simply mad

I love AMC's Mad Men. Those of you that know us well know that on Sunday nights at 10:00pm, the Merryman's are watching Mad Men and should not be interrupted. Some of you even came to our Mad Men cocktail party to celebrate the shows latest season premier, complete with deviled eggs, an old fashioned or two and other sixties inspired treats.

Sterling mid century style sofa and chair, Bob Williams+Mitchell Gold ottoman in avocado

The thing that inspires me most about the drama is the style. I love the colors, the lines, and the design of everything from the offices of Sterling, Cooper, Draped price to the dresses and hairstyles that Betty, Megan, Peggy and of course, Joan show off every week. Perhaps it is how the design and the fashion interpret the times - the changing political climate, the rise of all things enlightened (Hari Krishna, anyone?) and how everything from civil rights to domesticity were pulsating and swelling to new sounds by Joan Baez, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and of course, The Beatles. What does any of this have to do with my new home? Well, I'm sure you can see.

Wall color recommendations anyone? And no, Lowe's hasn't come out with a Mad Men line, yet.

for the love of lindsay: mad about you

In the words of my friend's new husband, Gianmi, "Jen, you were born to be a bridesmaid."

If I weren't already happily married this statement might have worried me a smidge. I knew what he meant though, and I so appreciated the sentiment.
There were a lot of little things that made Lindsay's bridal shower pretty special. In a previous post, I shared my handmade bunting that was fit for an English garden party. This time, I am sharing something with a little more whimsy that ended up adding a special touch to the female bonding that was happening over bellinis and finger sandwiches.


Guest libs! Mad libs made especially for the shower that guests could fill out. They were sweet, funny and a more updated version of the "sharing of advice" that happens at most showers. This is what they said:

GUEST LIBS: WEDDING EDITION
LINDSAY + GIANMICHELE
WEDDING ADVICE FOR THE HAPPY COUPLE

My name is ______________ and I’ve known the couple for
                       (proper noun)
________ years. I _____________ all the way from ____________
(quantity)                       (verb)                                        (noun)
to celebrate this day. I am so __________________ that Lindsay
                                                       (adjective)
and Gianmichele are tying the knot! They have to be the most
___________________ _____________________ and I wish them
          (adjective)                             (noun)
___________________ ____________________ for many years
           (adjective)                            (noun)
to come. My best advice? Don’t forget to __________________
                                                                              (verb)
before you _______________ and ________________ after the
                           (verb)                             (verb)
________________. I wish you a lifetime of health, happiness
          (noun)
and ________________________ _________________________.
                  (adjective)                                       (noun)
Oh, and one last thing: __________________________________.
                                                             (song lyric)

So my one last thing?

All you need is love.

let there be light [and some color too]

Farm house lanterns + dark gray shutters

No lie, y'all - I've been busy. Dave and I still haven't caught up from our epic five day wedding extravaganza to celebrate our dear friends Lindsay & Gianmi. Being a bridesmaid, hosting a shower and catering the aforementioned shower took up a lot of time and now that we have nothing but gorgeous pictures, fond memories and a pile of laundry, I can transition back into new homeowner mode.

So here are a few things we had gotten accomplished before our weekend of love in North Carolina.

We changed out the old, cookie cutter light fixtures and installed rustic farm house lanterns with speckled glass, rust finish and of course, CFLs. Nine out of ten moths agree, the lights look fantastic.

Fab pattern for a door mat, wouldn't you say?

We ordered a new patio set. Target.com had an awesome sale on this mustard and gray set and I just love the design - cost effective and beautiful? Why, yes please!

Gray + yellow

I painted our four year old, super weathered bistro set ... the table even got the Carolina Panther treatment (it looked great with the yellow seat cushions, so I couldn't protest my husband's choice of paint color!) You'll see that soon once I get the final coat of paint finished up.




Lastly, we painted out shutters and door a nice dark gray. It was hunter green before, and the upgrade makes the house look a little more modern and definitely a lot more polished. And since I am prone to going overboard with neutrals, a great mat at the entry provides a little color.

Next up, the two guest rooms and guest bathroom. T-minus two weeks until guests begin to arrive! Stay tuned.

fruits et fleurs

Four years. That is a good chunk of a person's life. We spent four years in high school. For most of us, our undergraduate career took that long. Wow,

This past Thursday Dave and I celebrated four years of marriage. It really only seems like yesterday that I walked down a magnolia-lined path towards my husband in Savannah, Georgia. Our wedding was extremely intimate with only thirty guests - it was everything we wanted it to be. Now, four years later we have moved four times (three in North Carolina, and now here, in Maryland), we have a dog, thriving careers and an extraordinary amount of special moments. We've traveled, and dined, and all of it was that much better to share those experiences together. Don't get me wrong, that times have been tough and priorities have certainly been mixed up like a bowl of nuts. I am fortunate enough to have a husband that listens to my concerns with an open minded, human (not husband) based perspective. Of course he wants to be protective, all husbands do. Protective isn't always what I need though - I often require level headedness and a great deal of compassion. I think after four years, we still haven't necessarily found of a method to harmonious marriage, just a haphazard road map scribbled in a few different languages with some coffee stains and chocolate smears for good measure.

So with four years brings fruit and flowers to one of our favorite traditions. Since our first anniversary, we have always exchanged traditional wedding gifts. Every year of marriage brings with it a symbolic gift suggestion, and so for the first year of marriage it is customary to give paper while the fifty years calls for gold, hence "golden anniversary." Our first anniversary gifts were great: a fishing license for Dave (for which I received major cool points... I mean, what wife actually wants their husband to go fishing?!) and I received the Thomas Keller box set. Year two was cotton, and year three was wood. For four years, fruit and flowers were the traditional gifts and below are the results.

Peace, love & many years of happy marriage!