Nursery of the Week: Soft and Muted

That Chinese sideboard makes the perfect changing table and looks great paired with the matching bookshelf. Usually we don't love the matchy matchy look but the hardware is really making quite the impression on these two pieces of furniture. This room looks really soothing because of the soft colors which are all tied in with the rug. Curious to know what the wall color is; the white furniture keeps it fresh while the chandelier adds some whimsy. Check out the awesome framing job on the art hanging over the changing table - extra large matting and square shape add something special.

Hot Rocks

Ventured back into the old craft corner this weekend - been sporting this handmade necklace for a while and several friends have asked if I will make them one so I finally churned them out. There are still some agate pieces left over because they don't have a hole drilled in the top for the chain. I am a little weary of handling the drill on my own for that project (you also need a special drill bit for the job) so I was thinking of rigging them up as belt buckles but I haven't quite figured that out yet. In the mean time, they will be coasters.

Agate has been very popular lately and has taken on all sorts of decorative forms but these two uses might be the best I have seen so far.

As decorative inlay for risers on stairs - this is in Vegas at one of the new malls.

And a new version of stained glass - stunning.

Ice box

Boo, nobody guessed, it's a freezer. How rad. The house was originally built as a vacation home in Southern California for a Chicago Meat Packing tycoon. I guess if anyone is going to know freezers it's that guy. Think of all the ice cream and vodka you could put in there.

What is it?

Can you guess? It is original to the 1890's house.

Take Care

And have a good weekend. I'll be at a backyard wedding in the garden.

Get Back to Work!

Can you name the movie this quote came from?

Unfortunately, my workspace isn't quite on the same level of chic and orderly as these.

Custom Cushions

Being a good wedding/baby shower gift giver is like any other skill. It improves over time with practice. Honestly, my poor sister, I didn't win any awards as the Maid of Honor. At the time I was in my first job out of college and getting paid barely above minimum wage, I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. We were roomies at the time, so when she moved out and took EVERYTHING with her, I kept saying "but you can register for new stuff and people will like, just give it to you! At least leave me the vacuum and a chair to sit on." She did end up leaving her dishes behind because my brother in law thought the periwinkle, scalloped PB set was too girly (his were denim printed - no joke) and they settled on new set in white. And, as a bonus, the B-I-L gave me his vacuum (a bachelor's vacuum, think about that) and his house plants which promptly died after two weeks in my care.

These days a lot of people have been asking me for advice on engagement gifts. This one is a bit more difficult because the couple probably hasn't even registered so you can't cheat and see what their taste is like. These Uptown Artworks pillows that you can customize seem like a cool idea. The above pillow would also be a thoughtful baby shower gift if you know that name in advance.

The custom pillow. It was hard to find pricing on these on their website SO who knows what you could be shelling out.

Wall signs - fashioned after the subway and bus signs that have been so popular in decor the past couple of years.

A zip code pillow

I think these my be my fave, the ring pillows that are customized for the wedding

What was the best engagement gift that you received?

Nursery of the Week: Elephants, Baby and Blue

This might be one of my all time favorites because of the elephants and the Rikshaw bedding.

To learn more go check out the story at Style Girl Boston

Thread the needle

All these bedposts remind me of spools of thread.

Wish you were here

I wish I was back on vacation since this was the view about two weeks ago. Have a super fab weekend, the last days of summer are upon us!

Favorite Product ! Rody

Oh Rody, you are just so stinkin' cute and at $49.99 you can't really go wrong.

Made in Italy of latex-free vinyl, this cheeky little guy is super strong and durable.

He is noted for promoting balance and coordination through exercise.

Therapist use him for vestibular stimulation - the foundation for skills such as language, memory, running and jumping, all those important things you want your little one to do.

Are you noticing all the cute colors that he comes in? How could you decide which to go with?

Recommended for ages 2+, Rody comes in in larger size Rody Max which indicates he is for ages 5+ - I hope that plus means you can add any number of years.

There is also a base that you can purchase for like $35 making it more of a rocking horse and a bit more stable for those little, little ones.

Rody's other pal in the corral is Gyffy the Giraffe.

Missoni for Target

The next collaboration for Target is with Missioni. Calypso was a little disappointing but I have hope for this one mainly because they are putting like 400 products out so something has to be good, right? Missoni for target will run from Sept13th -October 22nd and maybe into the holiday season depending on product availability. Nothing from the clothing line has scream "have to have" (yet) but the home department looks promising. I've got my eye one these towels.

A ziggity zaggity throw will only set you back $39.99

The melamine plates are great for gathering jewelry, keys and odds and ends.

If you are tired of all the plastic in these designer collabs you are in luck, this time they will be selling stoneware pieces (the dinner plate set above) but only online.

In an effort to keep Italian products together I would put this espresso set next to my machine and I believe the cute cups would keep me from making any venti size servings.

The bike is $399

Sophisticated Little Lady

This little lady's room is more like a master suite! Check out all those built ins (and the pink basket storage from the Container Store) custom drapery, the glassed in closets, the mill work, and the awesome coronet.

Nursery of the Week: Glam Americana

Tommy Hilfiger's nursery from Vogue

Moby's Adobe

Is not on the South Side, it's in the Hollywood Hills and it's pretty rad.

Play gotta a lot of play from me in the 90's so its kind of neat to see where all that money from cd sales went.

The staircase in the guest house was restored by Frank Lloyd Wright's protege.

The house is called the Wolf's Lair named after the original owner L. Milton Wolf, a real estate developer and was built in the 1920's. It holds all sorts of crazy history as only a Hollywood house could boast a tiki bathroom, adult films shot around the pool and a Rolling Stone as a former resident.

Moby had the house restored and updated following the cues from the Gothic style.

The turret housed the original owner's pet monkey who would scream and call out and the sound would echo down the canyon.

Insane carved wood ceiling!

The sleek Danish furniture really allows the architecture to take center stage. Totally not my style but I like that he didn't do the heavy Old World style (not that he would, it is Moby after all) or get all POP! and mod.

Go here to the read the entire article about Moby and the house. Thanks NYTimes home section for another awesome profile.