Happy Friday & a Special Survey!

Happy Friday!

I do so love Fridays - the anitcipation of the weekend. Friends & family. And taking life just a little slower, if only for a couple of days. After all, isn't that what its all about? And this weekend, as we reflect on those who have served in our honor (let us not forget the ultimate sacrifice they made to preserve our freedoms), be sure to take time to enjoy those very special blessings we have in our lives.

Speaking of friends & family, I have a little announcement that I hope you, my friends, will soon get to enjoy. I'm humbled to say that {Home-ology} has grown quite an audience over the past year. Yay for good things! And I can't tell you how overwhelemd with gratitude I feel that you enjoy the content I love to write about. I hope by visiting I've added a little pleasure to your busy day.

And because this community is growing steadily, I feel compelled to provide you with a more visually stimulating and reader friendly environment.  So, after many months of searching for the right team, I've finally settled on a wonderful group of talented ladies to redesign this blog into something beautiful and interactive. I am so excited and can't wait for you all to see the end result.

But before the work is done, I'm asking for your help and input. An important part of the changes for {Home-ology} is to create a site that provides value each and every time you visit.  Although this blog will always be true to my personal vision, it is just as important that it be a place you enjoy visiting. This blog is an opportunity for us all to connect on a more personal level, and I want it to be a site that we build together.  That said, I would dearly love your true & honest input.

To help the blog develop in bigger ways, I've created a survey that will help me gather your thoughts and ideas so that I may incorporate them into the final product. All answers are completely anonymous and ask for no personal information, so I expect your honest feedback and suggestions! (Keep it real, peeps!) Please take a moment and click here to take survey - it's quick and simple and will be a huge value to our team as we take this blog to the next level.

Thanks to each of  you, there are some truly great happenings in store. But it will only be successful with your input, so click here to take survey! Thanks guys ;)

Plants for a Mid-Century Style

I've been researching houseplants as inspiration for the mid-century home we're remodeling. I thought it would be fun to hunt down similar plants as those popular in the 1950's - since it respects the home's era. To my delight, I found the old fashioned houseplants are trending quite heavily this season and all were easily found at the local plant nursery.

Once inside, I found a wonderful variety of exactly what I was looking for:

1) dracaena, 2) southern maidenhair fern, 3) caladiums, 4) impatiens, & 5) wax begonia. 

Oh, included in my purchases was a Boston fern. What home in the 50's didn't have a Boston fern?

This little project was such a delightful lesson in old-fashioned houseplant varieties. When I actually saw them in person, it became difficult for me to pin down just a few. I wanted them all. But pin down I did, and now the home is filled with a wonderful array. 

Appreciating the antecedents of current houseplant varieties and has given me the opportunity to remember the lives of my very own antecedents. When my research was done and my inspiration board set, I unexpectedly found that it looked very familiar. I soon realized that each and every one of the plants I selected were plants which my grandmother cultivated in her gardens in south Florida. Oh, sweet incidents! They happen so rarely.

If you're looking for inspiration for your mid-century home, take time to research the various plant varieties of the era. There are many to choose from. And if you're lucky to have a well versed plant nursery in your area, you'll more than likely find them in stock.

Alt For Everyone {and a Little Shopping in Between}

This weekend was the Lakewood 400 Antiques Market in Cumming. I find this market often to be a hit or miss. This month was a hit ;)

I picked up several unique treasures like this old leather suitcase. I love it so much that I'm considering it for myself. And the very old pair of child's boxing gloves stuffed with horse hair - wouldn't these would be perfect in a little one's room?

Do you see the little set of Jell-O molds hiding in the back? Do they take you back to your childhood?

And I finally found a air plant. Yay!!! I have been looking for one since last season. I have the perfect vessel for this little guy I'll show you soon. But for now, here's a few highlights of the show.

The very nice piece of Copco  was too cute to resist in happy yellow.

I actually did a post on the history of Copco last year (Do You Know Copco?) and have sold several pieces. But I've never kept a piece for myself - so I'm excited to test it out! As much as I love to cook with cast iron, Copco should be right up my alley. Besides, it'll be pretty to look at as I happily stir...

  Here's another piece I purchased which I'm seriously considering keeping for myself {if I can find a spot}. I haven't had a chance to do any research, so if you have any info on it - do tell! I know it's a mid-century piece based on the quality of the heavy steel tubular frame, but there is no mark. Still, I love it!

Okay, i really wanted a trio of the nautical floats, but at $65 a pop, that wasn't gonna happen. I also like the galvanized tub they were placed in; but, once again, not at the price. But a girl can admire!

Sorry this isn't a better shot, but this little mid-century bird cage was so adorable. At $45, I hope someone took home a very sweet piece.

And just because they were cute, these sweet vintage linens from the 1950s.

