Feeling Busty?

It was literally months ago that I spied this fabulous, fanciful idea to adorn a wonderful vintage bust with a festive smattering of shells. I've not been able to get it out of my mind ever since. I love the craggy textures of those natural shells against the alabaster smooth carved busts. Such a dramatic statement!

Better still, I realized that we are busting at the seams (yes, pun intended) with these carved beauties in the MiNTY shop. I'm feeling a DIY coming on. How 'bout you? A little glue gun action and you too can have yourself a one-of-a-kind statement piece that will turn even the most bland corner of your home into a fine gallery. Take your pick....

The utterly breathtaking busts were spotted on And George. Take a peep at this post for all the details. And if you do not have a supply of sea shells readily at hand, visit the great land of eBay to stock up on every shape and size imaginable.

{And George photographs via Christy Ford}

When all else fails...

line your drawers with happy paper!

I think I shall dub this the week of, things that make me smile. Happy Tuesday!

{image via Pink Wallpaper}

It's Fracking Brilliant + An Update

This is what you get when you combine...

This...
And this...

Impressed? I am.

That's right, an IKEA FRACK mirror ($4.99!) and some basic lighting components yield a fabulously stylish bedside fixture. The genius behind this terrific IKEA hack, Daniel of Manhattan Nest, managed to pull this project off in about 15 minutes for less than $20. I am no queen of DIY, but this one seems so straightforward and the results so great, I might just give it a-go. See the complete tutorial, here.

In other news, we were all so smitten with the gorgeous floor in Tia Zoldan's latest spread in Better Homes & Gardens, I felt the need to contact Tia and get all the details. True to her generous nature, Tia shared the details about those beautiful black pavers. The tiles are from Mission Tile West in Pasadena, California. Tia explains that they are heavy cement pavers which she sealed in a high gloss sealer (brilliant!) for that spectacular shiny finish. The tiles are called San Felipe, square edge, 10 1/2 x 10 1/2 in Jet Black. Vendor #60. If you are interested in more information, Tia's contact person at the showroom is Melissa Sammartano and she can be be reached at (626)799-4595, ext.#227.

Thanks, Tia! Be sure to check out Tia's blog, The Roof Over My Head. She promises to post more pictures soon. Or, if you're impatient like I am, run out and purchase the latest issue of BH&G, you won't be disappointed!

Guest Blogging: A little DIY over at Pure Style Home

As many of you probably know, the lovely Lauren gave birth to another beautiful Pure Style Baby a few months ago. And even though adding a new member to her already gorgeous family hasn't seemed to slow her down one little bit, she asked a few blogging friends to lighten her load and contribute a weekly guest post. I'm flattered to have been one of those and inspired by Lauren's always crafty DIY ideas, I put together a DIY of my own. I'd love it if you'd hop on over and check out what I've been cooking up. Read more about it here.

Thanks so much Lauren for giving me the swift kick in the tush I needed to finish up this project. And for those of you stopping by from Pure Style Home, welcome I'm thrilled you popped in for a visit. Feel free to take a look around.

By the way, I'm not quite back from vacay just yet, but I'll see you soon!

Now why didn't I think of that?

I don't normally post on the weekend, but I just spotted this clever, and great-looking, kitchen over on Apartment Therapy and I just had to share. Do you see that smart locker application? Yep, a set of six half-sized lockers was recessed into the wall between their kitchen and powder room. And voila, an instant pantry with fantastic style. Such a great idea! And those blue kitchen cabinets aren't too shabby either. This one is definitely going into the memory bank.

{See it here}

Farmhouse Living: "an old-fashioned, newfangled home"

What happens when two stylists with a lot of chutzpah and a little cash set their sights on a farmhouses from the 1800's? Magic, that's what. With a lot of elbow grease and determination they brought this ramshackle cottage back to life and turned it into a simple, stylish and lovely family home.

{images via Country Living, see and read more here}

High/Low

One of my most favorite pieces in our home is an old little work table that my fabulous father-in-law found, literally in pieces, discarded at a construction site. The dear man knows me well, reeeally well and so he knew better than to leave this little nugget of goodness behind. Of course, when he brought it home and told me he found something he knew I would LOVE, The Man in my life could sniff a project in the works. He was less than enthused. Hence, the little- table-that-could sat in a pile in the corner of our unfinished basement, legs disconnected and tabletop stained with years of use. And then one day a couple of years back, we decided that 1,700 square feet was too much space to dedicate to the art of web spinning. So we evicted the spiders and set out on the exciting road of finishing the basement.

