Boo!! Happy Halloween!! So, excited to bring you this DIY today that my awesome friend Gaby from the Vault Files and I worked on together. Well, we collaborated on the idea and then worked on our pieces independently (I wish Toronto were closer!). I worked on a sweatshirt and she worked on a chambray shirt both inspired by 'now sold-out' J.Crew pieces (This is the one that had me drooling). I adore my new sweatshirt and have been wearing it non-stop. I won't lie, it took a while to sew on all the little beads. But I have to say it was kind of therapeutic. Ready?
There is nothing like a handwritten note. But a handwritten note on Kelly Wearstler stationery??!! Well, that is really SOMETHING. I was thrilled when I learned about this from my friend Erika over at Smallshop. I eat her blog up as if it were Halloween candy because she only shares the best and coolest things. After I read her post I immediately started playing around with the designs available from Kelly Wearstler's collection for Paperless Post to see which one I really needed. The invitations are also amazing. (And just to be clear, because I have friends who live under rocks, Paperless Post does do PRINTED invites and stationery its not just virtual anymore.)
It's only Tuesday but I can't wait till Friday. Not because it will finally be the weekend but because my fabulous friend, Marian Lefeld, will be displaying her recent and archival works at her home (in Preston Hollow). The best part? They will be for sale! If you are in the Dallas area and love art please stop by and have a glass of wine with us. Her work is dramatic, colorful, and so powerful. You will love meeting Marian and seeing these beautiful pieces. I love gatherings like these because they are all about the creation of sentiment and beauty and you all know how much I love art and meeting the artist is such an integral part of the art buying experience.
[ Serena and Lily Wallpaper cherry wallpaper | chandelier | paper tassel garland | sunburst mirror | malm chest | ring pull hardware | Ikea Nils stool | purple chevron fabric | Lulu and Georgia rug ]
I sometimes look at catalogs with my daughter. We talk about things we like and things we don't as much. It's cute seeing what catches her eye. Of course, if its pink and sparkly chances are she wants it. So when we talk about her bigger girl room aside from wanting zebras somewhere (I'm glad there are some cute fabrics and wallpaper that will do the trick) we don't agree on much (ie "No we will have no peace-sign fabric upholstered headboards"). So, I have tried channeling her inner designer into a more hidden and smaller space- Her future 'small' but nonetheless- 'walk-in-closet'.
[ .01 | .02 | .03 | .04 | .05 | .06 | .07 | .08 | .09 | .10 | .11 |.12]
The drama, the contrast, the organic veins- I adore marble. And more and more I see it taking center stage in both home decor and even fashion. Here are some cute items to leave you lusting. It's solid, strong, and sexy. Marble really adds drama and glamour instantly. How cool would a library look filled with books covered in marble contact paper?
Isn't this a pretty sight? A beautiful collection of vintage framed scarves. Perfect for a girl's room, a nursery, or for your mantel I'm loving these framed beauties today. You may remember my blogger friend Kristen, from Just a Girl and her Little Dog, well she just started an online store, K.R.T Home and my favorite items? You guessed it- scarf art.
This book is a treasure. A true insider's guide to creating beauty. Howard Slatkin's attention to detail is refreshing and his narration of the project is educational and entertaining. When I received this beauty wrapped so thoughtfully with such a sweet handwritten note, I knew I needed to reserve a special time in my day to go through it. The book and his apartment are without a doubt a labor of love. The book absorbs you into this beautiful world of luxury. I highly recommend it- it's not just another coffee table book, it's a coffee table you actually want to READ through! And let me tell you, I found it riveting.
Slatkin takes you through the entire project- from how he found the apartment, the design hurdles he had to overcome, the reasons behind his design decisions, the inspiration behind the rooms. Every bit of this book is beautiful because his view of the world is beautiful- its all about patience and refinement and truly enjoying the process. This is a welcome change in philosophy from today's disposable society.
Before I show you photos of his home I wanted to welcome you to this post much like Howard welcomes his guests and readers....with a glass of champagne (virtual in this case of course!!)
