Happy Halloween!

We found these great images on Country Living's website and wanted to share them with you. They are actually some DIY projects that we thought would be fun to try...and add the perfect amount of whimsy to your Halloween. 

You can find information about each of these projects (and much more) here. 

We hope your Halloween is filled with lots of fun projects and sweet treats. See you tomorrow!

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all images via Country Living
photo credits clockwise from top left are: Dana Gallagher, unknown, Phillip Friedman/Stuido D, and Mikkel Vang

Sweet

I found a really cute variation on the game of Memory from the LA-based store Plastica. In this version, you can test your memory skills with thirty different images of candy. 

sweetsweets

The tasty images here make these game pieces hard to forget. Yum!

Have a great weekend!

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image via Plastica

So Glad You're Here...and other great sayings

Last week, I posted about the wall display at a West Elm store. One hour after walking into West Elm, and only a few blocks away, I spotted this display in a Gap store.

At first glance, it seems pretty typical for a clothing store. But then I noticed this one item.

Isn't that a sweet message? How nice that would be displayed in the home. It got me thinking of other messages that would be equally charming in a home.  Things like:

GOOD MORNING, SUNSHINE

YOU PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE

SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU

WELCOME TO MY HAPPY HOME

It's so easy to make this sign.  I like how it's centered with all caps graphics with a little extra space between each letter.  The white letters on a black background look good with the white matting and black frame but any color background would work well. 

It's so simple that you could even have rotating messages.  Maybe something for everyday, something special for the holidays, or even a random HAPPY TUESDAY if you felt like it.

We'd love to hear any suggestions you have for messages.  Please comment with your thoughts!

Travel the world of Hermes

I just discovered travel the world of Hermès, a special little part of the Hermès website. It is absolutely delightful! 

(I just knew it was going to be fun when this little guy with a top hat and angel wings floated across the homepage...so adorable.)

The site is fun, quirky, and beautifully designed. Full of great content too. 

Each of the thumbnails on the home page (pictured above) is a link to a unique interactive component that features a Hermès product or concept.

For instance, the page below introduces petit h, a pop-up shop that travels the world promoting favorite Hermès artists and creations not found in traditional Hermès stores. 

I think the petit h logo is fantastic.

Did you know that Hermès sells wallpaper? This part of the site actually lets you virtually "hang" your own wallpaper. 

I have to confess that I spent a lot of time playing here! So many different combinations of beautifully patterned wallpaper layered on top of each other...all with no mess!

Below you can see a section of the site that tells the stories behind iconic Hermès products, like the Kelly bag for instance. 

Did you know the bag was named after Grace Kelly?

Above is a really fun and unexpected psychedelic video of Carina Ballerina Flats floating across the screen. Mesmerizing...

Then there are these gorgeous shoes that dance across the page. (Love the orange tights and socks! Great touch.)

And since I have an obsession with silverware, I couldn't resist sharing an image of Hermès silverware. Oh my goodness, it is just stunning!

And last but certainly not least I thought this part of the site, pictured below, is really smart. Not only do they highlight their gorgeous table service, Bleus, but they offer tutorials for amazing recipes and food presentation. Beautifully delicious!

If you have some free time, I highly recommend discovering the world of Hermès. There is so much design goodness here, you won't want to leave!

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all images via the Hermès website

Special Little Details

Oh, Anthropologie, you've done it again. I am already a big fan of your clothes, furniture, and quirky, creative decor.  Now you have me swooning over tiny little details like drawer pulls!

I have been a fan of your knobs and pulls for a while now and actually purchased a few of these for a project I did last year. But now I just saw your latest arrivals and I am smitten. I want to find a dresser to paint and redo just so I can use these pulls!

library pull

fixed rope handle

inconspicuous pull

luggage pull

These pulls have so much personality.  I think I actually hear them calling to me right now, "buy me, buy me, buy me...."

Beautifully Baroque

Last weekend while at Lowe's checking out their ceiling medallions, I spotted this lovely chandelier hanging in the lighting aisle.  

image via Lowe's

It reminded me of Urban Outfitters' faux chandelier.

image via Urban Outfitters

(Wouldn't a cluster of either of these hanging lights look really great?)

Anyway, it also made me realize how much I love the baroque silhouette...and how designers are interpreting this style in new and fresh ways with modern materials. 

For example, this frame from Ikea is simply striking.

image via Ikea

And the Bourgie lamp designed by Ferruccio Laviani for Kartell is quite enchanting.

image via Architonic

I love everything in glossy black too. But West Elm's dinnerware in white is equally eye-catching.

image via West Elm

But what if you are in the mood for some color? This cardboard chandelier silhouette in bright pink from Etsy seller Seequin may do just the trick. 

image via Seequin

Whether in color, or black and white, these contemporary takes on an antique concept would add a lot of drama and impact to any room.

a clever gallery wall

While in Georgetown a few weeks ago, I walked into a West Elm store. I realized recently that my favorite stores are filled with tons of inspiration -- not just from the items for sale in the store, but also in the way that the store is merchandized and decorated. In this West Elm store, it was the wall display that caught my eye.

I have been wanting to do a gallery wall of art in my dining room and I'm looking for creative and inexpensive ways to do this. Framing can be costly but did you notice that some of the frames on this wall aren't your typical frames? Some are drawn with chalk!

My dining room walls don't have chalkboard paint on them but couldn't this same idea be done with cut-out paper? Frame shapes like these would work well:

Kvill Frame

Elliot Hammered Aluminum with Bronze 

Erica Round Antique Copper

I think the trick here is to make the frame a decorative style or a bright color so it looks obvious and intentional.

Cut paper or chalk frames are a great way to fill up a gallery wall and add a touch of whimsy to a space.  Easy to do and such a fun look.  I can't wait to try this out myself.

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top two images by The Pink Chalkboard

window fashion

Take a look at this captivating series of window displays from Parisian department store Printemps. Entitled Fashion and its Images, the stunning black and white images by photographer Bettina Rheims are paired with colorful real-life objects. Each window represents and promotes a single designer.

Ann Demeulemeester

Chloe

Dries Van Noten

Jil Sander

Maison Martin Margiela

Marni

Nina Ricci

Valentino

Did you notice the sparkly Eiffel Tower that makes an appearance here and there? I love that little detail.

My favorite is the Chloe window. What's yours?

favorite mirror of the moment

There is something about this mirror that I love.  I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

The distressed color accented with bits of gold feels perfectly unique -- like something you unearthed from an estate sale or house sale chock-full of items.  I think it's stunning. 

It's especially nice when paired with a sleek lamp in front of it.  A perfect contrast between new/modern and old...or something that looks old, at least.

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images via Ballard Designs

a quilted perch

These beautiful ottomans, designed by Danish company Hay, are composed of antique Indian saris that have been quilted together into spectacular combinations. 

Gorgeous designs, eclectic prints, and intense color make for the most perfect perch. The saris are all hand-made which adds a wonderfully personal touch. 

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all images via Hay, originally found on the retail design blog 

mast brothers chocolate

While in D.C. a few weeks ago for a friend's wedding (an absolutely beautiful affair -- congrats Grant and Kristen!), I had some time to wander around Georgetown.  Hungry, I went into Dean & Deluca and came across Mast Brothers Chocolate.  Beautifully packaged in patterned paper, these chocolate bars definitely caught my eye.

Drawn at first to their graphic packaging and clean, simple logo, I then went to their website and learned more about this great company and their craft chocolates. Their website says:

Our handcrafted chocolate begins with the most prestigious cocoa farms. Not unlike wine making, variances in the geography of farms (terroir) create one-of-a-kind chocolate. We seek to pay tribute to these unique characteristics by crafting chocolate with beans from a single farm, village or province.

Mast Brothers makes and sells their chocolate from their factory in Brooklyn.  They do factory tours, too! I wish I knew that when I was living in NYC. Sounds like such a fun activity. Imagine how divine that factory must smell!

Mast Chocolates have lots of flavor options. The Dean & Deluca I was in didn't have the Fleur de Sel or Almonds & Sea Salt flavors but I'm officially on the search for those in my hometown.  Don't they sound so delicious?

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top image by The Pink Chalkboard

bottom image via mastbrothers.com

Family Portrait

I love the silhouetted image of a little family on this beautifully letterpressed card by Tag Team Tompkins.

image by Tag Team Tompkins via Felt & Wire Shop

I think this could be really compelling in a frame and would make a great gift for a family celebrating a toddler's birthday.