cTc Design -- The Blog

I need

2010-05-13T12:00:00.003-04:00

I think I need to buy some windsor chairs this weekend and paint them this exact color blue! I think they would be so cute with my new breakfast table.

from houzz

I'm still here

2010-05-06T09:15:00.011-04:00

I know I've been absent for a while, but I'm still here, just super busy. While I haven't been blogging, I have been reading when I get a few minute and I've stored up a bunch of eye candy that I thought I should share. So in no particular order...

I feel like I don't even need to say how much I want that aluminum group chair, but I would also like every spec of clothing that she has on for my closet!

I am not a tub person, but I think with a shiny silver bathtub I could become one. The antique mirror is the icing on the cake.

Oh coral mirror how I love you.

If I ever have a little girl this is going to be her bed.

I've been dreaming of storage in my dining room, and I love how this is built into the wall. The white on white is great with the dark floors and then the taupe chairs are perfect.

What isn't to love? Amazing light fixture, check. Antique mirror, check. Bench with fabulous chevron fabric, double check.

Did anyone else see this kitchen with the nail head trim? My heart flutters! Jamie, if you are reading and want more pictures let me know! I think I am going to have to do this in my next house!!

Do you think the nail head would be too much with these turquoise light fixtures?

I won!

2010-03-31T09:41:00.007-04:00

Thank you Haven and Home! I'm so excited about my print from Crow Biz. I had to decide between the moose on the topo map and the owl on a page from a spanish dictionary.

I ended up going with the moose because it's going to go in the home office, and I thought the moose would fit in well with these fellows that I got my husband for Christmas.

As soon as I get the print hung up I'll share a picture!

pantry envy

2010-03-23T12:22:00.003-04:00

I don't know that I have ever seen a pantry that I coveted more than this one. I have been counting all of the glass containers and adding up in my head how much this must have cost, but WOW does it look great!

via design sponge

I love the narrow shelves so that you can see everything, and nothing gets lost. Even the lights and the highchair are great!

Happy St. Patty's day

2010-03-17T12:21:00.013-04:00

Here are a few of my favorite green images for a little St. Patty's day inspiration!

Chalkboards: fun or dusty?

2010-01-28T14:41:00.013-05:00

I have seen so many surfaces painted with chalkboard paint lately and I love the look, but I wonder about the mess? I remember from my school years that chalkboards were dusty and if you used one you were always covered in dust! Are these chalkboards great enough that I could handle a little extra dust?

Cooking Light

How fun to be able to write up the dinner ideas for the week right over the stove!

500 Days of Summer

I loved this idea when I saw the movie! This chalkboard wall started out painted as a headboard, and later when he was inspired he used it to draw a cityscape on.

style at home

I'm not sure they needed the headboard on this one, but maybe it provides a good barrier so that you don't wake up with white dust in your hair.

apartment therapy

I think I like the orange light better than the wall in this one...

bloesem kids

This one looks dusty, but it also looks used. I can only image how much my nieces and nephews would love to have an entire wall in their house that they could draw on whenever they wanted to! Sure they have an easel, but isn't a wall more fun?

busy boo

Instead of inspiration boards and bulletin boards over your desk, how about a couple of chalkboards?

country living

This might be one of my favorites! It looks like it is in the pantry, so a perfect place for creating a grocery list. I also like the little orange toy in the picture, it looks just like a toy I had growing up that I lovingly called Spaghetti Chicken. I remember one time Spaghetti Chicken got left out in the yard, and my Dad thought it was the dog and got upset when she wouldn't come when called :)

curbly

Hate your old refrigerator? Before you throw it out, why not try a little chalkboard paint? It worked for Lauren at Pure Style Home

hus and hem

while I know my husband won't go for it, I like the pink chalkboard!

made by girl

In case the dogs forget which bowl is theirs!

oh dee doh

Too bad more restaurants don't have tables like this, I could draw and play games while I wait for my food, instead of munching on bread.

Sarah's House

2010-01-04T14:49:00.008-05:00

I am so excited that HGTV has picked up Sarah's House. They are showing season 2 and I saw the first episode yesterday and then made my husband watch it with me again. I am so excited to see how that cute little 60's house turns out!

Here are a few before and afters that she shared in the first episode.

kitchen before

kitchen after

master bedroom before

master bedroom after

nursery before

nursery after

2009-12-23T10:04:00.008-05:00

While I was painting the lamp I also put a coat of paint on this clock that I picked up at goodwill. Here is the before shot at goodwill...

My husband unscrewed all of the little balls and numbers and I spray painted them with the same orange paint. I perched everything on wooden skewers so that I could paint them from all angles.

And here is the clock after!