[ For the Home: Layla Grayce California Sofa $2,625/Worlds Away Gold Leaf Mirror $1,305/Lavender Velvet Throw Pillow Cover $92/Leopard Velvet Throw Pillow Cover $70/Tibetan Lamb X-Bench $800/Lavender Alfredo Barbini Lamp $1st Dibs/Flora Side Table $938/Kate Ridder Rooms $50/Luduree Almanac $24.95]
[For the Wardrobe: Furbish Studio Reese Bib Necklace $30/Acne Wave Denim Shirt $260/Sleeveless Faux Fur Vest $64.20/Chloe Marcie Medium Tote $1895/Paige Distressed Skinny Jeans $230/Enzo Angiolini Heels $110]
So excited to have the eleventh edition of the "We love" series. Here was the last post in the series in case you missed it. To refresh your memory Sam from The Peak of Tres Chic and I
will be gathering inspiration under a certain theme a
couple of times a month and sharing it with you. Sam will guest post here in my blog and I will post at Sam's. I guess you could say we are swapping for the day. This time around its all about a 'Touch of Fur'
I love designer that infuses personality in a room, that can be bold yet classic and always creates a unique space. Philip Gorrivan does all this and more. Anyone who can pull off a living room with lilac walls sure has my attention. These are just some of my faves-
I can't tell you how glad I'm that it's Friday. Phew! That was one crazy week. I was smitten by this image- the composition, the sense of movement, the color, the wild shoes I would never wear but admire. And of course the beautiful Hermes croc bag had me at "H"ello. It is very similar to a bag that used to be my grandmother's and was passed down to me. I love it and wear it all the time. It's so chic and just reminds me of her. I can picture her wearing her fuschia lipstick and her heavy perfume waiting by the door, waiting for the rest of us to be ready. She was always ready. Up for anything, at any time and before any of us knew what we were even up to. So, about this bag that was passed down to me- its a knock-off. A good, expensive one at that (not made in China), but made in Italy with beautiful croc leather. It even has the brand in the inside (so, no it doesn't say Hermes). Here is my question- Do you have any knock-offs in your closet? Would you? Could you? Is it a sin? not so terrible? But of course I have some!
I finally bought some pumpkins! I adore having them in the house it just makes fall more real. And we are having a little cold front which is exciting. Fall is officially in the air. We usually carve one of the pumpkins near Halloween night and put a candle inside. I love the shadows it casts. After we make pumpkin soup and some other form of pumpkin food and boy have I been compiling some good recipes off of Pinterest that have me pining for pumpkin goodness like this and this recipe). But carving a pumpkin is HARD work! So I'm loving all these no carve pumpkin decorating ideas. Love what Style Within Reach is coming up with using paints, sequins, and sparkles. Also, Erika from Smallshop did some fab ones last year.
The Texas Fair is big and fun. It's once a year and they always have the best fried anything you can imagine (or least they tell me this, I just like getting cotton candy). Our dear and sweet friend Lily from Gold and Gray jewelry often visits the area from L.A. and Elizabeth and I put our heads together on a fun photoshoot we could do with her to showcase some of her beautiful pieces (highly coveting this one lately!). And what could be more fun than a day at the fair? ( I have yet to take my daughter this year, don't tell her I already went without her!).
Apart from taking the photos it's hard to decide which ones are worth editing, and then which ones are the best ones to post. A good photo can be good because the composition is great, or because it captures a unique moment that communicates something special, or because it the lighting is perfect...there are many different reasons why one would consider a photo to be a good one. So this is my humble effort to chose the best ones out of more than 300 photos- Enjoy the arm and neck parties we styled with all those Gold and Gray designs.
I haven't done these in a while, an Art to Outfit post I mean. I was especially inspired by this painting by Aleksandra Getsko (she has other fabulous works you can see here) as I was browsing Saatchi Online. Have you browsed this site? It's incredible! I had seen some images pinned to pinterest but was always intimidated by it and assumed it was very expensive art, but it's not really. It has a great mix of prices. This piece for example is $700. Not sure why I was attracted to this piece so strongly. I really like the simplicity of the lines and the composition, yet it reflects great strength, in my opinion. I'm usually drawn to very organic abstract pieces but I'm really enjoying the structure and orderliness here.
