A little bit of this

Thanks to our friend Charmaine, who's bathroom reveal we reposted earlier this week, we were awarded the Liebster Blog Award!  The award was passed to her by Tiffany Leigh of The Designer Lifestyle and meant to recognize the small, just starting out blogs!  We were thrilled that Charmaine recognized us and we can only hope to return the favor in the future!

A couple folks we'd like to nominate are:

Janna from Swoon! Interiors

Pam from Simple Details

Teresa from Splendid Sass

Jamie and Vashti at Like Me Some

Kerry at Design Du Monde

After styling and photographing the heck out of Mom's reveal last night, we couldn't manage much in the way of creativity tonight.  How about an iPhone summary of my week, instead?

Picked up an orchid from Ikea, thanks to Bryn's suggestion.

The upholsterer called and my curtains were done!  I had to get busy patching the wall I kept procrastinating on.

 Shopper's Food Warehouse had the most amazing hydrangeas for sale for $3.99.  Right?

My new Kevin O'Brien pillow arrived!!

I picked up my rite of passage porcelain from Middle Kingdom. 

I ordered this sweet tablecloth only to find out that it won't fit my table.  Never fear, I have awesome plans for it in the bedroom...

Mom and I stalked Target last night and found some awesome lamps.  

The one looks just like the $799 Ralph Lauren lamp it was modeled after. For real, it's only $29!

This one too.  $29 smackers beats the Arteriors price!

And Mom almost convinced me to buy two of these ($18 each!) for my guest room.  Couldn't quite commit to the bright flame color!

Happy Friday, folks!

-Bethany

And the winner is...

Thanks to everyone who joined our blog and entered our GIVEAWAY for the lavender Middle Kingdom porcelain bowl.  And now for the winner...

# 10 - My Crafty Home Life

Congrats to Linda from My Crafty Home Life!  Please contact us to arrange for delivery.

So since Mom is super inspired by her Spring Into Action Challenge, I've been starting a new to-do list and sometimes these things can seem so daunting, right?  I figured I should start small and work up to larger ticket items (like hanging three new pendant lights in my kitchen or all new dining chairs).  One thing I can get done relatively quickly is a hardware refresh ('scuse the techy talk) on my Bombe chest in my entry.  I bought it a couple of years ago when I was fully on board with the rustic meets untreated or reclaimed wood look and now I'm left feeling too shabby and not so chic about it.

 

I bought four of these pups ponies to add to it..

 

I'm thinking of painting it dark green, navy or black with some contrasting trim.  A la...

Source: sheridanfrench.blogspot.com via Bethany on Pinterest

I love some brass hardware!  I feel like it's one of those things that you either love or hate.  While I've been busy falling in love with brass all over again, Mom cringes at the thought of its revival after finally finishing the update to stainless/brushed nickel about five years ago.  Same disconnect between us about wallpaper, too.

Brass looks super good in a campaign-style enviro.  Or to add a touch of warmth to a space.

                                          Source: paloma81.blogspot.com via Bethany on Pinterest                                                  

                                                    Source: houseandhome.com via Bethany on Pinterest                                    

                                                                Source: cotedetexas.blogspot.com via Shannon on Pinterest 

                                                                       Source: framesofreadingroad.tumblr.com via C on Pinterest                     

                                                                 Source: mynottinghill.blogspot.com via Bethany on Pinterest       

                                                                         

                                                                              Source: abchome.com via Bethany on Pinterest      

Source: parlourhomeblog.com via Bethany on Pinterest

                 

                                                                                   Source: lh5.ggpht.com via Lori on Pinterest

How do you feel about brass hardware?  Love it or leave it?  Mixed in or one finish throughout?

PS - Did you have a nice Easter?

-Bethany


PPS - Congrats again to Linda on winning the GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY time!

Growing up, my mom had tons of blue and white porcelain all over the house.  It was everywhere.  I think, as a tween, you're obligated to dislike your parent's taste so I was right on track to forming my own opinions early on.

Let me stress, though, that I really didn't get it. What was the allure of blue and white porcelain? It's so traditional. And why did she always brake for a new piece? 

Somewhere in the last few years I started shifting my attention from how great my grandmother's taste was to how great my own mom's taste is.  Was I actually beginning to like this stuff now?  Don't tell anyone, but I think so...

And then I hit 30. Something changed and I stopped resisting. I started 'getting' the allure of good porcelain.

Last week, the day before my 30th birthday, mom took me to our favorite spot (yeah yeah, I know, we talk about Middle Kingdom a lot) and helped me pick out my first piece for my home.  A lovely rite of passage.  I didn't actually get a piece of the blue and white variety (they couldn't find the price and have to call me with a quote), but …

What I did get is an awesome gift for YOU, dear readers.  For my birthday, I'm giving you a present! And hopefully once we give this thing away to a lucky winner, we'll stop with the obsessive posts on their porcelains.

As much as we'd love to gift you a ginger jar the size of a small child, we decided it might not be practical to ship (or on our pocketbooks).

So we're offering you a Middle Kingdom porcelain bowl from the Red Chamber series in the lavender colorway with a yellow inside.

They come in the yummiest colors, and this lavender color is perfect for spring. I can envision this piece as a vessel for a tall white orchid (or even the fuchsia ones) with some fuzzy green moss on top.

And no wonder they come in yummy colors, just look at Bo and Allison Jia's home published in Washington Spaces a few years back.  DELISH.

[photos by Morgan Howarth]

Here's how to win.

1 - Join our blog! (click "Join this site" on the right-hand side of the page)

2 - For extra credit, leave a comment on this post telling us what you would do with your MK vase.

3 - For extra, extra credit, 'like us' on Facebook.  

4 - For extra credit for those who already like us on Facebook and subscribe to our blog, leave us a comment telling us the one decor item you couldn't live without. 


We'll announce the winner next Monday, so you have a whole week to spread the word. 

Good luck and "may the odds be ever in your favor"!


-Bethany and Nancy

Middle Kingdom Porcelain

Bethany and I are huge fans of Middle Kingdom Porcelain.  We both have many pieces, from serving pieces to beautiful vases, all works of art.

Our friends, Alison and Bo Jia, started this company in 1998. Their distribution center is near our home, so we are fortunate to stop in from time to time to see what is new, and get our dose of  LOVELY.   Now that we know their signature shape and style, we see their pieces in many of the boutiques and museums that we frequent, and they have their porcelains all over the world.


                       There's the Scholar series which features delicate hand painted animals:

The Red Chamber Series, of brilliant colored vessels:

                                      The Hermit series of functional porcelain serving pieces with handwritten symbols on the rims:

They also carry blue and white porcelains of all shapes and sizes.

                                        Here are the MK porcelains around my house:

In the kitchen

in the Office

in the Living Room

Have you seen these in your town or metro area?

Check them out on Facebook, too!

~Nancy