Thursday, May 30, 2013

Where I am nursing today...

Ok. So, that didn't sound right. You know what I mean. I am showing off a nursery design for the oh so talented Darlene at Fieldstone Hill Design. She is prego with a baby girl and is heading up a new serious called the Bébé bébé bébé Nursery series which consists of a new designer each week spitting off their own girl nursery flair. If you do not currently follow Darlene, I suggest you do so and thank me later. XOXO

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Favorite Room Feature: brittanyMakes


So I know I have been a little slow on the DIY train lately, but thank baby Jesus for today's guest who will pick up the slack for me! brittanyMakes is all about breaking down her amazing DIY projects step by step. And they are not just any craft project. I am talking pom pom curtains y'all. Today she is sharing her living room in her amazingly bright and inspiring loft. I love it and know you will too! 

Hello S&S readers! Let me just say I'm beyond thrilled to be here today! I'm Brittany, author of the blog brittanyMakes, where I journal projects and tutorials related to all things home design & DIY.  Lindsay asked that I share with y'all my favorite designed space, which just so happens to be the room I spend the most time - our living room!
Our living room just so happened to be the space that we "finished" first.  Like most people, my man and I spend significant time in our living room, so we wanted it to be a space that felt fun, fresh, comfortable, and most importantly, a true representation of our lifestyle.

My fiancee and I moved into our loft just about a year ago.  We moved in with no furniture to our name, apart from our bed and a few items we bought off Craigslist.  We designed our space gradually, in 'layers', with the first layer being most important: comfort.  We went shopping for a sofa right away, and ended up finding the perfect double chaise at Macy's.  Let me tell you, a sofa with a double chaise is amazing, you'll never have to call 'shotgun' over a chaise again!

An important factor I took into consideration when designing our living room was how to make the space feel less bachelor-pad-like (as my man is ever so used to) and more sophisticated and adult-like.  Hands down, the best way to achieve this is to find unique and clever ways to hide the clutter.  I chose to use an oversized dresser, which we found on Craigslist, as a storage solution and TV console, which effectively hides all the DVDs, video games, and remote controllers.  I bet you'd never guess how many BluRays are hiding in those drawers! I also love it because I get to store my go-to craft and jewelry supplies.  Seriously, you'd never know!
I created a layer of fresh sophistication by painting our TV stand/dresser in a bright shade of coral.  You gotta love a pop of color, and this dresser completely takes the stage!  Painting this dresser was the best decision I made.

The final layers of designing a space come down to your choice of accessories and personal elements of style.  I love gold accents, fresh neutral patterns, subtle texture, greenery, and of course, bulldogs! I found a way to incorporate all the things I love by thrifting, collecting, and DIY-ing projects and items to make everything feel cohesive.
Thank you so much Lindsay for letting me stop by and share with you our favorite space! I'm so honored to be a part of this killer series!

Source List:
Dresser - Craigslist; French berger chair - Craigslist, self painted & reupholstered in a snow cat fabric; double chaise sofa - Macy's Elliot sectional; distressed vintage trunk - family heirloom; gold frames, brass floor pharmacy lamp, white table lamp - all thrift store finds; gold leaf framed art; table & legs canvas art - Studio 13 Designs; floating shelves - Lack shelves from Ikeaikat curtains - handmade from fabric from Home Fabrics & Rugs; French Bulldog bank - Target (no link avail); succulents - Trader Joes; olive tree - The Home Depot; disco mirror ball - Alameda antique faire

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Tuesday Musings: Minty Spaces

Lovelies! To be apart from you all for 3 days, is almost unbearable. Did you all enjoy your weekend? I spent mine getting caught up on work, with friends and family and let's not forget, waking up to standing water in my basement yesterday morning. No lie. I have to give props where props are due, my parents rushed over and we got it all fixed up. However, for those of you out there who have ever called me high maintenance, just know I was on a ladder in the pouring down rain cleaning out my gutters. Eat your heart out. Gotta love home ownership.

So today, Tuesday (yes I still have musings on a Tuesday), I am totally crushing on pastel spaces.  I am talking as pastel as a dish of dinner mints.  I know many of you might have a hard time stomaching this craze, but hear a girl out. You can layer so many different pastel hues in one space and yet it still looks classy and tailored. Trust me on this. Let's check out this pastel biz, shall we? 