Happy Columbus day weekend! We had such an exciting weekend as Little
Miss A. lost her first tooth. Oh my! We don't really have a tooth
fairy come visit us in this home but a little mouse instead....El Ratoncito Perez. This tradition of the little mouse began in Madrid in the late 1890s when writer Luis Coloma was commissioned to write a story to Alfonso XIII (who was king from birth) as he had just lost a tooth. It is interesting how traditions
[ Pamplemousse designed living room | gold and black polka dot flats | Black and white sweater | garment rack | crowned fox container | set of three candleholders | black and gray sweater | Gold, black and blush platform shoes ]
We are just starting to get some crisper air here in Dallas with chilly mornings (and by chilly I mean you need a sweater, but just till 11 am then it gets pretty hot). I love that the air gently reminds us that fall weather will be here soon. The blazers, the scarves, the boots, the less frizzy hair (yes!).....these are just a few things on my mind-
I'm sure like me you have all noticed how headboards have been getting taller and larger. Some taking up almost the entire wall behind the bed. I love this trend and the fact that the headboards have such intricate shapes just make the bedroom all the more interesting. But how do you decorate above your headboard if your headboard is not that tall? We got our headboard back in 2005 when this was not trend. So ours is regular sized, although it seems short in comparison to today's standards. But I have no plans on switching it out. I really adore it. And it was one of those decorating splurges we made when we got married- an investment piece if you will. I have been thinking about this for a while....what am I going to do with all that space above the bed? If you remember from past posts....this is my headboard now (you can't see it in its entirety but you can see that it's low)-
So excited to have the tenth edition of the "We love" series. Here was the last post in the series in case you missed it. To refresh your memory Sam from The Peak of Tres Chic and I
will be gathering inspiration under a certain theme a
couple of times a month and sharing it with you. Sam will guest post here in my blog and I will post at Sam's. I guess you could say we are swapping for the day. This time around its all about Shades of Blue!!
My daughter is an artist. She loves to paint and draw. And as a result I have sooooooooo much beautiful artwork. She is VERY prolific. I just don't know what to do with it all. I wish I could frame everything, but its just not possible (definitely not enough wall space). So, I'm always on the lookout for ideas to showcase her work in other creative ways. So I was thrilled to find this fabulous DIY- make greeting cards out of artwork. This solution is ideal. I used Moo.com- they have the capability to print different designs within the same pack. Fabulous! and exactly what I needed! It's was so easy too. First, you scan all the drawings
If you love room makeovers you will love the One Room Challenge that is currently taking place in the blog world. Linda, from Calling it Home, orchestrates this One Room Challenge a couple times a year where certain bloggers will record their step-by-step makeovers in 6 weeks with an update every Wednesday. Linda's challenge has gotten so much positive feedback and inquiries of people wanting to participate that, for the first time, she has created an opportunity for other bloggers to follow-along and share their own makeovers through a link party. I have gone through all 56 link party entries and have chosen my 6 favorite projects which I want to introduce to you today. I look forward to seeing how their projects progress. Here we go....in no particular order.....
I was floored when I saw this couch. Perfect shape, perfect fabric (they make wallpaper in this same pattern as well). I just pictured myself running and jumping right in it as if it were a pool and just snuggling here with a good book. This is pure coziness in my book. And then to make matters worse I spotted this imitation of the Serge Mouille sconce, on which I have been crushing on for a while. The real deal is prohibitively expensive (see here) so I was literally jumping on one leg when I saw this version. Anyhoo....someone please buy this sconce....it has such a good price, well at least in comparison to the real one, and it looks exactly the same.
There is so much information available in today's world that sometimes you need to see things a few times to really notice something. I was reviewing David Jimenez's Kansas city home and really got to appreciate every little detail this second time around so much more. I love his use of screens, pedestals, gallery walls, moldings, and wall colors. Did I mention wall colors?
I spotted my fuchsia pagoda pillow making its debut in Charleston! This cute store started carrying Society Social pieces, and well, my pillow made its debut here! Eeek! So excited! It looks lovely here, yes? What a happy gathering of color.