Birthday Goodies!!!

So for my birthday this past month,

we got a sitter for half the day, and headed out to do some barn shopping!

I was so excited.

I got to hang out with my best friend, aka the hubs,

and browse through antiques

until my hearts content.

And the best part was, it totally got him on board to make some

more stuff for me too!

Yeah motivation.

But we really had a great day,

so let me show you what I got!

TA-DAH! Sorry I've been hearing a lot of that lately,

everytime my son goes pee in the potty,

he ends it with a TA-DAH!

So starting on the left :

I snagged these 2 windows, sitting all by themselves, for dirt cheap,

and quickly gave them a coat of white paint, 

because they were in pretty rough shape.

Then I got these two wooden pieces tucked in the back,

that was the first thing I spotted,

and had to have them.

I instantly knew what I wanted to do with them,

and they are staying in their lovely chippy condition!

Then the creme de la creme.

That's right, I finally got a dough bowl!

After years and years and years, of passing them up,

and coveting the gorgeous ones at Pottery Barn,

this one was just too good to pass up!

Hubby actually spotted it,

and he haggled the lady down to the amazing deal we got it for.

I was too embarrassed, but I love him for his sale technique!

He's the perfect yard sale companion,

and the crazy part is, he's the one that loves going :)

And lastly, all the way to the right, which you can see better in the first photo,

I got a wooden oar.

So excited with my finds!!! 

And we ended the night in Portsmouth (our favorite place to be)

and tried a new mexican restaurant, Agave!

SO delish :)

I will be back tomorrow for a patriotic tribute for the weekend :)

~Happy Friday,

Bre

Belle ~ Blanc

So in the joy of "pinning" the other day, I came across this photo

and it totally got my attention.

So I pinned,  and kept going, but knew I would be going back to that picture 

later to get more details,

and I am so glad I did!

I came across this blog Belle-Blanc, and came across the rest of 

the photos that this one came from.

I had to share with you, because they are just soooo beautiful!

Do you want me to wipe the drool from your mouth yet?!

HA HA

There is just so much in each photo that I loved,

I think I've looked through them each at least a few times in the last day or so.

So because the blog is mostly in german, 

I asked my friend from the netherlands to translate!

Because I had to know more :)

She filled me in that this brand is called Riviera Maison which is on the high end, 

and then they also have a fake brand, but the items are just as nice! Thank God for the fake brand!

Right?!

She let me know that it is just as nice in the store as it is in the photos.

Sigh!

Well I hope you enjoyed the pics,

I will back a little later to share some of the things I got barn shopping for my birthday!

You won't want to miss that!!!

~Blessings,

Bre

{For the love of Drapes}

So as I wrap up a few of the finishing details in the living room.

One thing I keep debating on is 

switching out the curtains?

Right now 

this is what we have

sorry bad pic.

I was too lazy to take a recent one real quick.. because there are a lot

of new details in the room now,

like new pillows, new rug, new lamps, wooden blinds behind the curtains,

and you can hardly see them, but they are pretty, solid white,

with a linen type stitch throughout.

And they are fine, and I do like them,

but...

there's always a but, isn't there?

I can't decide if I want to keep them,

or swap them out.

Here's what I'm debating :

Not this color, but these totally caught my eye.

I love the tiny white stripe with the wide block of color in between.

I'm thinking something like painter's drop cloth, and painting small stripes on them to mimic this look.

My friend Jess did the bold stripes on hers and I love how they came out.

You can check out her whole post over here, at Project Diaz.

My second debate is to do something like this.. adding a little color, and pattern:

My only draw back to this option, is my couch is navy and white striped,

and our new rug has a pretty bold pattern on it.

Pictured below in grey, mine is the same exact one but in navy.

So I get nervous sometimes, that there might be too much going on.

I'm also not opposed to adding something to the ones I have.

Just not quite sure what I want to do ;/

HELP!

Any thoughts? Suggestions?

I'm also wanting to add one more throw pillow into the mix.

Something along these lines :

So that's were we are at, and I think the room will feel somewhat done :)

For now at least!

Looking forward to hearing what you think?

Maybe you can help me choose!

~Blessings,

Bre

"Going to the chapel....."

Yesterday Jesse & I headed out to celebrate with some amazing people

as they said their "I Do's".

It was so great to celebrate with them, and it was probably to date

one of my most favorite weddings!

The details were to die for!

There was so much, and unfortunately I didn't take a photo of everything... 

but trust me, this girl did an amazing job.

I'm kind of OCD when it comes to detail,

and she covered everything :)

Their colors were yellow & grey, and I mean how cute is cake!

She also made a life size version of the flag bunting that was hung throughout the reception area,

and the ceremony.

(pictured below)

It was such a touching ceremony. So special, and the entire night was filled with personal 

touches! But the every detail set aside, the most important one 

is that at the end of the night, 

they each were married to their best friend!

YAHOO!

Steph is an extremely talented girl.

Oh.MY.Gosh.

Where do I begin?!

