Dreamy conservatories

Now that the weather is starting to cool down *sniff *sniff, it won't be long before it's too uncomfortable to spend any long amount of time being outdoors.  Unless, of course, you're lucky enough to have a conservatory or glass sunroom, in which case you can enjoy the feeling of being outside all the year long.  I know little of conservatory design, except for that I wouldn't mind having any of the below:

If you can't add a conservatory to your home,  this little detached one would still be amazing to have. I would put it by a pond or lake...if I had one....

 This conservatory looks to be abandoned, which adds a sort of romantic appeal to it, but you can imagine how beautiful it used to be.

I LOVE the feeling of warm sun in the winter mornings, and this window would be a great place to sit and get it.

How perfect is this?

Maybe not technically a conservatory... but still amazing.

I would sit in here and draw.

All images via Pinterest search "Conservatory" or "Glass House"

*disclosure: this post is in partnership with Sheerwater Glass

"Moving" Right Along

Yesterday we got the appraisal on the house.  It was good :-).

So we are moving right along.  Remember when I bought my last house?  While waiting to close, I showed you pictures of what I wanted to do to some of the rooms?  For example, in my last house I showed you a before pic, an inspiration pic from a magazine and then finally the finished room.  Here is a link to one of those posts.

So I thought I would take you through my decorating thought process again.  Luckily this house doesn't need the extensive remodeling the last house did.  This one just needs painting, hardwood floors, landscaping and decorating, whew!

For now, until we close, I am just planning and dreaming.  Let's start with the front door, OK?

Here is the front door now.  I know some of you thought it was red, but it is actually a stained wood.

The house is light gray.  Right now the railings are a dark gray, but they need to be painted and we will paint them white to match the columns.  The house is a Cape Cod style house, and I like gray and crisp white for that style.

I am going back and forth on whether to paint the door red or black.  The wood just seems out of place for this house.

Here is a similar door in red.

via

And a similar door in black.

via

One other thought is, do I paint the whole door surround the same color like below?  Or trim it out in white, like the pictures above...decisions, decisions.

via

Looks like I am starting my house whispering :-).

p.s. there is a great Velvet Pumpkin give away going on at Art by Karena.

A big personal announcement!

My birthday was September 29th...Best birthday gift ever? I get Chris as a husband. Chris proposed to me on the 21st by driving down to the Outerbanks where I was vacationing with my family, showing up on the beach and writing his proposal in the sand.

Now begins the daunting part - planning! Any words of wisdom you guys can share with me will be GREATLY appreciated!  I have already ordered a wedding planning organizer and a book of budget wedding ideas and tips.  I plan on updating you guys with my ideas and progress here on Decorology.

By Invitation only- Thoughts on October

Good October morning to you....its time for an another installment of By Invitation Only where a group of bloggers get together and each serves up their own interpretation of that months said theme. This months is titled "Thoughts on October".....and what does this month mean to us? This was a fun one for me because A. I love fall  B. I do have a few fun things on my agenda,  C. Its my sons birthday month and D. the sleeveless shirt season is officially over..woo hoo!.......so we have some nice things that happen to fall in October.   I am sure it has a slightly different meaning for each of us but here is my own personal thoughts on the month.........

My oldest sons birthday is in October....hard to believe he is turning 25 this year! 

It means soccer games. Lots of them. Love it when I have a reason to throw on a toasty sweater or wrap. And love it when they win!

It means having an opportunity to wear and buy more beautiful soft cashmere scarves and sweaters...just love the "cozy season"

October is a license for lots of cooking  of delicious comfort foods. Nothing is off limits:) Including a decadent chicken pot pie.....

It is the perfect month for  carving out time for a one or two day road trip to admire and ogle over falls parade of colors, nothing beats fall foliage in the Northeast!

For some reason I get very into antique stores in the fall...so October is a time to explore and discover some new ones!

This particular October means road trip with one of my dearest friends in the whole world...we are heading to beautiful Newport, Rhode Island!

October is a month ripe for apple picking

October means adding a little fall decor throughout the house to welcome in the new season

It means Halloween and getting to see all the cute little kids in their adorable costumes!

October is all about gorgeous clothes and an excuse for a little retail therapy (hellooooo Ralph Lauren)

A surplus of apples...hopefully enough to be inspired to bake that homemade apple pie!

October is a time for quiet walks with Teddy taking in the magic of the season of fall

A great excuse to get a brand new fabulous handbag....like clockwork every fall, I indulge and splurge on a really great new bag.

And lastly October is a month like every other to be thankful for good health, the blessing of family and company of great friends....you included!
So that sums up October and what it means to me....a lot of goodness, and hopefully happy times ahead. How about you....what does October mean to you?  Anything happening this month that has you excited? Thanks for stopping in and hope you have a fabulous October day! Be sure to stop on over at the brainchild of By Invititation Only, Marsha over at Splenderosa to see other talented bloggers' takes on October. Click here to visit. 

October

Happy October 1st!

We are starting to get little bits of color around here.  It will really be pretty in a couple of weeks.

Autumn is my favorite time of the year.  Here is a list of some of my favorite things to do in the fall.

Hike in the woods.

Go to the Apple Orchard.

Sit outside around a fire pit roasting marshmallows.

Take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Go antiquing.

Bake an apple pie.

Wear a sweater.

Go to street art fairs.

What do you like to do in October?

p.s. still waiting to hear about the appraisal on the house....

Welcome Home,

Penny

Which would you choose?

Good Monday morning to you! Can we deviate today (just for the day) from homes and interiors?  You know I like to gab about things like fashion and pretty dresses and great boots and fabulous handbags and all that good stuff on occasion! Went to a fashion show luncheon a few days ago where I must say for once  I wasn't craving every single thing the models wore (except the bodies wearing the clothes....I always have serious body lust when I see the models and their rail thin bodies) however I did see a few handbags that sparked my handbag obsession which has been on a bit of a "hiatus" given that I have been so house obsessed these last few months. And what can I say......this got me to be "inspired" to talk handbags today.

I am glad to know my handbag radar is still alive, active and very "able and ready to do business". As I do every fall, I treat myself to one special handbag or two, and I have my eye on several. Has to be something practical but smart looking, something that will go with most of what I wear (think neutrals) and not something very trendy. So here's some of the contenders....play along. Pretend money is no object, you get to choose one bag, take a look and tell me which you choose! I look forward to hearing what you decide.........

                                                                           CHOICE 1

Chloe

CHOICE 2

Bottega Veneta

CHOICE 3

Tory Burch

CHOICE 4

Bottega Veneta

CHOICE 5

Gucci

CHOICE 6

Gucci 

CHOICE 7

Gucci

CHOICE 8

Fendi

CHOICE 9

Prada

CHOICE 10

Michael Kors

CHOICE 11

Chloe

CHOICE 12

Rebecca Minkoff

CHOICE 13

Yves St. Laurent

CHOICE 14

CHOICE 15

Rebecca Minkoff

CHOICE 16

Rebecca Minkoff

So many beauties....don't you think? I love fall dressing, all the rich textural fabrics and materials, the warm colors, plus fall/winter is such a looooong season I can justify a little splurge on a fabulous bag! So which is it for you? Does one just jump out at you and say "take me home"? I can't wait to hear.....wshing you a fabulous Monday!