New Art Project and the Repetition of Circles

In my post below, I mentioned how I love the repetition of shapes in decor.  As the picture below shows, repeating circles makes a dramatic graphic punch, yet remains simple looking.

The Influence...

Apartment Therapy

Here is part of an art project I have been working on since I moved into my new apartment.  I have a lovely balcony with a tree behind it.  I've been fascinated by the full moon behind the tree, so I decided to do 12 months of full moon shots.

This is the best kind of art - I didn't spend any money on them!  I used invert and then just printed them on regular xerox paper.  I kinda like the low-tech vibe.  I had the frames, so voila!  As you know, I've been bringing pops of yellow in my decor.  I love it with lots of white and with pink.  I went through my stash of paintings and found a couple that fit the bill.

And wouldn't you know it?  I noticed the pattern of circles - or moons - that happened intuitively.  Two of my paintings, some vases, a bracelet on one of my vases and one of my prized possessions - my moon lamp from CB2.  That was a hard-earned lamp.  I bought it with overtime money made from working the hardest trial of my long career as a legal secretary.

Square Peg, the Monday Blahs and the Importance of a Beautiful Place

Yesterday was an interesting day.  I've heard that God only gives you what you can handle.  Sometimes I think God trusts me too much.  Yesterday I experienced the entire gamut of human emotion:  Intense joy and love that stuck in my throat, gratitude for my wonderful family, knuckle breaking fear and anxiety, physical pain in every part of my body, sadness.  It was a miraculous day with so many lessons - I will be processing the lessons for a long time to come. Through it all I had my family.  Without them I could not have made it.  I thank God for the love and unwavering support they give me.

Upon arriving home, my body was racked with pain from head to toe.  Yet....I was so comforted when I walked into my humble little apartment.  I felt cradled, hugged and protected.  I lay on the sofa and could not move, pain pulsating through me...but...I felt comforted and so grateful.  The addition of small pops of yellow is helping me emotionally.

I lay on the sofa and looked around at all the beauty.  My place is an experiment in color, texture and shapes.  The process of decorating is a largely intuitive one.  The apartment tells me what it wants, and in turn it gives me intense joy.  As I looked around I was struck by my love of geometry.  I adore shapes.  Mostly circles.  And I love them in repetition.  What is new for me is my love of squares.  

Square teapot TJ Maxx;  vintage coasters Flower Child;  Dee Adams painting;  ottoman from Burlington Coat Factory; perfect yellow box from TJ Maxx.

Okay, I realize that was too many words.  Suffice it to say that a comfortable, uncluttered and stylish home is  important to both your physical and mental health.  Home is where you rejuvenate.  And it doesn't matter where you live.  It can be small and humble and done with very little money.  As long as it's yours.

A great weekend and a cute yellow box

Hello dear readers!  I had a great weekend, hope you did too!  Started off with quality girl time with my sister-in-law.  Of course we went to TJ Maxx - after eating sushi.  Ahh, it's good to be queen.  At TJ Maxx, I bought the cutest little yellow, lacquered box.  I love lacquered boxes, but they are usually too expensive for me.  This one was $29 marked down to $4!  It had a little damage that I was able to fix.  I love giving new life to an orphaned, unloved piece!  

Behold the perfect little yellow box on my bookcase.  When a new piece comes in, it's time to rearrange - as you already know.  I spent my Saturday morning with music blaring, a cup of my favorite Colombian coffee and I did my favorite thing.  Rearranged vases and art.  I am really digging yellow.  Yellow is going to be big, big, big this Spring!  You heard it here first. I really love it with pink.  But remember, a little yellow goes a long way.  

Hey, BTW, color psychology works.  I've been feeling quite lethargic since Christmas. I wanted some energy and wanted to lighten up my apartment - you know to make it happy.  What could do the trick easily, quickly and cheaply?  Why yellow, of course!  It worked!  I was productive and happy today.  Saturday evening I spent with my favorite cousin and her sweet dogs.  I've been thinking seriously about getting a puppy, but poop and pee kinda freak me out (may get a cat instead).  I am in love with my cousin's dog.  She's the sweetest dog in the world.  Saturday night I felt thoroughly loved, so grateful and slept really well.  .

Like my sister-in-law, my cousin is generous and gives me the most beautiful gifts.  This is a door hanger she bought me.  In my favorite color - hot pink - of course.  Here it is with one of my purses (also a fab gift from my sister-in-law) and some of my scarves.  I love it!  What a great way to satisfy my addiction to textiles!  So romantic too.