Friday, May 24, 2013

Links I loved this week

3 day weekend, my lady friends. Take it in. Today I am sharing the links I loved this week and you can let me know what you came across this week that you just cannot resist. Deal? Show and tell. 
-So I discovered Gizoogle this week. Let me just tell you, changed my life. Just type in your website address into this search engine and it translates your site/posts into gangster speak. I am thinking of conforming my entire website to this in the future. Beware. 
-I came across this amazing work by Clare Elsaesser. I am so hooked by the femininty and anonimity of each and everyone of her paintings. They are whimsical, beautiful and dark all at the same time. 
-So impressed with the DIY ribbon curtains my girl Elizabeth turned out from Little Black Door. Makes me ever so envious that I cannot produce the same. Get it girl. 
-In case you didn't know, my favorite store of all time, Furbish, is having 15% off of EVERYTHING this weekend to honor the holiday. Stock up on everything that is not boring in life. 
-Totally digging the bitty bitty spaces designed on Apartment Therapy. This space especially rocks my world with the moody walls and colorful accents. 
-Has everyone seen this studio apartment reveal on The Hunted Interior? Let me just tell you this. The space has more oomph in 500 sq ft. than most do in their entire house. Striped refrigerator? Yeah that happened. 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

JewelMint Giveaway!

Let's get acquainted with JewelMint, shall we? If you are uninformed, let's get informed. JewelMint is a free, members-only website, with personalized jewelry recommendations based on your fashion profile and style. You know we all love taking our style profiles and being deemed as glam boho modern chic. I mean what a combination.  JewelMint is all about the affordable, luxury jewelry, with each piece only being $29.99. Holla! Who doesn't like a glitz and glam bargain? I have spoken. I love how they have new and improved items on the regular. I am talking new inventory monthly, people. Just look at some of my favorite pieces I am rocking hard lately. 

And how about all of the things I am totally digging right now? Please try to stop me. I will take one of everything. 
Want to win one piece of your very own? One lucky S+S reader will win 1 piece of JewelMint of their choice. Enter into giveaway by going to JewelMint, sign up for JewelMint (completely free, no obligation to buy), and then leave a comment letting me know what your favorite piece is. I know. How could you ever choose. Giveaway will end at midnight, May 30th. 

For those of you who cannot wait to get your greedy hands on any of these items, go to JewelMint to receive two pieces for the price of one for all first time purchases and members. You are welcome. 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Favorite Room Feature: Proper Hunt

Today's guest requires no introduction. Her spaces and aesthetic speak for themselves. Really and truly. With each and every reveal of Christina from Proper Hunt, I am truly amazed by what the girl can accomplish. Just wait until you see her little girl's space. To die for!

