Fun New Project

How do you choose where to take a vacation?

Do you go somewhere that you've never been?

Do you continually go to a place you know you love?
Or do you throw a dart at a map, hoping that it doesn't land in the middle of the Atlantic, cause you're pretty sure that the water is somewhat cold and floating around in the ocean didn't really serve Jack from Titanic very well?

Well, this is my newly acquired project.

Hubby and I landed a babysitter from our church, tentatively scheduled for this summer. Yippee! So, off on our adventure we go, but where? Here's the list of possiblities so far:

Prague:
I really want to go to Prague before they adopt the Euro in 2010. (BTW- Are we gonna say, "Twenty ten" or "Two thousand ten"? Personally, I like the "twenty".)

But, hubby's business might eventually send him to Munich to check up on one of their subsidiaries there. The plan is to squeeze in Prague and Vienna after the business trip. Question is: Will this ever really happen?

Paris:

And this could be us!

I really want to go to Paris, because I want hubby to start taking the girls when they each turn 10. I once saw an Oprah interview with Gwenyth Paltrow, and Gwenyth said her father took her there when she was 10 because he wanted her first time in Paris to be with a man who would always love her. Obviously, I need hubby to take me there before he goes with the kids. And we're kinda running out of time.

Hawaii:

I feel like the only person left on the planet who has never been. But, is it bad to say that I'm really not all that raring to go? Maybe if I go, I'll see what all the fuss is about.

Savannah, Georgia:

This is the only place in the states right now that I would want to go. It seems like it'd be way more fun and relaxing sans small kiddos. Cause let's be real here, they tend to break things and Savannah's kinda old.

Hubby, of course, wants to go to NYC:

This is always his first answer to the question, "Where should we go on vacay?" But, we've been there, and I now file it under the category of, "Somewhere to Go on an Extended Weekend When You Find a Great Flight".

And I, of course, want to go to the English Countryside, particularly Bath:
(Note: Subsequent blogging should now be read with British accent.)

Is it really, very awful to want to go back again and again to one country and really not even care for the rest of the world? I mean, someone has to support British Tourism. Why can't it be me?


In the future, I fancy I will let a cottage for a fortnight or two and have a go at living in the country. Then maybe I should postpone my holiday in Britain, just for a bit so that I might experience other amiable areas of the world? Righto!(Note: end of accent previously mentioned)

I know that there are a million other places that would be fabulous to go visit. And, honestly, this isn't even my complete list. I could seriously blog about this forever. Too. Many. Gorgeous. Places. Any help? Any ideas? Where's your favorite place? Please, pretty please, give input.

Evening

In a previous post I mentioned the moving Evening. It's a film, based on a book by Susan Minot, about an old woman who relives and rehashes past events in her life while suffering through dementia. Boy, that sounds really dark and heavy. Well, actually it is in some parts. But it was shot at Howard Cushing Jr's Newport Beach, RI home. Here's some pretty pictures to start off the week.


Look at the cute little seat in the entry. There's another one right across from it, as well.


Oooo, potted hydrangeas. That actually might work for me.

Just in case you missed it the first time: a better picture of the seat, plus Hugh Dancy's feet!

Love the blue on the ceiling!

Art Influenced by Life? Or the Other Way Around? Part I

Cote de Texas, one of my favorite blogs, recently posted about beautiful movie sets. And since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and all that, I thought I would do the same. I've actually had this idea for a long time, but it's taken me hours, and hours, and..well, I won't bore you with my exciting life on Google. But, anyway, it's taken a long time to find pictures of my movie. I thought about screencapping it myself, but that would be tedious. So, I found a lovely blog, Surroundings, that did it for me! Yippee! I <3 Google! Ok, enough about my love affair with an internet search engine and onto some pictures. Da Dum!

My favorite movie set ever is The Holiday. This movie features three completely beautiful homes that make me drool. (Interestingly enough, it's by the same director and production designer of Cote de Texas's favorite movie Something's Gotta Give.)
First, let's take a look at the cute little Rose Cottage.