Some of my vases with a cute yellow bowl.  I added a bracelet to my tall vase.  Love the repetition of shapes.

And look what I found!  Pink dish soap!  Got it at Family Dollar.  Because everything should be beautiful.  Even the most mundane object.  I almost hate to use it!

Hope you had a great weekend!  Stay tuned for some exciting posts this week.  More about my apartment, my art and fun fashion stuff too!  xxoo

I Love...Duct Tape!

The artistry of people never ceases to amaze me!  They can take anything and make art with it.  I love all the art made with duct tape I've been seeing.  Have you seen the amazing colors the tape comes in?  I also love art made from unexpected materials and  the whole upcycling thing.  Here's a few great examples:

Chair purse and suit all by Emilie Autumn.  How amazing are these pieces?

My niece Maggie makes amazing creations out of duct tape.  Here she is modeling a fab pair of sandals she made.

She made me this adorable clutch bag for Christmas.  It's even in my favorite color!  I love it.

I love this photo of Cindy McCain by Adam Bouska.  This isn't exactly what I was thinking about when I decided to do a post on duct tape, but I like to sneak in a little political message whenever I can, and I've been saving this picture for a while.

As you know, I've been obsessing about having a silver ottoman forever, but it's not in the budget.  Perhaps this is a way I can have one!  I'll make one with duct tape.  It could start a whole new obsession, though.  If you like to see a lame DIY I did with duct tape, click here.  Stay tuned to see my new experiment in duct tape.

I Love....Ombre!

I'm itching to paint my little bookcase (again).  I've been considering using an ombre technique.  I know you've already seen this everywhere - but ombre is a technique where tones of colors are graduated from light to dark.  Sometimes the different shades are well defined color blocks, sometimes they bleed into each other.  I'd love to experiment with this technique using spray paint on a canvas.  Here are some lovely examples.

Beautiful ombre sofa!  Beautiful room.  Image from Designers Guild.  They are masters at creating soft, airy rooms with gorgeous color.

Look at this fabulous ombre wallpaper!  Looks so great with those curtains.  Designers Guild via Apartment Therapy.  Designers Guild are also masters at using textiles and textures.

Gorgeous sofa with horizontal ombre treatment.  Love it.  Image via Boston Bethany.

Love these closet doors!  I just might do a wall like this in my apartment.  The Inglenook Decor.

I love this dresser!  Does anyone know where this image is from?  Please let me know.

I am completely obsessed with the Kora Vase by Studio Pepe.  I need this!

The fabulous Gwen Stefani wore one of the most beautiful wedding dresses I've ever seen!  In a pink ombre.

I Love .... Acrylic!

I feel like my apartment is done, I like it simple and sparse.  But... I'd love to have an acrylic piece!  I adore how well they fit in a small place, as they take up no visual weight.  I especially love them on white floors, so airy they appear to float.  Here's some lovely acrylic pieces.

Love the acrylic Louis Ghost Chair designed by Philippe Starck.  Image Louise Roe.

The Victoria Ghost Chairs (also designed by Starck) look perfect with this industrial table and white floor!  Swoon!  Image via sfgirlbybay.

Cute acrylic console serves as a desk and fits neatly under a set of stairs.  Brenda & Harry's Contemporary Coach House via Apartment Therapy.

I love the idea of putting a table runner on this acrylic coffee table to add a dash of color.  House to Home.

Ghost chairs and an acrylic coffee table!  Be still my heart.  That hanging lamp is pretty amazing too.  Lamps Plus.

This is one of the most fascinating dining rooms I've seen.  I hope you will humor me, I simply must dissect it.    The acrylic chairs are the perfect foil to the heavy wooden table.  A perfect combination of hard and soft.  Look at that gorgeous white console!  I wonder if this is a custom piece, I'd love to have it in my entry way.  Of course, I'd pile pottery on it.  Its severe geometry is complemented by that totally fab lantern.  Perfect gray walls.  A very discerning eye created this room.  Daymon's Open Plan with an Open View Rental via Apartment Therapy.

I love a traditional chair reinterpreted in a non-traditional material.  Typically, I find a wing back chair too heavy and stuffy.  Not so when it's made of acrylic!  I love the airiness of this room.  And check that hanging light.  Too fab.  Lex & Lynn's Not Boxed In via Apartment Therapy.

