Overstock.com - AHHH-Mazing!!

So...the house....on my mind ALL the time!! We are just wrapping up all the framing, so we are finising up with the ordering and making final choices. So exciting!!!! And you know what makes me REALLY excited? Overstock.com.

We are building a very modern/contemporary home, and living in Nebraska, appropriate accessories are hard to come by. I visited Overstock.com last week, and found a plethera of items to meet the requirements! The selections in great, and the prices are LOW!!! I found an 8x10 rug for $150!!! And they shipped my entire order for $2.99. You should check it out!

My entire first floor is WIDE OPEN!! That being said, everything has to cordinate....I put a little styleboard together for your viewing pleasure :)

Modern Comforts... by markoosmodern

-This light is not from Overstock, but I have been in love with these for awhile...I am clustering 5 of these in various sizes over our double island, which has the Absolute Black granite countertop.


-It took me a little time to convince my husband that the two of these that I ordered would not look like birdcages hanging from our ceiling over our dining room table :) I like them because they have a modern feel without being too industrial, and the white bulbs will cordinate perfectly with the globe pendants over the island. $48.99 each at Overstock.com.



-This one isn't included in the styleboard, but is on the first floor...it will be hiding in the powder room :) - $75.99 on Overstock.com



-I almost had a heart attack when I was this...$151.99 on Overstock.com. I would have paid more than this because I LOVE the look of it, but $150 for an 8'x10' rug!?!?!? NO WAY!!!

Can you tell I'm excited????

Etsy Artwork...Why go anywhere else???

As you know, we are building a new house. Most of our home is being done in white, black, and gray. May sound boring, but I am pumped. Being the design freak that I am, the color scheme will allow me to change things up easily and inexpesively. Do a little switch of linens, maybe artwork here or there, and viola'!!!

That being said, check out some of this artwork from Etsy!! There is a rediculous amount of talent out there. People working from their homes, in there spare time...people who, without Etsy, may have never had the chance to live out there dreams... These people are insanely talented. Why not support a small business, grant someone their dream, and get some super cool artwork for your home!!! Here are some of my favorites that I have found lately....



This adorable print is from a great ship based out of Madrid called Blancucha -






Would LOVE in my kitchen!!! From a shop in Chi-town called debbiecarlos -







My son is obsessed with mustaches....he's 2. For his room :) From PumpkinandButterfly in good ole' PA.






Not that I need a reminder ;), but I would love this to be the last thing I see before I walk out the door.... Also from Chi-town... LuciusArt





















I ADORE this type of photography...makes me feel like I am at the beach.. This one is from Zuppaartista in LA -




This one I just drool over...I love the simple details and color!! From Apheel in North Carolina









I could go on ALLLLLL night...but I need to watch said kids in the morning....

You get my point though....screw overpriced art. It is just overpriced... you decide what is beautiful and make it your own..

Kings Of Leon's BIGGEST Little Fan

Now I know that this isn't design related...but darnit...it is just too cute not to share.

My kids apparently LOVE Kings Of Leon. This is a short video of what happens everytime their favorite song comes on the radio. My son is pictured.

Click on the title for the video and Enjoy :)

Kitchen Cabinet Nightmare

So...haven't mentioned it yet, but my little fam is in the process of building a new home... this opens up WORLDS OF POSSIBILITES!!! right? Well, one would think.... And so did I.

I live in Nebraska....yup, that's right. See my name up there? The one that includes the word "modern"? I am talking M_O_D_E_R_N....like sterile. Nebraska and Modern do not generally go together, that's why I was SO EXCITED when I found some gorgeous high gloss white and espresso slab doors for my kitchen cabinets. And my kitchen designer had told me that the price was "close" to the standard alloted budget for my builder.

I had my whole kitchen picked out, the layout was done, the drawings were done, and the "cabinet lady" was ready to have us sign off on the plans... and so was I!!! It was fantastic! Slab Doors with chrome bar handles.... White on top, Espresso on the bottom, with a GORGEOUS white quartz countertop and double island. Then I stopped....wait a minute....."I haven't seen any pricing on this." She informed me that the price list had been sent to my builder. At that point I knew I was screwed. Why hadn't she sent it to me? Pretty sure the money is coming out of my pocket.

