In search of an outdoor rug

I'm excited.  I've finally pulled the trigger and purchased new outdoor furniture for our little patio.  Years ago, I bought a table and four chairs from an unfinished furniture place and sanded and stained it myself.  It is dunzo.  My husband already broke one chair so we are down to three and the other three are wobbly at best and grayed out.

In our new house we have french doors from the kitchen to our back patio which is covered in slate slabs.  I decided that instead of going for another dining table that I wanted a conversation area with comfortable seating.  A place where we can have drinks and apps but serve dinner inside.  And, if we really want that al fresco feel when we are eating inside, I can open the french doors all the way.

My husband's request in all of this (believe it or not) was that I purchase an outdoor rug to go with the furniture.  So, I did a little searching and found some really fun and reasonably priced ones on Amazon.

Can you guess which one I bought?  Stay tuned for the before and after pics of my patio!

Mantle Styling Inspiration

My friend asked me to give her mom some ideas for styling her mantle.  I'll admit, mantle styling is something that I struggle with confidence about and I think that is pretty common.

I think one of the most common mistakes for people styling mantles is the disproportionate size of things they place up there.  A tiny candle alone is dwarfed by the size of the mantle and looks out of place.  Clump several candles together and you're headed in the right direction.

I also think people struggle with what types of things to put on a mantle.  Mirrors, large art pieces and vases are traditionally used but the sky is the limit as far as options.  Truly, you should display things YOU love and love looking at.

Here are some great images for mantle inspiration.

First, here's an example of how grouping lots of smaller candles can work.  Notice the mix of height of the candles themselves but also that either side is flanked with something offering some additional height - a topiary and candles on candlesticks.  The white of the candles offers uniformity and pulls the style together.

Here's another image of grouped candles but notice all of the other elements that are brought in from sconces flanking the mirror to art leaned up against the mantle.  Again, notice that there are decorative elements, a vase and art and a box stacked with brass vessels on either side.  It helps balance the styling.

This is one of my favorite mantle styling images.  I love the simplicity of it but at the same time, it has great texture and visual interest.  Notice that just having the jars with the branches flanking the mirror would have been a little too matchy-matchy and symmetrical.  Thrwoing in the additional jar and coral add just that additional hint of something to make it really appealing.

Sometimes less is more.  But sometimes more is more.  These next few images have a lot going on but they feel lovingly collected over time and are beautiful and visually stimulating.

So, back to the specifics of my friend's mom.  (I call her my friend's mom but truly I think of her as my friend too!)

Here is her mantle:

I'm so jealous of the size of the room and for the height of the ceilings and those beautiful built-in bookshelves!

Given that the decor is already traditional, I thought these pics might be good inspiration for her:

Yes, I know that last picture wasn't of a mantle but you can see how a similar set up would work.

A large mirror would help open up the space and coupled with some candlesticks and a ginger jar and maybe some books, it would give her mantle a whole new look!

A couple of shopping inspiration pieces for her:

I have this mirror from Ballard Designs over my mantle and I ADORE it.  It is a little different take on a traditional sunburst mirror.

 Some brass candlesticks will add height and if she doesn't already have some lying around, they are super easy to pick up at any thrift store!

While a blue and white ginger jar would also tie in nicely with her decor, I thought that this sweet jar I found on overstock was a little different and would also tie in nicely.

Anyone else have any great mantle styling tips they want to share?!

Crazy Good Pillow Source

I saw these animal print pillows in the latest House Beautiful issue:

The reverse side is the same pattern in reverse.  Adore, adore, adore.  Seriously, I want one in EVERY color (of which there are plenty).

Upon further inspection, this site, Zinc Door has one of the most extensively beautiful pillow collections I've seen in a long time.  The prices aren't bargain buster but the pillows are so beautiful, I'd say it is worth the splurge.  Just look at some of their beauties...and when I say look, buckle up 'cause I got a little excited about how many I loved:

See the full listing via the ZincDoor site.

A little bit girly.

I don't know why but lately I've been wanting to be more girly.  I think it is probably because I live with my husband and two (male) dogs and everything is constantly covered in hair and smelly.  I swear I vacuum like twice a day and it doesn't seem to combat the dog hair.  Forget about wearing black in my house.

Anywho, I've been loving some images from my Vignettes board on Pinterest that are helping me in my quest for girliness and femininity.

Hope you have a beautiful day! xoxo