I never knew so much Pyrex existed!

So that was my weekend, shopping at Lakewood. Oh, and there was this little thing called Alt For Everyone hosted by Alt Summit. It was an amazing, peeps! These courses were packed full of informative tidbits. If you're a blogger, I highly recommend you look at the courses offered on their site - it's a truly talented group of ladies that host. Yes, they know their game and aren't afraid to show it! Amazing, for sure.

What were your weekend finds?

 #thanksbing, #thanksalt

Mason Jar Luminaries

Hello & happy Friday!

This weekend is filled with all sorts of goodness including some fast & furious courses at the Alt For Everyone. I'm taking away some great information, and am so excited to put it all to use on the blog soon!

But in between classes, I stayed busy working on a little project in preparation for the soon-to-be summer outdoor activities.

Isn't he cute? Like most great ideas, this one was born out of necessity.

In my pursuit for a few modern designed outdoor lights, I came across a beautiful set of porcelain hurricane lamps at West Elm. 

west elm

They were perfect. But at $29 each (I needed four), I hesitated for a moment. And, luckily, just as I was about to click the purchase button, I remembered my collection of mason jars. Hmmm, could I duplicate the beautifully modern look of the West Elm lanterns with a Mason jar? I had to know. 

My list of supplies was simple:

Glass jar
removable adhesive labels in design of your choice
Paint of your choice (I used Rust-oleum's Universal in gloss white)
glass floral beads
votive candle

Using labels from the office supply store to create my pattern, I made sure the edges were securely adhered.

Once I was happy with my design, I turned the jar upside down (to prevent overspray from settling inside the jar) and applied several light coats of paint.

With the modern dotted design, I opted to use Rustoleum's Universal in gloss white. But if you want a more rustic look, chalk paint would be a good alternative.

Once the paint was dry, I very carefully removed the labels ensuring that the edges were clean.

Lastly, I added glass floral beads to the bottom and a votive candle. Adding the beads does two things - it helps stabalize the luminary and helps protect the surface below from heat should your candle burn for a long period of time. You could also use sand or pebbles.

And here's my finished product. I love the modern graphic of the dotted design!

I can't wait to put this little puppy to good use - I I have the perfect spot!

Happy weekend my friends!

CB2 & the Novigratz Brasil Giveaway - What's Not to Love? #CB2NovogratzBrasilSweepstakes

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CB2. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you seen the latest collaboration between CB2 and the design duo Bob & Cortney Novogratz? It's a beautiful partnership that offers an eclectic island design inspired by the duo's vacation home in Brazil. It's based on a colorful aesthetic of both modern and vintage that's full of personality with a twist of well-traveled {and you guys know how much I love that}.

The CB2 and Novogratz Collection is chic, stylish, and family friendly - true to the Novogtratz's style - while being at a price point that's attainable for most any budget. And I love the long-term commitment this collection offers with its versatile design allowing for plenty of mixing & matching. Here are a few of my favorites from this latest collection

i love the playfulness of the robert and cortney bookends (49.95)

Speaking of play, check out the playful Figueira Swing Chair (149). I totally want this!

And what's not to love about the modern lines of the Soneca Pendant lamp (149)

Oh, there is so much to love about this collection! But my biggest love is the sweepstakes that CB2 & the Novogratz's are hosting - a one week sleep-over at the Novogratz home in Transcoso, Brazil that you and three of your closest friends have a chance to win! Yep, it could be yours! Just go the the CB2 and Novogratz Brasil Sweepstakes to enter.

And if a slumber party isn't in the cards for you, don't dispair, because CB2 is also giving away $100 gift cards along with a personally signed copy of the book "Home by Novogratz"  to ten other lucky winners. Entering is easy - just enter via the cb2.com/sweeps @  CB2 and Novogratz Brasil Sweepstakes. Sweepstakes run May 2nd through June 3rd.

I've already entered. But if i don't win, I want it to be you!

Floral Arrangements from the Garden

Part of last weekend was spent catching up in the garden and reaping the rewards of all my hard work by bringing some blooms indoors.

This is what makes all the hard work worth it.

These simple stems of water iris are set behind a potted fern for a woodland display.

One of my favorite annual blooms are from our rhododendrons. So full and lush and so Southern. The grey chair is the perfect backdrop for this lavender blossom.

But this arrangement is my favorite only because a precious two & four year old helped to arrange it. Such talent! I can already see the gardening potential in them both and will do all in my power to encourage the tradition!

When trying to decide on a prominent spot for this bouquet, I was instructed by the girls to placed this arrangement in the kitchen window in front of the sink because they said I stand there all the time. I suppose that was so that I could enjoy it while doing one of my least favorite chores washing the dishes. Sweet little imps! ;)

What's blooming in your gardens?

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