Field Trip!

Last Friday, my Sustainability and Materials class took a field trip to a kitchen/bath showroom in the Seattle Design Center.  It was so fun! This is my kind of field trip (:  Here we learned about kitchens, their materials and some fun little extras.  Here are some pictures from the showroom.

Beautiful white cabinetry with honed granite countertops:


We learned that granite is one of the most sturdy and durable countertops {along with the other natural stones; quartz, limestone, and marble}.  Honed granite has a tendency to show water marks more, but I happen to love the simplicity of it.  The difference from regular granite is only that it doesn't have the shiny seal on the top.

Here's the stove/oven area:

Looks pretty and kind of ordinary, but wait!

It's functional, too!  The pillars on either side of the range pull out, hiding away spices and small bottles.
Genius, right?!

Here's the refrigerator covered in panels to camouflage it:


These side pillars pull out also.  It makes for easily accessible storage:


The man giving us the tour also mentioned these pull out pillars are useful in a media room on either side of the TV/media center to house DVD's.  Love it!

Here's another kitchen:


These countertops are made of cement and recycled glass bottles.  It comes in this darker tone, or a white finish with white, clear and blue bottles as an accent.  {I prefer the white one, but we didn't have a sample of that}

Kind of cool, right?

I loved this sink area.  The marble countertops are beautiful:

Although my sustainability class is tedious and definitely on the technical side of design, I'm learning a lot of helpful tips.  I'll spare you the boring fire codes I learned and give you a few random and helpful things I've learned:

* Marble is really fragile.  The lighter parts of marble are stronger than the darker veins. This is why the installation cost is so high with marble. 
* Wall hung sinks are great for universal design, because whether you're in a wheel chair or you're standing, everyone can use them!
* Pull out drawers are much preferred over lower level cabinets in kitchens.  It's hard to find things in cabinets because little things get lost behind bigger things.  With a drawer, you can pull it out the whole way and see everything you've got!
* Vinyl flooring is super toxic! {My teacher really pushed this on us.  I would never put it in any room, but it's still good to know!}

And just for fun, here's some elements I would want in my dream kitchen:

These ceilings:

with this sink {oh wait, make that two sinks!}

Some awesome built-ins:

And some white subway tile with medium toned grout:

Viola!  My dream kitchen.  What's yours?

I'm sharing this post with the lovely Amanda at:
 Weekend Bloggy Reading
Love and Kitchens,
31

Blog Hoppin'

Hello, friends! I'm honored to be the guest host of Marie's blog {The Things We Find Inside} hop this week!  This hop is a great way to meet new blogging friends and connect with bloggers who love the same things as you!

If you'd like to join, here are the details:


1. Follow the host (Marie) and the guest host (me) on GFC. We are the number 1 and 2 spots on the linky.

2. Follow as many people as you can and be sure to let them know that you are from the 'I love my Online Friends Monday Hop'. 

3. You are not required to, but it will be great if you could grab our button and make a post about this hop. (At the bottom of the hop, you can get the code so that the same linky list will appear on your blog).

The Things We Find Inside


4. Every week Marie will pick one person to 'Guest Host' the hop with her. If you would like to be considered for the guest host position, all you need to do is grab our button, write a post about the hop and follow me on GFC.

Hope you all had a great weekend!



14

My Weekend

Hey all!  Happy Sunday! Hope you are all enjoying your weekend.  My best friend just left this morning, but we had a great time together. Yesterday we went down town and shopped {duh!} and went to Pike Place Market.  We took a little visit to the first Starbucks ever and then went a little crazy with food. 
They spelled her name right and mine wrong, but oh well! I'm used to it (:
 We went to the Nordstrom Cafe for lunch {tomato soup to die for} and the my favorite restaurant, Serious Pie.  If you're ever down town Seattle, you have to go here.  Best pizza ever.  Seriously (:  Then after dinner, we went to the Icon Grill for dessert. Yum!  It was pouring all day, so after your encouragement to me on this post about using my umbrella, we were brave and showed off our umbrellas.



Having my best friend here was a breath of fresh air and gave me the drive to make it through the next few weeks.  

What did you do this weekend?

Don't forget this Friday will be a Fashion Friday special edition, featuring YOU! Sometime this week be sure to wear your favorite outfit, or the outfit that is most "you". Take lots of pictures. It's okay to be self indulgent(: Girlie, simple, classic, bold...show us your style! Do a post and be sure to link up here on Friday the 4th and join the party! Next week I'll be sure to feature some of my favorite outfits I found in the link party.  I pretty much can't wait. Oh and if you know any hair styles or have tips for us fellow bloggers, be sure to put that in the post, too!
Get creative (:


ps. I just changed my twitter handle to @michaela_noelle. Come find me (:

Love and Weekends,
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Fashion Friday #18 + You're Invited!

