williamsburg fabrics and giveaways

*This is a sponsored post by Williamsburg but all opinions are my own.

It is no secret to anyone who has read this old blog more than a time or two that I love fabric. Almost to a fanatic, stalker level. And I'd be willing to bet that since you read this old blog, you share my obsession. And let's be real, only a fool wouldn't get excited about the possibility of a new fabric to play around with and occasionally pet in admiration.

So when the Williamsburg brand contacted me about trying out something from their newest collection, Williamsburg Classics IV, I couldn't type YES quick enough. I've long been a fan of the way that Williamsburg and their partners are able to take the classic and traditional gems from the world of Williamsburg and give them a fresh spin in their fabrics. The fabric I used on the lampshades in the girls' room (the jumping off point for the whole space) is a Williamsburg fabric and it is still one of my favorites. This new collection is all about chinoiserie and vintage Asian-inspired fabrics.

Dunmore Dragons in Sapphire

Since I've got plans to make some changes to the dining room, I found this opportunity rather fortuitous and decided to get something great for the curtains. Right away, the Dunmore Dragons in the Sapphire colorway said "pick me". And when fabric speaks to you, it is best never to ignore it. It is the exact direction I'm wanting to go in the dining room, blue and white and awesome all over. More dining room changes to come, but for now I'll just enjoy these (foo) puppies.

Here are some other options from the new collection that are definitely on my wish list.

Lamerie Lattice in Sapphire

Asian Arcadia in Black Orchid

Bray Flamstitch in Ladybug

Georgian Geo in Smoke

Lightfoot Garden in Sapphire

Pretty good, right? And the best part is that the lovely people at Williamsburg are ready to spread the love again and gift one lucky person with 2 yards from the new collection. Just enter below and cross those fingers. The giveaway ends next Wednesday. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

a look at the loo - bathroom reveal

The loo? Yes, I obviously have Downton on the brain (does anyone else think that season went rather quickly?) So as promised I am supplying a good old before and after for your Monday viewing pleasure.

Updates to the bathroom were planned, executed and photographed. Let's take a look.

As I mentioned last week, a recharge for the bathroom that remained untouched for (gasp) almost seven years was long overdue. (Take a look at her major renovation here) Nothing drastic, just new paint, fixtures, shower curtain, towels and accessories. That's how I sell these changes to the hubs by the way - always use the phrase 'nothing drastic'.

To go back to the very beginning, here is what she looked like when we moved in.

And this is what she looked like until very recently.

And here she is in her pretty new outfit.

The space may be small but I'll milk it for all the pictures I can. So here we go.

The most visually appealing, best smelling soap a bathroom could have, courtesy of local favorite K. Hall Designs.

I couldn't find a towel bar that I liked for the right price and the right size, so I trolled the plumbing department at Home Depot and gathered up some lovely copper to make my own towel bar. Tutorial to follow.

The first of many prints I hope to own from Janet Hill Studio.

I got these wonderful white and gold fish hooks a long while back but never found any place to properly 'hook' them. So instead I took out the standard issue knob on the freshly painted medicine cabinet and replaced it with Elton the glamour fish.

Last summer I talked about my obsession with finding a unique shower curtain. Well I never did find one that suited, so I followed the lead of the great Tobi Fairley and had one made.

Thank heavens I have a wonderful aunt who can sew like the wind. She did a beautiful job and because of the custom work I was able to have her make it just the right length so I could take the curtain rod all the way to the ceiling. It is amazing what it has done for the room. The space feels bigger, brighter and well...taller. Imagine that.

On the opposite wall I made the wise decision to ditch the towel bar in favor of hooks. Let's be real, more than one person uses this bathroom so one towel bar wasn't cutting it. Yes we have a hook on the back of the door as well, but this is just so functional, and far more fun.

Benjamin Moore Gray Owl on the walls has done a brilliant job of brightening up the space, bringing out the gray in the marble floor and most importantly - makes the space feel clean and crisp even if the maid doesn't get around to cleaning it for a few days. Of course, not having a maid might have something to do with that.

And there she is in all her clean splendor. The changes weren't major but it has done a tremendous job of making it feel like we have a new room in the house. And she'll hold my spirits up until spring arrives. The moral of the story is small changes = big impact. Every time.

Have you made any small changes lately? Know anyone who will come to clean my bathroom? Is it wrong that I want to hug my shower curtain?

