The Craft Begins

I don’t think that anyone would ever accuse me of being a a girly girl, but there is just something about these dresses that makes me want to throw my hat in the ring with the ladies.  And my white gloves, of course.

I know that fashion is an art form, blah blah blah, but I find myself mostly unimpressed.  Perhaps that’s too strong of a word.  I just think that there’s a lot of fashion out there that is pretty good, but very few things that really blow me away.  Dior’s Spring collection blows me away.

It’s sculptural, it’s architectural, it’s feminine.  It’s like Disney princess with its ice-cream shades and billowing skirts, only grown up.  These dresses manage to somehow be vintage and oh-so-modern at the same time.  And can we just talk about the hair?  That’s it.  I’m abandoning my ponytails.

These dresses make me wish that I was somehow rich or famous, or at least had an opportunity to get to wear something like this someday.  Hell, I’d settle just to even see one in person.  It’s the kind of craftsmanship and attention to detail that you just don’t see anymore.  Why can’t we all just dress like this all of the time?

I’ve been meaning to paint walls charcoal for the last few years, and I’ve finally landed in a place where I can paint the walls whatever color I want!  When everyone heard about my plans they thought I was insane, said I was going to be living in the batcave.  However, now that they’ve seen it in action, everyone loves it.  And rightly so.  Because it’s awesome.

I’m going to go ahead and say that the previous owners’ design aesthetic was a little…conservative.  As much as I love color, I also really love neutral tones, which is why all of the big furniture and expensive to replace items are in grays and browns.  We were lucky that the wood floors were in such great shape – I’m going to put down rugs eventually but I’ve been tracking in so much grass this summer it wasn’t worth it.  The cabinet in front is an antique store display – all of the drawers are filled with craft supplies!

Sorry the second picture is a little cockeyed, but you get the point!  I really struggled with a finding a way to make sense of a big, oddly-shaped living room but the antique cabinet made a perfect room divider.  Notice the mirror glass on the other side?  Didn’t know what to do with the big windows in front as they were kind of low but some low-backed club chairs and a pair of bookcases on either side of the wall seemed to do the trick.  In the very back, I found an old stereo cabinet that was in great shape and it really makes the little walkway make sense.

That’s it for the before and after pictures, but here are some detail shots for you:

The view from my couch – that’s what I meant about the windows with the chairs in front.  I love that little silver table – there’s a smaller matching one between the two modern chairs and all of the chrome in the room ties together really nicely, I think.  And that globe in the background?  The whole thing lights up!  I have a globe lamp (and the coolest grandmother ever).

I bought these Japanese fishing floats at the flea market last year and I haven’t known what to do with them, but I like the way that they just kind of roam in the basket.  And these chairs are my favorite chairs in the whole world – they’re sooo comfortable and I love the plaid and brass detailing.

Since I’ve got a lot of wood (with the floors and all the big furniture) and the living room was tending to look like an 18th century French naturalist’s apartment (I wish!) I wanted to balance them out with something a bit more streamlined and modern, and these chairs were perfect.  How’s that for a great secondhand find?

There’s still a few things that I’d like to do to the room and a few kinks I’d like to iron out but I was really excited to share the progress with everyone!  Hope you’re having a great week.

How sweet and unusual are these paintings from Nancy Bass?

I always find myself drawn to images of cows (there’s something about their faces that is so playful – either that or it’s the farm blood in me) but I rarely see them juxtaposed with more modern art in such a compelling way.  Aside from that, her rendering of the cows themselves is simply artful, and she’s got an amazing eye for color.

Spring is officially here, with all of the hailstorms and tornadoes that it tends to bring in the middle parts of the country.  However, the storms bring rain and I’m just delighted at all of the flowers that are making their debut performance in my garden.

These lovely necklaces from Elva Fields are a great way to really celebrate springtime.  I love the vintage elements and the bright, punchy colors.  How very delightful.

I recently discovered that one of my friends from freshman year that lived in my dorm is a kick-ass illustrator.

And she has an awesome blog to prove it.  I love the bright colors and the excellent use of text.  Hop over to Eggplant Elephant for more illustrative goodness.

PS – Can someone please help me convince her to start selling some prints?

How would you like to live in a super ultra modern trailer that was shaped like an egg?

