Taking time to grow!

"Patience is Knowing" - Rodney White

At times we all have to stop and say, you know what I could use a little help. People come to me all the time and ask for assistance with their homes right? Well now I have decided to ask for a wee bit of blogging help in the form of an exciting online class. Starting today and for the next 4 weeks I will be learning with a great group of creative people in order to bring you even more interesting posts. In the end my goal is to become a more focused blogger and create the most informative, inspiring posts I can. For the next month I might not post everyday but I can at least promise you 3 days a week which will always include a Monday Morning Happy and a How To Thursday!
Thanks for being the best readers a blogging gal could ask for : )
jul


(image from art.com)

Monday Morning Happy!

Happy new week! OK, I had an entire post all set to go regarding the unofficial start of summer as today was to be the Home Opener for the Red Sox. Now looking out the window at the sheets of rain come down sideways and the news reporting the game has been postponed I can't seem to find any summertime happy. So I will just start the week with great Fenway Photos and pray Mother Nature hears my cries for warmth and sun!! Go SOX
Enjoy your week
jul



(images from Boston Coasters)

Budget Friendly Wall Decor Ideas - Kids Room

Wall Decals are the perfect way to decorate and they are inexpensive! I love the idea you can remove them easily and as the kids grow change them out. A quick tip when hanging the stickers is to make sure they are "attached" to the pieces of furniture. This will connect the pieces and create a easy flow or "story"Above you can see they have done this with the Bee buzzing close to the chair and crib! Perfect!



A simple molding strip with tacks attached create an instant gallery look for your child's artwork.



I love purchase really nice frames and display the budding artists artwork! It is such a joy to have pieces to show off in a nice decorative way. The difficult part is swapping them out from time to time. There are so many good options!


(images from weegallery.com, cookie magazine)

How to Thursday - The Nursery

Here are a few things to remember when you start to decorate a nursery. Keep in mind the three C's, cozy, comfy and calm. As the parent you will also spend time in this room so you want to make sure there is a comfy chair for you and the furniture is easy to use. For instance the crib should be a size which is easy for you to lean over and pick up the baby.

There are 3 main pieces each nursery should start with; the crib, chair and changer. Once you have the big pieces placed add accents; bookshelf, storage bins, wall decor, rugs, lighting.

It's fun to have a theme but be careful not to go overboard. A little Winnie the Pooh can go a long way and in a small dose can have a bigger impact!

If you are having a difficult time choosing a theme or style, take cues from other rooms in your home. Are you traditional or modern? Are you colors more on the cool side or warm side?


Think outside the box, use a dresser as a changing table (you can purchase a top changer for the baby to safely lay on). Use an existing floor lamp and change out the shade to work with your scheme. Visit sites like Etsy to find unique bedding options. It's exciting to have something different than the neighbors. Pick pieces from different stores so you don't have the "complete catalog" look, you have a room which reflects your family!


Most of all this should be fun! Don't forget sweet accents like stuffed animals and a photo of the proud parents! Enjoy

(images from Nesting Cookie Mag, House to Home, Apartment Therapy)

Rockers and Pillows - Nursery Style

In the past few months I have worked on 3 very different nursery projects and have clocked countless hours of research! The rocker/glider is always a must for any room. Most chairs come stocked in neutral fabrics which can be a bit boring. To create a bit of whimsy I always pick a fun pillow to punch it up! Below are a few examples!

The Luca Glider has a clean sleek look and a smaller footprint than most. It is available in many fabrics with optional contrasting welt! The Monkey Zoo pillow is the perfect fun accent for this chair!

Room Service Home offers a larger option in the Gracie Double Glider.

The slip cover makes it easy to clean and is available in paisley, diamond or rose pattern. The Letter Pillow from one of my favorite stores, Serena & Lily is a sweet compliment!



If you are crafty and are not finding exactly what you are looking for this is the perfect option! With the inexpensive IKEA Lillberg Rocker you can customize it by painting the frame and picking fabrics to fit your room scheme. I like the combination of this adorable Etsy WOOF Pillow and striped fabric.

