Tuesday, November 30, 2010

just doing some window shopping...

Holding a degree in visual merchandising I have a certain fondness for this time of year...Holiday window season! In the world of visual merchandising the ultimate playing field  takes place this time each year on the tiny island of Manhattan in the windows of the worlds best department stores. Since I live a bit south in Virginia (where the windows are no where near as exciting) and from the power of Google I know most of you who read my blog (thanks by the way!) aren't in NYC either I thought I would share my favorite part of the year... and up first is the magical styling of Bergdorf Goodman
At the corner of 5th Avenue and 58th street resides a magical store everyone should visit! and ladies the shoes are up on the 5th floor with the bar!






The magical fantasy windows inspire a since of travel and glamor and I love the mix of modern, fantasy and classical elements  used in the windows.
add some sparkle to your life this holiday season! and it doesn't have to be on the tree...


It could be in your closet! No better time of year to don the sparkley apparel!

but no matter what this holiday season...
follow your heart!
xoxo

photos: examiner, Etsy, Nordstrom, Shoecrazed, Stylefiles



Saturday, November 27, 2010

ABC easy as 123...







Somewhere between feeling like I am in a bit of a catch 22 situation with my life and hanging ABC's on my nephew's wall I have gotten obsessed with the simplistic beauty that is numbers and letters...I'm not talking about paragraphs or sentences- or even words for that matter... Just the graphic beauty of a single character.





For my lovie little nephew I used these great kind of mod colorful ABC's that I found at the VA museum of fine art- each letter is an animal- so no xylophones in his nursery! I have said it before but will harp on it a little more- I love using chic educational things for kids in their rooms...it is never too early to start inspiring...
























I have to toot my own horn because the one thing I love about the cards I used are that they can come off the wall and he can play with them (after very many minutes in the trim section of Home Depot I found some cool weatherstripping material to act as a very narrow ledge for the cards to rest in.)
But letters and numbers aren't just a great art piece for a nursery, they make a graphic statement in other areas of you home as well as being conversation pieces...











If you have a front porch I love putting a bench on it and using graphic number pillows as your house numbers











Use numbers for art and let them have a hidden meaning...something special to you and your family like special dates or lucky numbers...












add numbers to items you use everyday add a feeling of whimsy and organization at that same time.

Sometimes words are just too much to deal with so find a single letter that speaks to you...






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Friday, November 26, 2010

Birds of a feather...

There is something about Thanksgiving that stirs a desire within me to go live in a Ralph Lauren ad.The combination of the autumnal colors, the chilly mornings that beckon boots and sweaters, the sweet and savory smells, the thankfulness in everyone's hearts and the emergence of feathers as part of decor just make me happy and cozy!
This year I spent Thanksgiving with my sister and brother-in-law and their new little turkey and I have to admit I was really excited to use their wedding china...unlike me they are quite the outdoorsy sort ( I am more the cocktails on a patio type of outdoorsy) so when they chose their china and selected the Spode Woodland pattern my first thought was: I can't wait to have Thanksgiving on these plates! With each plate having a different woodland creature on it it is a bit of a game to clean your plate and see what yours is..good way to get a little one to clean their plate!

While I am not the hunting sort of girl (I am a good shot however) I am the pheasant feather decor kind of girl!
Feathers a a perfectly good alternative to greenery for the holidays...no watering, no needles falling off
a stylish feather adorned wreath can take you from Thanksgiving straight through the holidays

I have to admit I am also really loving the idea of donning some feather accessories for a little Black Friday action...
or might turn it up a notch and go high fashion with some very chic feathers, compliments of Sir Salvatore Ferragamo and Ralph Lauren
works for Carrie...works for me!



For all you crazy birds out there flocking to the early morning sales I wish you luck on your Black Friday adventures!

photos:Etsy, Elle, Sex and the City, Ferragamo, Ralph Lauren, HouseandHome, Spode










Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thankful for the little things...

Earlier today I started compiling all the things that Thanksgiving inspires in me but, because I only have one arm right now...there is an adorable little nephew in the other I decided to share what I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving...
The little things in life...
The funny faces babies make
The smile my sister gets when she looks at her baby
The innocence of a child farting loudly during a family picture
miniature marshmallows being totally accepted and expected in a main course
the excitement of a child reading Harry Potter for the first time

and the not so little things...my family and my friends

well I guess tomorrow will be all chic feathers and things.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Rather Cheeky...

Well since the wedding date is set, I guess it is time to give up holding out hope that Prince William will casually find his way across the pond to Virginia, meet me and instantly fall head over heals in love with me and make me a princess. So instead I will find a way to pay homage to my childhood dream of becoming a real life princess. While I am not too keen on the royal wedding edition china (made in China no doubt) I do love a good British flag...there is something  both classic(the colors and history) and modern (the contrast and pattern) about the British flag that makes it an inspiring pattern to decorate with.
or maybe take a nod from Kate's new bling...
this one is my favorite favorite favorite!

But more than anything I can't wait for all the dress buzz to hit a fever! anyone care to wager on the silhouette?

photos: house and home, NewYork Estate jewelry, houzz, casasugar











Sunday, November 21, 2010

I'll take one of each!




I get inspired by the ones that I love and today is one of my dear friends birthdays. It used to be when I thought of her it was of our good memories and her amazing creativity but now she has two adorable babies that are the light of her life and when I realized today was her birthday I thought how blessed she must feel today with so much to be thankful for!

When I think about a boy and a girl I instantly think of famous pairs like Dick and Jane or Jack and Jill... Did you know a shared bathroom, specifically one that is accessed by two bedrooms is called a Jack and Jill... there is a long history of brothers and sisters fighting over bathrooms so I really don't understand how they end up on so many floor plans I see (actually I do understand square footage and all but for practical reasons, if you can afford 2 bathrooms- do it! you will thank me when they are teenagers!)



The classic Jack and Jill bathroom is similar to a classic 2 sink master where the sinks are side by side and typically there is a door on either side leading to the bedrooms. However I have recently seen two more interesting takes on the Jack and Jill... the first uses the angles of the room to separate the spaces more and place all the counter space between the two sinks.



While i do see the possibility for one child to easily get knocked out by that door it is a solid concept.. The one I loved the most was floating the vanity area in the center of the space and giving truly separate counter space to each.


The idea of sharing with siblings is something I am quite accustomed to but since I mostly shared with my sister decorating was only as tricky as our two different personalities. Decorating shared spaces for boys and girls does not have to mean beige! Yes I will concede pink is a girlie color but blue doesn't have to be reserved for boys only areas.


I am a firm believer in giving kids a space of their own and making it a space that fosters creativity and inspires them...and what better to do that than colors! Colorful stripes are a great unifier for shared spaces, they allow you to bring in all colors!


While primary colors are a safe bet for shared spaces don't be afraid to mix in variations on those hues, like different tones of blue- everything from light blue and aquas to deeper navy tones!





And with the idea of inspiring tiny minds, use things that will help them learn as well- go ahead and introduce things that they will find at school and make them a part of their daily world, like letters and maps...





and globes! I love globes- do they still have those at school? probably not so adding globes can pull double duty and teach them history!


I think it is better to steer clear of themes in shared spaces but if you do want to go with a theme keep it gender neutral too and obviously colorful- like Dr. Seuss


The most fun part of decorating for one of each is that you get to incorporate two really different personalities and bring them both into one space! Get inspired by both of them and make sure they both shine though in their shared space!

photos: houzz, potterybarn kids, benjamin moore


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad