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classic casual home

Every once in a while, I come across a blog that is so breathtaking I can’t devour every little tidbit fast enough.  Classic Casual Home, penned by Mary Ann Pickett, is definitely one of those blogs-when I saw her kitchen renovation featured on Hooked on Houses a few weeks ago, I dropped everything and read…

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swimming pool inspiration

When the hubby got orders to transfer to another base, the one caveat of selling our home at the beach was that we would put an in-ground, concrete pool in the backyard.  Two weeks after we finished construction on our new home, my husband left on a four-month deployment and construction on the pool began.…

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219 north cliffwood

If you aren’t familiar with Brooke Giannetti, interior designer and author of the blog, Velvet and Linen, you don’t know what you’re missing.  Brooke and her husband, Steve, an incredibly talented architect, create drop-dead gorgeous spaces, photos of which they graciously share in extensive detail on her blog. One of my personal favorites, handsdown, is a Santa Monica property, 219…

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DIY: distressed baby letters

This past weekend we threw a shower in honor of my best friend, who is anxiously awaiting the arrival of her first baby in eight weeks.  I wanted to make something to sit on the table with the invitation that could also be used in the nursery.  Since the parents-to-be are not finding out the sex of…

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DIY: “zinc” mirror

There’s something about crusty old zinc mirrors that stop me in my tracks.  The price tag, on the other hand, does not.  So I decided to try my hand at reinventing a wooden mirror I got at World Market a few years ago (to sit on my fireplace just until my wooden sunburst mirror from…

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DIY: nautical rope doorstop

Another advantage of being married to a Marine is that mine knows how to tie an inordinate amount of knots.  Normally, that doesn’t come in handy except for that one day I decide I want to make my own nautical rope doorstop and then I become giddy like a schoolgirl!  This knot is called the…

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DIY: whitewashed furniture

I have long been a fan of whitewashed furniture; I think it gives some pieces character that you just can’t obtain with a regular painted or stained finish.  So, when I scored two oak pedestal tables for $19 a piece at my local Habitat for Humanity store during one of their 50% off sales, I…

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heavenly herringbone

There’s something about herringbone that gets my heart racing.  Hardwood floors, tile backsplashes and garden walks go from basic to breathtaking when installed in this elegant, unexpected pattern that never goes out of style.  Here are a few images that I’ve saved in my inspiration folder for a while that still make my heart skip a…

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wonderful world of window boxes

Spring is in the air-well, kinda-and with the warmer temperatures, I have landscaping on the brain.  Next month, before the humidity gets too high, I’m completely re-doing the landscaping in the front of our home.  While that’s one way to increase your curb appeal, it’s certainly not the easiest or the cheapest (in my defense,…

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DIY: aged terra cotta pots

Get the look of aged terra cotta pots in less than 30 minutes!

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eenie, meenie, miney, mo…

Beautiful rooms that inspired me to hang blue grasscloth in my foyer.

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designer love: mabley handler

No one does East Coast Chic like Mabley Handler. Here are some of my favorite rooms.