Preparing To Re-Decorate - Help!!

Ok - so I sold several items of furniture, Hurricane Sandy hit NY, president Obama was re-elected, snowstorm hitting NYC as we speak & we'll be moving next week. With all that said, I've been busting my head thinking about how to decorate the next place!

I LOVE decorating but my husband doesn't understand my passion (he'd say obsession) with what will go with what!!?!? I'm certainly NOT an interior designer, so I'm asking designers or non-designers to pls give some quick input on what you think looks best. We no longer have our white french provincial sofa, it was SOLD. Boo hoo. 

However, the show must go on & I'm ready to select a new sofa, this one to be exact from Jayson Home & Garden in a velvet fabric.  I've already purchased the Madeline Weinrib greek key rug in 8x10" you see below & am keeping the Jonathan Adler lamp as well as the white IKEA floating shelves & white leather daybed (I hope). I'm also bringing with us our white lucite coffee table, I think it will make the space appear spacious because it is clear.

The Dilemma: I have no idea what color fabric to choose for the sofa. What do you think would work well with the rug below?? The rug is a blueish color with off-white Greek key around the edges. Based on the pieces you see below, what color would you select for the sofa?? YES, the python benches will be included in the mix & the sofa will also have a set of bolsters on each side of the arms.

Below are some swatches - any of these colors? or something else???

I'd love to hear your thought! 

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Hurricane + Moving + Giving

It's been an interesting few days here in NYC. While half the city has no electricity - we feel blessed that our lights are still on. It was an intense night with the winds howling & barely anyone on the streets. What a rarity, no one on the streets of NYC.

I never felt truly scared as I like to keep my trust in God and his protection over us - but I did keep wondering where the electricity would go OFF next.  It's amazing that most of the news on CNN was already being spread on Twitter. Even beyond the tragedy, it was great to see people shedding their fears by bringing some humor into things.

In the midst of it all, we realized how glad we were that we weren't moving on Nov. 1st - but during the middle of the month instead. We managed to sell all the items we put up for sale, the biggest one being the white sofa. 

Ahhhhhh. 

It was bittersweet, as I watched it for the last time being loaded into a truck. It drove away to it's next destination, Brooklyn. I hope the new owners will LOVE it as much as I did. Sometimes we have to learn  to make room for other things in our lives. Things we may not even know are coming. Just like God prepares us spiritually for our next journey, we also have to make room for it as well. I look forward to decorating the next place.

P.S. 
Please consider making a donation to the Hurricane Relief - you can go to my church site here:

OR Salvation Army.


P.S.S.
Btw, you can follow my Twitter here.

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Waiting for my Wardrobe...

.......arriving next week!

-image by jen ramos via my twitter

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What a day...

Finally in NYC... My guy cracked the RV mirror when he ran it into a transit bus mirror. Then if that wasn't enough, we couldn't park in front of the building due to construction. So, parking & hauling things from a block away seemed like the only thing to do. It was insane.. But I had a laugh...

Thank God I have family here, they came out to help with the items we had in the RV. More to come soon! Hope everyone is well... My feet feel like they're about to fall off.

P.S. I'm the one with the aviator glasses holding my artwork!

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Getting there...

Hello everyone! Hope you all are doing well! 

Packing is getting ridiculous....ever wonder how you accumulated so many things? I'm beginning to feel good about selling most of my furniture....

more to pack.....

-image by jen ramos

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Apartment Living is Next....

It's Monday.... welcome back! This has been such a chaotic & busy weekend to say the least. With strangers coming by my home & seeing all the pretty pieces of decor (I purchased) slowly disappear.

However, one must do what they have to do to move cross country right? For now I have a few things left for sale, you can see in this post. 

I've been looking for inspiration all over on how to decorate a small place & even though books like "Big Book of Small, Cool Places" are great, I can't help but look at more. This home in particular is a small place in NYC that has a lot of style. In fact it's already inspiring me for my newest venture: APARTMENT LIVING.

One of my favorite features of this apartment is the TALL chevron wall!! It's making me think of possibly painting a wall in the new place in a darker color, like black.

Any of you ever paint your walls in a rental?!?!? We were told we could paint walls as long as we painted it back to its original color before moving out. 

I'm just glad I have that option because adding color to a wall in a small apartment gives it more interest.

-all images via apartment therapy

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What I REALLY want for Christmas...

My head has been spinning lately....You see, I'm getting that feeling of wanting to move back to New York City....again. So, if I had to choose one gift this year, it would be that. I used to live there several yrs ago & my family is still there - which I MISS very much! In fact, if my mom didn't love coming out here so much, I'd visit her more often. 