Well, you can check out her website

Princeton House Photo,

she takes great photos, but is an extreme scrapbooker, and anything and everything crafty,

she makes the professionals you see in magazines look like they

should take tips from her. 

She's got a gift for sure!

SO,

I wanted to get them something personal,

and somewhat crafty for a gift,

so this is what I came up with.

We made a custom monogrammed sign for their house,

including their wedding date,

using aged barn wood and some metal accents.

Since their wedding colors were yellow & grey, I wanted to keep the sign

somewhat reminiscent of their BIG Day, and since the barn wood 

was already grey, I added touches of white to highlight the natural color.

I know that Steph has a love for chevron stripes,

and I made some fabric flowers for a little touch

to bring in the yellow.

I wanted to make sure it was something that would last 

and not fade with the 

trends,

but still speak to both of them.

Hope you had a great weekend!!

~Blessings, 

Bre

This Week's Top Pins

Here we are again,

another round of my favorite Pins from this past week,

and every time I get ready to write this post,

it just makes me realize how fast this

past week just flew by.

ENJOY!

via : BHG

White slipcovered chair!!! and I love the bookcase styling behind it :)

Great lights, and island!

Great table top arrangement via: Buckets of Burlap

via: IKEAfamilylive

Love the white walls, and of course this great entryway style.

I love the mix of the white, wood and black.

via: starfish cottage

Cute use of a starfish with upcoming patriotic holidays right around the corner.

via: twenty three oh one

I love the simplistic feel of this room, and it has so much warmth.

via: BruCrew LIfe

Strawberry Coconut Cheesecake Brownies = YUM!

via: Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Thousand Layer Chocolate chip cookies.

For anyone who doesn't know.. anything chocolate chip cookie has got my name all over it,

nevermind 1000 layer. These are a must try!

I saved the best for last... in my mind!

When I saw this photo enlarged, my jaw dropped at this gorgeous kitchen,

and it's pinned in my "Favorite Spaces" board :)

via: A serene life for me

That's it!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend :)

~Blessing,

Bre

~Grey Obsession~

I will never forget how much I LOVED the way my grey walls came out

when we painted our dining room in this new house.

With the crisp white trim, 

the grey just screamed something you would see

on the cape, or Martha's Vineyard.

Which is a look I just love.

So simple and clean, and classic.

I always chose paint colors with a grey undertone,

so it was a no brainer to try Better Homes & Gardens

2011 top pick paint color "wood smoke".

I loved it so much that at the time, I debated painting the living room the same color,

since the two rooms have an open feel.

So a few weeks back when I stumbled across this article in

New England Home magazine,

I was captivated.

Not only do they feature a home in the same small state as mine,

but it's room to room grey.

.gorgeous.

She used the same color throughout the whole house,

Ben Moore's "classic grey".

Which is a "lighter" grey she describes,

but it's a great grey that just suites them and the house.

With the exception of the library painted Ben Moore's "westcott navy",

for some drama, pictured below.

Which I LOVE... first it's navy, second, I do like the contrast of a bold dark color.

Even upstairs carries the same classic grey throughout.

So this leads me to my dilemma :/

I am seriously wanting to repaint a few rooms in my house!

UGH!

Which is kinda normal for me, I love to paint and repaint,

quite frequently.

I don't know if I would do the exact same color throughout,

or different shades or tones in the same grey family.

OR

will my love for color be sorely missed.

When talking with a friend of mine recently,

she pointed out..

"Is it something you love,

but not love to live with?"

Now my famous saying is, it's just paint,

if you don't like it just paint it again.

But with 2 toddlers underfoot that can be a lot of work at times.

So what are your thoughts?

One color?

Every room a different color?

Things to think about.

I've been pondering it for a few weeks now,

and am really thinking about making the switch,

but I run into this thing,

the same type of "thing" happens right before I get my hair done.

Just when I can't stand my hair anymore,

and make an appointment,

I start to love it all over again, 

and then wonder if I should keep the appointment.

Does that happen to any of you??

ok.. enough rambling, just curious what your thoughts are :)

~Blessings,

Bre

This week's Top Pins

I know I'm a little behind schedule this week,

but I have been up to my elbows

in projects I can't wait to show you!!

Here are my top pins from this past week :)

Enjoy!

The large rustic pendant light is what caught my eye right away :)

 I love mixing industrial things indoors.

Another similar pendant light fixture, but I love the farm table.

The numbered chair via : A bowl full of Lemons, totally caught my eye,

but I also love the large worn wood frames.

If you follow me on Pinterest, 

you know I have a LOVE for all things white.

Also shown here, it totally catches my eye without fail every time.

I love the classic feel that the black & white add to this room.

Along with these fantastic bold stripes via: Shelly Hart

At first glance the room might feel a bit dark,

but I think the black trim carried throughout this house is stunning.

Maybe not for me, but it's right up there with black interior doors.

Classic french grain sack pillows = swoon.

And for dessert :

Knock you naked brownies via : Pioneer Women

UGH! mouth watering just a little :)

~Blessings,

Bre