Where have I been….where have I been….I wish I had a fascinating story to tell you, something about tigers and travels and amnesia?  What?  Can’t say, really.  But here’s what.

Blogging is hard.  And it’s only made harder by the complete saturation of decorating ideas/trends/advice via 4,794,023 decor blogs out there right now.  But the killer?  Pinterest.

Pinterest RULES.  Please don’t get me wrong.  Before Pinterest I could count on one hand the number of people I knew that gave two rips about decorating their home (or had any idea they wanted to or knew how to go about it outside of a Rooms To Go showroom).

Because that’s why I started blogging.  I suddenly became very interested in making my home pretty pretty pretty, but really never believed I could have an amazing and fabulous home without a designer and money in the bank.  Not true!  I learned what I liked, learned how to put things together and suddenly yearned to share that info with others….my progress, my successes and many failures.

And it is so fun, it is.  I love hearing back from y’all!  And not just for approval…I don’t think all bloggers are narcissistic jerks who want to hear “awesome!  you rock! that’s  AMAZEBALLS!” all the time.  Maybe sometimes, but it’s not really the point.

Lauren, what is the point?  Slow down, what you don’t like to read?  Hey, so the reason for such an extended break is twofold:

I really REALLY am working on something.  In just a few short weeks I should have my new site up, and it will be a virtual vintage warehouse of lovelies.  Well warehouse is a strong word, although I have a storage unit and garage that would beg to differ.  Junk In The Trunk (TM! TM! TM!) will be a special place, in that I’ll have one unique find, once a day.  Thrilling, yes?  Just you wait.

And the other reason?  Like I said, blogging is no joke.  And it is even tougher now that everything is old news 5 minutes before it’s even news.  Do you really want to see the same pictures you just saw on Pinterest this morning? I don’t even want to see them anymore.  I haven’t pinned anything since….hang on….5 weeks ago!  Yowzas.  And I’m the one that’s supposed to be into this stuff.

PS (pre PS?): This confession was stirred up by Jenny’s post (Katy bar the door…she’s salty)…not sure I even knew completely why I ducked out for so long.

All the wonderful, innovative bloggers that I’ve loved for years?  Haven’t been reading them either.  Honesty (and hoping there are no hurt feelings here): Other than a very very select few, they’re all posting the same stuff over and over too.  I don’t want to see another $5000 end table.  No I can’t be bothered to click through your affiliate link to see where you purchased that $300 tshirt.  And I read Lonny YESTERDAY.  Not sure I need a recap (guilty!  Blogging is hard.).

Sooooo……all that to say, I’m still going to blog.  And I hope you’ll still read.  Thank you for all the emails, tweets, texts (Hi Mom!) and facebook messages asking where I’ve been and when I’ll be back.  I love that there is a small handful of you who think I’ve ever added something valuable to the conversation.  Because that’s really the point.

Original content, personal triumphs, changes, shopping (!!) and genius insight.  That’s all you can expect from me going forward.  Oh and Baylor is still hilarious.

I can’t call this an ‘after’ quite yet.  Mainly because I used my iphone camera, I didn’t make my bed very Martha Stewarty, and I haven’t fluffed up my bedside tables to appear as though I lounge around reading Sartre and sipping Pellegrino Lemoncello (which I totally do).  But I did get new lampshades!  So brace yourselves for the excitement that follows.

Needs art.  And an end of bed bench.  And someone to shake me out of my lazy stupor so I’ll do something with those urchins that have been on my side table since God was a boy.  (I think I might hang them on the wall to the left of the curtains.  Yesnomaybe?)

Overall, I love it.  Love it can’t live without it, want to marry it and make little bonus room babies.  The pale lilac of the walls really puts off an ethereal glow at night that is yummy.  I love that it’s girly without being too much so.  Shouldn’t bedrooms be girly?

I’m nutso over the bolster fabric.

Do you see what I see?  Boo.

Yeah, those are custom gold foil lined buckskin lampshades.  They are simultaneously bringing a wonderful masculine touch to the room, and CLASHING HIDEOUSLY with my chrome lamps.  Mother.  Why?  Why is every mistake I make so epically stupid.

So I haven’t decided what’s going to happen there…maybe the lamps will move.  I could always switch the shades out with the ivory linen ones I originally bought for this room (why are my pictures gone? too abruptly stressed to deal with that now).

They live down here in the living room. I think the cream might be too boring for the boudoir.

That is not a really old pic, but I’m flabbergasted that I change things so often…the room is so different now.  Geez, now I have to update y’all on that too.  I’m so behind.

Comments, criticisms, what have yous?

My unannounced sabbatical is coming to an end…

via Amber Interiors

Next week will bring a new site design (fingers and toes crossed), some new happenings in my home (and some grasscloth!), and some newsy news (big news!).

Is this thing on???

Just a quick note to let you know that Overstock is offering FREE SHIPPING on all of their patio/garden items today.  Is that a huge deal considering it’s only $2 on the reg?  Not really, but it gave me an excuse to goof around for a little while.

wicker bar cart /copper hammock / delmar dining set /garden stool/ poolside rug/ outdoor sheers /green fern cushions/ japanese bamboo lounger / hanging lantern/ green foliage pillow

Overstock is not paying me for this post, though they probably should be. (Call me!)

The WORST is when I actually have the remote control to myself for 5 nanoseconds and I’m all out of DVR’d goodness. Happened this weekend and through random guide scrolling I landed on Four Houses.  Have y’all seen this?  It’s a brand new show on TLC with a somewhat interesting premise.  Oh please, anytime I can nose my way into someone else’s home, I’m fascinated.

Anyway….briefly, Four Houses takes four homeowners (duh to the duh) and makes them tour and grade each other’s spaces based on certain criteria.  Originality, livability…blah blah blah.  They have to rank the others 1, 2 and 3 to keep it fair.

So the first house we saw was Jennifer’s. I’ve stalked TLC’s site and Google images like it’s my job and this is the only one of her house I can come up with.

At first glance I thought cool, totally my style.  There was brass, wallpaper EVERYWHERE, tons of fabric and shiny and look at me and mix and match.  But as I kept watching….holy bananas this woman had every trend I’ve ever seen on every blog I’ve ever read in the history of ever.  It was too. much.  Wasn’t it?

Trust me when I tell you there were more than these things, but I caught all of these in one room.

And I love everything here, really I do.  Well maybe not coral so much, never was my bag.  And I don’t really do poufs.  Girlfriend loves her some Kelly Wearstler fabric.  Don’t blame her, it’s all fab.

We all want these things, right? All of it.  And I’m totally all for trends….I think adding something trendy to a room can instantly update it.  And inexpensively too.

But all at once?  This is the issue I guess.  I’m not hating.  Listen, it annoys me to tears that everytime a new trend comes along there is a tidal wave of bloggers breaking their necks and tripping over each other to be the first one to poo poo all over it.

I’m not like that at all.  If you think it’s cool do it.  But only if you really like it.

And can you really call a vintage brass reading lamp a ‘trend’?  I don’t think that’s fair.

Since my very first impression of Jennifer’s home was a like, I’m trembling with anxiety that I too have trend overloaded in my home.  So tomorrow we’re going to take a little photojournalistic tour around my abode and play Count the Trends.  FUN!

HEY!  I’m newly obsessed (read: OBSESSED) with Instagram, come follow me here.  It’s where I’ll be logging my shopping trips.