Showing Off

I've been a little MIA lately, life can do that to us sometimes right? Nonetheless, in my absence from blogging, I've been out an about here and there in between work and family, and I've managed to have picked up some new pieces of furniture for our home.

This is a set that I put together from IKEA. This is in our basement bonus room. Up until now, this has been primarily a playroom, but as my children get older, my husband an I want to be able to enjoy the room with them. After purging all the baby toys that they've all outgrown, we finally had enough room to add a table and chairs for playing board games or working on projects. This is great because prior to this, every time we played a board game the kids would drag all the games upstairs to the kitchen table, we'd play and then the games would just pile up and take over the family room and kitchen...pieces would get lost in transit. Now, the game table is across from the closet where all the games are stored. I love it.

This table is great because it has a hidden center leaf that can come up from underneath. The table expands to an oval shape and can accommodate more chairs.

My boys' art work is on display in inexpensive 8x10 frames from The Christmas Tree Shops. I chose to display their very first pieces of art from preschool. When my daughter goes to preschool I'll add another row of her own three pieces of art to this gallery.

I love this zebra chair that I found at TJMaxx. I love that it's a mossy green and tan instead of the obvious black and white. It goes great with the colors I already have going on in my family room. I think that every room should have at least one interesting conversation piece, if not more!
                                                       

This is one of two new lamps I bought. The other is the match for the other side of the sofa. I love the lines of it and the chrome finish. This area is finished off with a pretty chartreuse glass plate and a beautiful orchid that I picked up at the grocery store. A bouquet of flowers is nice, but they don't last very long. I love orchids because they bloom for a long time and they are exceptionally beautiful.

A little plant gives this area a fresh touch. I am all done with the winter blues...seeing green plants in my home makes me happy. I have a lot of dark woods in my home, so adding some greenery really lightens it up and doesn't make it so heavy looking.

I also love having something green by my kitchen sink. There is plenty of light from the window, and I like my eye to look at something pretty when I'm doing the not so pretty job of loading the dishwasher or washing  pots and pans. This is a fern-like plant, but I also like to use fresh herbs in the summertime or flower cuttings from my garden.

Well, thanks for stopping on by. I plan on sharing some projects that I am currently working on soon.
Here's a sneak peek!

Decisions, decisions....we'll see where this painting project takes me!

Have a great day!

Gina

Where do you fit in with Social Media?

I read an interesting article the other day that made me think. In today's day an age there are so many ways to stay connected with the world around us and with the people in our lives. We have smart phones, email, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Foursquare...just to name a few. However, do we rely too heavily on social media and texting to reach out to those around us? I mean, sometimes I find myself thinking that it's so much easier to just text someone or email them instead of actually calling them on the phone. I especially think twice about this when I get the comments from my mom saying that contacting someone via email or text is not the right way to reach out to them. I tend to agree with where she is coming from. Do any of you agree? It's sad to say it, but this is where technology has taken us. We have become a society where we are sort of shying away from person to person contact. This is a scary thing. I know that social media is here and it's here to stay, but is it really enhancing our lives, or taking away from us? What are you thoughts if any?

Crazy Week in Review

So it has been a completely overwhelming week for me. Coming off of school vacation week last week where I could work on some projects, and get some things done, I was quickly greeted with a dose of reality to start my week off. I had two offers submitted this week, a listing appointment, class (I often take courses for work to stay up to date in Real Estate practices and laws), and it ended this morning with a home inspection. I am exhausted! I hope the weekend is less hectic! I am hoping to get a project or two done and maybe start infusing a little spring into the house. I am completely obsessed with bold color and pattern going into spring. I really would like to experiment with painting a piece of furniture a bold, bright color and possibly use a graphic print to enhance my current decor. I need some retail therapy to get inspired. I've started with some great inspiration. Check out my Ideabook for Houzz.

Have a great weekend!

Gina