Anna Dove

I'm not usually a fan of wallpaper. But textile designer Anna Dove just may change my mind. I love how romantic and mysterious her work is. Her fabrics are hand painted. I love how gentle they are. I'd love to see samples of these framed in an industrial loft. I love the juxtaposition of feminine and edgy.

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This is couture at its best. A dress designed from Anna's wallpaper. Too fab.

Etsy Procrastination

You know how it is. You have a lot of projects going on. Your head is swimming with everything you need to do. Your to do list keeps growing, and you haven't checked a single thing off your list. So what do you do? Procrastinate. I am a master of procrasination. One of my favorite ways to procrastinate is perusing Etsy.

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I discovered a fascinating artist I'd like to share with you. Rebecca Barfoot. I seem to be loving very feminine objects and decor lately, and Rebecca's ceramics and prints fit in perfectly. They have a soft romance and make me think of wistful Spring days spent day dreaming.

I adore her ceramics. These are slipcast porcelain reproductions of vintage bottles. I want them all!

Her prints are romantic and mysterious. I love her use of pink and blue and her soft hand.

Currently obsessing about

The Hari table and Om chair designed by Swami Anand and Marzio Rusconi. Image via design addict.

Pottery Jones

Christine Ruff.

Pottery Jones

The sublime forms of Rosaria Rattin.

More blue inspiration

Hello, dear readers! I'm still obsessing about blue. I wanted to quickly share a couple of new pictures which I have added to my inspiration files.

I've mentioned Abigail Ahern's home many times. She's the one who made me notice dark rooms. This picture is from a photo shoot. The carpet and chair are not hers, but they sure look great in the space. I love that chair. That silver and blue fabric provide a nice contrast to the dark walls. And I love that painting.

I am in love with this blue ottoman! I want it. Image Kevin O'Shea.

I love blue with orange! This sofa works very well with the large orange shade. Image via Hidden in France.

I am also really loving turquoise with red and white. Image via Pink Friday.

A study in blue

Where once all I could think of were the many permutations of pink, now I am preoccupied with blue. Here are blue items in my home.

All images by Peggy.

My apartment, for today

My apartment. It's humble, small, dusty and noisy. But I love it. This tiny place has spurred so much creativity. I want my apartment to be glamorous, feminine with an edge, yet simple. Pink is my favorite color. I love pretty things, but hate clutter. Plus it's got to function as a work/live space. A tall order for 450 square feet. Here's its current incarnation.

Live work area. Since the TV is no longer necessary, I moved the sofa by the computer. I wish I had a white Parsons table for the work area.

I love textiles.

New sitting room, described below.

Thank you for humoring me over the last week as a I obsessed about Spring cleaning, rearranging and the possibility of a move. I won't bore you with my apartment for a few days anyway. xxoo

Changes

Dear readers, as you know, I like to move my apartment around. A lot. Changes are usually motivated by a new pillow, vase or painting. Just wanted to show you a couple of recent previous versions.

2/14/10. The valentine edition. Note the heart shaped pillow. I got that in the teen section at Target. Sometimes teen decor is really cute. Have you ever noticed what cute lamps PB teen has?

3/5/10. I know, I'm ill. I don't think anyone obsesses about their place more. I love rearranging things. I think I need a job in a shop. Want more? See previous versions of my apartment here. xxoo

My apartment - what's new

A sitting room! As you know, I did a lot of Spring cleaning last week, and rearranged my furniture. I set up a sitting room in my dining area. It's a wonderful place to sit and brainstorm, read a magazine or just stare out the window.

Something else that's new for me - I decided to pile up my paintings in there. Now a potential client and I have a place where we can share a cup of coffee, and discuss art while they peruse my paintings.

I've always loved the look of paintings piled up in artists' homes, but I've never done it myself. It gave me a good feeling. It's like a statement of confidence. I'm a real artist. The influence for piling up the paintings is this picture of Marcus Samuelsson among his paintings.

Want...

Dear God, humans can be such strange creatures. But they sure do make some beautiful things. This bookcase for example. Sturdy, simple elegance. Would be perfect for displaying my glass and ceramic pieces. And see how humble it is? It doesn't need to shout. It doesn't compete with the pieces. Please let me have this. I'll be good.

On second thought, I'm feeling guilty being so selfish, asking you for something materialistic. Never mind, I know you have much more pressing problems. But it is groovy. I'm just sayin'. Your friend, Peggy.

Pretty Girly Things

I love pretty things, and I love photographing pretty things. I have a dilemma, though. When you are addicted to photo processing software, how do you decide which image you like the best? I used a combination of rollip and picasa to make this image. To see other versions of this picture, click here.

My apartment - what's new

Even though I've been letting things go, there are still a couple of new things that have made their way into my apartment. A girl's still gotta have fun, right? At least there's room for them. :)

I finally got a turquoise lamp! If you've been reading this blog, you know that I've been wanting one forever, but never could afford it. Thank God for knock-offs! I got this at TJ Maxx for $39.00. I must be the cheapest person in America, I still bulked at that price. Or maybe I'm used to getting things from thrift stores. It's actually reasonable, lamps can get so pricey. See post about turquoise lamps here.

My love of turquoise is not new. As I look through my blog archives, I realize I've been writing about my love of turquoise for several years. What is new is my love of black pops. Black really pops against turquoise.

My new wall decal from Target. A big departure for me. But, as you know, I'm going glam for Spring. I really love it. It came with little rhinestones for the crystals.


THE INFLUENCES:


Love this room! Image via House of Turquoise.


And this one. Gorgeous! Image source unknown.


This is my new breadbox from Target. I have been swooning over breadboxes ever since I posted this shocking pink breadbox (see previous post here). Since I'm allergic to gluten, I never really thought about buying one, though. I've been looking for something to store my tea bags in and when I saw this beauty - in turquoise! - I had to have it.


It stores my tea very nicely. And oh yeah, the microwave will be one of the items to be let go. They're not safe, and since I'm eating more organic I won't need it. I always hated that it took up so much space in the kitchen anyway.

Letting go, part two

Here's the first large thing I've let go. My television and DVD player. This baby was the shit in its day, although it obsoleted quickly. I found it on the curb, only cost a couple dollars to fix, it was just a wire. It was cool to have the VCR and TV in one compact unit. I never bought video tapes, they were too bulky. I watched many movies for free from the library. I always hated going to the video store. Too noisy, and too much pressure to watch the movie quickly. Cable TV was a waste of money for me, so I turned it off years ago. I've never actually been a TV viewer. The only show I remember following was the Brady Bunch. I've never seen Seinfeld, nor Friends. I hate the manipulation of episodic TV, don't tell me where I have to be at 9:00 on Monday. I've never watched the news. Talk about manipulation. I don't like being told what to think. In COM 101 we called it agenda setting.

I'm a movie buff, though. Netflix is an answer to a dream. I watch what I want, when I want. No pressure. Since I watch movies on my computer, the TV isn't necessary. It's funny, for years I have dreamed of living without a TV. I hate the way it ruins a room (although flat screens look much better), and I've admired those few friends who lived without it. Yet, when I let it go, I felt a twinge of sadness, go figure. But my apartment does look a lot airier.