~The Powder Bath That Haunts Me~

Up against Silver Sage from Restoration Hardware~not quite right...
The 2 softer blue colors were the suggestions of the guy at Sherwin Williams...um, WRONG!

How can such a tiny little room cause such distress? Wow...this is insane. I purchased this gorgeous antique from Joyce Horn and dropped a sink and fixtures from Hollywood Builders into the black marble top and it looks great. Now figuring out what to do with the walls is an ordeal. It's impossible to match and it's such a small room that I don't want anything too dark. I tried Silver Sage from Restoration Hardware but it was just a tad too green. I'm off to Benjamin Moore to get their suggestions today. I purchased 2 samples that were suggested by Sherwin Williams, but they just weren't right. Hmmmm....wish I had this blog more established so I'd get some ideas from all my fabulous readers!

UPDATE!
Here is the finished bathroom.
I settled on Benjamin Moore 75% Brewster Gray.
It's just dark enough and made the room really elegant.
I hope you like it!

I found the antique cabinet at Joyce Horn in Houston.

We had to shave a little of the marble off the sides of the top

and squeeze it in there but it fit!  The space was a very narrow

weird size for a powder bath so finding something to fit was a challenge!

The mirror was made in Atlanta. It turned out beautifully!

Pedicures, Pastels, and Pilgrimmages

I really usually enjoy this time of year...the week the majority of my friends head North to conquer the great antique hunt in the big city of Roundtop, Texas/Population: 77. It's a time to get out of Houston and weed through piles of junk & jewels to find just the thing you never knew you couldn't live without! To meet up with all the gals you see all the time in Houston, but still want to stop to chat with in the tents of Marburger. And for all of us natural born bargain hunters...well, it's just plain fun! Alas, this year I have other things in the stars for this week and none of them include traipsing through fields looking for diamonds in the ruff. I'm in the midst of wading the perils of interior paint! So while the majority of everyone I know was perusing Ironstone and vintage linens amidst the tents, there I was the other day, standing at Benjamin Moore waiting patiently to get my glaze, when an adorable young preggo walked up beside me with 2 little toddlers in tow. She was dressed in a pastel Lilly Pulitzer-esque shift dress with the fabric stretched waaaay out over her baby bump and looked ever so fresh and adorable...very ready for Spring! As her 2 crayola toting tots sat on the floor coloring away as mom made her order, I made note of the fact that I was still dressed in my NYC head to toe black. Now make no mistake, I make no apologies for my love of black. I'll wear black anywhere, anytime, in any degree of heat. I LOVE it. It's comfortable & I'm a big believer in uniforms. "No brainers" I call them. Good ol stand by's that require little brain power and can be grabbed, thrown on and get you out the door in a flash. Einstein also was a devotee to the uniform. It's even been rumored that Einstein wore the same thing everyday to save precious cerebral energy for more important things. So you see I'm a lot like Einstein! Einstein and East Coasters... and each year there comes a time when I have to weigh comfort against conformity and I think the time is upon us. Usually for me, comfort wins! So as the steady flow of Houstonives cram their SUV's full of newly found treasures from Round Top and dash homeward through the bluebonnets this week, I can't help but take stock that Spring has Sprung...it's time to dehusk my hooves with a serious pedicure, get out my sandals and make plans to put at least some of my black away. It won't be easy though. Maybe there's a 12 step program somewhere? Oh well ~ parting is such sweet sorrow. I'll miss you my dark friend....if only for a few days before I pull you back out!

Looking For Mrs Doubtfire!

No, I don't mean I'm looking for a man in drag to look after my kids~just a wonderful cleaner/ organizer to help me keep my life and home in proper order. Why is it that housekeepers always seem to flake out right when you need them most? I'm moving in a few weeks and have no help...and no, I'm not a capable grown up that can handle this on my own. I admit it...My name is Stephanie and I NEED help!! I tried out a new gal last week and on her first day nearly drove off the road when she called me and asked me to stop and get her a burger on my way home! Um...WHAT!? I politely told her to make herself a PBJ (Although wondering why she didn't eat lunch before her 12:30 arrival time) and made mental plans on how to give her the boot. To top it off, upon returning home after a LOOOONG day, found 4 loads of WET laundry waiting for me to dry and fold atop my dryer. So there I was folding clothes at 10pm. She was here for 5 HOURS, people! What did she do?? So I'm entering the looking phase again...looking for Mrs. Doubtfire. Someone to swoop in and give a helping hand here. Someone NORMAL...not too much to ask, right?

Waiting For Hardwoods To Dry ~ Oh My~~

Well, I've been longing for the day when I have a break from my crazy schedule of running around looking, and deciding, and researching, and purchasing, and returning, etcetera, etcetera...and now the day is here. At long last we have a few days whereas we are forbidden to enter our new home while our hardwoods dry. AND it's killing me. It's like an overdue first baby that just~won't~come...hey, I need this to be over! I need to see that the paint colors I ached over were all the right choice. That the carpets go well with the paint colors I ached over. To enjoy the fruits of my labor. To drink a BIG margarita in my new yard by our new pool! So while I'm waiting I'm looking into the latest house drama...the "no the chandelier's won't be here in time for the scheduled electrician to hook them up because they're back ordered" drama. Do I cancel the current chandeliers and go with something that will arrive in a more timely manner or cap those hot wires and wait...more. Hmmmm....these are the dilemnas (Is that how you spell "Dilemna"? Doesn't look right...oh well) of a new renovator. By the way...do you know how hard it is to get anything done, let alone write a blog with a 10 year old chanting, "Watch this, Mommy!" every 10 second as she showcases her newly learned flip flops? It's really tricky people! So I sit patiently and watch my little tasmanian devil do her thing and try to live in the moment. Enjoy the peace of not having to race to the house for a few days and hope that the golden caramel shade I chose for the new hardwoods will be dark enough...we'll see!

On The Home Stretch!

This past week I picked out carpet. Hallelujah that's over! I decided on all wool carpet to try to be as earth friendly, non-toxic as possible. I just couldn't give into laying wall to wall seagrass in my master...so sorry all you seagrass devotees! These toes have to hit something soft in the morning...I'm a very tactile person and as much as I love the look of seagrass, my comfort comes first! I did, however, choose a very soft, tight woven seagrass look alike carpet for the master. It's lovely and will give the effect of seagrass with a much more toe friendly feel. The only carpet that I didn't go 100% wool on was for our back stairs...but this carpet is what I'm MOST excited about. It's a faux antelope skin that will be placed wall to wall up our backstairs right when you walk in the back door. FUN! It's going to look so cool and have so much more personality than anything else I found. It was more expensive, but I think in small areas it's good to splurge if it's going to have a big impact! I'm also adding a wall of chalkboard paint on the inside wall of my walk in pantry. I thought it would be so fun to be able to write little notes to each other when we're standing in there perusing our food stock. I can add a daily scripture and little love notes to my girls...it will be fun! Now I'm onto finding a suitable counter top material for our game room "buffet." Someone suggested black marble but at $1,000 for a tiny slab of material I'm thinking I could find something a bit more cost efficient that looks just as good...I'll let you know. XOXO