Spring Fling and Foyer Progress!!

Spring is definitely on its way!! I can feel it, and am totally ready for it!! I already have red, orange, and yellow spring flowers out in green-gray urns to the left and right of our front door. They've blown away three times since I put them out a little over a week ago, but I keep putting them right back!! A little wind is not getting in the way of me giving spring a huge bright warm welcome like it deserves!! This morning I put together a home-decorating diy to-do list which includes giving our brassy dining room chandelier one sassy french inspired makeover and creating simple modern art for our master bathroom, (which has recently been painted a gorgeous warm caramel color), as well as general updating and experimenting. I decided to dive head first into home improvement/decorating projects this summer, since I may not be as busy as I previously planned, and because this will be the 1st time we're experiencing the beautiful spring and summer months in our new house and neighborhood, which I'm absolutely certain will inspire us to come up with interesting projects!! I'm also hoping to stumble across some amazing but cost-effective (hopefully granite) counter tops for our kitchen, and am planning to have a glass tile (and possibly stone) back splash installed above the new counter tops, and possibly in our master bathroom above the tub as well. I'm getting extremely excited just thinking about all this!!

Next order of business, I would like to briefly report on the progress we've made on our entryway/foyer, which we've just had professionally painted, after we spent about a week scraping wallpaper off and patiently sanding till smooth. 1st, you'll see a couple of pictures from our home inspection back in June about a month before we moved in, followed by our current progress. Finishing this area of the house is definitely among my goals for the summer!! :

Before

Current/Progress

I totally love taking detailed photos of that awesome vintage door!! It's my favorite thing in the room!! Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!!

Creative Spring and Easter Inspiration via Pinterest!!

Good Evening!! I'm definitely in the mood for Sensational Easter Inspiration, aren't you?? Well, if not, you will be after enthusiastically viewing these adorably creative Easter and Spring decor/diy ideas I found while inquisitively searching pinterest's awesome collection of clever mantles, vignettes, and home accents for spring and Easter!! Have a wonderfully lovely night...or shall I say sleep?

Today I realized I have no Easter decor at all, so I'm looking to create a couple of diy easter vignettes on a shoestring budget, which may be the case for many of you. Hopefully, these decor ideas will plant some creative spring seeds in our brains!!

Fantastic Finds and Design ideas for a Cozy Inviting Home Office!!

Good Evening fellow friends and Bloggers!! I recently realized I've never written a post about our new home office (in progress...that is) which is basically where I spend a significant amount of time focusing intently on various aspects of school work including lesson plans, grading papers etc, listening to and discovering new music, and blogging, which I do with extreme enthusiasm. It's definitely important to create a warm, welcoming space conducive to creativity, inspiration, critical thinking, and relaxation in a home office, especially if you plan on spending a great deal of time in the space. Here is our home office in progress :

 I always make it a point to put function in the foreground, so organizing is extremely important when designing a home office. I constantly use labels, storage containers, shelves, and cubbies to maximize space and functionality!!

I've been in search of a fantastic picture, piece of art, or sculptural decor for the corner of the room to the left of the window, where we just placed a large tan leather chair and ottoman, and today I came across this beauty :

Purrrrfect!!!! exclaims Cece, as she casually strolls over to the empty brown box, and puts it to great use!!

I digress...Anyhow, about the picture, I Absolutely love it, and will definitely be hanging it soon!! There are still a few more items I'm interested in adding to the room such as additional storage, an awesomely inspirational area rug that picks up on all the vibrant blues, chocolate browns, and timeless tans in this progressive home office space. Hopefully those two items will tie everything together and we'll have one adorably stylish office.  

Stay tuned for future Home office updates!! Love ya!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Magical Mysterious Winter Whimsy!!

There's definitely something mysteriously magical, crisp, clean, and inspiring about winter's whimsy!! The way the bare tree branches, brushed with soft white snow, reach up to sky, very hopeful, very strong. There's something extremely beautiful and awesome about that strength and perseverance that captures me!! Although I look forward to the newness and fresh happiness of Spring, I'm captivated by Winter's longing...

All these scenes/items remind me of Winter!! What do the long Winter months represent to you?? Freedom, Perseverance, Whimsy, Anticipation, Stillness Tranquility, Captivity, Sorrow, Hopelessness, Hope, Warmth, Love, Home?? I'm sure it could represent all these feelings...As I look to the months ahead, I'm going to keep my eyes focused on freshness, excitement, and inspiration...