Flights of Whimsy

Around my House This Weekend

2012-01-30T07:00:00.001-06:00

Enjoying some lovely flowers I brought home after a shoot.

Anemones are one of my favorite flowers.

Finally got some nice pics of the house in the daytime.

Moved my antique lamps in here until they get their proper home in the living room.

The office is coming along nicely.

I bought this canvas to make a painting for above the pink dresser. This big white blank space is kind of intimidating...

My chair is quite at home in here.

How was your weekend? Do anything productive?

Quick Change Friday: Gun Art

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I got burned out on projects after the holidays and I've been working on something non-decor related. More on that later.

In other news, I finally framed the gun art I made forever ago. Yay!

I still love it!

My art wall is filling up slowly but surely.

I hate this rug in here...

And the coffee table...

But I must wait for the perfect thing (at the perfect price) to come along. Patience grasshopper.

My scarf pillows are in here now.

They so purty.

I'm teaching myself how to paint with water colors.

It's going ok...

Let's look at some other things with guns in them! Cuz they're edgy and stuff!

Made with flowers, love that.

I still get the warm fuzzies for these chairs featured in Bailey's chicago home in Rue.

What have you been working on lately?

Happy Friday!

Does This Have Potential?

2012-01-17T13:51:00.000-06:00

Some of you regular readers may know I have been struggling to find the right coffee table for my living room. In a perfect world I would have a marble top with a pedestal base. But since it's not a perfect world I have been looking at other options.

I found this on the craig the other day. Not sure if the measurements are right. But, do you think it has potential?

Yay or nay? What say you?

Our Spare Bathroom Reno

2012-01-04T09:21:00.000-06:00

Over the break we started a demo on our hall bath. After our master bath reno it's the only bathroom we have left to do. We did all the demo ourselves in the master bath of course but left the rest up to the professionals. Since this is a much smaller and easier job we are taking on this whole project ourselves!

This was the spare bath when we moved in. Yikes!

And this is what it looks like now. You can't see in this picture but there are fur-downs running all the way from over the sink down the wall and over the whole tub area. Those babies are coming out. I think they look so dated.

So far we have managed to get all the tile, the tub, and raise the ceiling over the tub. Success! I'm glad we did this for obvious reasons but we also found that the tile had not been installed properly when the house was built. It was mounted on drywall instead of moisture proof cement board and was starting to rot. The shower wall on your right also backs up to behind our stove in the kitchen and there's a huge hole there!

Our next step is to buy a tub this weekend. Once that is installed we can put up the cement board and frame out the walls.

Of course I'm already thinking about design!

From Olive Leaf Stencils

I've been in love with this art deco stencil ever since I saw it and I want to do it in this bathroom. It's a smaller bathroom so I think a shot of pattern could be nice.

Since it's a busier pattern I want to think about the colors and what I will do for a shower curtain.

This bathroom is obviously gorgeous but I thought it was interesting that they did a roman shade in the exact same color and pattern. It's an idea to make it blend in, almost like another wall, instead of cutting off the pattern on the far end of our bathroom. I could stencil the color on some fabric and voila!

A perfect deco example. I LOVE the color scheme in here and the little touch of boho with the boxes. Just my style.

I'm sure most of us have seen this amazing custom shower curtain. It's awesome. My husband wants the shower to be nice and steamy and almost cave like. I think this is the perfect solution and it's pretty! Yay for compromising! (though not really because this is awesome)

If I don't stencil the curtain maybe something with a band or accent along the bottom.

Perfect example of mixing patterned walls with a clean look curtain in Kate Spade's bath.

I rather like the look of two shower curtains flanking the bath. Almost like a window,

This casually hung curtain is rather lovely but I'm not sure it will work for my design.

Did you start any big projects over the break?

Score!

2012-01-03T08:20:00.000-06:00

Hello Lovers and welcome to 2012! I'm back to work today after a nice long break. I had such a great time with friends and family, I'm sad that its over!

I got some great stuff this year that I'm excited to show you! Some is from antique shopping, others were gifts.

I scored these great lamps at an antique store for only $38 each!

I just love the teak bases.

And the shade looks so pretty when they're lit.

A cute vintage clutch that accompanied me on New Year's.

A beautiful crystal bowl. I love the star pattern!

My husband gave the awesome Ikea mirror I've been wanting. I can't believe he found it, these are never in stock!

Two great books I can't wait to dive in to.

Some beautiful glass knobs for the bathroom. I need to get more so I can have the whole set!

What did you score over the break?

Pinterest Duel Updates

2011-12-22T10:29:00.000-06:00

We had our party last weekend, which was totally fun. Nothing got broken even though copious amounts of wine was consumed. Although I did knock over a small plant when I was "Paul Abdul-ing" in the breakfast nook...only a little dirt spilled though.

The party gave me an excellent opportunity to make a few more things from my recipe boards and get me further on my way to achieving my goal.

First up: The Appetizers

Balsamic Vinegar Bruschetta

This came out awesome. I specifically looked for a recipe that used balsamic vinegar because I just love the flavor. I made it early in the morning so it would have plenty of time to soak up the flavor before the party, which I highly recommend doing.

It made quite a bit of topping. Everyone liked it so much that we ran out of bread and I had to send Scott to the store to get more. Some of which was promptly put in the toaster and forgotten about by the drunkards. They ate ALL of it!

Jalapeno Cream Cheese Poppers

I'm posting this again because, being my second time making it, I have a few more tips. I made it a bit spicier this time around, which I preferred. I also sliced it a lot thinner to make smaller bites. I thought it would make them more of a finger food, I could either way on this. I did not make nearly enough though. It was gone in a mere half hour and late guests didn't get a chance to try them. Perhaps double up if you are making this for a group because people love them!

Now for Desserts!

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes

I'll admit, I used a box mix to make the cupcake pat of it. I didn't have a lot of time and making a chocolate cupcake from scratch is nothing new for me. I was more interesting in the peppermint frosting. Which came out amazing! I didn't do the fancy red stripe because I don't pipe my cupcakes. There was a lot of extra frosting. So if you make this you might want to have a game plan of what to do with the extra! Super easy to make and delicious.

Peppermint Cream Bites

I definitely had a theme to my desserts! This was also easy to make. You spread the chocolate layer on after its been in the freezer. This made the chocolate cool a bit too quickly to be spread around properly. If I made it again I might let it warm up before putting that layer on.

I didn't use a cookie cutter to cut mine but just sliced it with a knife instead. When I sliced it the chocolate layer on top crumbled a bit and broke apart. I might use a cookie cutter next time so if it might remedy that problem. They still tasted great!

So that is 11 out of 35 things made. I'm almost a third of the way there! I plan to make a few more dinner things over my break next week.

Have you brought anything on your pinterest boards to life lately?

A Call to Action

2011-12-21T10:18:00.000-06:00

I'm going to do something I have never done on this blog before, get political. Before you scoff, hear me out. You may think this doesn't effect you but if you are reading this blog, it will. Which is why I'm talking about it.

I'm not sure how many of you have heard about SOPA, the stop online piracy act. Now on the surface, this may seem like a good idea but as usual, the devil is in the details, or the wording rather.

I know that as bloggers we think it's important to credit or link back to original sources, credit independent artists, we hate counterfeit items, or people who copy another artist's work. But this bill takes it a step further than copyright infringement.

The SOPA bill states that any website that is even accused of infringement is subject to immediate shut down. What does this mean for you? Not only could your personal blog be shut down on just an accusation but all of blogger could be as well. No more blogs, period. Blogger is held responsible for all user submitted content. Sites like Pinterest? Gone. You tube, Reddit, Grooveshark, Pandora? All gone.

Etsy, Flickr and Vimeo all seem likely to shut down if the bill becomes law, the EFF warned.^[39] YouTube is online today because it adheres to precisely the takedown provisions that the bill would alter.^[52] According to critics, the bill would ban linking to sites deemed offending, even in search results^[53] and on services such as Twitter.^[54]

Source: tabletonic.blogspot.com via Baca on Pinterest

So even the people who follow the rules get punished and the internet is censored for everyone. Search engines like Google would be permitted by law from linking to any site that possibly contains copyright infringements. This would require a host of lawyers, legal experts and programmers to do the impossible. How would they possibly be able to pinpoint the legality of every site on the web?

Center for Democracy and Technology lawyers David Sohn and Andrew McDiarmid, in an article for The Atlantic, wrote, "In addition to domain-name filtering, SOPA would impose an open-ended obligation on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to prevent access to infringing sites...Preventing access to specific sites would require ISPs to inspect all the Internet traffic of its entire user base—the kind of privacy-invasive monitoring that has come under fire in the context of 'deep packet inspection' for advertising purposes."^[33]

This also hurts small and new businesses.

Booz & Company on November 16 released a study finding that almost all of the 200 venture capitalists and angel investors interviewed would stop funding digital media intermediaries if the House bill becomes law. More than 80 percent said they would rather invest in a risky, weak economy with the current laws than a strong economy with the proposed law in effect.

So my call to action is that you write or email your representatives about this bill. This does effect you and things you most likely use and love on a daily basis. There is still an opportunity to stop this. Here is a website to find your state representative and how to contact them. We can make a difference together!

Source: lottaagaton.blogspot.com via Baca on Pinterest

Ok, end of my rant. I promise we will back to pretty things tomorrow. Thank you for taking the time to read this!

