Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Milos, Greece.

3 words:  I. Can't. Wait. 

(photo: here)

(photo: here)

(photo: here)


Saturday, August 27, 2011

Gorgeous Nursery: Round 2.

Remember this fabulous nursery I recently blogged about?  Well, I have another one to share with you.  {Sidebar: Don't read anything into the increased postings on nurseries . . . I am not pregnant!}

My friends David and Emilia did an absolutely amazing job on their baby Bea's nursery.  At the time they first posted pictures of Bea's room, she hadn't yet made her big debut.  I am happy to report that sweet Beatrice Lolly made her grand appearance on Friday!   

On to Bea's nursery, which I know she will love once she's home.  I love how they went with blue paint on the wall for a girl's room.  I wouldn't have ever thought to do that, but with all of the other feminine touches, this room is absolutely perfect for a girl.  Emilia said her goal was to have a girly-vintage feel, and I think she totally achieved it.           


The sweet sentimental touches of the pink frames on the gallery wall (which includes a valentine that Bea's great-grandfather gave her great-grandmother) and the precious dresses (which were Emilia's mom's) above the crib are perfection.     


And how great are those stripes?  Love that they pained the closet door too!  Check out those fabulous Anthro knobs on the changing table/dresser.  Aren't they fun?! 


This corner of the room is one of my favorite parts.  The vintage bookshelf was found at an estate sale and the adorable mirror was a Goodwill find!  They are both perfect for that space!


And how amazing is this lamp that Emilia found?  I love it!  She bought two of them for when Bea and her big sister, Ruby, share a room.  How sweet is that?


I'd say sweet Bea is one lucky little girl to have such a fabulous space.  Go check out their blog where Emilia shares more details of the room.  Oh, and you should also check it out because their other daughter, Ruby, is just about the cutest little girl I've ever seen.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Kindle Case + A Winner.

I recently bought a Kindle and have spent the time I should be reading on it checking out potential case options!  Here are some of my favorites:

I love that this one looks like a clutch rather than any type of electronics cover.  And if I ever decide to stop using the Kindle, I can repurpose this baby in a heartbeat.  Another positive -- it's reasonably priced.  


(photos: etsy)

I am also a big fan of the classic style of the Dodo case.  It's so simple and I'm digging the red (the inside also comes in a variety of other colors).  And I like that it's made like a book -- seems appropriate for an e-reader! 


(photos: dodo case)

And of course I love the Kate Spade covers.  They are super cute, but I can't pay $85 for one of them! 

(photo: here)

I am totally regretting over-thinking the whole Kindle case decision.  I am flying last minute to Chicago for the day tomorrow and will be traveling case-less!  Do you have a Kindle case that you would recommend? 

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Last but not least, the winner of the UPrinting giveaway is . . . Meggie!  


Congratulations!  I will email you about the details of the canvas print!     

Monday, August 22, 2011

Home Tour: Office.

In the last home tour post, I showed you the office bathroom. Well, now (finally) here is the office itself!  Our office is definitely a multi-purpose room. We use if for an office (of course) and also as a guest room and home gym. Riley and Zoey stay in this room during the day too.

The room is pretty big -- 20' by 18'. We've really struggled to use the space in the best way. Frankly, it's almost too big. When we first moved in, this room was our main guest room and the office was on the third floor.  We switched them a while back and like this set up much better. This room is still a work in progress (but what room isn't, really?).

To give you the lay of the land first . . . as you walk in, this is what you see over towards the right back corner.


This is the view over on the left side of the room. We definitely want to add another rug and either a comfy chair or a smaller couch for lounging. When we first looked at this house, the first thing I noticed was the terrible light fixture/ceiling fan. Since we bought the house, I've talked about changing it, but as you can see, it hasn't happened yet!


All of my favorite offices have the expedit shelves from Ikea, so I thought why not include them in ours. They really are a great storage solution! I'm still tweaking the styling, but it works for now.


From this picture over on the "daybed side" of the room, you can see where the door from the entryway is. We definitely need to add something above the daybed and over to the left of the TV.  And don't worry -- the exercise bike is on wheels, so we can wheel it out in front of the TV when we use it. We don't torture ourselves by facing the corner while we work out!


And the doorway to the left of the clock is the bathroom and the door in front of the bike is a mini-closet that is under our staircase (just so you get an idea of the whole layout).  


If you keep going around, you see the other corner of the office where the mail center is above the Ikea cabinet I jazzed up.


We each have a bin to keep magazines, ads, etc.  There are also places for receipts, bills, and coupons up on the wall.  It always seems like when I'm running out the door to shop, I know I have reward points or a coupon somewhere and it takes me a good 10 minutes to find where I put it.  Now I know to check here first (assuming the system works correctly).  And it's nice to have the recycle bin handy for all those ads we get! 


Here's where we work when we're at home, which we both have seemed to be doing a lot of recently. 


