Goodbye, 2011.

Today is New Year's Eve Eve. Tomorrow we leave for four work-free days in Jekyll Island, GA - a much needed respite from the daily grind.

2011 was a very "full" year. Full of extremes - both good and bad. It's been a year of change for Jesse and I to say the least, some of which I've shared here, a lot of which is too personal to share outside of my closest friends and family. I must admit, I get a little choked up when I think back on a lot of what has occurred.

I'm so thankful that we get to spend the end of the year with two of our dearest friends in a serene environment. It's a calming way to end a very tumultuous year.

Here's to 2012 bringing lots of good things - love, luck and happiness. I have an immense amount of hope that it will.

I leave you with a Gaelic New Year's toast and a playlist of my favorite songs from 2011:

Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit, go mbeire muid beo ar an am seo arís!
(A prosperous New Year and may we be alive at this time next year.)

Driftwood Beach in Jekyll Island, GA (Image courtesy of http://theycallmesausage.blogspot.com.)

Holidays in Full Effect

Is it just me, or is the holiday season flying by?

Between the rush of crazy busy days and planning for my parents to be with us during Christmas, the last month and a half blew by and I feel like I totally missed Christmas. I suppose the fact that I had a nasty cold from the Wednesday before Christmas until now that is still hanging out, didn't help since I was in a Thera-flu induced stupor most of the time.

Unfortunately, we took ONE photo. That's right - a single photo. Kind of a bummer.

Regardless, I was under the impression that all went well - my parents seemed to have a great time and we had TONS of food around - Sweet hubs and I cooking our first full Christmas dinner was a success.

Now, it's time for me to go back to resting in hopes that my cold will magically disappear and I will get a ton of stuff accomplished in the next three days before we leave for our New Year's trip to Jekyll Island, Georgia.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and will continue on to have a wonderful New Year's celebration.

Merry Christmas, from The Browns (photo courtesy of sweet hubs on Instagram).

Ready for the Holidays

Well, our home is officially decorated and ready for the holidays.

This year, Jesse and I will be hosting our first Christmas. Both my parents and his, as well as his sister and potentially some of our friends will be coming to our home for Christmas dinner. We've started planning our menu and are really excited about the festivities and finally being able to host a holiday celebration in our own home now that our families are closer by.

Here's a sneak peek of what Casa de Brown looks like, holiday-ified. (Photos courtesy of sweet hubs.)

Happy holidays, everyone!

Holiday Gift Guide 2011 - 35 Well Designed Gifts for Under $100

It's that time of year again... the days are getting chilly, we're gorging our faces on delicious food and thinking of all the folks we need to buy gifts for this holiday season.

Considering the economy, most people are trying to find the best gifts for smaller budgets. Holiday shopping doesn't have to be hectic or cause a headache (or in some people's cases, a mini-breakedown). It should be fun - you're giving gifts to your loved ones.

That being said, I give you my holiday gift guide which is chock full of frugal, yet really cool gifts, all for $100 or less, to impress the design lovers in your life.

Enjoy!

#1. World Map in Aqua (also available in other colors) - $99 from These are Things

#2. Freedom Ring - $78 from Fred Flare

#3. Luxe Faux Fur Throw in Mink - $79 from Restoration Hardware

#4. Storyteller Scarf - $55 from Madewell

#5. Thomas Paul Seafarer Hand Towel - Set of 3 - $50 from Design Public

#6. Linen Scarf by Apolis + Matteo - $58 from Apolis

#7. Wallter Hanging Planter - $72 from Design Public

#8. DwellStudio Baby Foxes Graphic Knit Blanket - $50 from Design Public

#9. Forget Me Knot Ring - $58 from Fred Flare

#10. Vintage Board Games - $69 from Restoration Hardware

#11. The Bowmans Bay Cowl (available in other colors) - $65 from Black Haired Broad

#12. iPad Case (available in other colors) - $59.95 from DODOcase

#13. Market Bag - $58 from Apolis

#14. Scribble Hanging Planter - $70 from Pigeon Toe Ceramics

#15. Timex Weekender Watch - $40 from Need Supply

#16. IMM_Living Aphrodite USB Hub - $46 from Fred Flare

#17. Sound Isolation Earphones - $49.99 from Vers

#18. Bird Spoon Rest (also available in other colors) - $38 from Jonathan Adler

#19. Jonas Damon Alarm Clock - $40 from Design Public

#20. I Love Atlanta (other cities available) Woodblock Print - $39 from Lucius Art

