Monday, May 31, 2010

Happy Memorial Day!

What a fantastic long weekend!  The weather couldn't have been better.  Our town parade is an annual tradition.
That is me on the right holding my friend's precious 5 month old, Maeve.
Our son, Luke, cheering on the parade.  Yes, those are his new 'Buzz Lightyear' sunglasses.  He didn't take them off all weekend. 
Still wearing them.  A little tree action below.

And, as a sister to an active Army officer now serving in Afghanistan, we thank you Joey and all your fellow Army buddies for the sacrifices you've made to allow us to live freely.  God bless you all!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Summer Getaways


Memorial Day is upon us and summer is right around the corner.  It is times like these that I dream about having a little place in the country where our family could escape to and embrace the great outdoors.  Sarah Gray Miller, editor in chief of Country Living magazine, has a city apartment, but professes she is a country girl at heart (and an ebay fanatic!).  So, it makes sense she has an upstate home in Athens, NY where she can escape to when she needs a little R & R.  Above is a picture of her NYC apartment.
And, this is a picture of her upstate home.  I love both of them and the contrast between the two.  She is a girl after my own heart!  You can read more here.  Happy Memorial Day!!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Fresh & Breezy

Summer is around the corner and the weather is getting warmer.  I think it is time to slip into something more comfortable. 
Yvette print from Les Indiennes 
These ethnic inspired large scale paisley prints having me going coastal!  These would be very cute in breezy bedroom used as drapes, as an upholstered headboard, a duvet or as euro shams.  
O at Home

I am contemplating using this large scale paisley print to reupholster a chair in my son's bedroom.  Think this print would look adorable in either a little boy's or girl's bedroom.

I love the cream/navy and cream/brown color combos.  I might even consider using the print for a roman shade.  For the bold and daring, why not try it as wallpaper.  Absolutely stunning!
For those who are less certain of the merits of paisley, perhaps a smaller dose of it would work. 

Monday, May 24, 2010

Modern Baby Shower

This past Sunday I threw a baby (twin girls) shower for one of my dearest friends in Boston.  I had so much fun planning this shower for such an amazing friend.  It turned out to be such a beautiful day!  
Above is the invitation for the shower.  I worked with a designer from Minted to reflect the 'twins' concept.  The colors for the shower were fuschia, poppy, chartreuse and turquoise.  
I hand made a mobile using an 18"inch embroidery hoop and colored card stock using the colors above.  I saw this mobile here and knew I had to replicate it.  
I loved how it turned out!  So summery and fresh.  I took the same circle theme and incorporated it into the favors.  Simple craft paper boxes with chartreuse ribbon and pinkish dots.  
The mom to be's sister made all the wonderful food.  She is an executive producer at Cooks Illustrated and got all her recipes from here .  Check out the spread!
Here is a picture of the gifts and the 'book basket'.  Each guest brought their favorite childhood book, personalized with a bookplate (I used these) and placed them inside the book.  I cut out animal silhouettes (found here) from colored card stock and strung them on a ribbon using tiny wooden clothes pins.  
 We bought a bouquet of flowers and separated them into tiny vases and placed them around the house.
The mom to be opening her gifts.  She's glowing!



She received these adorable eco-friendly wooden animal toys from the Land of Nod .
And, finally, to top it all off, I got to drive home and see my little stinker waiting for me at the door!  It made me so happy! Wow! What a great way to end such a wonderful day!




Thursday, May 20, 2010

Slow Unveiling

I didn't want to send you into an anaphylactic shock by showing you my tag sale booty all at once! :)
The booty breakdown: yellow ginger jar lamp ($4), parakeets ($4), oil painting ($1), lamp bases (two for $6) and artichoke ($1).   I can't wait to find a home for it all.  
The brass lamp bases remind me of the vintage wheat-sheaf lamps and sconces I keep seeing in the magazines.  I remembered I had just bought these black lamp shades (with gold interiors) at another tag sale over Mother's Day weekend. 
Brand new shades with the original price tag for $35 each, the very nice lady sold them to me for $3 each.  So, I paired them up and I think they were made for one another.  What do you think?
I plan on fixing up the bases a bit, but overall I like how they turned out.  For a total coast of $6/lamp (including a brand new lampshade), I'd say that isn't too bad!  I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.  I'm signing off until next week.  Happy tag sale shopping!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Bargain Hunter - Bamboo Mirror

It's that time again when tag sales are popping up all over the neighborhood!  I love a good deal and I'm somewhat of a tag sale junkie.  Mind you, I am never the 'early bird', but if my schedule allows it I try to hit 1 or 2 sales over the weekend.  This past weekend I scored several treasures.  Treasure #1 - the faux bamboo mirror.
Only $8!  I'm going to have to paint it, but for $8 I couldn't pass it up. Here are some inspiration pictures:




Stay tuned...more treasures to come.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Painted Bamboo Beauty


This weekend I spotted this painted bamboo chest over at Southern Exposure .  Rachel is insanely talented.  The lamp on the chest is a TJ Maxx find which she pained and then painted a stencil onto the lampshade.  I absolutely love the color of the bamboo chest, her lamp upgrade and her styled vignette.  


On Saturday, I hit a couple of tag sales.  I found an artichoke accessory very similar to the one pictured above for a $1 and while I didn't find a bamboo chest, I did find something bamboo, and I'm beyond ecstatic.  Stay tuned....

Friday, May 14, 2010

DIY: Fabric Wrapped Headboard

I saw Rita Konig's bedroom earlier this week over here .  And, fell in love.  I love the 'englishness' of it all and I love the headboard.  How sweet would that look in a guest room or a little girl's room?  Canadian House and Home has a DIY video of a fabric wrapped headboard (the shape is somewhat similar to Rita's headboard).  This looks too easy to do.....check it out here .

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Wave Hill Chair


Anyone who has visited Wave Hill , a public garden in the Bronx, can't help but notice the lawn chairs that grace the grounds.  Last year, Wave Hill decided to make them public. The Wave Hill Chair , offered through the shop at Wave Hill , is based on a chair designed by the Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld in 1918 and now part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. I was first introduced to the chair in the Country Living's April 2010 issue. It is a welcomed alternative to the standard adirondack chair. I adore it, want it and will have it several someday!  The best thing about it is that there are Wave Hill Chair plans available;  Kevin are you reading this?
The chair is handcrafted of solid pine and comes fully assembled and ready to ship for $125.  I like the bold colors.  I don't know how well pine holds up as a weather friendly wood?  If we were to make these, I might consider teak or cedar.
I also noticed that there are some modern alternatives to the adirondack out there.  
Emmet Lounge Chair at Room & Board 
Loll Designs at DWR 



Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Stripes

I have babies on the brain.  I'm planning a baby shower for a dear friend who is going to have twin girls.  I stumbled across this nursery.  How original - stripes on the ceiling.  I love the color green, yellow doors, armoire and fabric.  The before and after is pretty incredible, see here .