Category: decorate

hometown artists {porter teleo}

Published on by cara.b.b.2 Comments

i was flipping through a house beautiful at the gym the other day (because that seems to be the only time i can actually look at a magazine), and something caught my eye.  on a feature about made-in-america wallpaper, one of the featured companies is right here in kansas city.  it’s porter teleo – their work is beautiful and all hand done.

once i started looking through their installations, i found that i recognized some of the photos from various magazines.  maybe you will too.  these images are all from their facebook page.

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diy {dipped side table}

Published on by cara.b.b.32 Comments

i spotted this table in a west elm catalog recently and thought to myself, ‘self, i can do that.’  so i did.  mine is a little different though:  it’s taller, instead of the ‘dipped’ part being raw wood, i painted it gold, and mine only has three legs, but who’s counting, right?

{west elm table}

what you’ll need:  a table like this (i would cut the legs down a few inches in this one – it looks pretty tall), gold paint, painters tape, and a smallish paintbrush

i had painted my entire table white a while ago, so i went straight to the legs.  i guesstimated that the dipped part on the west elm table measured up to roughly 1/3 of the leg.  i wanted to see a little more gold, so i measured up 10 inches and put the tape there.  make sure it’s on securely – you don’t want any bleeding under the tape.  then get your paintbrush dipped and get to painting.  i did about 3 – 4 coats and sanded (lightly!) in between a few of them.  when i’m painting, i use this to sand between coats – it’s almost like a buffer.

and voila!  it doesn’t look like a million bucks, but considering i have less than $15 invested in it, i’m a happy camper.

i’m off to slap a coat of polycrylic on this bad boy, and then i can put it to work.  might be fun to put neon pink or yellow on yours!

spoonflower

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i am always on the lookout for new fabric sources, and i think spoonflower is a really great one for some more modern prints.  the other really awesome thing is that you can create custom fabric by submitting your very own design – a la project runway!  i spent some time on their website recently, and here are a few that caught my eye.

i’m always up for a polka dot, and i think the irregularity of the dots is charming.

{rainy dot}

a floral print without being so literal.  love that it looks like watercolor and you can see the splatter of the paint.

{c’est la viv garden lark}

i would want to slather my walls in this washed out leafy print.  reminds me of being at the beach and big tropical plants.

{tropicali morning}

this is so intricate that all you’d need is a pillow.

{malachite}

this print is pretty big, and would be really pretty on a chair or bench in a little girl’s room.

{fifties rose}

i’m bookmarking this for beckett’s big boy room.  i’ve always had a thing for whales.  weird, i know.

{whales}

to infinity and beyond

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while cruising the interwebs, i stumbled onto these pretty amazing photos taken from the hubble telescope.  it’s impossible for me to wrap my mind around the magnitude of what is out ‘there’.  we are just a small speck in a never-ending sea of universes, which is hard to believe.

you can download high-resolution images from their site, and i think they could make some pretty sweet art with all of the colors and marbleization happening.  i’m thinking white frame and white mat, and you’ve got something pretty sharp for your wall.  we’re slowly trying to get our play room in the basement into some kind of order, and i’m thinking that  a few of these would make a cool addition.

motivation…or the lack thereof

Published on by cara.b.b.2 Comments

i am finding it very hard to be productive.  after being sick last weekend, i’m finding that the energy-suck that sickness brings is hanging around.  or maybe it’s that i spent the morning chasing the short guy around monkey bizness – a must-do if you want to wear your kiddo out.  b was pink-faced and sweating by the time i finally had to drag him out of there.

so, instead of a real post, i’ll leave you with a few pretty pictures.  and maybe you can tell me:  what do you do to kick yourself back into gear?

{holy beading!}

if you told me 10 years ago that i would love gold now, i would have slapped you in the face.  but now, i totally want this pendant to come live in my house.

{why didn’t i get the invite for this party?}

{peplum for your arms – love!}

{what a great kid’s room.  get a load of that art!}

favorite things: home goods edition

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this is the first of what i hope is many installments of a new feature i’m calling favorite things.  i’m starting off with a few things that i love having around the house, and you can expect more on baby stuff, food, clothes, etc.  if you’ve got an idea of something you’d like to see, let me know!

{voluspa candle in baltic amber – this scent is like heaven to me}

{marta glasses}

{furbish tray}

{simple white frames}

{striped hand towels}

{pretty books}

real estate: a bad habit

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i have a bad habit of looking at real estate that’s way out of our league.  this leads to palpitations, sweaty palms and drooling over a home in which i could never hope to own…but it’s still worth it.  recently, we stumbled onto this house, and oh. my. goodness.  it’s a rare occurrence that i could move into a home and not want to change anything, but this house nearly does it.

{the exterior falls into my dream home category}

{a brick front porch big enough for furniture}

{ah yes, welcome to my home.  i know, it’s amazing.}

{oh, please include the office furnishings!}

{i would change out that light fixture stat, but big island!  professional grade appliances!  two sinks!}

{cozy den that adjoins the kitchen}

ok, so i’m counting on one of you to buy this beauty so i can come visit and then buy it from you when i win the lottery.  get busy.