alittle change never hurt anyone

you're probably going what just happened.

yes the blog has changed. quite a bit actually.

my blog is becoming more about being a mother & growing as family.

so i figured lets change things up a bit.

you can still subscribe.

you can still join via google friend connect.

you can still grab a button for your sidebar if you like.

its just now at the bottom. the very bottom.

i've also added all my pages back to the top

things like: about me. contact. & faq.

email is still the same too.

cheersbethani {at} live {dot} com

hope you like the changes as much as i do.

crushing: bazaar style fabrics

so i think i've decided i want to style our dining room in a moroccan, arabian night kind of design. all the vibrant colors, amazing designs, and endless possibilities, i thought it would be the perfect "getaway" to enjoy while dining just the two of us or with a houseful of friends or family.

and if you know me, i'm as frugal as they come, so when i was seeing 60-80 dollars for a tablecloth, i thought "no freaking way!" so i am taking the task upon myself and doing a little DIY work, making my own table linens. 
i scoured the internet looking for just the perfect fabric for a table cloth and narrowed it down to five that i found at moona fabrics.   i'm pretty sure husband will say whichever you like, so heres where i want your opinions.  i plan on making a table cloth out of a printed patten, then using solid colors for napkins, place mats, runner, etc.... 

thanks again for your opinions! they are truly appreciated!

our home: dining beneath the stars

well sort of.



traditional porch design by new york architect Crisp Architects

modern porch design by boston architect Studio One-Off Architecture & Design

its wednesday!! i can't believe how quickly this week has flown by.  i know i shouldnt be wishing life away, but i just love weekends. they are the best afterall.

good news friends! we won the bid on the house!  i felt like dancing in my office when husband called with the news.  we are one step closer (again!) to be homeowners.  i have a really good feeling about this house. its newer & we did all the "inspection work" that we could while there - our inspector gave us tips to help.  and after all the inspecting, we didnt find anything wrong that we couldnt fix with a simple hand tool.

so in the meantime of paperwork and waiting, i've decided to dream more and more about all the design possibilities our new little investment has, mainly in the sunroom. husband and i decided that the sunroom would make a great dining room for us, mainly because it has tile flooring and what the builder called the "formal dining" has carpet, which in my book is a big problem, especially when kids & food are involved. back to the sunroom though, the two exterior walls are all windows, allowing lots of natural light to pour in during the day, but features a nice ceiling fan to keep things cool on those extra sunny days. 

i've thrown around alot of ideas in my head of how i want to design the sunroom.  i want to be sure to let the sunshine flow but still make it feel as though your inside.  do i go french bistro with pops of flowers, pale pink, and fun french items? or do i go a more bold route with middle eastern style flairs and lots and lots of color?  the choices seem to be endless.  i do want to be sure to include some tealight candles on the table & some little bud vases along with a festive table cloth & placemats.

does your dining room exude any particular style? if so, what is it and what led you to that choice?

our home: update + the backyard

update time:  the house is ours.  minus signing closing papers.  the seller agreed to all the paperwork, signed off & we are on to inspections, appraisals and signing a million pages about 4 times each. we expect to close around march 27 give or take a few days. we couldnt be more excited. the dream of finally moving out of our apartment is becoming more real each day.

its time for window shopping new furniture ideas, browsing sites like houzz (my new favorite site and obsession!) for inspiration, ideas and places to find the items you are looking at. seriously people, i could spend hours upon hours on this site.  it even has a mobile app which make it 10 times better.  but on to more fun things, the backyard! tuesday i posted about my ideas for our entry way - today is all about the backyard. 

i've always wanted one of those super dreamy backyards that most fantasize about & only few have. canopy sitting areas with plush outdoor sofas, a high tech outdoor kitchen area & of course a little fireplace to stay warm during chilly months and roast marshmellows.  heres a few of the backyards im swooning right now.

contemporary landscape design by new york interior designer Barbara Cannizzaro

eclectic patio design

contemporary landscape design by los angeles landscape designer Stout Landscape Design-Build

landscape design by los angeles landscape designer Stout Landscape Design-Build

what does your backyard look like? any special features?

our home: the entry way + an update

our home is becoming more and more of a reality.  its kind of crazy to think about. we found a realtor last wednesday & found the home of dreams saturday. crazy!!!! we never thought we would go out on our first home tour and find the home that we are exactly looking for. it typically takes people weeks or months to find the home they are looking for.  dont get me wrong. husband and i looked at a jillion homes on the computer before narrowing them down to the handful we even wanted to look at in person. and thats after physically driving by some of them by and realizing that the home was what not we were looking for.  and whats better, is this home wasnt even on our "favorite" list because of one little architectural feature we didnt think we would like, but seeing it in person just made this home even more wonderful for us.

we are still going through the process of paperwork & typical house buying stuff, but if all goes according to schedule we could be moving in at the end of march! yikes! i havent thought about packing yet, but i better get started.  while i'm still waiting to start the packing, i figured i would share a little inspiration for our future entry way.  now a days, its hard to find a home our size with a real entry way. we got lucky! and so i want to make it extra welcoming and warm when guests come over, maybe give a little french feel.  heres a few ideas i'm thinking about..

