more of my pillows...

i've decided to change my header on the old blog (hehe) to reflect what i'm actually doing these days. my previous header was an inside my cabinet picture, showing all my various eccentricities. at the time it seemed relevant since i had high hopes of starting an online website devoted to selling vintage goodies. i'm thinking this is not in the cards at the moment..but it will happen one day! of course, my ultimate dream is that one day i will have an actual (physical) shop. in time. anyway, since i've been obsessed lately with making pillows, i thought i should show a pillow of my own design at the top of my blog page. right? and i'm STILL super sad about domino. i'm in mourning.

the sad news...

Save Domino Factory
Originally uploaded by Stoneface Photographer

i am SOOO bummed about domino magazine biting the dust. i mean, really sad. probably more sad than any person should be over a magazine. the fact is even though i appreciate wonderful design blogs (and there are so many!!!!!!!), it's just not the same as pulling a fresh magazine out of the mailbox and cozying up on the couch to flip through the pages...it was almost like a ritual in my house. i got excited about a magazine! weird, i guess. i think it deserves a moment of silence and reflection...here are a few of my favorite pictures aka pieces of inspiration from my all time favorite magazine...

Dining Room
Originally uploaded by decorology

From Domino Magazine
Originally uploaded by Carolina Eclectic

Living Room
Originally uploaded by decorology

Domino Living
Originally uploaded by Adorevintage

Domino 08.jpg
Originally uploaded by Tammy Manet

Lovely Living Room
Originally uploaded by {kay*}

Deborah Needleman: Michael Smith Named White House Decorator: 20 Questions With Domino's Editor
Originally uploaded by MashGet

Domino Magazine Living Room
Originally uploaded by Adorevintage

one of my favorite rooms...

IMG_0238
Originally uploaded by designspongeshop

i LOVE this picture...courtesy of designspongeonline. the pillows, the slipcovers, the big floral chair (from anthropologie-i know this because i drooled over it a LOT last year). i think the lion pillow in the red chair had something to do with me making animal pillows...a bit of inspiration! and don't get me started on the orange lamp which i absolutely LOVE as well. and what cool kid toys on the floor. A+!!

IMG_0238

IMG_0238
Originally uploaded by designspongeshop

i LOVE this picture...courtesy of designspongeonline. the pillows, the slipcovers, the big floral chair (from anthropologie-i know this because i drooled over it a LOT last year). i think the lion pillow in the red chair had something to do with me making animal pillows...a bit of inspiration! and don't get me started on the orange lamp which i absolutely LOVE as well. and what cool kid toys on the floor. A+!!

my spend less challenge...

i am delighted to say i haven't spent any money on "stuff i don't need" in THIRTEEN days now! it's silly i'm so proud of myself because it's quite ridiculous rewarding someone for something they should be doing anyway. BUT...i am still proud because it is very hard for me and i'm still doing it! i passed up a great pair of cool, matching lamps at mar-shellz the other day even though i literally had dreams about them last night. i re-arranged my living room and brought down a lamp from upstairs (something "new" to look at) instead. after a few days, i started to realize how much i actually do have and when i really think about how lucky i am, it makes me feel content. even if only for a few minutes until the lamps re-appear in my head...

Floral Balcony (New Orleans #459)
Originally uploaded by found_drama

Postcard Perfect- New Orleans Balcony
Originally uploaded by BKHagar

ideas for spring...

White Petunia Balcony
Originally uploaded by donnacorless

when josh & i started building our addition, we had grandiose visions of a beautiful, spacious old style balcony off our upstairs master bedroom. mid-way through the addition we changed our mind to an even bigger, almost patio-like balcony with wood instead of iron...changing the look completely. we decided to leave it be and think about it...sleep on it i guess. well, that was last year and we still have a door leading to nowhere in our bedroom! well, it leads to a plummeting drop off at the end of our house...not a welcoming sight by any means. i have to say i'm still torn on styles. i love the old world style of this one-petunias and all! i think it is italian but i also like the old english style, which is where i think we got most of our influence when building our house. then again, something completely original (which happens to be my husbands specialty!!) and a little bit modern/funky would be nice too. so here i am, spinning my wheels yet again! any ideas?

today is the day...

Barrack Obama
Originally uploaded by zerozz1080

YES!!!!!!!! i doubt i'll even leave the house today...i can't take my eyes off the television! it's such a beautiful mix of pride and hope~you can see it on the faces of so many people standing out there in the cold, anxiously awaiting a glimpse of our new president! i, for one am absolutely electrified by this man and finally feel like i am a part of something i can feel good about and be proud of...and historical! such a great feeling~i've never felt it before! so thank you to barrack obama, who will now be know to the world as, mr. president.

i'm so excited about etsy!!!!

