living artfully

i drooled all over the rug company book when it was brought into our office a few weeks ago. the rugs are amazingly gorgeous but, what caught my eye most was the roomsets.....oooooolala is the only word to describe these photos below. i fell in love with this quote from the book...

"living artfully might require taking the time to buy things with soul for the home. good linens, a special rug, or a simple teapot can be a source of enrichment not only in our life but also in the lives of our children and grandchildren. the soul basks in the extended sense of time. but we can't discover the soul in a thing without first taking time to observe it and be with it for a while."

- thomas moore, care of the soul

picture on the left (rug designed by: marni) - i see myself living here! this bright airy space has a touch of modern and a twist of fun flirty colorful accents. the artwork above the sofa, the chandelier, the painted white wood floors and oh yes of course that rug brings the entire room together.

picture on the right (rug & pillow designed by: vivienne westwood) - um um umm...i love the artwork, how creative. the artwork was most definitely created with soul. the entire roomset is just perfect.

picture on the left (rug designed by: vivienne westwood) - it oozes with romance. i love the corky heart rug mixed with the old world setting. and yes that single pendant flower print shade is just magical.

picture on the right (rug designed by: paul smith) - my favorite part of this roomset is the one oddly placed piece of artwork....ahhh, perfect. i also love the mix of the classic damask wallcovering, chair rail, large wood base boards and beautiful sofa with the modern rug.

i would love to have a job where i could design roomsets like this....oh, how nice it is to dream ;).

♥.

the big 30!

i hit a milestone on friday, I TURNED 30! i am a lucky girl and i'm very thankful for my family and friends. all of the love that i was shown on my birthday only makes me want to give more back. everyday i learn new ways to give and i hope make someone feel special. does that make sense?....it does to me so i guess that's all that matters. i had a great birthday celebration with my friends, we rented a limo and had a crazy good time. i got to see my parents, jose's parents and do a little visiting with both sets of grandparents.

i'm excited and looking forward to my 30's!

♥.

just a little peek

e'm getting so close to finishing the wardrobe for my bedroom. i hope to put the finishing touches on it this weekend. one of those finishing touches is applying this wallcovering....ooolala is all i have to say. when my wolf gordon sales rep/good friend brandi showed me this wallcovering i just knew it would be perfect for the wardrobe. i love the color but most of all the damask pattern is created with animal silhouettes.....i am sold!

i hope everyone has a beautiful weekend!

♥.

fall, you are my fav

oh how i love the change of seasons. with the first day of fall last week i've been full of excitement. i'm ready to get out of these summer rags and into something cozy with lots of warm rich color. i love this picture and outfit from anthropologie's fall catalog. ooolala.

it might take a little longer for us here in florida to feel the cool breeze of fall but soon enough it will be here. i can't wait for romantic evenings cuddled by the fire, the feel of the crisp fresh air and the smell of pumpkin bread baking in the oven...geez i'm starting to sound old and stuff! but i can't deny it, these are the little things that make me happy.

♥.

framed

i usually can't find exactly what i'm looking for sitting on the shelf, it takes time to find the right piece. it has to be a piece that evolves and one that i create. i love spending my free time searching for the parts to create a whole.

here are three pieces of artwork i've created for my home that happen to all involve frames.

dining room.

i took different size wooden sewing hoops, added pretty fabrics and framed them. in the larger hoop i used a fabric from a vintage table cloth that i also used on these dining chairs.

living room.

this piece is my fav. i looked and looked and wouldn't settle until i found the right size piece for above the sofa. i found this fluorescent light box while rummaging through an old house. not for sure what i was going to do with it, i later bought these flowers from chiasso and added the yellow accent paint inside the frame.

bedroom.

i just finished this piece. two white frames surround a peach colored key. i'm adding this same color as an accent in a piece of furniture i've been working on for the bedroom.

if you have been looking at the same colors and need a change, sometimes adding another color to the mix spices things up without having to change much :)

♥.

and....finally a road trip

i finally went on that road trip i had been talking about for months. myself, jose and sweet lil hyatt wandered around the carolina's for a week. we borrowed a friends pop-up camper and began our trip in table rock, SC where we went hiking and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the south carolina foothills. next we were off to fontana lake, NC, which was my favorite place. fontana lake was full of excitement and adventure, we went zip lining and  roamed around the lake on a pontoon boat. lastly, we traveled east to charlotte where we spent our last few days relaxing in the great urban escape.

some believe that standing beneath a waterfall can purify the soul. i'm not for sure if it was this waterfall or the much needed trip but i came back rejuvenated and full of life. trips like this allow a person to slow down and do a little soul searching. mother nature is amazing!

i love this picture of hyatt, it shows just how much he was loving life.

and...cheers to a wonderful trip with my two loves.

we are already planning the next one.

