Etsy gets me every time

Damn you, Etsy! I have a love/hate relationship with you. Just when I think to myself "Bryn - you need a spending freeze", you put something so beautiful up on your front page that I just had to have.

I'm talking about this pink/gold ceramic bowl:



Is it not perfect? The perfect place to hold all my pretty earrings (which are really the only jewelry I wear. Oh and 99% of them are designed by my friend and amazing jewelry designer Meredith Jackson who one day will get an entire post of her own.)

The bowl is vintage by Sasha Brastoff and the pattern is called "surf ballet" Is that not a great name or what?

(the mother of pearl/gold apple next to my new bowl also came from Etsy)

The Laundry Room Details!

We finally finished the laundry room yesterday! I have all the details for you in case you are curious.

(I really enjoyed Erika's kitchen detail post so I am trying the same format)



For the wall color, I wanted something that was a deeper, darker version of our living room color. The living room color is also in the entry/hallway and right outside of the laundry room, so it flows really well. I found this color at Home Depot and I love it!



I wanted a countertop in the laundry room, but didn't want to spend a lot of money. I looked at a couple different options (for example, a desk top from IKEA and the butcher block countertop from IKEA) but decided to go with the plywood. It was so inexpensive and easy (Lowes cut it for me). I just rubbed some Danish Oil on it and it was good to go! I like the warmth it adds to the room and it's SOOO great for folding, etc.



I love the little rug - it's so soft. It's a vintage Turkish rug from eBay.




The "art" was free and super easy. All the frames are from IKEA (the two large ones are RIBBA) The red floral print is a Robert Allen fabric (called Anya). I painted the watercolor to mimic another one of my favorite fabrics which reminds me of embroidery (Mulberry Home, Swash Stripe):


My version isn't as pretty, but it was easy and free! :)

It's really dark under the cabinets, so I needed some extra lighting. You can't beat these IKEA lights at only $15 a pop. I also got the small galvanized buckets from IKEA. Here are detail shots of the corners:





I love having things I use a lot within easy reach (screw driver, leatherman tool, permanent markers, etc). The dryer sheets make the laundry room smell really good.





I got the amber glass knobs on Amazon.com. They match the counter top really well (not planned).

Here is a shot of all the chalkboard area we have. It's actually really helpful, I love it.



Here is a shot of the counter without the lights on.. as you can see it's pretty dark. It's helpful having the option of extra light for when I need it.



And here is the laundry room in action! (Some of my clothes air drying). These hooks have been the best thing ever.



The cabinets store all my DIY stuff. It's so so helpful having everything organized and at reach unlike before where it was just mad chaos. It's not the prettiest form of organization, but it works.



Laundry detergent on the first shelf. On the second shelf, my palm sander and it's stuff, nails/screws, lightbulbs and outlet covers.



My watering can, drills and tools on the first shelf. Drop cloth, painting supplies and furniture supplies on the second shelf. All the plastic boxes you see are from IKEA.

I wish I could have gotten a good shot of the light in the room, but I couldn't. This was as good as it got:



As I mentioned before, I wanted to install the IKEA OTTAVA light in this space but the space really needs a flush mount. We actually installed the OTTAVA and it didn't light the space well enough.

Since I was purchasing the light at the very end of the project, I really didn't want to spend much money. This is the light I found:



It was only $17!!! Can't beat that. I really love this light, especially the white painted detail on the thick glass shade. It has a schoolhouse feel that goes well with the tile. And did I mention it was only $17?!

I think I covered everything! Please ask away if I missed anything and if you have any questions.

ps - I had to post this before picture again. I can't believe this is what it used to look like!!! Since re-doing my laundry room, it's never been messy once and I have to admit I actually enjoy doing laundry now. I call that a success :)

Love these pillows!

Wow, these pillows are awesome. I love them! I found a couple on Pintrest and the rest here on the site. They are all by Villa Home.






















Okay and I really need want this pillow for our family room!



From my experience with this brand, they are probably around the $100-$200 range. If you see one you HAVE to have, email me.

A Kitchen Design Board

I hardly ever get asked for a kitchen design board, so when I do it's really fun :) This is your typical mini kitchen makeover.. keeping (but painting) the existing cabinets and replacing the countertops, backsplash, etc.



I have to give you a bigger look into my first choice for the backsplash:



It's by Mandala, and it's like jewelry for your kitchen :)

Speaking of kitchens.. SOMEDAY we are going to do a similar mini-makeover for our kitchen. In fact I found a picture on Pintrest of exactly what I'm planning:



Black granite, butcher block island, subway tile backsplash with gray grout. Simple, inexpensive, classic.

A Post About Bathroom Floor Tile

Not the most thrilling post ever.. but it's been on my mind lately. Ever since I tiled the laundry room, I have had the deepest urge to move onto our bathrooms. They currently have similar ugly vinyl (but not matching.. not sure why the builder did that). I'm not in a rush to tile right away, but it has been on my mind.

Confession time - I LOVE how our laundry room turned out, but MIL and I definitely cursed the mosaics. They were pretty hard to work with. I've decided I want to do 12x12 floor tiles in our upstairs bathrooms. Another reasons is because less grout = less dirt in the grout.

Right now I'm just in the day-dreaming/look for inspiration pictures stage.

I loove the tile in this bathroom:

[ via ]

Simple beige tile in Keri Russel's bathroom.

[ via Elle Decor ]

I LOVE the color variations in this floor tile:

[ via ]

The rest of the pictures come from Sarah Richardson, who always does tile perfectly.

Love, love love this tile...



This makes me go hmmm, love the accent tile:




I have found a favorite, but the price is not right. ($11/sq ft)

[ via ]

I'm looking for something that has both warm beige and warm gray, veining, preferably natural stone but big plus if I can find something faux that looks good (to save $$)...

How about you guys? Did you pick out your own bathroom tile? What did you use? I'd love to hear!

New Header Alert

I decided it's time for a new, more fun header here on the blog. I used one of my favorite fabrics (Ziggurat by Schumacher) that went with my already navy and light blue layout.



When people ask my what my blog is named, I always just tell them "Bryn Alexandra" which is my first and middle name. So I simplified things and made that the blog "title". Besides, the blog is mostly about me, my home and my life.. and I post about my interiors when I get the chance.

As Tim Gunn says, carry on!

20% Off!

I have good news for you guys :) I just added the same Capiz Lotus chandelier from my entry to our Isabella online shop! AND right now we are having a 20% off sale (enter SUMMER for the coupon code).



Those of you who have been wanting the Capiz Lotus chandelier, now is the time to get it :)

[ click the image to be directed to the shop ]

If you're not in the market for a new chandelier, here are some of my favorites from the shop that you could use your 20% off coupon on:


I'm currently using this Wild Lily soap in my bathtub. It smells soo good and is awesome for summer. I may or may not have been caught sniffing my own arm to catch a whiff.


My favorite candle right now is this Acai Rain candle. It smells really good and an added bonus is that it's completely organic.


I know, I already blogged about these.. but now that they are on sale you can stock up. (I still loooove mine).

(I'm sorry for posting about the shop a lot lately. I love it so much, and I really want you guys to know about my favorite things that I use and love. Please forgive me!)