On Sale at Anthropologie

I'd been envisioning a post on statement making wallpaper when lo and behold, my browser pointed over to Anthropologie where they've got a couple great patterns on sale now. Check it:

Currently marked down from $168 to $49.95. In Anthro terms, that definitely qualifies as a bargain. In the right hallway or even a chic powder room this would be smashing.

Painted wood is good, Part Deux

Since I've still got wood on my mind (hee hee) I think I'll take this opportunity to express my undying affection for painted cabinets.

I've discovered that when a girl of a certain age takes stock of her various musings on the subject of home decor some patterns begin to form. Allow me to explain... In an effort to allay a growing fear that my decorating tastes ran in more different directions than spin art* at the county fair, I began collecting a "style file" of web photos some months back to try to make sense of my seemingly disparate likes. My first and most obvious observation was the fact that every photo I'd collected of a kitchen featured painted cabinets.

My cabinets are plain old maple (meh), so the following photos are certainly an inspiration for me to get busy with the brush. My apologies for any un-sourced photos here.

photo from Domino

photo via katy elliott (Is that a pecky cypress ceiling? Like that. Reminds me of old Florida homes.)


photo from Domino (one of my absolute favorite favorites)

Nate Berkus' kitchen, featured in Elle Décor

photo from Cottage Living

photo from House Beautiful

fantastic kitchen re-do from Life In Grace

photo from Country Living

*In case you've suddenly found yourself waxing nostalgic, here is a tutorial on making your very own spin art. Hey, that definitely falls under the category of cheap decor! Why not recruit some youngsters and make a whole wall full? Don't forget the IKEA frames!

Painted wood is good, Part I

I like painted floors. Not only can they go from cottage chic to sophisticated, crisp white to graphic patterns, they also hide less-than-perfect floors. This is particularly appealing to me since I've got some less-than-perfect parquet in my office/art room. Have been mulling over the following photos for inspiration. Feast your eyes on these:

photo from Southern Living

via The Estate of Things (Checkerboard seems to be a popular choice.)

photo via decorology

photo from Traditional Home

photo from the no longer published Cottage Living

photo from the no longer published Cottage Living

photo from the no longer published Cottage Living

photo from the no longer published Cottage Living (bonus points for the dog on the bed)

photo from House Beautiful via Shop Talk

from craftartjonee's flickr photostream

from didurkes' flickr photostream

And to aid in any DIY efforts you may be considering, there's a great article about painting floors at by Tim Carter at his Ask The Builder site.

Arranging artwork can be high impact, low cost

Apologies for the brief hiatus. I'm still getting into the swing of things with this here blog, and did I mention my boyfriend and I are also painting our house? More on that at a later date.

Today for your viewing pleasure, I bring you some inspiring art arrangements. I have full confidence that you can produce something similar without making a huge dent in the old pocketbook. If you have an old book of botanical prints or similar, pick a few of your favorites and frame them up. Grouping mirrors or plates together is another great look.

Maybe you have a lot of things that are different colors or sizes. I think a lot of times the key to a cohesive look when grouping a bunch of disparate art together is adhering mainly to one frame and/or mat color. Luckily, places like IKEA, Target and even sometimes Michaels (especially with a 50% off coupon) make it affordable to achieve a polished appearance.

A symmetrical arrangement with birds. Fantastic! I want to move into this room now.

Great example of combining different colors/types of art — sorry I'm forgetting a source here!

Same color mat = pulled together. (photo via dwellings & décor)

I think this one originally appeared in Domino (RIP).

Seemingly all different, but there are definitely some color consistencies here.

In the bathroom? As they say in the infomercials (and hilarious infomercial dubs), "Why not?"

Mirrors work great too.

Just lovely, no?

Proof that groupings in inexpensive make a big impact. (Photo from Jorey Hurley's home via Design*Sponge.)

You could even skip the frames and tack inspiring images right on the wall for a collage effect.

Incidentally, right now IKEA has an online guide on how to hang pictures. Or for a more technical how-to, turn to Martha. With the right tools and a little imagination, it's possible to create an interesting focal point in any room of the house.

Have a great arrangement of art in your home? Send me a picture! I'd love to display it here.

Cheers!

This may be my official summer cocktail, courtesy of Martha. Yum!

The Gemini
Makes 2

Ingredients:

4 ounces fresh grapefruit juice, strained
3 ounces St-Germain liqueur
2 ounces vodka
Ice cubes
Prosecco
2 grapefruit-rind twists

How-To:

1. Mix grapefruit juice, St-Germain, vodka, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into 2 chilled glasses. Top with Prosecco.
   
   
2. Serve each with a grapefruit twist.

Ooh...

Pantone mugs! Oh my. My inner graphic designer is all aflutter. Love, love, love these. They're $117 for a set of 10. Perhaps a pool could be started for my upcoming b-day? It's August 2, and I would be most appreciative.


Pantone® references for the mugs are as follows: Red 186C, Spearmint 3395C, Royal Blue 286C, Lime Green 388C, Pale Blue 549C, Lilac 2583C, Olive Green 5757C, Black 4C, Orange 021C, Process YellowC.

The espresso cups are also quite cute.

Available from Whitbread Wilkinson.

Hooray IKEA!

For a country with such a long winter (they have an ICE Hotel for goodness' sake), those Swedish designers over at IKEA HQ sure know a thing or three about good looking outdoor furniture. Witness:

ROXÖ Easy Chair – $139

OR
VÄNÖ easy chair – $49.99

(with a cute cushion made from this fabric, or this one, or this one perhaps?)

OR, the one that everyone's been talking about...


The ARHOLMA series – $120 and $90, respectively

ARHOLMA is a more than reasonable facsimile of this little ditty from Pottery Barn, I'd say. And you can get cushions for $40 a piece too, so you'll still have enough dough left over to set your yard on fire (note: I am in no way advocating that) or just get your drink on this 4th of July:

The 6 Best Vodka Cocktails for Your 4th of July Bash
Vodka is the perfect spirit to liven any 4th of July celebration. Today the drink is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the United States.

http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/282207/the_6_best_vodka_cocktails_for_your.html

Bienvenidos a summer!

In honor of summer, I'd like to start off with the reminder that even the simplest thing — like some fresh cut flowers in a vase — can change your whole outlook about a corner or a room. The blooms below I found at a roadside market in Maine last summer. Incidentally, Maine is a pretty great place to visit this time of year, particularly when you live in Florida where it's 9-bazillion degrees right now.


What are your favorite flowers? Treat yourself to some! I'm going to.