Two of my faveys at once?

I don't believe it!

via you are my fave

Billowy, long curtains

PLUS 

library card catalog? 

Must be in Heaven. 

Decorating Heaven.

I've been tagged...

Ann, writer of daily muses over at The Daily AnnTidote tagged me the other day to answer some questions about this & that. She was tagged before that by Vintage Girl at Moonbeamwishes

Anywhoodle. 
And away:

1) What's a perfect styling for you?
With clothing and interiors alike, I like classic + feminine + a dash of mismatch

 I'm a HUGE lover of belts:

via jeejul on tumblr

And also a lover of Louis Chairs:

via Romo Fabrics

via My Little Happy Place

2) On what do you spend most of your money?
lately it's been fingernail polish and coffee dates

and don't forget the paper goods---you know, pretty paper for cards and gift wrapping

I'M A PAPER FIEND. I hoard it a little.

OK OK I'LL COME CLEAN! Dresses too : )

3) What's your favorite song at this moment?

Judge me please:

So what? It's fun for drivin' around this summer : )


But in all seriousness, my all-time faves are Nickle Creek (CREEK, not Back) and the Be Good Tanyas

 

Nickel Creek

The Be Good Tanyas
(check them out, I implore you. You'll be glad you did!)

4) Which excellences do you think you have?
Frosting cakes and making beds!


5) And What are your failings?

Running late, chronically late. There's no excuse! But I have been improving!


Thank you Ann for tagging me! This has been fun. 
So now that I'm it I guess I get to go in search of other bloggers to tag..


I'm tagging:


Patty from Colours Dekor
Megness from Drinkable Life
Kirsten from 6th Street Design School

Craft Day: Book Flowers

Is it sacrilegious to cut up old copies of the Iliad and turn the pages into flowers? NO?

Good, because that's what I did this weekend! I like to think of it as 'rescuing' a book from the Goodwill right? Ok, wink. 

These flowers are sooo easy to make, and are the perfect adornment for all things from present wrapping to office desk embellishment. 

Here's how to make them yourself, in just a few simple steps:

{First, find an old book with typesetting and graphic features you like. The one I chose cost next to nothing, plus I liked the chapter headings and typesetting.}

Once you've chosen your book, (and it's not like you can go wrong on that,) cut three different sizes of what basically looks like a plane propeller:

(Big petal size, Medium petal size, Small petal size)

Here's an example of one piece, which will become two petals (one on either side of the flower)

Once you have cut out 5 or 6 SAME SIZE dual petals, spread them out to make the bottom layer of the flower:

And then get out your needle and some really think coat-button thread, to attach your petals together:

Now ready for layer #2, with a little bit smaller petals.

* A helpful hint is to fold the petals like this to give your finished flower a little extra dimension

After you've cut out and sewn each individual size, then put the three sizes together and sew the three together. Your finished product will look something like this:

Now comes the fun part! You can embellish with a button, and then add to a present:

Or, place your flowers in unexpected places in your home:

Adorn your shutters

Hang from a ribbon in your window

Spice up a centerpiece

Make your desk space extra cheerful

_________

My inspiration to try this little project for myself came from this image found while inspiration-searching for an office post I'm working on for my friend Meg. 

It's on the ALWAYS INSPIRATIONAL blog 

design*sponge

Bedroom Redo

The Details:

The big challenge of this bedroom re-do was to give the room a more grown up feel, while keeping the bunk bed. 

The before pictures...

*pink and minty green*

Some givens about the room were that most of the furniture needed to stay, including the desk, desktop computer (and of course the afore-mentioned bunk bed!) The most transformative features we changed were the bedding, wall color, and artwork. 

et voila:

*That door you see behind the door is just a passage door that doesn't get used 

  

 

Don't you love the wall color? It's called Aqua Smoke, from the Olympic line at Lowe's. 

The awesome part about this project is how easy it was on the pocket book! We're talking inexpensive. First things first: bedding. I did not, did NOT want to go the 100% bed-in-a-bag route. But custom?----um, yeah right, no. 

So: mix and match! Lovely option. The bedding came in various stages Target (Thomas O'Brien, love his stuff!), Sears, (good for a periodic check-in), K-Mart, and TJ Maxx. I love those pillows--some of them look like they're Anthro, right?! 

The big orange peony over the dresser came from Tuesday Morning--another discount place, score!-- and it was priced as a total steal. 

The lucite lamp was bought on major discount, and the new barrel-lamp-shade is from Target. (Do you ever feel like you single-handedly keep that place in business?)

Let me know what you think, I love your comments!

Gather 'Round

Ah, wonderful! Come over, family and friends!  

via Vintage Rose Brocante

Clean and Crisp

Some lovely summer- bright rooms:

*updated twist on lemon and lime

*swoon-worthy office space

*reading corner fit for a queen

images via Houzz

Kick off your shoes

I love the simplicity of this image. 

Doesn't the chunk of light draw you to wonder what the view is through the window?

I picture a poppy field, just like this one:

What about you?

On the docket for today:

Going garage sale-ing: want to find a chair to re-cover!

Working on portfolio: OVERWHELMED A LITTLE. 

Perhaps some crafting will take place using $.05 paperback books from aforementioned garage sale...

(Check back later for results?)

How about you my lovely blog readers and friends? What adventures will your Thursday hold? 

images via brydiebrown tumblr and DiggerHistory

Love the Look: Settees

I love-y a good miniature (tiny outdoor playhouses, bebes, mini cupcakes... mini donuts... baby elephants... baby giraffes) Anyway--- you get the idea. And tiny books, can't forget those.

This love for tiny definitely extends to furniture. Now, it's kind of a stretch to call a settee a miniature sofa, because it's not so much miniature as it is just small.  

Here are some examples I just love:

classy + understated

glamorous + daring

ANDRE ARBUS LE TROYEN SETTEE

elegant+ stylish

fresh + welcoming

MICHAEL WEISS WELLINGTON SETTEE

sophisticated + timeless

Delicious delicious delicious!

And perfect for people who are trying to downsize, want to maximize space in an apartment, or just need the perfect piece of furniture for a corner. 

Have you seen the latest House Beautiful? The July/August 2010 issue asks "Is Small the new Big?" and features how to make studio apartments, guest homes, and one-bedroom dwellings feel palatial. 

If you at all are trying to put 'living small' into practice, then I highly highly recommend getting your hands on this issue. You can borrow mine if you're close by!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and thank you to all my commenters, you make my day!!!

images via House Beautiful, Design*Sponge, DecorPad