I’ve missed you, Mr. Blog.

I read a lot of  different blogs by people that “I know”…which means that I knew at some point in life (high school, college, whatever)…and I read a lot of blogs by people that I don’t know, but peaked my interest for whatever reason.  (So if you have a blog and I am not following…then please leave a comment with your address so I can check it out!)

I love my blogs.  I love peeking into someone else’s world if just for a small bit of time every once in a while.  They are filled with ideas and inspiration…Some are themed (cooking, decorating, family, etc.) and some are just general “whatever I am thinking at the moment” blogs.  I love it when I find something so interesting that I start dreaming about how to somehow make it work for me.  It’s fabulous. 

I highly encourage all that are reading to start a blog.  But I realize that some of you may only be able to take baby steps when it comes to major life decisions.  So maybe you should start with creating a blogger account (if you have Gmail then you are already 99% there) and starting a “reading list” (you know…blogs you like to read).  It’s all very easy and I will be right here ready to hold your hand if you need me. 

Make sure to send me your blog address if you have one (and I am not already following).  And if you find a few new blogs along the way that I might be interested in, then please send me those too!

The Oakleigh Mansion

We went to the Oakleigh Mansion this past weekend.  I haven’t been there in years.  It was great to experience one of Mobile’s attractions that I really take for granted.  It’s a beautiful house!  But rather neglected from what I remember.  It’s sad to see it in such need of repair.  But still worth the trip!  Phillip and I love to check out older historic homes and take mental notes of the architecture and detail that we hope to incorporate into a new house one day…

If you are interested in checking it out yourself, see the Historic Mobile Preservation Society’s website here:

Oakleigh Historic House

To read Phillip’s take on the adventure, go here:

Back in the Day

Chandeliers for the Brave

I love decoration inspiration. Do you have an inspirational file tucked away somewhere too? I love my magazines and catalogues. They give me so many ideas. The only problem: I can’t keep them ALL forever. So I let them pile up and then take the time to pull out my favorites. When we were updating/remodeling our current house, I thought I was being brave and thinking outside the box. But alas, I look around now and think I picked things that are pretty traditional. I just wish I was will be more brave.

Check out these light fixtures…

I would LOVE this for my dining room. I just wonder if it gets all gross when it really tarnishes. So fun! I want to do this in my courtyard.I totally love this one. I am always attracted to things that relate to the family business. I don’t know if I would be brave enough for the rainbow of colors, but the idea is truly unique and interesting.This is awesome. I love seeing wine bottles used in different ways.And in keeping with the wine theme…Check out these hurricane lamps. Such a great idea! Now if I can figure out how to perfectly cut out the bottom of a wine bottle.

I told Rachel that I would show my own house a bit more in my blog. (Please remember that our entire house was baby yellow, salmon pink, and bright brass when we bought it so absolutely everything was changed. Money actually was an object to us so some things were compromised until a later date.) So here goes…

This is our chandelier that hangs in my foyer. I chose it mostly because of the perfectly round drops that hang from it. I loved the simplicity and thought it was a good contrast to the stripes that are painted in the small entry room.

Here is our dining room chandelier. I love the formality. I can’t bring myself to put chandelier shades on the bulbs because I can’t find any that I love as much as the chandelier itself.

The chandelier that hangs in our breakfast area. I chose it mostly because of the simple arm shape…

*Images courtesy of NapaStyle and Pottery Barn.