In high school I would dream up rooms for my future home.  I could see it vividly – the two story living room with a library nook…  The open kitchen with an eat in breakfast area, complete with a fireplace…

There was one room though that I spent the most time thinking about.  It was the dining room.  I saw something open, airy and light.  Somewhere you could just as easily sit down to write and sketch, as you could eat a delicious meal.

Just recently,  I was flipping through the Pottery Barn catalog and I stumbled upon this room.  There it was – pretty much what I’ve been envisioning for so many years…my dream room!

Now to just figure out how to make it a reality!  Until then, I’ll keep this inspiration room up on the fridge and dream!

Finding this image in the catalog made me wonder… Do you keep inspiration clippings for your home, and have you ever stumbled upon your “dream” room?

I ran across this quote from Coco Chanel today, and it rings so true for me this week.  I am still searching for what it is I want to DO as far as my career.  However, maybe I’ve been looking at the whole thing in the wrong way.  Thanks Ms. Chanel for the words of advice, and as always for your unique and fabulous look on life!

Do you have any favorite quotes?  I’d love to hear them!

** You can click the image above to download.

As I see the temperature drop from above 90, I start to think of all the wonderful things I can start to wear again.  Hello scarves, tights, jeans and sweaters!   On my list for this fall?  Anything ladylike and anything in a scrumptious fall color.  I am in love with the new browns, mauves and plums I’ve seen all over.  I’ve even added a few pumpkin orange and mustard colored tees to my wish-list.  I suggest pairing these fun new colors (like the mauve tee shown above) with deep fall neutrals such as navy and brown.  Here’s how to get this ladylike look for less:

1.  AE Long Dot Scarf from AE.com for $19.50

2.  Tissue Tux Henley from J Crew for $45

**I suggest pushing up the sleeves for this outfit.

3.  Pebbled Leatherette Bag from Forever 21 for $29.80

4.  Circle the Globe Skirt from Anthropologie for $68

5.  Almost Lipstick in …

There’s nothing like a splash of color to give a space some personality. And what better splash than bright, sunshiny yellow? It’s cheerful, impactful — and surprisingly — it looks great as an accent with lots of colors. One of the easiest and most affordable ways that I’ve introduced yellow into my home is lemons. At three for $1, they make a great visual impact without breaking the bank. Plus, you can recycle them in your kitchen when you are ready for a design change!

My mom, who is a talented decorator, taught me these tricks when using lemons (or any fruit) as decor:

1. Fill oversized glassware with lemons—fast, budget-friendly style at its finest. The scale of the glassware amps up the simplicity of the fruit and I’m always surprised at how sophisticated this approach looks. For instance, in less than 30 seconds you can put a jumble of lemons in a tall, glass vase…and, voila! Team a vase of lemons with a vase of another citrus fruit and it’s even better.

2. Try a few lemons …