All quotes and information is from Wikipedia.

Before & After: Bamboo Dresser

2011-12-16T07:00:00.009-06:00

Remember this dresser I bought a few months ago?

I got it at Canton for only $45. Luckily Sarah was there to convince me to buy it, as I was hesitant on how easily it could be painted.

"You can paint ANYTHING!", she said. And she was right...

Boo-ya! Pink bamboo dresser with shiny gold hardware!

I'm thinking a large painting needs to go over this.

I got the hardware at a local hardware store called Elliot's. It was about $60 total.

I quickly gathered some pretties from around the house and put them up. I think a larger statement lamp needs to go here.

And there's more surprises on the inside!

The pink is Ballet Slipper from Krylon. The sides are apricot by Valspar.

So with $45 for the dresser, $60 for the hardware and about $30 for all the paint, primer and poly. The total is only $135, not too bad!

I also started taking this stool apart on a whim to recover it.

I. Have. No. Idea. What. I'm. Doing.

Wish me luck into my upholstery foray.

I continued my stealing with this chair and side table from the living room. It's perfect in here!

Happy Friday Lovers!

PS. Yesterday was the day to send out your gift for the gift swap. Mine is late. I suck. It's going out monday. My giftee doesn't know who they are but I'm saying I'm sorry in advance!

My Wing Chairs are done! Oh Joy!

2011-12-14T09:43:00.000-06:00

Behold...

A year in the making and our chairs are finally done.

That's right, a year.

It took several months of craigslist stalking to find the chairs. I wanted a wing back but not the usual wingback you know. I also didn't want to pay very much for them. After months I found these guys for only $100 for the pair.

Then I searched FOR MONTHS to find fabric I liked. When I found this suzani I knew this was it. But it was $$$. I needed 14 yards which cost about $500 smackers.

I patiently waited more months to save up the dough. A miracle happened when I answered a little survey for High Fashion Home (where the fabric is from). They drew my name and I won a gift card for $200! It was meant to be.

More saving happened. Then I had to order the fabric and wait for it to come in for 4 weeks. While that happened we saved yet again. This time for the upholstery. More months...

But now they're dunzo.

And I couldn't be happier. I seriously was inside my house looking out the front window when the upholsterer pulled up and started unloading them. I squealed, I jumped up and down. Luckily no one else was home to witness my crazy.

With the new chairs the gray rug didn't work anymore. I put it in our master and moved the seagrass in here. I HATE the seagrass in here. It's too small, the color is not right for the room. It sucks. Have you ever updated something only for it to highlight how shitty something else is? That's me now.

Oh wells, I'll console myself with our new chairs.

In other news we finally have presents under the tree and an empty bank account to show for it. More are on the way and this baby is going to be full and happy.

I also got some pretty gold candlesticks. Shiny...

And I got a pic of our new pendant in the daytime. I freaking love it!

Happy hump day!

Pinterest: I Challenge you to a Duel!

2011-12-13T15:39:00.000-06:00

This is sort of like the Pinterest Challenge that Young House Love did a while back but a little different. I'm taking on two of my 18 pin boards and I thought i would share it with you (mostly to hold myself accountable) and invite you to join.

The Duel

To make everything on my board about desserts and everything on my board about other foods.

That's a total of 35 items!

I know, I'm stoopid.

This is sort of an unofficial challenge to myself and there are no deadlines to complete this, so it's not very stressful. Stress is not the goal here people! I gave myself this challenge before thanksgiving. This is the perfect time of year to do something like this too. So many parties, potlucks, shindigs and hootenannies to attend.

So here's how its going:

I have made a total of 8 things. Not too bad!

First up, desserts.

Double chocolate loaf with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Spread

This. is. retarded. good.

I've made it twice now and both times it has surprised and delighted guests. The directions say to bake for an hour but I only needed about 40 minutes. Not sure if I used a bigger pan or my oven is just shitty so if you make this keep an eye on it. It's pretty easy to make too and not too messy.

Golden Grahams Smores Bars

Another super easy one. I took this to a game night and everyone loved it. It's made with golden grahams cereal, no baking and stayed fresh for a few days aka just long enough for me to eat too many and get sick of them.

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins

So many favorite things in one muffin. I didn't make the spread to go on top. I just didn't feel it needed it. I also added dark chocolate chips to mine. It DID need that, at least I thought it did ;)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

This was my dish for thanksgiving. They turned out awesome. I didn't read the directions very well and put the cream cheese mixture in the fridge instead of the freezer, oops. It was fine, i just had to scoop it out with a spoon as opposed to slicing off a nice frozen circle to put in the center. Otherwise, a great recipe. These are really sweet so I think they're more of a dessert than a breakfast item, which can be interchangeable if you ask me!

Now for the entrees and apps:

Cheesy Mashed Potato Balls

Ok these were good. But they were really hard to make and time consuming and they didn't look pretty. So I probably won't be making them again. There were a lot of steps and it was really messy. One of the steps is to, duh, make the mashed potato mixture into balls. Well, it's fucking mashed potatoes so it's totally not going to form into a nice little ball in your hand. They ended up being more like mashed potato splats but they still tasted good.

Jalapeno Cream Cheese Poppers

These are so so easy to make. If you need something quick to bring to a party, this is it. They are very tasty and you can make them ahead of time and just bake the day of. Can't get any easier. And only needs a few ingredients.

Spaghetti Casserole

This is probably one of the favorite things I've made (non dessert, of course). I substituted the beef for fake meat crumbles, which took out a cooking step. It's very spicy, which can be adjusted to taste. I seriously ate this for lunch and dinner for three days, it reheats well and I didn't get sick of it. The french onion is perfection.

Gluten Free Mexican Casserole

I made this for a lunch celebration for a co-worker who is gluten free. I enjoyed it but my husband did not. The main ingredient in it is cabbage, a flavor that is not for everyone. There's a tomato mixture as one of the layers, I didn't feel there was enough of it so if I made this again I might double that. This recipe was a bit time consuming, there is a lot of chopping, simmering on the stove, and then baking. It took a bit too long for my taste. Also, because of the layer of corn chips on top, it didn't reheat very well which was a shame.

So that's all I've made so far. I will be making several more things for our party this weekend. The only problem with this challenge is that I keep finding more things to add to the boards, and that's ok.

Do you have a board challenge you would like to do? Perhaps a DIY board or a recipe board of your own. Join me!

See all my boards here.

Quick Change Friday

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-06:00

I think perhaps we should host a party once a month maybe. It's an amazing motivator for getting things done around the house. I have about 8 days to finish things up. In a perfect world lots of things would be done before then but I'm trying to be realistic.

I got the second coat done in my new office.

It's looks black in photos but it's really not. The color is "Gray" by BM.

I will be adding some molding to these doors, and possibly painting said molding black.

I got some vintage fashion prints my mom gave me forever ago framed and hung finally. The frames from Ikea of course and I just mounted the art onto some gray paper to fill in the gap since the mat wasn't big enough. I think the gray adds some nice dimension to it.

The article on the top piece is funny. It was written in 1927 and the first line of it is "Collars are back!".

This wall is begging for something. I'm going to make a large painting for this room but I'm not sure if it will go here or not. Lots of details still to figure out.

This is my temporary solution to not having curtains.

Ghetto fabulous, no?

I am considering ordering this fabric for the curtains. I fell in love with it a long time ago and came across the swatch and thought it might work in here. It's a nice off white silk base with velvet flocking and a sort of painted on color.

What do you think about it for curtains? Yes or no?

I hung this awesome vintage light up in my breakfast nook. I saw it at an antique store a few months ago. I snapped a pic and could not stop thinking about it. It was $200 which I thought was too expensive. Finally I decided I would go and see if they would let me put it on lay away and the whole booth was 30% off. Score! I bought then and there.

It's not really long enough but I decided to hang it as is for now. When we get our built in banquet it will be off center so I plan to put it on a chain and swag it lower over the table. Can't wait!

Have you finished any projects lately?

Happy Friday!

House Tour: Two Artist's Holiday Horseplay

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000-06:00

I saw this house tour in this month's issue of D Home and I had to share with you all! It's such a cute place with so much color and personality. I'm happy the magazine broke out of their usual comfort zone of expensive chic and stuffy Highland Park homes, not that I don't enjoy them. It's just nice to see some colorful people around conservative Dallas!

The couple bought the home in Vickery Park earlier this year.

Alicia and Adam Rico both have backgrounds in art and now run the amazing floral and event design company Bows and Arrows.

The map above the hearth is an homage to where they met in Brooklyn, NY.

I really love the built-ins and the fabric on the chair on the left.

In love with this tree!

They handpainted a tree trunk to act as a side table.

A perfect holiday table, and so easy to replicate! I love attainable design.

The walls are a hand painted mural done by Adam.

They added the bathroom, doesn't it look like it always belonged in this house? Perfection.

One of the cutest child's rooms I've seen in a while. The prize ribbons and yarn mobile are such an unusual touch.

Another mural painted by Adam. The Ricos balk at the typical term "eclectic" to describe their style. They prefer the term "horseplay". Suits this to a T right?

Read more about them and their house here.

All images courtesy of D Home.

I hope you enjoyed this tour as much as I did. I literally squealed when I first saw it. So cute!

Home Office Progress

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

Lots of things are happening around the house these days. We're having a holiday party this year and the pressure is on to finish a few projects before then.

