Happy Room, Happy Friday!

I've often seen one picture from this room by LA Designer Christian May, but recently ran across pictures of the rest of the room, and it's even happier than I thought!



Love the mix of bold, graphic patterns, layered with a pretty wallpaper as the backdrop.



And, I'm always good with a pretty orchid and white accessories; they add a modern touch to any room.



If you love wallpaper, but are scared to commit/too expensive/etc., this is a great solution. Use paper in small portions and it becomes your artwork:



Before I sign off for the week, I would also like to thank Toni of Design Dazzle for recently featuring my oldest daughter's room on her blog. If you're interested, you can read all of the details here.

The Art of Gallery Walls

Today, I'm excited to be guest blogging for Alaina at Live Creating Yourself. I would be more excited to actually be on vacation in Mexico like she is, but maybe another time. . . For now, you can pop over to her blog and check out my post on creating big (and inexpensive) photo gallery walls.

Here are some of my favorites:











And, for those of you visiting my blog for the first time, be sure to check out yesterday's post to enter my first giveaway!

My First Giveaway: Original Art from Sofia's Sketchbook

I have had such a great time since I've started blogging and to thank my readers, I'm excited to announce my first giveaway. I've teamed up with a wonderfully talented, local artist named Sofia Kollstedt who has agreed to give one lucky reader a print of an original artwork from her Etsy store.

Sofia's work is whimsical, fun and imaginative. This is one of my absolute favorites (so glam!):



I also love her abstracts:



And, her owl series would be perfect for kids' rooms:




She also posts about her creative endeavors on her blog, Sofia's Sketchbook.



Besides being an incredible artist, Sofia is also the busy mom of twins and just opened Chimi & Changa, a unique Etsy children's clothing store where she sells all of her hand-made creations.



So, ready the for the giveaway details?

Sofia has agreed to let the lucky winner choose any one piece from her Etsy art store (approx. 8 x 10 size). The winner will be randomly chosen and announced one week from today, Wednesday, Feb. 3rd.

To enter:

~Sign up to become a follower of this blog (if you're not already) and leave a comment under this post.

For extra entries, you can:

~Blog about this giveaway and post a comment here with the link.

~"Tweet" about this giveaway on Twitter and post a comment here with your username.

All entries must be received by midnight, Eastern time, on Tuesday, Feb. 2nd.

Go check out Sofia's Sketchbook and good luck!

City on a Wall

Fluegge Interior Design

I've always loved the warmth of this room. Just the right mix of traditional and modern pieces. And, the artwork brings a fun casualness to the space. I remembered this picture yesterday when I ran across these from Z Gallerie:





These are a great way to make a statement without competing with other artwork you may already have in the room. They come in 21" and 36" sizes, and there are several cities to pick from.

Check back tomorrow as I will be announcing my first giveaway! It's a fun one.

American Idols and Bookcases

I am just hoping that someone in blogger land will be as excited as I am about my celebrity encounter over the weekend, because very few people in the real world are as excited as I want them to be over this:


Why, why, why did I have my hair slicked back in a silly ponytail?!

Please tell me you know who this is and love Jason Castro (American Idol, a few seasons back) as much as I do!

So, here's the short version of the story: My brother, his girlfriend Katie, and I went to see if we could get into a place he was playing in Charlotte Friday night but we didn't have tickets. The guy at the door put us on a waiting list and basically told us it was hopeless because there were several others ahead of us and the place was really small. So we gave him our number and went down the street to a coffee shop to wait. Well, guess who's there?

My brother spotted him first and without giving it another thought, I went right over to him and started rambling like a crazy celebrity stalker. I'm not sure if he was frightened or amused but he came over and took pictures with us anyway. Then, we went over to our corner and pretended to drink coffee while watching him out of the corner of our eyes.

He got up to leave 15 minutes before he was suppose to start playing, went to the door and then turned around and came back to us. He told us to come with him since we didn't have tickets and we could go in with him. The funniest thing about this whole story is us trying to act cool about this whole situation.

Anyway, his show was great. Love his voice, and he's not bad to look at, either. So, thanks for letting me tell my little story. I feel better now, and would appreciate a little enthusiasm from my readers :)

Okay, back to design-related subject matter. . . .I also made the dreaded Saturday IKEA trip. That place is crazy on weekends. I, unfortunately, did not come home with a desk. Nothing was calling to me. I think I've decided to search for a simple Parsons desk like this:


Design Sponge

I did buy the Expedit bookcase (after 20 minutes of deciding between the smaller or larger one, I opted for the big one):



Since mine is still sitting in three very large boxes in the office, check out how great it looks in these rooms:


Elements of Style


Style at Home


Chez Larsson blogspot

This is a higher-end bookcase in Elle Decor but with a similar look. Love the way they've accessorized with the mirrors:


Sorry for the long post today. Stay tuned; my first giveaway is in the works and I'll be announcing it soon!

Happy Room, Happy Friday!

So, this time, it's really Friday. . .



I'm generally not a fan of these little cut-out interior windows, but I realize sometimes you get stuck with quirky architectural features that you just have to live with. I thought this was an excellent work-around. By hanging an eclectic mix of art around it and adding a large accessory to fill up the opening, the space is almost disguised and becomes part of the wall gallery. The pink paint and fun fabric on the chair, of course, help the cause, too.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. My brother and his girlfriend are spending the weekend with us. We're planning an IKEA trip (and I say trip, because I can't get out of that place in less than 3 hours), and I hope to get the desk and bookcase for my office re-do.

