mothers day wish list

it has come to my attention that mothers' day is coming.

(actually, i was informed of the date after i registered harper for a swim meet that would take place on the holiday, and when i told my family what i'd done, they gave me so much trouble that i had to un-register her.)

(whoops.)

anyway ... i'm gonna pretend that we are fancy holiday-remembering, gift-giving people, and make a list of my dream mothers' day ideas:

 

"gilmore girls"-inspired candles. because, SO. MUCH. YES.

 

inspired room and color at home coloring books. because while coloring books are amazing, house coloring books are amazinger. and especially house coloring books created by melissa michaels and the petersiks.

 

an extra large planter for my aloe, whom i affectionately call The Kraken, and who desperately needs a new, extra large home.

 

this print, from rifle paper co., because chicago will always mean something to me.

 

and i could really *really* use a new camera bag

and what is mothers day without a beautiful bouquet of flowers? and this bouquet from my favorite flower shop is pretty much perfection:

 

or maybe a meaningful piece of jewelry?

 

chances are, my mothers' day will look a lot like years past: sleep in (i'll still be up before everyone else, and if i'm lucky i'll make it to 8:00 a.m.), quiet coffee, lunch in south minneapolis, a walk around lake harriet to look at flowers and houses, and then who knows where the rest of the day will go ... a good book? a nap? yard work?

anything is possible.

but if i have my kiddos and mchotness, that's all i really need.

(though those coloring books would be pretty awesome ...)

 

 

 

 

 

 

a florida room

have you ever checked out the real estate firm douglas elliman? if you are a house voyeur like i am, this company is the holy grail, especially for dream vacation living. my usual preferred style is more new england (which they represent), but after returning from florida i'm fully immersed in vacation/summer daydream mode, and wishing for a tropical escape. and their florida listings are phenomenally inspirational.

a vacation isn't happening any time soon, and on top of that we are back to the drawing board on the screened-in room situation for our own outdoor escape at home. i know its primary function will be for outdoor dining sans bugs, but it would also be nice to have a sort of florida room ... a type of sun room or sun porch ... a room that is open to breezes during the warm months. a place to relax and stay cool on hot summer days. and as soon as i think about a breezy room for escaping the heat, my brain immediately goes, "the great gatsby."

what?? follow me on this.

remember when nick visits tom & daisy at the beginning of the book? (i'm not the only nerd here, right?) the description of where he first encounters daisy and her friend, jordan, is where my mind went:

We walked through a high hallway into a bright rosy-colored space, fragilely bound into the house by French windows at either end. The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside that seemed to grow a little way into the house. A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling, and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea. The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house.

i love fitzgerald. can't you just imagine such a room, and such a day? all of the windows on our home's main floor have white linen curtains, and there is nothing more peaceful than sitting on the couch while those curtains move in the breeze. maybe i had gatsby in the back of my head when i chose them ... maybe because i'd been perusing those douglas elliman houses ...

but back to the florida room. my brain starts to swirl it all together: gatsby, sun room, indoor/outdoor, water and wind, relaxing. and i just assume my backyard looks something like this ...

and this ...

so my perfect florida room would be a little tropical, a little new england, a little fancy, and a lot unfussy and casual.

 

something like ...

 

let's assume that our florida room opens onto a patio, to have that indoor/outdoor element. and there are tall windows on two or three sides, which would of course be clad in long, white, floaty, linen curtains. you need comfy seating, so a soft indoor/outdoor couch is perfect for indestructible lounging. then you have the rattan daybed with soft pillows ... just the place for a summer nap. and the swing chair would be a great spot to curl up and read "gatsby" again. above you is a woven-blade ceiling fan, to assist the breeze on warm days.

a jute rug on the floor and a shuttered cabinet, to hold board games and extra books and blankets, have that beach cottage personality. of course there is a bar cart, for summer refreshments, and a coffee table on which to prop up feet or play one of those board games. by the daybed is a ghost table that mimics the classic design of the coffee table, but is 'now you see it/now you don't' to keep the room feeling light. throw pillows (that green kate spade one has the statement "this is the life" on it. perfect for a room whose soul purpose is relaxing!) and a pouf give the room softness and a little color, while the art on the bright white walls give even more color, as well as a vacation vibe. especially that aaron chang water photograph ... spectacular! looks like you can dive right into it.

simple sconces would light the corners of the room, while accent lamps on the cabinet give extra light during evening hang-outs. pretty vases bring out the green in the artwork, and a fresh bouquet of flowers from the bouqs and a fiddle leaf fern bring in the natural element.

and when you tire of all that comfortable lounging, you walk out onto the patio and head straight for that pool!

good idea?

 

 

sources:

outdoor couch: restoration hardware

daybed: serena & lily

ghost table: wisteria

pillows: serena & lily, etsy, kate spade

swing chair: pier 1

curtains: crate and barrel

cabinet: overstock

coffee table: maine cottage

ceiling fan: lamps plus

art: aaron chang

sailboat print: minted

watercolor: minted

pouf: annie selke

bar cart: wayfair

kantha blanket: imogene + willie

lamp: maine cottage

sconces: lamps plus

ice bucket: furbish studio

rug: west elm

flowers: the bouqs

vase: jill rosenwald

 planter: crate and barrel

 

 

 

 

 

 

changes coming

i mentioned awhile back (uh ... almost a year ago) that harper is done with a "girly" room, and is ready to move on to more age-appropriate decor. her request: a wolf den. my suggestion: maybe not so much "wolf den" but more "cozy and less white".

and 10 months of nothing happening, we're finally in plan mode.

we still love the cole & sons birch trees wallpaper, but now there is a new horse in the race:

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that's cute, right?

upside: removable, so less work when she changes her mind again, and perhaps less expensive because we can hang it ourselves. however, i just looked into a removable wallpaper for the main floor bathroom, and that option wound up being more expensive than hiring someone to paper the room. so i'll have to do the math on this one. it would be only one wall, though, so i have hopes that it will be the cost-effective way to go.

she's already said that she really likes this bed from wayfair ...

and i'm getting inspiration from these images ...

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so we're getting somewhere.

a new dimension in this plan, though, is that she starts middle school in the fall. which means she will be getting up and in the bathroom at around 6:15 every morning. and henry's bed shares a wall with the bathroom.

and harper isn't always subtle or quiet.

i approached henry with the idea of switching rooms, and with all the sentimentality he could muster, he responded, "i don't care. i just need a bed and bookshelves."

his only concern was could he still have his ceiling light. because apparently he really likes his ceiling light.

10-4, buddy. we're good to go.

so now the plan is to completely gut both rooms of stuff after school is out, and do a switcheroo.

we have only two more years with henry in this house, so while i would love to update his bedding, the truth is he really doesn't care what his room looks like, and is there any reason to change bedding at this stage of the game? jury is still out. (you probably know what i would like to do.)

however, i've started to gather a little "new room for henry" inspiration anyway. because, of course.

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we bought a campaign dresser and nightstand off craigslist last year, i've been dragging my feet on painting them until i knew exactly where they would go and what color to use. henry is definitely a blue/purple/black/gray guy, with what i would say is a modern/clean vibe, so i'll have to factor that in and make the modern and mid-century looks blend.

nine weeks of school ... nine weeks of planning and ordering ... and we'll be ready to go!