I hung the vintage chandelier in my office instead of in the bathroom, because I'm a rebel like that.

It's looks soooo good. This room needs the bling factor big time.

You may have already noticed that I painted. It looks black but it is very very dark gray. Apologies but you guys are going to have to suffer through a lot of night pics for a while. It gets dark at like 5pm now and I don't get home before that so it is what it is.

Still needs a second coat but with some glossy white furniture, colorful fabrics, gold pretties, it's going to be great.

I went shopping in my bordering-on-a-problem swatch collection for possible curtain and upholstery fabrics. I chose the floral one on the bottom left for curtains. It's from Mood in NYC. It's not listed online so I called to order. Then a nightmare happened.

I remember it being about $25/yard when I picked up, like pretty clearly remember it. But when I sent the associate the photo of the swatch she said it was $50/yard. I need 10 yards.

I. Am. Crushed.

Swears were spouted (in my mind) tears were almost shed, feet were stomped. I picked out my wall color thinking this was going to be my curtain fabric. I know, I should have planned better but I didn't. My second choice is the on in the top right but I'm pretty sure the place I got this doesn't carry it anymore. I'm going to check it out this weekend. If that doesn't work I'm pretty much back to square one and I reeeally wanted to get these curtains done before our party. Not to mention the fact you can totally see in this room at night from the street, not cool.

Anything crossed of your list lately?

New Photos of My Home

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

I mentioned before that I had my good friend Monica use her excellent photog skills to take pictures of my home to enter a contest. Here are some photos of the dining room you didn't see before and some new ones of my foyer. These are the only two rooms I consider "done". And most of you design-files know that a room is never truly done but is simply a room that doesn't have a laundry list of projects still to be done!

The dining table is from Pier 1, on clearance for only $300.

The light fixture is a generic one from Lowe's. I simply slipped a large drum shade over it and tied it up with wire.

The China cabinet is vintage, purchased at a garage sale for a song.

The bar cart was purchased at Canton Flea Market for $50.

The paper on top is from Paper Source, I glued it on with spray adhesive.

I had a lot of questions about this vase. It's from a flea market. And I use the term flea market generously, I bought it from a lady that basically sells garage sale rejects out of a shack in the middle of nowhere. Lucky break I guess!

The paper in the back is from Paper Source.

Curtain fabric is from Mood.

The chairs were purchased on Craigslist for $100 for all 6. I painted them and the black and white stripe is from High Fashion Home.

All the large mirrors are vintage. The two small ones are from Target. The bench is another Canton purchase which I painted and covered in an outdoor fabric. The hatboxes are also vintage.

The console was a Target purchase from college. Just repainted it with glossy black and white paint.

The cup is a 50cent Goodwill find.

I purchased the mask in Venice, Italy on our honeymoon.

The knobs are from Anthropologie and the lamp was a sample from my old job that was never picked up.

I hoped you enjoyed the tour!

Design Profile: M Design Interiors Inc.

2011-11-23T07:00:00.002-06:00

We interrupt this regularly scheduled programming for an important announcement: Living Social has $15 for $30 of fabric today and you can buy two per person. Get yours here! I read all the fine print and it doesn't say anywhere that you have can't use it for phone or online orders!

We will now return to the regular programming schedule.

Last week I saw this room on Gorgeous Shiny Things

It's gorgeous, no?

I clicked the link thinking I might find out more and was pleasantly bombarded with tons of pretty images.

Enter, the amazing work of M. Design Interiors Inc. based out of Los Angeles. You may have seen some of their work before but perhaps you didn't know they were all by the same firm or that there was plenty more where that came from.

Another view of the room above. I really like this curtain fabric.

Very nice styling, kinda drooling over this olive green too.

Yeah, I could ~~get drunk~~ hang out here.

Wow, just wow.

Click here to see more. There's so much eye candy to be had. I think they have a bit of a whimsical style. I hate to use that word but I'm not sure what else to call it. Pattern and color with abandon, great mix of styles, classic elements. They do amazing work.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers in the US!

PS I sent out the swap information last night. If you didn't receive your info please email me!

Should I Put Something Here?

2011-11-22T07:00:00.003-06:00

I'm having a quandary so I think it's time for a reader poll.

Here is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. This is my living room as it looks now. It needs a lot of work. It's come pretty far but I still have far to go to make the heart of our home the way I want it.

As I mentioned before, I'm building an art wall across the back. So my question is, should I put a piece of furniture on this wall?

A console, a dresser, a credenza, or just have nothing?

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, the chairs are going to be upholstered very soon. And that will be amazing. The new chair fabric will clash with the rug. I think I'm going to put my sea grass rug in here for now. I'm still waiting to find the perfect rug for in here. I need a new coffee table. Something mid-century but I haven't found "the one" yet.

This is what is on the other side of the room and no, I haven't painted the wall in that little nook yet. This little nook used to be a fancy pants mirrored 80's style wet bar.

So what do you think?

What would you do if this were your home?

Please share your wisdom!

Edit: Forgot to mention in my haste about the suzani fabric I posted yesterday. It is from my favorite store High Fashion Home. It's not listed online but if you'd like to to order just call them and ask to speak to Veronica. She's awesome and very helpful!

Headboard is done, Finally!

2011-11-21T07:00:00.002-06:00

Long time readers may know I have been planning on making my own upholstered headboard for forever. As per usual, I had trouble finding the perfect fabric. This is my hangup in everything I do design-wise. The never ending quest for the perfect fabric for each and every project. Does anyone else have this issue?

Upon my first visit to the Wisteria Outlet store I finally found the perfect thing. Kantha cloths! They are so full of character and vibrant color, the perfect bohemian vibe. Of course I had to get a purple one, of course!

I really like it! And don't worry, I just pinned the cloth, no staples. So should I change my mind later and want some different fabric, the kantha cloth will still be perfectly intact and ready for its next home.

I'm soooo ready to get this room together and finished. For some reason the master has been the hardest for me. I don't know why. I feel that I've come a long way but I still have so far to go.

My white bedding stint isn't really working out. One of our dogs sleeps at the foot of the bed every night and the oils on his fur have stained the duvet a dingy yellow that bleaching can't cure.

I think that's why I have so much trouble. I have a really hard time finding bedding that I like. I recently bought a duvet from Anthro and brought it home and immediately decided it had to go back, sigh.

Ideas for bedding would be much appreciated. It can't have too much white and must be easily washable.

In other good news, I got the fabric in for my wing chairs!

I mocked up how it's going to look and I can't freaking wait. My goal is to have them done by Christmas. I just don't have a vehicle to get to the upholsterers, ugh!

**Update** The fabric is from High Fashion Home, it's not available online but you can call to order it!

I think they are going to look amazing!

And I'm all moved into my office! It's not much right now but I'm so happy to have my own space to work. Now my breakfast nook is free and I can put a real table there.

Paint swatches are going on the wall as soon as I'm done typing. We'll see how many I go through this time!

And yes, that is my fat cat in the corner there.

Happy Monday Lovers!

Shunned by Apartment Therapy?

2011-11-16T08:39:00.000-06:00

I'm sure most of you have heard that Apartment Therapy is hosting a contest called "Room for Color" right now. Well I entered my dining room in the contest...

You know the one, you've seen it before. It may not be bright color but I have a lot of bold color in this room so I thought I would give it a shot.

I'm not even going to include the countless hours I spent designing this room. But I did spend a lot of time cleaning it, touching up the trim, buying flowers, photographing it, editing the images, writing the entry, all in order to compete.

Then they decided not to even let my room compete.

I understand that there may be bad entries or spam entries so everything has to be approved for the contest. They also said they only select the strongest entries for the competition.

I thought no problem. My entry is certainly strong enough. Plus at the time I submitted, there wasn't near as many entries in the southern category.

I submitted my entry more than 10 days before the deadline.

and waited...

then the deadline to submit passed and still no word.

I double checked the rules and requirements to be sure I'd done everything right and sure enough I had.

Then I logged in to see this message...

Thanks for your entry, but due to the large number of entries received yours was not included in Room for Color 2010. We hope to hear from you again in the future. Enjoy the rest of the contest!

WTF?

I can't imagine why I wasn't even given the chance for my entry to be seen.

And I hate to sound shallow but there are entries that I definitely do not feel are as strong as mine or photographed as well...

BTW, these images you see here are the exact ones I submitted. My photographer friend took them, another person's time wasted.

So that's how I got shunned by apartment therapy. Obviously I am quite bitter about it. To me it makes no sense.

My friends said to email them but I guess I just don't see the point.

Sorry to bring down your Wednesday but I'm just upset about this.

PS. There's still time to sign up for my gift swap! I'm extending the deadline because I would like to get as many people signed up as possible. So tell your friends and email me at myflightsofwhimsy(at)gmail(dot)com to sign up!

Currently Obsessed With: Cafe Chairs

2011-11-11T09:58:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday! Happy 11.11.11! Happy Veteran's Day! So much going on, sheesh!

I've been stalking craigslist extra hard lately trying to source things for my new office space and breakfast nook. I've found cabinets to act as the base for my built in banquet. Hooray! I had previously planned to use these chairs from Ikea for the other side of the table but my brain has decided to go another, harder direction of course.

I just feel I'd rather have something with personality, possibly something vintage. Enter: cafe chairs!

