Weekend Away.

Scott, Kiran and I went to New York City for a mini vacation.  We spent Saturday wandering around Central Park.  Kiran took his afternoon nap in his stroller and when he woke up he was just amazed (as probably most city kids would be) at the expanse of grass! We spent the rest of the day running around after Kiran and playing in the fabulous water park in Central Park.

Kiran in his Marimekko bathing suit.

I can't help but compare how much my life has changed.  Before having Kiran, Scott and I would have probably spent the day scouring thrift stores, flea markets and antique shops for clothes, furniture and other random things.  Then we would have showered and gotten all dressed up for a night of diner, drinks and dancing.  Now we spend our days in NYC  jumping, running and getting wet in Central Park!

Not everything has changed however.  On Sunday morning we went to one of my favorite shops in NYC, Pearl River.  I love their ceramics.  I am not a fan of matching all my dishes, plates, and bowls so I have a random collection of dinnerware.  I have a small collection of mostly blue and white ceramics, with some colored pieces thrown in.  Here are some of my purchases:

I love the swirly designs on the bowls with the swirls on the fabric on the chair (below) and the color and design of this tablecloth which is a design by Liro A. Ahokas for Marimekko, called Kimara.

I wasn't sure what I would I would do with this cup since I am not a big fan of cups without handles.  This cup however turned out to be the perfect size to hold pencils on my desk.

Here's a small peek inside my kitchen cabinets filled with unmatched dinnerware:

Do I need another lamp?

I love these E27 pendants, designed by Mattias Ståhlbomand.  I love the colors and I love the fact that they are so colorful yet so simple.

I am tempted to buy one of these even though I have no idea where I could us it.  My resolution lately has been to only buy things after carefully planning and deciding where I could use the item.  I do make exceptions for things that are absolutely fabulous...then I buy them even if I have no use or space for them!  These lamps don't get me that excited, so for now (sigh) I won't be buying one.  I will however keep scrutinizing each room to figure out where I could use a E27 pendant. 

Planning a Roof Deck

This is the view looking north from the roof of our house.  The views in all directions are absolutely stunning.

So why don't we have a roof deck you are probably asking?  Well, we would eventually like to put a deck on the third floor roof.  However, even though I am planning (and dreaming) of the deck we first need to extend the third floor out, put a bathroom on the third floor and plan the access on to the roof deck before we can build the deck.  We would also need to remove the carpeting on the third floor and install new wood floors, replace the roof on the third floor, and figure out where and how to move the 100 pound air conditioning unit. 

The picture below shows the view from the third floor.  You can see the roof above Kiran's room.  We would like to  build a room and a small deck on this side.

The window to the left in the picture below (now without the bars) is the guest room.  We would like to extend the wall out to the edge and put a bathroom in the area that is to the left of this picture.

This is one of those things that we would eventually like to do but there are simply too many other things that need our immediate attention.  Once we finish the basement stairway and install shelving/organization units in the basement and renovate the first floor bathroom we will be ready to start on the third floor!

EDIT: I can't believe that I forgot to mention the small fact that this will be a dream for a while because renovating the third floor and building a deck is not in our budget for right now.  I guess the beauty of dreams is that they aren't grounded in reality.

Vintage Teak Lamp.

I bought this lamp, a couple of months ago, at an outdoor flea market in New Jersey.  It is a teak lamp in working condition, on a marble and wood base.  It is beautiful and a total steal at $15 for the two lamps.  While one lamp was in great working condition, the other one needs to be rewired.

The lamps came with their original shades but they were ripped and dirty.  I would eventually like to re-cover the original wire shade skeletons but as a temporary fix I have been looking for an inexpensive black shade.  I went to Ikea last week and I almost fell over with excitement when I saw the black shade which was the perfect size for the lamp.

The Ekas shade cost $13.  It works perfectly with the lamp and it looks great in Kiran's room.

Scored!

I decided to run into Marshall's a few weeks ago on a whim.  I was really excited to find this amazing garden stool. I have been wanting a blue and white garden stool for a very long time but I wasn't compelled to pay $150 or more for it.  I found this beauty for $29.99.  What a score!

I also found this LOVE sign which looks a lot like an Alexander Girard print.  I love the whimsical designs by him and I have been contemplating buying the LOVE  canvas print  from Urban Outfitters.  This one was another steal at $7.99.

It is hanging on the wall behind the staircase that goes up to the third floor.  I love being able to see it from inside Kiran's room.

Spring Cactus

Spring is one of my favorite seasons mainly because it signifies the end of short dark days.  Nothing says Spring for me like the blooms on my Spring Cactus.  Every year, around the end of April, my Spring Cactus sprouts lots of red buds and then come the wild red flowers.  So beautiful. So Spring.

Spring Cactus in my "office" room

This cactus stays on the window still in my room all year round.  It is really a perfect spot because this room gets pretty cold in the winter which is necessary for the cactus to produce blooms in the Spring.  Also the window is South facing so it gets lots of direct sunlight.

Love. Love. Love

I love these interiors styled by Sasa Antic. I love all the colors, patterns and textures.  Her website features lots of great interiors.  Here are some of my favorite images:

Sorry for the skimpy posts lately.  I am really busy at work and I'm also trying to throw a huge party next Saturday for Kiran's birthday.