A few holiday thoughts

Thanksgiving was delicious, despite the fact that we nearly burned down the house.  Well, not quite, but there sure was a lot of smoke in the kitchen and the fire alarms were talking (who knew they talked!?).

{added a boxwood wreath to the chalkboard in my kitchen}

I've had Christmas on my mind since October... this is a normal occurrence for me.  Something with being a designer.  I've been pinning my holiday ideas since then.  Thankfully I had the patience to wait until after Thanksgiving to go get the tree, garland, etc.

{paint colors via Restoration Hardware, tinsel, snowflake, paper and glitter from Paper Source, ribbons I've been collecting/hoarding for years}

For the past month, I've been on this sage green and marigold kick.  I've always loved the muted greens, but throwing in this bright burst of yellow is a bit abnormal for me.  I'm thinking of doing a bright yellow pillow for the sofa with a vintage floral print.  I picked up this hand towel from Anthro to test the color and pattern.  I think I need to purchase the larger size and make a pillow.  Vintage chic, right?

{bright and cheerful}

{testing the towel idea as a pillow - does it look too much like a towel from afar?}

All of my Christmas ornaments are at my parents home.  I got a great collection of mercury glass ornaments last year for Christmas, thanks to my little sister.  I picked them out on Wisteria's website and Santa's elves did a little shopping. If only we had them here to put on the tree.  Instead of ornaments, I used my favorite Christmas lights.  They're the vintage globe style.  I picked up two fresh packs from Target yesterday - $8.99 for 24' and 25 bulbs.  Here's the same set online.

{love these lights!}

Off to clean up those pesky dishes in the sink and start the day.  I'm in the mood for a good sewing project!

Do you Pinterest?

Over the summer a friend of mine invited me to join Pinterest.  It wasn't the first time I had heard of the website, but had been avoiding it earlier in the year thinking that it would be one more thing to keep up with. Wow... I was so wrong.  I set Pinterest as my homepage and I've been pinning ever since!

I know the blogging has gone a little quiet recently, but I promise that I'm still thinking design thoughts, dreaming design dreams and doing design projects.  Join me on Pinterest and I'll continue to wow you with design inspiration... a whole lot more frequently!

Here are some of my most recent pins... just to lure you into the goodness.

PS - do you notice a trend?  I sure do love the colors green and grey.

Lets call the blogging silence a "summer vacation" of sorts.  I'm still around reading your blogs and pinning away at pinterest (what a time consuming addiction!).

I think I'll be back in the fall with more to say about design.  In the meantime, here's a sweet little video about one of my favorite dessert shops in the country.  Enjoy!

P.S. - I loved the store so much while I was in California last fall.  The non-edible items (casegoods, wallpaper, etc) were just as beautiful as the desserts!  I have ordered the book and perhaps will give a review in the fall.   Pray that I don't do too much baking!

Doesn't this look like a fun and creative place to work?  For more info and additional videos, visit Spruce's website.

I've recently celebrated a birthday and made a promise to myself to purchase a few new design books in honor of the event.  Below are my recent additions to my library; all are great reads!  What are your favorite design books?

{Nice House}

{Inspired Interiors}

{American Modern}

{The New Traditional}

{photo by moi}

On Monday I traveled to IKEA for some design inspiration.  The store was quiet and I was able to walk around and think about design.  I came prepared with some of my favorite design samples.  My favorite Russell + Hazel notebook was also in hand.  I usually leave the store with a few ideas; Monday I left with more than my head could hold.  I'll be making an inspiration board soon, so be sure to check back in the next few days.

{bobbette & belle}

Those Canadians have the best of the design world - Sarah Richardson, House and Home Magazine, and now Bobbette and Belle.  Bobbette and Belle is a Toronto based artisanal pastry shop that specializes in the most lovely macaroons and wedding cakes.  The interior decor is just as much a delicacy as the sweets they serve.  Don't you love the wall treatment above?  The application of vintage plates pops when placed against the crisp black walls.  And the white text is so crisp.  This could easily be translated to a residential space.  White wainscotting, chalkboard paint on the walls, hang plenty of collected vintage plates on the walls, and even a little food related text - perhaps in French?  Oui Oui!  I'm definitely saving these ideas for a future dining room.