I like the desk set up where we are facing each other.  We used to have the desks side by side, facing the wall, but this set up seems to work a little better for us.  Riley and Zoey usually lay down by our feet under the desk.  We can peek around our monitors when we are deep in conversation!  And no matter how hard we try, the wires and cords on the desk always look so messy! 


You can also check out a close up of the chevron boards in action.  The color ties in nicely with the cabinet by the "mail center." 


For those of you with an excellent memory (since it was forever ago), you will remember that I was debating what fabric to use for the drapes and roman blinds.  It was a close call, but I ended up going with the theo fabric.  I am happy I went with that choice.   


Tonic Living made the drapes and the blinds.  They were so easy to work with and did an excellent job.  I would definitely recommend them.


I found the dresser on Craigslist.  It isn't staying the yellow color forever, but oddly enough it doesn't seem too out of place.  I hope one day soon to paint it a muted teal color.


And were back around to where we started.  Phew -- that was quite the tour. 


And because it's technically the dogs' room, since they stay here during the day, here they are in the room looking as cute as ever. Excuse the tripod in the back. 


A lot of napping (by people and dogs alike) happens on the daybed.


Thanks for joining me for the grand tour!  That wraps up the first floor.  Now on to the second floor . . .  

{And don't forget to enter the Uprinting canvas giveaway -- it ends today (Monday)!}

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Giveaway: UPrinting.

UPrinting is a cool site that does canvas printing.  It couldn't be easier -- you simply upload your own image and they will print it on a rolled or stretch canvas in a variety of canvas sizes. What a great way to showcase a family portrait, your favorite photo from traveling, or any other digital image!


Uprinting is giving a lucky N5T reader one 16” x 20” rolled canvas print, with either a two inch border or no border, and one business day turnaround and free shipping.*

To enter, be a follower of Name 5 Things and leave a comment below.  The giveaway ends on Monday, August 22.  And the winner will be announced on August 23.  Good luck! 

*Sorry, this giveaway is limited to US residents 18 years old and above.

Disclaimer:  This canvas printing giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given for hosting.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Gorgeous Nursery

I came across this nursery the other day on Elements of Style and it was too good not to share.  Gorgeous and nursery aren't two words I typically associate with each other.  But this nursery is definitely gorgeous.  It is really a beautifully decorated room that happens to have a crib in it.

I don't usually pay attention to nurseries because it's not a room I frequently (or even hardly) think about.  But I have a little secret . . .  no, I'm not pregnant . . . I have a folder saved on my desktop where I save pictures of lovely nurseries I've seen.  There aren't too many of them in there, but this one definitely made the cut.


Hello fabulous rug.  Oh, abstract painting above the bed . . . don't mind if I do.  And aren't the dramatic dark gray walls totally unexpected, but amazing?! 


I love the simple roman shades and the couch.  I kind of want that couch for my office -- I'd even take the fun pillow fabric too!


This room is definitely inspiring.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good traditional nursery too, but this space is right up my alley. 

Monday, August 8, 2011

Florence Hotel.

In looking for hotels in Florence, Italy, I came across the most stunning hotel -- JK Place Firenze.  There is rarely a time when I say I would love for my home to look like a hotel, but this is one of them (and so is the place we are staying in Paris!!).  

Every space in this hotel is absolutely beautiful. 










(all photos: jk place)

Fabulous, right?

Sadly, we won't be staying there.  Besides the hotel being out of our budget, we recently made the decision to cut Florence out of our itinerary because our schedule was just too rushed.  It wasn't easy to do, but we will just have to go back another time (and maybe then we can stay at JK Place)!

Hope y'all had a wonderful weekend!  

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Sperry Top-Siders.

First, thanks for all of the birthday wishes!

I was on the hunt for comfy, non-tennis shoes to wear during our upcoming trip to Europe.  I love me some flats, but most pairs I own don't have a ton of support.  My goal was to find something supportive and still somewhat fashionable.

These fit the bill perfectly!  (And extra bonus -- I got double points during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale).  I want to wear them everyday, but oddly enough, they don't look good with a suit!  But seriously, I can't believe how comfortable they are.  My flip flops have been enjoying a well-deserved break since these new shoes have been in the rotation.  (If you order them, I would size down 1/2 a size.)        

(photo: nordstrom)

And, I'm all about sharing the love . . . so I made strongly encouraged Justin to get a pair as well.

(photo: nordstrom)

He loves his too. Most times when he puts them on, he sings the Lonely Planet I'm On A Boat song (warning: there's lots of bad language in the video; but Justin keeps his rendition clean).  Have you come across anything recently that was too good not to share?

Monday, August 1, 2011

Happy 1st Day of August.

August 1st also happens to be my birthday!  This will be my last year in my twenties (gulp).

(photo: here)

I had a wonderful weekend celebrating a little early with friends and my family.  And, because there can never be too much celebrating, Justin is going to take me out to dinner tonight. 

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!