Kidshop by Serena and Lily

I just got an email from Kidshop by Serena and Lily and found lots of inspiration and ideas throughout their e-catalog. Things like this giant wall stencil. Painting patterns on the wall with stencils isn't a new idea but the scale of the pattern makes it really interesting.

Loving this sweet little trim draped over the headboard.

The stool in the image below gave me an idea – doesn't it look like the legs are wrapped? Imagine doing a DIY project like this with colorful yarn? It would be a charming detail in a nursery or kid's room.

And then there is this image. Nothing new in terms of inspiration, but just a great detail on an otherwise ordinary drape. I want to use this in my home. Maybe in a kid's room or possibly the living room.

View the entire Kidshop catalog here. Happy weekend and happy shopping!

U.S. Open Artwork

This is not a typical post for me. I don't like golf and have been teasing my fiancé Chris about his unbridled enthusiasm that the U.S. Open is being held at nearby Merion Golf Club. But, Chris came home yesterday from watching the practice rounds, so excited to show me the 2013 U.S. Open Official Poster design. 

He's right! It is cool. I like the vintage feel and that it features Merion's famous red wicker baskets. It's totally fine with me if he decides to pick one up—I'm sure I can find a nice place to feature it. (So nice that he checked with me first, though, right?)

So, to commemorate the beginning of this year's tournament, I decided to feature some additional artwork by official artist, Lee Wybranski.

Happy golfing (and artwork admiring for me)!

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all images via the USGA by Lee Wybranski

Art at Ikea

Every time I go to Ikea, I'm drawn to different departments. Sometimes it's Lighting, other times Rugs, etc. At my last visit, other than the outdoor decorating display, it was the Art department. So many pretty works of art to choose from. I actually picked up two!

Some favorites:

Yellow Elephants
This would definitely be cute in a baby's room but I'm thinking about putting it in a silver frame and placing it on the gallery wall I'm planning for my gray/yellow bedroom.

Love is 50 Skyscrapers High
I didn't realize at first that all of these buildings are in NYC but once I did, it's been a fun little game to see how many I can recognize. I may not live in the city anymore but this would be a sweet little reminder of it in my home.

Poster, set of 2, Departure Lounge 1971
This reminds me a bit of Rex Ray's art. Perfect for the mid-century modern lover.

Picture, composition (Le Velours), Matisse

I've always been a fan of Matisse's cut paper designs. This piece is nicely framed with the art floating above the background.

Picture, sketches, Picasso

These little sketches may seem quite basic but I love how just a simple line drawing can denote such different animals. These images, like the Matisse art, are floating above the background. 

So which two did I buy? The Matisse and the Picasso – and I hung them one on top of the other in my living room. That room has been a challenging one to decorate. I chose a somewhat bright green color for the walls which has been fun, but difficult to decorate around. The green in the Matisse was enough of a tie-in and the Picasso's plain color palette definitely worked. Photos of my living room to come!

Jen Skelley

While visiting my brother and his wife over the weekend, I spotted this pretty print hanging in their kitchen. Isn't it so sweet?

That's when my sister-in-law, Cheri, introduced me to artist Jen Skelley. Cheri noted how intricate and layered Skelley's work is, and I think it is why I am so completely charmed by her work. Check out the paisley patterns in the clouds and the sea in the image below.

Here are a few more favorites of Jen Skelley's work.

 

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all images via Jen Skelley

Top Picks: Restoration Hardware

I recently received a collection of enormous catalogs from Restoration Hardware in the mail. To be honest, even I, who loves home design, furniture and decor, thought it was excessive. Then I started going through it all and of course fell in love with a bunch of items. Here are some favorites:

A pretty bed and bench but I'm particularly taken with the collection of art behind it. Restricting the subject to figures and the medium to pencil would already have unified the works, but the simple black frames and white mats perfect the look.

This chandelier is gorgeous and would be pretty over a long dining room table.

Here's a different shape but just as nice. I would change out the candle-shaped light bulbs for round ones.

 This settee

and this chaise are my favorite leather items.

There are lots of leathers to choose from but their Vintage Cigar color is my favorite. It looks so rich and soft and yummy.

Have you seen the massive volumes from Restoration Hardware recently? What are your favorites?

Chalkboard Project: How to Make a Floral Chandelier

Last year, my mom and I discovered floral chandeliers at the Philadelphia Flower Show. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of them at the time—they were so beautiful, with big, beautiful blooms and leaves cascading down the sides—but we didn't know how to recreate the look for ourselves. An exhaustive internet search did not provide much help, so we just kept the idea in the back of our minds. 

And then a couple of months later, Pottery Barn came out with this planter-abra. Genius!

As it turns out, my mom already had a candelabra hanging on her back deck.

We realized that this piece could make a great floral chandelier and got to work.

We simply used the glasses that held the pillar candles as little mini pots and planted these flowers.

Since we loved the big, drapey look of the floral chandeliers at the Flower Show, we added a large green fern to the center to give it some fullness. The leaves extended out over the potted flowers quite nicely.

And here you go! Our very own floral chandelier.

I loved this project because it was fun to work with something so lush and colorful. This year, I want to give it a try using bouquets of cut flowers instead of potted plants, which could be really amazing. 

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Planter-abra via Pottery Barn

all other images by The Pink Chalkboard

Ikea Outdoors

While walking through Ikea the other day, this in-store display stopped me in my tracks. It's so inviting!

It's the canopies of fabric that truly make it but the black/white color palette and lush greenery certainly help.

Floral-shaped white lights adorn each of the trees

and the wall of plants reminded me so much of this garden wall I posted about last year.

So pretty, right? Wouldn't you love to be sitting outside at that table on a warm summer night?

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photos by The Pink Chalkboard