visiting at classically b

Happy Monday all! First I want to say thanks for all of your kind words on Friday. I managed to stay off the computer all weekend (no small feat I assure you) which gave me more time to work on projects. Not quite the healing I think I was supposed to be after, but I enjoyed it. Be sure to come back on Wednesday when I'll be sharing a little before and after I recently added to the house.

Today though I'm hanging out with Brittany over at Classically B, talking about some of my favorite finds. And just in time for Mother's Day (hint hint hubs).

Stop by and say Hi!

where's the fire

Happy Friday all!

This week I poured over the new issue of Matchbook probably at least once a day. I tell ya I can't get enough of that thing.

One image that I kept coming back to was this one.

Bailey's house in Matchbook

OK, so really it is three images, but I'm looking at the same thing in each one - the very cool match strike collection.

While they are by no means a new thing, I seem to be noticing them more and more in magazines. They are a great sculptural element and make a great addition to a coffee table, mantel or vanity. Much better than the free matchbook in the bathroom for sure. You can find vintage ones in antique stores and Etsy and I think they would make a great thing to keep an eye out for on vacations and trips. A unique souvenir to bring home.

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This one is just funny.

I think I found a new collection.

I'm off to get my arse in gear for tomorrow's celebration. Eve is turning two! It won't be the big celebration we had last year, but good times are on the menu.

Also, I'm over at A Lived in Home today talking about some things I've learned from DIYing. Make sure to check it out.

Have a great weekend!

guest post - Design Thoughts

Hi all! Hope you all are enjoying a peaceful New Years Eve. I'm over at Design Thoughts today talking about something I don't mention much - motherhood. Head over and check it out!

guest post - the pink pagoda

I'm over at my girl Jennifer's today for her 31 Days of Pink series. Lovely pink in all it's shades of goodness. And there is a reveal of sorts on there too (boy am I teasing again?!).

Check it out!

guest posting at living savvy

I'm 'out of the office today' helping out my friend Tiffany while she moves into her fab new house. I'm talking about my 5 favorites of fall, and I'll give you a hint - they are good.

Head on over to Living Savvy and check it out!

nantucket style - guest post

Happy Tuesday!

I'm over at My Crafty Home Life today talking about my idea of Nantucket style. Head over and check it out!

paint a rug party - week 2

I should be giving an update on my progress (click here if you missed last week). But really I'm going to use each and every one of you for your brilliant and creative minds to help me make a decision.

I can't decide on a color combo. Am I going:

1.Navy/White

2. Raspberry/White

Or, wait for it 

3. Navy/Raspberry

Again, here is the pattern.

This is a small rug, that will be used in the foyer or possibly the kitchen. And it is by no means precious or expensive, so I figure why not have fun with it. What's the worst that could happen...right?

So cast your vote - 1, 2 or 3?

And be sure to check in with all the other lovelies who I'm sure are farther ahead on their rugs than I am.

Chinoiserie Chic

Design du Monde

Design Post Interiors

The Junk House

My Best Friend Craig

My Crafty Home Life

Pawleys Island Posh

The Pink Pagoda

Room Rx

Seekers Bazaar

Simple Details

Trapped In North Jersey

paint a rug party - week 1

Be honest. Painting a rug sounds like a good time, right? You know it does!

That's why when my friend Linda at My Crafty Home Life suggested a rug painting party I said, "your rug or mine". I never turn down a good party. (My, how the definition of 'party' has changed over the years.)

Actually this is the kick in the pants I've needed to take care of some naked floors around the house.  The hallway, kitchen and foyer are all in need of some coverage but I've never found anything I liked that was at the right price. We'll see how this rug turns out to see which lucky location gets to wear it.

Here is my subject.

And here is my inspiration.

via Pinterest

I'm going Chippendale.

I had wanted to do this pattern on our railings when we redid the deck, but a small deck spruce turned into a bigger project and well, you know how that goes. So this is my way of getting the look without pulling out the miter saw.

The only remaining decision is color(s) and that is still TBD.

I'm not usually one for logistics when it comes to this stuff but I did do a bit of research and found two great tutorials, here and here, that I think will help with the details. 

So with that, let the games begin.

Oh, and it should be noted - I have 1. never painted a rug 2. a very infantile brain that cannot think in negative space 3. very limited patience for any type of exact measurements and 4. a great ability to laugh at myself when this all goes haywire.

And be sure to check in on each of the other lovelies who are partying with me. We'll be reporting on our progress each Thursday for the next three weeks.

Chinoiserie Chic

Design du Monde

The Junk House

My Best Friend Craig

My Crafty Home Life

Pawleys Island Posh

The Pink Pagoda

Room Rx

Seekers Bazaar

Simple Details

Trapped In North Jersey

Now let's pop the cork and get started!

guest post - the aestate

Hey guys, this is Jessica from The Aestate. So excited to be filling in for Elizabeth while she's enjoying her beach vacay. When she suggested a Room-to-Outfit post, I realized I'd never actually done one before. I'm not even sure how that's possible, but I didn't think the first one I ever did would be inspired by a nursery. However, the first room that came to mind is this gorgeous, edgy nursery done by Tamara Kaye-Honey for the 2012 Hampton Designer Showhouse. I'm kind of obsessed with the colors in this room...