And be sure to come back tomorrow for a grand giveaway!

Linking to The Best of The Nest

i've got my sources

One of the best parts about the ORC is hearing everyones comments. It is so interesting what people notice and what sparks their interest. I've had several source requests so I thought I'd lay it all out nice and neat, just like this room was - for about an hour. I am happy to report it is now perfectly trashed, and will probably stay that way for the foreseeable future. Also, the sun finally came out so I got some more true-to-life pictures.

The rug towards the front of the room is an outdoor rug from Home Decorators and I love it. I may or may not have spilled a small bit of paint on it and it wiped up as though it were water. (thank god it was latex). Trust that I'm not the only messy one in the house though, the girls have dropped and spilled on it as well and it always cleans up like a champ. And to know that I can take it out in the spring and hose it down makes mamma very happy.

The vintage rug in the play area was found in an antique store down in Sarasota, FL. It is soft and plush and very well warn. And because of its...age spots I know it can take a beating from toy strollers, legos, and the occasional glitter nail polish and still look great.

The white stools were purchased several years ago at my favorite local antique store and have been in just about every room in the house and every color in the rainbow. I had just barely enough Les Touches to cover them and I love how they tie the red accents from the front of the house to the back of the room.

The console is an outdoor buffet table. It folds up, has a zinc top and weights practically nothing.

The blue and white is from my collection that has made its way around the house and the lovely brass hardware is from Rejuvenation.

The backs of the bookshelves are planked, just like the far wall. Tutorial to come soon.

The fabric for the slipcovers is plain white denim from housefabric.com (they are local for me). All the fabric was prewashed and the slipcovers were made without piping to prevent shrinkage when they are washed. And they will be washed. Frequently.

The red and white pillow is from Etsy, the white table used to be black, the mirror is from the side of the road (classy) and the toy under the table is probably Fisher-Price. (real life)

The plaid fabric, floral fabric and blue and white fabric are all from housefabric.com. They know me well there.

The color on the chairs is Rust-Oleum Lemongrass. The green pillow is from World Market (although I don't think it is available any more) and the ikat pillow is from Etsy. Rainbow Pom-pom garland from Furbish and sconce from IKEA.

I told you it was a sunny day. Can you believe all of this light came in from the door at the top of the stairs?!

I think that about covers it. Do you have furniture that you recycle from one room to the next? Ever dump something in storage for a while and all of a sudden it seems new and exciting? How excited do you think HouseFabric.com is going to be when they hear I'm actually sewing now?

paisley is the pattern for fall

I'm craving a paisley fix. For some reason when the weather starts to get cold I want cute scarfs, a pair of boots, hot chocolate from Starbucks and some paisley eye candy. I've always loved it since my mom let my sister and I pick the coolest ever purple paisley wallpaper for our room back in the super awesome 80s. Good times.

via Pinterest

Alessandra Branca 

via Pinterest

Sarah Richardson

Design Manifest

There are so many ways to incorporate paisley into your home. Art, fabric, furniture, bedding, you name it.

Society6

Kravet via HouseFabric

Lisa Fine

Schumacher

Les Indiennes

I could go on and on. So what say you? Are you into paisley as much as I am? How do you like it best? On the walls, furniture or maybe on you?

colorful shower curtains

Obviously I've got bathrooms on the brain as this is the second time this week I've written about them. All those pretty pictures have inspired me to do a bit of a refresh on my loo.

Full disclosure, I've already painted. (I'll share that soon) But I want to do more. For those who might not have seen it before, or who don't remember, we are talking about a rather petite space - check it out here - and it is our single solitary bathroom. That's right, go ahead and shed a tear for me.

So it will remain rather clean (in theory) and simple but I love the idea of giving a little pop with the shower curtain.

Natalie Clayman

Design Manifest

Bailey McCarthy via Rue Magazine

Kristen Ewart

You can barely peek at that wonderful pink herringbone shower curtain, but you can see how it finishes the space. Its also the bathroom in one of my all time favorite houses btw.

Tobi Fairley via Pinterest

via Pinterest

Jonathan Adler

M.E. Beck Design

Anna Spiro via Pinterest

So what do you think? Would you inject some color and (gasp) pattern into your shower curtain? Or do you like the classic crisp look of white? Are you a one curtain person, or a one curtain on each side kind of house?