2011: New Year, New Life (?)

2011 will mark some major milestones in my life:

March 2011: David and I will welcome our first child -- a boy.

May 2011: David will turn 30.

June 2011: I will turn 30.

September 2011: David and I will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary.

November 2011: Marks my 5th year as a licensed attorney (unfortunately, I'll be missing my 5th year reunion in April due to above mentioned baby). Of course, that still makes me the baby of our legal department, but there is something to be said for getting past the first few, really tough years of being a young attorney.

In many ways, the dawn of the second decade of the now not-so-new millennium marks Dave's and my entrance into actual adulthood. Sure, we've technically been adults for over a decade, but I'll admit that we both indulged in the extended adolescence that our society has long allowed twenty-somethings. And we've very much enjoyed all the traveling, eating out, etc. that our disposable income and lack of kids has allowed us. Am I a bit scared at the prospect of this transition? Absolutely, but I think I'm finally ready to embrace adulthood, motherhood and this new year.

But enough of the serious stuff; have a wonderful New Year's Eve and a very Happy New Year! See y'all back next week for some updates on the nursery (I swear my absence in blogland this week is due primarily to being productive!) and more design inspiration.

Photograph courtesy of Elle Canada.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'm off for the next few days enjoying some quality time with the family and some much needed R&R. I'll be back next week though with plenty of updates on the nursery (including some DIYs) as I scurry to get the room in shape before returning to work in January.

Love,

Averill

P.S. - The winner of the Bold & Noble Noah's Ark print is #19 -- Mary! Thanks to everyone who entered and congratulations, Mary! I'll be in touch about shipment later today.

*Holiday card designed by my friend Natalie, owner of the lovely stationery boutique Sicily Eason.*

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year. I absolutely love the holiday's emphasis on family, gratitude and (of course!) food -- especially since those same virtues don't come with the attendant stresses of gifting and performance anxiety that Christmas inevitably seems to put everyone under. After a stressful fall, I'm particularly thankful this year for what I do have: my health, the support and love of my husband, family and friends, and the anticipation of getting to spend next Thanksgiving with a new addition to our family. 

Dave and I are off today to Florida to see his family. Whether you're traveling or staying at home, I wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings.

Photograph courtesy of MarthaStewart.com.

Halloween Costume High/Low

I love Halloween costumes. And I'll even admit that I love Martha Stewart's fantastical, creative takes on Halloween costumes. The only issue I ever buy of Martha Stewart Living, just to relish in the fantasy that this year I'll craft away my October weekends and throw together one helluva DIY costume.

But let's get real. Most weekends it's all I can do to check off the "must do" errands and chores. And so, if I'm going to dress up for Halloween, I'm going to have to go store-bought or risk going yet again as a "punk rocker" or Janet Reno (better when I had short hair). But I refuse to do a fall-back again this year. Now that I live in a neighborhood with children aplenty, I vow to do better...even if it's just to scare them a wee bit when I open the door to hand out candy.

For those of us on a budget (or who are dressing up to stay home, as I plan to), I'm totally loving Costume Couture, the new Target capsule collection from Simon Doonan, author and window dresser extraordinaire. Simon's pithy (and punny) wit is all too evident in these costumes, from Candace Corn to the Chow Hound. Even better? It's all under $30. Oh Target, how I love thee...

If you're willing and able to shell out a little more dough (which may be worthwhile if you're attending a full-fledged adult Halloween soiree or have children who practically live in dress-up clothes, as my sister and I did), might I suggest Chasing Fireflies? The children's site has the best selection of costumes -- for children, adults and pets, might I add -- that I've ever seen. I particularly love the array of historical and mythological costumes. In fact, if that Medusa outfit came in an adult version, I'd be all over it.

P.S. - Have you ever noticed how dog costumes are so often modeled by bulldogs? Perhaps it's because a bulldog, let alone a bulldog in a tutu, is inherently funny.

Olivia, reclining

Today I wanted to share with you all a recent watercolor my mother did of my dachshund Olivia. I think she did a wonderful job of capturing Olivia's personality (and, let's face it, her voluptuous figure). To give you a point of reference, the watercolor is based on this photograph that I took of Olivia a few weeks back in my office:

Of course, since both the artist and the subject are near and dear to my heart, this piece will have pride of place in my home once it's framed.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and, to all you mothers out there, happy (belated) Mother's Day. And to my own artistic mother: Happy Mother's Day, Moomie!

Happy Easter!

For those of you who celebrate Easter: Happy Easter! But even if you don't, enjoy this gorgeous Spring weekend.

Photograph courtesy of Style at Home.