It looks a whole lot like this clock,

but without the price tag!

The clock is hanging in my bedroom opposite my orange lamp. I'm very happy with how they both turned out! Here is a sneak peak of my finished bedroom. As soon as I do a little cleaning and ironing I'll share the before and after pictures.

the goodwill lamp

2009-12-22T09:23:00.006-05:00

I have been looking for a new lamp for my bedroom for a while. I really wanted a pop of color on the lamp and knew that I would need to paint one to get what I was looking for. I found this lamp at goodwill and really liked the shape.

I decided to paint everything, including the brass base. I'm not a huge fan of brass, and it wasn't in the best shape.

After about 8 coats of this...

and a new lamp shade, here is my new lamp!

I'm so happy with how it turned out, and I love the pop of orange!

Thank You

2009-12-15T15:05:00.003-05:00

My wonderful and talented friend Jamie was nice enough to take some pictures of me for my website yesterday. Here is the one that I decided to put on my about page.

Thank you so much Jamie!

And thank you Mom for that skirt, you know how much I have loved it!

Hooty Who

2009-11-12T10:43:00.004-05:00

Look at what I found at goodwill this weekend for $1.99!!

So cute : )

I also got a lamp that looks a whole lot like this one and am in the process of spray painting it. If it ever stops raining I will finish it up and share pictures!

be still my heart

2009-11-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know if you have all seen this house already or not, but I recently found a tour of the entire house and was totally blown away! My husband always makes fun of me when I say "be still my heart" but it is definitely the best phrase to describe how I felt when I was looking through the tour.

Is it crazy for the laundry room to be my favorite? I might offer to do neighbor's laundry just to spend more time in there. I would not mind folding anything on that carerra island!

Crystal door knobs check. Marble top check. Gorgeous faucet check. Simple, classic, beautiful check.
I love the light over the pool table!

Is anyone else obsessed with onyx? The shape of this vanity and the marble ledge, along with the bridge faucet is almost more than I can handle!
I wouldn't mind practicing the piano in this room!
If I had $13 million to spare and this were my house I would be in this picture reading a book and the bookcases would be full of books!

I love the window bench. How are you supposed to decide whether to sit in the beautiful nail head chairs, or on the window bench?
The tile rug around the tub!
Such a nice contrast to the crisp light colored walls of the rest of the house.
I love the lights over the island and the hutch cabinet that has glass on both sides.

Imagine the dinner parties that we could have in this dining room? There will have to be another table for the kids.

I really love the slip covered wing backs at the head of the table, and the cute fabric on the other chairs, what a great breakfast room!
If the inside wasn't beautiful enough, what about the patio?

Maybe I could just stay in the guest house?

easy peasy lemon squeezie

2009-11-02T15:07:00.010-05:00

I have to admit before I start that I might have totally borrowed this idea from Erika...

I had an old junky looking cork board and I wanted something nice to hang over my desk. A place to put things I shouldn't forget, and also a place for inspiration. Here is a picture of what I started with.

if you look closely you will notice that the cork was actually cracked

I bought some white denim at the local fabric store (since summer is over, it was really cheap!) to cover it with.

I also bought all of the decorative nails that they had, then proceeded to search for another week to get enough to finish the project.

Since I was pushing the nails into the cork board it was really easy, and I didn't even have to get out a hammer. I wasn't too worried about making it look perfect, it gives the piece a little more character.

Here is a picture of the final board hanging over my desk!

I haven't had a chance to fill it up with lots of pretty pictures yet, but I did add a few of my C's from my growing collection.

I'm very happy with the result, and if I had been able to buy all the nails in one store could have finished this in about an hour.

I have a few more projects that I have started, and not yet finished, so check back soon and maybe I'll have some more things to share!

Serena and Lily

2009-09-22T15:49:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else get the Serena and Lily catalog? I'm not sure why I started receiving it, but I am so glad I did. I enjoyed the last one so much that I let it sit out on the coffee table for months (sorry hubby)! Well I got the new catalog yesterday and have to share a few things, and ideas I got.

I love the color of the walls in this room with those oversized rustic wicker lights. Grey is definitely my favorite color right now, and the dark gray on the walls is so dramatic.

Who else had a pez dispenser collection growing up? I love wainscotting in a bedroom, and it creates the perfect ledge to display your collections! It also lets you use a dramatic paint color and not feel overwhelmed by it.

I love how you have no idea how old the person is that lives in this room. They could be 3, 15 or even a really cool 80! So many kids rooms are so themed and therefore feel so dated after a year. Something like this with classic and transitional pieces is perfect for creating a room that your child can enjoy for years to come!

