Desk Reveal!

So, MANY years ago, I inherited this beauty . . . or rather, not so beauty.  But it's solid wood and I liked the size and shape and I told myself that one day, I would refinish it and turn it into my own little crafting/sewing space.  

The day has finally come my friends, and I couldn't be more pleased!

The key to painting wood furniture is using both an oil-based primer and paint.  I used the same paint used on my kitchen island a few months back.  I also used a paint gun (I hate brush marks!)

Paint - It's a pure white by Sherwin-Williams
Knobs - Anthropologie
Drawer Liner - found this cute pattern at TJ Maxx

A very special THANKS to my friends Emily and Laura for helping me choose the hardware while shopping at Anthro.  So many options, but I am pleased with what they helped me choose!

First Weekend of Fall!

I'm back with current postings!  It's the first weekend of Fall and I couldn't be more thrilled!  It doesn't really look like Fall in these parts, but the feeling is there.

 Fall is:

My Birthday

Pumpkin everything!

Orchards

Warm Smells

Coziness

Soup Season

Cider Nights

I saw this photo on Pinterest and I can't get it out of my head.  Everything about it is perfect.  The mix of new and old.  The white with pops of color.  Perfection.

Source: Ginger-Snapped

Today, Steven and his Dad are doing tile in our powder room.  So excited to get that little room finished!  I'm going to finish painting my desk.  I'll post on the finished results this week.  Some good things to look forward to!

Oh, and I moved my Navy Fleur Chinoise pillow from Caitlin Wilson Textiles  onto our bed.  I had been looking around for something to add as an accent and I just feel like it works.  As I was trying it out, Steven said, "Good call on the pillow upstairs."  Originally, I was thinking something more subtle, but I'm liking the 'pop'.  I'll replace the other one downstairs.

Happy Weekend!

Memories from France - France Day 7: April 22nd 2011

Paris Day 2: Last Day in France. . .

-Woke up early and grabbed some breakfast. . .Fresh fruit and chocolate croissants!

-Cruised down the Seine River by boat (highly recommend this!) and then walked along the river again to see all of the sights up close. . .

-Paid our respects at Princess Diana's Tunnel

-Toured the Jardin des Tuileries and the Louvre grounds

- Swung by the Place de la Concorde

-Gazed at the amazing details of Notre Dame (gargoyles and all!)

-Lounged in the courtyard (oldest one in Paris) of the Place des Vosges

-Grabbed the Metro (finally!) to the Statue of Liberty (yes, Paris has one too. . . it's the model that the French presented to the U.S. - you can thank them for our copy on Liberty Island!)

-Freshened up and enjoyed the most AMAZING pizza that we've ever tasted in our lives

-Attempted (3rd time) at going up the Eiffel Tower. . .WAY too many people. . .instead we strolled the grounds surrounding the Eiffel Tower at night . . .BEAUTIFUL!

-Meandered back to our hotel, grabbed a Crepe at a small street stand (can't leave Paris without devouring one), called it a night and the perfect ending to our vacation!

Voila!!! That was our trip to France! It was everything we had hoped it would be a much more! I would say that one of the best parts is how much Steven fell in love with France and European culture. Since we've been back, Steven likes to have baguettes with dinner, uses the term "Voila" when appropriate, gets disgusted at how spoiled and ungrateful we Americans can be (it's true, we really are. . .we have to have the biggest and the best, right?!) and loves watching House Hunters International (especially when it's in Europe - but he would kill me if he knew that I told you this). We are hoping to go back next summer, if everything goes as planned!

Memories from France - France Day 6: April 21st 2011

Thursday morning we left the train station from St. Die for our two days in Paris! It was hard leaving though. . . I won't lie, I cried, on the train. I had to put my sunglasses on. I love my family so much and I worry about how many more times I will be able to see my grandparents in this lifetime. As we were sitting on the train waiting to leave, I also started thinking about how many good memories I have from spending my summers in France as a child and as a teen. Steven made the comment, "I can see why you love it here so much." Those words meant so much to me! It's like he finally got it! **Side note - Steven was skeptical about a vacation in Europe, but was pleasantly surprised!** As hard as it was leaving St. Die, our time in Paris was wonderful! Our hotel room was nice, nothing extravagant, but simple! All I wanted was to be able to see the Eiffel Tower from my window and that's exactly what we got! We spent the day walking past the Eiffel Tower, to the Hotel des Invalides (which holds Napoleon's tomb), back to the Eiffel Tower's grounds, all the way up to the Arc de Triomphe, and back to our hotel for dinner at a small cafe. We came to the conclusion, that we walked about 9 miles that day. . . so much for using the Metro! Our feet were killing us by the end of the day, but we were so happy to take in the sights as much as we could!

Paris, Je t'aime. . .

Memories from France - France Day 5: April 20th 2011

Wednesday morning, my uncle took us to the Alsace region of France to see the Haut Koenigsbourg Castle, some of the small fortified Alsatian towns, and wine country. The drive was beautiful! Seriously, the pictures don't do it justice. When we were in Riquewihr, Steven kept saying "Wow, I can't believe that towns like this exist. I thought that you only found places like this in Disneyland!" Sorry Steven, but I'm thinking that Disneyland came after these 400+ year old towns! The boy is slowly being cultured. . .

A special thanks to my uncle Michel, for being the most knowledgeable and exciting tour guide! I'm pretty sure that he is one of Steven's favorite people!

Haut Koenigsbourg Castle

Riquewihr

Kaysersberg

Wednesday night, we all got together to say our goodbyes and to snap a few family photos. The next morning we were headed for our two days in Paris! I loved seeing my family in France and introducing them to Steven! After five years of marriage, it was about time!

Memories from France - France Day 4: April 19th 2011

On Monday night, Steven encouraged me to spend the following day with my grandparents. It would give him the opportunity to get some studying done for his Biology Praxis, and would give me the opportunity to spend some quality time with my grandparents. It was very much a "win-win" situation. I started the day by going into town with Mami to the "marche aux legumes" (vegetable market), where we shopped around and stopped into some of the surrounding stores. I found some darling things! When Mami ran into someone she knew, she proudly introduced me as "my granddaughter who lives in the United States" - she seemed pretty pleased to have us there visiting! After our small shopping trip, we (Mami, Papi, and I) headed over to Cora to get some grocery shopping done and to stock up on some goodies for when we got back to the States. Something about running errands around town with my Mami, brought me back to my childhood! After our errands, we had our dejeuner over at Veronique and Michel's (my aunt and uncle) house, rested a bit, and then we (Steven and I) headed over to Mami and Papi's house for the late afternoon and evening. We spent the evening chatting with my grandparents, eating delicious food. . .including my grandma's Tarte au Citron (Lemon meringue pie - my favorite!), and doing a little more exploring around my grandparents' property. I loved every moment of that day!

My favorite part of my grandparents' yard! These woods are so magical!

German dagger from WWII that my grandpa found in the woods a few years back