Going Green

Christina Murphy

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd be pretty uncreative and pull together some of my favorite green rooms. I'm always a fan of bright, monochromatic (or dichromatic) spaces and green is one of my favorite colors when you're trying to go bright and bold, but still have a "liveable" room. Unlike, say, orange or yellow, Green -- and even bold greens like kelly green -- read as a neutral when they stand alone or when only paired with true neutrals like white or black.

Amanda Nisbet

I've been coveting these Ava dining chairs from Annie Selke for months. I also love how Amanda carried the green onto the heavy beams, creating a real architectural feature out of what could otherwise best be described as bulkheads. I also love the soft brass fixtures with the green, the warmth lends a richness and depth to the room that I don't think nickel or silver could.

Jonathan Adler

With its cheerful color palette and midcentury touches, this room is classic Jonathan Adler.

Thomas Jayne

This room feels classic New England to me, with the roaring fire, heavy moldings and quilt on the bed. The color, however, really pulls it into the 21st century. I don't know if you'd call this color a blue-green or a green-blue, but I love it.

Lindsay Coral Harper

I typically try to avoid competing shades of a single color in a room, but the lime green walls and turquoise chairs really works together here. The overall effect is updated Palm Beach, without the hyper-coordination that can often make a room feel stuffy.

Phoebe Howard

Ah, another set of dining chairs that I'd love to own for myself -- anyone know the source on these? All the major elements in this room are neutral, but the room feels very colorful thanks to the green curtains, seat cushions and plates. In a few years the owner could easily switch these elements out with a different color for an entirely different look. It just goes to show you that you don't need a lot of color to make a big impact.

Jamie Drake

The mix of modern and traditional elements in this room is wonderful, but the best feature by far is all that gorgeous natural light streaming in from the floor-to-ceiling window.

Meg Braff

I think I'm increasingly obsessed with grass cloth -- if only I could find a place to use it in my own house! In any case, I love the mix of patterns in this room. The graphic rug, the cheetah print chairs and the grasscloth on the walls all lend different but subtle patterns, the combination of which is really greater than the sum of its parts.

Katie Ridder

Using a great print as a jumping off point for a room is a sure-fire way to achieve a cohesive design. The lavender and lime color palette is pulled from the fabric used on the ottoman and side chair in the foreground. The fabric is then repeated in the pillows on the sofa, ensuring a balance between both sides of the room (after all, it would feel a bit "off" if all the print were on one side of the coffee table and all the solid fabrics were on the other).

Miles Redd

These forest green leather doors with brass nailhead trim make me realize that my hollow-core doors are such a missed design opportunity. I also like how the hallway stands on its own design-wise, yet still works with the adjoining entry as it picks up on the greens in the wallcovering and generally harmonizes with the browns that dominate the adjoining space.

John Willey

I love the tight brown and lime color palette in this room -- it really enabled John to mix prints with abandon: plaid, Ikat, butterflies, geometrics...and yet it all harmonizes beautifully because all the prints contain the same colors (and when they don't, like in the plaid and Ikat prints, Willey added the missing color in as trim). I normally shy away from floral or butterfly prints as too girly, but the color palette and the great mix of other prints makes this room feel gender neutral to me. Also, did you notice the trim on the ceiling? What a great (and inexpensive) way to bring some interest to your fifth wall!

Hillary Thomas

Pink and green is such a classic, preppy color combination, but it's one that never fails to make me happy. It's even better when the colors are turned up a notch as with the hot pink drapes here. The softer neutrals in the rug and chairs help the room from feeling too much like the inside of a Lily Pulitzer store. I will say though that the composition feels a bit unbalanced to me, as all the saturated color in the green sofa and yellow pillows isn't set off by anything. I'd perhaps have included brighter pillows on the neutral side chairs and the white flokati pillows on the sofa...but that's just me.

Martha Angus

More fabulous pink and green, but this time both the pink and the green are in bold, saturated shades. I particularly love the contrast of the modern pop art with the very traditional handpainted wallpaper. Such a great contrast really makes this room stand out for me.

Sixx Designs

As much as I love a serene bathroom, I can't deny that this bright green bathroom from Sixx Designs is tons of fun. The salvaged pharmacy sign is a great touch and picks up on the retro black and white tiling. I really love the strong blue of the pendant light fixture. It's an unexpected, but brilliant touch in this room.

Tobi Fairley

Tobi is definitely a designer after my own heart. She's fundamentally traditional, but she's fond of bold color schemes, patterns and tightly edited spaces, all of which is perfectly exhibited in this green, white and gold living room. It's unusual to see two side tables that are actually taller than the sofa arms, but I like the built-in, cozy look that it lends the room....Oh and I would give my right arm for that coffee table. My only complaint? That Tobi karate-chopped the throw pillows. I hate that! Why do people do that?! Fluff, don't chop, I beg you.

