Pomp & Circumstance

Tomorrow morning…

I will be attending the Royal Wedding

at a friend’s home with a traditional English breakfast.

My invitation arrived in the mail.

It was adorable!

I have set my alarm for 3:30 am.

The Pomp & Circumstance begins at 4:30am!

I have set out my wedding guest attire.

I am wearing the necklace I was going to wear for Hannah’s June 11th wedding.

Since I didn’t wear it for Princess Hannah’s December wedding (not the right colors for Winter)

I will wear it for Princess Kate’s wedding instead.

It is an assortment of cameos. I love cameos.

I have made the hostess gift in an English teacup.

I can hardly wait to see Kate’s gown…

very demure like Princess Grace?

Or a slim fit Mermaid gown,

blown out on the bottom with tulle or feathers,

and off the shoulders with slim long sleeves?

Oh, and she’ll probably be wearing a few measly gems :)

And a tiara.

I was glued to the TV when Diana was married.

It was such a fairytale.

We were the same age and I wanted to marry a Prince too.

Don’t you wish Diana were still here?

I wish we could all see what she would’ve worn as Mother of the Groom.

She wouldn’t have disappointed us.

 

Actually, Kate & William will share

my & Joe’s April 29th Wedding Anniversary date.

I will celebrate it with friends and a Royal breakfast and Joe will celebrate it as he usually does;

on an Annual Golf trip with the guys.

I am happy for him and hope it isn’t raining!

He even had these beautiful flowers waiting for me on the morning he left.

They make me realize that I did indeed marry a Prince 28 years ago :)

More Of John Jacob

1st Things 1st

A PRAISE REPORT:

from Lindsay’s husband: She has been pretty steady the past 36hrs. Her bld gas is dwn as well as CO2. She is not out of the woods and needs con’t prayer.

But she is fighting!

What wonderful news this Thursday morning! Thank you for praying! Please keep on praying!

In the meantime:

I spied more of John Jacob Zwiegelaar’s interior decorating.

(The guy who designed that killer kitchen)

It appears that he is hot these days in the blogsville.

He deserves to be.

He definitely knows how to make a neutral palette memorable.

How about these chandeliers with character?

 

Love these rooms.

 

Soaking tubs takes center stage in his designs.

Gorgeous! Check out the sinks and the console they are on.

Love the black and white stripe rug.

Here is a bedroom for your inspirations…

love that wall of books. Wow!

Well…thanks again for your prayers!

They are better than any BLOG and prettier than the prettiest rooms I’ve ever seen :)

Lovin’ It,

Lisa

 

Simple Update

Cote De Texas was one of the 1st blogs I read by accident

I realize I struck gold when I found her blog.

Recently, she made some simple changes in her home that I wanted to share.

This is her family room BEFORE she painted her yellowish walls gray

and hung draperies and blinds.

AFTER: FYI she chose Pratt and Lambert’s Feather Gray after testing many colors.

Love those blinds!

Honestly, my favorite part of this room is the liver and white design element on the rug by the door.

This is an element that makes any house a home.

A dog! I love dogs and would like to get another one but my travel schedule wouldn’t be fair to a pup.

BEFORE: This is Joni’s dining space in her kitchen.

Isn’t it cute? I love her chairs and sweet slipcovers.

Great touches in her space.

AFTER: Joni’s kitchen after she switched out her cute chairs for these Koobo chairs.

She bought them from World Market.

Speaking of World Market: They have some great furniture at very affordable prices.

They are worth checking out.

Do you like Joni’s BEFORE or AFTER design better?

 

What’s For Dinner

What’s up with dining rooms?

Can’t live with them. Can’t live without them.

It’s a shame they get such limited use.

I have been examining ways to de-classify my own dining room.

I think that would make it much more appealing.

This French, shabby chic style is casual and more welcoming then my dining room.

 

What can I add from that previous photo to my own room?

Painted woods? Brick floors? Beamed ceilings? 100 years? Character?

That’s what my dining room is craving…Character!

Therefore, I have been collecting dining spaces that can help me achieve a room with more personality.