As you can tell, I think the blue ones are especially gorgeous! This ice blue is the bee knees!

Paired with this marble topped Iron table, perfection.

I found a bunch from this website but I think they are for the trade only, boo. Anyone have a good resource for these for the public?

PS Don't forget to sign up for my gift swap! Only a few days left! Email me at myflightsofwhimsy(at)gmail(dot)com

It's Time! Third Annual Handmade Holiday Gift Swap!

2011-11-07T08:25:00.000-06:00

Can you believe how fast the holidays are approaching? I also can't believe this is the third year I'll be hosting my super fun handmade holiday gift swap!

Here are the details!

1. Your gift must be handmade. Meaning, it must be an item your two hands have touched, manipulated or altered in some way. Vintage items are ok but you must have done something to it. Crafts and items made from scratch are also good.

2. The item plus any materials needed must not total more than $20 USD.

3.You must ship your item to its recipient by December 15th.

4. And lastly previous years have necessitated some etiquette in the rules. If you know you're going to be busy and might not be able to send out a gift please don't sign up. Nothing is more disappointing than spending time on your own gift and then waiting for one that never comes. Also, please send a thank you email, mention in a post or find a way to say a simple thanks to the person who sent you a gift!

You have until November 15th to sign up by sending an email to myflightsofwhimsy(at)gmail(dot)com.

Please include:

your full name

your address

your website or blog

your email

On November 16th I will send you an email about who you will be sending your gift to. But they won't necessarily be the person sending a gift to you! Tricky tricky, it's a surprise!

Now the 2nd gift swap was twice as big as the first so lets get the word out and see if we can double the size again! I want everyone to join the fun! Please let friends and readers of your own blogs know so they can sign up.

Let's make this the best year yet! Send me an email and sign up forthwith!

Backyard Tour! Get ready to Drool!

2011-11-04T08:10:00.001-05:00

I recently came across this amazing home and couldn't wait to share it with you. Lynne's dream is to have her home published and I think the world needs to see the amazing job she's done. I want to see more!

I could sit here all day. The trees are so big and beautiful!

Are you kidding me? Lynne, pool party at your place? I'll bring the cupcakes and adult beverages.

From Lynne's blog about the outdoor shower:

"This mosaic has a bit of a story. I didn’t know how to draw a mermaid. I stood in the shower stall and had my Mom trace me. I did advice her to draw me skinnier with bigger breasts. It is a mermaid with a sense of humour. I also DEFACED Canadian pennies. Confession time again. It is ‘kinda’ against the law to glue pennies to a wall, isn’t it ? Ooops. I did it in the name of design."

We feel ya Lynne, we feel ya.

This is my favorite thing!

All images courtesy of Lynne's blog, Design the Life you Want. Go here to see more pics of her home and read all about it!

Have Friday lovers!

Art Wall is Up!

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

I actually did a project this weekend people! Motivation is back!

I got all of my art hung. It was sitting on the floor gathering dog hair for so long. But now it's up! I also completed my paint chip art. That's two projects, look at me go!

I still have plenty of room to hang more pieces once I have them. I didn't really plan out the arrangement because I have a secret weapon.

My mother in law got this for me. It's the best tool that I never knew existed that I now can't live without. You hang the art on this little hook. It even has levelers on it.

Once you have it in place you press this little piece and a pokey thing (technical term there) marks the spot on the wall for your nail. It's awesome!

This is my new piece of art made from paint chips.

Source: mintlovesocialclub.com via Brandi on Pinterest

This was the inspiration for it.

I made this little arrangement as well. (does that count as a third project? woah...)

I had my dining room photographed by a pro. More on why later.

I finally have a complete set of wine glasses. I've had my eye on these forever. Aren't they gorgeous?

What did you do this weekend?

Home Office Inspiration

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Dear readers, a momentus occasion is upon us, the decorista's holy grail, if you will. The home office.

I've got big plans for the space already. You know how it is. You make plans and they always change, I'm ready for that. I'm excited to see where this goes!

The best thing is that the room is basically a blank slate. I'm also craigslisting all of my current office furniture.

I'm starting from scratch! Sooooo many possibilities...

So here are my current plans.

Source: thedecorista.com via Brandi on Pinterest

I'm feeling something very dark gray. Maybe not quite this dark.

I'm very inspired by this Lonny office. I want to do a black and white office with a single pop of pink, perhaps a sofa or chair.

Source: designsponge.com via Brandi on Pinterest

I want it to be a similar vibe to this office.

I found some floral fabric similar to this but on a gray background at Ikea. I can't find an image of it for the life of me. WTF internet? You're supposed to be my bro!

For storage, a fabulous mid-century credenza. This may take the longest to find in my price range, wish me luck!

The rest of my things will be organized in the closet. I'm going all martha on that closet. It's going to be sick.

A large table is a must for me. I like to spread out when working on a project. Plus I need room for my laptop and sewing machine as well. This is going to be a challenge since the room is not that big.

Wisteria has a good size lucite desk that I'm considering placing in front of the leaded glass windows.

This has been one of my favorite workspaces for a long time now. The desk isn't too heavy, the buffet behind is perfect with two lamps, I also have small smaller but similar gold leaves to adorn the wall!

I plan on having my office chair reupholstered as well.

I guess that's really the only piece of furniture I'm keeping!

And for the ceiling...

This chandelier that I have been coveting for a while.

What kind of home office do you have? Any tips or words of wisdom for me?

Have a great weekend!

Perks of Being a Stylist

2011-10-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

You can take your work "home with you"!

Gorgeous Kale and Eucalyptus we used in a photo shoot cheering up my home. They looked beautiful in our photos and instead of just throwing them out we get to take them home!

Look what happened...

The top shelf of my china hutch broke in the middle of the night. On that precarious glass shelf was a collection of heirloom depression glass, champagne flutes from my parents wedding, a sugar dish from a great grandmother and wedding gifts from Anthropologie. And nothing broke! I think I may replace it with something stronger, perhaps Lucite. I'm so relieved to see my precious collection all in one piece!

Have a lovely weekend!

A New Favorite Gray

2011-10-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

Long time no see friends!

I suck at blogging lately...sorry about that...

The good news is cooler weather had come to Big D and has reinvigorated my project motivation!

I finally chose a paint color for our master bedroom. I painted a total of nine colors before deciding.

That's right...nine!

Here is the boring beige before pic. When we moved in the whole house needed to be repainted so I chose a neutral that I knew I could love with while I took my time deciding. Over two years later I am still figuring things out!

sorry for the shitty night picture guys (and the no styling) I'm working late shooting this week and I couldn't wait to post! Yeah and only half of my ceiling is primed to be painted. Have you guys ever painted a ceiling? That shit is rough. I'm going to hire someone to finish it...

I think it's such a great improvement! The color is Classic Silver by Behr. It's a nice slate gray that leans a bit darker. It's cool without being blue, just perfect!

I also got a new bench! Yay for progress! It's from Wisteria, I scored it for only $100 at our warehouse sale a few weeks ago.

My awesome husband wired up these nice cord covers for me. They will be painted as soon as my hand un-cramps from painting the wall.

And look what else he did...

Little switcheroos so I don't have to plug them in to turn them on, just flip the switch.

So luxurious...

And I started on a new piece of art. Its made out of paint chips I ~~stole~~ acquired. I'm not sure the best way to glue them down though without the edges curling up. Ideas?

I totally scored this beautiful chandelier at Canton last weekend! It's going over my bathtub. I wanted to hang it right away but Scott said something about wiring and a junction box and crawling in the attic and some other electrical jibberish, so that will have to wait.

And I FINALLY made a decision and ordered this fabric for the wing chairs in my living room. I can't wait to have them done, it's going to be bitchin.

Yeah, I just said bitchin...

So, whats new with you?!

Vintage China Hutch Spruce Up!

2011-10-03T08:40:00.000-05:00

I've had this lovely little china hutch for a few years now. I could tell the back had been papered over several times. When I first got it the back was fabric stuck to the back with velcro, yucky!

I waited until I found the perfect paper to cover it and make it my own. Finally I found the perfect paper at my favorite place, Paper Source!

Before...

After!

I love the way my blue glass looks with the magenta.

The magenta color started an obsession over the weekend. I'm sure some of you noticed it on my pinterest. More gushing on that later!

What did you do over the weekend?

Curtain Addiction

2011-09-30T08:42:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I became so drawn to curtains. Maybe they are like the cherry on top, the jewelry to the perfect outfit. I personally think they are important enough to make or break a room. Which is why I spend so much time shopping for the perfect fabric when decorating a room.

I have so many images I've saved just for their curtains!

Marks & Spencer S/S 2011

Amber Interiors

From Made by Girl

From Design Sponge

From Black and Spiro

From Marcus Design

That's just a small sample of curtains I've obsessed over!

See more of my obsessions on Pinterest!

Have a great weekend!

House Tour!

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Did you see this on design sponge yesterday?

It's my awesome new manager's home on Design Sponge!

It's the kind of place that makes you want to throw out everything in your home and start all over!

She lives in 100 year old home in the eclectic Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas. She has been lovingly renovating it for the past two years.

Go to Design Sponge to see more.

Also view another tour of Paige's home on the Wisteria Blog.

Enjoy and report back! Happy Tuesday!

