House Updates and Stuff I like

 New England Home

Hey y'all! That's not my house, but I like it. It's giving me inspiration for our own exterior, specifically, the shutters around the arched window and the potted boxwoods on either side of the door.  I bet this house looks really pretty at Christmas.  That's kind of how I judge houses now - would they be a place I'd like to spend Christmas?  The previous owners of our house loved Christmas so much that they left me a giant 6 foot tall Santa to display in our arched window.  I know, I know, it's rude of me to brag.  But really, 6 ft Santa's should come standard in every home.

Moving on, I have kind of a random post today.  If you are a liker of Belclaire House on Facebook some of this may be redundant so I apologize.  Sometimes it's nice to show the non-likers what they're missing so then they'll come like me.  Also, sometimes I write weird status updates that I later wonder if I should have kept to myself so you definitely don't want to miss out on that. 

So, first, some house stuff:

I'm not totally sure I like this pillow situation.  I spilled red wine on one of my white Pottery Barn jute braid pillows that apparently you can't wash or dry clean.  When I went back to get another one, these blue pillows were on sale for $18 and the white capiz shell pillow was on sale for $8 - all together less expensive than my one white pillow.  So I bought those instead because you know the old saying, "the more pillows, the closer to God."  Yes, it's a saying.  I just said it.  The big sham in the middle is an old Ralph Lauren sham that I already had.  Our sofas are not in the greatest shape so clearly I'm trying to cover them with pillows in an effort to hide them.  Is it working?

I am sure that I love this Erica Heather plant situation happening in front of my sink.  I found these at the grocery store, and they seem to be doing better than the basil and rosemary that I had in there previously. 

The curtains look a bit wonky here (I need to rehang them), but I am very pleased with my new white dupioni silk curtains, also picked up on sale at Pottery Barn.   The need for drapery was semi-urgent.  Our lab has an unhealthy obsession with the neighbor's lab and she sits at the window staring into their living room for hours on end.  I imagine she's sitting there singing Eric Carmen in her head, "when I was young, I never needed anyone ..."

In the spirit of trying to do some things on a budget,  I attempted an almost free Thanksgiving table for my girl's dinner on Saturday using nuts, candles and some yummy scented pine cones from Target.  I'm normally not a fan of scented anything at the dinner table, but these were very light and seemed to compliment the meal. 

pardon the iphone-ness of this photo, but I took it with my iphone

And finally, I painted the front door! We had a gorgeous weekend in Kansas City, and I decided I needed to just go ahead and do it myself. 

Before:

After:

The color is Benjamin Moore Twilight (totally appropriate for this Team Edward house). 

Ignore the sad lonely pumpkin.  It's just sad.  Sad pumpkin aside, I love the color.  I'm excited to zhuzh up the front porch area now. 

Ok, one last thing because I know y'all have more important things to do than read mah babblin', but I'm always looking for gifts for myself for others, and One King's Lane has a ton of fun gifts for friends and family and myself.

Such as,

Mint Julep Cups for $20

Pink Lacquer Keepsake Boxes

A snow leopard throw blanket (I can't get enough snow leopard lately) 

This coral chinoiserie tray (they call it coral, but it looks red to me)

And lots more.  Good hostess gifts, too. 

Just thought y'all would like to know. 

Ok team have a lovely day!!

When I was young
I never needed anyone
And makin' love was just for fun
Those days are gone

All by myself
Don't wanna be, all by myself anymore
All by myself
Don't wanna live, all by myself anymore

A Door Color is Chosen

duh duh duh. 

I know, y'all were probably sitting around all weekend wondering what color I might choose.  I mean, we have a lot of important decisions to make these days and my front door color is certainly at or near the top of everyone's list.  So after a long and contentious internal debate, where the voices in my head suddenly became New Jersey undecideds, who asked me questions like, "Hey Lady, what do ya really want to do?" and "Hey Lady, make up your mind already and fohgetaboutit!!!" Ok that last one was not a question, but somehow I started channeling Joe Guidice in my inner monologue and then I got scared.  Anyway, we found the perfect color. 

Benjamin Moore Twilight 

It's only the most appropriately named front door paint color ever (Team Edward always and forever). 

We held a giant swatch up to the front door and Kip and were both like, "Oh yeah, that's it.  That's soo it."  And then Kip fell to the ground crying from happiness that we don't have to talk about it anymore. 

