and the Blooming Winner is....

How could the day almost get away from me without announcing the winner of the Blooming Pillow giveaway?! Que the drum roll, horns and fireworks please....the winner is Julie Q! Congrats! There is one tiny requirement when accepting this giveaway, I ask once you receive your pillows from Two Yellow Shoes, please shot a picture and send it over so we can all share in your happy. Thanks again to Laura at Two Yellow Shoes for offering this giveaway!



(image via Two Yellow Shoes)

Wake Up Sunshine!

With last night being the Super Bowl I thought we could all use a little wake me up with some Sunshine Rooms! If these yellow rooms don't wake you up (while having your tea/coffee...we need the extra kick) than I am not sure what will! How was your weekend? Do you need a little sunshine to get you going? Enjoy your Monday!







(images House to Home and House Beautiful, Desire to Inspire/Anita Behrendt)

Go Red Women!

Today is National Wear Red Day which brings awareness to Women's Heart Disease. It is something that is dear to my heart, quite literally as heart disease runs strongly on my Mom's side. If you have heart disease in your family do what I have done and talk to your doctor on ways to prevent it and know the signs of an oncoming heart attack. When the time comes like when my mom suffered an attack you will know exactly what to do!



Of course the best way to stave off heart disease is to live a healthy lifestyle but come on we know that can be difficult with all of life's stresses so maybe you can remember to....

Live the posters message and keep calm

or indulge in one of your favorite books. "The Art of Doing Nothing" is one of my go to gifts for girlfriends, if you have not read this order it now. It's beautiful!

If all else fails put on a gorgeous red dress and take a look in the mirror, its bound to make you feel beautiful and put a little happy in your heart!

Take care and in your travels today notice all the red around you and remember to stay healthy!

Let's talk....write on it & painted legs

OK gang, can we have a little chat about this room? I came across it and was immediately WOWed but that is because I have a strange obsession with typography in the house. How do you feel about enormous letters painted on the wall? Would you ever consider this in your house?

We also have the style of painting one leg on a kitchen chair. I have to admit I could live with the letters but the painted leg, not so sure.
Please share your opinion in the comment section, I would love to hear from you!

(image from Desire to Inspire and Beckers)

Color Time - In Your Eyes Benjamin Moore

Here it is Color Time again! I adore this bright, happy blue! I would describe this as more of a "cool blue". The light colored pine floors and furniture make this the perfect color selection. This room would be the perfect place to have my morning tea but I also could see myself working on my laptop gazing out the window for inspiration!




**Always remember to sample a color before painting, computer screens can vary in tone

(image from Country Living)

Sending Birthday Wishes!!

Not only is today Groundhog day but it is also my little (she loves when I say that!) sisters Birthday!! Unfortunately she does not live in the same state as the rest of the family so I thought I might take this post and send her some virtual presents like....

a beautiful bouquet full of orange flowers, our "family color"

a chance to relive her wedding this past fall, the most perfect day

some quiet time in the beautiful Boston Public Library with a few of her favorite classics (she is a HS English teacher...you know the cool class you always wanted to be in, that's her!)

mostly I wish I could give her a laid back Sunday Italian Dinner on the deck with the entire family

and the one thing I know she would love most are my Mom's Marble Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting!
Happy Bday Amy, hope this is one fantastic year for you!
xo jul

(images from Martha Stewart Flowers Tom Underwood Posh Chicago, Desire to Inspire, Womans Day)

A Blooming Giveaway!

Last week I promised to all those who participated in my blog survey a little thank you in the way of a unique giveaway! This is a special one you can make your very own! The extremely talented Laura Larson from Two Yellow Shoes has been nice enough to offer up a set of her "Blooming Pillows". I discovered TYS while scouting local Boston Etsy designers for a STUFF Magazine article and immediately fell in love! She is one incredibly creative lady and I love the fact these sweet pillows came out of a desire for a ring bearers pillow for her own wedding! I would also see these pillows used with an accent chair in a nursery, as the wow piece in the living room or even better one for my bed and one as a surprise gift for a friend!


"Pillows measure approx. 13" x 13" in size. The pillows are made from canvas and the flowers are felt and measure in various sizes, 12" x 12" being the largest layer. Eight layers of wool felt make up each flower. These pillows "pucker" in the center giving the illusion that the flower is blooming." Two Yellow Shoes

A sample of felt colors available for the "Bloom"!

Not only does Laura create amazing pillows she also is an expert in beautiful wedding invitations and accents. I just adore her custom favor boxes check them out at her Etsy Store!

In order to enter please leave a comment below with your Blooming felt color selections and where you would use them in your house! There will be one winner (of 2 identical pillows) which I will announce next Monday 2/8/10.

Good Luck and thanks again for participating in the survey, your honest feedback was just incredible!

A thankful daydream

What an amazing week it has been! First I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to fill out my blog survey ( if you have not Click here to take survey) the feedback has been amazing. You have all been so thoughtful in your comments and have given me so many great ideas. So the week started with a little survey love and than came an exciting meeting with the folks at Grand and Chroma Lab. I will let you in on a little secret, we are planning a FANTASTIC event and I hope to work it so all those not in Boston can participate as well! The details are still hush hush but I promise to let you be the first to know when the time comes!


If I had my way we would have a CreateGirl reader retreat in a gorgeous place like this home in Spain. When I checked in over at Verdigris Vie I saw these photos and immediately the daydream began....all of us talking creativity and inspiration while being served an amazing dinner outside...heavenly, right?



Enjoy the weekend!

(images via Verdigris Vie and Belgian Pearls)

How To Thursday - Reupholster It!

This "How To Thursday" is how a little fabric and a reupholster can create magic. A client had 2 antique chairs, which for years sat mismatched next to her traditional antique sofa. When she contacted me she was ready to blend all three pieces to make a cohesive room. What we had to work with was the sofa upholstered in a warm floral pattern full of deep hues.