Color Me Happy: Dark & Lovely

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been drawn to the dark and moody rooms. As my decor style continues to refine itself its become more and more apparent that I like things on the dark side. Not in an evil way but in a deep, saturated color sort of way. I feel like you can just cocoon yourself in a dark color, maybe that's why.

From the Selby

From Marcus Design

I'm really coveting these botanical prints on a black background, I must have one!

I must do a post all about curtains soon. My pinterest is full of images I pinned simply for the curtains.

From ESD

This bathroom has been on my lust list for sooo long, just gorgeous!

From High Fashion Home Blog

From Amber Interiors

My spare bedroom will soon be available to function as my office and I fully plan on going dark in there. Can't wait!

Do you have any dark rooms in your house?

Kitchen Ponderings

2011-09-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

We got a fancy new fridge!

It barely fit in the space we have. Seems that fridges nowadays are all 36" wide and we only 35 1/4" of space, which limited our options substantially. Boo.

We have decided to buy one appliance at a time. Then after they are all bought we'll save up the money for a kitchen reno.

I can't wait!

So now I'm pondering what exactly I want to do...

This is our kitchen now. The place where I stood to take this pic is the breakfast nook.

I already know that I want to remove the fur-downs above the cabinets and remove that dropped down part you see at the top of the pic between the kitchen and the nook. It blocks so much light and makes the kitchen ceiling feel low.

I'm just not sure how to best utilize this space...

Here is a view of the nook. As you can see it's not being used now. But I think we should have a small table here for the eventual day when kiddos will be around. The china hutch you see I don't really use.

So my thoughts are to tear it out and turn in into a wide and shallow pantry. I think that will be much better than the narrow and deep one we have now.

That's the pantry again on the right. I think that should come out and more upper and lower cabinets should go there. This will add storage and counter space. I also want a built in cubby for a new microwave here.

I think this will leave room for a larger more awesome island after that.

We also plan to replace the floors with wood as well. But that will come at a time when we can do the whole house. More waiting...le sigh...

My desk area if facing the china hutch on the other side of the nook. I think the wall the desk is on should be a built in banquet with this table in front...

The ever present Docksta from Ikea

I love the color, the clean lines, and of course, the price.

There will be two free standing chairs on the other side of table as well.

I know this isn't one of those fancy kitchen pictures people usually choose for inspiration but I really love this kitchen for several reasons.

I plan to have a hood mounted on tile like this. The cabinets are from Ikea which I plan to do. I also like how the fridge has paneling on the side and a large cabinet above. The lighting above and below the upper cabinets is also perfect.

The thing I like the most is how there's an open shelf below the upper row of cabinets. This is genius! Since we have a pretty small kitchen and are thus limited on counter space this idea is perfect. It keeps things accessible while freeing up counter space. I love it.

Here it is again. Love!

These are the type of Ikea cabinets I would like to get. I think the glossy surface would make them easier to clean than painted wood.

I'm planning on a dark gray counter. I'm not sure about a backsplash yet. I want something interesting but inexpensive.

The trick here will be to spend enough to update it and make it look nice but not spend too much. This isn't our forever home. I think we will outgrow it should we have more than one kiddo, heck maybe even one might be too cramped. But damn it's taking so long to get this house the way we want I don't want to move after we finish it!

These are just more inspiration for my idea bank.

What do you think? Does it seem practical? Anything that seems weird or doesn't make sense so far?

Playing With Pattern

2011-09-16T08:26:00.000-05:00

Something about a mix of different types of patterns just gets me every time. I love everything patterned, it's hard to restrain myself sometimes so things don't end up a hot mess. Even most of my clothing is patterned! I can't help myself.

So when I see the perfect mix, it just makes my heart sing!

Two above from Marcus Design

From MFAMB

Then there's my own interpretation of the pattern mix...

I think I may have finally found the perfect fabric for curtains + a headboard, so this will all be totally different soon. Can't wait!

I'm planning to work on a few projects this weekend since we're having lovely weather. One is going to be difficult and take a lot of time, wish me luck.

What are your weekend plans? Do you have any pattern play in your home?

Free Art, Yes Free!

2011-09-13T08:24:00.000-05:00

My mother in law sent me the link to this awesome site where you can download free art done by independent artists. Awesome right? I'm surprised I've never heard of it!

I already picked out some favorites!

Sooo many to choose from and they're all free! What a great way for artists to get their name out. These are for personal use only, of course.

There are even some more whimsical ones that would look great in a kids room!

And new art comes out all the time too! Visit IndieFixx to see tons more. Which ones are your favorite?

Currently Obsessed With: Garden Stools

2011-09-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have an item continuously cross your path all the sudden? I feel like that with the garden stool this week. I've been seeing it everywhere!

It adds that much needed pop of color...

The perfect side table...

Or bedside table...

A nice architectural element...

It can go in almost any room...

And of course it looks great outside...

There seems to be no end to shape, color and style of a garden stool. I think thats exactly what I like about it! The hardest part will be choosing one!

These modern ones from Anthropologie really caught my eye, sadly they are no longer available.

Do any of you own a garden stool? How do you use it?

BIG News!

2011-09-02T07:00:00.003-05:00

You may have noticed my sporadic posting lately and wondering what I've been up to. Well I can finally tell you that I got a new job! No more in between for me!

Where is this new job? I'll give you a hint...

Need another one?

How about this?

That's right, I'm now proudly employed at Wisteria!!!

I know right?! I'm on the creative team as the creative assistant. That means I'll be working on styling and producing the catalogs. Total drool! I'll be spending my days building sets and running photo shoots and I couldn't be happier. The employee discount doesn't hurt either!

When I got the job I jetted off to NYC for a few days to celebrate and have one last hurrah. I had an epic trip with a celebrity sighting, subway bruhaha, an earthquake, and I even got to meet the awesome Courtney from BBB! I am very excited about my new opportunity and hopefully now that I have all new things to be inspired by I will be back to a regular blogging schedule!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Humble Beginnings of an Art Wall

2011-08-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

How many paintings does it take to call yourself an artist? Ten? Twenty? Should I also mention that these paintings are very, very amateur? I guess I'll keep dreaming.

Last week I painted what I think is my most favorite piece yet...

It was one of the simplest ones I've done but I love the impact of the two shades of pink on the black. Even my husband loves it!

This is probably my least favorite...

It's ok...

I was playing around with techniques and I didn't get it quite right. I can always change it later though!

I picked up this clever piece from an antique store...

It's actually a book of sheet music. You can't beat that title or those colors!

Since of course it's a vintage print and an odd size there was the issue of framing. I picked up this frame from Target and some photo corners from the craft store and simply mounted it on top of the mounting.

I think it turned out quite nice!

I got this pretty little piece recently as well. I'm not a huge fan of birds but I loved the framing and you couldn't beat the $5 price tag.

I feel as though I almost have enough to actually start hanging everything.

This massive wall sure needs it!

I'm hoping to build the wall a-la-Angie in this inspiration picture. I feel that this art wall is a bit more sparing than you usually see. The pictures aren't as fitted together like a puzzle piece and are a bit more spread out. I think this is better for my space because I don't want the room to feel too heavy on that side.

What do you think? Any pieces you feel I should add to my collection?

Black Magic Woman

2011-08-18T09:50:00.000-05:00

I'm in a dark mood today, but in a good way. Maybe I'm so sick of sunshine my brain is going in the opposite direction? Seriously I think we are at over 40 straight days of above 100 degree weather and absolutely. no. rain.

I think creating a bohemian interior with black takes it to a whole other level. Makes me feel kinda Stevie Nicks...

Must try this!

Have a beautiful day!

Quick Change Monday

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Lovers! I know things have been quiet and you guys were probably totally missing me last week. I went on a little Texas Road Trip to visit some friends and family and I was ~~partying on 6th street~~ without internet most of the time. I hit up some great antique stores in the tiniest of Texas towns though. Stayed tuned for that tomorrow!

When I put up my new ombre curtains, they looked so pretty, which made my cluttered mantle look all the worst. So I finally decided to style it up. It had become a catch-all for artwork and nic nacs that I didn't know where to put yet.

Before:

(Oh I miss fires in the winter...instead it's like there's fires outside, all the time...)

After:

I always knew I wanted to put my drippy painting here so I'm glad it's finally in its home. The pink pot is from Home Goods, with a few succulents in it.

Its nice and simple, which is perfect for me. I'm sure I will change it a million times though!

See you tomorrow for my latest thrifts!

Project Week: Ombre Curtains

2011-08-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

Here it is! My big project, hand dyed ombre curtains. Most of you know I'm no stranger to undertaking DIY projects but for some reason this one was a bit intimidating to me. It could have easily gone horribly wrong, I could've burned myself with scalding water, wasted money, hated it. But fortunately none of that happened and I love the outcome!

I started out with these Ritva curtains from Ikea. A bargain. The website says $35/pair but I swear I only paid $30...

Some rit dye + internet research and I got started.

I heated up the water in big pots on the stove and dumped them in these tubs to make the dye bath. My husband was on stand by to help me keep things under control. I started doing it by myself and had premonitions of him walking in the room with water boiling, dye everywhere, wet dogs with purple streaks and utter chaos so it was good to have a helper.

Since I was doing two colors, each beginning at one end of the curtain, I decided it would be best to dye them at the same time.

Each end of the curtain started in the dye bath, I put about 10-12 inches of fabric in for about 5 minutes, then another 10-12 in for another 5 minutes, until the whole thing was submerged. To blend the center together I went back and for into each dye bath, overlapping as I went.