Amanda Nisbet

I love the sophisticated, yet tropical feel of this bedroom. Again, I love the grasscloth wallpaper and its chartreuse hue is a very modern touch against the cottage-style bed as almost any other color green could have read as too country here.

Green is, ultimately, a natural color choice in interior design. It pairs well with both complimentary colors (like pink) and analogous colors (like yellow or blue) and is a great accent color for predominately neutral palettes. Green can read as energetic or calming, intense or calm, glamorous or laid back. Green also works in a variety of design styles, from traditional to modern. But whichever direction you choose to take green in your design, you can be assured that you'll be bringing in a little bit of Irish luck into your home.

May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,

wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world

with joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons

bring the best to you and yours!

~ Traditional Irish Blessing

Round Up: Valentine's Day Cards

Okay so Valentine's Day may be 10 days away, but consider this a friendly reminder that it is just around the corner. I do not, as a general rule, put a lot of stock in Valentine's Day as a romantic holiday -- which is lucky for Dave as his first Valentine's Day gift to me was a blender. I do, however, thoroughly enjoy Valentine's Day as an excuse to buy and send cards and stationery. Even if it is just a "Hallmark Holiday", Valentine's Day is just as good a reason as any to let the people you care about most in your life that you...well, care about them.

If you're still looking for the perfect card or cards, I'd suggest foregoing your local Walgreens or CVS in favor of searching out a card that's a bit more personal and unique. And remember: cards are even better when you take the time to include a handwritten note. This year, while I'll be writing a few cards by hand, I think I'll send most of my cards virtually. Iomoi has a wonderful selection of Valentine's Day motifs (like the one above) for its virtual e-cards and, at $15 for a yearlong subscription, you could send Valentines to everyone in your address book.

Source list (from top left): 1. TTV Photograph Valentine's Day cards from Maile Lani ($12/set of 3). These are practically art-quality and would make great seasonal decorations. 2. Like card from Michelle Brusegaard ($3.25). The perfect card if your relationship is still in its nascent stage. 3. I Love You My Dear letterpress cards from Tara Hogan ($14/set of 5). I can't resist a cute pun...especially when it's on letterpress! 4. Love All Lovely cards from Up Up Creative ($9/set of 4). The retro-70s vibe of these cards is great and the color palette is a nice change from sticky sweet pink and red. 5. Vintage-Inspired Candy Shop Valentine's cards from Two Poodle Press ($4/set of 10). A great price; perfect if you're buying for an entire class. 6. Pride and Prejudice Valentine from Stars and Stillness ($3). What girl wouldn't melt for Mr. Darcy? 7. Laugh Love Dream notecards from Orange Beautiful A great take on the typographical trend that's still raging hot. I love the black and white card paired with the hot pink envelope. ($10/set of 6).

Source list (from top left): 1. Valentine's Day card from Jen Rotert ($3.50). Sometimes it pays to keep it cute and simple. 2. Letterpress Friendship card from Sycamore Street Press ($4). A great friendship card that's more sassy than sappy. 3. Valentine's Day Personalized Cards with Keepsake Mailbox from Ink Spot Workshop ($21/set of 20). The kid in me loves this whole set: the stickers, personalized cards and mailbox to keep them in. 4. Happy V Day card from Sweet Perversion ($4). The simple exterior belies the bold message inside this card. 5. Sweetheart Ribbon Card from Anna Cote ($5.50). Just plain pretty. 6. You Fill My Heart with Love card from Just Another Day ($3). I love the modern, clean look of this card. 7. The Bee's Knees Valentine Card from Lily Jane Stationery ($3). I love how the bee's path is in the shape of a heart. 8. Do You Still Love Me? letterpress card from The Sherwood Press ($4). This card would be perfect for my bug-loving hubby.

This coming week I'll be doing something a bit different in honor of Valentine's Day: I'll be posting some of my favorite love poems and accompanying artwork from favorite Etsy sellers. I've long been a fan of poetry (indeed, this blog's name is the first 3 words in one of my favorite Latin love poems from Catullus), though admittedly I have not shared my passion for verse on this blog before. Poetry has a way of capturing the real rhythms of love (and loss) in a way that prose quite simply cannot. And so, I thought I'd take this Valentine's Day as an opportunity to share with you a few poems that have meant a lot to me over the years. But don't worry, if you're not a fan of poetry I'll still be interspersing the poetry with my usual posts on design, shopping and style.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone capped off 2009 with a wonderful and festive evening. I'm signing off for the weekend, but I'll be back next week, refreshed and renewed for what I can only hope will be a great 2010. This year, I toyed with the idea of dispensing with New Year's resolutions altogether; after all, why set myself up for failure with a slew of resolutions that I'll just break before January is over? But, ultimately I decided a bit of aspirational thinking never hurt anyone and, to quote C. S. Lewis, "you are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream".