They actually built this cottage for the movie. It's amazing that they could make it look so old! How can I do that to my house? With a budget of around $45?

Here's Iris's Bedroom:

I love the stacked books on the bedside table. I have that too, though not necessarily as a design fixture, but as a "books I'm reading right now" fixture. Who knew I was being clever?

Living Room:

I love that cupboard. But look at that TV, hidden behind plants. That would SOOOO not work in my house. I do love how they juxtaposed the modern side table with the slipcovered traditional arm chairs.

Not the dog, silly, (though he's cute, too) but the ottoman!

But my favorite shot of the cottage is this:

I love all the layers on the side table. And the contemporary B&W photos on the mantle. Which you could view better if Cameron would move her head! Hrmph.

Grant's house:
His house is so lived in, I love it. Totally true to life, though very well decorated.


I am such a sucker for built-ins. I really need some of my own, so I'll stop coveting ones I see on TV. These are a great color, too. Like a dark gray, not quite black.

Now onto Amanda's digs in LA:

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this home. I thought after viewing this movie for the first time that I really needed to mix up my look. It's influenced me more than I realized.

Entry:

You never really get a good look at her entry chandelier, which always bums me out.

Media Room:

Would I be sued by Nancy Meyers if I duplicated this room completely? Should I have not admitted that on a site read by millions? Ok, tens? Ok, okay, ones?

Living Room:

Look how much seating there is! It makes my living room look absolutely pitiful, like I'm very, very lonely. I love the idea of a chaise in the room. My family room is actually a very similar layout. This shot gives me great ideas for furniture placement. I also love the matching sideboards.

I love the dark upholstery mixed with the white.

Here's a chair in my master bedroom. I feel this purchase was highly influenced by The Holiday. What'd'ya think?


Here's my entryway. Look at that sisal rug! Just like the entryway in the movie. (Though about 1/10 the size.) Ignore the Christmas tree. See, I told you I had this post idea for a while. And while we're at it, what about that slipcovered wing chair? Look familiar?

And here's my mantle, an homage to Iris.

So, as you can see, not only do I love watching this, I want to move in. And I'm doing my best to make it so. I actually have a lot of other pictures on how I was inspired in their Christmas decorations, but I'll leave that for another post closer to Christmas time.

Please check out Surrounding's posts about the two girls' houses. She shows you where to get the same look!

The Beloved Fairy Door

Dear Little Redhead Whose Name Will Not Be Mentioned In This Blog,

Hello, my name is Gossamer Willowfly and I’m your new neighbor. Can you find my door? I’ll give you a hint: it’s very small and pink. Do you know why it’s so small? Because I’m a fairy. That’s right. My family and I moved in last night and we’re so excited to meet you! I left you a basket so you can get to know me better. I found a doll that looks just like me. And I’m giving you my favorite thing to do: bubbles! I’m also giving you my favorite candy. I wanted to eat them myself, but my mom said I had to share. I hope you like them.

My family and I are Speckless Fairies. That means that we live in neat and tidy surroundings. That’s why we moved in here, because it was so beautiful and clean. I hope you can keep it that way.

I hope we can become good friends.

Love, Gossamer

P.S. Don’t try to open our door. It can only be opened with Fairy Magic!


Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

Something I've Been Struggling With...

Don't worry. I promise I won't jump. It's not that big a problem.

No, it's not my weight. I don't want to talk about that.

No, it's my design aesthetic. Yes, I admit it. I've been confused about what type of style I have. But, "How can this be?", you ask. Well, simple as this: I love beautiful things. In all shapes, colors and textures. And, apparently, design styles. So, it gets confusing when trying to decide what direction to take when decorating. Especially when living in Texas. It's too easy to be pigeon-holed into French country or Traditional here. It seems like that's all there is to choose from. Especially if you like to go to Canton as much as I do. All of the sudden, I've taken a new look at my house and have been dissappointed in what I see. And that's rather depressing. So, I've been trying to evaluate where I am and what I'm trying to accomplish and what I really like. Well, not just like, but love.

