Bedroom Updates.

Some changes in the bedroom since the other day. I love how there's so much more life in that space now, yet it still feels relaxing and retreat-like.

The swing arm lamps look great and make reading in bed feel like such a treat.

I picked up these framed birdies at a favorite secondhand furniture store of mine. They are full of color but are still a bit subdued. I'm using these pieces as my jump point now for additional color and will pull a green from them for the side tables. I'm seeing blue plaid or buffalo check curtains to really finish off that wall as a focal point of the space.

I also found this little guy for $5 that adds some visual interest to the floor.

Can't wait to have this space finished! So close...

Grid Art How To.

The grass cloth in our master bathroom has been crying out for some art.

I wanted to keep it inexpensive but not skimp on size. A collection of images hung in a grid pattern did the trick!



The frames were $6 each at Michaels. I bought a Birds of the Wetlands book at a local discount store for $4. (Sidenote: loving the graphic quality of the flocks of birds!!) Any coffee table book should be full of images great for framing. So for around $40 I got six pieces of art, that combined take up a substantial amount of wall space. How great would it be to double the amount of frames and hang this over a sofa?! The book has so many more beautiful images I didn't use. Huge impact for under $100!

Now for the tedious task of getting them from this...

to this.

I tried a new method for hanging a grid collection.

Basically I laid out the grouping of frames the way I wanted them to look on the wall (only image side face down on the ground).

Then I laid a piece of clear plastic larger than the collection over the grouping and traced the frames and marked where nails needed to be placed based on hook location.

Then I hung the plastic on the wall and hammered in nails where the marks suggested.

That being said, this method wasn't perfect. I think part of this is to blame on the fact that the plastic I used was crinkly. If you use a fresh piece of wax paper I think you'd get better results. Since this method wasn't perfect, I used one of my favorite apps for some additional help. Have you guys heard of the GyroLeveler? I don't even carry a leveler with me anymore. This free app works so well I was even able to use it when I installed subway tile in the half bath.

Even prettier when you get a double dose reflected in the mirror!

If Jackson Pollock, Wassily Kandinsky, and Julia Child Procreated and Let their Three Year Old Finger Paint.

This past weekend was great! I headed down to Cincinnati to visit a sweet friend of mine. The weekend involved donning super stylish pretzel necklaces at Beerfest, meeting Ryan Gosling (yes, that's right! Basically perfection in human form and nice as could be), and window shopping in the best boutiques. An impromptu stop into Anthropologie had me re-thinking the direction for the giant paintings I wanted to create for my living room.

Last night sometime in between the Avett Brothers and Nora Jones performing at the Grammy's, I was not only inspired but also completed the piece above! Here is the quick process I took to create this piece that I can't help but gush over. My heart is seriously swelling over the colors and messy-but-great nature of the piece.

Start with this. Yup, Craft Paper.


Drizzle paint on the paper. The more haphazard the better! Very Pollock-esque.


Blend the paint together. I used a (wait for it) potato masher. Enter Julia Child. I could have used a paint knife I had, but because the scale was so big, the potato masher worked best to spread the paint.


P.S. And oh yeah, for those of you who don't know. Kandinsky is a famous artist whose parents were professional musicians. He was constantly surrounded my melodic tunes, and although he was also supposed to become a musican, he had different plans. His love of art was too strong to deny; he combined his two loves and would listen to music for inspiration while painting. Brilliant musical tunes perfumed the air yesterday while I was creating and I couldn't help but channel a little inner Kandinsky.

Eye Candy.

One Kings Lane is currently having a Tastemaker Tag Sale Blowout and I stumbled accross this piece of art below. I was drawn to the colors and graphic nature of the splattered and dripping paint. It was sold by the time I visited the sale (not that I could have afforded it anyway at $799) but I was left very curious about this artist Lana Gomez.