It's so close to Hague Blue that I questioned whether I was completely insane and had just picked the same color in a different brand.  It's basically 1/114th of a shade lighter than Hague Blue.  Less black in it.  The reason it works better is because it contrasts with the dark navy shutters more.  The Hague Blue looked a bit like we tried to match the shutters and failed miserably.  It's also a more consistent color.  One of the things I love about Hague Blue is that it changes with the light, but I didn't want such an extreme change with the front door. 

Sooo I'm really hoping to get it painted this week so we can take our freaking Christmas card picture stat.  Having a child has really brought out the "crazy Christmas picture panic" in me.  I remember The Suze would get it around July and then again in December.  Being the awesome teenager that I was, I would roll my eyes and be like, "gah, Mom it's just a Christmas card, stop freaking out about it! It's so lame."  (I know, I was really fun to be around between the ages of 13 and 20).  Anyway, getting the perfect Christmas card becomes an obsession this time of year.  I don't mean perfect in that we have to look perfect, but it has to be what I envisioned or I feel like I've failed. 

Ok, I've veered majorly off-topic.  Here are some libraries painted in a 50/50 mix of Twilight and Gentleman's Gray, both by Benjamin Moore.  They're real pretty.  I thought I'd share so you get a better idea of the color.  Plus I love to see how paint colors look in actual magazines (which are usually nothing like how they look in real life but whatevs)

Ashley Whittaker

The "Prussian Blue" library from Ashley Whittaker is part of a Manhattan apartment makeover featured in House Beautiful probably a while back.  It's totally worth revisiting though.   Go here to see the rest.

via Design*Sponge

Doesn't that look nice and cozy?  The color is so rich and yummy.  This lovely bookcase reminds me that I need to work on the bookcase in the master sitting room today.  Kip keeps threatening to do it himself.  So if I actually get that done today, I'll take some pics for y'all. 

Okay, can't wait to get this door painted!

Have a lovely day!

Paint Color I Need: Narragansett Green

* Design by Barbara Westbrook for 2012 Atlanta Symphony Associates’ Decorators’ Show House & Gardens

This is kind of the opposite of the glowy pink bedroom of yesterday, but I love it equally.  It's just soo rich.  I have bedrooms on the brain since that's the room we'll focus on first when we move into the new house (accept we're really not focusing on it because we went out and bought those Restoration Hardware chairs for the kitchen and now I'm on double secret probation with house-buying stuff). But I love this color -  Benjamin Moore Narragansett Green.  I also love the balance of the masculine and feminine in the room.  It's just gewd.

Maybe I need to rename this the Belclaire House Bedroom Blog or the Belclaire House I'm Losing My Mind Not Being Able To Fully Furnish A House I Have Yet To Inhabit And I Need To Paint Something Now Blog.  Only 38 more days (Ramona crazy eyes).

Have a Lovely Minty Blue Weekend!

Yes, I brought my color card to bed with me.  I'm such a nerd.  I'm having a slight obsession with minty blue.  Basically mint, but more on the blue side than green, so, really, basically pale blue - I know, I know - it's hard to describe, and I do a terrible job.  

Yesterday, I had to run to Lowes to get some cleaning essentials, and, of course, decided that checking out potential front door paint colors would be a better use of my time.  Our new house has a red door, and while I have nothing against red doors on other houses, it's just not me.  I just can't do red.  I love it when other people do it, but I can't live with it in my own home, which is weird because it's like, why can't I just hate it.  Ironically, the real Belclaire House that inspired this blog was cream with dark blue shutters and a red door, which is exactly what I'm getting in a few months! But, alas, I have to be true to myself and I'm seriously considering a pale minty blue front door.

 I found Valspar's Stillness which is a creamy minty pale blue and it's heavenly! I painted a giant foam board so when the time comes I can hold it up to the house rather than testing colors on the door.  I fell asleep last night dreaming of my minty pale blue front door flanked by blue and white pots filled with hydrangeas - I don't know if I can wait 4 months for this house! 

