Ahhh, relaxing....

How can it be Wednesday already? Why, it seems like just yesterday that Don and I went shopping and I found a beautiful white satin, hidden button-up shirt with sheer white sleeves and a sash that's dressy enough to get married in, yet not too formal. Paired up with a long, black velvet skirt, a pair of black heels, and I'm in there! I believe it's perfect for "our evening wedding/entertaining at home" event. Okay, that was on Sunday, but where did the last two days go? All I've managed to accomplish is some light housekeeping, cooking dinner, cleaning up afterwards, relaxing, and spending some time with Amber and Alexxis.

Yesterday, while curled up on the couch, still in my jammies at 4 o'clock! {Don't you love those days? when you've no where to go and do?} I took a break from working suduko puzzles to watch Oprah. Did you see the show? I loved the "Knock, Knock, its Nate!" with Nate Burkus. Did you see the winner, Kirsten Hollister's home? WOW! I loved it!!! Very European... Kirsten's inspiration for her home's decor was influence from two years of living in Switzerland. She mixed both old and new items in their space, giving a lot of her furnishings a patina, creating the perfect place to LIVE! No fear or attempt to avoid the everyday wear and tear, as any imperfections, such as nicking or chipping, only serve to enhance her home more and fill it with additional character! Here's a few of the pics, although none reflected what I saw in my mind's eye!







I loved the crowns in the eye-catching vignette of an urn filled with seashells. Just the right touch of whimsy; perfect for her Northern European decor! And did you notice the chalkboard in her breakfast nook? It was like it was taken right out of some of the home decor blogs that I read online. Kirsten used a vintage mirror, removed the mirror, and painted the backing board with black chalkboard paint! Her color scheme seemed more muted to me on TV than what is shown here in these photos taken from Oprah.com; however, I loved the chocolate! I've been drawn to varying shades of gray, whites, beiges/soft browns lately --- soft and muted tones with just a small amount of color, with a lot of white and black touches and accessories
added in. I know that probably isn't a look everyone would love, but I'm simply fascinated with it right now, like pewter, aged, tarnished silver, zinc, and faux mercury glass patinas. Perhaps its the simple, understated look that I love. Anyways, whatever it is... I know what I like when I see it, LOL! I did notice the tri-tone monochromatic paint on her bedroom walls... beautiful! And that comforter and matching curtains, how pretty are those? Add in the fact that they are not quite aqua, nor a bright turquoise and I like them just a bit more. {I know aqua and pink are huge in the blog world right now, but honestly, I love the look more in someone else's home. That stems from years and years of living with that aqua color in my childhood home's kitchen and living room. I'm still not ready to see it again, LOL!} Another idea I loved was the use of vintage feedsacks to create slipcovers for Parson chairs! I don't remember whose home that was featured in but great stuff!

I also couldn't help but notice the Show Nate Your Stuff feature, located here: ! And No! I'm not submitting my work-in-progress home, but my mind instantly thought of several bloggers, like Sara Duckett and Heather Ballard of who should submit photographs of their beautiful homes!

While blog-hopping recently, I followed one link to another and somehow ended up on some French Canalblog blogs. Although at first, I couldn't read them as they were written in French. That was until I stumbled upon Google's translations! But what I noticed most was no matter what part of the world we're from, most of us woman love our homes, look to magazines for inspirations, love our arts and crafts, handcrafted things that accent our home's decor. Trends are bi-hemisphere; whats love in America is cherished in Paris, Belguim, Switzerland and our lives are truly centered by love and loving our family and friends. That's what it is truly all about! {*smiles*}