stair-crazy

doesn't this staircase freakin rock?!

{note:  it has a railing that is glass, so it is still kid friendly-kind of}

here's another great staircase-love the railing.

it's especially nice because they make great use of the space underneath it.

this is one spectacular itty bitty area, no?

here- i just love the glass, steel and dark wood combo

gives it a light and airy feel and just enough modern for me

{not so much on the coffee table though}

that's all i have...enjoy your wednesday!

via 1-??, 2- leoob.com 3- nuevo estilo

two worlds collide

i really enjoy how this ultra modern room shares the same space with

this classic theatre artwork- such a beautiful clash of two worlds!

{sorry, i cannot remember the image credit}

luxe+exterior

these areas bring a whole new meaning to outdoor living...at it's finest might i say!

forget about outside, can i get this inside {at my home}

i am obsessed with this ~the view, table, chairs, tiles, lighting, glass railing {all of it}

oh chandie, come home with me

seriously?  seriously!

via richard powers , home-designing, the decorista

eddie ross comes to chicago!

yes, it's true and i will be attending his WOW party this thursday at 7pm.  there may be a few seats left, so if you live in the chicagoland area you should go!

i am a huge fan of his arrangements, which transform a table, event, or room.

i love the simplicity of this one, not to mention the fact that i have a similar bent wood table i recently painted here

i am also repeatedly inspired in the way he turns flea market/thrift store finds into beautiful tablescapes

read more about how he put this together here. oh, btw those napkin rings are made out of earrings!

or how he always seems to add a little whimsy to a beautiful, elegant table

what mother wouldn't want to wake up to this on mother's day morning?

i am generally on the modern side of things, however eddie makes me want to pull out my southern charm spirit and get some fine china for a summer afternoon cocktail party!

i can't wait to meet him thursday and hear what great ideas he has to share with us!  who knows i may be inspired to get out to the flea market and throw one of these tablescapes together...

to romper or not?

what do you think about rompers...i think if done right they can look really cute.  and if you think about it, {+}super easy to get dressed, {-}super annoying when going to the bathroom

the sunglasses are ruining it for me

kim k

eww, gross and wasted

 

hilton sisters

super cute with the blazer

she looks smokin' hot {definitely my favorite look}

kourtney k

not familiar with her, but she is rocking those shoes!

actress sophie abelson

like it but no to the tights

gabrielle union

nicole actually in something besides a hippie dress, wow-she looks good

nicole richie and blake lively

charlie jade

season 4 of satc way before it was in to wear a romper, wearing claude pierlot

"carrie"

wearing karina grimaldi as a cover up

kristin cavalarri

no, this is not an old photo of from the 80's

cynthia vincent

i think i would actually wear this with a jacket

urban outfitters $48

and this also

urban outfitters $58

ikea, once again

i went to ikea the other day and picked up a few things, nothing major.  i did buy a $30 throw for the couch in the family room. 

here's what it looked like before:

and after:

i know, the change is minimal, but it gives the couch more texture and the white really pops against the dark brownish/eggplant color.  i think i am going to add a monglolian lamb pillow from west elm to add a little something more.

here are a couple pieces that caught my eye:

this would look good if the top was painted a creamy white

and accessorized with a collection of modern pottery

modern armoir, reminds me of the modern danish cribs below (not at ikea)

didn't realize they had a cowhide until a couple weeks ago-this is a must in my new home

kind of like this coffee table, but unsure

how cute would these be in a kid's room

i like the idea of this tray top table, like the one in ellen pompeo's house.  you could just do a coat of  distressed bronze on the top. well, kind of like ellen's...

via elledecor

yum

i made this tonight for dinner.  i haven't cooked a healthy meal in awhile.  i seasoned the chicken with s&p, cumin, lemon pepper and fresh lemon and grilled it.  for the first time, i made my own rice and didn't use the packaged kind.  it turned out great and i didn't have to feel bad about eating the prepared rice from the pouch.  that stuff has so much sodium and unnecessary "ingredients".  i made the black beans with onions, garlic, bell peppers, cumin and s&p and cilantro.  again, a much healthier alternative to refried.

it was delish!

my take on take-out

white jeans: the end of my big break

yes, these white jeans in particular, the gap skinny crop and roll

so, i went to the nate berkus show as i told you monday night.  it was at the harpo studios in

the west loop {chicago}. 

after the 1.5 hour drive into the city-i had to drop my son off at my mom's in the burbs and then come back out to the city-i know, i'm a trooper-

and the 45ish minute wait in the line to get into the waiting area i had to go to the bathroom of course. 

not a second after i walk out of the bathroom, i have two women in front of me greeting me. 

i was all:  do i know them?  i think they were production assistants.  they were asking me questions like: 

are you a big nate berkus fan? what would you ask him if you met him?  am i a real housewives fan?  who's my fav housewife in ny?  what's my name/phone#?  seriously 20 questions.

then they took a pic of me and said they were going to show it to nate and the producer and they would come get me if they needed me.  they asked if i wanted to participate in the taping and do some sort of "price is right" type skit.  i agreed.

10 minutes later, they came to get me, i met with the producer who was scanning me from head to toe

while asking questions.  she was explaining how they possibly wanted me to play a part in a segment. 

then she looks at me again and goes:  "your kinda young though...how old are you?"  weird!  i told her 29

 (i don't think that's really young) 

then she said,

"oh, you have white pants on...they don't film well. just so you know, never wear white pants on t.v." 

*noted

then she looks at me again asks the other producer about the white pants (he says they are fine)

and then mentions the white pants another 10 times in the 5 minutes i am in the studio with them.

needless to say, i didn't make the cut, a more mature women in denim was the person they went with

she was probably 33 at the most

in the end, i was glad i wasn't picked, i get too nervous about stuff like that

(i would have probably had serious stomach issues the entire afternoon)

good thing i wore those white jeans ;)

there's my adventure at the nate berkus show test taping.  they begin taping the official season in

september in new york.

nate was super nice, super cute and did a great job, although you could tell he was a little new (he is)

oh, btw bethenny from rhony made an appearance for a segment.

she was super skinny and only had her baby 4 weeks ago.  she had us cracking up- she's hilarious...

i love her.

she gave the entire audience her audio book the skinnygirl rules

new delhi, what?

this amazing home is located in new delhi, india!  yes, you heard me right.

i love it and wouldn't mind having this place as a winter home, what do you think?  

via home-designing

the nate show, yes!

i will be attending a taping of the nate show tomorrow in chicago!!!  i am so excited!!

nate first caught my eye when i saw this great room makeover on oprah

what a transformation-from a country-dated living room with no real personality (sorry homeowner)

to a gorgeous, chic, eclectic room with such style and character.

 i always like to see a designer's own stomping grounds.  this is his place in chicago.

solidifies my recent want for a cowhide

he actually lucked out on this silver leaf treatment to the walls from the previous owners

{almost looks like concrete in this photo}

what a modest looking kitchen, but what a fantastic oven and light fixture.

well, gotta go now-i have to pick out something to wear tomorrow.

i'll blog all about it on wednesday:)

p.s.  thanks to hello lover for bringing this taping to my attention {she's going also}

images via oprah.com