(via One Kings Lane)

After signing off OKL, I headed straight for google to find out more about Gomez. Interestingly enough, I have loved her work long before I could identify it! You see, there's this one designer who I admire just a tiny bit who has used Lana's work in projects before...


Yes, that's right, a piece steals the show in Kelly Wearstler's amazing office. (Image via 1st Dibs)


After doing more research and devouring Gomez's gorgeous site, I discovered that back in 2008, she had a show in LA titled "Eye Candy". That is exactly what her work is. It's visually stunning and hard to take your eyes off of once you've gotten a glimpse. Here are a few of the many examples:




(Above images via here)
Be sure to check Gomez's site for so many more examples. Seriously guys, each piece is better than the last!

There are two giant areas in my living room that have been calling out for art for months now. I knew I would fill the areas with paintings, specifically something abstract and colorful. I think this Lana Gomez art is just the inspiration I need. I already own a roll of canvas and I'll tap into my paint collection that seems to outgrow every new (and larger) home I find for it. And the fact that I can do this project for a whopping zero dollars is amazing! I can live with that! Check back for afters of my Gomez inspired art later this week. Wish me luck!

P.S. Most things at the OKL sale are already sold. But be sure to check before 11 tomorrow when the sale officially ends.

The Art of Clothes.

A shout out to all the clothing loving ladies out there. Here's a way to surround yourself with the things you love, even outside your closet.

Erica over at Moth Design created this inspired closet. I think I can safely say, "Every girl's dream."


A fashion driven stack of books from the latest Lonny.


Sorry for the poor quality, but I was taken when I saw that one of the Housewives of Beverly Hills has framed her wedding gown and placed it at the end of a mammoth hallway. A gorgeous reminder of your special day. And a great way to get more use out of the most expensive piece of clothing most ladies will ever own.


Quirky and fun. And a perfect combo with that orange lacquered chair and Parsons desk. Via Zuburbia.


This piece over the mantle was created by enlarging a photo of a sequined skirt. It looks like a fancy, beautiful piece of art, but to the owner of that home it holds even more personal meaning. For a closer look, click here.


Incase you're wondering, those are my grandma's shoes from the 70's. They're one of my favorite pieces I own. They've definitely gained a permanent spot on my ever changing shelves.

Oldies but goodies.

Last night I hung out with some old friends from high school who are in town for the holidays. It was so great to catch up and reminisce over cocktails. The greatest thing about old friends is the easy way you slip back into conversation and the comforts of friendship. Even if we haven't seen each other in a year, within seconds of reuniting it's like nothing ever changed.

So with that in mind, I decided to revisit an old favorite in the shelter publication category. Although Blueprint is no longer with us (RIP sweet magazine), here are a few of my favorite images from its glossy pages.


(Easily my favorite image from Blueprint. I love the graphic nature of these prints. And cheers to finding art in the everyday. Andy Warhol would be proud.)


(Again, simple and ordinary turned fab. Love those red lacquered stumps.)


(Styled to perfection.)


(Pure girlie bliss.)


(Strength in numbers. Love all the vintage fashion mag covers.)

Uncork the fun. (Cork walls)

Domino featured cork more than once, and every time I loved it. It's such a classic material, but something about using it on a wall is strikingly innovative and fresh. And I love how it allows so much space for displaying a few a million pictures, be it art, photographs, or favorite keepsakes from a life well-lived.




(Peonies annnnd a cork covered lamp with photobooth pictures and a vintage broach attached to it. Sigh.)



P.S. It's used in wine. It must be good, right? :)



(***Images via Domino. Last image me.***)

Come on baby, light my fire.

I love the bold, saturated colors of these vintage matchbooks archived with The Boston Public Library. Find them here and marvel over all the beautiful, classic designs. Preppy and quirky at the same time, wouldn’t they look great blown up and grouped on a wall. They would exude such an effortless glamour of an era gone-by. Or wouldn’t one be so tongue and cheek in the best way resting inside of a (non-working) fireplace