Witherspoon Rose Culture | Durham, NC

I had been wanting to make a trip to the Witherspoon Rose Culture in Durham for quite some time. An acquaintance posted photos of her rose garden with roses from this nursery and they were gorgeous! There is quite a difference in my opinion between the roses you get from the box stores and the ones you get from a specialized nursery like this. And to boot, the prices really aren't that much different. A no-brainer in my book. If you are in the area, a highly recommend making the trip (they are closed Sundays, FYI). While we are not quite ready to start landscaping yet, I wanted to take a ride over to see the pretty roses in bloom and get an idea of what we will eventually like to have in the front of the Myrtle House. Here are some of my favorites that we found that day.

My latest obsession are climbing roses. They are SO romantic and I can just imagine a giant climbing rose bush hanging over the porch with giant blooms dangling down. My favorite kind so far are the Climbing Eden variety. I would like to center the staircase on the front of the Myrtle House and then have a climbing rose bush on each side of the stairs to create an arch (eventually). See these below gorgeous photos for some more inspiration. Does anyone have experience with or tips about climbing roses?

Via

Via

Via

Via

Via

Via

Via

Via

P.S. If you are ever on the hunt for garden/landscaping inspiration, feel free to check out my Pinterest boards on Garden, Curb Appeal, and Outdoor Living. I pin a lot. I mean a LOT. :)

Under the Shag Carpet | Myrtle House

We went to the Myrtle House this weekend and made quite a dent in the debris! It is so nice to see some visible changes finally happening. We were able to dump the giant stack of wood paneling Brian took down as well as get rid of the very gross green shag carpet. Most people recommend waiting as long as possible to re-do the floors, but this carpet was holding in so much dust and dirt, it was bad for the air quality in the house. We will wait until the house is almost move-in ready to refinish the floors, but for now, we are pretty excited to see the pretty wood!

I am not 100% sure, but my guess is that these are oak boards (please let me know if you know otherwise!). There are some scratches, but overall, they are in pretty amazing condition. We were super lucky too in the fact that the carpet and vinyl were just laid on top of the wood and not stapled in so we literally were able to just roll it up. There is one spot where there is some water damage and the adhesive is still stuck, but it definitely could have been worse! I think the thickness of the shag and water-resistant elements of the vinyl kept the floors looking as good as they do.

In the bedrooms, there is a wider plank subfloor that is also pretty amazing. I am hoping we can save this (there are a few pieces with termite damage and water damage).

To me, having that gross carpet gone makes SUCH a difference! It is starting to look like a house with hope instead of one that should be condemned. The ceiling tiles are being tackled next weekend, as well as the remaining panels. I can't wait to get the full effect of the tall ceilings with the original beadboard.

Love having these French doors separating the living room and dining room. The original wavy glass and glass knobs are still in tact!

If you follow me on Instagram (@elizabethburnsdesign) you may have seen the green carpet on it's way out. Almost everyone who saw that photo said it looked like sod. If only it was! :)

Now, let's go down memory lane and take a look at how the floor used to look. :)

I love that Brian's Grandmother had floral flooring and drapes in this room. :)

Of course, my camera died after taking two photos, so I apologize for the poor quality phone pics. I will post some more photos of the kitchen this week after we got rid of the vinyl in there.

A Little Bit of Truth | Life

Fair warning: this post has nothing to do with design. Apologies in advance.

I think it is easy to get carried away in this little world we know and love as the blogosphere and worldwide web in general. We can hide behind our computers and pretend like our world is nothing but freshly cut peonies, marble countertops in our pristine newly-renovated kitchen, and flawless photographs (that is what my perfect world is like, anyways). :) The truth of the matter is, no matter where you are in your journey, nobody's life is perfect. Sure, you may live in your dream house, or work for yourself doing your dream job, or take the most perfect Instagram photos (I am talking about you, Lauren Conrad), but life is not always as peachy-keen as we make it out to be. I think in this world where it is so easy to mask our flaws, we need to take a moment to embrace them. Love the imperfections. Love the journey. Love the fact that you could still use in improvement in the (fill in the blank) aspect of your life.

Daily Letterings

On the flip side, remember to not be so critical of yourself. I am always amazed that the people/artists/professionals I follow who, in my mind, have made it, still have insecurities about their work and/or life. Duh. They are human. I think it would do us all well to have a little more confidence, grace, humbleness, and truth to our lives.

firstsnowfall

The truth for me is that our life right now is not really a bed of roses.... and that is okay! Brian and I are working like dogs between the Myrtle House, our little side business, working full-time for other companies, and now Brian is taking classes to get a certification after work. We are living at home with my parents (so thankful for them) in order to get where we want to be.

Kelli Trontel

I know a lot of people post inspirational messages on Mondays at the beginning of the week, but seeing the bulk of our hard work happens on the weekend, this post seemed fitting today. On paper, our weekend sounds pretty fun: going to the mountains to fix up an inherited historic house. In reality, our truth is that we are going to a very run-down house that is totally out of our league when it comes to renovations and we are probably going to spend the bulk of our time cleaning up rat poo. :) So no matter where you are in your journey or how totally disheartened you are with your truth, know that you are not alone and that "this too shall pass". With perseverance, lots of hard work, and a little bit of patience, we will all get to where we want to be. Until then, enjoy the journey and be proud of your truth. Annnddd, I couldn't leave this post without throwing in a little peony prettiness. :)

Suburban Faux Pas

Kitchen Inspiration | Myrtle House

Even though I don't often cook, I am really excited about how the Myrtle House kitchen will turn out once it is all done. I think it may be the biggest transformation as I am planning on taking down the wall in between the somewhat small kitchen and quite large dining room. I have always loved the look of a white kitchen. Creamy white shaker cabinets, chrome bin pulls, sparkling crystal knobs, marble slabs with charcoal accents and rich reclaimed wood hardwoods... this is what dreams are made of.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4