Spoiled Rotten

Did you have a nice Mother's Day weekend? Randy and Kalia spoiled me rotten! We have been living in the Indianapolis area for about nine months now, and haven't gotten around to exploring downtown - so they took me for lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory. It was incredible! It wasn't really the food as much as the atmosphere that was so impressive. Our waitress told us that the one in Indianapolis used to be a shoe factory, and each restaurant location has its own unique history.

After lunch, we drove around and took pictures of Kalia and some of the architecture. There are so many beautiful Churches and buildings around here, and I was so excited to have my camera back from the repair shop, so I just had to use it! After our little photography session, we went to the Chocolate Cafe on the main circle in the middle of town. We split a delicious cheesecake, and had some dark chocolate drinks. The shop was adorable - decorated with vintage chocolate tins and posters. Lastly, we headed on to Massachusetts Avenue, where we found the best toy shop EVER! What did you do to celebrate the day?

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, my mama friends, and my friends' mamas!

Image: Sarah Kaye - Sandra Lane

So Pickin' Pink

When I was a little girl, I LOVED pink. I suppose it was about the time I hit Jr. High that I was embarassed to say I enjoyed the color - so I began telling friends (particularly boys) that blue was my favorite. Now, I'm not ashamed. I LOVE pink. I can't get enough pink! Thank goodness I have a little girl...and now she says that pink is her favorite color too. Three cheers for pink!


(Rebecca Thuss)

(Creature Comforts)

(Angela Henrie Designs)


(Domino)


(Creature Comforts)


(hiccupings)


(Country Living)

The Price Is Right

I have been obsessed with this red and turquoise indoor/outdoor rug from KoKo for a few years now - and even watched as it went up in price. I never purchased it because for one, I don't need it. Secondly, it doesn't actually go with my decor...so I couldn't justify spending $52 (plus shipping). Last night, my mom called with some good news - World Market has some great polypropylene indoor/outdoor rugs for $16.99! Now that, I can justify. I have to admit that I still love the design on the KoKo rug, but will definitely settle for the World Market substitute. I'm considering the teal and green combo, but the other two are still in the running. I might have to base my decision on what's in stock at our local World Market!

Daydreams

Sometimes I daydream about owning a bakery, bed and breakfast, or boutique, and other times I imagine myself as a wedding coordinator. Wouldn't it be fun to help women plan their dream day? I just love these wedding inspiration boards from Snippet & Ink.

Ooooooo, I have an idea! We all love house tours, so what would you think about peeking at some weddings? Anyone interested?!

Images: Snippet & Ink

Impressionistic Cinematography

Since I'm on a wedding kick today, I just had to share this amazing video that Rebekka sent my way. It's absolutely incredible! LINK

FIVE

On Cinco de Mayo, I thought I would take the time to share 5 things that I am looking forward to this Spring and Summer. I am beginning to look ahead now that Kalia only has two weeks left of preschool, and it's starting to warm up a bit. What are your 5?!


1. Summer drinks, and outdoor dining! (Alison Miksch)


2. Travel (Brown Button)

3. Flowers (A Field Journal)

4. Family bike rides and outdoor activities (Pink Wallpaper)


5. Kalia's summer activities - lemonade stands, ice cream, popsicles, soccer games, swimming, sidewalk chalk (Kewl Magazine)

Cinco de Mayo - Dan Zanes Style

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I want to highly recommend the Dan Zanes CD, "Nueva York" - for kids. My sister-in-law introduced us to his music one Christmas, and we're hooked! Kalia loves it, and we pretend to "tolerate" it, while secretly singing along and adoring the tunes. Seriously - I might even play this CD at an adult fiesta!

I'll Miss You!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend! Let's meet back here on Tuesday. xoxo

Image: Country Living

This Little Piggy Went to the Flea Market

We're getting ready to pack up, and head off to Grandma's for a good, long weekend of antiquing and swimming. I can't wait! I'll be back to blogging on Tuesday, and hopefully I'll have photos to share from my flea market excursion. I hope to see something as wonderful as the figurines in this photo I found on The Paris Apartment. You should head over there for some Parisian eye candy. I don't remember much from my one year of French, but I think the phrase I'm looking for is "tres magnifique"!

Image: The Paris Apartment

Happy Birthday, Old Friend!

