $450

ohio steamer trunk $150

SC wagon wheel $185

ohio wagon wheel $50

SC buffet $700

(it's not even perfect!)

ohio buffet $150

ohio buffet $100

SC buffet $1200

SC buffet $400

ohio buffet $125

ohio buffet $225

SC secretary $450

ohio secretary $150

SC settee+ two matching chairs $1095

ohio settee $250

see what i mean? now like i said, these SC items may vary well be worth every penny they are listed for but what's the fun in that??? i want a DEAL! that's what craig is for after all, right? well, just when i had about given up on my town's craigslist i found this beauty...

guess how much i paid?

$125!!!!!

i was so excited! my mom just happened to be visiting last weekend and for fun i did my usual "antique buffet" search on the list. and there it was. i thought it was too good to be true and didn't follow up on it. then the next day i showed my mom and she convinced me to call. low-and-behold the woman selling it lives down the street from me, she and her husband go to our church, she's an interior designer, her two sons went to the same college i went to, her son played soccer with a good friend of mine, and last but not least...the buffet was absolutely beautiful. even better than the picture! perfectly painted and distressed, tons of storage, perfect proportions, dovetailed drawers, lovely aged brass hardware, working doors and drawers, on casters...and the price was right! meant to be? i think so. SOLD!

the next day i searched again and found this one for $395:

guess where? columbus, ohio of all places! (between you and me i like mine better and it was $270 less.) but, this gives me hope! maybe my craigslist is turning around, changing it's ways. i sure do hope so!

here's one last look at the buffet that started it all. thanks kelly for having such great taste and inspiring me to search for mine!

happy craigslisting!
~elisabeth

p.s. hopefully in the next few weeks i'll be able to share some pictures of where i put the buffet. the room is a work in progress!