Lake Placid

This past January, Red and I took a weekend getaway to Lake Placid. Since I never got around to posting about it, I thought I would share some pictures with you. First of all, we stayed at Whiteface Lodge. For my military friends, they offer an incredible rate at almost 70% off the the regular room price and 50% off food and certain spa packages. It has a luxurious cabin vibe and is ranked number 3 in top 10 American Spa Hotels. Not to mention, Lake Placid itself is a gorgeous place. In the winter you can enjoy dog sledding across Mirror lake, skiing, touring Olympic sites, snowshoeing, ice skating, and bob sled rides. The summer is their peak season with kayaking, hiking, rock climbing and other outdoor activities.

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One night, Red and I decided to take advantage of the outdoor ice skating rink. They have a hut with skates, snow shoes, and hot chocolate so you can just come and go as you please. It was only 5 degrees, but we had so much fun having the rink to ourselves.

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The site of where the US hockey team won the Gold in 1980 (the movie Miracle tells the story).

Today's Inspiration: Morrison Hair

Once upon a time (5 1/2 yrs ago), I moved to Oklahoma and got a mullet. True story. Red and I had just finished our first military move to Oklahoma and were adjusting to country life after growing up outside of DC. New to the area, a friend had recommended a salon to me (in her defense, her hair looked great) and I headed out for a "trim". An hour after sitting in the chair, and I had a mullet. There was no denying it.......even Red agreed he had never seen such a distinguished mullet. I gave him the scissors and he cut off two inches of my "rat tail". There was nothing to do but laugh, really. There were no tears.........I mean, I had a tail. It was more funny than anything. Long story short, finding a hair stylist has always been a top priority for me whenever we move (besides the whole house and church thing). And after that whole experience, Red even encourages me to drive however far it takes to find a good hair stylist.

Ps. I have the most amazing hair stylist in the Ft. Drum area if anyone is looking for one!

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Imagine the salon where I got my mullet. Ok, Morrison Hair would be the exact opposite. The studio of Morrison Hair is a beautiful collaboration of Laure from At Home At Home and Morgan from The Brick House. It's hard to believe that these are pictures of a hair salon and not a beautiful house tour, because I would love to live here. Enjoy this mullet-free zone.

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Fireplace DIY

Hey guys! I have been visiting family in Northern Virginia for the past couple weeks while Red has been away training with his unit for the month. I've been out of my routine, nonetheless, and it's been a nice break visiting with friends and family. Every time I visit my brother-in-law Cole and his wife Kristen's home, I'm impressed with how much work they have put in since I last saw them. This is my favorite transformation. When they first moved into their house, there were these kind of odd half-fireplaces. Look at what they've done! Cole was nice enough to give me step-by-step instructions and pictures to share with you guys of how he and his father-in-law Dave got to the finished product.

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*The before picture is another fireplace in the house since they forgot to take a before picture of the one they actually worked on. So, the hard wood floor is not a part of the transformation, but you get the idea!

1. We used Orla Kiely wallpaper over a standard wallpaper liner.

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2. We built a wood frame to affix the faux brick to with liquid nails.

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3. For the grout, we used a grout/caulk in a caulk gun tube (Red Devil). We used two coats of Kilz Primer and then two coats of standard Behr Ultra Pure White trim paint. I filled in cracks with bright white caulk.

House Tour: Victoria Smith of sfgirlbybay

Maybe you've already seen images of her beautiful home floating around pinterest, maybe you haven't. Either way, I've always found her blog to be one of the most inspiring blogs out there, and the same goes for her Bay Area home. After all, some images are worth coming back to:). Happy weekend!

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Ceilings & Wood Paneling

I think it's safe to say that most of us love wood beams on a ceiling, but lately I've also been drawn to wood paneling. Not only does it bring your eye upward (making the room seem larger), but it also seems to bring more light into a room....especially in rooms with wall-to-wall carpet. Not to mention- I'm sure it's less maintenance.

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First Day of Spring

Growing up, Spring was always my favorite season. My parents lived on a couple of acres of land, and I loved watching the flowers bloom, trees thicken, and my favorite part was always watching the Dogwood tree outside my bedroom window grow its flowers. It was a beautiful place to grow up, and it always seemed to come alive in Spring. Here are some images that make me that much more excited about this new season.

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A Touch of Mint

Lately, I've been craving a little mint in my life. I'm usually not drawn to pastels, but there's something about the color that is clean and refreshing......almost like the new white. I'm really loving the mint fridges, what do you think?

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An Aunt Again!

It's been a full couple of days! I got to meet my first niece, Eleanore Ruth. Isn't she beautiful? It's so exciting knowing that my daughter will have a girl cousin just a few months older than her. Welcome to the world Eleanore, I look forward to watching you grow up.

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Happy weekend guys.......get out and enjoy this weather!

Behind the Scenes

For me, one of the highlights of the trip to Toronto was our visit to bookhou . As one of my favorite etsy shops, I was thrilled to find that it was based out of Toronto. Not only did I get to meet owners John and Arounna, but I got to chat with them about their shop and the process they go through for printing their designs. Upon first walking into their store, we found them hard at work on a new pieces while their daughter played in the back. I was touched that they took the time to talk with me and left inspired by their work. If you get a chance, please check out their shop!

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The prettiest tea towels

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John & Arounna hard at work

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The next few images are some of my favorite items available at their etsy shop.

Hello Lonny

Lonny Magazine's March/April issue is up and (as always) is full of inspiration. Here are some things that caught my eye:

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John Robshaw's textiles

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Though maybe not a blown up image of Elizabeth Taylor, I do love art in a nursery

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This dress (spring is around the corner!).

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LOVE this chair from Serena & Lily.

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I'm loving all the pops of coral I'm seeing in this issue.