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Showing posts with label inspirations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspirations. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
(Happily) Seeing Red...
Red has always been my very favorite color - there is even a picture of me as a toddler dressed head-to-toe in red with a red balloon - I admit, it's pretty cute (and probably why I was so very happy when Ella got her own pair of pretty red shoes!) Here are a few other bits of red that also make me smile!!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Evoked...
It happened yesterday while on a run, I looked down and saw them pushing up...crocuses! A sure sign of spring, I started looking a bit closer - new branches coming out, buds appearing and temperatures in the 40s - there is light at the end of the tunnel! These fun realizations (that spring really is right around the corner) inspired me to put together this fun spring outfit inspired by the amazing Orla Kiely transistor radio - SO FUN!!! I don't actually wear heels, except on special occasions, they do not lend themselves to toddler chasing very well, so I'd probably pair this outfit with gold(ish) flats instead. Yes, yes, flats, music, layers, I'm ready for spring! What will you be wearing?
(love the look? get the details here)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Bathroom Brainstorm!
A few months ago we made some big moves in the house - switching bedrooms with Miss Ella-Bean, painting, and setting up my craft/dressing room. The dust has settled...but today I noticed our bathroom...which has already been painted (by me) three times. It was cream, then brown (which my dad described as looking like poo), then to a light yellow and back to a yellowy-cream. The color is fine, but it needs a bit of sprucing. We have a large brown towel rack that just doesn't fit and a smaller cabinet from Target that we have had for ten years - pressed wood and plastic, not really our style anymore, but it functions, so it's hard to get rid of!! Then there are our towels which have seen better days, but again, they may not look pretty, but they still work!
My plan of action: dye, paint, use what we've got!
- Our towels will get a dye job of darkish-gray. This will be a thin line to walk - too light and they just look dirty, too deep and they will make the room too dark. I like these:
- The shower curtain, which is currently cream, will also get dyed a shade of gray, perhaps a touch lighter than the towels.
- The cabinet will get a fresh coat of high-gloss white paint and the handles will either be switched out or painted black.
- The top of the cabinet will get stenciled. I really like this pattern:
- Accessories will stick with the color scheme as well...gray, yellow, white and perhaps touches of a light spa-blue
Here are some other bathrooms (much bigger than ours) that I'm also drawing inspiration from.
When all is said and done - I'll be sure to post a before and after!! What part of your house do you want to spruce up? Has the spring cleaning bug bitten you yet??
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Pretty windows to the sky...
Though the temperature has been unseasonably warm over the past few days (melting the snow - hooray!) the skies have not exactly been sunny and blue. A pretty day here or there, but otherwise it's gray skies all the way. A few weeks ago I posted about making an ice bunting, and I was amazed at what a difference it made! I hung it out our back window - a window I look through dozens of times a day since it's located at the back of our one main hallway (in which Ella-Bean likes to play!!) Once the bunting melted it was back to the same, boring gray-and-brown I was sadly getting used to...it was time to bring some color back into our window this week! Feeling a creative impulse, I decided to use what I had on hand. Now our window make me smile every one of the million times I see it each day!!
This easy project took about 15 minutes, but may take you longer or shorter depending on your window size, complexity, and whether or not you have a little one "helping."
Supplies:
- tissue paper
- water
- Elmer's glue
- paintbrush
- scissors
To-do:
The tissue paper can be from packages you've received or from the store. Plan out what colors and shape you'd like and cut out your pieces. Also keep in mind what they will look like when layered! Mix a bit of glue in with your water - now I just poured some in and didn't measure, but I'd estimate the ratio is 1 part glue to 4 parts water.
Now the easy and fun part - just use the water mix to "paint" your paper onto the window.
They will take on a pretty semi-translucent look and dry in about 10 minutes. Once dry, just take a wet rag and clean up your edges, and voila! you're done!! You can leave your new design up for as long as you would like...and when you are done, just use a warm, wet rag to clean it all off.
The beauty of this project is that you can make it as sophisticated as you want. I think this would be lovely in a bathroom window, using small dots and only white paper. This could also be brilliant in a child's room with colorful balloons floating up to the sky (ooooh, I may try that one!!) You can also get all your supplies ready and have your kiddo work on this project (I'd say ages 4 and up, but hey, my kiddo is only 1, so you be the judge). Really, for this project the sky and your imagination (oh, and your window size) is the limit!!
P.S. If you do beautify one (or more) of your own windows, please share - I'd love to see what you come up with!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Flipping through...
I found this nifty magazine at the Renegade Craft Fair about 3 years ago. The down side is that they only publish every-other month. It's full of all sorts of neat DIYs and fabulous ideas - when I'm done with each issue it's basically totally dog-eared, pages ripped out, ideas circled.
I think the first time I learned about this magazine I was actually reading one of my favorite blogs, Smile and Wave and saw it in one of the pictures. I think it's fairly obvious what this magazine is about - what I like is that it includes some intermediate and expert along with the more managable beginner projects! What's more, this is the type of magazine that will get you thinking so that ultimately you come up with your own project!
I have been reading this magazine for years and years (truely!) Ben subscribed for me as a sweet gesture several years ago and must have put it on automatic renewal because I've received the magazine ever since! The organization and clothing-basics articles are helpful, but I really go back for the recipes (even better, all of the recipes from the magazine are found online at no charge - woot woot!!)
My favorite recipe (link above) is Linguine with Squash, Bacon and Goat Cheese. My only changes are that I use cows-milk feta cheese instead (and a whole LOT of it) and use a full package of bacon - yummmm!!!
To be honest, I have no idea why I am receiving this magazine. I didn't subscribe and neither did anyone I've asked, but I'm not complaining! I was never a Martha reader and was surprised when it came in the mail a couple of months ago - I thought it was a sample issue until I received another issue the following month. That Martha - love her or hate her, I think this magazine is pretty great. Her focus on gardening is especially helpful as each year I do my best to get a deeper hue of green on my thumb (it's getting there!)
In the current issue there is a fun article all about cross stitch, which may be enough for me to pick up a couple of my own stitching projects that I've been working on for the past couple of months (*cough years cough*)
Here's what I like about Bust - it brings together SO many things that I am interested in - from fashion to social action, they manage to weave it all together so seamlessly! This magazine is sassy and not for the faint-of-heart (you've been warned), but sooo worth the read! Love love love!!
So what are your favorite magazines? What am I missing?? I'd love to know!
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