A couple things I want to do in 2011

1. Make a family tree
2. Sew a quilt

Image: Contemporary String Quilt from JoAnn

3. Children's Book Advent Calendar, like this one from Sarah Jane blog.

The bedroom needs...

...a new ceiling fan
...a new duvet cover
...a good solution for organizing electronics
...a watch box
...someplace to file important papers
...wall repair
...sheers or a roman shade

Inspiring white-appliance kitchens

They're few and far between out there (it's all about the stainless steel) but here are the few I've seen:

Image: Martha Stewart cabinetry, Home Depot

Image: theletteredcottage.net

Image: Canadian House and Home

41.5 Things to Do Before 41.5

Everyone is doing 30 Before 30 lists but I never got around to it back when i was turning 30 (I was busy planning a wedding, I guess). But hey, it's never too late, right? Here's my list of 41.5 things to do before I'm 41.5. It's a work in progress...
41.5 things to do before 41.5:

1. Host a dinner party
2. Redecorate laundry room
3. Organize craft room
4. Start journaling
5. Get fitted for a bra
6. Own diamond studs
7. Stop texting and driving
8. Cook Sunday dinners for a month
9. Start college funds for the boys
10. Go to the Oprah show
11. Make a will
12. Clean the garage
13. Organize photos
14. Landscape the front of the house
15. Paint the front door yellow
16. Pay off credit card
17. Have date night once a month
18. Have a great family photo taken
19. Order wedding photos
20. Take yoga
21. Write twelve letters in one year
22. Go to the dentist
23. Go to the gynecologist
24. Own a stand mixer (orange, of course) and bake something delicious
25. Do something creative every day
26. Buy a piece of art
27. Find a place to get my locks done
28. Get tattoo re-inked and/or get a second tattoo
29. Get a facial
30. Teach D to ride a two-wheeler
31. Take a mini-vacation with the fam
32. Make a new friend or reconnect with an old one
33. Buy a new mattress
34. Buy a new couch
35. Start a charm bracelet
36. Eat at Xoco
37. Sew a quilt
38. Buy a new computer
39. TBD
40. TBD
41. TBD
41.5. TBD

And here are a few more goals that aren't likely to happen in hat time frame...

To do this decade:
1. meet Barack Obama
2. get into interior design
3. fly first class
4. get Lasik
5. visit a foreign, non-Caribbean country
6. eat at Alinea or the French Laundry
7. go back to Napa Valley in the fall
8. rent a cabin in the woods
9. rent a beach house
10. visit the Atlanta aquarium
11. get out of debt, except for mortgage

A Cheerful Welcome

I'm doing it! I'm painting my front door yellow! There are many other things I need to do to boost our curb appeal, but this is where I'll start!


Image: Real Simple

More laundry room deets...

Fire, Fly

I love this little vingnette...

Even more kitchen inspiration...

...From designer Sarah Richardson.

Welcome Home

Love this as the focal wall in the laundry room w/Cole & Sons "trees" above the wainscotting.

Kind of love this Angela Adams rug as a runner but good for high-traffic area? I'm not so sure...

Family Affair

Love this beautiful room posted on Design Sponge blog.

Decking the Hall

These Jonathan Adler ceiling lights would be great for the hallway, plus a nickel colored one for the laundry room. From Lamps Plus.