Dare to Dream: Sweet Dreams

For those of you wondering where I've been, my apologies.  This weekend Adam and I had a rather unpleasant encounter with the ugly side of living in a large city.  I came out of this incident completely unscathed, though fairly unnerved.  Adam ended up with nine stitches, a broken nose, severe bruising, and several days of intense pain- and he was very lucky that his injuries weren't much worse.  Of course, we also got to share the most expensive night on the town we've ever had- a six block ambulance ride and eight hours in the ER. The thugs who did this?  They won't even spend a night in jail.

The irony is that this all happened on "The Ave" in the University District- one of my favorite places to shop and explore, and also the subject of the post that I intended to publish this weekend.  Needless to say, I've fallen out of love with my city this week- and I won't be advertising for a neighborhood where random acts of violence are now so frequent that nobody can walk along the street safely.  

Now, three days later, I'm so angry and agitated about the whole thing that I still haven't had a full night's sleep. Between trying to care for my boyfriend (who is probably about ready to punch me), and bizarre nightmares about knife-fighting with gang members... I am exhausted.  

Today, my ultimate fantasy is 10 hours of peace.  If only my bedroom were as lovely as any of these...

My all-time favorite AT House Tour, Summer & Josh's Pumped Up Traditional.

I love how Summer has made the ceilings seem almost impossibly high with huge panels of gold wallpaper and tall bedside lamps.  She's created a sense of grandeur with metallic gold theme- but the crisp white feels clean and inviting.  A truly perfect bedroom.

Feminine and modern, and so very tasteful.  (Photo By Eric Striffler)

So much shine in this bedroom, from the acrylic bed posts to the shimmery drapes.  It's all a little more modern than I would usually prefer, but the variance in textures and shades help this room stay soft and sweet.  And, as you might have guessed, I am crazy about that mossy green velvet headboard.

Neutral... and gender neutral.

This is my color scheme, my eclectic style, my love of antiques... all in one bedroom!  I love the subtleties of so many neutrals, with dashes of soft purple, mossy green, crisp black, distressed wood and antiqued metal.  The overall impression is mellow and relaxed, but there are plenty of angular elements to keep it sophisticated and neat.  To me, this room is Matilda-colored!  

Anyway, Adam is incredibly resilient- and he should be back to his old self in no time (though we'll need a little help with his nose...).  I'll resume steady posting soon.  Just after a nice long nap.

Girl About Town: Sunny Sunday

We woke up and knew spring was waiting for us.  Our walk to the bakery was especially pleasant- in short sleeves!

  

The Boulangerie, celebrating it's 30th year in Wallingford.

Decisions, decisions.

 

Our favorites: ham & cheese croissant + glorious apricot danish.  Mmmm.

Ooh-ing and ahhh-ing over shimmery hydrangea-colored gowns in the window at I Do bridal.  

(Well, I was ooh-ing and ahh-ing.  Someone else was rolling his eyes a bit.)

Paper Delights, living up to its name.  Makes me wish for a pen-pal.

Finding some local color- pink cherry trees in Greenwood.

  

Adam having a moment of bliss under blue skies.

Browsing the new arrivals at Antika

 

The selection at Ken's Market- I wanted to pick them all!

 

Scavenging at Magus in the U District (and lusting after an Everyman's Library deluxe Henry James collection).

  

Enjoying the city's best teriyaki in my favorite dining room: UW's cherry-lined Quad.

We curled up against a mossy tree and people-watched.

I could have stayed there all night.

But we got back just in time for my favorite indulgence: Masterpiece Classics on PBS... the second part of "Little Dorrit."  *sigh*  The perfect day.