Box Braid Leather Bracelet DIY

found these on the blog of one of my new favourite artists, Nicole Cohen - Sketch 42.

Her paintings are a celebration of hue,

so no surprise she's adorning her wrists with these luscious things:

it's quite a simple DIY, and since we have heaps of leather cord (don't know why!)

the darlings and I are going to work some up this rainy afternoon - 

thought you may like to, as well - x

Works in Any Room: Gold Wall Sculpture

It's everywhere and after the design world being so saturated with gallery walls, 

I love the idea of a single, jaw-dropping piece...

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tucked in alongside a mirror...

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used as a punctuation point over a sofa...

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They're not on the walls, but Michael Bruno likes these sculptural gold trees enough

to have one in both his Paris apartment and home in the Hamptons...

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If you have the room in your budget,

heaps of these iconic Curtis Jere pieces can be found on his site, 1st dibs...

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or maybe one of these beauties works for you -
I love, love, love the top one - so graceful..

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craving something more unusual?

weekend diy idea:

an entire wall of gold metal discs -

how gorgeous is that?

I'd love to do this as on headboard wall...

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This clever sculpture gave me so many ideas...

it's made from foam core board and paint!

Amazing, right?

Check out the tutorial -

Jeremy's diy tessellation from Apartment Therapy

    

What do you think?


Want one?!





Iv'e been working on the desk a little this week-
hoping to finish it this weekend.

this is what I'm up against...

three layers of stain! Madness!



Happy Weekend :)

What Would YOU Grab in a Fire?

This is brilliant.

(Found on Hello My Dear - 

please go and visit this one,

Sarah is the bee's knees..)

Foster Huntington has created The Burning House Site.

He invites people to take a photo of the things they'd take if the house was on fire,

and then he posts them.

What we cherish most offers a glimpse of our truest selves...

Now I just have to try and round up D., the three darlings and two manic pups for a pic :)

...and maybe my iphone.

What would you take?

Does Your Budget Affect Your Color Choices?

After reading through the blogs,
I realized I may be the only person who missed Million Dollar Decorators...
but truthfully, wasn't really interested.

I heard it was full of pretentious, obnoxious behavior...

since the whole show is based on "bragging-rights" budgets,
it seems natural that it is packed-to-the-rafters with people who are focused on that sort of thing,
doesn't it?

There may be some valuable design lessons, but how much sifting will have to be done to get to them?

All the discussions, however, got me thinking about budgets...


The clients I am usually working with do not have unlimited design budgets.

They are usually looking for a design that combines old and new

 into one, cohesive, shiny ball of fabulousness :)

What I do find, when the budget is more realistic,
is that my clients regularly want to go neutral with the bulk of their choices,

 because they know they will be living with them for some time.

When this happens, I tend to guide them toward color through paint and accessories.
Then they can have their cake, and eat it, too - isn't that what we all want!!!


I'd like to know how you all do it..

Do you refrain from buying that to-die-for red velvet sofa

because you don't want to commit to scarlet fever for the next 5 - 10 years?

Even though it makes you tingle all the way down to your toes...

but bring home the lush red pillows?

Do you stick with white, black, grey or - gasp - beige
(which I like, by the way - in small doses!!)  

because it will be less expensive to pack up blue and white pottery
 than change out that exquisite navy toile wallpaper
once you're over your mad blue and white crush?

or do you revel in your chosen hue?
splashing it around with abandon....

 Does your budget affect your color choices?

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Artist: Annelie Solis

Delicate, enchanting watercolors are drawing my eye lately...

and these paintings by Annelie Solis are, like her name, tres jolie - non?

  

I love that your eye is led in by color, then drawn along delicate detail, into an explosion of paint....

Crave bold? Let her photography take you on a journey...

 to the world of a fiery redhead

les femme fatale

and fairy dust.

De belle images.

(sorry for all the french! for some reasons certain artists make me break out en francais. :)

Avoir un Dimanche beaucoup, mes amis - x

kijiji: my shop in shining armour

Lately I have been sighing over all things campaign.

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My old desk has been dying a slow death,
and although I've resisted, it's time to move on.

 been dreaming about setting my morning tea on one of these each day...

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however, since some other projects are happening here right now, 

1st dibs pricing isn't quite aligned with my budget of, say, nothing, lol.

The plethora of success stories other bloggers have had finding vintage pieces left me hoping

 I would discover a little slice of campaign heaven for myself...

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and then, yesterday, there she was, on kijiji.

(The photos were pretty bad, thankfully, or I probably would have had to compete for this one.)

Loooook at her.

She needs a makeover, life has been a tad unkind...

I'll start with stripping the top section 

to reveal what she's got going on under all that unfortunate mahogany stain.

If it's lovely she will be re-stained, but if it's not....

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what do think?
Just oozes potential, right?

Hoping to get started this weekend, but the kids have a day off tomorrow...

 and between a sleepover, trip to Wonderland, three kids bday parties, 

a bbq (here!), and a 60th birthday dinner...

 it may be next week :)

Thankfully, it's the last weekend of kids swimming lessons saturday morning - 

don't know what I was thinking when I booked those - 

I haven't been able to get out junktiquing at any yard sales all spring!!

What are you creative darlings all up to this weekend?

spreading the sunshine...giveaway winner

Since it's sunny here

(sorry if it's not there, but this is the second day of sunshine and I'm riding on a bit of a high!)

it's the perfect day to announce the winner of the giveaway.....

Barbara, DIY extraordinaire, from HodgePodge

wins a color consult for a room in her home...

You guys are always requesting more pics of my work, and it may come to pass with the online consultations, because clients are taking LOTS of pics - I love it!

Since Barbara has such a creatively cool pad, 

I'm hoping she'll allow me to share before and afters with you...*wink wink*

and another blogger has graciously agreed to allow me share before and afters

 of a family room/kitchen that I've just consulted on - it's a good one, stay tuned, lovelies!

Off to a clients home today to work on a color plan for her sunroom...

and speaking of sunshine...

we've just completed a darling bedroom for her four year old daughter.

When I asked this little sweetheart her favourite color

 she looked me square in the eye, and answered, "brown and sunshine". 

Ha! I love kids :)

 We brought in some antique pieces, including a bed (for her brown), and 

painted a headboard wall of Martha Stewarts Mimosa to match the bedding she chose.

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It's adorable and unique, just like her.