enter

the entryway of your home is the first impression people see upon entering your house...would they stop and linger or would they just pass it by....is it a firm hand shake or a soft one?

*images courtesy of katie sellers, domino, unknown (please forgive me), domino

color trend

i feel like lavender has been creeping into interiors more and more lately. even though as a young child, i would always choose the pink crayon over the purple one...i am digging the way these rooms feel. and if you are looking for a paint color to give you this kind of tone, Ben Moore's Excalibur Gray 2118-50 is a great choice...i used it in a client's bathroom and it reads as a nice masculine purple.

*images courtesy of jessica condatore design studio, abbey goes design scouting, house and garden/ gwyneth paltrow

vintage wildlife silhouettes...

i was recently reminded of these fabulous vintage wallpaper silhouettes when someone asked me about the giraffe i drew on taylor's wall....i saw them in domino a little over two years ago when i was trying to figure out taylor's nursery and fell in love with them. at the time, they only offered three wallpaper patterns and unfortunately, they didn't go w/ the pink and brown we had already painted the room. but today when i went on inke's website, i saw that they offer a huge amount of vintage wallpaper...i think they are just fabulous!

*images courtesy of inke, domino/real simple, washington spaces

the skinny...

i know i have featured monogramming in the last couple of posts but today, i thought i would share my tips on the matter. while it is my ultimate goal to one day own beautiful bedding from leontine linens, unfortunately at this point in my life, i cannot. so i tried to brainstorm how i could get a custom looking monogram but w/out breaking the bank...

here are my tips:

-take your linens (whether it be pillowcases, shower curtains, hand towels, etc.) to your local embroidery shop and start browsing....if the place only offers 10 styles of monograms, this isn't the right place

-i think it is super important to think outside of the box...stay away from any kind of monogram that you may find in a mail order catalog or on a beach tote...we are aiming for something more unique

-when selecting a monogram, the font is really important. you want to find something that is different; i went w/ a scroll b/c it seemed more old world and traditional. modern lettering is great too, just find something w/ a little edge (there are several fonts that have an asian flair that would work great)

-next, monograms with borders give a more custom appearance...for instance, adding a side detail or framing the lettering is a great way to get a custom look. you may have to add this element to the lettering.

-getting the right color is the next important step; you want to select a thread that will allow the monogram to pop...brown is always a safe go-to color. if you are feeling adventurous, add more than one color in the lettering or details. (sometimes finding the exact thread color is hard...it's better to play it safe (brown) then get a color that is slightly off)

-lastly, SIZE totally matters. my thoughts are: the bigger the better; an over sized monogram really gives a punch. for my king shams, i did a 10" monogram. the lady at the shop thought i was crazy (i think she suggested 4"). however, once she saw how they looked, she fell in love w/ them, taking pictures to add to her book.

i hope i have answered some of your questions about my pillows...i created a custom monogram for $17 per pillow. it took a little more time (i think i was in the shop for like an hour trying to figure it all out) but the results made me so happy. now it's your turn to go out and create something beautiful....

