need a dog?

border collie

+
australian cattle dog
=


buddy

the feller found him wandering the apartment complex (right off a busy highway) so of course we took him in, thinking he just got away from his owners on a morning walk.
well, 2 1/2 weeks later and we still have him and i've done everything on god's green earth to find his owners with no luck. obviously they don't want him or they're just not looking for him as hard as i'm looking for them. i'm well on my way to being one of those crazy dog ladies. we call him "buddy" because he answers to that best, although i'd like for his name to be "linus" because he carries fetchable items around all day (he is fetch obsessed).


he is well-trained, sweet, fixed, and appears to be in good health. he IS high energy, and definitely needs a yard or someone that spends a lot of time outside. a pitching arm would be beneficial (joking...kind of). he does fine with my females, but he would do fine as an only dog as well.


if you or anyone you know needs a good dog, he is available. if i had a yard, i'd keep him!! but its not fair for him to be inside all the time.

brainstorming already

the bathroom.

here's what's already there:

white hexagon mosaic floor tile (keeper)

4x4 white ceramic tile, offset brick pattern (gone)

also: a very horrible maroonish color on the walls, a fiberglass tub/shower combo where someone thought it was a good idea to edge with 6x12 ceramic tile (yuck), and light blue ceiling (not sure how i feel about that yet)...all gone


here's what i'd like to put in there: old fashioned vanity with lots of storage, white marble top

beveled OR (see below) plain white subway tile, either to the chair rail or the 66" height with a ceramic trim piece topper




with a 3" ribbon accent of silver glass mini bricks about 12" from the top of the tile pattern


spring meadow green paint...may go a little greener on this. we'll see.

that's what i've got so far. am i obsessed? not really...although, once again, don't have the house YET. but i am praying! i have simply had a lot of time on my hands this morning, due to the pressure washer blocking the entrance to my front door, making it difficult to run a business. but time is not wasted!

getting closer!

i'll say it again: i only know what i like by knowing what i don't like. and when it comes to houses, there's a lot i don't like. for instance: the useless carrying-on of the "parlor" or "formal living room". please. i don't entertain thoughts of any real family that doesn't spend their time either 1: in the kitchen or 2: by the tv. reading, i suppose counts as the 3rd, for some, but this requires only turning the tv off, not an entirely separate room.

another one: people that install granite countertops and expect their house to be listed as "updated." come on people. first of all, granite is hardly updated anymore. and secondly, do you want to be the continuation of the next countertop material that will be seen in houses 20 years from now and instantly date it? much like plastic laminate (or "formica" as most call it) instantly dates a house from the 80s-90s construction era. not only do i not like granite all that much, but people cannot seem to come up with another creative alternative to countertops. there are other stones, acrylic, resin, quartz, sealed concrete, silestone, recycled compostite materials, and glass (should you have the money). pick one. be creative!

all that being said, i should have known that only the historic neighborhoods of pensacola would excite me. and so they have. all 3 houses i have liked are in pensacola's east hill. the more affordable sister of the prestigious north hill (on who's cusp i used to rent a flat and loved every minute of minus the energy bills and crazy landlord).

so far this guy is numero uno:

it does not look historic by any means from the outside. but the inside tells a different story. there are glass door knobs, wood floors, white hexagon tiles in the bathroom, and a working fireplace. other pluses: all the expensive upgrades i don't want to deal with (tankless water heater, new windows, backyard landscaping, sprinkler system) are already done. this is the house you take home to mom. there will, however, still be several projects:

1. there are 8x8 tack-on ceiling tiles everywhere. who thought this was a good idea? my guess is they were put up to prevent having to repair the plaster ceilings. those are eventually coming down.

2. bathroom remodel. floors stay. everything else goes (except maybe the toilet).

3. ripping out the granite countertops. if you're interested, they're giallo napoleon. if you want em, maybe i'll sell em. all this to go with new kitchen floors and backsplash (tile showroom designer discount please!)

4. ripping up the carpet in the bedrooms. there's wood underneath. the carpet has lived it's life.

5. there are also distant future plans to add on a small front porch.

all this being said, i do not own the house, nor have i even put in an offer. but a girl can dream can't she? wish me luck and i'll keep you updated.

let the search begin!

it all started with this house. sure it may look cute and innocent, but don't let it fool you. it lured me in with its 15 panel original wood door, 1930's basketweave tile kitchen, glass door knobs, and sun-room and took me on an emotional roller coaster.

this little 2 bedroom/ 1 bath (with bonus room) house in the historic neighborhood of pensacola is every history and design lover's first-time home dream. before i knew it, one click on a website led to loan pre-approvals, worked and re-worked budgets, what-if's, add-on plans, and i won't even go into the amount of tile configurations i planned out at work.

yesterday i saw the house, and i can proudly say i stuck to my guns and kept my feet on the firm ground (well on the off-grade wood floors). it may not be this house, but it has opened the door to a whole new world for me. new job, new attitude, and now it looks like i might be a new home owner in the near future. who knew? God is just that good.

wish me luck. and if any of you are home-owners, i appreciate any tips!

worn, old, and cheap

this is so peaceful to me. i don't know why. it's not fancy, it's not new. it's surely not everything you think great design would be.

but i think it's wonderful.

i've made a lot of personal journeys in the last 2 1/2 years. when you spend 4 years busting your tail to become what you think an interior design student should become, it's only natural for some of us to realize it just ain't happenin. for me, there was more that came into play besides just not loving what i once loved. my mind has been transforming. shiny, new, and expensive is not only what i don't love anymore, it's not even what i would want for myself.

kind of ironic considering that i sell high-end tile now. but that's not to say other people can't have shiny, new, and expensive. hey, do what you want with your money. it's not my place to say. but if i ever had the money for shiny, new, and expensive, i would not spend it on shiny, new, and expensive. so, as a designer by nature, i've had a lot of mental battles going on, trying to figure out "ok, so what do i want?"

and i think, right now, it boils down to this:

i don't want my floors to be shined and polised (or anything require polishing for that matter).
i don't want perfect 90 degree angles in my walls.
i don't want my comforter to be 9" thick.
i don't want silk window treatments.
i don't want designer pillows that cost more than what i can find at target.
i don't want new furniture.
i don't want my mullions to have anything short of 3 layers of paint on them.
i don't want a new house.
i don't want anything that would make me cry if my dog chewed it up (because she probably will).
i want leaves in my gutters, i want my doors to squeak, my windows to stick, and my floors to make that wonderful groaning that old floors make.

{is it obvious yet that you become who you are more by knowing what you don't want??}

can i have all this and still have a great looking space? of course! the folks above pulled it off. so i know i can.

and in case you're wondering where the "before" is, check it out here.

just a glimpse

i'm just now catching up to my new life. i realize i have fallen WAY behind on blogging. my apologies.

for now, here's a glimpse of my new work life. i love it love it LOVE IT :)

there's more to come. not sure when, but there is.

i'm a lucky lady

look what i got as part of my farewell party at work. hand-made! times have been rough, but one things for sure-- i've made good impressions on people. and that's way more important than any corporate ladder. for once in a long time i feel accomplished.

i'm proud and humbled all at the same time :)

oh yeah...war eagle!