Super cute proposal!

Love the fashion and decor!

Summer Lovin' from Floataway Studios on Vimeo.

Pure Michigan!

These prints ROCK!

These subway signs by Flying Junction of San Francisco are awesome!  Reminds me of my days living in the City by the Bay and hanging in several of these areas.  I miss it so!

Feed your Soul

Feed your Soul, brain child of Jen Wallace of Indie Fixx, is a monthly art project where artists contribute a print that is made available for download FREE to readers.  If you've got some blank walls or just want to mix things up, check out this site!!

A new online mag to drool over!

I just viewed the premier issue of House of Fifty and am in love!  Great design ideas, style pages, recipes, and a project that has left me with "pantry envy!" 

Happy Earth Day!

What are you doing this year to celebrate Earth Day?


Photo by LaNa



In this neck of the woods, we're trying to stay dry as Mother Nature continues to shower us.  I'm thankful the snow of this morning didn't stick!  HELLO?!  We're ready for some decent weather here!!!

If the weather cooperates this weekend, I'm hoping to do a little cleaning of the yard, moving some tulip bulbs which have already bloomed to another part of the yard, etc. 

We also bought a new dishwasher which is MUCH more earth friendly than the 20-year old washer which was removed (and sent to the Habitat Restore) yesterday.  Pictures to come!

On a recent trip to Disney...

I brought home this souvenier from the German pavilion in EPCOT!

It took a while to determine where he was going to go as my loving husband and I had very differing opinions.  After displaying him in several areas (including the bathroom - hysterical!), we decided to hang him in the stairway between the two floors.  I love to look at him on my way down and enjoyed reactions to him when guests the other night saw him for the first time.  FUN!

Now, he needs a name.  Suggestions anyone??

A delayed before/after project

It's been a LONG time since I completed this project - like maybe 1.5 years ago!!  Anyway, this is a dresser that my then live-in boyfriend/now husband brought with him to LaNa.  We decided to use it as a nightstand and I painted it to match the small dresser nightstand that I was already using (from my childhood) in our bedroom.  

Before



During

 

Old knobs



After

 

New round wooden knobs to match my
childhood dresser on the other side of the bed.

My next project this spring will be tackling the tall matching dresser to this little one.  I'm thinking of going with a coordinating color so we don't have too much International Orange in the space.  Time will tell...


Before



What's new at LaNa?

Everyone needs a weiner planter, right?! 

I've seen these before and kicked myself for not picking one up.  My Dad spotted this one at a recent trip to a local antique mall he introduced me to.  Yeah Dad!!

Recent Travel

I recently had to travel for work to Atlanta and NYC.  In Atlants, I stayed the beautiful Kimpton property of Palomar.  It was beautiful! 

In NYC, I stayed at the Sheraton Towers - my go to place to stay when I'm in NYC.  The rooms are currently being renovated and I was lucky enough to stay in a room that was complete.  Once again, beautifully done.

Can't wait to return to both of these cities!!

Bean Soup

I made an AWESOME totally-from-scratch soup this week!  No recipe, just yummy ingredients!  I used northern beans, 2 garlic cloves, a package of frozen veges for soup (no seasoning), garlic powder, and a few pieces of leftover ham for flavoring.  The "secret" ingredient was my George's Mix from a restaurant down in NC.  I took a couple cups of the beans and put them in the blender to puree and then added to the pot.  This gave the soup a creamy consistency without cream.  After leaving the pot to simmer for an hour or so, viola!  YUMMY SOUP! 





And, for fun, I thought I would include a picture of the sunset the same night I made the soup.  I took it through the screened window in the diningroom, but you get the picture - INCREDIBLE! 



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Winter Sowing

I'm hoping I have a bit of a green thumb here at LaNa! I've been successful with my raised vegetable garden the last few years and am hoping that luck comes my way with seeds that I've just winter sown.

Lavender, Shasta Daisy, Kale, Foxglove, Thyme, and a few other hardy seeds were just planted in recycled conatainers outside. I've got more seeds than containers, so this project will continue till they're all planted. Here are some pics. Wish me luck!!












- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Shamrocks & Shenanigans

5k race was awesome today!

Thanks to Conor O'Neill's for another great event!












- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Why I love Young House Love!

Discovery launch!

I'm in Florida right now and was so excited to witness the final Discovery launch yesterday. It was AMAZING!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Disney bound!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Photo hall?

I'm in love, love, love with photography!  Whether I'm taking photographs, admiring those taken by friends, or reminiscing over old family pics, I just can't get enough!

At LaNa, we have a "family" photo wall with some of our favorite family members and friends.  I often pause to admire the smiles and good times...especially those pictures that include my sister, Robyn, who passed away in 2008. 

With SO MANY great wedding photos, I'm having a hard time picking and choosing which ones to add to the wall that is getting pretty full.  I stumbled upon this photograph today and was really excited!  Why?  Because I wondered as the years go by how I could keep adding photos to our space and still look organized.  This photograph is my inspiration!



Elle Decor



Happy Valentine's Day!

Our first Valentine's Day as marrieds!

Love you James!

XOXOXOXOXO

We love the sun!

Great weather, a mother-daughter afternoon, Bell's Winter White beer, and appetizers from Zingerman's Roadhouse! A great day in A2!