Stumped

I know it was 'love it' or 'hate it' with Blueprint mag, but most of the time I loved it, and I was sad when they closed their doors. Just like Domino, a lot of the ideas and featured rooms from Blueprint stick out in my mind, even years later.

So what do you think I remembered when I saw these stumps for sale in the Pottery Barn catalog?

The red stumps! Remember when they featured Elena Columbo's small beach cottage?

image via flickr

I think a pair of PB stumps (or go find your own fallen tree and start hacking) and a quart of oil-based paint in a gorgeous, unexpected color - like red, mustard yellow or turquoise - would be amazing paired underneath an entryway bench.

My photoshop skills are not the best, but here's a doctored image to help give you an idea .

Image via Angie Hranowsky (photoshopped to include wooden stools)

Overstock Wall Lamps

I'm considering a pair of these wall lamps from Overstock for a kids' room I'm working on. Just $24.99 each.

{Don't worry. I'll be ditching the accordion shades.}

green

yellow

blue

My ADORABLE dancing rock climbers!

Liberty of London

I have a small obsession with Liberty of London fabrics. I would gladly cover my girls' entire room (not to mention other rooms) with these fabrics. The problem is they are expensive (like $30-$40/yard). And hard to find.







(And for the mothers of little boys out there...)


When we were visiting Paris over the summer, I spent the good part of an afternoon shopping by myself in the fabric district. My sweet husband kept our girls happy, riding the Montmartre carousel about 100 times, while I drooled over bolt after bolt of gorgeous Liberty fabric in a store across the street. It was heaven for me, but I ultimately decided not to buy anything because the US dollar was so bad at the time. I figured I could buy the same fabric for less online.

image via Eliza Gran's Etsy shop

Well, turns out, I can't. My favorite design is completely sold out.

In the meantime, I keep checking my only known US Liberty sources: eBay and Purl Soho. Anybody out there have some secret sources?

Speaking of Liberty and Purl Soho, I love this store display of different Liberty fabrics in embroidery hoops. Such a big impact for a small investment! For instructions, go here.

image via The Purl Bee blog

Also, check out the owner of Purl Soho's home, as featured in Blueprint. She must be a huge fan of Liberty fabrics, too. She used yards and yards here in her daughter's nursery. So beautiful...

FAMILY FREAKS!!

I am excited about the series our church is about to start called Family Freaks. This promo made me laugh so I had to share it! If you are in the area and don't have a church home come visit us. :0) Angel

Family Dedication

Last Sunday we had a family dedication at our church.

We had not had the opportunity to dedicate Zoe or Kaiya.

It always felt kinda awkward to sign Zoe up for BABY dedication.

Well, The Sanctuary Fellowship doesn't do baby dedication since they- 1. are very into fostering and adoption 2. think you should be dedicating your family and not just your kiddo.

I had never even considered that it could be done differently.

It meant so much to feel like my kids weren't excluded from a special tradition because they weren't babies.

What a special moment for all of us.

Isn't it weird how little things like that can mean so much?

Even cooler was the fact that my friend who is adopting kiddos as well was there too so we weren't even the only adoptive family.

I love my church.

It's nice that who we are just feels normal there.

Oliveaux and Rubie Green

Oliveaux posted this beautiful picture from one of her design projects.


I love the gorgeous pineapple lamp, topped by that perfect fabric-covered shade.

She used this Portobello fabric, available through Rubie Green.


Also from Rubie Green, amazing new bedding. I am dying for a pair of twin-size duvet covers in this pink zigzag for my girls' room. So great folded up at the foot of the beds, all made up with simple white (embroidered?) sheets, solid pink coverlets and colorful pillows...

What Kaiya Has Learned.

Kaiya has been home 10 months now. I am amazed by what she has learned already. Here we are working on some of her home school. Just love this kiddo. She is adorable and I can't imagine our family without her.

Spring

Secretary Sadness

I wish I knew how much room I will have to work with in our next house. If I knew I had the floor space, I would totally snag this $100 secretary from Boston's Craigslist.


Then I would do an Eddie Ross transformation...

beforeduring
after

The key is the incredible mirror backing to the cabinet fronts. Love this project.

NEVER judge a book by it's cover!

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent
by dwarthy

Hugo Guinness Prints

I love the simplicity and contrast of Hugo Guinness' black and white lino-cut prints.


They are all over the blogosphere and in design mags:

Above and below, from Vogue, Mr. Guinness' Brooklyn home...


From Domino

Kate and Andy Spade's home during a Christmas dinner as photographed by Elle a few years ago. See the Gunniess prints on the wall? Love it. Image via Brilliant Asylum.


Guinness prints are always available for sale at John Derian, sold in limited editions of 100, prices starting at $425. This snapshot is from the Provincetown, MA store.



From the John Derian flagshop store in Manhattan.


Rashida Jones' apartment, via Domino, features a floral Guinness lino-cut print front and center, above her gorgeous French sofa.


Another blogger (does anyone remember who so I can credit??) posted recently about the Conde Nast store selling limited edition Guinness prints. They're out of my budget right now at $140 each (or $600 for all four), but if I had the money, I would be SO tempted to snag a few of these! There are only 100 of these available, so act fast. Make sure to put these prints in gold frames though. Ditch the white.