feeling BLUE

Someday when our living room is done, I will paint it blue. It's not often that I find something I love. I usually just like a lot of things. But whenever I see a room that is painted some shade of blue (mainly aqua or turquoise), I love it. 

via Domino

via Greenapplegrenade's Flickr

via Marysusan's Flickr

via Fifilynn's Flickr

via Domino

via Domino

via Domino

via Domino

via Domino

via Location Works

via Domino (also in the Domino: The Book of Decorating)

via Better Homes and Gardens

my treasured EMBROIDERED ANIMAL ALPHABET

I can't believe I haven't shared my most treasured antiquing find with you yet. Hubby and I found this embroidered animal alphabet at our favorite antique & salvage store in Sebastopol, Ray's Trading Co. It was our first time there and we saw this lovely amidst a pile of old frames and paintings in the very back of the store. We didn't buy it, but as the week went on, I thought about it more and more and how much I would love to have it in my home. We went on a mini-vacation and said that if it was there when we returned, we would buy it. I was nervous that someone else would fall in love with it and take it home while I was gone, but when we returned, it was just sitting and waiting in the pile for us. Almost all of the animals are missing their googly eyes, so it needs a little repair, but I am going to find some buttons or something less googly to restore their sight. This cheery piece of art is the inspiration for our eclectic guest room. I love the bright animals. I love that they chose a newt for the letter N. I love that the letter H is a hare rather than a horse. 

Price tag: $10

And in case you are wondering, there are animals that start with the letter X, but they are rather obscure and probably not commonly known to anyone who would have seen the alphabet. 

I know, quite a story for one embroidered animal alphabet. But I love those eyeless animals!

smitten with ECLECTIC homes

Of all the homes I look at, I love the eclectic ones the most. They're not all matchy-matchy, don't look like they were put together by a designer, and are always unique and reflect the owners. Eclectic is definitely the combined decorating style of my hubby and I. We are slowly getting art, furniture, and funky little decorations from favorite antique stores, grandparents, and boxes of stored junk in our shed that has been rediscovered.
Here are a couple of my favorite eclectic homes:

Stephanie Sheldon's home via sfgirlbybay

Karen Salazar's home via BloesomKids