Easter: Inspiration March 9, 2008

Williams-Sonoma never fails to inspire me around the holidays.

These adorable papier-mache eggs would be a beautiful addition to the Easter basket. Most of our eggs are plastic, I’ll be honest, but sometimes I stick something special in our kids’ baskets to be a keepsake. I was more into special little things like this with our girls, however. Unless these eggs had spideman printed on them, our son wouldn’t even care.

What a cute bunny pan! If I was into baking I’d make bunny cakes for sure.

You could make this yourself. A nest wreath with candies in the middle — easy centerpiece.

Ok, now, I adore those straw bunnies, birds and chicks. I must have them! They are so life-like. They’d be adorable perched on the table or basically anywhere. I love them.

The Easter Egg tree is a seasonal tradition in many European countries. You could make this with branches from outside.

These little chicks are just the fluffiest cutest little sweetie chicks ever. These are another good example of the kinds of little surprises I always loved sticking in plastic eggs to surprise my girls when they were little.

Super easy decor. Love the eggs around a pillar candle.

Of course, baking sugar cookies in fun Easter shapes would make the holiday special.

All of these items can be found at Williams-Sonoma.

Easter: Centerpieces & Placecards March 9, 2008

At our house, Easter is favorite opportunity to create a festive and memorable table. While we celebrate the true meaning of Easter and that is what is most significant to us about the holiday, we also enjoy the traditional Easter decorations such as painted eggs and cute little bunnies. It feels great to put away the more wintry decor and set up vignettes in spring colors. The Easter table is one of our most memorable of the year.

Easter Sunday our family expects the Easter bunny to stop by and hide candy while we are at the morning service at church. Once we return home, just before brunch, the kids run around the house with their Easter baskets gathering up the eggs and candies hidden throughout the main rooms of the house. Our Easter bunny is pretty sneaky about hiding the candy and we usually find some of it the following winter. Nothing like a petrified jelly bean stuck to the back of a drawer in mid-November.

Here are a few ideas I pulled from Better Homes & Gardens that might get our wheels turning for some creative table decorations!

You could use just about any candle holder to showcase eggs!

The tulips and white eggs look so pretty in a clear glass bowl.

I love this fresh and natural looking centerpiece.

These little baskets look adorable tied to the back of a chair!

Of course, a nest always looks like spring! Fill it with some candy eggs!

Using wheatgrass from a pet store makes the perfect soft bed for an egg placecard.

You can’t go wrong with a chocolate bunny. Being able to eat your decorations is always a bonus in my world.

Creating a sweet “egg” tag to tie on a napkin is something even I could do.

For these ideas and lots more, visit Better Homes & Gardens online!

Our Little Escape + Coastal Drive Bys March 3, 2008

On Thursday of last week I decided I was ready for an ESCAPE. For real. No imaginary trip to a castle in Scotland was going to do this time. I called my husband and sheepishly said, “Do you want to leave the kids this weekend and head to the beach?” He said, “You mean for the day, right? The beach house isn’t done yet.” And I said, “No. I’m talking about going to The Cannon Beach Hotel — for two nights.”

I could hear him smile on the other end of the phone. It was a spur of the moment idea, the sun was shining and I knew we had a window of opportunity that probably wouldn’t come again until summer. And I was ready to get out of town NOW! This is not something we do very often — just taking off spontaneously without the kids. And normally it involves a bit more planning and reality is, it usually involves an anniversary. This time, it was all about being spontaneous and fun. And continuing in my resolve to be deliberately disconnected from the computer in order to live a full life in the real world.

I called the charming Cannon Beach Hotel and lo and behold, they had a vacancy! We threw our bags in the car the next morning and off we went! One and a half hours later (and a Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzard for each of us), we arrived. YAHOO! A weekend, UNPLUGGED and CHILDLESS! I think all that talk about the beach house and coastal kitchens last week, coupled with the “Disconnect Challenge” finally merged. A Beach Weekend, Unplugged. I was determined to live out my dreams, yes indeed.

