City Farmhouse shares her tutorial and tips for DIY rosemary topiaries:

* we adore Sandra Boynton books at bedtime! Fantastic prices on these: The Going-To-Bed Book --- But Not the Hippopotamus--- Moo Baa La La La --- Blue Hat, Green Hat --- Doggies

I’ve had the itch to paint this dresser that I got back in Virginia . And because it has some lovely detailing and nooks and grooves that would be harder to get with a brush, I opted for spray paint. I chose the rustoleum painter’s touch in dark gray. (I bought at Home Depot, but I’ve seen this brand popping up at other stores too)

This is how I spray paint a dresser:

This one did not have a high gloss finish on it, so it was a great candidate for spray paint without a lot of sanding. If your piece has a really high gloss finish, you’ll want to sand or use a liquid sandpaper/de-glosser.

A lovely bedroom makeover from Beth at Home Stories A to Z:

* you may know of my love for dormer windows, so it is no surprise that this article was one of my favorite finds this week.

I’ve been seeing a lot of tile accents in bathrooms lately. I think it’s a clever and inexpensive way to add a little detail and oomph.

design cube

When we were looking at floorplans, the areas I looked first for were: an entryway where the kitchen couldn’t be seen, a mudroom, and a large pantry. Kind of weird, huh? In previous homes we’ve owned, I’ve seen that if we have a “dropping” area where coats, backpacks, computer bags, keys, homework can go then the rest of the house seems less cluttered. Thus, comes my love for mudrooms. They don’t have to be huge, but a bench and some hooks can restore some sense of order in the bedlam of busy houses.

Here are some of my favorites along with my commentary:

federal heights mudroom

Love that door and the natural light! Sadly, ours won’t have a window because it comes from the garage. Clean, white and bright. And do you notice mudrooms always look the best without the very thing they are meant for? coats, backpacks, etc?

GTH Architects 

Love the baskets on the sides! I also love benches that are on the ground, it seems to make it much easier to kick off shoes. We would need more hooks though…

casa verde design

Here is another bench on the ground where things can’t disappear under the bottom of a bench. I love the corbels and the moulding at the top. It would be hard for kids to reach the top baskets though, and maybe that’s the point? Here is another very similar one:

Stone Hearth Remodeling

Innovative Construction Atlanta

I love the dividers and the height of the baskets, but we aren’t going to have enough room to this unless all 7 lockers are very, very skinny. I also loved the closed doors at top.

McGraw Bagnoli Architects

Look at this smart use of a corner! Love the storage above and below and all of the hooks.

Molly Quinn Design

Those windows!! The shoe drawers and the lower hooks for kids and some closed door storage as well. So smart. And expensive as I’m finding out. But I still love looking at them…

Do you love mudrooms or do you think they are really necessary? Which one are you most drawn to? We’re still determining if there will be enough money in our allowances for one to be in our home right away or if it will be a DIY project. I’m not going to lie, it would be SO nice to have it done so we have it ready to use right when we move in…

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-- from this article.

Happy ♥ Day, friends!

I wouldn’t mind winter hanging around a bit longer if my front door looked like this:

* speaking of winter, how much snow does it take to cancel school in your neck of the woods?? A map:

Here are our Valentines this year, inspired by the Winter Olympics!

So many wonderful choices! In our last lighting post, Kathleen asked for a pendant light post. I LOVE lighting, it’s like finding the perfect accessory for an outfit, so these posts are fun for me. Here are 20 great options for above a kitchen island or above a sink, over a door, where else do you like to see pendants? Most are well under $100:

1. Allen Roth Textured $49

2. Wright Nickel & Satin $69

3. Progress Schoolhouse $87

4. Brookhaven $40

5. Fisherman Pendant $79

6. Olinda Pendant $61

7. Urban Renewal Seeded Glass $80

8. Home Decorators Brass Opal $89

9. Sadie Satin Nickel $49

10. Academy Bronze $85

11. Harper Conversion Kit $59

12. Archie Bronze $76

13. Stewart Mini Pendant $50

14. Weathered Bronze Pendant $89

15. Maxim Rondo $93

16. Allen Roth Edison $57

17. Savoy House Aged Steel $98

18. Geo Pendant $69

19. Hampton Bay Warehouse $29

20. Allen Roth Polished Nickel $47

Which one do you like best? I just ordered schoolhouse pendants from Joss & Main, (they aren’t there anymore) but it is a fantastic light resource as well. Have you found any great pendant lights lately? Do tell!

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