So what are my goals and dreams for 2010? Many of you have encouraged me to pursue a career in design and -- while I'm immensely flattered -- I actually really enjoy my day job. So, above all, I dream of stability at work in 2010. Since February 2008 I have been through two jobs, three employers and five (yes, five) bosses. After some bouncing around and a lot of luck, I've managed to land a job I really enjoy and a boss that I both admire and like. Continued stability at my current job will (finally) give me an opportunity to build a reputation and achieve some career growth. But that's not to say that decorating and blogging don't figure into my goals for the coming year; there are plenty of design projects I have up my sleeve for the new house (more on that to come) and I'd love to continue to build on the successes that I've had blogging over the past 12 months. As corollaries to those hobbies, I'd add pushing the boundaries of, and continuing to develop, my own sense of style as goals for this coming year as well.

And what about you? What are your New Year's resolutions?

Graphic is a part of the Keep Calm and Carry On Printable Spoof Calendar from Little Brown Pen.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you woke up this morning with everything (and everyone) you could want underneath your Christmas tree. As I reflect back on the blessings of this past year, I know that starting this blog has given me some of the best gifts I could have wished for: a voice and an outlet for my creativity and, just as importantly, a community of wonderful and supportive readers and fellow bloggers. Best wishes for a wonderful day full of merriment, memories and (of course) style.

Photograph courtesy of Canadian House & Home.

Christmas Decorating from Coast to Coast

After posting pictures of my Christmas decorations earlier this week, I was so excited when several of you took me up on my offer and submitted pictures of your own homes all decked out for the holidays. My excitement became even greater when I realized how wonderful so many of these pictures were -- I am so impressed! In particular, I love how many of you go well beyond traditional holiday decorating (i.e., a Christmas tree, stockings and a wreath). Instead, decorations line stairwells, tables, and just about any spare corner in your homes creating a wonderfully festive atmosphere throughout the house. Perhaps best of all though, I love the variety of decorations and styles that these photos display; no matter what your decorating taste, I'm sure you'll find something you like.

Our first stop is to Dallas, where loyal Odi et Amo reader Nichole lives in a charming traditional home. There's such a line when it comes to outdoor decorating between being festive and being tacky, and I think Nichole tows that line beautifully with some simple garlands around the columns (which highlights her charming portico) and a wreath on the door. I also like how the decorations can be enjoyed in daylight as well as at night.

Aside from the Christmas tree, festive garlands hung along a banister are my favorite holiday decorations and when they can highlight a gorgeous stairwell, as they do here, all the better. I also love how Nichole placed two small Christmas trees on the landing. Well done, Nichole!

I suspect many of you will recognize this D.C.-area front door as belonging to Beth (author of two of my "must read" blogs, Chinoiserie Chic and Style Redux). Her red angel wreath is such a gorgeous and fun alternative to a traditional spruce wreath and really pops against Beth's black door.

Colorful blue and pink ornaments bedeck more towering greenery in Beth's sitting room.

A close-up of Beth's Christmas tree in her family room shows off an array of beautiful metallic ornaments. I love the mixture of textures and styles here, all made cohesive by a gold and silver color palette. Beth has done a wonderful series this month over at Chinoiserie Chic chronicling her holiday decorating room by room; if you're looking for innovative ways to deck the halls in style, it's a must read.

Our next stop is southern New Jersey, where we'll check in on the home of A Lil' Welsh Rarebit's Christy. Christy's colorful Christmas tree reminds me so much of the Christmas trees of my childhood -- the colorful lights, mix of ornaments and lovingly wrapped gifts just sing "welcome home for the holidays!" to me.

I love the warmth and personality of Christy's mantle, which displays are variety of holiday treasures both old and new. There's also a certain urban quality here with all these colored lights against the brick wall that I find very appealing.

Next we'll make our way to Iowa and Kara's midcentury modern-inspired living room. I love how Kara kept her holiday decorations in line with her overall design aesthetic. The effect is simple and modern, but still cozy and festive.

A few simple snowflakes, a bowl full of blue and green ornaments and a cute throw pillow were all Kara needed to make this corner of her living room feel festive.

And, of course, how could I resist including a photo of these cute faces? Kara's adorable pups are Arlo and Minnie, respectively. Be sure to check out all their many adventures over at Kara's blog, Living in the Moment.

