'P' is for....

Soon enough... I'll be a P, rather than a W.  When I was young, this initial was such an annoyance. Always being last in line, last called upon in class, and always in a different group than friends... that's what you get having one of the most common last names - Williams.  Now I look at this name and feel so proud; it's so strong and has a great presence about it... plus, they save the best for last, right? ;) 

However, in 247 days (so says my countdown)... I will become a Picken! :)  In honor of this bittersweet change, I'd love to incorporate this new letter in my life, in our house.  I've always loved the use of initials in home decorating, but these are a piece of art in themselves... I WANT ONE... a P!  If I'm lucky, I just may win one from the lovely Laura of Laura Rae Designs, as she's currently having a giveaway on her blog The 6 La La's - enter to win!



Wish me luck! :)  Love ~J

Wedding on the Brain

I have a whole LOT of wedding on my brain lately, for obvious reasons.  So many things going on these days... too much to fit in this post, with the amount of time left in my night.  I'll just leave you with one of my favorite obsessions... Style Me Pretty.  Their tagline 'Obsessions for Brides' is oh so true.  I love every aspect of this website!  So much so, that it is one of the feeds in my Google Reader that I will actually open up the site separately, so that I can also peak at the beautiful aqua decor of the site while I get lost in the most beautiful wedding pictures, DIY ideas, and vendors.

I see a lot of weddings on this and other blogs, but the wedding featured on today's post has got to be one of the most beautiful ones I've seen... ever.  Here's a snippet to leave you with... definitely check out the rest here!

The chandeliers from the vine overhang... the perfect blue linens & chair covers... the beautiful rich neverending farm-style tables & chairs... AHHH, I could go on... I want to go to there! :)

Oh, and by the way... my wedding dress came in already!  I got to see it tonight... it.was.PERFECT!

Elegant Classic

... Or at least that's what HomeGoods StyleScope results told me... And to be honest, I think it was just about spot on!  So suprising, because sometimes I really struggle with what my true style sense is.  I think it is fully understandable and okay for someone to gravitate towards a few different styles.  However, in my recent attempts to narrow down the decor and style for the rooms in our house, I've noticed a definite trend:  neutral, classic combined with contemporary, and love for vintage & unique accents.  Is this our style?  Probably not, but we do love a lot of the same things.  The main one is all-around color preferences.  Don't get me wrong, I love color, but in looking at picture after picture throughout the blogosphere, my inspiration documentation made me realize one thing... I love neutrals.  If I could guess, maybe it's because my subconscious craves some simplicity and cleanliness to my often cluttered rooms. :)  I ain't gonna lie.  Anyways, Jeff has never been a fan of using bright colors in our decor, unless just as an accent.  Through this new process of decorating an entire house I've learned that this is something I do not have to fight.  So many trends, along side the ambition to finally do something fun with our new space (meaning not an apartment with limitations), made me feel like we needed to do something bold - add big colored accent walls or paint entire rooms - this just isn't the case.  Now, I am okay with this.  We are happiest in the calm and elegantly bold neutral realm.

Here's a clip from the StyleScope results along with some inspirational images that we've pulled aside for some rooms - so crazy - spot on!  I think we're moving in the right direction, and I will definitely post pics as progress is made.  I'd love to hear any of your ideas or thoughts on the matter!

******************************   

Jessica, you are an Elegant Classic

You have a refined sensibility with an appreciation for history and tradition in your furniture and your rooms. You value beauty, things that are well crafted, and family heirlooms. You are visually sensitive and understand how symmetry and a formal layout give order to a room, and hence your home is refined and calming. You are not taken in by the trends of the moment. You go for things with a timeless appeal, and appreciate old-fashioned virtues like manners and handwritten notes and making a home that is welcoming for others.

You value comfort. Your home is a warm and open friendly place, and you feel happiest when everyone is cared for and relaxed in your space. Elements like pillows, throws, overstuffed furniture, and good lighting set the mood. You may also enjoy layering different fabrics or mixing patterns to create a cozy effect.

Your Happy Home Colors

 

 

Putting Color to Use!

You are probably not one to go in for crazy color, and you may want to keep things fairly neutral and sophisticated overall. But try selecting a duo or trio of colors that work well together, and introduce one or more of them into your curtains, wall color or rugs. This will tie the overall palette together in a coherent way. You could even incorporate your color palette in smaller doses, like in your tablecloths, cushions, throws, or bedspreads, for example. 

******************************

 

 [Idea for our Master Bedroom - primarily Grey walls]

{image courtesy of Martha Stewart}

[Idea for Living Room - Use of strong Brown accents, patterned rug, and dark furniture]

 - Note: our couch is already tan, and our walls not far off from this (middle-top in swatches above)

{image courtesy of DIY Ideas}

[Other Favorites]

{image courtesty of DIY Ideas}

- I am very much LOVING collections of vases & jars!  Anyone close to my wedding planning knows this as well :)

{image courtesy of Sarah Kaye}

- I want a mirror similar to the one in this beautiful room

{image courtesy of Sarah Kaye}

- There I go with the grey again

{image courtesy of Sarah Kaye}

 

- I think my style is similar to the amazing Bryn of Bryn Alexandra Interiors, I getting excited every time she shows a sneak peek of her new work for her new business - check her out!

