Blanca Gomez

While Jillian was falling for these happy watercolors last week, I was discovering another artist, Blanca Gomez. I was browsing some galleries on House & Home's website (one of my favorite, all-time inspiration sources!) and the image below quickly became a favorite find. 

I love how this photo is styled—it makes me want to buy everything pictured. The books, the tray, the artwork...especially that sweet illustration hanging in the center.

After a little bit of research, I found Blanca Gomez's Etsy site—an amazing treasure trove full of darling prints!

Not surprisingly, this one ended up in my shopping cart.

I think it hits the right note of restrained color and I'm simply delighted. 

Oh, and here is another detail I wanted to mention! Did you notice the yellow tape in my inspiration image?

It is actually vinyl tape, and is available in lots of fun colors and sizes. 

According to 3M, this tape allows for clean removal. Does that mean it won't damage freshly-painted walls? I hope so! I look forward to finding out since a role is only $4.99 on amazon. Worth a shot, don't you think? This color looks like fun!

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top image via House & Home

all other images from Cosas Minimas via Etsy

New Bedding

For a long time now, I've been thinking about redoing the bedding in my bedroom. I always find beds to be the most difficult to style – pillows are slouchy, sheets get wrinkly, duvets look messy, and the end result looks nothing like I see in magazines. It's frustrating.

But I'm determined. I read once that stylists solve the slouchy pillow issue by putting duct tape in long strips around the edges of shams. So that's one question answered but do you want duct tape on your pillows? I don't.

I recently saw this bedroom on Emily Henderson's blog and fell in love. It is my perfect bedroom. Clean and crisp bedding, somewhat masculine but the accent pillow and floral drapes add plenty of feminine touches. And look at the bed – not a wrinkle in sight since there is a coverlet spread across most of the duvet.

I'm planning on recreating it in my gray/yellow color palette. This is what I'm thinking:

This stripe bedding from West Elm,

with a white duvet covered with this gray coverlet

and then 2 yellow/white pillows (I found one at Home Goods and now I'm looking for the second)

with a gray lumbar pillow in front.

What do you think? I just started ordering everything. I'll post photos when they all come in. I can't wait to see how it will all come together!

Live Colorfully

Kate Spade has done it again! This time I am head over heels for the packaging of their new fragrance, Live Colorfully.

This colorful bottle comes with a bow on top. Seriously irresistible!

Ooh, and you can order a free sample here. Can't wait to give this a try.

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image via Kate Spade

So Very Happy Art

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that I tend to be drawn to colorful, bright, rainbow-hued things. Like these lawn chairs, this art, or even this trivet. You probably think my home is bursting with color. It's actually not, but one thing that I would like to add to it? A print like this.

Found on Etsy, I love the bold colors and softness of the watercolor strokes.

So many pretty options to choose from. See them all at the Etsy shop, So Very Happy Art. Such an appropriate name!

Happy weekend all!

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Daybreak
Dreaming Deep
Trust
Dreaming Awake

Styling Moments from Pottery Barn

Have you seen Pottery Barn's April catalog?  It is full of great styling moments, and here are some of my favorites:

First up is this room, with two things I really like. 

I love the way these letters are featured sideways and upside down. It makes them look even more graphic and cool than they already are.

I also like that the stack of books, below, are covered in plain paper with handwritten titles on the spine, which makes them more graphic and less staged.

More letters again :) Take a look at the tiny detail on the right side of the page.

Here is a closeup. How cute is this bowl full of letters? You could totally recreate this look using PB's Bosphorous Bowls and these craft letters from Paper Source.

Here is a fun twist on the chalkboard concept for your kitchen.

What do you think about painting your peninsula or island with chalkboard paint?

Using binder clips and clipboards to display artwork is popular right now, and I really like how Pottery Barn's stylists hang clipboards above the window frame, way up high. It's a surprising detail.

Here is another example of displaying items up high, this time over a doorway.

I was really excited to see dominoes displayed like this. It's so cool and different! I recently bought a set of vintage white dominoes at Jillian's favorite store, Vintage Funk, and I've been looking for cool ways to display them. Believe it or not, there aren't many options, but this idea really has me thinking...

And finally, take a look under the bed. This is more practical than pretty, but I thought it was a really good idea and I'm definitely going to try this for myself.

Do you store books under your bed? I do! But I never thought of stacking them together on a tray. Brilliant. It's such a good way to keep them neat and organized!

With all of this good stuff, did you see anything that inspires you?

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all images via Pottery Barn

Painted Radiators

Some inspiration images for a project that I'm working on...

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101 Woonideen
House & Home; photographed by Angus Fergusson
House & Home; photographed by David Cleveland for You Magazine
Remodelista; photographed by Christopher Baker for Blueprint Magazine
Farrow & Ball via Pinterest
Big Bathroom Shop via Pinterest
Left Studios via Pinterest
House & Home; photographed by Rob Fiocca
Living Etc. via House & Home Blog

Built-in Bookcase

I was looking at my iPhoto library recently and it dawned on me that there are a few projects I've done in the house that I never posted about. One of them is the built-in in my dining room.

Here is a photo of the space when we first moved in. (Notice Aunt Rose's chairs before they were reupholstered.)

It's a little hard to see from this photo but the all white built-in just looked flat. It was a nice detail of the house that just needed a little oomph. A fun, punchy fabric would be perfect and I quickly found a great one. Remember this floral that inspired my dining room?

Well, it came with a companion fabric – same color palette, but different pattern that was designed to be used together.

With Aunt Rose's chairs reupholstered in gray and trimmed with the floral pattern, the built-in was a perfect place to bring in the paisley.

I was looking for an easy way to hang it up and didn't want to deal with frayed fabric edges so I cut out a piece of bristol board to fit in the space and simply wrapped the fabric around it and taped it down. When it came to hanging, clear pushpins did the trick.

Then I styled a few products and that was it. Considered, designed and done.

Definitely one of the easiest ways to brighten up a built-in. And being that it's put up with pushpins, there's no commitment necessary!