A little Arizona Inspiration

When Jace and I were just babies having our first baby ;) we lived in a tiny apartment in Gilbert, AZ.  I worked in an office in Mesa, AZ.  On my lunch break I would walk the sidewalks on old downtown.  One of my favorite places to stop in and dream (notice I did not say shop) was a store called Domestic Bliss.   I used to dream of a house full of upholstered furniture and frilly linens and wish that I had thought of that store name 1st.  Our first baby, Macy's nursery was patterned after a corner of that adorable store I would visit on my lunch break.  Well, today I found some pictures of that store owner's recent home remodel floating around the internet.  Take a look:

I asked Jace tonight how hard it would be to make saw horse legs for a table or two.  Surely, this could be pulled off without paying over $1,000 retail. Ya?

Did you see the drapes?  Hello.

Ah those signs.

Doesn't this picture make you want to slap some wall paper on your kitchen walls? And a couple chalk boards?

And my favorite - the bathroom.  I love the gray wall in the background and that chandelier.

all above images found here

And judging by the picture above, the store is still a dream come true - for the wealthy.  ;)  I am slightly obsessed with the light fixtures.  Expensive?  Yes.  Inspiring?  Absolutely.  The best part is, I don't even have to work in Mesa anymore to drool over the store's inventory - it is all here.

I am ready to go to work.  I love when a single image gets me going again. I found this image stored on my computer yesterday, in a folder labeled "Good Ideas" yesterday.  I haven't been able to stop thinking and scheming on it.

image found here

Sometimes I could just kiss myself.

It is apparent from that last statement that I'm having a better week this week.

;)

Monday Morning Inspiration

 We had an exciting weekend.  It was full of eletrical work, thunder storms, belly aches, and pizza.  Jace returned from a week of working out of town.  I gladly handed over all baby calf bottles, antibiotic shots, and feeding responsibilities to him.  Those baby cows were glad to see their real "mama" return.

Thunderstorms + calves with bellyaches = mud

And a deal I have been working on for almost a full year finally closed on Friday!  Congratulations to Jace's cousins Hal and Elisa!  They bought Jace's parents old house in Heber.  YEA! for owning their very 1st home and YEA! for buying the house next door to where they are living - moving day should be a breeze.  And YEA! for commission checks.

With all my new wealth ;) I'm dreaming of new wood floors, curtains, and light fixtures.  Here is some Monday morning inspiration featuring a Spanish style house in California.  Celebrities swap houses and husbands faster than I change my underwear but see if you can keep up.  This house belongs to Reese Witherspoon, who recently got hitched on the property.  But the house is for sell.  Some of these pictures are from the local MLS.  But I believe most of these pictures are from when Kathy Ireland owned the house and it was featured in House Beautiful.  Regardless of who is actually living there, I love it.

I need dark wood floors.  And I need them to be on clearance somewhere.

Go ahead and throw in that green office chair too.

I love the white walls and bright pops of color.

White stucco exterior with green painted beams.

The shutters!  That tree!  And check out those plain black asphalt shingles.  Jace and I have been discussing for sometime how this kind of roof would look on our Spanish style home.  Could we replace our wood shingles with asphalt shingles?  I think so.

Happy Monday!  I have a to do list a mile long.  I'm going to give it my best shot.  What are you accomplishing today?


*all house photos found here.