The tufted chair was beautiful, though the cats had torn apart the fabric and the seat was an old horse hair cushion which no one wanted to sit on. We found a small diamond print with strong color to accent the wood trim and requested a new firmer seat. I also asked to eliminate the nail heads and add a double welt, this created a more modern look for the chair. Now it is a comfortable and inviting reading chair!

Before...

After!!

The second chair sat for years with a muslin cover and did not have much of a personality. In order to accentuate the gorgeous lean lines of the chair we chose a stripe fabric. With this fabric my goal was to pull out the colors of the floral fabric while tying in the mango color of the diamond print.

Before...



After!!!


floral - mini print - stripe

There are a few things I took into consideration when choosing fabrics. The goal is to mix pattern and scale of the fabrics while keeping in style with what is currently in the room. The existing fabric was a wide spread floral with many colors. I chose the mango diamond fabric for the tufted chair because I knew anything with a stripe or plaid pattern would become distorted with the buttons. After pulling the mango out of the main floral fabric I knew my next selection needed to be one that pulled all the fabrics together which the stripe did perfectly. The stripe is a complimentary pattern to the floral and diamond prints, it also pulls together all the colors of the room. Both of these pieces now have a new life thanks to a bit of fabric and an expert upholsterer!

Have you reupholstered pieces? If you have questions on a fabric selection to coordinate with other pieces in your room feel free to send me an email, I am happy to help out!!

If you are in Boston ck out Freddy Farkel in Watertown they absolutely have the best reuph prices!

Happy on Sacramento Street!

Today I am guest blogging over at Sacramento Street . I was so excited when the fantastically creative Caitlin asked me to participate in her "10 Things That Make Me Happy" series. Let me tell you, when you are a visual girl like me with hundreds of products coming across her desk daily it is extremely difficult to narrow it down to just 10!! Please stop on over to Sacramento Street I promise you will fall in love with all of her topics, I am especially loving her wedding related posts, they are just dreamy!

Here are a few more items that make me happy when decorating a room:

an interesting accent rug which can easily be moved from room to room
small clocks are the perfect accent for any side table (both BR & LR)
a gorgeous chandelier with a bit of sparkle adds life to any room and even better under $300
classically designed accent chairs, the type that will be passed down through the generations

just a reminder please take a minute to share your opinion on the blog survey, I would so appreciate it! Click here to take survey

(Pillows and Throws Williams Sonoma Home Pottery Barn Barbara Barry)

A bit of construction....

There are all types of construction...small projects & big projects....tear down the entire house project & just revamp a bathroom project. Than there is the Blog Construction Project where you start the new year with a vision of what you want to accomplish and ask your lovely readers to take a few minutes to share their opinion and chime in on what they like and maybe don't like about their decor reads.

So would you please help make my construction project a little easier and take my quick survey?

Click here to take survey

I would be forever grateful and to say THANKS for taking the time to share your opinion there will be little surprise next Monday (2/1/10) in the form of a FANTASTIC giveaway.
Hint: you will be able to make this giveaway uniquely your own.....

Thanks for being the greatest readers a creative girl could ask for, I truly appreciate all of your support and comments! As always if you have your own "blog construction project" and need a little feedback please let me know
jul

Industrial + French = Style Love

Gorgeous, Edgy, Serene what other words are there to describe such a house? House Beautiful recently featured Amy Neunsinger's Laurel Canyon Home and its one of those houses where I can immediately see myself "at home". Maybe it is the spacious, sun filled rooms or the way the shabby white decor contrasts the hard lines of an exposed ceiling, regardless it is so inviting! She describes the house as Southern France meets industrial, have you ever heard of such a fantastic mix? Take the tour below, I bet you will fall in love too.....

while tearing down tiles in the former bathroom, a rustic concrete wall was exposed and is now the anchor to a lovely dining room!

to DIE for double patio doors - let the light in!

The contrast is extreme with sharp metal & nail head coffee tables, metal framed windows and the softness of a white sofas.

a sliding barn door paired with a metal track combine the rustic and industrial seamlessly

a mirror backed bookcase give the room depth in an unassuming way

Above is the fantastic office space Amy uses for her online invitation & greetings company, Cocodot. If you are a card and invitation lover like me you will want to ck out this site, it is a great way to personalize stationary in a "do it yourself" kind of way!

(images from House Beautiful)

Color Time - Violet Dusk

This year I am adding a new topic to our CreateGirl List called "Color Time". Often when I choose a color for a clients home, I will scour the internet for a room example with that color. I have learned it is so much easier to convey the appeal of a perfect tone if you can provide a visual. So as I come across colorful rooms I will post them with the hopes of inspiring you as well. After all the most affordable way to change a room is with paint!

Benjamin Moore Violet Dusk

Please feel free to start a comment conversation if you have used this color or find "Color Time" helpful! thanks!

(image from Country Living)
**Always remember to sample a color before painting, computer screens can vary in tone

Riding the T with Dejan

Friday I was invited to the opening night of a wonderful exhibit, "The Subway Series". If you know me, you know I absolutely love anything that tells a story or conveys a feeling without using one single word so this display was perfect in my eyes. In order to make a mundane daily commute interesting, Dejan Djordjevic uses his iphone to take photos of other commuters and than posts his pictures on his facebook page and website. Its an unabashed portrayal of Boston's T riders and their diversity. One could sit in this gallery for hours creating stories of what these people are contemplating and where they are going, just fabulous!








This was my first event at the Accidental Gallery, which is the perfect intimate space for a showing! Above is the lovely Jessica DeGuardiola the owner of 5sPR who planned the night. Thanks Jessica for a truly fantastic evening!