Hello Sadie + Stella readers! I am Christina from Proper Hunt . When Lindsay reached out asking me to be a part of this fabulous series, I instantly said yes! I mean, how could I not? I am so honored to be here today and to share with you my favorite room in our house, our daughter Cora's (full name Victoria) nursery! There are so many reasons why it's one of my favorite rooms, not the least of which is that it's actually a completed room (we've got major renovations going on now)! But let's get to the other (more aesthetic) reasons why it's my favorite room in the house.
Cora's closet alone is one of my favorite design elements in our home. I'm a huge lover of wallpaper, but because my husband is against wallpaper (doesn't want to deal with removing it when/if I get tired of it), I couldn't wallpaper the inside of Cora's closet with this like I had envisioned. So what's a girl to do if she wants a wallpapered effect but with no wallpaper? Wall stencil of course! And this flower wall stencil was the perfect compromise. Every time I open up her closet, I get so happy seeing that back wall, especially knowing that I accomplished it at 34 weeks pregnant. *Here's the DIY post on how I wall stenciled the closet. There are two more DIY projects in this room that I am extremely proud of. The first is a custom mushroom pouf that I had commissioned after seeing this Lulu DK version. It adds the perfect amount of whimsy to her room and is a great footstool for the glider. The second DIY project is her changing table. Or rather an Ikea dresser that we just fashioned into a changing table by adding a changing pad to the top. We had originally wanted to use this dresser as an entryway table, but I didn't realize how deep it was so couldn't use it for those purposes. But it worked out, because the color of the Greek key accents were perfectly in line with the rest of the color palette in the nursery. *More deets on how we added the Greek key trim to the dresser.
I wanted to have a rug in her room, but between the furniture configuration and the size of the room (very small), it just wasn't in the cards.
At first, I was against any type of wall decal but after realizing that the giant, slanted wall needed a little something extra, I decided that the 3D wall butterflies were exactly what it needed - a perfect mix of color, whimsy, and texture.
The minute I saw these lattice drapes, I knew they were "the one". I wanted drapes that would add visual interest but wouldn't be a scene-stealer.
I'm sure it's no surprise that Cora's nursery is on the girlier side. I mean, I've got gold, corals, pinks, and lilac all over her room. I definitely wanted it to feel feminine and soft, but also whimsical with a touch of modern. You can't see it in these photos, but I rotate her crib sheet with a navy polka dotted sheet so that you get a big hit of a "boy" color in there to balance out the corals & pinks. And I purposely chose a Kelly Green for the 3D wall butterflies to add some contrast and to make a statement against the lilac walls. Thank you Lindsay for having me on your Favorite Room Feature series! I hope you all love my favorite room as much as I do!
Source List Floral Wall Stencil Natural Canvas Bins Gold Pheasants - Thrift store find Mini Yellow Velvet Hangers - HomeGoods Pink Lattice Curtains - Sold out but are available in green and purple Threshold Trumpet Drapery Rod Antique Brass Pennant Floor Shade & Lamp Kendall Fixed Gate Crib Yellow Flower Mobile - Sold out but here's a similar one Pottery Barn Kids Glider - Sold out but here's a similar one Parrot Pillow - HomeGoods Punch Basics Crib Skirt Hot Pink Eiffel Tower print - HomeGoods Navy Harper Roman Shade Mushroom Pouf - Custom order by Otto Moms 3D Wall Butterflies in Kelly Green Hemnes Nightstand Tivoli Model One Radio in Sunflower Yellow Oval-shape Gold Circles Mirror above the changing table - HomeGoods Cocoa and Hearts painting Gold apple - TJMaxx Green apple - HomeGoods Blue & white striped mini hat box - thrift store find Antique black & white tea cup - Family heirloom Bust of girl - Thrift store find Floating shelves White Frame - TJMaxx

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Bookshelf Styling 101

The number one question/concern I get as a designer is, "how in the hell do I style things?" Just like that they say it. Well maybe it isn't as easy as it looks but I do happen to follow a certain practice each and every time. The goal of styling shelves, tables or the like, is to add dimension. It's like cooking. A little of this, a pinch of that, a scoop of THAT. Art behind, knick knacks to the side, picture frames in front... You get the picture. Even if if it feels like it is too much, it probably isn't. I set out to make no shelf the same. Try offsetting each shelf from the other. For example, position books vertically on one shelf and horizontally on an adjoining shelf. This is what I do, loves. Here is a little example for your visual learners. 
Style it: Modern Bookcase/Hair Bun art/Monogram Box/Frame/Floral jar/Lotus/Pineapple/Greek key lamp

Need some affordable art for your shelf stacking? My girl The Pink Pagoda is offering 20% off on all of her prints this week! Use code: SITELAUNCHSALE20OFF. Get it. 

So if you follow me via the Gram, you would already have noticed that I did some styling for a client this weekend. Now mind you, we are not done but this is a great start. Lots of layers and dimensions, and I am loving it. Not confident in your own styling skills? I will do this for you. Just say the word. You KC and surrounding area folks, shoot me a note at sadieandstella@gmail.com and we will get you all squared away.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Monday Musings: Feeling orbital

Hello love bugs. I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. I for one am patiently waiting the 3 day weekend on the horizon. Only 5 days of business as usual and then we have made it. Until then. So. I don't know about y'all but I am totally digging the orb/sphere/sputnik overhead lighting trend. Maybe I am late in the game, but I adore the modern and futuristic vibe it brings to the table. I have even contemplated dropping one in my traditional living room for the sake of fun. I figure, why not? It adds the pizzazz that everyone dreams of. Just you see. 