I have to say that we are pretty much homebodies most of the time. We love travel but our life usually revolves around kids, schedules, our house, computers, cleaning, cooking, laundry, working and starting over again the next day with the same routine. Typical days for families with several children. The routine grows comfortable and familiar. Life is good and we are happy with it. But every now and then it is good (and necessary) to escape and get away as a couple (or even alone or with friends!). And that we did. Usually we’d escape to our own beach house, which we are so blessed to have, but knowing that it is still a ways from completion, we splurged on a hotel.

We had breakfast in bed overlooking a cozy fireplace, leisurely walks, tasty food from real restaurants (no Burger Kings), coffee breaks in charming bistros and time to breathe in the fresh sea air. The sun was shining most of the time. We took a couple of naps. We had time to talk about anything and nothing all. We had no where we had to be. And no computer in sight.

I loved this little espresso cafe (below). It had tons of vintage Scottie stuff and antique paintings everywhere. We sat at the copper counter and drank lattes and ate cinnamon rolls. Yummy. The cafe was in Gearhart, a town just a few miles from Cannon Beach near Seaside. Super quaint beach town.

 

Across the street from this cafe was an adorable cottage shop. Much to my utter embarrassment, my husband got the hiccups (very LOUD hiccups) while we were chatting with the owner, oohing and ahh’ing over all the cute stuff she had. I tried to usher him quietly out the door, but the owner stopped us and graciously shared her natural remedy for hiccups. She ran and got him a lovely bottled water and a cup. You would have laughed hysterically had I taken photos, he was drinking out of a cup upside down bending over in the middle of her cottage shop. She was carefully instructing him how to drink from a cup while upside down. I was mortified. But, it worked. He was hiccup free the rest of the trip. Thank goodness.

 

Cannon Beach has some really charming shops, restaurants and buildings. I never tire of wandering through them. In the summer all the flower beds are absolutely gorgeous bursting with blooms and greenery. In the winter all the trees are covered in magical white lights.

This is an adorable theatre where we have seen a few plays over the years. My parents just bought season tickets so I’m sure it will become their regular hangout!

 

I couldn’t resist taking a few little charming Drive By beach cottage photos just for you, my chickadeees! Yeah, my husband graciously pulled over and backed up and nearly drove off the side of a cliff for me to snap a few photos for you. He’s a gem. I tried not to take too many as I was trying to be completely unplugged from blogging. This was just a wee compromise. We do both enjoy houses so it wasn’t too torturous for him.

 

I had to show you photos of these furry Easter bun buns. Aren’t they adorable? They were just romping around freely in one section of Cannon Beach. Tons of them hopping all over the place. I’m a sucker for little cute animals. I love them.

OH, yes, and speaking of bunnies, I saw a movie I absolutely adored. I rarely love movies, most of them leave me snoring, but I thought this one was exceptional.

Miss Potter. The story of Beatrix Potter.

I am definitely buying it and will add it to my other list of favorites, including Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride II. It has a great story, cast, awesome scenery and houses (a must for me!), and cute little animals frolicking about. My husband even liked it, which was a miracle because it had nothing remotely to do with sci-fi, action or aliens.

 

There you have it, My Beach Weekend — Unplugged.

 

 

Sweet Escape: Valentine’s Day February 9, 2008

Wishing you and your honey were heading to a quaint B&B for Valentine’s Day? Dreaming of boarding a plane to Paris for a romantic getaway? Needing a day of relaxation and pampering at a spa?

Yeah, me too, but most of us only dream about those kinds of experiences. Real life is usually not that romantic or dreamy. If you have kids at home or a shortage of funds (or both), any dream of a real Sweet Escape this Valentine’s Day will likely result in disappointment (or will at least require a lowering of expectations.)

Finding contentment and creative solutions in the life we have is part of finding beauty everyday. We can’t all pack our bags and head off on romantic getaways, but if we rev up our creativity, Valentine’s Day can be anything we imagine it to be! Need some inspiration? Check out The Inspired Room at CWO this month!

Inspired Rooms January 16, 2008

Oh how I love this topic! Inspired Rooms! I named my business and blog “The Inspired Room” for a reason! Actually, several reasons. I’m not a decorator at heart. Yes, I am technically a “decorator” and yes it is something I love! But I don’t usually decorate to decorate, if you catch what I am trying to say. There is a distinction in my mind between simply decorating a room and being inspired to create a beautiful home.

