LOVE

With a house of head colds, winter break, a snow day and a Valentine's Day been and gone... the days are flying! Don't you just LOVE this pillow? Nice addition to lounge I think.. from via maris nyc

Home Office mood board

The office plan is bright white, glossy white where I can. Working with the built in desk that is already there, I am going to paint it glossy white and add the Safari zebra rug. I already have the Captain's desk lamp and artist's studio chair. The clipboards I will hang on one wall to hold receipts and invoices. Stockholm boxes are a very clean way of keeping organized. I've used them for years. They are nice and easy on the eye stacked and they can be holding all sorts or bits and pieces for different projects. The yellow indoor planter, hot pink lacquer stash box, Peony photograph, yellow stripe pillow and patterned Spring balls are all the fun little accents bringing bright yellow and hot pink in to the basic black and white palette.

Addicited to illustating and illustrations right now..

My etsy purchase today from Janice Jong... her etsy shop

scrapboxing... Darcy Miller style

The idea of scrapbooks always appealed to me, however the act of scrapbooking.. uggh, I instantly envision boxes of dried out stamp pads, colored papers that have been half cut into.. we're back to the nightmare of boxes of STUFF. See I'm a creative type but also mildly neat freak type A (mildly).. the combination is tricky.. Anyhoo.. I like this idea of "scrapboxing" a lot!
It it is a little less committal than a whole book of memories and there is a bonus, art for your home that tells a personal story.. Win Win.
Darcy Miller, the editorial director of Martha Stewart Wedding recently had an art exhibit of her "scrapboxing" in Manhattan called "Family" that was featured in the February issue of Martha Stewart Living. Read about it here.

The office needs love.. lot's of love..

In the beginning there was a simple little room full of home office potential.. Not only is it next to the laundry, play room and a bathroom, but it has a built in desk area on two walls and two windows....




... and then I came along and filled it with STUFF.. piles of stuff, boxes of stuff, and then some more stuff. I'm not even a pack rat.. in fact I am the opposite, however being a creative type with a small home stationery business.. there is STUFF..... Being so many little things I want to do to the house, I have to start prioritizing. So the office won first dibs! I recently decided to close wee card company for a while so I can devote more time to:

1. health and fitness
2. time with my kids
3. cooking
4. drawing
5. photography
6. decorating our home

So here is some inspiration for the office revamp...

via spaceplanner

via home-designing

via house of bliss

Front door makeover done..

The whale's tail shiny silver knocker won.

Pretty nickel hardware added to our shiny "Chantilly Lace" front door completes the entrance.

Remember the before above? Do you like the change?

lounge in progress

lounge 8/18- 5 days after moving in.. walls prepped for painting.

lounge 8/24- walls painted chantilly lace by Benjamin Moore.

lounge 9/2- pictures and mirrors getting arranged for placement.

lounge 9/26- brown velvet arm chair moved in, new sea grass rug, straw loveseat couch and brown paisley armchair bought.

lounge 9/30- some lighting coming together.

The house is shaping up a little more every day. I'm quite the pro and the old drill and hammer.. 3 curtain rods up this past weekend... and they are straight!
The lounge is making the most progress at the moment as one thing led to another and it just ended up getting all the attention.

Here it is as of 10/6 getting quite cozy!

Waiting on strong men to hang mirror above fireplace and chimney sweep.

Throw blanket, roaring fire, vino and a good book.. can you see it?

Yummy cushy paisley armchair. I so chose this and pictured it as my spot and then hubbie claimed it his chair last night!..hmph!

bit'a'sparkle for the pasiley chair!

So I guess this is MY chair.. Not so bad, this was my chair in the apartment.

My pretty hourglass purchased in Nantucket last summer with a "smelly" candle and a pretty ceramic ghost tealight holder.

My mom brought us this dried hydrangea wreath last week. It lasts forever in these lovely colors as long as it's not in direct sunlight.

Starting new lets me surround myself with things i love and move the rest on.. My fish card is the welcome to the neighborhood card from lovely Ali. This candle of ladies has been around for many years.. Ken and I bought it at a restaurant that had them at the bar about 9 years ago! It smells like lilacs and it is collapsed on one side because we left it in a sunny window sill once!.. I can't give it up though! The iron fly is from a friend of my mom's. It was in a housewarming gift basket from when we bought our place in the city 6 years ago. The peonies are silk. I don't love fake flowers but I do love peonies so these are more of an ornament than a fake out!

Velvety armchair and its crisscross pillow got a little bling with a metallic leather boudoir pillow!

Love the chandelier but too low for this room arrangement so it might get moved to the dining room.
The lamps and tables I bought with the intention of painting but I've ended up doing a "Rachel" and leaving it alone and being happily surprised.

With a pencil, ruler, measuring tape, drill and a little patience, this happened.