The final leg of our virtual tour brings us back to the Dallas area at the home of Liz, whose blog It's Great to be Home... chronicles the ongoing renovations of her charming '60s-era ranch (as well as the house flipping venture she recently launched with her husband). Liz's gorgeous living room (and that stunning fireplace!) is hands down my favorite room that she and her husband have redone. For the holidays, Liz has shown the fireplace off to its best advantage with two small trees and a lovely green garland.

Liz's Christmas tree is just so joyous -- I love the tightly edited red and gold color scheme, which compliments all the creamy neutrals and rich browns of her home. The simply wrapped ribbon really makes a statement, doesn't it?

Finally, Liz decorated the buffet in her dining room with more greenery and a red runner, which ties the tablescape in with the decorations elsewhere in her house. I particularly love Liz's collection of large silver candlesticks, staggered at different heights thanks to a silver cake stand (brilliant!).

Thanks again to everyone who was kind enough to submit pictures and I hope the rest of you are as inspired by them as I am. Tonight Dave and I are off to Florida to spend Christmas with his family and, while I'll be sans-laptop while I'm gone, I'll be back home on Monday, enjoying our "staycation" and blogging away. But until then...

Merry Christmas!

Decorating for Christmas

I've been meaning to post photographs of the house all decked out for the holidays for several weeks now, but between long workdays and even more demanding nights and weekends (I can't remember my social calendar being this full since, well, ever!), I've only just gotten around to uploading the pictures. In an effort to work with what I've got, I didn't go out and buy all new decorations this year -- though I'll readily admit I was tempted, especially since the color scheme in the old house (largely browns and golds, with some red and green accents) is so different from the color scheme in the new house (primarily blue and white, with a strong dose of metallics for good measure). Accordingly, I can't say that the end result represents precisely the look I was going for, but I'm happy overall with how everything turned out, especially in light of my limited time to devote to decorating this month.

I'll admit that I love a real Christmas tree; however, between my allergies and my neatnik nature, real trees don't exactly love me. My compromise then is to pick up a lovely spruce wreath every December at Whole Foods for the front door; that way, I get a bit of that gorgeous smell every time I walk in the door and the mess (and my hay fever) stays outside where it belongs.

I love the look of gorgeous garlands draped dramatically down a curved staircase. Alas though, this year I couldn't find one that suited both my taste and my budget, so I simply made do and threaded a few light strands around the banister. Hopefully I'll be able to score a few garlands on the cheap during the post-Christmas sales. So while my light installation isn't exactly gorgeous during the day, at night it beautifully frames the lighted Christmas tree, drawing you into the great room.

The dining room is where most of the new holiday items found a home. Inspired by the many images of gorgeous chandeliers bedecked with graceful ornaments that I've seen this year, I picked up a few sets of inexpensive snowflake ornaments from Target to outfit the chandelier. The mirrored Christmas trees (which I love -- they're truly impressive in person!), beaded runner and mercury glass votives are also from Target. The tablecloth is by Marimekko and available at Finn Style.

A close up of the snowflake ornaments. I initially started with just 6, but added another layer after deciding that it looked a bit underdone.

I pulled a similar trick in the breakfast nook, only this time I went with larger mercury glass ornaments (also scored at Target) that I rehung using inexpensive ribbon. Since this chandelier is much smaller, I thought it could handle just a few larger ornaments. The beaded snowflake runner is also from Target. Next year, I'm going to try and add a few lights and/or ornaments to my topiary for a bit more festive flair.

The mantle was decked out in our Christmas stockings (which I purchased at Pottery Barn several years ago) -- and yes, even the pets get their own stocking. I'm hoping to replace these in the next year or two with a bespoke set in silver, white and blue to coordinate better with my new family room.

The Christmas tree, with Olivia sleeping underneath it (all the animals love the Christmas tree and spend the month of December camped out underneath it -- I assume they're attracted to all the sparkling lights). You'll notice my tree doesn't really have a theme; rather, the ornaments are a mishmash of heirlooms (I have several sets from both grandmothers), childhood favorites and new purchases. While I adore the look of a well-curated Christmas tree, with ornaments in only one or two different colors, in practice I can't part with my own rag-tag collection, which bring back fond memories of childhood and my grandmothers.

My attempts at a high quality shot (which was supposed to end up on our Christmas card) of Olivia underneath the Christmas tree were largely fruitless. That said though, doesn't she look adorable all curled up in her pink bed and wearing her pink coat?

And what about you? Did you go all out and deck the halls this year? If so, please send me your photos -- I'd love to share them here at Odi et Amo.