collages

I love photo collages. When I say photo collages I don't mean this:

In fact, I hate this.

I mean these pretty things;

the orange door is pretty darn great too.

I love this unique take on the collage, especially the mounted teddy bear and fish.

oh so beautiful
this picture makes me want to speak with a British accent

I think assembling a collage is a lot more difficult than it looks. The designers featured above are certainly providing great 'how to' examples and plenty of inspiration. While there are no rules (see proof above) I've seen a lot of failed attempts too. Exhibit A:

nice try

design star

I used to love HGTV's design star. Sadly, I can't enjoy it anymore. First, I find the challenges to be stupid. Just let the designers do what they do best.... design. Don't make them work around tacky cheap New York souvenirs then add really tight time constraints then make them construct their own furniture. Second, I hate the judges. I used to really like Vern Yip. Now I just think he is a big ol' jerk. That being said I will probably still watch. At least they kicked Nina off.

I'm on team Emily

If you like it put a frame around it.

I love etsy.com. I also love artwork. I have found artwork it be the best way to personalize your space. If you know where to look you can find awesome art at even more awesome prices. I have been known to frame anything I can get my hands on...even pretty bookmarks. Anything can look good with the right framing. Below are pieces I think are worth sharing.

johnwgolden has a shop with a series of 'by order of the management' signs. I grew up in a household with many many rules. The entire series would have been so completely perfect for my childhood home.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/johnwgolden?ref=seller_info


http://www.etsy.com/shop/mpatrizio?ref=seller_info

This is already hanging in my very cool bathroom.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/leahfelicity?ref=seller_info

This is the perfect gift for my friend Bryce.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/charmstudio

http://www.etsy.com/listing/51708861/hail-to-the-chief-letterpress-print-4th

My bathroom

purple inspiration

I don't know what it is about this photo, but it makes me giddy. I have it tucked away nice and safe in my inspirational folder. This is the living room I would create around this pretty purple picture.

In keeping with the very girlie feeling of the inspirational photo I decided to use a fashion illustration by Garance Dore. I selected a chaise because I thought it was a little more glam than a sofa. I threw caution to the wind and upholstered it in purple. The lighting and side table are very modern which contrasts with the fun retro chairs. The wallpaper is beautiful-enough said.

look up

While I have never personally gotten the ladder and paint can out to paint my ceiling, I love the look. When I move somewhere a little more permanent you can be sure my ceiling will have a little more personality. The images below are making my plain white ceiling very sad.

design by Sara Story
I've seen this image on quite a few blogs. I'm not surprised...it's beautiful.

you know I love blue

stars on the ceiling may be common, but this ceiling with the dark beams and gold stars is especially cool.

wallpaper anyone?
wallpaper by Osbourne and little

gor-geous
this is the entry of my dreams

chalkboard paint

As an avid doodler I am inclined to love chalkboards. Chalkboard paint is definitely one of the coolest inventions. An added bonus...it's inexpensive! I am thinking about painting part of my kitchen and encouraging everyone to draw on the walls.

design by Amanda Nisbet

I love this!

I can only imagine how often this little girl forces her friends to play school when they come over to visit.

she has her nose in a book

A bookshelf that is bursting at the seams makes me very happy. I look forward to the time when my bookshelf is ready to topple over due to the high volume of design books I stack it with. Those books will be ready to provide endless amounts of inspiration and simply look good sitting there on the shelf waiting to be thumbed through. These are the books in my amazon wish list;

Hideaways: Cabins, huts, and treehouse escapes
By: Sonya Faure

The Home Book By: House Beautiful

Parisian Hideaways: Exquisite room in enchanting hotels
By: Casey O'Brien Blondes and Beatrice Amagat

Haciendas: Spanish Colonial houses in the U.S. and Mexico
By: Linda Leigh Paul and Ricardo Vidargas

The Treehouse Book By: Peter Nelson and David Larkin

day dreaming

Some may consider this a true waste of time, but day dreams and boredom have led me to copy and paste together the bedroom of my dreams. I had to make a conscious effort to create a color scheme that didn't revolve around blue. I am really happy with the oranges, golds, and corals. My boyfriend bought me the elephant vase for my birthday. As I have mentioned before my parents bought me the beautiful easel table lamp. Now, I simply need to come up with the money for the bed, nightstands, fabrics, chair, additional lamp, mirror and rug...whew.

The mirror is from made goods and is my latest obsession. It is am-a-zing. I need it now.

itty bitty city apartments

This morning I found myself really wishing that I wasn't living in a studio. When my boyfriend was getting a little annoying I wanted a separate room to escape to. However, after seeing these spaces my studio seems absolutely palatial .

55 sq ft apartment in Hells Kitchen NYC

300 sq ft. apartment

175 sq ft apartment in NYC purchased for $150,000

happy birthday to me

Today is my birthday and that means a small part of my day is about cake. This blog entry has absolutely nothing to do with design, but it has everything to do with cool and hilarious cakes. Please enjoy and laugh heartily.

Seriously, how did they do that?

I live in NY and my parents live in FL. My mom sent me a digital cake today. She knows I have a soft spot for robots. Thanks Mom!