If you haven't yet read the newest issue of 417 Magazine, you aren't in on all the sweet details shared by local bakery owner, Amy McGehee. Amy owns Amycakes, a cute little bake shop downtown that offers a daily selection of breads, cupcakes, and a signature cinnamon roll. (A personal favorite during chilly Art Walks.) You can also order cakes and treats to go or for special occasions. Amy is sincerely sweet and I love just the idea of supporting a local who is able to work doing something she loves.
How About Orange just added a lovely post on how to make bags from Japanese tape and envelopes. Below are a few resources for the beautiful tape. I can just envision Christmas presents wrapped so wonderfully with this tape, as well as all sorts of other nifty uses. Wouldn't your invitations look extra special sealed with any of these brightly colored tapes? How about some along the edge of some shelves for added color and pattern? Wrap them around tins or boxes to make storage extra special or tape some lines onto a piece of paper and frame for instant art.
I just ordered these beautiful sheer drapes from West Elm for only $12 a panel! They'll go in my bedroom to add another layer on our windows. I think they'll look beautiful and feminine underneath the heavier, gray velvet drapes. I'll let you know how they look when they come in. 
I usually don't like getting e-mails from stores, but today I was happy to open and explore one sent by West Elm, a home store that offers a lot of items that jive with my style. The e-mail was announcing, specifically, new duvets in several prints and colors. A duvet is pretty much a huge pillow case but instead of stuffing a pillow inside, you stuff your comforter instead. It started my wheels turning about getting a duvet this winter for my bedroom. I love dreaming of chilly winter nights cuddled up with layers and layers of blankets and hot chocolate. A duvet (pronounced due-vay without the "t" just like ballet) is also such a nifty way to make a bedroom feel fresh and new, without spending the money on a whole new bedspread. Mind you, the duvets at West Elm cost what I would spend on a new bedspread (a queen size will run you $60 - $100). Maybe that's a steal for some, but not really for me. I might have to splurge though, or ask for one for Christmas. Making your own isn't hard. Some sites suggest using two flat sheets while others, like the plan here from Design*Sponge, opt to use fabric instead. 
My style is hard to pin down. It's such a mix of so many styles. Sometimes I refer to it as mid-century modern folk. Anywho, I like it. Incorporating vintage finds into the house makes it feel so much more inviting than a whole house of completely new things. Not that I actually know anyone with plastic covers over their furniture, but when everything is so new it just doesn't seem very comfortable or inviting to me. All that to say, rejuvenation.com is a sight similar to schoolhouseelectric.com in that it sells lighting and accessories in period styles. I'm particularly gaga over this interior door knob set. But yikes! $129 for just the one. 
In lab these beakers hold all sorts of concoctions. In your home they would be beautiful bud vases, an arrangement on a shelf, or filled with buttons or shells or marbles. They could sprout a small plant or used to support a tray in a cabinet to create a shelf.
A rack is so versatile. How about a nice spot for spools of thread or balls of yarn? A very unique dish drainer in the kitchen or mounted on a wall to hang jewelry. Your bracelets would stay tidy, wouldn't they?
Kitchen items aren't only found in kitchen stores in the kitchen section. This rubber mitt is for picking up hot beakers and containers in the lab, but it looks like a dandy oven mitt to me.
I relish finding out what my friends' houses look like. I think it's such a literal insight into their personalities and preferences. My husband Wesley and I recently purchased our first home together and spend a good chunk of our time (hmm..."our" time sometimes means my time or time that I ask him to do things for me) decorating, organizing, and sprucing it up. Here's a hint into our hall bathroom. The walls are a soft dove gray. I love love love wallpaper but hanging it in our bathroom would be expensive and labor intensive. We also don't plan on living here for more than 5 years, so decorating just to suit our own wildly personal tastes isn't going to fly when it comes time to re-sell. My solution? Paint on a pattern. I found my inspiration from, of all things, a pair of underwear I recently purchased. You can see I'm using only two colors. I'll fill you in with a "How To" when the project nears it's finish.
Sometimes design ideas don't need much explanation. So, when posts won't quite fit into a "How To" or "Resources" they will end up here in the land of "Ideas." I recently visited my vivacious sister-in-law Jane in Kansas City. Our first night together we had dinner with Jess and Jana. I found this racket hanging up in Jess's room. What a great idea! I do think the best ideas are simple, and this one follows that to a t. Just hang up an old racket and use it to display jewelry, photos, or other keepsakes. 