traditional entry design by minneapolis kitchen and bath Rik Lalim

contemporary entry design by boston photographer Jim Fiora Photography, LLC

contemporary entry design by san francisco architect Andre Rothblatt Architecture

things in our entry way would include:

a coat and/or shoe rack

a little chair or bench for shoe removal

a sideboard table for flowers and maybe a little basket for candies or keys

and a lovely picture of paris that is currently residing in my dining room. 

do you have an entry way in your home? what kinds of things does yours feature?

a calendar - february 2012

i know we are already seven days in but i needed a new calendar. and figured i would share..

the iris is the flower for february.

kiss lots, hugs more, and love always.



crushing: country french kitchens

making decisions about what we want in our future home has been quite a lengthy list, but husband knows exactly what i want when it comes to my kitchen.

country french and kitchens are my thing. they go perfectly together, hand in hand.  from the prestine white cabinets to the deep sinks, country french styled kitchens pack tons of charm and home goodness feel. i've had my eye on a couple kitchens that i would like, so when the time comes, i will definitely be ready to get "my kitchen."

whats your kitchen style?  does your kitchen have a particular theme??

home sweet design - whimsy woodland finds

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yesterdays post inspired me to continue my hunt for more wonderful items that i would love to acquire for our new home, whenever that may be.  and for those that know me, know i love whimsy, vintch style decor. old things? i love them. even things that look that way are splendid too. and anthropologie has a great sense of capturing that in their items.

most of the items i found come from anthropologie, with the exception of the fawn mugtail from korin.  i raved about these mugs in the past, as there is a whole collection of them, and due to high demand, korin will not be shipping anymore of these cute things until march. yikes! i dont know if i can hold out that long, because for $16 thats a steal in my book to have one of these sitting on my end table, full of hot tea, waiting to be enjoyed over a good book.

do you enjoy whimsy items inspired by the woodlands like i do? or do you prefer more modern type style?

cheers bethani designs: a calendar

rabbit is the animal of january. or so the chinese calendar says.

so while playing with color and such, a calendar for you.

if you want to use as a desktop wallpaper, send me an email (cheersbethani@live.com) and i'll hook you up.

should i continue these throughout the year??

home sweet design - dream worthy crushes

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7

one of the things on my list of to-dos for 2012 is finding a house for husband and i.  we will be married a year in april, and i must be honest, i'm tired of living in an apartment. and i believe he is as well.  we have talked about the things we want and dont want in a home; i've realized i'm quite picky, but i think i already knew this, it was just a matter of how picky. no two stories. no split garages. prefer a split floorplan. 4 bedrooms or 3 bedrooms with a office/study.   covered patio (if possible.) no swimming pool or spa outside. i mean seriously. the list keeps going.

while i'm busy shooting down home after home for one reason or another, there is no end in sight to my list of things i want the home to look like inside.  but then again, i'm an overly imaginative, indecisive dreamer, who tries to know what she wants, but as long as it flows well and doesn't look tacky.

and if everyone was blessed with all the money in the world, i would definietely add the items above to my collection.  antique charm with new world flavor. they would find themselves either in a guest room or living room setting.. perhaps even a sewing/craft room if i get lucky enough.  definitely not man cave worthy by any stretch of the imagination. 

if money wasn't an object, what dreamy items would you add to your decor collection?

some design.

i've been learning more and more about design over the last several months and have highly enjoyed all the things i've have learned. so i figured i would share one of my 'pieces,' if you must call it something, with everyone. i hope you like it!

if you want to use it, share it, etc, please let me know before you do so.  i don't want my stuff just floating around without proper credit.

and since i've been having so much fun with design, i've contemplated making a few prints and such to offer for purchase.  or if you have a design request or something like that, i would be more than happy to offer a hand. just let me know.

perhaps a launch could happen of design services.  we shall see. let me know your thoughts and such.

the grand reopening and the great mind behind it

<3

Welcome! Come one, Come All!   As you can see its quite different around When A Girl Met A Boy, but I promise it stills offers all the wonderful yumminess from days of old.

MANY THANKS to Lindsay at Scenic Glory and her amazing design skills, WAGMAB's new look became possible.   She is an absolute wonderful creator of all things artistic and beautiful. She also knows how to turn a few words of blogger wants into blogger reality.  Everything about this blog design was created by Lindsay.  

Lindsay does it all when it comes to blog design: buttons, backgrounds, headers, grab me buttons.  You name it shes capable.  Stop on by and check her out sometime and send some mad love to this awesome lady (here) - links to her blog space are located on both sidebars for your convenience as well. 

If you prefer to email her for more information regarding pricing, options, etc, send me a quick email for information on how to get in touch with her.. >>>> sugarbearbear@live.com

Again, a humongous world of THANKS to Lindsay, the great mind behind this blog design.