#21. Factory Long Button Women's Gloves - $26.50 from J. Crew

#22. Thorn Oxidized Sterling Silver Ring - $35.00 from MIRTAjewelry

#23. Well Appointed Desk Set - $30 from Poppin

#24. Small Disc Chimes - $44 from Pigeon Toe Ceramics

#25. Stanley Classic Thermos - $39.95 from REI

#26. Squiggle Ring in Gold (also available in silver) by Boe - $44 from Need Supply

#27. Vintage Cocktails by Brian Van Flandern - $50 from Assouline

#28. Red Zebra Crossing Scarf - $25 from Fred Flare

#29. Blomus Utilo Bottle Opener - $12.22 from All Modern

#30. Whiskey Stones - $19.95 from CB2

#31. Small Doily Clock (available in other colors and sizes) - $25.00 from andfurthermore

#32. Blomus Gentlemen's Business Card Case - $13.92 from All Modern

#33. 3 Piece Lotus Candleholder - $14.95 from CB2

#34. Natural White Birch Wood Coaster Set of 4 - $24 from urbanplusforest

#35. Sea Measuring Cups - $19 from West Elm

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well the holiday season is officially upon us. I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving day.

I'm so thankful for my family and friends. Each year, I realize more and more how important and irreplaceable all of those incredible people and my relationships with them are. I reflect on how important having traditions are with those special people - even the smallest traditions mean so much to me.

One of my favorite traditions is that each year, on Thanksgiving, my family makes the time to rest and enjoy just being together. It's something difficult for all of us to accomplish, being as we're all such GO-GO-GO people. My favorite part of the day is the few hours we take to decorate the Christmas tree. It's so much fun to reminisce about Christmases gone by and also sweet remembering those who are no longer with us.

What are your favorite holiday traditions?

I'm excited for the holiday season. It's truly my favorite time of year.

Here are a few snapshots of our Thanksgiving day. I hope you all had as wonderful of a day as I was lucky to have.

Alright, Alright, Alriiiiight!

Pardon, I had to channel Mr. Matthew McConaughey for a moment there.

Whew. Time has truly slipped by. Things have been good and very very busy.

Apologies, dear readers, I know this seems to happen every few months - it's a pattern of mine I suppose... a flurry of writing for a month or so, then radio silence. That's just life for ya.

Anyhow, lots has been going on - sweet hubs and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary by taking a weekend trip to the mountains, been working like a mad woman and starting to prep for the holidays.

We're so excited about the holidays this year - it'll be the first time we're hosting Christmas in our own home! That being said, there will be (hopefully) lots of design related posts coming your way for prepping for the holidays... and also hopefully we'll finish the second half of the house tour! YAY!

Alrighty folks, I must hit the hay, but I'll leave you with a little Matthew McConaughey as Wooderson, one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite movies, since I did bring him up earlier and now he's in my mind.



Enjoy and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

3 Years of Awesome

Yesterday was mine and sweet hubs' 3 year anniversary. We spent the evening dining with friends at a favorite restaurant of ours, Atlanta's Woodfire Grill. The evening was filled with copious amounts of laughter, cocktails and delicious food. We partook in the chef's 5 course tasting menu, which was phenomenal as always.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate - and it was an evening filled with several celebrations - 2 wedding anniversaries, a work related celebration and a peresonal landmark celebration. All in all, an incredibly memory-filled night.

To my sweet Jesse,

Here's to you, my love, for being the most amazing husband I could ever dream of spending my life with. Thank you for 10 wonderful years together so far, 3 of which have been in marriage. I look forward to the day when we're old and gray and still as much in love as we are today.

Time truly does fly. It seems like only yesterday that we were up in Tennessee saying our vows on a mountain top overlooking the breathtaking Great Smokies surrounded by our closest friends and family. It's still the most amazing day I've ever had. There was so much love surrounding us - when I think back on it, it still leaves me absolutely stunned that I am so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Happy Anniversary. My love for you grows more and more each day.

Digital Life of an Avid Reader

I've always been an avid reader - I love to absorb information. It took me a while to migrate from books to an e-reader - my parents generously gave me a Nook for Christmas last year and I haven't looked back since. I love the feel of books and magazines as well as the smell of printed paper, but the Nook converted me with its ease of use and portability. There is still something romantic and intoxicating to me about books and magazines in hand, though.