I didn't do the timing or amount of fabric on each level to an exact science, no sense in getting caught up in something that might not make a difference I guess.

You can see I had some trim in there. I bought this dyeable trim from Joann's to sew on vertically. For dyeing though I just safety pinned it to the curtain.

Then I hung the curtains outside and hosed them down with water and wrung them out multiple times. The whole project was difficult for the mere fact that these curtains are 118" long, so it made it hard to maneuver I guess you could say.

While they looked great at this point, I wasn't happy with them. I wanted them to be very dark on each end and they weren't. So back to the store I went.

I re-dyed each end, soaking for much longer this time, and repeated the whole process again. Finally I was happy!

The only problem was, the trim which was made of rayon shrank considerably, boo. I had cut the trim extra long in case of this very situation and it still shrank probably about 8-10 inches!

Oh well, most of you DIYers know that part of doing projects is rolling with the punches as you go. So I sewed a little bit across the top and bam, I was done!

They look lighter with the light shining through but they are actually pretty dark in reality.

I think I need new curtain rods now, but I freaking love my new curtains!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Project Week: Custom Frame Refurb

2011-08-04T11:33:00.000-05:00

The project I had intended to show you next is taking a bit longer than I expected. Hopefully I will finish it today though and can show you tomorrow. Take my word for it that it's fab.u.lous. though!

You may remember from this post a while back that my mom gave me this great piece of art she had sitting around in her barn.

I just love this piece. I had planned to reframe and mat it but after some quick measurements I realized it was custom framed, so that was out.

After some brainstorming I came up with a plan to refurbish it that cost a whopping $6!

First I took it all apart and cleaned it up. It was disgusting! I decided the simplest thing to do was cover the outside mat in fabric. This is the only money I spent!

The fabric I bought was very light in color and thin so of course the darker mat showed through. So I whipped out some white spray paint and sprayed it down.

I didn't have to worry about it looking good because it was just to lighten the color.

I had planned to keep the inside mat as is because I thought it was dark gray. But when I took it apart I realized it was actually green that had faded quite a bit.

No worries there though. I sprayed it with some metallic silver spray paint I had lying around. Only a sliver of it will show so I didn't worry about it looking perfect either.

Then I oiled down the frame with Old English Polish. It made a HUGE difference in the appearance. I had originally thought to paint the frame but decided I'd rather keep the wood tone for some texture in the room.

I meticulously covered the mat in fabric with a ton of double stick tape, put it all back together and ta da!

It's hard to tell in this picture but the new matting is actually a very light pink. Combined with silver I think it looks amazing and unexpected!

Here is a side by side for comparison...

Sooo much better! I can't wait to hang it on my art wall!

Project Week: Bar Cart Makeover!

2011-08-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have deemed this week project week on FOW. I have a few projects to show off so why not cram them in to one fun filled week?

Back in May I scored an amazing vintage bar cart for only $50. It of course needed some love and I was happy to give it!

As you can see from this picture, it was a good day at Canton!

Here is the cart before.

As you can see, it wasn't too far gone. It needed a lot of polishing, some tightened screws and some kind of fix on the shelves.

Right off the bat I had planned to paint the shelves a glossy white. But then I noticed that the bottom shelf had a layer of some type of clear plastic-y type covering on it. The only way to get it off was the scrape it with a razor blade. One. Piece. At. A. Time. Yeah, fuck that! Then I thought, glossy white is predictable, why not doing something fun on this little cart?!

So after some brainstorming...

This is the bar cart now!

I ended up covering it in some paper from Paper Source using spray adhesive. Super easy and an amazing look in my humble opinion!

The vase and watercolor painting were holiday gifts from the fabulous Bri.

To get the paper to fit perfectly on the shelves was much easier than I thought it would be. I taped together a bunch of sheets of paper and pressed it into the corners while I traced a line.

There were a few gaps so I just taped another sheet of paper down, drew and cut again until it was perfect. Then I traced it onto the actual decorative paper I used. I laid it onto the bar cart and only sprayed adhesive on each half at a time. This helped to keep it lined up right. I then lowered the paper onto the shelf working my way from the center out to avoid wrinkles.

Here's a sneak peek at the next project I have to share!

Have a great Monday!

Just Because...

2011-07-28T11:20:00.000-05:00

I have several projects I'm working on over here at the Flights of Whimsy Castle. So until they're ready please to enjoy some pretty I've spotted from around the web this week!

See the rest of this house tour here!

I would love to try this floating console idea somewhere.

Can't get over this vignette...

I also found this really great pouf on sale for $39 at Urban. Go get it!

Have a great thursday lovers!

Gone Wild!

2011-07-21T10:02:00.000-05:00

Because I'm a bit nutty and I bought these awesome shoes yesterday...

They're on sale now at Nordstrom's Anniversary sale. RUN PEOPLE! It's fabulous.

Anyhoo, I'm going to talk about leopard prints today in honor of my new purchase!

Olivia Palermo is often seen in leopard prints of all kinds. I just love her chic style, so perfect.

I could totally rock these. From Net-a-Porter. But at over a cool G, maybe not...

Source: None via Brandi on Pinterest

Note to self: get leopard print tights for fall/winter.

From This is Glamorous

A little leopard print should be in every room!

The Art Makes the Room

2011-07-18T11:48:00.000-05:00

I'm still collecting and making art to build a huge gallery for my living room. I continue to be inspired by teh interwebs as usual.

There are so many rooms I come across where the art just MAKES the room! You know, the one thing that the room just wouldn't be the same without. I love that element of design...

From Sketch42

From Desire to Inspire

From La Dolce Vita

This has been one of my favorites for a while.

Do you have any showstopping pieces of art or wall decor? Do share!

Quick Change Friday

2011-07-15T13:03:00.001-05:00

I finished up sewing all those vintage scarves into pillows. I sewed invisible zippers in each one so I can change them out on a whim. Also since I use many of the same colors throughout my house they can migrate from room to room. Yay for functionality!

I made all these pillows myself except for the sparkly one. It's from Urban Outfitters. The only pillow not from a vintage scarf is the blue watercolor one.

The scarves only cost $1-$3 each and the blue frabric was a few dollars from Joann's. With that cost and a few dollars for the zipper each pillow only cost about $7 to make. The fillers are down and cost about $10 each.

The rug is a new addition from John Robshaw, purchased on One Kings Lane for a steal. I'm not sure if I'll keep it in here, hence the layering .

The duvet is from Ikea. It's a nice duvet but I can definitely tell it's cheaply made. The fabric is sewn crookedly and is pulling on the seams already. Also the insert, which I also purchased at Ikea, is not the right size. WTF Ikea! You make both of these can't you make the inserts the right size for your duvets!!!!

Period Plantation Tour in the Deep South

2011-07-13T11:34:00.000-05:00

Hey there friends! I have something special to share with you today. I recently had the pleasure to tour a plantation outside of New Orleans. The San Francisco Plantation is not your average tour nope! Unlike others available for tour this one has been meticulously restored and filled with almost exact replicas of furniture and decor from the time of its grandeur.

This makes the historian in me quite giddy and causes the decorista in me to get excited. Yep, I'm kinda a sucker for this stuff!

This is the view from the back of the house with it's original color scheme.

This is the view from the butler's pantry into the food prep area. The kitchen, of course, would be located separately from the house as kitchen fires were common in those days. The mistress of the house was responsible for all the meals and had to feed upwards of 150 people three meals a day, everyday.

A view of the dining room. There were several doors that could be opened to allow for a cross breeze. This was the only room on the first floor used by the family as most rooms on the bottom floor were for storage and such.

An amazing mirror. I want it.

As the entrance for guests and the family was actually on the second floor this was an entry room of sorts.

Gorgeous details.

The mantle in the room used as the kids study. All of the molding and every fireplace is actually cypress painted to look like marble. The owners could have certainly afforded marble but there were several reasons it wasn't practical. Firstly it had to be transported in a solid block from Europe then put on a steam boat and sent up the Mississippi River and carved on site. Also cypress would does very well in heat and humidity and is resistant to termites.

A bed in the room the three girls shared. Mosquito nets were necessary as all windows and doors were left open in the summer. Look at all that fabric! Just lovely!

This was the room of the younger brother of the master of the house.

Quick Background Story:

The house was bought by a wealthy man from a free "colored" man in the mid 1800's. He had three sons, the oldest one died in young adulthood. The middle son goes to Europe and falls in love with a German girl named Louisa. They planned to live in Paris. Shortly after getting married and having a baby they come for a month long visit. As they approach the house on the boat they see the house was all hustle and bustle. Of course they think everyone is busy preparing for their arrival. Upon entering the house they find that the master of the house, the father, had died the day before. They ended up taking over the house and staying for 22 years. The younger brother was only 16 so of course they took care of him too.

A view out the back.

As another method of ventilation the attic doors would be left open to allow hot air to flow upwards. I think architects could learn a little something here about keeping your house naturally cool right?

The master bedroom. Each bed and cushion was filled with Spanish Moss. The slaves would collect it, clean it, and strip it down to a thin strip, very labor intensive.

The door between the master and the boudoir.

