Happy Labor Day!

Time for one last summer swim in the pool, trip down the water slide or ride on the ferris wheel.

Hope you live it up this holiday weekend and enjoy! See you back here next week.

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Casino's Employee Day by Jeremy Kohm via 20x200

A pretty thought for a Thursday

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A Thing of Beauty by Chase and Wonder via Keep Calm Gallery

The Painted Hive

I love discovering new blogs (or I should say new to me blogs) that are clever, creative and inspiring. I recently found The Painted Hive and am very much enjoying exploring the site. Check out this beautiful Ikea hack.

Are you familiar with Ikea hacks? Talk about clever – rethinking and recreating Ikea items into new and unique products. This Ikea hack I think is one of the best I've seen.

And then check out the before and after on this light. Isn't it amazing?

Proof that creativity and a little effort can make some really unique items for your home. Be sure to check out The Painted Hive for the how-tos and for post after post of inspiration!

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all images from The Painted Hive
Ikea hack card file drawers
sconce light makeover - industrial cage style

Another Colorful Collection

On a recent trip to Ikea, I saw this hanging from the ceiling.

Isn't it cool that this work of art is actually an area rug? I just love it! Great design and I love this pop of pink. (This product even has a complementary fabric design, check it out here!)

It turns out that Ikea has lots of colorful rugs this season, so I thought I would introduce you to my version of a colorful collection, inspired by Jillian's original colorful collection.

This selection reminds me a lot of the abstract pieces of art that Jillian posts about from time to time and I think they even inspire a DIY canvas project. I can't wait to give it a try...

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all images via Ikea
Tradklover
Ikea PS 2012
Malin Figur
Malin Trad
Vannerna Rund
Skarum 

Jewelry for the Home

Looking for a statement piece for your home that is uniquely you? Check out what I saw recently at my local Anthropologie store.

Adorning a vase with necklaces is a simple idea. Certainly this is super pretty with layers and layers of large jewels hanging around an extra large vessel. But think of the ways you could use your own jewelry collection throughout your house – a grouping of necklaces around a vase, a few choice pieces hanging from a doorknob, or a single strand of something special hung as part of a gallery wall.

It's a great reminder to show off what you have — all while making your home a more interesting space and prettier place.

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photos by The Pink Chalkboard

Sweet as Sugar

I first posted about the design and letterpress company Sugar Paper a couple of weeks ago, here, and just received the greeting cards that I ordered. I must confess that I am completely smitten with their work!

Just take a look at the thought and care put into this packaging goodness.

Handwritten thank you notes accompanying your order are definitely the way to go, and this sweet little note was written on really nice, thick card stock with scalloped edges. Attached (with a gold paper clip!) is one of their tiny letterpressed business cards which is so sweet, especially because the edges are printed in the same pale pink as the type on their cards. Oh my goodness, I just love little details like that!

Yet another thank you card was included on top of the assortment that I ordered, and wrapped in a simple, white grossgrain ribbon. Seriously, so simple, sweet and perfect.

And that's just the packaging...the greeting cards themselves are sensational!

You see why I am in design heaven, right?

I ended up purchasing a bunch of You're Awesome and Happy For You cards this time but I think some Yay's and My Bestie cards are in my future. How can I resist hot pink envelopes lined with gold polka-dotted paper?

I am so excited to send out these lovelies!! Thank you, Sugar Paper. You're awesome!

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images by The Pink Chalkboard

Cozy Knits and Textures

I know it's still August and wintry, cold days are far from most people's thoughts, but I was just looking through CB2's latest catalog and these cozy knits and textures totally got my attention. That charcoal basket especially just looks so inviting. Is it strange that I actually want to get in and curl up in it?

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all images via CB2
poodle pouf
2-piece caterpillar basket set

Foodie Prints from Tartella

After Monday's post I'm feeling inspired by all things culinary.  These sweet letterpressed prints from Tartella would make a great artistic addition to any kitchen.

I actually have this last one hanging in my kitchen. I picked it up at Chicago's Renegade Craft Fair a couple of years ago. The aqua and poppy orange color palette is so happy, and oh my goodness—do I love cheese—so this print fits in perfectly! You can see all of their work here and visit them at this year's Fair in September. 

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all images via Tartella

Happy Birthday!

Hello! Just wanted to take a quick moment to wish Jillian a very happy birthday!! Hope you have a sparkly, very happy year.

Hugs!!

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image via Sugar Paper

Günther Förg

One of the things I like best about blogging is that while researching content for posts, I often come across artists that I haven't heard of before. Artists like Michelle Armas, Famille Summerbelle, Jennifer Sanchez, and now, Günther Förg.

Last week I wrote about a room that used small frames of Günther Fö rg's art grouped together for a big impact. When researching Fö rg, I found more of his artwork (and a completely different style) like these beauties:

Hello, DIY.

This is totally doable with a bunch of leftover paint or some pastels. The image on top is my favorite. It looks to me like little test swatches of paint but by having so many so close together, it all looks intentional. Do it at home then frame it in a gold or silver frame to elevate the look and make it seem like a professional work of art!

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names unknown

source for top image

source for middle image

source for bottom image

The Comfort Table

Even though I am not a good cook, always relying on my fiance's culinary abilities, I enjoy looking through cookbooks. There are so many good ones out there but one of my favorites is The Comfort Table by Katie Lee. 