I read the definition of Inspiration yesterday on Cre8tiva’s new blog and thought it was worth sharing:

INSPIRATION

Definition from Bartleby.com, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
1. a. Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.
b. The condition of being so stimulated.
2. An agency, such as a person or work of art, that moves the intellect or emotions or prompts action or invention.
3. Something, such as a sudden creative act or idea, that is inspired.
4. The quality of inspiring or exalting.
5. Divine guidance or influence exerted directly on the mind and soul of humankind.

I love all of those definitions!

As you may know, my motto begins this way: “When life inspires your home…” (see sidebar for complete quote). While I appreciate beautiful things, beauty alone is not the main consideration I have in deciding what to put into a home. From my perspective having a house full of beautiful things without significance, meaning or at least a story behind them is having a house void of its soul. Beautiful, yes! Shallow, absolutely. Having an “inspired room” rather than a “decorated room” feels altogether more romantic, intriguing and thought-provoking!

One of the ways I encourage having an “inspired room” rather than simply a “decorated room” is by using items in your home that have significance or memories attached to them. Objects that can become portals to your memories and tug at your heart strings! While I know many people want to wipe the slate clean and decorate from scratch (in a different style from their parents or to erase a less than happy past), I still encourage people to consider ways to incorporate things of meaning into a new décor. Perhaps decorate with things you actually use in day to day living! Books are a great example of that, assuming you read them or look at them now and then!

Your everyday life will be greatly enriched if you have a sense of connection to what is in your home. It is far better to go slowly with your decor than it is to rush through it with wild abandon in an effort to complete it. Inspired rooms require patience. Inspired rooms require layers that you cannot create at whim. Life must inspire your home and life doesn’t happen in one day. Inspired rooms are never “finished.”

Now, just to clarify, I think it is entirely possible to go overboard on the “inspiration” and forget the importance of beauty and appropriateness! I personally like to interpret my inspiration with something beautiful or at least decent looking! It is possible to take something rather ordinary that has a beautiful story or memory behind it and turn it in to a something lovely! It is the overall feeling of a room you are going for rather than each item standing out as a masterpiece. Balance is really a key factor here. Too much of anything can be nauseating.

You want a room that says “You are home and LIFE is BEAUTIFUL here.” Inspired rooms are subtle but magical. Inspired rooms are not only for rich people or style snobs, but for everyone who wants to love being in their home. Inspired rooms are for people who want to live authentically. I think LIVING is the exciting part, that is the key! Inspired living should be the focus. The home is just where our life spills over into visible form. The more you focus on living an “inspired life,” the more beautiful and wonderful your home will become. It won’t be able to help itself, beauty will radiate from within!

Ok, I’m going to move on to ask for READER PARTICIPATION on a specific dilemma! Yep, most of the time I let you slip in and out with nary a peep if you feel like it. But now and again I like playing my PARTICIPATION REQUIRED game. Ah, yes, it has been awhile since we played that game! Today I hope some of you will have some ideas to share with two of the sweetest bloggers out there.

THE DILEMMA:

Blogger Jenn of The Bowerbird’s Nest emailed me a photo of her sweet teenage daughter Jacqui’s baby shoes and said she wanted to use those in some way in her home. But how? Jenn and Jacqui have great taste. They are a mother and daughter from Australia who delight us with tales from their daily life and are wonderful examples of women who understand “inspired living.”

So, how do we incorporate these adorable baby shoes into their home? These shoes are meaningful to Jenn and they bring her such happy memories when she sees them. I immediately thought of a shadowbox (The Container Store sells one) but thought maybe some of you super creative gals would have some other suggestions for her to showcase these sweet reminders of days gone by.

If you don’t have an idea for the shoes, you are not off the hook! Tell me ways YOU create Inspired Rooms in your home! Here are a couple of my favorite ideas: I bring home drawings and paintings from vacations for my walls, I frame poems and quotes, I display books I love and family antiques.

Now it’s your turn to share!

Related topic: How to Create An Authentic Home

Credits:

Top Photo: Better Homes & Gardens online

Middle Photo: Architectural Digest: Something’s Gotta Give set

Bottom Photo: Copyright The Bowerbird’s Nest, used by permission

Sweet Escape: Friday Rituals January 10, 2008

Tulips.