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What’s New at Ikea

August 15, 2013

I’m sure most of you have already gotten the new Ikea catalog in the mail and a lucky few have probably had a chance to go into the store to check out all the goodness in person. I’ve yet to make time to visit the store but I have had time to turn down the corner on many pages in the catalog. There are so many new items I’m loving and lots of old items I seeing in a new light after seeing them in newly styled photos.

My list of must-see items is long but I’ve managed to narrow it down to a handful of top picks I wanted to share with you. These are the cream-of-the-crop in my book.

1) The Stockholm Sofa, which I’ve already seen on many blogs and Instagram feeds. This baby is going to be super popular and the green velvet is by far going to be the color of choice. My love the this sofa has gone so far as to ask the hubs if he likes that color, which is something I normally don’t do unless I’m serious about a piece.

2) Hjalmaren Wall Shelf is pretty slick. The catalog showed it styled in a bathroom but I can see this with books in a library or kids room, or even in my office 🙂

3) What’s not to love about this Stockholm chair? I think it would make a pretty darn cute desk chair. My vote is for the stain finish, but it’s also available in green.

4) My pulse quickened when I saw this yellow Stockholm cabinet. I love everything about it from the glass doors to the legs and the door pulls. Just wait, I predict you’re going to see this on many a design blog over the next few months.

5) How cute is the Vittsjo table?? When I saw it I thought about all those times I’m trying to work in front of the TV and how handy this would be. For $24.99 I can already see this being a hot DIY paint project for bloggers across the globe. Don’t you think it would look great in gold or red?

6) The Ullgump rug! The name is nowhere near as awesome as this rug. It’s available in black and white also but my vote is for the orange and white color combo.

7) The Stockholm 2-Drawer Cabinet is just too darn cute. I love the emerald green color and the wood stain finish on the inside. I’d replace the wood legs with some chrome casters to really make it sing.

Just in case you’re wondering what other items caught my fancy, here are a few that almost made my cream-of-the-crop list:

Pg.157, item 13–Is this the new “it” rug from Ikea??

Pg. 288, item 1–This would be so pretty with pink flowers in it!

Pg. 200, item 1–Could be really stunning in a powder room!

I can’t wait until my schedule opens up and I can get to Ikea to do a little in-person browsing and shopping!

So, what’s new items are you loving from Ikea? I’d love to know!

Entertaing Idea: Swizzle Sticks

August 14, 2013

Every great party includes fabulous cocktails (loaded or virgin) and every great cocktail deserves a fun swizzle sticks.

Did you know that swizzle sticks originated in Martinique when bartenders plucked twigs from native trees and used them to mix drinks to get them nice and cold.

Swizzle sticks are a throwback to the 60’s and 70’s cocktail culture when a gathering of friends and some libations resulted in a classic cocktail party.

After doing a little research I learned that there are three ways to mix a drink, one of which is to SWIZZLE IT!

Stirring a drink results in the liquid getting chilled and the booze being diluted without adding air.

Shaking a drink adds air to the cocktail while chilling it and diluting the booze.

And Swizzling a drink combines the juices and spirits and evenly chills the liquid without diluting the booze. Plus it looks cooler.

There are so many great swizzle sticks you can buy but I love the idea of making my own. Here’s a few of my favorite DIY Swizzle Sticks.

Gold Paper Hearts

Washi Tape Flags

Metallic Pom Poms

Toy Animals

Whatever’s in the craft drawer

Yarn Pom Poms

Ingredients to make swizzle sticks:

Wood skewers or flat wood pasty sticks

A decorative object

Glue, tape or some type of non-toxic adhesive

A cocktail to help with the creative process while you make your swizzle sticks!

Swizzle sticks are an easy way to introduce a little fun and whimsy into your party. They can also be use to help people keep track of their drinks and most importantly they will make you look like the hostess with the mostess at your next gathering!

Have I won your over yet? If not, head over to my Party Ideas pinterest board for a ton more swizzle stick ideas. All of the images above can be found there!

For more Entertaining Ideas check out this, this and this!

FOUR “It” Accessories You Are Seeing Everywhere

August 13, 2013

Have you stopped and taken notice that a few really popular decorative accessories that are popping up in every home décor magazine, on store shelves and in on-line stores.? While I’ve had my eye on these trends for a while and even own a few of these items it wasn’t until my recent magazine de-cluttering marathon that I really noticed how prevalent a selected group of items are in the interior design world. What makes these items so popular and just what are the “it” accessories I’m talking about?

Foo Dogs in every color are a super hot decor trend of late. While they may not be the prettiest accessory, the ceramic dogs are making a splash in every type of room décor, from traditional to modern. I think the attraction is that they are different, have an ethnic flare and make a bold statement. I love these gold dogs at Z Gallerie but if you like a little more color, the next time you’re near a Ross Dress for Less, pop because they are known to have colorful Foo Dogs for cheap!

The Scoppio Sphere is a hot item from Z Gallerie. You can use this piece on tabletops or as a wall décor accent. There is a sense of whimsy that I think draws people to this piece and makes it so popular.

Buddha heads, Buddha statues, Buddha wall décor. Buddha’s are admired not only for their spiritual association but also for their artistic style. The popularity of Buddha is so great that even Walmart has gotten in on the trend.

Not only are Starburst Mirrors becoming a design staple but it is probably one of the most popular DIY projects among DIY bloggers and designers. Starburst mirrors are a wonderful alternative to a round mirror and provide shape and visual interest to a space. I happen to own two starburst mirrors and am glad to say I bought these before the trend was so hot.

Because there are so many different versions of starburst mirrors, I think this is one item that will definitely become a classic. If you’re in the market, Ballard Designs has some of the most popular starburst mirrors on the market.

