Update on the BOUDOIR challenge

What was once blue and boring...

...is now this tangy, citrusy green

The photos don't do this room justice

It's marvelous so far. Now I get to ACCESSORIZE.

I fear that I might dream about Granny Smith apples all night

Cherry blossoms in the backyard

Lizzie and I were giving our backyard some much-needed attention today and she discovered that one branch of our ornamental cherry tree had blossomed. This tree is the most annoying tree I've ever seen, as most of the season it dropped inedible cherries down on the ground which are crushed and smushed and create a horrible mess everywhere  Imagine walking over a field of EYEBALLS everyday from July through September. That's what it is like. But for now...

...we can enjoy...

...pretty flowers

Birthday surprises

Look at what Le Creuset just added to their line of gourmet cookware.

Oh Rain, you're so silly.

I got completely spoiled this year (as if I don't every other time!). The Le Creuset fairy came to visit for my birthday.

Loving the blue of this Dutch oven. The colour is Caribbean and I feel like I have a bit of the sky cooking in my oven.

Plus a matching mortar and pestle set. I've wanted one of these for years.

And a much needed spoon rest beside my stove. No more messy counter for me.

This gorgeous covered casserole dish is eagerly waiting for its first lasagna. Also from Le Creuset of course (told you I was spoiled)

My little Lizzie saved her money and bought me this heart pendant with a tiny emerald (my birthstone). I've worn it everyday since she gave it to me. It means so much to me.

A new bunny came to live with us as well on my birthday. I adore the wicker take on the traditional garden rabbit.

Are you jealous Ollie?

The $260 decorating challenge

Happy day-after-Mother's Day to everyone. I had a very quiet day around here yesterday. I over-indulged in some Australian wine at our Australian dinner party the night before. Yep, I'm a lightweight and a cheap drunk, so I wasted one of my rare days off feeling lousy. Oh well, I suppose I needed to catch up on my rest.

I'm moving on to new projects. Tax refund checks are in, so I'm going to finally decorate my master bedroom. I didn't get the whole check for my project- only $260.00- so I'm going to have to budget to achieve a Beautiful Boudoir. 

Want to see some of my plans?

Exhibit A - Looks okay. Just very, very boring. We had the entire interior of our house painted just days after we moved in. I quickly picked a shade of blue that I thought would look okay. And it did. Much better than the nicotine stained orange shade the previous owners had. I've lived with it for four years now, so I'm due for a change. 

Exhibit B - I would love to redo the inside of the closet, but I think all I'll do here is paint out the trim. Wait! Before you all get up in arms for painting wooden trim, let me assure you that the wood trim is most definitely not it's natural shade. The previous owner stained the trim a chocolatye-wine-ish colour. Very ugly and not very nicely done at that. I'm thinking a nice coat of pure white is the ticket.

Exhibit C - This is the dresser of shame. It's become a collection site for stray coins, lone socks, receipts, and anything else that cannot find its way home. I'm not sure if I will paint the dresser or not, but the very items on top will be relocated to their proper homes. Plus, the humidifier is a bit ugly too, so I will need to find a better home for it!

This picture is my inspiration for my room redo. It's from the March 2009 issue of Whole Living. I was flipping through the magazine at the checkout line at the grocery store, and I was immediately smitten by this photo. I'm not sure what it is, but I think I'd be happy waking up to this colour every morning.

It's surprisingly difficult to match the shade, because it's in a magazine and I'm told the scanner doesn't pick up the colour very well. I've been collecting colour swatches from all the various paint companies. Luckily, the quilt I planned for my bed has several shades of green I can also choose from.

I think I might have a winner - CIL's New Green. Very restful, no? Or maybe that was Behr. Now I just have to decide if I want four green walls or just one.

I have stack of decorating magazines down in my craft room, so I turned to them for more ideas. How about bamboo blinds with simple white panels over top. 

I like this simple decorative elements over the bed...

Look, I found just the thing at Winners. For $24.99 no less!

I'm not sure if my existing headboard will stay. I'm worried about how it will work will all the white trim. I have some large canvases that I may cover with fabric and put in it's place.

Of course, I'll put in some pretty embroidered pillowcases and I have a small console that I may dress with a fabric skirt for some additional colour.

Here are a few more elements in the room. I've ordered the lime trellis print to make pillow shams and the fabric on the pillow to cover a slipper chair I've had for years. And the mirror?

Another wonderful Winners find. I love that store. Unfortunately, I think at $119.99 this might put me over my budget, but isn't it pretty?  Maybe I'll save funds somewhere else.

I will keep you posted on my progress. I'm off to start clearing out the room. Wish me luck.

A new seat

When I revealed Lizzie's room redo last February, I was still missing an oh-so-important item...the perfect desk chair. I scoured local thrift and discount stores for a cute and unique chair that would suit her new "tween" look.

This is the room just after we finished with temporary kitchen chair. Not comfy or pretty, definitely more suited to dining than sitting at a desk.

Today we picked up this charming chair, Umbra's award winning "Oh" chair, in the perfect shade of lime green to complement the rest of Lizzie's room. We both love the pop of bright colour against the white walls. The chair comes in black and white too, but we just could resist the green. Plus Lizzie finds it pretty comfy.

Doesn't it look great? And it was on sale too! We love a bargain around here.