All the Numbers in Boston!

All the Numbers is one of the sweetest stores on Etsy. Kiki, the designer creates the most adorable tunics, they are full of colorful patterns and are even reversible! The little one can grow with this fashionable find. She can wear it as a tunic when little and as a longer top when she gets bigger! Fantastic, this is going to the top of the gift giving list! All the Numbers is also a Boston based company, we love to support the creative locals!



(images from All the Numbers Etsy site)

Letter Drama

This picture is from Ohdeedoh over at Apartment Therapy. I was immediately drawn to it for the exaggerated letter...you know how I love my typography! Than I looked closer and thought, what a great way to take up a corner. Sometimes you have that negative space in a room and wonder do I really need another piece of furniture to fill it? This is a great dramatic option and best of all inexpensive. The tone on tone is key here in keeping a calm feeling for the room.

Diary Entry - Nursery Storage

Check out this blog post over at Stylefeeder's Tastemakers Diaries. It's a great creative storage solution!

(images ViaToyBox)

A Perfect Monday Morning Happy!

Yes, I am a weee bit late with my Monday Morning Happy but I have a good excuse!! On a very rainy Sunday morning one of my greatest friends gave birth to the sweetest baby girl! Little Miss. Sidney was welcomed into the world. I imagine her growing up to be as fashionable as her mom and someday clunking around in pink wellies while walking her dog! I look forward to the day I cheer her on as she shows off her riding skills on her gorgeous pony! Isn't it wonderful to look at a sweet little thing and dream of all the possibilities?!
This week I will be posting on all things baby, because as you know me, I will be searching for the perfect ways to spoil my new little greatest friend.
Enjoy the new week!
jul

(image from fiery eyed on Etsy)

Quick Share - Relaxation

Just came across these photos over at All the Best and wanted to share. This could be a tease. since like me, you might want to hop a plane right now to Greece! It looks so fresh and clean. I love the color of the stark white, fuschia and pale blue. Hmmm we might just have a new room inspiration here!

Sis Boom Happy!

Over the weekend I was scouting Sew Mama Sew, and stumbled upon the lovely fabrics of Jennifer Paganelli. This lady is uber creative! Her fabrics ooze what I would describe as sunshine happy! Most have unique color combinations which she credits as an outcome of living in places like New England, the Caribbean and NYC. "Modgirls, Pretty Please and Dance with Me" are just a few of her fabric collections over at her company Sis Boom. Of course I now have to investigate this creative force further and I find she has a blog and a flickr account! Sweet, now I feel like I know here even better!

Jennifer's fabrics have been described as "More of a mash up that makes you think, dream and take risks! She’s looking for color warping, shape shifting experiences for her customers that have been described as offbeat and eclectic combinations that are like an over-caffeinated and charged up version of real life."

These just shout summer happy! I see pillows and napkins/tablecloths in these bright fun colors!

Along with her fantastic fabrics she also sells adorable tunics like the one displayed in the "Cute Picture of the Week". Above are a few of her fabric boxes and she also creates fantastic aprons, perfect for any gift! Now that I have fallen in love, I just need to decide what fabric to purchase for fun summer pillows. My sofa is a neutral tan so I can go in any direction, do you have a favorite?

Go get yourself a little sunshine over at the Sis Boom website! I promise it will brighten your day!


(images from Sis Boom)

Working with the Eaves

Sometimes I come across a picture which stops me in my tracks with a "Holy Crow", that is so cool! This is one of those pictures from Coastal Living. In the northeast we have many "Cape" houses and at times it can be a challenge to work with the eaves. This is the perfect solution. By sectioning off the wall they have created bunk areas for the kids beds. A smart addition of wave molding gives the illusion of a separate space! A great idea and looks fabulous!





(image from Coastal Living)

Monday Morning Happy

Happy New Week! It's the first full week of spring and I plan to embrace it, even if it is still a weee bit chilly!

