A few fun things...

New pretties discovered at estate sales last week...

Polka dot packing tape in the perfect shade of Kate Spade green...found at Michaels for $1

Amy Butler's new Love fabric line... I especially like the pattern on the wall, it would be perfect to use in a nursery!

'Green' art

How fun are these DIY moss art panels?

I think these panels would be a unique and interesting way to add a little bit of Spring to your decor. You can keep your art alive & green by misting it with water daily.

directions here

*via readymade

Aqua + Yellow

My love of aqua is certainly no secret, and I especially love it when it's paired with sunny yellow. These rooms have a fresh, happy feeling that I'm all over right now...

*via decorpad, house beautiful, lonny

DIY Art

I love this Spring-like room with its soothing blue walls, pops of pink, and the perfect placement of a little green fern on the chic white cocktail table. When I saw this image, I was immediately drawn to the piece of art in the background and thought this would be an easy DIY project. All you would need is a large canvas, piece of wood or even a piece of drywall, paint it black with chalkboard paint and write out some of your favorite quotes or song lyrics (in your best cursive) with chalk. Voila- you've got an easy, one of a kind work of art that's simple and stunning!

*via canadian house & home

New things

Remember my major score a couple months back of vintage jewelry and rhinestones? Well, I've been putting my treasures to good use and have made a few pretty things for my shop...

necklaces

hair accessories

*all available here

Green Day

In honor of St. Patty's Day, here are some green-inspired rooms to get you in the spirit of this lucky day...

*via canadian house & home

Spring Fever

This time of year, my thoughts start turning from interiors to exteriors. Thanks to all of the rain we've had the last few months, my yard (and everyone else's in Phoenix) turned into a sea of weeds pretty much overnight. I spent the weekend cleaning up the yard and now I'm ready to pretty it up with some flowers. The bright & cheery colors of these Ranunculus I spotted at Lowe's yesterday have me all a flutter...

I'll be back tomorrow with more design-related posts, I hope it's starting to look like Spring wherever you are!

Black and White Friday

Black + white + aqua + lime = all of my favorite colors rolled up into one chic little reading nook.

Have a great weekend!

*via lonny

Nesting Newbies

I'm really liking the online magazine trend that has begun, though I'm not sure they can ever replace the printed shelter publications that that we all know and love. There's nothing like flipping through a new magazine, feeling each crisp page in your hand, marking the pages you like, or tearing them out to save in you idea file. However, the online magazines are a great source of inspiration and an easy way to get your design fix in an instant gratification (and did I mention free?) way. Lonny seems to be a hit so far and now I've just discovered another one, Nesting Newbies. As the title hints, this online magazine covers topics that help you to feather your nest with decorating, cooking and entertaining ideas.

Here are a few highlights from the current Winter issue, notice all of the black & white rugs:

There's also an easy tutorial for this funky do-it-yourself lampshade:

Have you checked out Nesting Newbies yet? What is your opinion on online magazines?

Kitchen Redo

I've been meaning to post some photos of my kitchen since we re-did the lighting a few months ago but had been waiting until I found a photo of what it looked like when we first moved in so it would be a bit more dramatic. Well I finally found a 'before' shot this weekend, so here it is with the gorgeous (gag) oak cabinets, fluorescent light fixture (not shown, but it was centered on the ceiling), and totally mismatched window treatment:

And here it is now:

We spruced the kitchen up on a pretty tight budget because we don't plan on staying in this house for too long and didn't want to make a big investment, but clearly some things needed to change to make this more livable. We painted the walls a neutral shade, painted the cabinets white, added some cabinet hardware, took down all window treatments (we have block walls in the backyard), got a new faucet, and most importantly, took down the the fluorescent fixture and added some recessed lights and a pendant over the dining table.

Of course there are things I would love to change (like the appliances & formica) but overall I am very happy with how it turned out!

Black and White Friday

I opened up my e-mail box this morning and saw this super cute dress and had to share. I love the graphic zig zag pattern and classic silhouette, it would be perfect for spring with a colorful cardi and some cute flats. Over the last few years I have become much more of a "dress" girl, mostly because of our extremely hot summer temps here in the desert, but also because of the ease of getting dressed and looking put together. Many times you can find a pretty dress for the same price as shirt, so why not go for the dress and have your whole outfit complete!

What is your favorite spring outfit?

*dress here

Ready for Spring

This room is really doing it for me today, folks. I don't know if it's all of the natural light, the bright turquoise pillows, or the black & white fireplace details, but it's working for me. We've had beautiful weather here lately (in the mid-70's) and it's getting me in the mood to spruce things up around the house for spring. This photo makes me want to sew some new pillows for my sofas (and move to a house with really high ceilings)...

*via decorpad

Rainy Days

I had a great weekend shopping with the girls, although it was a little rainy. Perhaps we should have been wearing these tights...

*via ffffound