You may be wondering how they know that all of this is as exactly as it would have been in the 1850's? The mistress of the house, as I mentioned, was from Germany. As she knew her mother would never be able to come to visit she wrote her very detailed letters quite frequently. She described everything in the house, from where they ordered their drapes from, to the wall color, and what the furniture looked like. She wrote her over 100 letters in her two decades there. Of course her mother saved them all and they were later donated by the family to the historical society that runs the house. Louisa also sold the house, furniture and all, after her husband passed away for a mere $50,000. Of course with the sale was a detailed inventory of every item in the house, including the buckets!

The ceiling in the boudoir.

So apparently this room is where the lady of the house would spend her time while guests were over is she were pregnant. I will avoid my feminist rants here. They were very puritan in those days and to be seen pregnant in public was very taboo. Of course they wanted children but to imply that a lady was having sex, even a married lady for the purpose of having children, was a no no. I guess it was also a good thing because there wasn't much medicine in those days and it kept her away from the public also.

This is a whole wall of paneling in the study. In those days the amount of rooms in your home was a way to determine taxes so houses were often built with walls that could open to avoid taxes. The amount of chimneys was another tax method, so the four fireplaces in this home were built back to back as to only share one chimney each.

A view into the study.

The sitting room was definitely my favorite. See that chair in the center. It was designed to courting teenagers could talk but not actually sit on the same piece of furniture as to ensure there was no bodily contact. Of course this room has a view from the study so dad could keep an eye!

A view from the front porch with the stairs to your left. The oak trees were amazing. You can even have weddings out on the lawn. Wouldn't that be lovely?

I hope you enjoyed the tour!

All pictures by me, all info I learned on the tour!

Episode 3 of Things I Got From the Trash!

2011-07-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

Another great discovery this week. Its just getting ridiculous really, the things my neighbors throw out is cray-zay!

Oh little wooden office chair, I'm going to do nasty things to you...

Like...

From

or maybe...

or even...

Source: frydogdesign.blogspot.com via A. on Pinterest

or possibly...

From
So many options, so little chair!
(queue music)

F is for Free!

2011-07-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

I visited my mom last week for a nice few days of sewing, shopping and relaxing at the farm. She recently began to unpack some of her vintage glassware that was hidden away. Of course as we were going through it I fell in love with a few pieces and she let me take them home with me!

I'm sure you've noticed I have quite the obsession with pink glassware. Now I have a few more pieces under my belt!

I also had mentioned to my mom that I was on the hunt for a nice globe and she gave me this!

It's actually her retirement gift from years as a teacher. Since my step dad is a teacher as well they had two exactly the same so n ow one is mine. Each country is a different stone, isn't it nice?

I also snagged this from their barn. It's from the 70's. I'm not sure if I should reframe it or just clean it and use it as is. What do you think?

It always seems like I come home from my mom's with more than I came with. Does this happen to you?

A Boho Kind of Day

2011-07-01T10:53:00.000-05:00

It's a boho kind of day here at Flight's of Whimsy. Let's indulge ourselves in a little bit of eclectic luxury shall we?

We'll wake up here...

We'll throw on this ol' thang...

From here

Along with this...

From here.

and our hair like this...

We'll have breakfast here...

Isn't our entryway fabulous?

Then we'll sit down to plan out some final details for a dinner party tonight...

Then we must get at least some work done to maintain our fabulous lifestyle we go to our office...

Then we get ready for our dinner party and throw this on...

from here

and finally end the night here with all our amazing friends and a few good bottles of wine...

I hope you enjoyed this wonderful day in the life with me! Have a fabulous long holiday weekend. Don't forget to wear sunscreen!

Quick Change Thursday

2011-06-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

I know it's been pretty quiet on my little blog this week. I've been movin and groovin trying to make things happen around here!

So a quick little change up in the Flights of Whimsy Castle to share! I got around to hanging the last mirror I bought with the others in my entry way.

Before...

After...!

I know not super different, guess that's why they call it a quick change! I love the way the wall is filling in though just how I had pictured it. My little bench is temporarily living here until I decide on the room and fabric it needs to be in.

Hope you are having a wonderful week!

It's my Birthday and I'll Buy Chairs if I Want To!

2011-06-18T14:56:00.000-05:00

Hope you are all enjoying a wonderful weekend! Today is especially wonderful for me because it's my birthday!!!

Source: weheartit.com via Jamie on Pinterest

And what better way to celebrate your birthday than giving yourself a sweet new chair from craigslist?

No better way IMHO!

I got this beaut of the craig for only $70! The upholstery, while not my ideal, is cute enough and in good shape. I will be making the orange work for now. It's in a long line of upholstery projects so it will just have to wait!

In other exciting news my couch finally came yesterday!!!

I've been waiting on it for over two months. The only problem is the pillows along the back are not what I requested, poo. It's supposed to have only two long back pillows instead of a bunch of smaller ones. But I contacted them and I'm sure they'll fix it in a jiffy!

And what's even better is the whole thing is completely machine washable! That's right people! How awesome is that? The cushions are super soft and comfortable. The sofa is made by Best Slipcover company. They are great because everything is totally custom.

You choose the body you like, choose from an array of fabrics, skirt/no skirt, cushion configuration, leg color and they make it right here in the US of A.

And the good things just keep coming too! You've heard me go on and on about my favorite home store, located in Houston, called High Fashion Home. Well they had a contest and the winner gets a $200 gift card and I WON! My mom and I already have a plan to go down and shop. Hopefully I'll pick up the fabric for my wing chairs finally!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend lovers!

Quick Change Thursday

2011-06-16T14:41:00.000-05:00

I'm going to start a new little series to document all the little changes that go on my home from week to week. No major projects just the little things that make me happy! I think we all do something like this quite frequently; redo a table top, a vignette, put up a new piece of art. And I love seeing all your little changes so hopefully you'll love mine too!

First up I finally figured out a fix for my dining room light! I was struggling with what to do for a while when this came to me...

Before...

After!

I had this large drum shade I got from my former showroom because it's a bit banged up. Luckily it was big enough to slip right over the existing fixture. With a little wire (don't look underneath too close!) it's a whole new fixture!

I think I'm going to add some trim to dress it up a little more. I also love that the drum directs light onto the table and the ceiling only, adds a little mood lighting!

Next I picked up this art from an antique store for $5.

The picture was pretty but the frame left a little to be desired. No problem!

I mixed together some gray and black until it was just the shade I wanted and tada! I like it much better now. When I took it apart I discovered the art is actually and illustration from a children's book mounted on faded black construction paper. I may change the matting at some point but it's fine for now.

What do you guys think? What can I do to dress up the shade to compliment the room? Have you made any changes to your home lately? Share!

Another Episode of: Things I Got From the Trash

2011-06-14T18:40:00.000-05:00

Good evening and welcome to today's episode of...

Things I Got From the Trash!

(Queue intro music)

Now, you may think that finding treasures tossed aside on the curb is a decor porn myth from places like Brooklyn but I'm here to tell you, it does exist!

For example, in my little corner of suburbia, people cast aside treasures, well apparently, all the damn time! Fools, I tell ya, FOOLS!

Why just yesterday my neighbors placed this bench on their curb...

And I'm sure several other passerby blissfully ignored it until I happened to walk my dogs by and snatch it right up.

Now as many members of my audience know, this has a great deal of potential. For example it could be recovered in this awesomely delicious fabric I saw the other day...

Yes, dear audience, that's fucking sweet black fabric with shiny gold swirls and it's awesome.

Let's recap some of our previous episodes of things we found in the trash shall we?

We shall...

This perfectly good plant which looks kickass in my new plant stand was our most recent find.

This beautiful old sewing machine table, perfect as a bedside table!

Another bedside table with awesome hardware.

Well that's all we have for today's episode. We hope you'll join us next time on...

Things I Got From the Trash!

(Queue theme music, camera slowly backs away while anchors chat about bullshit)

Latest Thrifts!

2011-06-08T13:46:00.000-05:00

Last weekend at Canton was totally epic. If it hadn't been for the heat and my lack of funds I could have come home with a truckload full of awesome finds. I did manage to get several goodies though!

This fancy guy is from Danika's new shop.

Another mirror for my entryway.

These vintage scarves will get made into pillows. Only $1 each!

Large vintage chenille bedspread. The picture doesn't show that it has sparkly thread and the stripes are shiny. So pretty!

Plant stand that is now holding a plant I found IN THE TRASH! Seriously who throws out a perfectly good plant. I think its a Hibiscus. It's looking a little sad with all the heat we've had...

I found this huuuge geo map of East Texas for only $20. It looks like a piece of abstract art and I love that's it's a little worn around the edges. I'm helping a friend decorate his office and this is going to look perfect in there!

Another glass towel bar. Now I have three!

Super adorable switch plate for $1.

Have you had any good finds lately?!

The Mod Squad

2011-06-07T11:35:00.000-05:00

My search for the perfect mid century coffee table has me jonesin for some more mid century in my life! I seem to love rooms with just a touch or two of it here and there. Really adds character and a bit of simplistic and classic elements to a room.

The bench by the window is amazing!

Pictures like this make me wish I had a landline so I could get a fabulous old phone. Would it be weird if I got one anyway and it wasn't connected to anything?

I also found this great tutorial to make an old coffee table into a bench.

This is the perfect project for all those inexpensive mid century coffee tables you come across!

Stay tuned for my latest thrifted finds tomorrow!

The New York Times considers Online Shelter Mags

2011-06-02T12:31:00.000-05:00

Have you seen this article?

