Sheer drapes on sale at West Elm!

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.

P.S. Free shipping too!

Great Idea from Design*Sponge Blog

Zip over to Design*Sponge (one of my most favorite blogs!) for this easy idea for making your own curtain rods. If you have existing rods with finials that screw into place, it would be so easy to buy a few drawer knobs to instantly add a touch of flair to your windows. I love the selection of knobs at Hobby Lobby. They are so strikingly similar to those at Anthropology, but cost a lot less. Plus, you get an extra dose of a deal when you buy them 50% off.

West Elm

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.

Rejuvenation

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.

Inspiration from a Chemistry Lab

Inspiration can strike anywhere, anytime. I loved the pattern on a recently purchased pair of panties so much I used it as the floral motif in my bathroom. It's so easy to be inspired by fabric, craft supplies, or other houses, but when you really let yourself take things in as what they could be instead of just what they already are you'll find even ordinary things to be very inspiring. Recently I spent an hour with my husband in his chemistry lab at a local college. I was instantly drawn to the tapes above. They are used in lab for labeling. Each color can mean something different. They aren't especially sticky, but I managed to use a few bits to tape down my tennis shoe laces for the day. I think they would be marvelous when wrapping presents or even in artwork. A stark white canvas could just burst with little lines of beautiful tape! Below are my additional findings.

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.

Hall Bathroom Gets Painted Wallpaper

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.

An Old Racket Becomes Beautiful Storage

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.