{Tamara Kaye-Honey}

Room or outfit, I don't think you can ever go wrong starting with classic black or a deep grey. Mixed with white, they make a great basic color combo. Throw in some playful turquoise and coral and top it off with some sophisticated gold accents. Faux leather pants and leggings are quickly replacing jeans in my real-life wardrobe, btw. Most of them are just as comfortable as yoga pants but look so much more chic. Plus they look great paired with comfy flats and over-sized tops.

YSL Tote // Ikat Tee // Scarf // Watch // Bangles // Shoes // Pants // Cuff

Thank you, Elizabeth! xo

guest post - my best friend craig

Hi Everyone!  I'm Charmaine from My Best Friend Craig and I'm happy to be filling in for Elizabeth while she enjoys some time off with her family.  

Today I want to show you some mother of pearl inlay furniture.

Architectural Digest




Don't you just love them!

Graham and Green


They are so exquisite and beautifully handcrafted!

Graham and Green

via decorpad




They also come in fun colors.

via

Graham and Green

Anthropologie

Big

ABC Home

and small

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But they can also cost you an arm and a leg!





Jenny from LGN did an amazing DIY...

Jenny's DIY Inlay dresser

I also recently discovered  this stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils...

Cutting Edge Stencil blog

Don't they look like the real deal?!

Have you done any DIY's lately?

guest post - the vintique object

Ugly is Contextual:  The Story of the Orange Sofa

Hello, readers of The Little Black Door.  I'm Camille of The Vintique Object and delighted to be here today to guest post for one of my favorite funny and talented bloggers.

So here's the story of the orange sofa. 

 If you saw this baby, what would you think?

Yeah, that's orange corduroy you see there.  

Would you think it's ugly?  I did.  But my shopping partner-in-crime Lane, of Urban Orchard Interiors, and I pride ourselves in being able to look past the ugly. We saw the above sofa with its nice lines and dreamed of transforming it into something like this:

 

 Wisteria's Natural Linen Settee

 So, on a whim, we bought it, planning to reupholster the thing for our shared booth at the once-a-month Alameda Antiques Faire in the San Francisco Bay Area.

But as luck would have it, not long after we purchased the sofa, one of my clients pinned this photo to our shared board on Pinterest:

Jonathan Adler's Templeton Apartment Sofa

And I thought, Wow, our orange sofa could be that!  So I went off in search of 'orange sofa' pictures on Pinterest and found some pretty amazing photos which you can see in a post here.  

Lane saw that post and we both knew we'd just need to clean it up and try to sell it as is.

You can see her on the left there in all her orange glory at our booth at the antiques flea market.  (Claremont Finders Keepers is my other blog and business.)

I tell you, I shook my head as we hoisted that thing into Uhaul the night before.  I was sure we'd be loading it back up at the end of the day.

But you wouldn't believe how much interest our orange sofa got.  And about half way through the day it sold for a healthy profit.

Since the customer who bought it lived nearby, we agreed to deliver the sofa for a fee.  On the way over, I tried to imagine what her house would look like. It was really anybody's guess.

Well, here's what it looked like:

I tell you, if I had tried, I wouldn't have been able to imagine a more perfect place for our ugly-duckling-sofa-turned-swan to live.  (Get a load of those gorgeous curtains!)

If you are a reader of The Little Black Door, I'm betting you've got the thrifting/DIY gene somewhere in you.  Which is why I've told you this story.

The more of The Orange Sofa story is this:  Sometimes we spend so much time looking for things to transform -- to make beautiful, that we fail to imagine them in a different context.   That was certainly the lesson I learned with our little ol' orange sofa.

However...sometimes things are just ugly. 

Elizabeth, hope you are having a restful and fun time while you are gone. Thanks for having me!

guest post - lemondrop dreams

Hey my friends! I hope you all are enjoying my vacation as much as I am. :) Before I get to my dear friend Colleen, I wanted to let you know I'm also revealing a makeover today at The Mustard Ceiling on an old piece of (literal) trash. Check it out...after you read Colleen!

Hello all you lovely Little Black Door readers!  I’m Colleen from lemonDrop dreams…I was just giddy when Elizabeth asked me to guest post on her blog…I stumbled across Elizabeth’s blog via another blog a while back and have been an addict ever since!

Today I’m going to share with you my fancy new custom made slipcovers…

I went from this…

To this…

Quite a punch in the face, no??  Since the base of the room  is now done it’s time to do some zhushing…rug, art and my personal favorite, PILLOWS!!

Here are some options I’m considering…

for the green couch, because really, what’s better than green and leopard??

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And since I love to add a little bit of quirk around my house these would be good with the polka dots…

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If only this were true…

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I wonder if I can DIY this…

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So there you have it ladies (& gents)…Hope you enjoyed my humble abode!!

Thanks again Elizabeth for inviting me over for a little show & tell!!