Amazing Stuff in Blogland: new ideas, products, and resources

It struck me, when lots of random people started following me on pinterest, that I look at a LOT of images related to the home and home design.  Probably a little more than most people.

On average, I look at about fifty blogs a day; sometimes that number is double or, dare I admit, triple.  Naturally I encounter a lot of great ideas, inspiration, and resources.  Sometimes when blogs share great ideas they've seen on other blogs, I find myself thinking "duh, saw that."  But you, my readers, may not look at 50-100 blogs a day.  You may not have 400+ pins on pinterest.  You might like to see the great ideas, and be introduced to the great products, that I encounter in my travels.

So maybe I'll round 'em up on occasion.

This week, I was inspired by:

Hand-drawn Schumacher-inspired "wallpaper":



Can you say amazing?  Shannon from Shannon Berry design created her favorite Schumacher wallpaper with a SHARPIE and CRAFT PAINT.  Not sure where I first spotted it, this one is (rightly) making the rounds!  Check out her full tutorial here.

Amazing Photographs of Rickshaws



By Greg Vore, spotted on Elements of Style Blog.  He shoots the rickshaws, with or without drivers, on makeshift seamless to really spotlight the colors and designs.  I would love to add one of these to my art collection, which is growing more "idiosyncratic" by the day!

This week, I discovered some great sources and products:

Awesome silhouette necklaces



From Crafted by Kirsten, via Milk and Honey Home
We know I love silhouettes (my girls, botanicals, animals, painted); if anyone wanted to commission one of these babies with silhouettes of the girls and their initials, just like the one above, that would be okay by me.

The perfect sized pillow for a single large bed bolster





PBTeen via Little Green Notebook

Great, inexpensive Sofas



"Anna" sale price from $549! From Monarch Sofas.  (Save an extra 25% through Sunday using coupon code 7UYC)

Via Caitlin Wilson:



Caitlin says it cost a ton to ship her pink linen sofa from California to the east coast, but that it was still a deal over all.

Eco-Friendly Textiles



From etsy shop Shapes and Colors Textiles via Emily Henderson's Throw Pillow Round up.

Modern Cement Tiles:

From Mosaic USA via Modern 24/7 (check out her round up of inspiration images, here)

Closeout Rugs:



Michaelian and Kohlberg, via Naomi's round up of the NY Gift fair, seen on her blog Design Manifest

I should mention that Namoi highlighted a new product, but when I checked out the site I spotted the outlet.  I never met an outlet I didn't like.

Now, these are not "cheap," but there are some great deals to be had, like gorgeous hand knotted wool and silk tibetan carpets marked from $12,000 down to $3,000.  The one you see above happens to be a 3x12 runner, which I would snap up in a second if only I had $400 to spare just now.  (It would be perfecto in the upstairs hallway, if only I hadn't painted it chartreuse.)

Wow, it was a great week around here.
You know what might be even better than sharing all of this goodness with you?

Cleaning up all the tabs I have open in Chrome.

Enjoy!

Stripe styles

I know: stripes are not exactly a newsflash these days.  They're everywhere!  The big trend of the last year seems to be bold, wide, horizontal stripes, like those found in these bloggers' homes:

Emily Clark


Honey and Fitz



Modern Jane


Sherry Hart


Danielle Oakey


Modern 24/7 (actually this was for a client of hers)


Abby at A Delightful Design

(Lovely, ladies!)

If you want to take this on, these ladies have you covered--follow th elinks above to their tutorials if you are so inclined.

Stripes are one of the most classic patterns out there, and their popularity is due in no small part to the nice way they play with others: florals, geometrics, traditional, modern, you name it.

My girls' room has a nice big bathroom adjoining it, and I'm planning to use the leftover pink paint from the bedroom to stripe it up in there.  Not a big bold cabana stripe, though.  I've been thinking something more like a Farrow and Ball wallpaper.

FB block print stripe

FB tented stripe

Here's some context for how this type of stripe plays on the wall.

[Celerie Kemble in Lonny]

[Source unknown]

A bit more traditional without being stuffy.  I also like Farrow and Ball as a reference point because some of their stripes are actually produced with paint--the paper is dragged through vats of paint--and since I'll be painting the walls, I'll be going for a similar effect.

Before signing on for HOURS of measuring and taping, I figured I'd better determine just the right pattern.  So I pulled out some big sheets of white paper, some painters tape, and the can of paint and went to town.

The choices (from top to bottom in the photo above):

1) two-tone.  The wider stripes are the bedroom color.  The narrower stripes come from a can off the free shelf at Hirshfield's.

2) Wide variegated stripe

3) Narrow variegated stripe.  Same idea as the above, just everything closer together.

Any preferences?  I'd love your opinion!

Resource Round Up: Bloggers doin' it for themselves

I was at Target the other night, lamenting the lack of new shelter mags.  For some reason, it feels like AGES since I got a new glossy in the mail.  But guess what?  The interwebs is alive with the sound of pages turning.  Just in case you haven't seen, read, devoured them already, here are a few for your reading pleasure.

From Down Under, and featuring bloggers such as Anna Spiro, Caitlin Wilson, and Danielle Oakey, check out Adore Home



From Janell, DIY blogger extraordinaire at Isabella and Max Rooms, comes issue 2 of House of 50



From bloggers at The City Sage, Coco+Kelley, Plush Palate, and Design Love Fest, comes the 6th issue of Rue




From Toronto, the latest issue of Covet Home, which goes inside one home per issue.

And new-to me Entra Magazine's Summer issue, discovered through Sue at The Zhush.
(While you're out exploring the hinterlands, perhaps you would like to shop her store, here.  But be warned:  you will likey.  Do not blame me if you want, and want, and can not have.)  While I'm disclaiming, Entra has a $12 subscription fee, but you can preview the first 100 pages gratis.  Isn't that nice of them?

Oh, and then there's Kirtsy.  From the likes of Design Mom and others.  Still figuring out what it is, but thinking I like it.

Go forth and be inspired.  Love 'em?  Hate 'em?  Report back to me, please.