{courtesy of Bryn Alexandra} 

...technical difficulties...

...Sorry, all, for the technical difficulties experienced; causing a random, unfinished post.  Argh... back to unpacking...

Dining Room Inspiration

Many, many, inspirations have been found lately, bookmarked, notebooked, and now I'm going to start sharing them.  Maybe you all can help me make decisions or locate good deals.  We are on T-minus 6 days until we get the keys to the house and begin moving stuff in.  Although we already have a good amount of furniture, we'll definitely still need more to fill our house.  The first of this that I'd like to tackle is the dining/eat-in kitchen.  Because we don't have a formal dining room, but the eat-in kitchen space is a good size, I want to find a solution that will make the space casual for every day and formal-looking enough when expanded for larger groups.

I found the image below a few weeks ago and keep coming back to it.  Maybe it's a little more on the casual side, but I love the vintage elegance that the Belgian sofa brings to the table (pun not intended). :)

Mimic:  large oak (refinished & pedestal-leg) table, sofa or bench on one side, neutral colors
Modify:  all chairs for remainder of seating (rather than including foot-stool), and a more modern finish of wood will be needed to match the cabinetry in our kitchen.

{found via Blueprint Bliss and Country Living magazine}

Reminder of what our kitchen looks like:

UPDATE:  Just when I thought it might not be possible to combine the style of our kitchen with my eclectic vision for the eat-in dining area... I found this!  Note, the awesome rustic table with modern chairs, and it all ties together well (aside from the fact that it's not a dining area).  To top it off, it is the workroom of Amy Butler, one of my fav designers:

{image found via decorology, courtesy of Country Living}

What to do?  How can I translate this?  I've searched Craigslist high and low, and just don't seem to be finding a table that fits my vision.  I might have the opportunity to check out the best Rummage Sale at the Portland Expo Center tomorrow... fingers crossed... because I'm gone ALL weekend!! Ahhh, such bad timing, as Saturday is 25% off all items and Sunday is 50% off! But don't get me wrong, I'm super excited to get away this weekend. :)

Any other ideas on where I can search for this furniture (preferably used, due to budget & style) or tips on pulling this look together?

Love, J

Cat People & Family People

Let me lay it out for you... to be a 'Cat Person', one must have at least 3 cats! As you may remember, we only have 2 - so HAH! Okay, I'm done trying to prove my point. :) However, this is what inspired our creative solution to dressing as 'our worst nightmare'. It was even more appropriate because our friends Stef & Trey (who invited us out on Friday night) always tease us about being cat people. We had a lot of fun Friday night at the party; the decorations were awesome - the entire house was decorated, and we almost won a scavenger hunt - almost. I didn't do the best job photographing the night, as I would've loved to post a pic of our friends, they had awesome costumes too (Red Fire-hydrant being peed on by a dog, lol). We were too exhausted to go out and do something on Halloween night; even too tired to go out and see a movie, but we did have a good evening relaxing at home.


{sorry, not sure why these are coming out blury}


{stupid pic, but had to add so that you could see the cat hair Jeff rubbed on his hat - so gross!}


{big-time rockers, jammin'}

My 'Family People', well, I just love them! It's been awhile since we ventured over to my hometown, Camas, and I got an invite to do my little bro's girlfriend's hair for Homecoming... so I drove on over Saturday afternoon and had a really good day! My family has spent time with her family over the last few months and rave about what awesome ppl they are, so it was great to finally meet them; and they have a beautiful house that overlooks the Columbia River towards Portland. Although I'm biased, I'd like to say Andi's hair looked the best! :) hehe I really enjoy doing hair, and have been so fortunate to have been asked many times over the last 10 years to do it for friends/family on the side (even my girlfriend Jessie's wedding up-do, which I felt really lucky to do). I'm documenting them more now, so if you'd like to see others and/or interested in my side-services, drop me an email. ;) Here are some shots of the day...


{sister, brother, and me}


{mother & brother}


{the happy homecoming duo}

Sneak Preview

Just thought I would share a sneak preview of our costumes... we are heading to a themed Halloween party, where we're supposed to come as our 'worst nightmare'. I think our approach, as well as our friends', was for creativity. I'm kind of apposed to gory stuff. We were originally aiming for Bridezilla/Beaten-up Groom, but Goodwill didn't come through for us (I can't believe how much they try to sell bridal gowns for!!!?!?) So, maybe you can guess what we are going to be, maybe not... lol... I'll post after pics within a few days. Tomorrow I get to do some more Homecoming hair :), this time for my brother's girlfriend. And I really should start packing boxes... ugh. We've got a big 2 weeks ahead of us, but at least I get to take a lil' break and head to Coeur d'Alene to visit a girlfriend! I'm so excited!

(Sorry this ones a little blurry, but I had to show Oscar checking out the the competition)


(This is the first time we've ever done this, and I felt so bad! We are using it for the costumes & couldn't resist, Oscar was not so happy and we couldn't even get near Lilly with it. It's supposed to be a ladybug and it didn't even fit on his head, lol)


Hope everyone has a great Halloween and a fun weekend!

Love, J