i'm making it my personal missiong today, to figure out etsy! and then i'm going to attempt to put a link on my page here...both things i've been meaning to get to for almost a month now! i'm so excited that people have been asking where to find my pillows, so here's the answer...etsy! i had this grand idea that i would start out with like twenty pillows, but that has taken far longer than i'd hoped so i'm just going to start with a few and gradually add on. (this seems to be a pattern with me) so, here's a couple pix of the new ones i just made..as always, feedback would be greatly appreciated. i'll also be listing some vintage goodies (jewelry, etc.) and soon will be listing some of my paintings as well. (one thing at a time!!) this is so exciting!!

michelle + michael = fantastical white house

i heard on the news this morning that michelle obama (LOVE her) has decided to hire designer, michael smith to help decorate the white house! imagine getting THAT call!? the white house? let me check my schedule... uh, YEAH. anyway, since michael smilth just happens to be a personal favorite of mine, i wanted to give him props, yo! here are a few of my favorite pictures of some of his work..from his book, elements of style. the white house is sure to look fabulous in the new year!

worstest.

Golden Globes 2009- Drew Barrymore
Originally uploaded by Kamela_Cody

even though i'm confident this picture says it ALL, i must exclaim my disdain... for the hair. i was wishing she would just go ahead and make out with jessica lange on stage (i think it was close...) so that it might take my mind off the crazy hair. not a good look for anyone. she's usually adorable though, so i guess it's okay.

OMG are you kidding me right now?

renee-zellweger-golden-globes-2009-05
Originally uploaded by emmisgossip

wow. i can only hope she was high. i think whatever was inside drew barrymore's hair made a jump for it, only to find itself trapped inside another hollywood stars up-do (or shall i say up-DON'T). and the dress. i'm speechless. B-A-D. and not in a good way. yikes!

second favorite

eva-mendes-golden-globes-2009-01
Originally uploaded by emmisgossip

i also enjoyed seeing eva mendes. LOVE the white dress w/turquoise necklace..a classic! i like the crazy poofy bow-it's cute as pie and so is she. the added bonus is nothing is on fire or fighting inside her hair. perfection!

my fav's at the golden globes. and the not so much.

Mary-Louise Parker
Originally uploaded by watchwithkristin

ahh, the golden globes! i didn't watch the entire thing, but i must admit i do tune in for the fashion of it all. i have to say my very favorite (as usual) also happens to be my very favorite actress...miss mary louise parker. it was an easy choice simply because nearly everyone else appeared to be on some mind altering drug while getting dressed. i mean, what two animals were duking it out inside drew barrymore's hair? but back to miss parker. uh, she's gorgeous. love the hair. love the dress. simple. pretty.

re-arranging my living room...

those of you who know me can attest to the fact that i have a lot of time on my hands. there are good and bad sides to this. the good of course being that i have time to do whatever i want. sounds super, right? well the bad is that i'm a disaster at time management and rarely have a day filled with productivity. (whatever that is!) i'm in a constant flutter between ideas and errands. i'm not by any means complaining..just explaining my erratic writing. ANYway...one of my most serious addictions (and a time eater on top of that) happens to be re-arranging my house, particularly my living room. now that i have a blog (i'm still getting used to that word...) i'm seeing this current issue as a plus..almsot like a job. hehe. so here is my latest re-arrangement masterpiece. i love that we have a sectional sofa because that not only means we have tons or room on the couch, but i have tons of options for placement. i tend to like things a little more on the cozy side, less formal i guess. so here's what i'm doing with my living room...for the moment.

i said i was slow...

well, as i said before..i am very slow at this. i still can't figure out how to add pictures on my blog unless they are my own! i will figure this out at some point...but for the moment, i decided to keep posting my very own photos. i have (for several years) been keeping a sort of decorating journal. my husband thinks i'm crazy b/c after i read a magazine (and i get a lot!!), i sit down like a mad scientist and start cutting and taping the things i love most~into my cute little ideas book. i have quite a collection of these little books now and i'm happy to share them! well, assuming they'll show up nicely. so let's just say these next pictures are great places to start~they are most definitely the things that inspire me and get my creative decorating juices flowing. and i'm still working on taking pics of my own place..i have a few on now, but will be adding more. this stuff takes time! but for now, i hope you enjoy my favorite pics i've collected over the years...

happy new year everyone!  (probably just my friends who are reading this : )  as i said before, i'm new to the whole blog thing, so it will most definitely take a little while for me to get the hang of it.  to be quite honest, i really didn't even know what a blog was last week! (probably shouldn't have admitted that) i should mention that i'm having a great time doing "research" on all the other blogs out there related to arts, crafts, decorating and design!  my list of blogs i adore is growing and growing...i'm trying my best not to do exactly what they're doing, but it's difficult simply because they are all doing such great work and i love it all! having said that, i think i'm going to start with pictures of my own self proclaimed crafty decorating skills...and hopefully i'll get into more ideas and a have a wider selection of other peoples skills in the short future.  i've got a million ideas so i guess i just need to start with my own stuff and go from there.  thanks for your patience and PUHLEEZE feel free to give me feedback (good OR bad). i'm going to need all the help i can get!