An article from the New York Times on the subject of all the new shelter mags was published yesterday. I'm not sure if I should be offended or not. You must read to see what you think...

In a way of course they have some good points. One being that most of the editors of these mags are mere bloggers with little to no experience in running an actual magazine. But to me, that's what is so great about it. With technology these days the world is indeed at your fingertips. Plus it's not say that these people don't work hard to make these magazines and put knowledge into every issue.

I'm a firm believer in working hard and learning the ropes for yourself. Quite frankly I couldn't give a damn if these people are self-taught, with no experience, and taking it day by day. I think that's part of what makes these magazines so accessible and appealing to readers like me. We all still pour through the pages of our beloved Elle Decor but for young people on a budget like myself, I sometimes have trouble relating. It sounds to me like there may be some bitter folks out there who want every lowly intern and assistant to "pay their dues" before seeing any type of success. i for one have to commend the creators of these online mags for pioneering something new and exciting.

I also think they made Michelle Adams the EIC of Lonny sound kind of bitter that other mags were following suit of Lonny. Now, I can't really know if the journalist emphasized this or what was actually said so I will take it with a grain of salt. Lonny is still the leader in the online mag industry for a reason and of course others will try to build on their success. They say to be copied is the best form of flattery...

What are your thoughts?

When Life Hands You Lemons, You Punch it in the Face

2011-06-01T13:06:00.000-05:00

Well friends, I was dealt one of life's many blows last week. My company downsized and I was laid off. A lot has been going on in my brain since i heard the news. I decided not to dwell on the how and the why and try to think about what I REALLY want to do with my career.

The problem is I have no idea what I really want to do. I wish I had a clear goal in mind so I could focus every fiber of my being on making that happen.

Fortunately I can take a little time out and think things through and decide on what I really for my career. I don't think I want to go back to another typical "office" type job. I've been suffering from office burnout pretty much since my career began after college several years ago. I'm sure you of all people can relate to how hard the monotony can be to a creative minded person. I could never get used to the routine even when the work was interesting.

So I guess my request from all of you is for some brainstorming. What are my strengths? What are my options? Also to anyone who is working independently, how did you get your start? Please email me directly if you wish myflightsofwhimsy (at) gmail (dot) com.

I appreciate your support during this transitional but hopefully beneficial phase. I already know I will be blogging more, and that's never a bad thing!

My New Favorite Haunt AKA You Will Die

2011-05-26T09:07:00.000-05:00

I stumbled into an amazing place last weekend down in the design district of Dallas. If you're ever in the area, you must go to there. It's an amazing wonderland of vintage shops, the kind of street you can just park and walk door to door spending your life's fortune.

I stumbled into this place called Antiques Moderne. It didn't look like much from the outside (most places on this street don't) but I immediately became overwhelmed by all the awesomeness. I will get a picture next time as words cannot accurately describe it. 20,000 square feet of Mid-century and Hollywood Regency deliciousness. The place was so packed that the workers had to move things around so you could walk. My kind of place.

Of course, most of these pieces are authentic so this isn't what I would call a thrift by any means.

I spent some time chatting with the owner about the store. He says the stuff comes in just as fast as it moves out. They have a huge inventory turnover. He has people all over the country scouting pieces for him. Wouldn't that be an amazing job?

A lot of items with sold tags on them he had just gotten in the day before. And of course they will ship anywhere.

I forgot to ask if they do layaway. Hopefully they do, I wouldn't mind investing in something good.

Now quick like a bunny go sign up for their weekly emails full of new product. You can thank me later!

Considering the Following...

2011-05-21T13:04:00.000-05:00

This...

Here...

Also these...

Going to look at all of them today. The guy said he'd "consider" letting me do lay away.

Also trying to convince my friend to purchase these...

the chairs that is. Only $125 each.

And this...

It's only $35! I say cut a mirror for the top antique the shit out of it, gold leaf up the back. Done and done. She is closing on a mid century house in a week so she obviously must have these!

Thoughts?

Hope your weekend is going swimmingly!

House Tour: My Mom's Greenhouse

2011-05-19T08:47:00.000-05:00

So many of you gushed over my mom's amazing greenhouse so now I have the full tour for you!

The bones of the greenhouse is actually and old pole barn that was destroyed in a tornado shortly after my parents bought the property. Luckily that was the only thing destroyed!

The many pieces of the greenhouse have been collected from various yard sales, dumpsters and salvage yards. It was slowly pieced together over the course of a few years.

Here is a close up of the table built around the central pole. The various tiles have been collected during my parents many excursions that I like to refer to as "Hippy Trips". A hippy trip is basically what it sounds like. Back when my mom and step dad still worked as teachers (they are retired now) they used their long summers to take road trips. My step dad had a VW camper bus that was as old as I am (RIP bus!). They would just start packing one day during the summer and inform me they would be leaving soon. The conversation would go something like this;

Me: So when are you leaving?

Mom: Oh, maybe thursday, maybe wednesday, maybe another day.

Me: Where are you going to?

Mom: North

Me: North where?

Mom: I think North east, yes easterly.

Me: When are you coming back?

Mom: Hmmm a few weeks.

Then off they would go! Lucky ducks. Now that they are retired they actually do this kind of thing less. I guess they don't feel the need to escape from the city now that they live in the country instead of in Houston.

My mom goes in here everyday and waters the plants. She even has heaters set up for the winter. It's soooo nice to go in here during the winter. It's all warm and smells so fresh and green.

There are even little fish in here!

This is their vegetable garden to the right of the greenhouse.

An old stove they found on their property. Wouldn't it be awesome to refurbish it?!

The beautiful ridge where my brother got married and where they hope to build their house someday. This really shows how big their property is, a total of 26 acres, the road to get here isn't even paved!

Hope you enjoyed!

Currently Obsessed With: Angie Hranowsky

2011-05-16T14:40:00.000-05:00

I must be slow because apparently every one and their mother has known how awesome Angie is for some time now where I have not. I first became intrigued with her after seeing a sneak peek of her home on Design Sponge.

Her living room is totally the inspiration for my living room. It's just so, perfect.

Also, it's a mid-century home. Which is on my list "dream home wants".

Then I saw this home she designed in the most recent issue of Lonny and I was reminded all over again why she is so awesome.

Surely, it's a personal preference sort of thing. Her style is just so...me.

The bright colors and mix of patterns has that first bohemian vibe with a bit of glam that I'm going for in my own home.

Also, the girl really loves purple and...I LOVE purple!

Plus all the Madeleine Weinrib rugs, I would KILL for one, KILL (spiders).

Angie, can we be friends?!

All images courtesy of Angie Hranowsky and Lonny.

Keep Looking Up!

2011-05-13T12:09:00.000-05:00

I often find that my favorite rooms have that little something extra. That little detail or finishing touch that makes you gush and think "Now this is a beautiful room!". For our bedroom, I'm hoping to have that little something extra on my ceiling! The options for this are so abundant and each has its own charm.

Of course I say these things even though I have yet to even pick out a wall color! But a girl can still dream and gather her hearts desires on the interwebs.

Source: sweethomestyle.tumblr.com via Brandi on Pinterest

Our ceiling has a raised section in the center that has so much potential. I really like the idea of coming in from the edges with a design like this.

Source: designinspiration.typepad.com via Brandi on Pinterest

Then again, I could focus on the center. Butterflies aren't my thing but something radiating out would be so awesome. I picture getting just a shade lighter and more glossy than the ceiling paint to make this perfect.

Source: designspongeonline.com via Brandi on Pinterest

But then there is something to be said for going with an all over stencil or wallpaper. Wallpaper is not in the budget for me but I like the idea of a stencil.

Source

Or I could go with the best of both worlds and do something on the sides AND the center. Yes, yes I like this. Although this person made this design with his freaking fingers! I'm not that talented!

Or I could keep it simple and go with a solid color. But then the question would be should that color be contrasting or complimentary? Oh decisions, decisions...maybe I'll just focus on the wall color for now. Our bedroom has become a veritable smorgasbord of paint swatches and I don't even feel like I'm close. My plan of action is to make my headboard, get it the room and then see what I'm feeling. Hopefully then the solution will magically present itself. Yeah right...

What would you do?

Happy Weekend!

My Black + White House

2011-05-10T08:43:00.000-05:00

In my perfect dream world I have many houses. Each one a different style of architecture and decor. Black and white decor would surely be on this list, perhaps in a pied-a-tier in some major metropolitan city. This sleek and buttoned up decor is surely a departure from my normal style but still infused in small ways through out my home. After all, any room can use a little black and white!

Source: flourishdesignandstyle.blogspot.com

Of course every one of my homes, no matter the style, would have beautiful molding and built-ins galore.

Source: pinkmascaraa.blogspot.com

Touches of gold for a little sophistication.

Source: escapadeblog.com

I think Nicole's, from Sketch42, bedroom would work quite nicely in my fabulous apartment/flat. This place could be in a country where they call them flats perhaps...

Source: paonote-room269.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: TheDecorista.com
What kind of houses do you dream of?

Guest Posting on All Things Bright and Beautiful!

2011-05-04T08:16:00.000-05:00

Find me today over at the lovely blog, All Things Bright and Beautiful! I was thrilled when Aubrey asked me to participate in her series about what makes your house a home.

Check out what makes my house a home here! Happy Wednesday!