That being said, since it took me so long to adopt the technology of an e-reader, owning an iPad had never been anything I was really interested in. Yes, they're neat, but I didn't really want more technology in my life, until recently that is.

I've now come to the conclusion that I really DO want an iPad, sheerly for my magazine addiction. So many of my favorite magazines have gone defunct (I'm looking at you, Domino) or have just moved platforms from traditional print magazines, to digital only (Paste, that's you!). Also in the past year and a half, there have been several new magazines that have come into publication that are only available digitally and it gets cumbersome to read on the computer... maybe that's the first sign that I'm getting old - not wanting to read on the computer. Who knows. Plus, the technology of Issuu is pretty rad - it's just a nice easy reading experience.

Either way, I really want an iPad now. Time to start saving.

What are your favorite digital magazines?

Here are mine:

Lonny Magazine

Leaf (which just made its debut a few days ago)

Matchbook

Rue

Est

High Gloss

Design in My Home: House Tour, Part 4 - The Bathroom

We're now onto the bathroom in part 4 of the house tour.

I really like the bathroom - it's the first time in a while I've had a more modernized bathroom with regard to fixtures and tile, so I wanted to take advantage of that fact and use a more modern color scheme. The color the walls were painted were a bland dark tan, which just blended in with the tile and made the room look very dim and dirty.

Before:

To remedy the bland color on the walls and to give the room a more modern feel, we went with a dark, charcoal grey - Behr's Nature Retreat (430F-5). It made all of the features of the bathroom stand out and overall just cleaned up the entire appearance of the room. We are considering a new shower curtain, but since I still love our Lenox Chirp one from our previous apartment, which can be seen here in its former setting, I figured I'd stick with it till I found something I love more.

After:

Photograph of a traditional japanese tattoo by Jayme Thornton.

They say its your birthday...

To my sweet hubs...

Happy Birthday to the most amazing man I've ever met.

I'm so glad you were born - and your mom did a pretty excellent job with you.

You just get better each year - more wise, more handsome (if that's even possible?!) and more kind.

You truly are the most amazing man I've ever met and I'm so thankful you're mine.

Happy 31st Birthday, Babe. You're the best.

Design in My Home: House Tour, Part 3 - The Kitchen

The kitchen, while not the most impressive room in the house by far, has improved a lot with an intense cleaning, swapping out the outlet and light switch plates and just a few coats of paint. The dingy tan color definitely had to go. There isn't a whole lot to say about it, except that it does need renovations, so we're pretty limited on what we can do to improve it.

Before:

I picked a very bold green for the walls - Pesto by Behr (color number 440D-5), which happens to be one shade darker than the dining room (seen here). I really like to use shades of a few colors rather than a multitude of different colors. It makes the rooms work together rather than just be a kaleidoscope of color, which I find tends to make people feel uneasy.

The bold green made the contrast between the white trim and the walls a lot more dramatic so you didn't focus on the things we can't do much about (namely the floors and that the cabinets need repairs / replacing). We have a few more improvements that we're going to do, such as replacing the light fixture and possibly changing out the cabinet hardware, but it's pretty much where it's going to stay.

I can't complain too much - it's the largest kitchen I've ever had in my years of renting, so I can live with the less than perfect aesthetics. It does have some features I really like though, such as the original small rounded corner shelves that flank the sides of the upper cabinetry over the sink, which allow me to display my awesome set of original 1964 New York World's Fair drinking glasses.

Design in My Home: House Tour, Part 2 - The Dining Room

Happy October, everyone! I've been so happy to be able to comfortably have the windows open in the house lately - it has such a wonderful cross breeze! Lots of stuff coming up to do for October - sweet hubs 31st birthday, a trip to South Carolina for the state fair, a trip to the mountains, some pumpkin picking, hopefully lots of baking! I love fall - it's absolutely my favorite time of year.

Anyhow, now that I've professed my love of fall, let's move onto part 2 of the house tour - the dining room! You've already seen a sneak peek of it here in our how-to post on recovering our dining room chairs, but here it is, in full effect.

A few before shots:

And now the after:

Painting by Ashley Love

TCB Cross Stitch by the amazing Kristy Kizzee (aka Bombastitch)

Coney Island poster by Michael Michael Motorcycle

I actually quite liked the color of the dining room before, but unfortunately, it didn't go with the color palette I had in mind, so it had to go. We replaced it with a nicely pigmented, but light shade of green called Desert Cactus by Behr (color number 440D-4), which is a few shades lighter than our kitchen that you'll see in part 3 of the house tour, next week.