Marimekko Wallpaper

I am a huge fan of Marimekko.  It all started when I was a little girl and my very first bedding was a colorful Marimekko print.  Through the years I've become an even bigger fan and was delighted to come across this recently -- Marimekko wallpaper!  I had no idea they sold that.  Here are my favorites:

The most recognizable Marimekko pattern is is this one

but I prefer it in black, white and green.  I think it would make a really bold statement wall in a family room.

Love that punchy green.

Subtle and relaxing for a master bedroom

or kicked up a bit for a colorful burst.

I believe these are illustrations of a cocoa tree, but they remind me of pea pods and make me think of the kitchen.  I think this would look nice in a modern white kitchen with stainless appliances.  So lovely.

Happy wallpapering!

Jillian

All You Need Is Love

I am a huge Beatles fan and I love this print from the Keep Calm Gallery.

Image via Keep Calm Gallery. Print by Douglas Wilson.

So I was really excited when I saw this new bedding from Urban Outfitters.

Image via Urban Outfitters.

It just made me smile!

Absolution

As much as I like color, I'm also a big fan of graphic black and white.  I'm loving this packaging from Absolution.  A collection of these products grouped together on a bathroom shelf would be just gorgeous.

Jillian

Rocking Chair

I love to decoupage furniture. For the past several years I have been decoupaging small children's chairs, adding a stuffed animal and some other items, and giving them as gifts to new moms. Here is one of my favorites:

So, when my boyfriend and I decided to move in together and before we had any idea of where we were going to live, I decided that I wanted to decoupage a piece of furniture for us. I knew that no matter how we ended up decorating, this piece would add "just the right amount of whimsy" to our space (to quote our favorite designer, Sarah Richardson!).

At the same time I also was really inspired by this post I saw on Decor8 about a beautiful shop in London, Squint, and specifically this gorgeous rocking chair (which is upholstered instead of decoupaged--not ready to try that yet!)

Image via Squint. 

We had an old rocking chair that looked like this:

And after many hours and several bottles of Mod Podge, became this!

I used lots of patterned paper from Dick Blick and the black and white toile is some leftover wallpaper that my mom had.

And here it is in place in our apartment (next to a little treasure chest that my mom had decoupaged years ago):

What do you think? Inspired to decoupage?

Stina Persson

I think Stina Persson's work is just gorgeous.  Her watercolors are breathtaking and her use of color is phenomenal.  Whether depicting people, plants, bags or shoes, she captures her subjects in such a special and whimsical way.

Aren't they beautiful?

Jillian

Cupcake Commercial

Do you pay attention to commercials anymore? I watch TV mostly using our DVR, so I thought I stopped watching commercials. But recently as I was fast forwarding, this one commercial for QuickBooks (of all things) caught my eye.

The concept is a cupcake bakery. Check out the set:

Image via Intuit.

I love the black, white, and gray scheme, marble counters and table tops, metal cake stands, the chalkboard, polka dot chairs, and of course the cupcakes themselves. Even the aprons hanging on the wall in the back corner are sweet.

And to top it all off, how cute is the logo on the exterior signage? LOVE IT!!!

Image via Intuit.

I wish this place really existed!

Purl

This post from a few weeks ago reminded me of a store I used to go to in New York called Purl.  I don't know how to crochet or knit but every time I would walk past that store it always drew me in.  I loved the colorful yarn and thread in the shop and being in the shop always gave me a feel-good feeling.  I get that same feeling when I look at these colorful images from their website.

 Aren't they pretty?

Jillian

Thomaspaul

I love the designer Thomas Paul. It all started with this purchase from Target a couple of years ago:

And I just fell in love with the bird print but I didn't know who the designer was until I spotted these lovelies:

and since then, I've been such a huge fan! I found his print at Calico Corners and would love to make some throw pillows in orange and aqua to complement our orange chair.

When we moved into our apartment this past summer, I bought this fun tray at Open House.

Here are some other great Thomaspaul items that I have had my eye on. 

How fun would it be to pull out this makeup bag every morning?

Above images via Amazon.

These pillows would look so cute on the couch:

I've had my eye on this little guy for a while now:

And check out the new Java Philadelphia Tea Towel that is now available!

I really can't get enough of this designer!!! Pretty great, don't you think?
Mindy

Patterns!

A few days ago, I received this image in an email from West Elm.

I love the mismatched grouping of all of these patterns together and find it really inspirational.  In fact, what I would like to do is frame these patterns and use it as artwork.  Imagine a grouping of 8 Ikea Ribba frames (4 on top and 4 below), each filled with a different one of these patterns.  The grouping would be super eye-catching and oh so pretty behind a long couch.

Jillian

Twirl

I have been loving Kate Spade recently. I bought their Twirl perfume last year. Not only do I love the scent but the packaging is fantastic. Gold polka dot confetti on the bottle? Perfect.

I have been admiring the Twirl necklace for several months now too.

I think I'm ready for a new purchase. So cute, right?

Have a twirly day!

The Land of Nod

Hi Mindy,

When I was in college, my favorite graphic design class was Packaging.  Our very first project -- to design a shopping bag for a new store that we came up with -- was what started my love of Packaging.  The store I made up was a sleep store for kids and while I was working on that, my professor brought me a catalog that she had at home called The Land of Nod.  The magazine was magical.  Beautiful furniture, bedding, and playthings for kids that were accompanied by clever product names and quotes from young kids.  For example, the back cover of the catalog said something like this:

Reviews for this book:

I like the pretty pictures -- Emily, age 6
I want my mommy -- Sophie, age 4
I have to pee -- Matthew, age 3

I just loved it and it always stuck with me.  A few years ago, I was delighted to see that Crate & Barrel stores had the catalog in-store and now it is sent to my house every few months.  In their latest catalog, it struck me how many of their items would be great in any room of the home, not just in a kid's room.  Here are the items that caught my eye:

Pretty in a bedroom but this would be happy and fun in a sun room as well.

I always gravitate towards simple, graphic posters.

This pillow is awfully similar to this and this, don't you think?

With its subtle pattern in tonal colors, I was considering this gray rug for my den.

Sarah Richardson often talks about adding a touch of whimsy to rooms and I think these pillows would fit that bill.  A bird or a robot on your living room couch?

Fun indeed.

Jillian

Details by Lili Diallo

I received this book for my birthday from my mom. I love, love, love it! It is all about styling your home.

Image by Annie Schlechter.

Lili Diallo, the author, used to work at Domino among other fabulous publications. She is so good!! The photos throughout the book by Annie Schlechter are amazing. I love the layout by VSA Partners too.

One of my favorite and most simple styling tips can be found on pages 28-29. Lili added a hot pink pillow to her rust colored sofa. I ordered a swatch of this bright pink linen fabric and am thinking of covering this cushion and adding it to our couch. That color feels like a pop of happiness to me and perfect for the summer.

It's definitely worth a look!

20x200

Hi Mindy,

I know you like to peruse Etsy a lot to see what great things you can find.  One of my favorite sites to look at is 20x200.  Every few weeks I look through the art work featured there and I always stop at this gorgeous print by Jessica Snow.  Every time I look at it I smile.  And I've looked at it a lot.  I think it may be time to purchase this colorful, happy print.

Jillian