The Perfect Day!

Hello! I hope everyone had a GREAT weekend. We had absolutely beautiful weather in Baltimore which was perfect for spending time at a local pumpkin patch with my kids, their cousins and friends. I am watching my niece and nephew from North Carolina for 5 days and having soooo much fun with them. They are 18 months and 4yrs old and so so cute. I am spoiling them rotten.

My oldest being a trooper when one of the younger kids didn't want to ride.

 

TV's in a car. PERFECT after a long, hot day with NO NAPS.

Grandmom reading a bedtime story. What a perfect day! 

Hope your weekend was just as special.

Take Care,

Stacy

Preview of SHM Designs Online Shop !!!

I am so excited to introduce SHM Designs first HOME DECOR LINE available for purchase this week at:

SHM-DESIGNS.COM 

SHM Designs website will be featuring QING CHINESE FURNITURE which will be available for local pickup only. All of these pieces are antiques and many are one of a kind. Several pieces have the wax seal of authenticity which ensures the buyer of its value. Now here's a peek:



This is just a portion of the inventory that I have. I am slowly getting all the pieces photographed and measured. There are so many wonderful pieces which would be a perfect addition to any ones decor. Please take the time to visit  shm-designs.com to see these pieces and so much more.  Also visit often because over the next couple of weeks I will be introducing alot of different lines.

Another exciting line to the SHM DESIGNS WEBSITE are RUGS. They vary from antique to collectible and reproduction to new. These are incredible rugs at incredible prices. Below are 3 antique Tabriz rugs currently on sale through our website:

9 x 13 Garden Tabriz Rug

Absolutely Beautiful!!!!

10 x 13 Garden Tabriz Rug

10 x 13 Taba Tabriz Persian Rug

(Collectible Rug)



So there you have it. The first lines of  SHM Designs website. Not to bad if a say so myself. I hope you like it and want to visit. OFTEN.

Let me know what you think.

Take Care,

Stacy

Barn Light Electric Giveaway!!!!

Don't miss out on this GREAT GIVEAWAY.

Its 8:00 Saturday morning and normally I would be racing around trying to get kids out the door to soccer games, however, its been raining for the past couple of days so our morning games are canceled. Can you guess how EXCITED I am. (we were scheduled for 6 games this weekend) Therefore I have had time to read some of my favorite blogs.

Which brings me to the big giveaway. While reading Holly Mathis Interiors I found out about the: 

Barn Light Electric Giveaway

They have absolutely amazing lights. Check out what I fell in love with:

Goodrich™ Husky 17" Porcelain Gooseneck Light

Benjamin™ Polly 12" 2-Light Porcelain Stem Mount Pendant

Benjamin™ Wilcox 10" Porcelain Deep Bowl Stem Mount Light

Ivanhoe™ Sky Chief 16" Warehouse Porcelain Pendant

 

Bo 60's Floor Arc Lamp

Machine Age Metal Table Lamps

Barn Light Electrics biggest giveaway yet! 

Beginning Wednesday, September 21, 2011 Barn Light Electric is giving away one $1,000 Grand Prize and one $500 2nd Place Prize. The two winners will each receive a Barn Light Electric Gift Certificate to purchase new lighting for their homes or to finish off that lingering renovation project.

So start looking around now and show everyone what you love! Follow the rules below to enter yourself, and then share it all on your blog and Facebook for fans and followers to enter. Be sure to email contest@barnlightelectric.com with your article link once your blog post is up (that's how we keep track of our entries).

How to Enter the Giveaway:

1. Look around online at Barn Light Electric and pick lights you’d love to own
2. Feature your lighting picks on your personal blog, and link to the lights if you can!
3. Copy/Paste these rules at the bottom of your blog article so others can enter
4. Once your personal article is up, you must email your blog link to: contest@barnlightelectric.com to be qualified to win. The contest ends Wednesday, October 12, 2011
5. Don’t have a blog? Find out how you can enter by reading the Official Rules

To all my friends, YOU DON"T HAVE TO HAVE A BLOG TO WIN. Just hit the offical rules button above to find out how to enter.

Good Luck,
Stacy

Dining Rooms : YES or NO

Dining Rooms have always been one of my favorite rooms in the house. I know what you thinking;

• Your crazy they are a huge waste of space!
• I NEVER use my dining room.
• We don't entertain enough to have a dining room.
• I don't have a big enough family, so I don't need one.
• We aren't "formal" people.

I think my love for dining rooms goes all the way back to my childhood. We ate in our dining room all the time and I LOVED it. I am not just talking Thanksgiving and Christmas, I mean birthdays, dinners with friends, family get together's, pretty much anytime it required more then 6 people at the table. Our kitchen was very small but then again so was our dining room but some how we managed to get everybody in. On really big get togethers we would spread out into the living room ( which is another room that most home owners have done away with... that will be another post). The time I liked most was dessert time. ( not for the reason you are thinking but that's great to)  I loved it because the adults sat and drank their coffee, the kids sat and ate their desserts, the craziness of getting the food on the table hot was over, the candles would have burned down enough to play with the wax and everyone was content just to sit and talk. Yes people, I said sit and talk. Something, I think in today's world is a rarity; we just don't take the time.

So this post is to get you to see the dining room differently and to get rid of all the stereotypes. Dining rooms can be whatever suits your style of living and can be a huge asset to creating a home filled with wonderful memories.

Take a look at some great dining rooms that show a variety of different styles:

Ambiance Interiors

Anyone who is a collector of fine wine would never want to leave this dining room. We don't have a wine cellar as part of our dining room but we do have a small room devoted to my husbands wine collection. He  will spend hours in that room just looking and rearranging his wines. He often has wine tastings at our house where certain wines are paired with food and even though I don't drink wine, I have learned to appreciate why people truly love it. There is such a great sense of pleasure when the perfect combination of wine, food and friends are achieved. 

Armonia Decor

Adding a pop of color, like these vibrant pink chairs, instantly gives a room energy. Energy that just screams FUN!

At Home in Arkansas

Here is an example of how traditional style chairs are given a modern flair simply by painting them a high gloss white. You have just taken a room that is outdated and given it a whole new fresh look. That in addition to some great wallpaper and you have a room that is fun and inviting.

Censational Girl

What a casual and comfortable setting for a dining room. This is definitely a room you would use all the time: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Can't you picture dinners just lingering on while you and your guest relax and get lost in conversation. Or how about a wonderful Sunday brunch with your family. Wonderful memories are to be had in this dining room.

Donna Griffith

This is what I call "country elegance". I love the mixture of the stained wood buffet with the painted caned chairs and then the iron glass table and crystal chandelier; all against that dark floor. Simply beautiful!

Felman Architecture

What an incredible use of a small space.  Having the whole wall open to the outside gives the impression that the room is endless. I also love how the designer kept the room simple so as to not fight with the natural surroundings. Perfect room!

Horchow

Windsor Smith

I love all the different types of seating in this room. There is something for everyone. Very fun, comfortable and functional.

Sutton Suzuki Architects

 All the remaining pictures are from Elle Decor. Just maybe by the end of this post you will find a dining room inspiration that you just can't live without.

Here is a little teaser of F & J's dining room. Can't wait to show you the rest. By the way, does anyone recognize those wing chairs? They were a Craiglist find and I posted about them here. Check out the before pictures. They turned out beautiful!



Let me know if I changed your mind about dining rooms. YES or NO????

Take Care,

Stacy