*images courtesy of leontine linens, melissa rufty, ny social diary/miles redd

Eiffel Tower Travel Gallery

Eiffel Tower Travel Gallery

The structure was built between 1887 and 1889 as the entrance arch for the Exposition Universelle, a World's Fair marking the centennial celebration of the French Revolution. Eiffel originally planned to build the tower in Barcelona, for the Universal Exposition of 1888, but those responsible at the Barcelona city hall thought it was a strange and expensive construction, which did not fit into the design of the city. After the refusal of the Consistory of Barcelona, Eiffel submitted his draft to those responsible for the Universal Exhibition in Paris, where he would build his tower a year later, in 1889. The tower was inaugurated on 31 March 1889, and opened on 6 May. Three hundred workers joined together 18,038 pieces of puddled iron (a very pure form of structural iron), using two and a half million rivets, in a structural design by Maurice Koechlin. The risk of accident was great, for unlike modern skyscrapers the tower is an open frame without any intermediate floors except the two platforms. However, because Eiffel took safety precautions, including the use of movable stagings, guard-rails and screens, only one man died.The tower was met with much criticism from the public when it was built, with many calling it an eyesore. Newspapers of the day were filled with angry letters from the arts community of Paris. One is quoted extensively in William Watson's US Government Printing Office publication of 1892 Paris Universal Exposition: Civil Engineering, Public Works, and Architecture. “And during twenty years we shall see, stretching over the entire city, still thrilling with the genius of so many centuries, we shall see stretching out like a black blot the odious shadow of the odious column built up of riveted iron plates.” Signers of this letter included Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier, Charles Gounod, Charles Garnier, Jean-Léon Gérôme, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and Alexandre Dumas.

Novelist Guy de Maupassant who claimed to hate the tower supposedly ate lunch in the Tower's restaurant every day. When asked why, he answered that it was the one place in Paris where one could not see the structure. Today, the Tower is widely considered to be a striking piece of structural art.

One of the great Hollywood movie clichés is that the view from a Parisian window always includes the tower. In reality, since zoning restrictions limit the height of most buildings in Paris to 7 stories, only a very few of the taller buildings have a clear view of the tower.

Eiffel had a permit for the tower to stand for 20 years, meaning it would have had to be dismantled in 1909, when its ownership would revert to the City of Paris. The City had planned to tear it down (part of the original contest rules for designing a tower was that it could be easily demolished) but as the tower proved valuable for communication purposes, it was allowed to remain after the expiration of the permit. The military used it to dispatch Parisian taxis to the front line during the First Battle of the Marne, and it therefore became a victory statue of that battle.
By: Wikipedia.com

a girl after my own heart...

i recently stumbled upon an interview w/ palmer weiss for the SF Gate and just fell in love w/ her list of favorites...leontine linens- perfection when it comes to luxury bedding (just a little out of my price range at the moment), a lucite and brass ram lamp she found for next to nothing at an antique store (can you get better than mid century lucite?), and raoul fabrics- their beautiful hand blocked patterns on linen make them one of my fav's.....

i also loved reading her tips/ cheat sheet: shirted console tables to hide clutter (i have been in love w/ this idea since i saw her spread in domino), shopping local (something i want to strive harder to do), and steering away from themed kids rooms (they get dated quickly)... palmer, you have great taste!! catch the whole article here.

*all images courtesy of SF Gate

wonder....

if that girl is contemplating whether she should take a nice, long ride on her spiffy pink bike or finally get around to unpacking those vintage hatboxes that are piling up in the LR.....oh, decisions.

*images courtesy of domino, simply seductive, classic ivory

just a little pretty....

i feel sorry for monday's...everyone dreads them. hope your monday has a little pep in her step....

*image courtesy of flickr/pilllpat, flickr/sarah leeab

Former Hokkaidō government office building

Former Hokkaidō government office building

The Former Hokkaidō Government Office Building (,Hokkaidōchō kyūhonchōsha) is an American-neo-baroque structure constructed in 1888 as a base of the Hokkaidō administration. The nickname is Akarenga or "Red Brick." It is the symbol of Hokkaidō and was designated a Japanese Important Cultural Properties in 1969. Behind the current Hokkaidō Government building, the building is located in North 3 West 6, Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan.

Currently, the facilities inside the building include a conference room, a museum shop, a tourist information office, and a few historical exhibition rooms and libraries. Visitors can enter the building for free. Flower gardens and a pond are located in front of the building, which occasionally are designated as some event venues.

By : Wikipedia.com

Sapporo in Japan Travel Gallery

Sapporo in Japan Travel Gallery

Sapporo (Sapporo-shi) ja-Sapporo.ogg listen (help·info) is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population. It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an ordinance-designated city of Japan.

