A Different Perspective

It is funny how pictures work; you see what the photographer wants you to see. In fact, the more I take pictures, the more I start to see life in a set of frames: moments you can actually capture and save forever (even without a camera). So the other night, while flipping through websites for blog pictures and inspirations, I was excited to come across a second perspective of a picture I have had saved for a long time.

Here is the first picture I saved:

And here is what I found the other night:

And as much as I understand the purpose of the pristine staging of a picture, especially for a decorating magazine, in this case (or maybe just at this moment), I really enjoyed this second look. It is nice because in reality, rooms are meant to be lived in. As much as I want my house to be beautiful and perfect, there is nothing more special than the moments when the hubby and I are not ready to wake up, but baby boy is, so he plays inbetween us in the bed, alternating trying to open our eyes and laughing about it all the while. How can you be grumpy waking up to that (even if it is 6:10 on Saturday)?

Hope you are having a beautiful week!

George, the Dog, Part II

Sad news my friends, George did not pull through. My sweet, 3 year old Bernese Moutain dog had to be put down yesterday because his poor doggie cancer spread into his internal organs. So, a little photo montage in honor of my darling dog.













Rest in peace Georgie.

I Know I Am Biased...

But don't pictures of C$ just make you so happy on Mondays??
O wait, still feeling down? Here is option #2. Big baby blues? Check. Dimples? Check. The cutest tooth gap ever? Check and check.

Happy Monday!

Some Days..

Are more beautiful than others. If anyone wants to pour me a glass of wine and take me here:

I would happily oblige.

*Image from Coastal Living

I lied...

Soccer is not boring, it is actually kind of awesome. I have totally fallen in love with the World Cup.

One of my favorite books is a collection of essays entitled From Paris to the Moon, which chronicles a young American family living in Paris for 5 years. The author, Adam Gopnik, goes in to the world cup with the attitude that many Americans do and remains a skeptic for the first half of the cup. However, he too gets swept up in the event and realizes why it speaks to so many people. In his own words:

Soccer was not meant to be enjoyed. It was meant to be experienced. The World Cup is a festival of fate: man accepting his hard circumstances, the near certainty of his failure. There is, after all, something familiar about a contest in which nobody wins and nobody puts in a goal. Nil-nil is the score of life... Soccer is not meant to be an escape from life {like American sports} it is life, in all its injustice and tedium: We seek unfair advantage, celebrate tiny moments of pleasure as though they were final victories and sometimes, score goals for the wrong side.

Eloquent right?

But if that was too deep, here is a simple, Americanized version: USA! USA! USA!

Happy Friday! Be sure to tune into the game tomorrow!

George, the dog

My doggie is sick. I want him to get better. Look how cute he is:

Please send doggie prayers for him.

Quick Mantel Makeover

This summer, I am craving simplicity. Usually, my mantel is covered with flowers or pictures or vases and candles, or all of the above, but I have recently been drawn to less cluttered and clean mantels.

Specifically, this one from Coastal Living kept speaking to me.

So last night, well my husband was at his last class for his MBA (yay honey!) I passed the time by rearranging my mantel with things from around the house and a 'natural bouquet' I bought from Homegoods earlier that day for $6.99. Here is the mantel before:

O! Gross! My mirror was d-i-r-t-y! Here is another shot after a little windex:

And my first attempt at re-styling:

But I wasn't really feeling it. So a few more tries, and this is the final result:

Peaceful and summery right? By the way, the artwork is by an amazing photographer, Sean Ruttkay and is printed on metal so you can actually hang his work outdoors. I have three of his works (they usually hang in our bedroom) and love them so much. Visit his website here for more info.

Great Gift Idea!

It is that time of year, wedding after wedding, engagement parties and showers, which also means buying lots of presents. I know the easy thing to do it to head to a registry, point, click and send, but honestly, the best gifts I received were ones not on that list. And now, I have found the PERFECT solution for something special and unique, but practical.

It is this wonderful website called Laplates.com and you can personalize plates for any occasion. And the plates are only $22! So a set of 4 would make a wonderful wedding gift, or even just one for a couple to use as display or a tray. I'm obsessed! Also super cute for new babies- you could easily put their birth information on it, or for bigger kids, you can personalize a placemat.

Love, love, love!

Feedback

If you read Daffodil's last week, you may have noticed there was a change in format. Did you like the new look or should I stick to the original (that you see now)? Any feedback would be great!

Happy Father's Day!

To my darling husband and father of C$ and to my wonderful daddy, Fritz!
Have a great weekend!

I Love Nail Polish

I own a lot of it. And I put it in rainbow order. And I change it several times a week to match my mood or outfit. Seriously, I love nailpolish.

My Favorite Beaches

Now that school is officially out and the humidity is officially, I feel like it is time to discuss my top 5 favorite beaches.

5. Orange Beach, AL
Located on Gulf, Orange Beach is a beautiful Alabama town. We had a ball going there in college, being a short 3 hour drive from Auburn. From the soft white sands and clear, blue waters, the beauty of the beach is enough to bring you down there. But there are also great restaurants, boating, fishing and the always popular, never classy bar Flor-bama located right on the border of Florida and Alabama. Order a Bushwacker, enjoy the view and call it a day!

The greatness of Flor-Bama

4. Wrightsville Beach, NC
A while back, I posted that my family and I took an impromptu trip to the beach and that is where we went. Being in Winston, I love the proximity of it, but also the laid back attitude. If you are kidless, Wilmington actually has a really great nightlife and a surprising array of clubs and bars.

Sunrise on Wrightsville

3. Tybee Island, Georgia
Only 20 minutes from Savannah, this spot was one of our favorites when my husband was stationed at Ft. Stewart. It is pretty small, so you almost feel like part of the town when you are there. Walk out ont he pier, enjoy lunch at one the beachside restaurants, go into Savannah to shop when you get too sunburned!

2. OBX- The Outer Banks, NC
The Outer Banks has something for everyone; enormous houses for family get togethers (we once had 30 people in once house and plenty of room), to trailers for poor college students making the most of their summers, to the Wrights Brother's Museum and the sand dunes, there is much more to do aside from go to the beach. My husband likes it because the waves are good, I like it because the sun is good. Once of the best times we had was going there in the fall, the house was cheap, the restaurants were empty and it was still warm enough to visit with old friends and drink mimosa on the deserted beach.

My little family at OBX last fall.

1. Kiawah Island, SC
My all time favorite place to go. Like Tybee, Kiawah is the best of both world, the beach and a great city- it is located about 30 minutes from Charleston. Kiawah feels like a neighborhood, there are trees and vegetation, bike paths and no tacky, bright pink houses with sea turtles on the front. It is situated between several first class golf course and the elegant hotel, The Sanctuary. There is also a private beach club for members. When we go there I kinda feel like Patrick Sawzye will be coming out to do a dance number any minute.

The Lobby of The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island

Where's your favorite beach??

O Monday....

Not you again...

Happy Friday!

I hope you have a nice, relaxing weekend and take some time to cuddle with someone you love!

Inspired By: The World Cup

As I'm sure you know, the World Cup starts this Friday in South Africa. My husband, being a soccer player, is incredibly excited about this event, me on the other hand, finds soccer a little slow and pick my teams according to countries I want to visit (Go France!). But seeing that the rest of the world really cares about it, I decided to find rooms to represent some of countries participating in this great event.

Brazil: Team Colors: Green, Yellow, Blue

Greece and Honduras: Blue and White


Nigeria, Italy, Mexico, Portugal and Algeria: Green, White and Red


America, England, Chile, Australia, France, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, North Korea, Paraguay and New Zealand: The Red, White and Blue

Finally, the host country, South Africa, The Rainbow Nation:






Who will you be cheering for?

*Images from House Beautiful, Southern Living, Southern Accents, Coastal Living and Domino.

Inspired By: Gallery Walls

I have been seeing gallery walls a lot lately and I have to say, I wish I had a wall to gallerize (I like to make up verbs). There are so many ways to do it and here are some of my faves:

From Janet at The Gardener's Cottage. Actually, I guess I can blame her wall for my inspiration. She has "simply stopped shopping" and made this beautiful wall in her bedroom from pictures she had stowed away in her basement. Amazing!



From Architectural Digest, a mix of paintings, drawings, personal photographs, books, busts and even a Victorian gown. It seems to be the room for all the things you didn't think had anywhere else to go, and yet it works so beautifully. I even love the papers and notes clipped to the lamp shade!

From Domino, a large, frameless silhouette and a porthole mirror stand out on this wall. I like the way it is tied together by all black frames.


A little excessive, but I like it. (also from Domino)

Lastly, from House Beautiful, I guess this would really be a gallery shelf, but you get the point.

What do you think? Are gallery walls a do?

What a Wonderful Time of Year

Don't you love when you can walk outside, pick a handful of hydrangeas and set them in a room as decoration? (If they are not in your yard, try the local florist or grocery store flower shop). You only need 3 or 4 to make a big statement- automatically adding class and elegance to any spot!














Images from theknot.com, House Beautiful, Domino, Coastal Living and Southern Accents.

Things That are Beautiful

Big, truly, genuinely, happy smiles.











Courtsey of baby boy, brother's graduation and DiJor's California Wedding