Brooklyn Flea

As usual, I have more things I want to do than time to do them, but I was finally able to get to the Brooklyn Flea this weekend.  This Sunday it was in very trendy, very hipster Williamsburg and my immediate thought upon entering the tented area was that I should have opted for an outfit other than a white collared shirt and bright green cable knit sweater.  I tried to blend in by trying on the lens-free eye glasses at one of the multiple stands selling them, but I decided it was a losing battle and just owned my lack of trendiness.

The flea market was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline.  However, unless you're going for a very Bohemian look, I think you're better off sticking to Manhattan fleas for your treasure hunting.  There were a few things I did love, though, and could have seen in my home if I weren't currently on a spending freeze...

Pumpkin Carving Season!

Halloween has never been my most favorite holiday...I'm fairly certain my mother and sister scarred me deeply when I was little with their creepy soundtracks of dragging chains and screaming that started on October 1 and played steadily until November 1.  Our house was known to feature a graveyard of foam headstones with friends' names, skeletons leaping out of closets that literally sent children running into the woods, and ghostly decorations that caused the Jehovah's Witnesses down the road to finally give up on us. 

Maybe because I grew up in such a creepy crawly-obsessed family, I have always been more partial to "cute" Halloween decorations.  Like smiling pumpkin cookies and balloon ghosts rather than blood-stained candlesticks and bowls of eyeballs.

To celebrate my kind of Halloween, I've complied some of my favorite CUTE pumpkin carving ideas from this year.  HAPPY Halloween!!

Source: google.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: realsimple.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: curbly.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: curbly.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: curbly.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: attention2detailblog.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: attention2detailblog.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Pink Dining Chairs

This weekend I started painting my dining chairs a pink/orange/red color.  I am fully aware that this will embarrass me in about 15 years or fewer but right now I think it's pretty great.

I'll post pictures when they're all done.  In the meantime...fabulous or decor disaster?  I think FABULOUS.

PS to my mother and sister:  See the grey couch in the second photo?? I told you it would match!

Elle Decor

House Beautiful, January 2011

Retail Therapy

Thank you all so much for your words of support while I try to figure out my next move in life.  I talked with my sister about my blog dilemma and I think she had the right idea.  I'm going to keep up with my blog through this spring and then take a little hiatus while I design some furniture over the summer.  Then I'll come back in the fall hopefully with a whole lot of things to show off!

In the meantime, since I was feeling kind of grumpy this weekend I decided to do a little retail therapy and got the following items:

One of these items cost me $5 at the Jr. League of Washington Tossed and Found event.  The other one cost me waaayyy more than I can afford.  But if you average the two together.....I still spent more than I should have.  However, you know how every once in a while you see something that you absolutely just have to have?  This is what happened with this purse.  I am a HUGE fan of Kate Spade and the colors of this particular purse are just SO ME.  In fact, this is the basic color scheme I'm using for my room makeover which has been in progress for about a year now.

So thank you to all of you and, of course, to the wonderful Kate Spade and the Jr. League for giving me a little boost this weekend!  I'll keep on going for now!  :)

Why It Works - Layering Nick Nacks

It's easy to look at the results from talented decorators and know it's done right but I always find myself wondering if I could have put something like that together myself.  Since I thought there might be other people out there like me, I decided to add a weekly blog post called "Why It Works" or "Why it Doesn't Work", breaking down decorating successes into simple rules we all can follow.

Today's success:  Mary McDonald's beautiful table vignette -

What really seems to work about this vignette is that the nick nacks are grouped and layered.  Instead of setting everything apart by itself, all the items are overlapped, some sitting further back on the table and some sitting further forward. 

Sometimes it's easier for me to see these things when designs are broken down into their basic shapes and lines.  Compare the outline of desk with the layered nick nacks and with the separated nick nacks - the layered one looks better, right?  The layered table is a vignette while the separated table just looks like a collection of items.

There's a lot else about this vignette that works, but layering is one rule I can pick out and learn to help me get the look!

Fabulous Office Spaces

I'm changing positions at my company on Monday and along with the new job comes a new desk.  My old office had cheerful Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling but my new desk is out in the middle of an open room leaving no way for me to decorate!  :(

That's why I've got my dream office on my mind this week....

Full House

Melissa Warner via House Beautiful

James Michael and Phoebe Howard via House Beautiful

David Kaihoi via House Beautiful

The Decorista

Habitually Chic

Carolyn Espley-Miller via House Beautiful

Vanity Fair

Rawr - animal print

When I was 13 years old, much to my mother's chagrin, I was obsessed with animal print everything.  That year for my birthday I asked for a leopard print comforter, pillows, sleeping bag, purse and matching tissue packs.  Well look who's back in style now, Momma!  Next thing you know, everyone will be wearing those bucket hats I was obsessed with...

Savvy Home

Savvy Home

Habitually Chic

Flourish Design & Style

Gideon Mendelson via House Beautiful

Live Like You

Dwellers Without Decorators

The Zhush

The Zhush

The Decorista

Pillow Fix

Couches are expensive.  But you know what's less expensive?  Pillows.  An excellent way to give a couch a makeover without the expense of slipcovers or a new couch.  And one of the best places to look for statement pillows for less is on Etsy.com.  Here are some of my favorites:

SwoonStudio

SwoonStudio

WillaSkyeHome

WillaSkyeHome

PointDeAmour

fabricjunkie1640

fabricjunkie1640

fabricjunkie1640

habitationinc

Samantha2818