One Room 2 Looks with: Classic Casual Home

"Sophisticated comfort" is a great way to describe the design style of my next guest blogger for "1 room 2 looks". Mary is as talented as she is nice and that is an understatement! Her classic approach to design is a nice break from the all the current fad trends happening in the world of design! Her blog is a daily read of mine and up in my top faves! If you have not visited Classic Casual Home then get your bloggin butts on over and fall in love, I know I have!

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 When Amber from Amber Interiors asked me for a post about decorating one room two ways I thought "That's easy since I am always moving things around."   I have pillows covers stored in a closet that make reappearances.  Sometimes, something as simple as a little accessory like beach glass from Pottery Barn can motivate me to start playing with room.   I think many of you feel the same way.

Here is a our living room/family room in our renovated 1950's cottage in Newport Beach, Ca.

"Dressed for Winter"

 The Ikat pillow is by Madeline Weinrib and the black paisley pillow was custom made from a cotton/wool blend (made in India) from Kravet.  I bought the hand embroidered suzani cloth (made in Uzbekistan) on Ebay a couple years ago.  It gets moved around from room to room.  It was last used as a table runner.

 I like to accessorize with real fruit.  The elegant 

Orrefor's crystal bowl from my mom counterbalances 

the rough cement planter and succulent plant.

"Dressed for Spring"

This is one of four 100% linen pillows (we have two matching sofas in the room).  The fabric is by Blithfield and is made is England.  The colorful cotton quilt was purchased by my friend's daughter on a trip in Polynesia.

 Here is the beach glass from Pottery Barn that I mentioned and 

some fresh flowers from the grocery store.

Thanks, Amber, for letting me stop by and "play."

Mary Ann

Mary you are a treasure! Thanks for playin'.

xo

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BODIE and FOU Mid-Season sale are now on!

BODIE and FOU Mid-Season Sale are now on
From 01/04/2011 til 20/04/2011 only

Pssst....Check out what Lucas did on Friday

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Happy Day!

I felt like ending out the week on a colorful note, especially because the north east is expecting snow tomorrow {no that's not a joke}. This shoot is of a birthday party concept, inspired by the the outfit above. I love all the simple details, I also love that this entire look can be achieved on a tight budget.

1. Bake your own cake - this one looks very manageable

2. They sell very similar paper globes at Target

3. Hand write your invite on simple card stock, just purchase the envelopes and liners from a shop like this.

4. The textural tissue paper back drop adds the perfect amount of texture and color to this table.

5. This gingham fabric could easily be found from a local fabric store such as "Joanns". A few quick stitches and voila, a table cloth, you could even tape the edges if you don't have a sewing machine.

6. This concept could work for a number of spring gatherings..not just a birthday party.

Happy Friday!


images: via Styled Magazine

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Projects I Want To Do

If you have not discovered Pinterest, I am about to rock your weekend!

I am not really even sure how to explain what Pinterest is except to say members of pinterest will "pin" anything and everything on the web that is meaningful to them.  Then you get to check out what that have found!

I absolutely dig what Shayla McCallum pins on her page.  Frankly, I had trouble deciding which of her folders to show you!  I landed on "Projects I Want To Do," but she has so many that I love.  In this folder, she has pinned DIY projects that she likes.  So basically,  it's the cliff notes for DIY projects.  Yeah, just in time for the weekend!  Enjoy!

Here's one example. 

image via

PS: I've never tried to link to Pinterest on a post, so I do hope it works.  I know there are limitations to what you can access on this website without being a member, but membership is free.  So, if you can't access it, I would encourage you to sign up for an account! 

Happy Weekend. M.

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This Week I...

Was down for the count most of the week with a migraine. It was constant and would flare up at the worst times, like at an installation or right before a charity event. Awesome. If you have ever had a migraine you know of which I speak. I've had them for 15 + years and they are absolute agony. When I called the emergency doc last night he told me the good news is that I probably won't have them after menopause. My reaction? I said "Um, you don't tell a single, 35 year old woman who desperately wants children to 'hold out for menopause'!" His reaction "You're funny! Sorry to laugh but that's good stuff." Really Dr. Chuckles, glad someone is laughing! As Ross on Friends would say "What a weird way to kick me when I'm down!"

Worked but at half capacity so I don't have any pics to show. I had to leave one install in the middle and cancel another one. I hate disappointing clients! I know it is just decorating and not like I am late getting their new heart to them in time for the transplant but I still feel guilty! So again, my apologies to you sweet, patient clients. Please don't fire me!

Got the photos back from my photoshoot in my office with John Chilton. He did a great job! Here is a lil' taste...

Watched Sixteen Candles for the 8,274 time. My 24 year old cousin recently got married and his sweet wife said to me "So guess what I did this weekend? I watched some movies from your generation...Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Some Kind of Wonderful." If you are reading, I adore you but MY GENERATION???? I am only 10 years older than you. 10 years does not a generation make. And since I like to think that I am still 24, let's hold off on the age-gap talk. Love ya!

Please note the grasscloth. Perhaps the only good thing about 80's decor.

It's the Annual Cooper River Bridge Run this weekend in Charleston. Am I running it? No. I walk the bridge 2x a week so I don't need to do it with 3,000 other people. But I am excited for all the folks that are excited about running it! It will be a fun weekend! Have fun and be safe!

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It's not national doughnut day. I'm just thinking about them.

my friend chis answered the question below in the ask chris section of la magazine. anyone who knows me knows i love doughnuts. LOVE them. I have purchased many of these pink boxes full of them and i love how pink they ARE. xo amanda


Question: Why does Los Angeles seem to be the only city in the country with pink doughnut boxes?

Chris:

No, they’re not a tribute to Angelyne. Cambodians fleeing the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s arrived in large numbers in Southern California, where they were recruited by Win-chell’s. At the time the coated, greaseproof boxes that held the pastries were costly and came in white, the color of mourning in Cambodia. So the immigrants found a company, Evergreen in Cerritos, that made the boxes cheaper and uncoated in pink. They will soon be seen in the Midwest, says Len Bell, who was a Winchell’s division manager in the ’70s. One Cambodian shop owner, he says, recently moved to St. Louis with a trailer full of the boxes. But we’ll still be the capital of dough-nuts, annually consuming more than 750 million of them, mostly at independent enterprises.

btw national doughnut day is the first friday of june. I know!! really far away from now. just keep it mind. quick story! one time jolene and I went to the above location ON doughnut day to purchase a yummy doughnut. we chose this location based on their "tiny" signage. to our dismay we were actually surprised to find out that they actually server more coffee than doughnuts now. They keep the giganto doughnut because it's historic. so don't be fooled...their selection is slim to none in the "d" department.

"National Doughnut Day was established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise much-needed funds during the Great Depression, and to honor the work of World War I Salvation Army volunteers who prepared doughnuts and other foods for thousands of soldiers."

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