let's get crafty: glitter place card

Sweet Paul's glitter box Halloween-inspired place card is sparkly and easy to create. Use it at your next dinner party to create a glimmering effect. Place candies & sweets inside for a fun treat!

Glitter box place card Instructions:
Cover a pumpkin shaped cardboard treat box with craft glue and then glitter.
Hot glue a small paper leaf on top as the place card, and create a stem with white florist wire. Hot glue in place. Easy!

gift guide: a girl who loves neutrals

Neutrals are my absolute favorite color palette. They are timeless and go with everything. Creamy whites, tea-stained linens, lacy fabrics and white doilies make me jump for joy! Against a white wall, neutral home accessories look clean and fresh. Neutral accents like beige, white or cream tablecloths and curtains never go out of style. A well-worn brown glove looks classic no matter what you pair it with. Here are some chic ideas for a girl who loves neutrals.

[Images above 1. Crow and Key. 2. Vintage Crochet Pillow Case 3. Brown Floral Print Dress 4. Khaki & White Doily Stationary (set of 8) 5. Vintage Gloves  6. Mini Floral Print 7. Vintage Brown Heels]

let's get crafty: halloween yarn wreath

Cute. Cheap. Easy. I love it when I can use these three words in a single sentence. Create your own seasonal yarn wreath using any color or shape of yarn. In this case, a Halloween-inspired wreath was made using orange, cream and black yarn in a mix of small and large yarn balls. Hang with a decorative ribbon and that's all she wrote.

Check out Etsy's Itz Fitz! for more amazing handmade yarn wreaths.

Indoor Succulent Garden

Succulents make me happy. They are lovely tucked into a container for their unique patterns and textures. Their colorful, ever-vibrant low tufts of foliage dresses up windowsills and entry tables inside the home. Plant succulents in urns, colorful pots and fish bowls to create your own display. Jump below to see some succulent inspiration.

Tips for propagating succulents from Sunset Magazine.
Make your own living succulent ART. 

multipurpose calendar

I found the perfect calendar for 2011: Lola's Room mini calendar. This mini calendar contains 13 (including cover) unbound 5 x 7 prints of the cutest photographs, each representing a separate month. I love the vintage camera photo for January. The great thing about the calendar is that you can use them anywhere in the home and when the month comes to a close, you can keep the images for framing and decorating the home. Added bonus: all images have a white border making them easy to frame!

Little Vignettes

I don't have a fireplace in my house but I wish I did. In fact, I've thought about creating a faux mantle in the living room just so I could display some of my most cherished collections! Fireplace mantles are often the focal point in the room are a great place to create little vignettes of your favorite things. Here are some of my favorites. Hope you are inspired!

{photos from design*sponge}

Winner of Allmodern Giveaway

Last month I had the pleasure of teaming up with Allmodern to give one of my lucky readers a gift certificate to their website Allmodern.com. And the winner is...

Cathleen Pearson - comment #3. Cathleen is also a fellow interior designer living in North Carolina. Congratulations Cathleen and enjoy your gift certificate!

Cathleen Pearson said...
Thanks for sharing this website, I didn't know about it. I love the Herman Miller Eames Molded Plastic Armchair with Wire Base. The ecotots twin kids beds are cool too!

September 27, 2010 12:22 PM

gift guide: trays

Trays make me happy. I love being organized and trays are that constant piece that serves as a functional and decorative element to the home. Trays make perfect catch-all's for coins, remote controls or a stack of books. Set out a small tray in the entry hall as a resting spot for keys and mail. Tuck a tray next to the bath to hold bath salts or a stack of towels. Here are some of my favorite trays for a variety of purposes.

[Images above: 1. Colorful Wooden Tray $39; 2. Large Round Brass Bamboo Tray $31; 3. Etched Oval Metal Tray $149; 4. Inlaid Bone Flower Tray $199 5. Triple Insect Tray $60]

gift guide: fall pillows under $100

It's time to break out the cozy pillows for fall. Cover your sofas, chairs and beds with piles of soft, plush pillows. Neutral colors like grays, creams and whites look brilliant together and work with well in both formal and informal areas of the home. Layer the pillows together and remember MORE IS MORE! You can't have too many pillows.

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[Images above: 1. Sculpted Origami Pillow $34; 2. Plaid It Again $68 (set of 2); 3. Ruffled Up Pillow $34; 4. Alpaca Textured Pillow $29.00

keepsakes

Capture a special moment with these custom prints that make colorful keepsakes in a baby's room or used as a wedding gift. The bold colors and whimsical fonts becomes a piece of artwork in the home. Why not create a wall of memories in the home using one of these sweet little pieces. Check out more custom prints and other brilliant accessories at Almost Sunday Designs.

Glass Bottles + Florals

Vintage bottles are delightful. They can be used to create miniature arrangements or centerpieces at your next dinner party. Hang the bottles from twine or fishing wire to create a hanging piece of artwork. Versatile, they can be changed out depending upon what's in season in the garden. They are also a great way to reuse a an old piece from days past.

fall rituals

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." A favorite quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald that kicks of the start of October and the beginning of my fall rituals; dusting off my fall throws and quilts, decorating the house with fall accessories and cooking up something yummy.

Mini Fairytale

Green Goblin

'La Estrella'

Cinderella

Unusual pumpkins like these steal the spotlight from those traditional varieties. None of these varities have to be carved, rather can rest on the porch to greet passerbys or over an entry way table for pops of color and texture. Really, they look good anywhere in the home. After your done using them for decoration, puree them into delicious soups or roast with olive oil and sea salt for a tasty snack.

Pumpkin bread is another fall ritual to fill the house with scents of cinnamon and spice. Check out this recipe from Joy of Baking. My mouth is watering. 

Organic ruched throw from West Elm makes you want to curl up with a good book and cup of tea! I LOVE it in Blue Sage. Add afghans over beds, sofas and outdoor chairs for a layer of cozy.

Bare branches from the garden nestled into vintage milk jars, vases and urns remind me of fall. Cut down the branches to fit small jam and jelly jars. So cute resting on a nightstand.

One brilliant fall container resting next to the front door greets you every day. Touch of Bronze container step-by-step plan.