I mean, are we all feeling orbital now or what? Are you buying into the trend or no? Do tell. Love you. Mean it. XOXO

Friday, May 17, 2013

A Collected Dining Room

Another week has passed and another weekend upon us. I mean, seriously. Do we have exciting weekends in the works? I have a couple of client installs on the horizon and some other things. Follow via Instagram and you will know exactly what's up. So. Today I am sharing one of my latest client designs with you. The goal was to create a collected and eclectic dining room with versatile pieces that could translate in different homes. My client and her family move quite a bit due to their profession, so the key was to incorporate classic elements that will last many moves and many spaces. 
She already had some awesome Louis chairs that are just dying for a little fabric update. I added a punchy floral fabric that could either be interpreted as traditional or funky. My favorite kind of pattern. My client also had an existing Victorian painting with an amazing gilded frame that just had to be incorporated. I decided to off set that with some modern lighting, art and a worldly rug. 
So what do we think, loves? Totally fit more many moves and translations? I for one would love to have this space in my home. Fill me in on your weekend plans. I am nosy and am dying to know. Love you. Mean it. XOXO

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Get your lighting on: Chandelier Warehouse

I don't know about y'all but I am always on the hunt for some serious lighting. It is such an important part to any space. Lately I am totally drawn to jaw dropping ceiling lighting. Add some crystals, some gold, some glam and we have ourselves a room. Enter Chandelier Warehouse. They are my newest resource for all things lighting. Ceiling, table, wall...you name it, they are lighting it. They have super affordable pieces that are not skimping on style. I know my biggest thing when buying something large like this, the cheapo comes out in me and I am instantly all, "how much is shipping?" Well a lot of these pieces have free shipping. You will thank me later. Just look at all of these fab pieces.  
I mean how can we resist these pieces from Chandelier Warehouse? Well how about a 10% offer for S+S readers only. Yep, it just got real. Get your lighting on. Use code: LYN10  at checkout for yout 10% off!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Favorite Room Feature: Sharon Taylor Designs

Who is ready for some punchy/jazzy color this morning? I certainly need it as I am dragging like none other. I have the perfect solution for us, Sharon Taylor Designs. First and foremost, she hails from the same state I was born in. The good ole MO. Represent. No wonder she has such great taste. I cannot wait for you to see a space that no one has ever seen before. That's right, we are getting the first look. Ever! Love it and you will too. 

I am Sharon Taylor of Sharon Taylor Designs and I own Pickwick House {a boutique studio design firm} in the heart of the Rountree Neighborhood in the Midwest town of Springfield, MO.  

I was so excited when Lindsay asked me to be a part of her favorite room feature on her sensational S+S blog!  I was almost equally excited to find out she lives not far from me in KC!  I'm looking so forward to meeting up with her the next time I go on an antique buying trip there next month.  {Which, btw, KC has become the hot-bed-of-bevvied-hot spots for antiques and GOOD, cheap junk.}  

One of my favorite rooms is a client's 'color-jolted' bedroom we revamped last year.  We are now currently in the midst of a whole home overhaul for the remaining rooms in her house. Those rooms are beginning to shape up nicely with some pretty bold colors, funkiness, and wallpaper as well.  SO excited!

My client loves color and loves a lot of white, natural light too.  She had me so taken with her amazing collection of Broyhill Brasilia mid-century furnishing collection the minute I first walked through her door.  She's had an addiction to auctions and through out our couple of years of working together, she has brought home some insanely cool things for pennies and then says to me, "What should I do with it, Sharon?".  {Btw, Sometimes that works for a client/designer relationship and sometimes it doesn't.  Haha.  In this case, it does.  'Perfecto client':-)  