Sapporo is best known outside Japan for hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics, the first ever held in Asia and the annual Yuki Matsuri in the city, internationally referred to as the Sapporo Snow Festival, which draws more than 2 million tourists from around the world. The city is also home to the eponymous Sapporo Brewery.

By : Wikipedia.com

Beach Pattaya in Thailand

Beach Pattaya in Thailand

Located in a crescent on Thailand's Eastern Seaboard, only 147 km from Bangkok, is the closest of Thailand's major beach resorts to the capital city – Pattaya Beach.
The combination of its big, wide beaches, water sports, interesting attractions, sightseeing, shopping, great hotels and resorts, international dining experiences – together, of course, with a vivacious night life that is infamous the world over – makes Pattaya's formula for fun a big winner. Pattaya's relaxing tropical ambience is synonymous with every ingredient for memorable holidays.

Toscana Enjoy In Italy

Toscana Enjoy In Italy

A very old, recently renovated farmhouse which conserves the traditional layout of the rooms
and the main building features.
These beautiful houses are rare examples of rural archi wooden ceilings,
the antique brick arches, the Tuscan terracotta floors and the elegant furnishing all give this house a very special appeal. Situated at the edge of the woods ...
The House is the ideal holiday home for those amongst you who want to spend a tranquil and short trip to the most beautiful artistic towns of central Italy.

making an upholstered headboard....

i have had several people ask me about making my headboard so i thought i would share my insight on the matter: this project is super easy and very budget-friendly!

Supplies:

- wood

- foam

- batting

- fabric

- saw (if you are going to cut it yourself)

- staple gun (the kind you plug in is a must)

Getting Started:

-First you are going to need to decide on the shape of the headboard, if you are going out on a limb, you might want to make a template so you have a pattern to use when you are cutting the wood....we didn't want to take chances so we stuck w/a nice rectangle!

-Next determine the size of the headboard; the width should be a tad bit wider then your mattress and the height is totally up to you.....

-Now that you have the shape and size, it's time to purchase the wood...we used MDF, but plywood would be fine too. You want to make sure that the wood is at least a 1/4" thick.

*if you stuck w/ the rectangle shape, get them to cut it right there (make sure to take the scrap wood, it will work for your legs).

-Okay, now it's time for the insides...here is my money saving tip, use one of those egg crates for beds for the foam...it saves a lot of money. if you don't want to save money, you can go and get foam cut (2" thick is what they usually use). You will also need batting, it looks like gauze and is in the quilting section of the stores (remember to get enough to be able to wrap it around the headboard)....if it helps we got all of this stuff at walmart.

-Fabric is the next step, make sure that you get enough to wrap around the back of the board and for the legs (this gives a more 'professional look')...i got 3 yds for my king.

-Putting it all together: Start w/ the wood on the bottom, then add your foam (if you are using an egg crate, make sure that the smooth side is facing up), next is the batting, finally the fabric...

*note to self: make sure that the foam, batting, and fabric wrap around the back and sides (probably about 6")

**at this point, i got out the iron and ironed my fabric to make sure they weren't any creases showing.

-Now, you are going to need to flip the headboard over and start stapling the layers down onto the wood...we stapled four ones first and then looked to make sure the fabric was sitting right before securing the whole thing in place....you will want to keep smoothing your hand over the face of the fabric as you staple.

*the corners can be tricky...leave this task to the anal one in the family...you just have to keep tucking until you get a nice clean edge.

-Last step, attach the legs....we wrapped them in fabric and stapled the back...looks very nice to have them covered vs. seeing raw wood. We used flush mounting hardware to attach the headboard to our frame.

**Voila** a beautiful headboard for under $50. (well, that's if your fabric doesn't break the bank)....hope this helps for any DIY'ers out there!!

Boat Quay in Singapore

Boat Quay on Singapore

Boat Quay is a special place, situated in Singapore and it can be called one of the most popular tourists destination. What is more, it belongs to one of the most busiest port in the world and the ideal place for trading. The Boat Quay is the center of the night life and a plenty of entertainments.