Hopefully, it isn’t just this gorgeous span of windows that I adore.

I like mismatched pieces. The table is stained wood and the chairs are painted with seat cushions.

Dining suites were idolized in my day. They were the original “American Idol’s”. In this day and age, I wish I never petitioned for ours.

With age comes wisdom.

Wonder if Joe would let me paint our solid mahogany chairs?

I would never ask that question. I am blessed to even have chairs, a dining room, a roof over my head…

so forgive me for wanting to make some simple changes in this room.

 

I have considered this option to break up some of the wood;

A natural linen tablecloth.

Chair painting would not be necessary which would be a plus and it creates character.

Look how those limelight hydrangeas pop in that dark room!

Whoa! The power of plants.

I am crazy about dining niches like this one.

How cozy and welcoming.

But I don’t have the space for it.

Those upholstered pieces are too sweet for words.

Yum!

Others are showing how dining rooms can be used for more than dining.

Like libraries.

look at the variety of seating options.

And another gray room to boot.

This homeowner gets dual use of her dining room which I think is an incredibly smart and cute idea.

This is a dining room I would love to dine in all year long.

Those poor unfortunate mild climate homeowners who don’t get to enjoy snowflakes in April.

I feel sorry for them :)

Goodnight Sweetheart

Which bedroom do you like best?

Bedroom #1) Elegant, traditional  yet contemporary and sumptuous.

Love the blend of styles, gray walls, art and chandelier. And of course that swanky bed.

 

Bedroom #2) French flair, 100% organic nestled in some lavender fields forever.

Love the linen, rough, distressed woods and those monogrammed pillows.

Bedroom #3) A stylish bedroom in some hip Grandma’s old house filled with memories.

Love the mix of colors and styles. Orange and pink: one of my fav combos. Plus the monograms.

Bedroom #4) Clean,crisp (no bedbugs) and pure comfort.

Love the black and white with green accents. The polka dot bedskirt adds a relaxed touch.

Bedroom #5) Homemade goodness, heirloom warmth on a featherbed in a country home.

Love the simplicity, mix of patterns and down to earthiness.

Which bedroom would give you the best zzz’s?

Actually, this might be a good way to design any room.

Take elements from rooms you like and mix them all together to create one room of your dreams :)

 

Rainy Day and Mondays

It has been raining all day…

a gray day fulfilling the promise that…

April showers will bring May flowers.

I have been busy Spring cleaning.

Pretending that I am moving so I don’t keep anything that I don’t really need anymore.

Now that I am done for the day…

Which celebrity do you think gets to enjoy this dream room of mine?

a) Kate Hudson

b) Diane Keaton

c) Sheryl Crowe

Answer: c

I think it is so pretty.

Simple, hip, comfy and gorgeous just like Sheryl.

 

Wonder if that is one of Lance’s bikes above her fireplace :)

 

Interesting how these walls are white like Sheryls but the room is missing some of the same warmth.

What do you think would warm it up?

This rug looks like it is soft but I bet it isn’t which is a bummer because it’s texture & casualness is the sweetest look these days.

This room is warmer. The stone fireplace, zebra rug and draperies add a cozier feel.

I am simply loving the gray trend these days

but just not in the Ohio skies :)

Why Remember This One

My friend, Jane is in the process of redecorating her family room.

I went over this week to take some “Before” pictures before the total transformation begins.

Jane would like to join the “Gray Revolution”.

Trade in her red walls for gray ones and lighten up her space.

 

Her red rug will be replaced with a lighter neutral color.

She loves the look of seagrass but it isn’t very comfortable on your feet or a little grandson’s knees.

So…we will see what she chooses??

The new gray wall paint will move up to her ceiling as well.

A lot of changes are going to happen to this space…

I just wanted to give you a sneak peek

Outside those French doors…

is her beautiful patio that I featured here:

http://lisaslovinit.blogspot.com/2010/09/why-birthdays-are-happy.html

Thank you, Jane…for letting us share this transformation with you.

It is going to be gorgeous.

I can hardly wait for the

happily ever “After” reveal :)