And by "old", I mean that the friendship goes way back! Earlier this week, I posted Rebekka's house tour, and it brought back some great college memories...one of them being our late-night (microwaved) s'mores! Today is Rebekka's Birthday, and I definitely considered sharing a cupcake photo, but s'mores are a better suit. If you are interested in making some S'mores Bars, she shared a delicious recipe on her blog. Be sure to wish her a Happy Birthday while you're there! I think I'm going to have to raid my pantry now, and hope that we have graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows.

Image: Hex Conduction Hour

Kaleidoscope

(Flickr)


(Angela Henrie Designs)

ETSY

Do you have a favorite ETSY shop? Here are a few of my recent finds.


Dish Towel (ric rac and buttons)


Personalized Stamp (craft pudding)


Baby Shoes (Mia Joie)

Peekin' On Pickin' - Rebekka and Manley's Place

Rebekka was my very first College roommate, and is just one of the coolest people I have ever known. Shortly after we received our rooming assignment, we were e-mailing back and forth about how we wanted to decorate our little dorm "cell", and let me tell you - it was an incredible space! At least we thought so, at the time. I suppose it's not difficult to improve a room with yellowish-white concrete walls and hideous metal closet doors! We had some good times in that room.

Rebekka taught me some important life lessons, such as how to create the perfect sweet and salty combo by adding M&M's to a bag of popcorn. The candies melt so nicely on the inside, but the little colored shells keep them from melting in your hand. I haven't eaten plain popcorn since Freshman year! She also introduced me to some great music. I think I was able to teach her a thing or two as well...like how to make a s'more in the microwave. I am also responsible for introducing her to the snow plow. I am quite familiar with them, being from Chicago and all, while she is a Southern gal from Birmingham, where snow plow sightings are apparently not so common.

Rebekka transferred to another College for Sophomore year, and somehow, I always imagined that she would become a painter, or graphic designer. She is indeed an artist, but her canvas is the kitchen. She found herself in Culinary School, and is working as a personal chef in Nashville.

I have never been able to see Rebekka's place in Tennessee, but I knew her well enough to know that it would be cute - and I was absolutely right! I asked her to share a few photos for a house tour. If you stop in for a visit, please sign the Guestbook! (a.k.a. Comments) Thanks for dropping by - y'all!


Beautiful. I LOVE the window treatments!


Diggin' the gold chair and the birdcage. Good idea, Rebekka! I love the color of the artwork.


What a cute dining space! I'm sure you could have guessed that I adore the chandelier.


Great choice in paint color, and towels. I believe we saw the cute tiles at Maggie's place too!


Loving the twin beds, table, wall color...


Pretty bedding! I wouldn't mind being a guest in this room.


Great Master bedroom! The drapes are elegant, as is the wall color with the bedding. I think the headboard is Domino-esque! (Domino was my favorite magazine, but is no longer being published. Darn the economy!)


Isn't that a great photo collage? Awwww...I see at least one of Rebekka and Manley! I like the lighting too.


Lovin' the piggy bank!

Thanks to Rebekka for contributing to my 100th blog post. Happy Hundred!

Weekend Wishes

For those of you who didn't know - we moved from Lexington, KY, to the Indianapolis area in the Fall...so I am missing some very dear friends. Lucky for me, one of them will be coming for a weekend visit! You can bet I'll be taking her to The Flying Cupcake for a treat. I hope your weekend is fantastic, and I'll be back next week - with a house tour!

Image: abby try again

I Spy...Something Colorful

(Sussie Bell)

(hiccupings)

(Cottage Living)

I'm sure you have noticed that I love kid rooms - and frankly, I think they're inspiring. Generally, the colors are cheerful, and accessories are just plain fun! I think we're most creative with kid rooms because we want them to remember their personal space as a happy place, and one that inspired them to play for hours. This may sound a little absurd, but it may even be possible that we believe their space will somehow affect what they do, or become in the future - do you think?! Did you notice that these rooms all have the same rug? It's a great one for adding color to any space.

Guess where you can find the rug! Surprised?! (Click on "where" to see the site.)

Eye Candy

Images: Desire to Inspire

Cute Color

This seems to be my latest color obsession. I just can't get enough of this palette! My color preferences tend to change with the season, so if you're sick of pastels - you'll have to check back with me in the Fall. These are a few photos of a girl's room that I am loving - for the colors.

LOVE the lantern, rug, floor cushions, color palette...


Cute lamb painting. At least I think it's a lamb! I would love to have my 4-year-old paint something similar on a canvas.



Images: Hiccupings

Circus Inspiration

Livingetc. recently claimed that circus-inspired decor is the latest trend. If you're bored with pastels, then this photo is dedicated to YOU!

Image: Roland Bello