Anyway, now that I've chatted your ear off, enjoy some of these links: 

Valspar's Stillness on the walls of this bedroom

Minty Blue Nail Polish

Good News: 

Y'all found some blue and white planters (here and here) 

Bad News: 

They're between $1000 and $4000 so that's kind of not in my budget yo 

(I know I'm so poor)

Meh News: 

I found some for cheaper, but they're not as pretty (here and here) 

(Buuut I kinda don't hate the Walmart ones and they may end up in front of my creamy pale minty blue front door) 


Minty Blue Wedding Inspiration

I probs need this mint dress


Baby Elephant Playing Soccer

I love embroidered linens
Budget Tip: you can almost always find Sferra embroidered sheet sets at Tuesday Morning for a steal 


Lots of minty blue door inspiration

Color I Like: Benjamin Moore's Winter Solstice

from the DC home of Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos featured in Elle Decor

It is nice.

That's all.

Moodboard Monday: I Coveteth Hard

Forgive me Father for I have sinned.  No, I'm not talking about the overindulgence in bubbly that may or may not have happened at the wedding the other night, and if it did it has nothing to do with the awesome dance routine my friends and I have perfected to Proud Mary (that's not even a sin yo).  No, Father, it's that I coveteth.  I coveteth hard.  First, my friend Tina at The Enchanted Home opened an online store.

The Enchanted Home Shop

Obviously, she wants me to be poor because I have to buy everything in it, and being the charitable person I am, I need to buy stuff for friends too.  The prices are actually really great, it's just that there's so much awesomeness that I need to have.

Like ...

Pink Dogs

Blue and White Needlepoint Pillows

Blue and White Porcelain

Peacock Canvas

Topiaries

It's all real good y'all.

I also coveteth Jenny from MFAMB's future pink living room.   I love the color she chose.  Farrow & Ball's Pink Ground.  Brooke Giannetti from Velvet and Linen used it in her bathroom.

If we don't move in the next 5 years, I'm going to take over the Kip's room in the den and paint it this pink and make it a lovely sitting area.  And because it's Monday, I made you and our Heavenly Father a moodboard to justify my covetethness.

{Accessories from The Enchanted Home Shop include peacock stretched canvas art, double lemon leaf topiary in classic brass urn, little girl stretched canvas art, blue willow vase with stand, pink and cream staffordshire dogs, needlepoint pillows, viennese blooms 2 wick large candle in toile container} 


Have a lovely Monday!

Decisions ... decisions

House Beautiful

Before I bother you with more requests for advice, I wanted to share with you this gorgeous wall color I found whilst searching for colors for Edward's bathroom (we'll get there in a moment).  It's called Marylin's Dress by Benjamin Moore and I love it with the cream and lilac accents.  The overall prettiness of this room makes me infinitely happy.  

As happy as Oscar the Grouch makes Edward. 

Soo Happy!

So anyway, now that I have you in a happy place, I'm going to annoy you once again.  I ended up taking all of the pillow sham fabrics back to Calico Corners and walking out with nothing because I couldn't make up my mind about what I wanted.  I decided to take a time-out from my search and move on to another project, which is Edward's bathroom.  

I bought this adorable shower curtain (Edward loves ducks and I love the scalloped border along the bottom).  

The eyes in the ducks are a dark teal color so I thought it'd be fun to go bold and paint the walls to match the eyes so I also picked up a sample pot of paint and got to work.  

Well, it's super dark and I hate it now after 10 hours.  It's just a tiny potty and tub area with a window and while dark sometimes works in small spaces, this one doesn't.  So now I'm off to try one or two more colors (that dark is going to be a Courtney from The Bachelor to cover up if you know what I mean) and if they don't work I'm just going to use some of our leftover Linen White and call it a success.  If y'all have any paint recs I'd love to hear them.  I'm usually incredibly decisive about what I like so all of this going back and forth is really stressing me out.  Oy Vey!

P.S.  Did anyone else cry when Kacie B. was in the limo? I did. I just wanted to give her the biggest hug! I've totally been there.  My sister-in-law saw her out in Nashville and talked to her for a bit and said she seemed fine and I don't need to be sad.  If you don't know what I'm talking about consider yourself highly evolved.  

P.P.S.  Crate and Barrel is going to take the coffee maker back.  The Cuisinart customer service told me that exotic coffee and Starbucks coffee beans clog it up, even though I used it once. I was using coffee from Hawaii.  I guess that's exotic? Whatevs.