Now, don't let the previous paragraph deceive you. I've always known that my style was hard to define. In the past, I've really envied my friends who were a certain type of style, straight across the board. In years gone, I've defined my style as Parisian Apartment
/Euro Eclectic
with French Country
thrown in for fun! But with my recent self-doubts, I've been wondering. Not to mention the fact that I have my house in my head, and my house in reality that are competing with each other. Stop fighting, you guys! Why can't we all just get along?
So, I went to HGTV to enter the DreamHouse giveaway (Oh no! Did I just lessen my chances?) and clicked on the Find Your Style page. This is what I am, according to Karen McAloon*: Sophisticated. Honestly, I think that's the first time anyone's ever described me as such. It said that I was mixed and liked traditional elegance with modern lines. I actually find that fairly accurate. Here's the problem, though: They didn't show any pictures or ideas for help. So, there we have it. Katrina is sophisticated, and still confused.

But, all kidding aside, I'm focused now. I now just have to concentrate on finding romantic, simple furniture and lots of sparkle. Luckily, my dining room has stayed on task, and not veered off into undesirable territories. I'm going to try to use this as a jumping off point to tweak the rest of the house.





And by the way, Happy Easter!


*Pay no attention to Karen's picture. It's spooky. They tried to whiten her teeth and just made it very scary to look at. Like Ross and the blacklight.

Maybe I Like Gothic More Than I Think...

Last night Jenni and I saw Definitely, Maybe. I was floored at how much I loved this movie. If it hadn't been the last showing of the day, I would have just rooted myself into the seat for another viewing. As it was, I could hardly fall asleep for thinking of all my favorite parts. It's by the same people who did Notting Hill and Love Actually. If you liked those movies, you'll like this one, too!

First of all, let me just say that the previews were outstanding. Never before have I seen a movie where every single preview shown was already on my "ready and willing to see it" list!






One of my favorite scenes in Definitely, Maybe was a fight. Loved it! And it made me realize that I actually love that type of scene. i.e.,

There's just something about a man confessing his love that makes me melt!

Another great scene I came across this past summer was from Evening.

Hugh Dancy has a scene/movie stealing moment, but it's not necessarily pretty.

And, of course, there's this:

And if you don't recognize this picture, go and rent North and South right now!

So, though I'm not the biggest fan of Gothic romance novels, I'm thinking I don't mind a little angst now and again.

I Hate to Admit It, But...

Have you ever looked in the mirror and scared yourself? Well, that's exactly what happened to me last night. Yes, after a few days of not washing my hair, who know I'd turn into this?
Only scarier. If I were truly self-actualized, I'd post a picture. But I'm not. So there.

Onto prettier things...

I took hubby furniture shopping on Saturday. I always try to get him to go in February, because Oprah once said that's when they have the best sales. I'm always hoping we'll end up making an impulse purchase. It's happened once. I think he's onto me.

Among the many projects in my house, I'd like to re-purpose my formal living. We never use it, so I thought it'd be better as a library. I'm wanting four upholstered chairs surrounding a round table. I found this at Pottery Barn:

It's only $1, 349! (And that's on sale!) Times 4. That's (getting out calculator)$5,396 just for the chairs.

I found these at IKEA for only $249:

But hubby hates IKEA. Sigh.

So, Saturday we went to the new Robb&Stucky near our home. I found these:
(Well, not these exactly. These are from Room Service Home, but I couldn't find the ones I liked on Robb&Stucky's website. Picture these in cream, and cuter.) They're only $2259! Wait. I'm going up. I'm suppose to be looking for less expensive, not more! What to do? What to do? No. Seriously. I'm asking you. What should I do? Because now, I'm totally in love with these! And the shape and size is so unique, that it's not like I can go and slip cover a thrift store find. (Crying now.) Oh, well. It's not like this is in the works anytime soon. I still have to do my gameroom, the backyard, the front patio, french doors in my master bedroom...Ok, now I'm really depressed.