Bean there, Done that

If you havent noticed, I've been on kind of a Autumn kick recently.  {Note: It's not even official until tomorrow.} Maybe its because I grew up here in Boston but Fall, to me, is a symbol of New England. I think many people would agree.  Whether it be the Halloween tales of Salem, just down the road or the leaf peepers taking their treks, I have a feeling others understand what I'm saying. And what is more authentically New England than Maine based corporation LL Bean.

Being Shelfish

On Thursday we talked about closing the doors on all your toiletries and hiding them from the public. {Or at least the public that will be making their way into your bathroom.} But I know lots of people don't mind it a bit! If you can utilize some cute storage methods, why not show it off?  I mentioned in this post that I'd like to get this soap dispenser from Target.

I would hardly want to hide this looker away from any one's sight.  And so I've compiled a handsome little "slide show" of some awe inspiring bathrooms with some meticulously maintained open shelving... Enjoy!

  Built-ins' are always a phenomenal use of space.  And how about that wicker ottoman? I'll take two!

 If this breathtaking claw-foot tub leaves you wanting more, maybe the tiered shelving stacked with plush towels will make you want to go for a dip in the tub.

I love that this bathroom has double duty open shelves. The wicker baskets are a brilliant solution for allowing the appearance of open shelving and uniformity without restricting your toiletry purchasing to one container color.  {Not to mention that vintage mirror is swoon-worthy!}

I wonder if you could find an apothecary/dentistry cabinet like this on Craigslist or eBay on the cheap... because I might need one.

This jam-packed gorgeous armior of goodies is perfectly arranged and color coded.  I wish my house could look like that all the time... but let's be real here, Nesters... this was super well staged.  But that won't stop me from having dreams about it tonight!

A slightly more modern take on the open shelving concept. I love the combo of rolled and folded towels.

Ah yes, back to the shabby chic that I tend towards to often... Can't you imagine that soap dispenser on this simple glass shelf?

And now, heaven for a golden hearted girl like myself....  It's cottage-y.... It's beachy... It's luxurious ...And its yellow. This mantel-esque storage is the perfect home for your bath salts and bubbles, just in perfect arms' reach from the tub.  The mirrored element makes its less obtrusively white in the all-mustard-all-the-time commode. Brilliant!

Well I hope you enjoyed our little trip down Open-Shelving Lane today Nesters! We'll just have to wait and see what I end up going with... Seeing all these beaut's has made me second guess the closed-door subject!

As always, stay tuned for more!

Dish Towel Dilemma

To me, a kitchen is a work den. Its not a place that's going to be pristine all the time. It's bound to be covered in flour when baking cookies, or tomato sauce splatter when its been simmering for hours. That's just the way it goes. And the same goes for all my kitchen towels. Most of them are bruised and beat up and have been through the ringer and back.  Like a boxer... only for cleaning. They have accidental bleach marks and gunk encrusted in them so far that no matter how many times you wash, you'll still find a trace of it. Ratz! In my prolific interwebs prowling, I started searching for new kitchen towels. I want them to be cute but not too cute, have good absorbency, but not anything crazy scientific and to either be yellow, orange or a hint of red. Despite the plethora of dish towels on the World Wide Web, I have come up empty handed!  How disappointing!

In the meantime I did see some awfully cute ones on Etsy.

Since I came up short, I've decided that I'm going to try my hand at making my own kitchen towels. It should be as simple as sewing a plain terrycloth towel to a cute piece of cotton calico. That way, I will have the absorbency of the terrycloth and the cuteness of the cotton print.

Stay tuned to see how this project unravels!