And of course I have to share this nursery because it has my favorite color scheme!

Now this might be one of the most creative uses for an everyday object I have seen in a long time. They took a plain (probably old and ugly) bed and wrapped it with rope. I love the texture that you get! And who doesn't love that dog pillow?

2009-08-17T12:15:00.006-04:00

After a fun weekend in Charleston, SC I am wishing that I could spend a little time today in any one of these beds catching up on some sleep!

(1. house beautiful, 2. house beautiful, 3. Sarah Richardson, 4. house beautiful)

I was in Charleston this weekend for a bachelorette party, so there wasn't any time for sightseeing. But that just means I need to take another trip, right?

Robin's egg blue

2009-07-29T10:25:00.008-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I was in Macy's doing a little shopping for work and came across this couch. Of course it wasn't anything I could use for the project I was working on, but I was in love. (Sorry for the poor quality, I took this picture with my phone.)
They were practically giving away this couch, if I could have taken it home I would have in a minute! Unfortunately there is no room in my house for a spare couch. If I had room for this couch here are a few other things from Macy's (Martha Stewart of course) that I would have had to purchase to go with my new couch.

We don't use recipes very often in my house, but the few that we use are clipped to the side of the refrigerator. This would definitely be a better place to keep them!

I don't really need any encouragement to eat ice cream, but how could you pass up on a robin's egg blue ice cream scoop? I wonder how it works on the peanut butter swirls in my favorite ice cream?

I would take the kitchen and all the appliances in this picture! I love the carerra countertops and the white subway tile in the background. Can you see the chrome bridge faucet in the background? Be still my heart :)

Showers

2009-07-28T10:17:00.011-04:00

I just got back from a great weekend at the beach! I love the sun and the sand, but I don't love having sunscreen and sand all over me. I love all of these bathrooms and showers and think they would be perfect to wash off all the ocean grime.

(1, 2 & 3 Coastal Living; 4, 5 and 6 Sarah Richardson)

3 ideas to update your space

2009-06-23T14:00:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try to avoid mentioning the obvious (paint for the walls) and come up with 3 fun (and hopefully easy) ideas to update your space.

1. Update your light fixtures. There are so many ways to do this. Do you have old light fixtures that need a little help? Try some spray paint! We spray painted the brass flush mount fixtures in my house with some silver spray paint and they look brand new. Take down your ceiling fan and invest in a hanging fixture. This is great for a bedroom (if you are not a hot sleeper) and a family room.

Try a different style of light fixture than what is traditionally expected. I love this outside light hung over a pedestal sink. Outside pendants are also great for over kitchen islands! Don't be afraid to try something, just because it's a little different. Sometimes those are the things that turn out best!

2. Declutter your kitchen! If you are going to have things on the contertop, try to put them matching containers. Normally I am totally afraid of "matchy matchy" but in a kitchen it can really help keep things clean and simple.

3. Are your tables full of picture frames that don't match? Try narrowing down your collection and putting them in new frames. Target has some great frames that come with matts. This is a win win because your tables will look clean and pretty and you will have a great arrangement on your wall!

turquoise!!

2009-06-08T14:36:00.003-04:00

I have been working on a post with tips to update your space and got some great pictures last week to go with the post! Stay tuned, hopefully I will have it finished up for you in a day or so.

This picture was in my email this morning and I just had to share it with you all.

Canadian House and Home via Decor8 Daily

I love turquoise! It has been one of my favorite colors for a long time now and I just can't seem to get enough of it. This is such a creative use of it, I would definitely be as happy as a clam if I had this bathroom : ) Wouldn't you like to be in that tub playing with all those rubber duckies?

Spain part 2

2009-05-29T16:08:00.009-04:00

oh my gosh I can't believe that I have been back from Spain for a whole week now! It has been a crazy week. We got home and had a birthday party for my 3 year old niece. We got her a purple noodle (you know the kind for the pool) along with some other purple things and wrapped everything in purple. Can you guess what her favorite color is right now? Well, the noodle was a big hit! She played with it all evening, it's actually a fun toy out of the water too. The next day she took it to the pool and got a chance to swim with it. She is insisting to her parents that it isn't just a pool toy so she can play with it all the time. After the birthday party we headed to the beach for memorial day weekend. We had a couple of nice sunny days and it was really nice to have a mini vacation after a long vacation! I have been really busy at work this week and have a fun busy weekend ahead of me.

Before I head out for dinner with friends I wanted to post a few more pictures from my trip. There was the greatest market within walking distance to our hotel (actually we walked just about everywhere!). Here are some great pictures from inside the market.

Don't you love how neatly they have everything stacked?

So much ham!

And lots of fresh seafood!