♥.

dinner for 2

tuesday night was mine and jose's 2 year anniversary. he took me to a quaint little bistro called 13 gypsies. we had a magical night filled with love and really yum yum food.

p.s. if you are ever in jax i would most definitely recommend eating at 13 gypsies....they were featured on diners, drive-ins and dives recently :)

hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

♥.

say it isn't so....

2 years of sweet loving with this man and many more to come.

xoxo.

we just got back from a camping road trip to south and north carolina. can't wait to share our special moments with you. pictures to be posted soon.

♥.

homegrown

my garden is doing great! i've been munching on tomatoes and peppers all summer. plant a few seeds and voila we have food....i just find that amazing!

homegrown organic goodness.

 i can't believe this watermelon! it was hiding from me...i never knew it was growing until i was pulling weeds and found it.

wild flowers i had growing in the yard. i love decorating the home with fresh cut flowers.

♥.

warming up the house

i've known this girl since she was born. we were neighbors that grew up together. we have amazing childhood memories and continue to create more memories everyday. ashley recently bought her first home and asked me to help her get a few things ready before the big house warming party. 

 

the one room in the house that she wanted finished before the party was the foyer. being a lover of the ocean she wanted to reflect that relaxing feeling through ocean imagery. we found two old cabinet doors that we hung horizontally and painted a pool blue. i took pictures at big talbot, a local state park and spray mounted the pictures to foam core. i hung the pictures from burlap and used drapery clips from ikea to attach them to the burlap.

hurricane vase with shells and table found at an antique mall painted cream = beachy chic.

and oh how i love the wall color.

for her house warming gift i got her this capiz pendant from west elm. she loved it and it brought the whole space together!

it's awesome how color and a little decoration can make a person feel at home and so happy to walk through the front door.

♥.

happy color

i just wanted to say hi and share these pretty flowers with you. i do believe this peachy color is so hott right now. it's a happy color! i'm going to add a touch of this color as a little surprise on a piece of furniture i've been working on....can't wait to share. have a great weekend.

♥.

imagination squared

i was lucky enough to participate in an art experiment called Imagination Squared. two artist named christina foard & dolf james had an idea to build hundreds of wood boxes and allow artists to create whatever their heart desired. their mission - "we aim to showcase the importance of arts in education (and life) by giving a stage to the collective creative momentum happening in jacksonville". once the squares were turned in they began to create a huge grid to hang in a public location. they just announced that the squares will be placed at the museum of contemporary art (moca) here in jacksonville. click here to see all of the amazing squares.

below is my square. titled - there is no place like home.

 inspiration began with my red shoes and from there it just all came together. i took photographs of the images and layered them at different heights with foam core. i had so much fun doing this and can't wait for the opening night. more pictures to come.

♥.

oh baby

it seems like everyone around me is having babies! i guess it goes with the age ;) it gives me an excuse to buy cute baby stuff and help decorate. my dearest friend is having her second child. the little no named (yet) baby girl is expected to enter our world any day now. her sister went all out for her baby shower and i got to help!

mama peck

kelly's favorite color is green so we did lots of limes, a few lemons and simple single stem flowers as the center pieces. crisp, clean with the right amount of color. i am pretty sure kelly loved everything!

the mojito and mamajito table was a hit and perfect for that hot summer day.

we made these tissue-paper balls and hung them over the tables in a staggered pattern to mimic chandlers.

and last but not least miss avery, so excited to be a big sister.

♥.

1yr.

wow, it has been a year since my first post on b-real...happy. not knowing what i was going to post on a regular basis and it just seemed to all come together. my creative eye has matured and to look at my first post to where i'm at now is neat. i have been inspired by so many blogs i follow and i feel i have grown as a person through my blogging experience. doing these little photoshoots and redoing furniture is what keeps me alive inside. thank you for following :).

♥.

shed competition

jose (my #1 love) entered an emerging design professionals competition. the goal was to design a sustainable shed that could be used as an office on a typical residental lot.

JOSE WON!!! and was presented his award last friday at the 2010 AIA Jacksonville Design Awards Gala. below is his winning project. i'm so proud of him :)

jose and his long time friend john just started a design firm called hota design studio . i know they will do great things.

♥.