It's Friday! TGIF.  I love Fridays because 1) it's Fashion Friday and 2) it's the start to the weekend!  This week my best friend, Leta, has been here visiting and it's been so fun.  This is what we wore this week when it was sunny.  Pause for dramatic effect.  Yes, that's right, I said Seattle got SUN!

And here's what we wore:






Jeans: Abercrombie
Boots: Steve Madden
Headband: Whippy Cake (new collection!)





Top: Wet Seal
Jeans: Nordstrom B.P.
Boots: Steve Madden
Hair clip: Whippy Cake


This next week we're going to do something fun!  I'm hoping that my lovely readers will participate in Fashion Friday with me next week!  Here's the assignment: I want you all to do a Fashion Friday post in your most favorite outfit, or the outfit you feel is the most "you".  Next Friday (February 4th) I will be hosting a linky, so I hope you'll all join me in linking up your favorite party outfit! I can't wait to see what you wear (:

Have you tried the ballet bun I posted last week?? I wore one this week and put my new Whippy Cake clip in on top (:

What'd you wear this week?

And PS. Sorry I have been MIA lately. Can't wait to catch up on all my reader's blogs this weekend! 

Love and Fashion Friday,
24

Good Morning, Sunshine!

Today we're going to talk about yellow.  It's directly across the color wheel from purple, which makes it it's compliment.  Complimentary colors make each color stand out more, so if you're looking to "pop" a color, choose to pair it with it's compliment!  (Purple and yellow, green and red, blue and orange etc.)  

Yellow is the color of happiness, energy and joy.  It is the brightest color on the color wheel, therefore, drawing your eye immediately to something yellow, even if it's surrounded by all the other colors.  I learned last year in my color class that it may not be the best idea to paint a baby's room yellow, as it may cause them to have too much energy and cry more.  Silly, but it may be true!

So, let's take a look at some rooms with yellow:

Dontcha love the ceiling?? Very non-traditional and surprising, but still feels classic.  Do you notice how it's paired with PURPLE? Love it.

This room just has an undertone of yellow.  It's a creamy, buttery, soft yellow instead of an intense lemon color.  The lighting in this room is also contributing to the color.  I love the elegance the color brings to the space.

This is so fun, in my opinion.  I love the big pop of yellow in the wall art.  I also love that it's patterned.

Yellow accessories add some spunk to this cozy living room.

This master bedroom features a bold red head board wall, with three surrounding yellow walls.  I love the contrast it offers.

Soft, elegant, and soothing, this bathroom is any girls dream. The pastel toned yellow walls and claw foot tub add to the peaceful drama of the bathroom.  I also adore the yellow accents throughout the space. PS. what a beautiful window!! 

Here we have my MadeByGirl print in Candy Lemon hanging in my family room. I love pairing yellow with turquoise!  And a small vase of yellow roses in my blue mason jar complete the vignette.

Or maybe you prefer a small bowl of lemons in your kitchen.  It'd also be a great accessory, because you can make lemonade at any time (:


How do you feel about yellow? Do you have it anywhere in your home? How's it make you feel?

Love and lemonade,
41

She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: Mackey Madness

Today my best blogging buddy is sharing what she's lovin' and what she's not. I'm so excited to have Megan here! She's probably the cutest thing that's ever walked the planet (:  Take it away, girl!

Hey y'all! It's Megan from Mackey Madness! I'm so excited that Michaela asked me to share what I'm loving and what I'm not loving today!

She Loves Me:

1. Stenciled walls...simply lovely.

2. Lifetime Movie Network...television for Megan. ; )

3. Scripture wall decor.
4. Amazing craft/office rooms...a place for everything!

5. Anything monogrammed!

6. This royal bathroom. Who doesn't have a lounge chair, a huge rug, and a table in their bathroom? ; )

7. Grey's Anatomy.

This man, specifically!

8. Adorable children's chairs.
9. Chandeliers...could there be a prettier way to provide light?
10. My hubby (and even numbers!)

She Loves Me Not:

1. Lady Gaga...she just creeps me out.

2. Mud...this is what my backyard looks like. Now add three dogs. HOT MESS!

3. MTV. Aren't their shows just so trashy lately?
4. Color overload. Is that purple cabinets I see??

5. When I cook and it doesn't taste right. Waste of time!
6. Mcdonald's. Twice in a row they have given me coke instead of diet coke! UGH!

Thanks for having me, Michaela!! : )

Thanks, Megan! I'd LOVE to have the craft room in my own home! And you're right...that is a little too much color for me, too!  Make sure to head over to Mackey Madness to check out the adorable, Megan's, blog.

Love and xoxo,
23

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