The end of last week I was in a bit of a creative slump, I am happy to say it has passed! Phew! Holly over at Decor8 sent me an encouraging email which was just so sweet! I also decided to "clean the slate" in a way and I started with my inspiration board which sits over my desk. At times the best thing to do is "empty the room" and start over, it's a great way to take stock of where your creativity is. So this is what I came up with some pieces are constants like the quotes and photos on the left but to the right I exchanged almost all the room photos.

before the cleansing!

after:

I cropped the room inspirations here:

A window seat always signifies relaxation and serenity for me so when I saw this picture I knew it was a keeper! The brown cushion accented with turquoise and yellow pillows are a fabulous color combo and one which I see myself drawn to lately (more to come on that)! The black and white tile in the kitchen is fantastic, I dream of this for myself someday. With spring here I love the idea of a crisp white vase with a simple single flower. Just lovely! These are just a few images which caught my attention this weekend. This is an exercise I should do more often. It's nice to have the option to "clean the slate" and start from scratch! Afterall isn't that what spring is all about?
Enjoy the week
jul

taking a breather

Have you ever felt like this......I know...I don't know.....I know.....I don't know? This week I have had terrible bloggers block. The ideas are there, the images are just not coming together so I apologize for the delay. I think I will give myself a bit of a break...sometimes you just can't force this. I hope you don't mind but I am going to take a tad time out and start back here on Monday.

During my self imposed breather, please find inspiration over at my favorite blogs! You will find them there....just to the right >

thanks!
jul

(image from creature comforts)

Just a little something...

....for the special Irish Gal in your life!!





The designer of the Laughing Dog Studio takes inspiration from nature and the sea to create her gorgeous jewelry pieces. As a former visual merchandiser, I absolutely love how she stages her goods out in nature. The photos displaying her pieces give a sense of serenity and highlights the natural color of each gem! Affordable and a great gift, just perfect!!

Lucky Green Accents!

A sampling of my favorite green accents!

Persian Greensea - Sea Scape Lamps



Nautical Stripe Rug in Foliage - WS Home




Papyrus Eco Art Pillow Lime/Slate from - nest



Factory Planters - Generate



Trellis Wallpaper - Ballard Designs

Just a touch of Green

The perfect soothing bedroom with a sweet punch of green! Just perfect for our St.Patrick's Day post!

(image from HGTV.com)

Monday Morning Happy!

What a weekend! The weather in the Northeast was truly spring like and finally we have the feeling old man winter might be behind us! I even had the opportunity to enjoy brunch on the back deck with the paper. What a great way to start a new week!
I hope you all had a really nice weekend and it was sunny where you are!
Enjoy the week!
jul

(image from House to Home)

It's the Weekend!

Hooray, it's the weekend! I hope you all get "carried" away doing something very fun, something just for YOU!
see you back here next week!
jul

(image from a picture is worth a thousand words)

Shopping and Grooving at Delight

Have you been to Delight.com yet? If not, please let me share, it is one of my favorite go to websites. They have an amazing range of products from wedding gifts, useful kitchen items to quirky gifts! Every day for 24hrs they highlight one product which is on sale. Most of these are in limited quantity so you should act fast if you fall in love. The Delight ladies scout out really unique items, things you are not finding in every other store. To make it even better all products are "tested" by one of their savvy reviewers so we know exactly what we are ordering! Sign up for the newsletter and you will get the inside scoop on new products and specials. As if they know how Fridays can drag, they created "Mix Tape Fridays". It's FANTASTIC!! By 3:00 I need a little pick me up so I pop on over to the blog and sing along to their mix. I am usually introduced to a favorite new song, which stays with me for the weekend! Today's new song is "Be OK" by Ingrid Michaelson and a old favorite is "59th Street Bridge Song". Shopping and Grooving, what could be better?!

Amber Earrings from recycled beer bottles

I Spy Fisheye Camera!

Recycled Glass Hurricane

The Penelope Phone and Base - plug in your cell and use like an "old fashioned phone"!

Visit Delight, they are doing much more than selling great products!

(images from Delight.com)