It's time

Now that we are entering mid-May I think it is time to finally spruce up our front door and side patios .

Via Habitually Chic

I was seeking a little inspiration on Pinterest and came across these beautiful spaces .

Houzz

Via Hooked on Houses

Pinterest

Via Matchbook Mag

(OK - so it would take a lot more than a little  "sprucing" to achieve the look in the image above but what an amazine entrance!)

Pinterest

Via La Belle Vie

Via Pink Wallpaper

Pinterest

Via The Inspired Room

Of course my efforts will pale in comparison to these images but even a few potted flowers can make a big difference . At this point just running my outdoor cushion covers through the washing machine to get rid of several months worth of cat hair will be a big improvement :) 

Camel Obsession

Since receiving this amazing leather bag for Christmas, I have been obsessed with camel colored leather.

Cooper Grey

This bag is so soft and lightweight which is key since I stuff it full every time I leave the house. But it is the color that really does it for me.

So naturally when I saw these, I couldn't resist.

Emerson Fry

I have narrow feet so these are a little wide for me but they are the perfect color and so, so comfortable.

The shoes are my first Emerson Fry purchase and I am sure they will not be my last. 

As usual, my obsession is not limited to my closet. I recently scored a camel colored Wassily chair via Craigslist and I am still loving the dose of camel in the images below.

Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles

Brad Ford Interior Design

Unknown

Unknown

Via Design Crisis

Via Elements of Style

Unknown

I especially love camel paired with blue. It really brings out the orange tones in the leather. What is your current obsession?

Good Morning!

I hope all of you had a very happy Mother's Day! Mine was wonderful - I got to spend it not only with my husband and my girls, but also with my Mom. It was a great weekend filled with friends, time at the spa and an amazing Mother's Day brunch!

I think it was all a little too much for Hayes. Riley and I returned from a birthday party to find her completely conked out in her exersaucer and my mom sound asleep in the recliner! 

Out of fear of disownment I decided not to post any pics of my mom sleeping in the recliner :)

Earlier in the day Mom and I had our nails done. I decided to go bright and bold on my pedicure this time around. I have never done orangey-red nails before but I am really loving this shade - A Roll in the Hague by OPI.

Every time I see my toes it makes me think of warm weather. While we had a beautiful weekend, we have had a bit of cool, rainy weather lately - and today is no exception. Luckily little things like brightly painted nails and fresh blooms in the yard are enough to remind me that warm weather will be here to stay soon.

The pink peonies in my yard are just about to bloom. The white ones have already blossomed and I didn't cut any to bring inside before a rain storm knocked off most of the petals. So, I am checking the pink ones daily to make sure I don't miss out on them this time.

For good reason, peonies are a favorite among stylists and designers.  Even one bloom can make such an impact. 

Via Lacquered Life

Windsor Smith | House Beautiful

Moises Esquenazi

Via Cote de Texas

What brightens your spirits during dreary weather?

A few things

As you can see I am still working on the new blog design. A few people have told me that they have had trouble accessing the blog recently and others have said that the site is taking a while to load. I'm not sure why either of these problems are occuring and they don't happen when I check my site so I am not sure how to fix them . . . But I am trying to figure it out.

Also, I get a lot of questions about subscribing to my blog. The subscribe button never worked so I finally just removed it. The easiest way to follow my blog updates is to just copy my URL address:

www.RachelBishopDesigns.com

and paste it into the "add subscription" field on Google Reader (or another reader). If you are already subscribed to my blog through my old URL address (www.southernexposure1.squarespace.com) it should still also work. However, if you are having trouble getting my posts you can try to resubscribe with my new address to see if that helps. 

Alright, I think that covers everything for now. Please let me know if you are having any issues and I will do my best to fix them. Thanks for your patience while I work things out!

Black Houses

Would you ever consider living in a black house?

Deco | Norway

There is a black barn that we pass on the way to board our dog and it is so striking. Whenever I see it I am caught off guard by how much I love it.

Apartment Therapy

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it but these images have a similar feel.

JJ DeSouza

The Style Files

House and Home

Not just any house could handle black but in the right setting I think it is really beautiful. What do you think?

Turkish Bath Towels

When I was looking for images for this post, I kept coming across images of Turkish bath towels.

Domino

I have seen these popping up everywhere lately. They are supposedly super absorbent but also very light weight. Since they are usually oversized they are often used as a beach towel. I love the stripes and the fringe.

Bath Style 

Via Apartment Therapy

West Elm

I think I am going to order a few for the beach this summer and maybe a couple of the West Elm hand towels for our guest bathroom. Have you tried these before? What do you think?

Backlog

We travelled almost the entire month of March and a little bit in April too. I only pulled out my camera a few times but I finally downloaded my photos so I am just going to dump them all out in this post. On one of our trips, we had the opportunity to visit with our sweet nephews in Connecticut. Paul's brother and his wife are always the best hosts and we had such a great time making cookies, going to the museum and eating incredible meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Our nephews are both within a 6 month range of our girls so it is fun to get the kids together and watch their interactions. Riley and Baird are so sweet together.

However, I am not sure if Garrett thinks Hayes is very sweet after she tried to gouge his eyes out a couple of times. 

I am sure he will get her back one of these days.

After Connecticut we spent a weekend in North Carolina visiting with my family. We have a family friend who is a firewoman in Carborro and she offered to give Riley a tour of the fire station. 

It was actually really fun for the adults too. Thanks for the tour, Christina! 

Now that we are back in town for a while I will hopefully have time to start some new projects to share with y'all soon. Have a great Monday!

Gold Flatware

After posting the image below in a recent post,

I received a few questions about my gold flatware.

I found it at an antique mall and have become rather obsessed with it.

The set consists of 12 place settings plus a few serving pieces.

 If any of you are fellow thrifters, you know that most of the time if you snooze, you lose. In the past my indecisiveness has cost me a few good finds so most of the time if I see something I like, I go ahead and snatch it up. But in this case I actually showed some restraint and did not purchase the flatware the first time I saw it. Every time I went to the antique mall I would stroll by and visit the flatware and debate over whether or not to buy it.

Finally, after seeing images like these,

 Sitting in a Tree Events 

Christopher Baker | Real Simple Magazine

Sketch42 | Rue Magazine

Martha Angus

Adore Home Magazine

I knew I had to have it. I practically sprinted to the antique mall and couldn't believe my luck when I saw that it had been marked down an additional 30%!

I am not sure if the joy of scoring a great deal outweighs the potential pain of losing an item that I passed up the first time, but it felt pretty good! I guess sometimes patience really does pay off.

Would you rather

have clean and classic white towels 

Unknown

Nate Berkus

DecorPad

or bright and bold colorful towels in your bathroom? 

DecorPad

Via I Suwannee

Better Homes and Gardens

Mini-Makeover

I did a little mini-makeover on our living room recently. I had the room painted a crisp white and decided to go bright and bold with the fabrics while leaving all of the existing furniture.

I can not get over how painting the room white has actually made the space feel more colorful. I plan to eventually swap out the gallery wall photos for some sort of artwork but I haven't come across the right piece yet. Once I find it I think this room will actually feel finished - at least for a little while!