So, what do you think of these ‘it” accessories? And which is your favorite?

images via pinterest

Inspiration + Weekend Reading

August 10, 2013

Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is starting off great.

Now that the Nordstrom Anniversary sale is over I can’t help but feel like fall is just around the corner. During these last weeks of summer, it’s the perfect time to begin thinking about your fall wardrobe and maybe do a little organizing and styling in your closet. This image is a great example of how you can achieve both organization and style in a small closet space. It has definitely inspired me to do some purging, sorting and de-cluttering in my closet.

When you take a break from organizing, take a moment to enjoy these weekend reads….

No matter what age you are, this is sound advice for both your business and personal life. A must read!! Thanks to Mandy over at Waiting on Martha to bring it to my attention.

Want to be inspired? Check out these Top 100 Inspirational Quotes!

You’re going to love this home tour and you’ll get some great decorating tips from it too.

Beautiful inspiration if you want to decorate with black.

What a great way to inspire a table décor theme!

I love how creative Kristin used the leftover space in her laundry closet!

I found this blog post to be a great reminder that “surrounding yourself only with people who will lift you higher” is something we should all be striving for.

Creating a Stylish Clutch from the Craft Store

August 9, 2013

Ok, so we all know I love handbags and clutches have a special place in my heart. A couple of week ago I was wandering around Hobby Lobby and came across their “blanks” section. This is the area of the store where they have plain t-shirts, canvas bags, baseball caps and other items that you can embellish, paint or do whatever crafting magic you want on them.

I came across this grey felt clutch and was inspired to create a clutch based on one of my favorite designer handbag lines.

This was the inspiration ($173.00)…..

And this is my finished clutch!

How to:

I purchased a band of black textured fabric from JoAnn’s and measured it to a 3 1/2 inch width. I folded the edges under and used black stitch witchery to secure them down.

Once that was done I wrapped the black fabric around the clutch starting at the under side of the front flap, around the back and on the inside front of the clutch. I used dabs of hot glue along the edge of the black fabric to secure it in place.

Next I took a length of green grosgrain ribbon and centered it on top of the black fabric. Again I used hot glue to hold the edges down.

Next I added silver corner pieces to my clutch, attached with E6000 glue.

To add the finishing touch to my clutch I found a vintage black tassel earring in my jewelry supply chest and took it apart. I placed the round piece of the earring on the front flap of the clutch and stitched the tassel part to the top corner.

All in all my designer inspired clutch cost me less than $ 9.00!

Here’s the breakdown:

Grey Felt Pouch $ 4.99 less 40%=$2.99

Black Fabric $2.50 from JoAnn’s

Green Grosgrain Ribbon–from my stash. You can find grosgrain ribbon at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 less 40% if you have a coupon.

Silver corner protectors $1.69 for pkg. 8 available from Articuss Studio

Vintage Tassel Earring–$ 0.50 found thrifting

Style on a budget. My favorite kind of fashion!

Gift Wrap Inspiration: Easy Monogram Ribbon

August 8, 2013

I love a gift wrap idea that’s easy to execute and results in a stylish gift. I’ve worked a lot with monograms lately on design projects and in my home, and that got me thinking about an easy and simple way to tie monograms in with gift wrapping. The idea was easy to come up with and the execution is even easier.

If you’ve been in a craft store lately you know that there are all types of alphabet stickers you can choose from. For a kid’s gift use stickers that are colorful like crayons, for a men’s gift go with a more block type front and if your gift is going to a woman go with stickers that are more feminine and scrolled.

I hope this inspires you to take a visit to the craft store and get creative with your gift wrapping using stickers.

Do you love gift wrapping and think you have creative wrapping skills that could win a contest? If so, I want to urge you to enter the 2013 Scotch Most Gifted Wrapper Contest. The grand prize is $10,000 and being a contestant is an experience of a lifetime. I was blessed to have been selected as a finalist in the 2012 contest and came in second place which was a thrill. Besides winning a trip to New York and being treated fabulously by Scotch, I also met some incredible women in my co-contestants and have been inspired by them ever since. The Scotch Most Gifted Wrapper Contest is your chance to show the world your wrapping skills so don’t miss this opportunity and ENTER TODAY! You can read all about the contest and entry rules here! And you never know, I just might be there to root you on!

Party Inspiration: Pink & Green

August 5, 2013

Cheers to Monday! I hope your weekend was good. My weekend was very productive. I spent a lot of time purging my magazine collection (only 20 more to go) and have lots of new inspiration photos to file way and new DIY projects to add to the to-do list. I also cleaned the carpet, started working on some new gift wrap inspiration and an easy fashion accessory DIY project which I’ll share with you later this week. With all the time I’ve spent indoors, I’m itching to go thrifting and the timing couldn’t be any better since the Scott’s Antique Market is this weekend.

One of the other things I did this weekend was to play around with some party theme ideas. Since summer is winding down I came up with a party theme using colors that are perfect for transitioning from summer to fall. Just in cast you want to have an impromptu gathering before summers over I hope this inspires you.

A little pink and green inspiration mixing feminine details with bohemian patterns and colors. Funky and Fun!

Here’s how you can get the look:

Linley Linens

Quadra Dinnerware

Rouge Flatware

Classique Glassware

Bali Jar Candle

Agua Fresca Beverage Server

Great White Tiered Stand

Paper Lanterns

Mariko Cocktail Napkin

Satin Ribbon

Inspiration + Weekend Reads

August 3, 2013

Happy Weekend! I hope you have something fabulous planned this weekend and if not I hope you enjoy a little down time.

I thought I’d share with you today three really cool inspiring ideas that I came across recently. Nothing earth shattering but pretty brilliant at the same time. Enjoy and check out the links below.