Sunday, August 28, 2011

darling little finds

Being the good wife that I am, I decided to go to my husbands softball game the other evening to cheer him on....but not without a stop by Crate & Barrel which just happened to be few blocks away from the game.  My eyes went right for these.....

I plan to purchase white eggs, blow out the yolks and then dying them in tea and then placing them in this porcelain egg crate. I'll let you know how that turns out....seems my grocery store only carries brown eggs, not white.

I have a few ideas of how I want to fill this berry box colander, but need to poke around for a bit before I come to a final decision.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

bowls = lampshades

A great idea from Country Living ---- why not turn mixing bowls into decorative lighting?


"An enlightened take on the pendant lamp, this project uses ceramic yellowware to glowing effect. First, choose a bowl that measures at least four inches high and five inches in diameter. Turn it upside down on a flat work surface. Measure and mark the center of the bottom of the bowl. Using a power drill fit with a two-inch tile or ceramic hole saw ($9.98; sold at Home Depot stores), push squarely down on the center mark until the ceramic piece pops through the bottom of the bowl (wear a dust mask for this part). Wipe off any debris, then screw the socket from a pendant light kit ($14.94; sold at drillspot) into the hole. Install a 60-watt bulb, and hang according to kit's instructions." ----Country Living

old dress shirts = new pillows

I liked this recycled craft idea from Country Living using old dress shirts and recycling them into pillow cases.


STEP 1: Iron shirt to smooth out all wrinkles. Button it, then pin the shirt's front and back to each other to keep them together when cutting. STEP 2: Cut out the shirt to match the shape of your pillow insert — adding two inches to both the width and length, and centering the row of buttons down the front. (You'll now have two pieces of fabric.) STEP 3: Repin the fabric so the shirt's finished sides face each other. Sew the pieces together using a 6/8-inch seam. Snip the corners at an angle to ease turning. STEP 4: Unbutton the fabric and turn the pillowcase right side out. Iron, then rebutton. STEP 5: Topstitch around the case twice — first 1/8 inch from the edges, then 3/8 inch from the edges — to finish it. STEP 6: Unbutton the case, insert the pillow, then rebutton and fluff. 



build a industrial rustic bookshelf

Step by step directions and video tutorial on HGTV's blog for you to create your own!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

and in 1st place

I love Anthropologie, not as much for the clothes as their accessories and their displays, especially this distressed wood dresser.   I would certainly like to live in an Anthropologie store, I think I would be quite comfortable.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

new found love

In the last few days, I have spent more of my time than I would like to admit on wanelo.com and pinterest.com.  I've started saving and pinning some of favorites -- will post a link to my collections soon!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

noticing trends

As I read my favorite blogs, check out my favorite online shops and peruse through my beloved catalogs....here are a few trends I've been noticing. 

BIRDS - screenprinted on wood, canvas and pillows (just like the one below featured on Etsy), ....porcelain, glass, wood....in cages, out of cages....in nests or on a perch, they seem to everywhere.  Most are simple silhouettes.  I found myself falling in love with a few things and got some great ideas for some decorations of my own. 

bird on a wire pillow cover


CHALKBOARD/DRY ERASE - I'm seeing lots of "write on" objects. Like these chalkboard office accessories and dry erase bank from CB2 Anything from trash cans to pencil holders to piggy banks and even hanging light fixtures.....done right these could be pretty cool.




COVERED BOOKS - It seems like it might be a decorating "no-no" to actually see the binding of a book these days.  I certainly agree that an ugly book binding can throw off your whole design scheme, so why not cover it with something fun like scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, brown paper bags, newspaper or even fabric?  I've also seen books in a bookcase with pages facing out, love the look, but certainly not an easy task to find a book you want to read!  Check out Google for some covered book ideas that fit your design style.  Also love this idea that was recently posted by Paislee Press.




















PAINTED BRICK - In certain rooms, I love the look of white painted brick, like these guys over at Young House Love.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

garden and home and you, oh my

Just spotted in the June 2011 issue of Real Simple Magazine is this wonderful website called terrain, take a few minutes to look around, they have some great stuff!


custom monogrammed linens

Saw these custom monogrammed linens from EmersonMade. in the June 2011 issue of Real Simple Magazine and thought they were pretty awesome.

might as well face it, i'm addicted to design shows

I am pretty much hooked on watching anything to do with renovating and redecorating.  I must admit, I do get rather opinionated when I watch. While I love some of the ideas, I must say that I have gasped at a few choices made by the home owners and even the designers.  I understand there is a lot of pressure to always be creating something new and exciting to keep the viewers watching, but painting a couch or using a color the owner specifically asked NOT to use does not jive well with me. 

My latest fascination is with HGTV's Design Star. I would LOVE to be on that show with my husband to see how we would compete.  I would like to think we would kick a** and win, but put us in front of a camera and on a timeline and my whole opinion of that might change. I would just love to see how we would match up against these more professionaly trained interior designers!  I think I might email HGTV......

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

these are a few of my favorite things

Pottery Barn (Sculptural Phones $49.50 each)
Just love the look of these, even if they're not functioning phones.


Would use this for decoration, maybe filling it with flowers or baby's breath, rather than actually using it in the kitchen for storing olive oil.


I love this idea/look --- would even work if you were to buy chalkboard paint and paint a large square on your wall and frame with simple pieces of wood or a found/purchased frame.


This little set up is great!  Of course the little knick knacks on the bench and cubby aren't for sale.


You could also use door knobs for the same look.  Also love the dominoes in the windows and numbers running down the wall.  I like seeing things in unexpected places!

make your own vintage style sign

We have this huge piece of wood hanging on the wall in our living room just waiting for us to get around to painting it.  My husband, Jonah (is that the first time I've mentioned him here by name?) is creating a nifty design (you'll just have to keep checking back to see it!) that we will paint on the sign. We have been playing with different ideas as to the best/easiest way to paint the sign and I think this might be a good option from justsomethingimade.com