This lovely cookbook combines a few favorites of mine—delicious comfort food recipes, pretty graphic design, gorgeous food styling, and splendid photography. Here are some sneak peaks...

Feeling hungry yet? If you like perusing cookbooks as much as I do, this is definitely worth a look. Oh, and the recipes are delectable, too! (My favorite is the Sweet Potato Latkes...yum.)

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The Comfort Table by Katie Lee Joel
Photography by Miki Duisterhof
Design by Jane Archer
Food and Prop Styling by Paul Lowe

Fern and Moss Wall

Are you kidding me with this?

Earlier this week I wrote about Viva Terra but I held off on sharing this image until today. It truly needed it's own post. Talk about a statement piece! This would be so great in a dining room. Or a living room. This fern and moss wall art is eco-art and does not require watering. Amazing.

Smaller sizes are also available and I am strongly considering getting one of these squares to add to the gallery wall I'm planning for my dining room. Great texture, great greens, and oh so different.

Graffiti Craze

This is not an optical illusion...

Actually, it is a room at the Au Vieux Panier hotel in Marseille, France, which is decorated exactly in half—one part pure white and one part full-color graffiti. Designed and tagged by graffiti artist, Tilt, this room is called the Panic Room, and it's pretty unbelievable. Here are some more views of this amazing space from different angles. 

It doesn't even seem real! But here is Tilt himself, spraying the room.  

What do you think? Could you stay in a room like this? I'm not sure I could sleep here but it would be pretty incredible to visit. And this isn't even the only unique room at this tiny hotel, which boasts 5 rooms total, each designed by a different artist so that guests can "sleep in a work of art." I recommend checking out the hotel's website here, where you can see all of the room designs. 

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Big Addict / Solent News & Photo Agency via Wired UK

Top Picks: Viva Terra

Do you get a lot of catalogs sent to you? I do. There are a few that I signed up for, a few that started coming after I made an online purchase years ago, and then a few come from places I have never heard of. One of those never before heard of catalogs — Viva Terra — just arrived and I am in love.

Pretty furniture, lighting, plants and storage solutions.

And here's the best part -- these hammered drum tables.

I have one of these in my home but it definitely didn't come from here. I found it at Home Goods for a fraction of the price and I love it. It's the perfect height to hold a drink next to the couch or to use as an extra seat. It's lightweight and adds a little sparkle to the room. I was always curious where it came from originally and now I know.

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top image, clockwise from top left: 
astral lights
bling chair
round metal hanging shelf
tangerine bonsai

Beds and Bookshelves

While researching images for my post about white bedrooms, I found this image on Houzz, and it got me thinking...

Sometimes you don't have a lot of flexibility with a room's size and function, especially in an older home, where a room once used as a library or an office is now a bedroom. Taking on that challenge, I think the placement of this bed in front of a window and built-in bookshelves, in a very simple color scheme, is a great solution.

Intrigued, I found some other good examples that illustrate the "bed in front of a bookcase" concept.

Sometimes a room is asymmetrical and I like how the designer worked around that in the image below. 

Here, the texture of a wall-to-wall bookcase is achieved through the use of wallpaper. So clever!

Maybe you aren't working with built-in architectural details and don't want to wallpaper your space. You can still have achieve a similar look and feel, like the room pictured below. I love this antique bookshelf behind a very simple bed frame. It makes a beautiful, functional, headboard that adds lots of character and interest.

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Contemporary Bedroom design by Philadelphia Design-build Sullivan Building & Design Group
Casual Principal Bedroom via House & Home, photographed by Michael Graydon

Traditional Bedroom design by Minneapolis General Contractor Hendel Homes, Rick & Amy Hendel

Eclectic Bedroom design by London Interior Designer Design-OD

Paint Pick: Setting Plaster via House & Home, photographed by Angus Fergusson

Small Frames Big Impact

While flipping through Elle Decor's September 2012 issue, I found a great article on displaying framed art in mass quantity.

Everything looked nice but the standout for me was this image:

The artwork here are color studies by Günther Förg. Sometimes bold and punchy colors are all you need to energize a room.

But what makes this image extra special is the realization you don't need an enormous work of art to make a big impact. Rather, lots of identical, small frames clustered together (notice how they are all touching) visually create one extra large piece of art.

And here's the best part — you don't need to purchase lots of art prints to do this either. You could easily paint this yourself or create a similar look by pairing two contrasting colors of paper next to each other in a frame. Or create it on the computer and print it out. Lots of small ways to add a big and colorful impact to your home.

Speaking of Book Covers

On Monday, I posted about these gorgeous book covers, and then last night I spotted this inventive display of books by Boden.

Doesn't this rainbow of book covers look amazing? I could not resist sharing these images with you! Boden did a really beautiful job styling this Press Day, an event held to show off their latest collection.

Check out some other images that not only showcase their fantastic clothing line, but also their very imaginative styling choices.

Ooh and one more Boden photo, from a different Press Day, but I like it so much that I wanted to include it here.

So many great things to admire and inspire here!

P. S. We've been inspired by Boden before...if you haven't seen these posts before, be sure to take a look here, here, and here.

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images 1, 2, and 4 via The Window Shopper
image 3 via Style Guile
images 5, 6, 7, and 8 via Life.Style.Fashion.
image 9 via Angel Eden