Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Snowy Day

With the snow falling in London today, I decided to post a very British accessory and something that I have fallen in love with during the recent cold snap. The hot water bottle is an antiquated form of heat, but one that is eco-friendly and an inexpensive form of heat. They are a very popular item in the UK and I can see the trend creeping over to the U.S. with Restoration Hardware selling these cashmere cable knit  bottles for the holiday season this year.

Monday, November 29, 2010

London Christmas Market

I spent Saturday night at the Christmas Market under the London Eye! In the 30 degree temperatures tt was a festive way to get over Thanksgiving. My sister picked up a neon green trapper hat to help keep her warm and we all took the opportunity to jump in the life-size snow globe for a holiday photo opp. You can also pick up fresh made crepes and roasted chestnuts to satisfy that winter hunger.



Friday, November 26, 2010

Happy Black Friday

Black Friday is definitely a colorful holiday full of crowds and chaos in the U.S. In honor of today here is a shot of John Lewis with their streaming Christmas display in the center of the store. I am in love with  these ornaments, but not so in love with their Christmas shop. The shop is a bit small in comparison to the grand scale of the store.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Thanksgiving 2010!

My Thanksgiving table this year is a cornucopia of golden squash, pomegranates, and  glittering pumpkins mixed with walnuts and hazelnuts. All of this is laid across a burlap sack that takes the place of the table runner. As for the food on our Thanksgiving table? Thank you to Whole Foods for cooking 90% of it, and Ina Garten for the recipes to make the other 10% of the food.



Wednesday, November 24, 2010

A Fantastic Fox


I spotted this watercolor fox print in Lonny magazine and immediately thought of London. A little known fact about the city is that on any given night you will see a random fox or two wandering the streets of this bustling city. The artist has several prints available for purchase on etsy.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Ribbons for the Holidays

This year for my holiday wrapping I am thinking of going with simple kraft paper and using some unique ribbons to spice up the package. Forget the bag of pre-made bows this year and think outside of the box with new materials for ribbon.

100% Cotton Ribbons from Angela Ligouri
Japanese tape ribbons are holding onto their fifteen minutes of popularity this year with these fresh designs from Happy Tape
Tinsel tape from Paper-Source screams for a prominent spot under the tree!
Turn your package into a unique piece of ephemera with vintage thread from Paper Trail.

Monday, November 22, 2010

See Through Staircase

I have been meaning to post this image for awhile now. This is a staircase in the National Museum in Copenhagen. I love the design, of course this would never be allowed in America!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Over Indulgences

Since today is Friday and the weekends are for over indulging I have chosen to bring you carbs and calories courtesy of Jonathan Adler! What a fun holiday gift, the containers could contain fruit cake and still be a great gift simply for the container itself!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness


A few days ago, I found happiness at Liberty of London. I was only familiar with their line of prints for Target, so I tended to ignore the Tudor castle in Oxford Circus when I walked by. The store reminds me of a blend of Fred Segal and Barneys but bigger! The can't miss spaces are the fabric salon, Christmas shop, and Beauty Shop. The Manolo Blahnik special designs for Liberty are a can't miss. Even if you can't afford the shoes, you can pick up a candle or one of his fabulous shoe design prints. Wandering the wood halls made me dizzy with design and fashion ideas!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

British Made

Yesterday was a day full of British announcements, from the Beatles being released on iTunes to the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton. In honor of the Brits, here are a few fun items to bring out the Anglophile in everyone.

1. Fabulous Union Jack Heart Pillow from Barbara Coupe
2. Download the Kelly Hoppen app here
3. A limited edition print of the Queen from Ann Carrington
4. Stow your essentials in a black cab courtesy of Lulu Guinness

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Christmas Chaos

The British start their Christmas much earlier than Americans due to their lack of Thanksgiving holiday. Here is a glimpse of the shopping madness outside Harrod's on a Saturday night.

Monday, November 15, 2010

My Modern Rococo

A combination of a really modern dining table and chairs and Rococo accessories.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Singing in the Rain

With all of the rain that we have been getting lately, it might be time to invest in a custom umbrella. James Smith & Sons in London is the mecca for custom umbrellas. The have been around since 1830 and know their sticks. Pick up a custom snake skin handle to hold your giant parasol or a fashionable Lulu Guinness pocket size umbrella. My personal favorites are the clear plastic umbrellas that scream Scarlett Johansson in Lost In Translation!


Thursday, November 11, 2010

Creativity out of Canada

I recently discovered a watercolor artist out of Toronto called Dinosaurs Died of Boredom. He creates unique portraits of celebrities with everyone ranging from Marie Antoinette to Conan O'Brien. The drippy colors would make a statement on any wall in the home!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Animal Magnetism


I have long loved Sharon Montrose's animal prints available on etsy and they have been such a success for her that she now has her own online shop with an even better selection of prints! Click here for The Animal Shop!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Best way to spend a Sunday morning in London...



The Columbia Road Flower Market is a brilliant way to spend a crisp Fall Sunday morning in London. The flower market is the best place to get your tabletop flowers for the week, pick up a fresh cup of coffee, and cupcakes for dessert at Treacle.  20 roses for £5 is a hard deal to pass!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Spades in London

One more day left to enjoy the Kate Spade pop-up shop in London! Kate Spade turned a plain office building near Covent Garden into a jewel box apartment. Sadly the apartment is being turned back into boring offices with grey carpet on Wednesday. 

Friday, November 5, 2010

Living Walls

Living Walls are growing in popularity everyday, and with self-watering wall inventions they are becoming more mainstream. Here are a 2 different living wall styles. The top image is the living wall inside of the Anthropologie store in London. The wall spans two floor along the staircase and is a piece of art that almost makes you forget about their amazing merchandise. The bottom image is a simple version of a living wall inside of an East London bar called The Bookclub. This wall seems to be a more manageable and less permanent display that would work in any home.

Another system of simplicity for a home living wall system are Woolly Pockets. This company helps you create a sculptural work of green art as long as you have the time and patience. I would love to try out their Wally Pockets, but with my black thumb my walls could end up looking like mold was growing on the wall instead of gorgeous greenery.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Winter Kitsch

I want one of these sequin squirrels from West Elm for some winter sparkle in my home! The best part of the purchase is that $5 goes to support St. Jude Children's Hospital. So even if this ends up at the thrift shop at the end of this season the purchase was well worth it!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Wrinkled Comfort

I am loving my new bedding from Blue Springs Home. They carry lines of linen bedding that just make you want to fall right into bed. The grey quilted shams from Belle Notte are my favorite and I was able to mix and match some of their different brands to create my own look.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

My IKEA Hack

Over the summer I took a simple IKEA Expedit coffee table with a glass top and wanted to give it a unique look. By taking some textured wrapping paper and placing the paper underneath the glass top, I was able to give the table top a crocodile look for under $10.
Here are the materials and the results...

Monday, November 1, 2010

The Goldilocks of Color

Trying out paint samples is the most important part of a paint color selection. All colors look different in different spaces depending on the lighting and time of day. In trying to select the perfect pear green color for a bedroom recently it felt a bit like Goldilocks with one being too yellow, one too green, and then the perfect one that was just right!


















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