Manhattan is so alive... every time I visit, I SWEAR, I want to stay longer! Frankly, moving there would be giving up a lot, mainly square footage. As most of you know we have a decent home here in NV & it would SADDEN me to leave it.  


UNFORTUNATELY, due to the market, we'd have to rent it or.....not. You see, I'm VERY fanatical when it comes to my home, a perfectionist to say the least. So, other people (renters) in my home, would feel invasive to me. Is that so bad? Hmmm

Let's face it, we've played landlord before in the past & it was a BIG mistake! No matter how nice & neat potential renters seem, they can be pretty messy & uncaring once the keys are in their hands. The thought of being a landlord again stresses me out. 

Know what I mean?? Ever experienced a renter from hell???!  We have!
 

It's no party & truthfully it takes up a lot of my work time.  No renters means we'll only be able to afford a smaller place because we'd still have to pay on this house...it sucks. Oh, what to do??

So, in the meanwhile MY GUY is searching out JOBS in NYC.  A good job in the software/web industry. To be more specific - he's a UX/UI designer & information architect.  If you know anyone in this industry & can get us in touch with them, we'd appreciate it.  We are ready...!  As for me, I can pretty much work anywhere from home. Thank God.

The worst part of this whole thing is we would be sacrificing a large home & moving into a smaller apartment in the city. To many of you, that would suck, to me, I desperately want the culture & the vibe NY offers. I think there are days where I just want to pull my hair out because this town is sooooooooo fashion-backwards. 


Yes, I like fashion & love when average folks on the street have their own individual style. It seems LV lacks this - BIG time. It makes me feel like the elephant in the room every time I walk into my local Starbucks.  Most people here look the same, no one really stands out. I like a town that has vibe & culture, it's how I grew up, I can't help it. We're NOT the types that go out to clubs or bars, we prefer big bookstores, cafes, restaurants, museums & going to farmer's markets.


And yes, these are my views and my experiences, so if you disagree, that's fine.

Oh & I get invited to a bunch of events and 99% of the time they're in NYC. Figures.


I know I'm venting, but I feel I'm at a crossroads & if my guy lands THE job, we may just end up moving to NYC. We'd come back every so often to visit our home here in LV - but that's it. I've learned that material items, whether it's a big home, a nice car or 30 handbags, none of this will truly make a person (me) HAPPY....I have to dig deep into my heart & listen to what's it trying to tell me. 

In the end, I believe God will lead us on the right path whatever is decided...



So, am I crazy?? Would you give up a nice big home for a small place in a vibrant city?!? Should we sacrifice certain things to find a bit more happiness?

-NYC images by Marilynn K. Yee via New York Times

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Home Sweet Home.....(Via Made By Girl)

Hope everyone had a great weekend & thanks so much for the well wishes! My weekend was FULL of packing, lifting boxes and ACHES & pains all over my legs from walking back and forth so much during this move. Guess what?? we STILL aren't done! We have a few items to bring over & awaiting delivery of a few more things I've ordered online. 

Moving is all SO exciting & overwhelming at the same time.  It's my 2nd day at the new place & I still don't have an internet connection...the cable companies never seem to get things right the first time, I swear! 

Let me know when you think so far....


(click on pics for larger images)

I'm posting this from another location so that I could update you all as to what is going on.  Below are some pics of what has been done so far, we still have lots of unpacking to do, but managed to get some lighting up!  I bought the Atoll mirror from Ballard Designs, a Barcelona Daybed (in white, yikes!) and this dining table from ZGallerie, but they haven't arrived yet....will take more pics when it's all here.

above: The painting on the wall was done by an artist friend as a gift, it is NOT an original!!!  

The lamp to the right is by Philippe Starck....I love these floors!

above: Here's the DIY lamp we made, it's hanging high up in the foyer.

above: stuff still not put away or hung

above: kitchen with the Hicks Pendant lighting, the ceiling in this place is quite high, can you tell?
The cabinets doors will be changed out before the end of the year. They'll be ALL WHITE....thank God!!!

above: breakfast dining area.
The chairs will be painted white soon, can't stand how they look in light blue within this space.
The artwork on the wall is by Sister Corita called: "Happy Collage".

above: large rosary is from an antique shop in Texas.

bathroom items, tray by nicole cohen....


images by jen ramos

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Movin' 2..... (Via Made By Girl)

As I mentioned before, my moving date is around the corner & I have to take note of the things that will possibly be furnishing my place. Of course, MOST of this is on my wish list...well, a couple of the items I've already purchased!! Either way, I wanted to share some of these with you.... BEFORE THE INSANITY of moving begins!

Do any of you own any of these items below?? I'd love to know!

For info on any of these items just ask me in the comments section & I'll leave the link for you! 

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