Well the basement was completed after not-too-much blood, sweat, and tears and then, of course, it was time for the best part, decorating! Lo and behold, there was the sad little table in the corner just waiting to shine. So one sunny day I asked (begged) the Mister and my dear FIL to please sand off the years of grime and put that little guy back together again. They did and much to the shock and dismay of my sweet mister, he had to eat his words. He liked the table after all, he really did.

Our original thoughts were to stain it or possibly wax it and seal the wood. But we liked the natural color and smooth texture so much, we decided to just let it be. And that brings me to this post. The other day I came across a shot of the first table in the line up, The Craft Table with Paper Holder from Organize.com. Well I quietly chuckled and patted myself on the back. And here comes the High ($1099.99) and the Low (mine) (free) comparison. I'd say I got a pretty good deal.

We added the paper roll to ours so that we could protect the surface when using the table as a buffet and as a surface for projects when the kiddos wanted to play. The paper roll and holder were purchased from IKEA for mere pennies and with a couple of screws, voila, not a bad imitation of the more pricey version. I must say, I just love our little table-that-could!

And here's an idea...the last shot is of an ever-so-chic tapas party via Martha. I love how the brown paper makes the tabletop fun and casual yet still very grown-up. Take a look at the "placecards." Looks like they stamped the bottom of the glass in ink, or perhaps even wine, and then wrote the guests name in the circle. Love that!

{first image via Organize.com, last image spotted on Semigloss Chic, the rest are mine}

Smitten

I love this charming nursery. It seems like such a personal space filled with so many delightful and carefully chosen objects. It doesn't hurt that dad is a senior graphic designer at Urban Outfitters, but even so, I adore the eclectic mix and all the attention to detail. What a lucky little lady to reside in such a special room.

{all images via grayhood}

I just had to share...

I found a link to this awesome site on an equally awesome, new-to-me blog today. And well, I just had to share. First, let me say that I am a complete idiot when it comes to technology. So I'm amazed that I was able to make this in no time flat and it was absolutely easy peasy and so much fun to boot. With a little imagination and time, I think the results would be fantastic! Oh, and did I happen to mention it was free. Yep, I said free! So thank you Erin for sending me in the direction of Jennifer who shared the wonderful link to Animoto. Now go and put a little video together yourself, see if you can resist. Oh yeah, do share your results!

{video by me of the boys and their cousins}

For Real

So you all know that I love interiors, design, architecture and all the good things that make up this trifecta. And of course I adore beautifully styled, professionally photographed spaces done on "unlimited" budgets. After all, who doesn't love to live vicariously through these spaces? But, that being said, I'm totally head-over-heels for a creatively designed room put together on a "real" person's budget with a big whammy of an outcome. Something along the lines of the above images.

This home is not culled from the pages of a magazine, although I think it deserves a full spread. Instead, it was styled and photographed by Lori Andrews, a.k.a. the 10 cent designer. I love the amazing expanses of white punctuated by the glorious, albeit subtle, explosions of color. So beautifully done and better yet, inspiration that is attainable. Nice work Mrs. Andrews and that's my ten cents worth.

{images posted with permission via the ten cent designer's flickr stream}

{lovely home spotted on the equally lovely blog: Hashai, check it out, there's some seriously incredible remodeling going on here!}

{p.s.} {Have a beautiful weekend!}

DIY

This charming Catskills cottage was purchased and renovated on a shoestring budget. Granted the place was in a rather sad state, hence the $95,000 price tag. But considering it came with 8 and a half wooded acres and a barn to boot, I'd say that was a pretty. darn. good. deal. Throw in a pair of novice, but handy twenty-something New Yorkers with big dreams and you've got yourself a sweet DIY retreat. When I say this was done on a shoestring budget, I'm not exaggerating. The couple did virtually all repairs and fix-ups on their own and spent $12,352 on the renovations and decorating combined. Amazing what a little confidence, some really good sleuthing skills and a touch of elbow grease can accomplish. I'm duly impressed. Read the entire story here.

{all images via NY Times}