Near the market there was a really cute restaurant that we found. I took a few pictures when it was closed, and then we came back later to have dinner. I like all the white with the simple green glassware.

It was really good, and our banquette neighbors informed us that this evening all of the museums were open for free until 1 am. How fun! We decided to visit the Contemporary art museum and it was packed!

Well that is enough for now. I have lots of pictures left to share, but I'll mix them in with other posts!

Spain

2009-05-22T08:39:00.008-04:00

I'm back from Spain! Here are just a few pics, more to come later : )

Orange

2009-05-07T15:30:00.015-04:00

Has anyone else been following Darby's orange bathroom? It turned out really cute, and reminded me how much I love orange!

And who doesn't love it with a little blue mixed in : ) Just a little bit or orange can add such a nice punch!

It's also great for a little punch of color in your outfit.

I love my orange purse! (my cute husband graduating also in the picture)

(1-3 House Beautiful) (4-5 Katie Ridder) (6. jcrew)

my rose cottage

2009-04-30T09:25:00.000-04:00

My lovely, darling rose cottage is for sale.

I used to drive by this house every day on my way home from work. Everyday I would slow down as much as possible and stare at this darling lovely house. We have this great thing in the county I live in where you can look up an address and find out when the home was built, and how much the homeowner paid for it. I found out that this house was built in 1939 and that the original homeowners (who paid $26,000 for the house) were still living there. I had dreams that I would write this darling old couple a letter and convince them that they should sell their house to my husband and me for the bargain price of $150,000 (they would still make over $100,000 on their house!). Well I never did and last year the house sold for $780,000!! I just noticed that the house is for sale again, this time for the bargain price of $899,900. I don't think I will ever live in this house, but I can dream right? Here's a few pictures of what the inside would look like if it were my house.

I would love if the kitchen could look like this!

But it might be more sized like this...

I love these shelves for the pantry area too!

What a great breakfast area. That light is incredible! I really love classic things that look like they could last forever and never go out of style. And check out that upholstered bench.

How many bathrooms do you think the house has? I like this for the hall bath. Something about tile wainscoting in bathrooms makes my heart beat a little faster. And I like the two sconces with the milk glass.

I am torn between these for the master. I love the classic look of the first, and I have always wanted a claw foot tub! But I really like the clean crispness of the other.

All of my family lives close, so I'm not sure who would stay in this guest room, but who wouldn't want to?

(1. realtor.com) (2. House Beautiful) (3. Country Living) (4. Country Living) (5-9 House Beautiful)

Barcelona!

2009-04-27T12:22:00.001-04:00

Voy a Barcelona in tres semanas! I am going to Barcelona in three weeks and I am totally excited! I have never been to Spain before, and really looking forward to discovering a new city. I am definitely not fluent yet, but after a trip to Cuba last year I have been taking Spanish classes, and this will be a great chance to practice. (Yo necessito practicar!)

I am really excited for the architecture

and the food

and maybe even a day trip to Bilbao!

Let me know if you have any recommendations about things I should try!

my yard

2009-04-25T18:32:00.001-04:00

I wouldn't really call myself a gardener, but I like to plant things and see what grows. This year my husband, Chris, and I have planted more things than usual. Chris is a chef. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and used to work at the well known Magnolia Grill. Now he is in the IT field, but he still cooks wonderful dinners for me! So here is a brief glimpse of what we are trying to grow, and what I hope Chris, I mean we will make!

We got some tomato seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange; Green Zebra and Hillbilly Potato Leaf. They have barely started sprouting yet, but here is a glimpse for you.

I am really hoping to make a couple of these with our tomatoes!

We also got some cucumber seeds from seed savers. Chris has taught me how to make a grilled salad. For those of you who don't love salads, you haven't had one until it's been grilled! We grill the lettuce, some peppers and a red onion on the grill. Then mix in some of our cucumbers, some feta cheese and lots of pepperoncinis. In the summer I think we do this for dinner at least once a week!

Green beans, I think we have rabbits nibbling...

Peas, I know, I know we planted them too late. But one can always hope for a couple right? If we get enough I'm hoping my husband will make me pea bruschetta. This image is from Jamie Oliver, if you don't know about him check out his website, it's really great!

Watermelons and Pumpkins. Each seed packet was $1 so if I get even one watermelon, or one pumpkin I will come out on top! I have grand visions of having so many pumpkins that this is what my front stoop will look like in October and November.

We will plant peppers, but I think that it's still a little early to plant them. Last year we had peppers and I got a little addicted to hot food, I love heat! If my nose isn't watering it isn't hot enough for me.

Keep your fingers crossed for me that everything keeps growing!