Simple Impact: Large Art

Decorating simply is not as easy as it looks.  Simplicity takes restraint.  Restraint is a beautiful thing, and makes your place look elegant.  The best way to accomplish this is go large with your art.  Fewer, larger pieces make great impact and keep your place looking uncluttered.  Jill Stuart's apartment is a perfect example.

This is one of my favorite apartments of all time!  The large art is impactful and yet the overall effect of the room is ethereal due to the soft colors and glass coffee table.  See the rest of this beautiful apartment at Elle Decor.

Simple Impact: Accent Walls and Large Art

I'm always obsessing about decor.  As you know, I think simplicity is key in designing a beautiful and relaxing room.  Over the next few days I'd like to focus on how to make a big impact in a simple way.  One of my favorite ways to freshen a room is with color.  I've been obsessing about Tiffany box blue for sometime and would love to do an accent wall in it.

This home boasts a stunning use of paint.  The room has just the right amount of drama and edginess, but still remains simple.  I love the look of a the large piece of over the sofa.  A large piece makes an impact and looks cleaner than a grouping.  The amazing light fixture on the ceiling is impactful in its size and geometry, and still maintains an airiness. The unexpected black boarders make the blue and yellow wall look like paintings.  I would love to do a room with large color blocks as the art.  

I love this yellow accent wall with the black border!  A great way to make an odd wall into a piece of art.  Above two spaces designed by Sarah Lavoine.  To see previous posts on color blocking, click here.

This is such a beautiful modern room.  I adore the color of the walls, and dig that coffee table with mismatched legs.   The only change I would make to this room is hang one large piece of art instead of the grouping.  I think groupings look cluttered.  Image via Falken Reynolds (this is a great post on lighting).

Here's my gratuitous plug.  I've edited the room to add one of my pieces to demonstrate the point.

How I spent my Saturday morning...

The light in my apartment was so beautiful this morning.  I wish I knew how to capture it with my camera.  I was very content in my little place.  So I made a cup of my favorite Colombian coffee, instead of music I opted to open the window to hear the birds.  And I did my favorite thing.  Rearranged some of my pottery collection. My favorite is matte white ceramic in simple forms.  I enjoy mixing in a few glass pieces as well.  These pieces beg to be touched.  Each vase makes its own unique music when touched.

Here are a few of my favorites.  1) TJ Maxx;  2) ASA Selection Germany, an exquisite piece;  3) hand blown Polish glass;  4) Portuguese, a perfect vessel;  5) Ikea;  6) I love tea cups as well.  These are vintage Japanese.

Here is my favorite corner in my apartment.  I love contemplating these ethereal forms, it's fascinating to watch how they change with the light during the day.  I need a vase store, I could dust and arrange vases all day!  For now, it's a beautiful day in Akron, Ohio so I think I'll spend my afternoon taking a walk.  I'll be sure to take my camera with me.

What about you dear readers, how are you spending your Saturday?  I hope you are doing something that brings you joy!

Friday Fashion Fun

I wear my hair long.  I've tried many lengths and styles, but I prefer long, straight, one-length hair.  It's very easy to take care of.  But lately I've been seeing a lot of cute cuts with bangs, and I just can't decide if I should cut my hair or not!  I know I would miss how easy it currently is to take care of, but one of my new year's resolutions is to try to look cuter and to be braver with fashion.  I do love being a girly girl.

Have you tried Hollywood Makeover at InStyle?  It's fun!  You upload a picture of yourself and you can try on celebrity hair styles, different makeup and even change your eye color.

Here's a picture of me with a Heidi Klum hair style.  I kinda like it, but I haven't had bangs forever!  I get a lot of emails asking why I never put pics of myself on my blog, so here is one.  If there any plastic surgeons out there willing to do surgery for free - I would love a nose job!  You can use me in advertisements.  I don't like my nose, but I am rather lucky because it's been broken twice so it could be a lot worse.

Remember this gorgeous model from my previous post?  I love the cut and color of her hair.  She really rocks this 'do.  I wish I were brave enough to try it, but I think you need a cute little face for it.  Also that color and cut are both high maintenance.  I love fashion, but I'm not a high maintenance kind of girl.  This lovely model is also rocking that orange lipstick.

I've been searching for the perfect orange lipstick forever.  I want a citrusy look, not rust or brick.  Lime Crime has some of the best opaque lipstick I've ever used.  This lovely color is called My Beautiful Rocket and is perfect.  Unfortunately, it's sold out.

So here I am with white hair and orange lipstick.  Hmm.  Stay tuned for a line of clothes I am designing!