A Good Read

Since I'm running short on time today, I am going to give you a little reading assignment. Take a minute to read The Nester's thoughts on making your house your home and loving it for what it is. I needed to read this, even if none of you do. :)

By the way, the above picture is not my house but wouldn't you love to live there? So inviting.

A Special Thank You (and some fun giveaways!)

Oh dear, I almost just typed "Happy Friday!" and then I realized it was only Wednesday. It's been a long week, apparently.

Anywho, I wanted to thank two fellow bloggers for giving me these fun blog awards. Connie from Sogni e Sorrisi gave me the Beautiful Blogger award. Check out her blog for lots of great design and fashion inspiration. She also has a book giveaway happening until this Friday.



Also, thanks to Alaina at Live Creating Yourself for awarding me the Happy 101 award. This is one of the friendlist bloggers I've met yet and she has great style. Even better, she is giving away this pillow. You have until midnight tomorrow to enter.

Best Deal Going: The IKEA Lack Table

As you know, I'm always on the lookout for a great deal, and you just can't get much better than an $8 side table (they also come in a variety of colors!). I bought a couple of IKEA Lack tables a few months back as a temporary fix for my living room. I figured if I only paid $16, I wouldn't have to deal with any guilt over getting rid of them when I found something better. So far, I still have them. . . .

Since buying them, I've been noticing lots of look-alikes in design mags and some creative uses/update for these simple little tables.


How great are these, used at the foot of a bed, and painted in my favorite shade of blue? (Domino magazine)



Just thinking here, but couldn't you turn the lack table into a pretty pair of ottomans with a covered cushion and some velcro strips? Beaux Arts Mansion (St Louis)from Everything LEB blog



And, as Jenny from Little Green Notebook, pointed out, some nailhead trim makes the Lack table an almost twin to this high end Horchow table (minus the bottom shelf). I love the idea of stacking up lots of books underneath them instead.



Some people over at the IKEA Hacker blog had some interesting ideas on ways to cover them for kid's rooms (including this baseball themed table) and even suggested a way to turn them into mirrored tables.

So my suggestion? Buy these little tables in pairs and split them apart or use them together for coffee tables, kid's play tables, etc. Paint them, bedazzle them, have fun! After all, they're only $7.99 if you make a total mess.

Shades of Gray

This weekend I started painting the office gray. I started with Benjamin Moore's "gray shower" which ended up looking more like "blue shower" to me.



Back to the paint store. This time, I opted for "trout gray." Much better. Unfortunately, I didn't make the progress that I had hoped, so I'll just show you someone else's room in the same color that I found on Flickr:





So, it's back to painting for me. Until I finish my room, I'll share some beautiful pictures of rooms I love in more shades of gray.

















Happy Monday!

Images: unknown, Lonny mag, Design Sponge, DecorPad (#4-7), Country Living

I'm On a Roll

Believe it or not, I won another giveaway this week! Seriously, what has happened? I never win anything, really.

I am so excited about these. Kristine over at Living With Style gave away these beautiful Kelly Wearstler (for Schumacher) Gordian knot pillows.



Normally retailing at $800 for the pair, they will seriously be the nicest thing in my house :) No head-laying on these! My family will love that.

Kristine is a wonderful interior designer in the Boston area. Her work is amazing. Be sure to check out her blog and portfolio for lots of inspiration. Can't wait to show you the pillows when they arrive!


Kristine Mullaney Design

If You Like These. . .

Run, don't walk, to Big Lots now. My very nice friend found these there for me tonight for only $20 a piece! She knew I had been on the lookout for ceramic stools for a while and the best deal I had found so far was on Overstock for $90+. Not sure just where I'll put them, but that's beside the point, isn't it?



Did I mention the person who found these is the same friend who watched my kids and cooked lasagna for my family while I was out of town this week? Now, that's a good friend.

My Home Office: The Plan

I'm back from a quick trip to Kentucky. Thanks for all of the sweet comments and messages.

So, to pick up where I left off last week, I am still in the mode of making major changes to our home office. The current problem (as I mentioned before) is that it has become the catch-all room for all of our "stuff" and none of the furniture is working. Up until last week, it housed a huge armoire (intended for the nursery upstairs but wouldn't fit up the steps) and a desk that belonged to my husband's grandmother. I had planned on using the desk but the front trim fell off and it has nearly cracked my knee caps in half on more than one occassion when I've gotten up. I just moved the armoire into the front living room and plan to use it to store games, my kids' art supplies, etc. So. . . out with the old and in with the new, I suppose.

When trying to decide where to start, a couple of images kept coming to mind.



There is something about this gray/green combo I absolutely love. (Isn't this a great store display? It's in a design shop called Furbish Studio in Raleigh.) I think these colors, paired with strong doses of white, would be stunning.

Another image that has stuck with me was this one, recently featured in Lonny magazine.



I definitely have a love for painted furniture and there's that kelly green again! I can't wait to show you the piece sitting in my garage waiting to be painted. While looking for a dresser with lots of storage for the office, I recently lucked in on a very similar campaign-style piece for only $50. So excited about painting it and getting it inside!

So, this is the general concept for the room. I will go ahead and add the disclaimer now that all of these plans may change (as a result of my "design ADD" that I've mentioned before).



My plan is to paint the whole room a deep charcoal gray and bring in a fun pop of green through the dresser and a small ginger jar lamp I picked up at Goodwill a few months ago.
I plan to add a white desk/work table and the Expedit bookcase from IKEA. I also have a yellow gold tufted chair that I'm hoping will fit into the space (or else it's taking up occupancy in our garage). I'll give you more details as I go.

I'd love to hear what you think.