It is no secret to those who know me that I love the color gray!  (In fact – today I wore a gray sweater with gray and black tweed pants.)  And it is a dream of mine to be able to paint our next house in several gray shades. 

Now if you think that gray is just moody – I am here to show you otherwise!  Here are some gray spaces that inspire me.

Love this little corner - the gray pops against that white moulding and creates a calm space.

home design

The deep charcoal on these walls is warm and cozy!

home design

The taupey-gray band above the top of the wainscotting is the perfect crowinging element in this room.

traditional dining room design

Now - I am normally not a fan of wallpaper - but I just love how the pattern has a bit of a sheen!

home design

Yellow and gray is such a classic and cheerful combo! You can't say gray is moody in a room like this!

contemporary family room design by toronto interior designer Jennifer Brouwer

I adore this wall of mirrors! So dramatic!

contemporary hall design by san francisco interior designer Amoroso Design

Love how the butler's pantry picks up the dark tile in the kitchen floor!

traditional kitchen design by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff, KitchenLab & Design in a Bag.com

So there you go – some inspirational gray rooms!  What about you?  Are you a fan of the gray?  Or is that a trend you just can’t get into?  I wanna know!



P.S.  You still have until Friday night to enter my blog-aversary giveaway!!  That $30 gift card could be yours!

I think we can all agree that it is truly fall!  Being that we can all agree on it – do you know what that means?  It means that all the fall stuff is starting to go on sale!!  

So here are eight great finds from the clearance sections of several of my favorite stores!  Disclaimer – some of these were in limited supply!  Hurry if you love them!   

Love this fall runner!  The colors are perfect! 

Mathilda 90” Runner from Crate & Barrel - $17.95 

Such a cute wine stopper!  Perfect for your holiday parties!

Iron Bottle Stopper from Pottery Barn - $3.99

Adorable ghost plate!  Too fun!

Ghost Plate from Crate & Barrel - $3.95

I know some of you are obsessed with roosters (looks sideways at Erin @ Like Grandma’s) and this one seems fall to me! 

Tuscan Rooster Serving Bowl from Williams-Sonoma - $39.99

Great fall napkin!  Love the bold leaf print!!

Foglia Napkin from Crate & Barrel - $2.95

Creepy headstone candles – too perfect for Halloween! 

Tombstone Candles from Pottery Barn - $4.99-8.99

This platter is too pretty!  Love the way it looks vintage!

Harvest Fruit Platter from Crate & Barrel - $14.95

Finally to round us out – an adorable Halloween Doormat!  Now these are spiders I can deal with on my front porch!

Halloween Spider Mat from Crate & Barrel - $15.95

So there you go!  Eight great fall clearance finds!  Have you seen any good deals to share?  Point us in the right direction and share in the comments! 

P.S. Don't forget to enter my blog-averasary giveaway for my readers and subscribers!

Are you obsessed with Quatrefoil?  I know I am.  If you aren’t sure what Quatrefoil is – it is the four leaved figure you see below!  It has a long standing history in religion, architecture and symbolism. 

Photo via Ballard Designs

Quatrefoil obsession has swept through blogland with many bloggers figuring out fantastic ways to reproduce this image!  Here are six ways for you to bring a little quatrefoil into you life – enjoy! 

1. Paint it On
I place full responsibility for spreading the love and obsession with Quatrefoils with Jen @ Tatertots and Jello!  Not only did she provide a tutorial on how to make the stool and platter shown below – but she also shared a free printable stencil!  


2. Make a Memo Board
I love this memo board that Angela @ Unexpected Elegance made.  She used embroidery hoops for the frame!  Brilliant!


3. Create Vinyl to Apply to Everything
Using Jen’s pattern (that thing is everywhere!) – Amanda @ Imperfectly Beautiful blew it up and used her Cricut to cut out some vinyl to make this waste basket high fashion.  Such a classy finished project – and she got the waste basket on clearance at Target!  I love this chick!


4. Turn it into a Mirror Frame
Who hasn’t drooled over the beautiful Quatrefoil Mirror in their Ballard Catalog?  Well, Beckie @ Infarrantly Creative took things into her own hands and made her own version.  Out of wood.  That she cut herself.  I love anyone that will pull out the jigsaw and get to it! 


5. Find it in Fabric 
There are all kinds of great quatrefoil fabric patters out there.  I found this great outdoor fabric on on clearance and made a no sew pillow.  Just the perfect accent for my tiny patio book nook!


6. Turn it into a Wreath
To round us out – we will have to finish up with another one of Jen’s creations.  I just love this Quatrefoil Wreath that she made out of foam wreath forms. 


So there you go!  Six great ways to bring a little quatrefoil into your home.  Did you see anything that inspired you?  Or do you have some quatrefoil of your own?  I wanna know!