She and I also share a huge, big-love infatuation with House Beautiful and Better Homes and Gardens.  So, HERE 'tis.   Photography by Heather Cherie Photography.  Stylist for Shoot: Amanda Carter Gomes 
Here's a little tiny, blurry glimpse of what the room looked like before.   
Let's see, I think we chose the paint colors first for this medium sized bedroom.  I chose to paint three walls white and one wall with a jolt of bright, happy green {all across the trim and doors}.   I really wanted to set the Serena and Lily Octavia headboard off with that green wall.  Her two vintage dressers and side tables were painted a crisp white to give them a fresh, modernized update.  She did that herself to save pennies for other big things.
The gorge little sputnik is one I found at a Springfield garage sale.  It was a nasty, rusty chrome and had a few missing larger, bulbous glass ball shades clamped to each end.  I was unable to find replacement globes for everyone of the missing ones, so I decided to just go without the globes all together and use smaller, cute-like ball light-bulbs.  My painter painted the light and bright, brassy gold, and to me, it's probably my most favorite thing about the room.  {Wish I had a before pic of the fixture!}

The rug is a Moor, Genevieve Gorder laid over an existing flokati from Overstock.  I love how it sorta fell together this way and the two rugs complement each other.  Initially, we just had the flokati, and it made me yawn in a bad way.  haha.  I knew the room needed another larger, funkier pattern so, I decided to order the G.G. rug and I really like how this rug combo gives more texture, pattern and definition that's visually just more FUN;)

The color combo for the room, just 'happened to me' after adding random things to my online shopping cart over at Zinc Door, and another cart over at ONE KINGS LANE.  Started out with green + white fretwork drapes, ivy + vine pillows, and trina turk pillows.  Then to mix it up, I threw it off with the blue bench, and orange throw.  
The vintage flea market painting over the bed is from the late 60's was less than $50 and happened to be the element that groov-ified the room with a little early-era Michael Jackson-esque vibe {try to say 'Jackson-esque' five times.  It's really hard, isn't it?} 
The black and white photography is the only collection of it's kind.  Julie Blackmon's first black and series that started her rise to world renown photography fame {Mind Games}.  And that Milo Baughman chair tucked in the corner there is actually a chair that I submitted to Tobi Fairley's chair revamp contest and actually won:-)  To see the post about it, you can go here.  
Details:  Fishy for sweet, calming movement.  Abstract art stacked in front of a mirror. A revamped vintage chaise for doggie 'Daisy' to chillax on or for my client to nest on while reading:-).  

Probably, my second favorite thing would be the architect swing arm               lamps by Peter Talbot from Circa Lighting.  
Dressers and Side Tables are revamped vintage {before they were a blondish-orange wood.  Revamped they were painted white}
Octavia Headboard by Serena and Lily
Shanghai Links Needlepoint Pillow by Trina TurkPeacock pillows by Divine Design from Zinc Door
Emerald rug by Genevieve Gorder
Vintage Angelo Sputnik chandelier from a garage sale{was a rusty chrome finish before}
Ivy and Vine green ikat pillows from One Kings Lane
Peter Talbot Architect Swing Arm Lamps in brass by Circa Lighting
Photography collection of by Julie Blackmon {Mind Games series} 
Vintage Milo Baughman Chair re-upholstered {Tobi Fairley chair contest winner} 
Squared Apple {fretwork} drapes by Magnolia
Blue Velvet X bench from One Kings Lane
Rosemary Sprig wall paint by Benjamin Moore
White Dove wall paint by Benjamin Moore
Bedding by Restoration Hardware
Vintage Oil Painting dated 1968 by unknown artist

Well, that's a wrap on this thing.  I hope you've enjoyed it!  If you haven't yet visited my blog,{a lifestyle thing} I invite you to visit and become a member as we are getting ready to host a fun give away soon:-)
Lindsay, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your patience in dealing with all my excuses for getting this post to you sooner! {I literally had to twist some arms in my household to get this in...A.K.A. Hubs broke his arm on Mothers Day after falling off of the roof of our chicken coop and baby broke a collar bone during our recent move.}

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Pink and Leafy Greens

I well tell you what I am totally digging lately, pink and leafy greens. I know that the leaf decor trend has been in for awhile now, and has even made its way into Summer fashions, but I cannot get this look out of my head. For all of you non-believers out there, the people who think a pink and green color combination is only for Lily Pulitzer, think again. Everyone needs a little Palm Beach Chic in their life. For God's sake, if I don't get some leafy decor in my life I am going to choke a you know what. Tell me you aren't down, just try.