home and interior: July 2009

Friday, July 31, 2009

Bamboo House Photo Idea

Lazy Days of Summer Reading List...For My Coffee Table

Here are some coffee table books that have grabbed my attention lately...

For a great post about the following book visit Nest Egg

For those of you feeling crafty this weekend (myself included)

Okay this one is not for the coffee table but I think it would be great as a quick desk reference...

Do you all have any of these? Any others that I should check out? Have a great weekend!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

A New Office & A New Phone- Is That Too Much To Ask For?

Today I am wishing I was working from one of these offices.....

Now, if I had an office that nice I would definitely need a new phone. In real life I cannot have an iPhone due to my uncanny ability to drop my phone 52 times a day, every day. However, since I am dreaming let's pretend I am also getting an iPhone in addition to the office. This would be great because then I could use the Benjamin Moore Ben Color Capture App. This app lets you take a picture and then it will match colors in the pictures to actual paint colors. Give it a little shake and coordinating colors will pop up too.

Here is a little demo.....

Does anyone have this app? How is it?

All office images Elle Decor

Update on the little guy & FOOOOOOOOD

I wanted to thank everyone so much from the bottom of my heart for all the kind comments, well-wishes & encouraging stories. Christian is doing really well & really doesn't even seem to mind his "big owie nose." He still seems to love dogs and has seen a few since the accident and he smiles & waves, so I guess he's not scarred emotionally, haha. (I think he'd have to get unscarred pretty quickly once we got home anyway... we have a dog, Ashby. He seems to miss her and has asked about "Happy" (how he says 'ashby") the "nice doggy." hahaha)

We takes walks by the lake everyday and he wears this adorable visor to shield his nose from the sun. (As soon as I can fix my computer I'll upload some pics) He hasn't gone in any water yet but is having fun playing in the sand.

Things are better between my dad & Dave... It's been rough for everyone but I'm hoping it's settling down... So, anyway, I wanted to tell you about one of my FAVORITE restaurants ever because we're going soon!!! It's Port Edward Restuarant in Algonquin, IL.

It's super-themey and even has a boat and a pond inside & I absolutely love it. It was opened in 1952. They have an amazing wine lounge and I can't even begin to talk about how awesome the food is. There are cool little secret rooms & lofts & as a kid I used to love walking around with my stepbrother & stepsister exploring. Christian is going to love it!!

Anyway, they have the best Sunday champagne brunch and every year we come we take the boat out in the morning and take the 3 hour boat ride to Port Edward and FEAST!!! You have to stay for hours and just take your time... So yummy!!! I love it because the long boatride in the morning feels like such an adventure... and I love the ANTICIPATION of all the great food!!! When we finally get there we're so hungry and it just hits the spot perfectly.

We're headed there soon & as soon as I can upload pics I'll show you what we've been up to.

xoxo,

lauren

Enclosed Wooden Gazebo Ideas

Wood Gazebo Pictures for Your Home

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Organic Wooden House

Organic Wooden House designed by Seattle’s Pb Elemental Architect.

Seattle’s Pb Elemental Architecture is putting an organic notch on the city’s concrete skyline. The Dang Residence is a two-storey private wooden house of 3,600 sq. ft., clad in naturally beautiful cedar. Interiors are divided into a series of modern loft-style living spaces, including three bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a media room and a study. Throughout the house, thoughtfully placed skylights and windows light up corners and crannies, and unique architectural details like art niches. More information about Organic Wooden House [via] Modern House Design.

Organic Wooden House

Organic Wooden House designed by Seattle’s Pb Elemental Architect.

Why Stop At Pillows?

Why stop with the tape on your pillows? Although this is a different type of tape it is the same idea....

Via InStyle...I think?

What I Wish Field Trips Looked Like

The committee was meeting ALL night so I am going to start out with something short and sweet. I pulled this out of a magazine because it made me smile. As a child (and even an adult) this would have been my dream field trip- closets, organization, storage, clothes, shoes.....

tablescape thursdays white house style

what's going on at the white house with the decor and china selection? cote de texas a blog y'all seem to know says the obama's interior designer michael smith has been canned. there has not been one picture of anything michelle obama has been doing with all the pottery barn stuff she's been buying. why are they holding out? she's cool about showing us her fashion style, & now we want to see the living quarters of the white house. give it up mrs. o.

for this tablecape thursday i am featuring presidential china & table settings. i turn to this guy eddie ross who really knows everything about plates and setting tables. go here to see all about presidential china. maybe he can help the first lady choose some for the white house from his etsy store.

this is a pictures of a lunch prepared for president obama at the white house. no wonder he's so skinny. look at the formal way the table is set.

this is a photo from a cell phone at an official obama dinner at the white house, well actually it's a photo of the dessert of huckleberry cobbler and caramel ice cream. i don't really know what a huckleberry is do u? i only heard of huckleberry hound. i like the chocolate with the white house seal embossed on it.

laura bush loved her some china. the set she had made for the bush years cost over $400,000.
the table at this white house dinner is set formal and classic.

more laura bush. she seems to love using a bowl of roses in the center with four candlesticks around it.

here's the laura bush $400,000 china. i like the knives with the mother of pearl handles.

here's tish baldridge at the white house. she was jackie o's social secretary. both those girls knew how to set a table.

or post them if anyone has any cell phone photos of the decor at the white house send them to cote de texasur self! the suspense is killing to the point of not caring.