It’s bigger than it looks at first glance but the idea of sleeping in the wall like a Japanese hotel or small train car makes me a little claustrophobic.  Although I could see it being an awesome hideaway for kids.

found here.

I am in love with these posters.  I wish I could wallpaper my walls in this style.

See more fabulous design work here.

I LOVE this house.  Love the furniture, love the bookcases, love the walls, love everything about it.  Especially that bathroom.  It’s like a spa.  I’ve been dedicated to the idea of trying to find  midcentury house plans and re-configuring them with modern materials, and I’ve always imagined it would look like the house above.  Now, getting them to actually look like that is another thing entirely.

via Curbly.

Not quite a houseboat, but not quite a house – wouldn’t it be nice to live in the middle of a lake?  It’s like your own private island!

via Please Sir.

I love little kitchen gadgets.  Not small appliances (which usually just piss me off because they take up so much space) but little gadgets that make your cooking and food prep life so much easier.  Not to mention more stylish.

Fusion Brands makes some of the most stylish and practical kitchen gadgets around.  And they’re made of silicone so they’re easy to clean.  You can find all of their products (like my favorite little green poaching pods) here.  Make sure to check out the demonstration videos for their products – a work of art themselves.

I think that probably everybody has woken up recently thinking “oh crap, it’s christmas!”.  That means lots of buying presents and most of all, wrapping them.  That time of the year is always fun for me because it justifies all of the wrapping paper and ribbons and stuff I have lying around most of the year.  If you’re trying to come up with creative, interesting packaging without having to break the bank or buy in bulk, why not check out Nice Package?

They’ve got everything you need to create an interesting, etsy-worthy package for giving.  The small amounts mean that you just get enough for what you need.  And everything is so simple and sweet!

Happy shopping!

I’m in serious style love with Kelley Lilien.  She has such fantastic style, and is seriously original, which you don’t see too often in this big bad blog world of ours.  The first blog is dedicated to interiors and other style, and I love the way that she picks a theme and then gorgeous items to fit.

The pictures are big and beautiful and her writing really makes me smile.  She also has a blog dedicated to her graphic design pursuits, which are also lovely and modern and a little bit cheeky.

Or you can just go to her website and see for yourself.  What a talent!

It’s the best description I’ve got for the Jeffers Design Group’s work.  I love how sophisticated yet playful their work is, and it has a retro sensibility without being campy or themed.

If you’re looking for inspiring ways to incorporate vintage pieces into your design, I highly recommend perusing their portfolio.  Or, if you have my dream life, you can just hire them to design your house for you!  Find out more at their website.

Well, we didn’t get the house, yet again.  We keep getting edged out by buyers with the exact same offer, only in cash.  Who are these people, and where did they get all of this money?  Sigh.  Oh well.  Back to looking at pictures – I’ll have the house put together before we even buy it.

I know it’s a car ad, but check out those stairs!

Sometimes I love red and sometimes I just think it’s overdone, but it looks really good in this house.  I like all of the vaguely ethnic details.

A little fuzzy but you get the point – STORAGE!

I’ll take three of these, please.  I like the wood garage, the cultured stone, and the modern lines that are reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright.  I bet it’s even more gorgeous in the summertime.

I like this modern take on a library.  Mine would have more books, of course.

Another fuzzy one.  I don’t know if I know any writers that are this organized, but I like it.  Good use of old furniture and lovely-looking organization.

I am on a serious hunt for an old card catalog.  I think it would complete my collection of old furniture.  I’d love to see what the full photograph in the background looks like.

There is nothing to not like about this one.  Reading and forts?  It’s like a grown-up version of my childhood.

I think that I kind of want some pin-striped wallpaper.

Oh, how I heart this kitchen.  A little bit old, a little bit modern, it just seems like a comfortable place to make a meal.

There is something about bookshelves that just make a place seem so alive.  I like these because they can be taken down and put back up in every configuation – the weight of the books holds them in place.

The outside here seems a little austere, but I love the colors and the combo of wood and brick.

I wonder what it would be like to live in one of these modern beauties.  Would it be ok on the inside, or would you just feel like you were living in a gallery?

OK I think I’ve got it all out of my system for now.  Any more pictures without a house to apply them to and I’m going to start getting depressed.  Let’s get back to it then!