Well ladies and gents...turns out, slab doors are TWICE the price as the more elaborate wood rich crap that is more popular in these parts. Need I say I was livid? What the hell???? My bill was seriously TWICE the allotted budget. Not only that, she did not bother to mention it to me (even after she told me they were close)! Bait and Switch.

So, now, here I sit. What am I going to do here people!?!?!?!

I was going for this....
(photo courtesy of 1st-interiordesign.com)

and I am having a continual dream (nightmare) of this :)

(photo courtesy of diychatroom.com)

YIKES!!!!! any suggestions???

Gotta Love Summer...but where does the time go!???!

Hey All..

Well, summer has started off with a bang in the Sookram house.... pool, splash parks, park, shopping, slip and sliding, Grandma's, weddings, parties, BBQ's ......HOLY COW!!!!

This is a lot to handle for little ole' me!!! Shoot...I am trying to start a business here! :) All the kids are home, and I am watching 5 other kiddos on various days of the week! I cannot believe how fast the days are flying by! I am getting very little done, but still trying to to get a few new items done here and there. My shop on etsy.... markoosmoderndesign.etsy.com ...... has some new dresses, skirts, etc. I have had several requests for boys items, but I am having a hard time finding inspiration, not to mention time to get to the fabric supplier! Oh well, life rolls on!!!

Check out the shop, let me know what you think! Now through June 12th, I am offering 20% off with discount code TWITWIT - message me at before your purchase :)

AHHHH!! I LOVE Christmas!

I have officially gotten more than half of my decorating done!! The biggest job is always the tree. Every year, sometime during November, my husband begins to lobby for a fake tree. I finally told him this year that he may as well give up, cause it will always be a losing battle. I cannot even fathom getting a plastic plant, when the real trees are so beautiful!! I told him he should try again when I am 80. :)

I wanted to share photos of this year's tree. Even I, humble as I am, :) believe that it just turned out beautifully!! I chose a red, silver and white palette for most of my decorations, with some teal thrown in here and there as it is my absolute fav color. I would guess that I haven't spent more than $100 on this tree, most of which was not spent this year!! I created the tree skirt out of this wonderful black and white vinyl with a damask print and some red "ball" trim. Very cheap project, and by far the best tree skirt that i have had.....wipes clean. The ornaments are mostly discount store finds. Classic glass balls in red, glittered, clear, and frosted glass. A very important aspect are the glittered red snowflakes...they make the tree. I think I found them at Walmart for something like $3.00 for twenty of them. Then, I add the statement ornaments. Important gift ornaments and HUGE glittered balls that I "hide" in the inside of the tree. It makes the tree very interesting to look at. It's like a little treasure hunt :)

Our gorgeous douglas fir was purchased from the most adorable tree farm! We spoke to the cute little lady who owns it for quite some time. She said that she and her husband had moved out of the city and started the tree farm 18 years ago, and that is all they do! Joel (my husband), decided that it sounded like a pretty sweet deal, and has since decided that he wants to do the same. Sounds good to me!

Here are some photos of our beloved Christmas tree. Take note that the three munchkins have already had their way with it several times....what's a wannabe perfectionist to do?

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A Little Venting

Ok, so if you don't know, I live in Nebraska. Yes, Nebraska. I love it, as I am a HUGE Husker fan, love the good schools, and safe environment. However, it is practically impossible to find affordable modern furniture and home goods. The nearest Ikea if 5 hours away!! Insanity!

Everything is country here. I swear to you, if I walk into another "design" store and see another flippin rooster, I am going to drop-kick it through the window!! (just kidding) In all seriousness though, if you are in the remote area of Nebraska and no of a good (affordable) store, please let me know. I am sitting here looking around at all of the furniture and home decor that I had to "settle" for, and am a little disgusted. I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit :)