Color Story Monday: Sprinkles ATM Colorblock

Last year when Sprinkles debuted their cupcake ATM, it was a genius idea. The ATM is designed in a fun color block style with blue, green, pink, and red. Today I am using those colors as inspiration for my color story since they are such happy colors to kick off the spring and summer season!

1. Pillow Cover with turquoise dots, West Elm

2. Turquoise Interlocking Garden Stool, Wisteria
3. Green Metal Coat Rack, CB2
4. Preppy Green Frame, Kate Spade
5. Pink Victoria Dining Chair, Room Service
6. Modern Mad Lib Cocktail Napkins, Jonathan Adler
7. A Cuisinart Fro-Yo, Ice Cream, and Sorbet Maker in Pomegranate, Sur La Table
8. Cage Pendant Lamp, CB2

Antiquing in Notting Hill

There are loads of antique shops throughout London's Notting Hill neighborhood, but one shop in particular is my favorite. Jensen and Ballantine has a wonderfully curated mix of furniture, art and accessories and is always worth a stop in if you are near Notting Hill Gate.

Paint as Inspiration

Lonny Magazine has a great link on their website matching up some of the best paint colors with actual rooms straight from their photo shoots. I have always wanted to use Benjamin Moore's Calyspo Blue somewhere, but never had the right space. I am loving the bathroom below that the color is shown in, and how well it looks with the black and white tile. Click here for a look at some of their inspiring shades.

Color Story Monday: Green and Clean

Since yesterday was Earth Day, in honor of our planet here is a roundup of eco friendly products, even though these might not be green in color they will help keep our earth green for the next generation.

1. Rubie Green makes fabrics that are 100% organic cotton, made in the USA, and come in amazing patterns and colors.
2. Papier mache stool made from recycled paper and part of the Aid to Artisan program in Haiti. Caravan
3. Recycled sea glass containers from West Elm
4. My favorite cleaning products that won't harm the environment from Mrs. Meyers
5. Save on water with stone for ice cubes. Living Green
6. Paint your walls with a Zero VOC, Green Seal Certified brand that also has amazing color saturation. Yolo Colorhouse

Cats and Interiors

It is no secret that I love cats, so when subtly combined with gorgeous interior shots from Anthropologie's latest catalog, I have to share...

Retro Comeback: Sewing

I have decided to start a new column to run every once in a while when I spot a trend that is coming back in style. Retro Comeback will highlight everything old that is becoming new again. For my first post I am highlighting the home ec favorite sewing. Home ec classes were basically abolished from schools in the 80's and there are now a glut of twenty-somethings with no sewing skills (myself included). I have found lots of cute, trendy sewing shops popping up in major cities over the last year. Perhaps it is the economy that is causing the rush back to needle and thread or it is simply sewings turn on the comeback wheel. Check out some of these great places to pick up a new skill below...

Purl Soho: What began as a yarn store to fuel the knitting craze has turned into a fantastic needle and thread mecca in Soho. They also have some great online tutorials in their newsletter the Purl Bee.

Sew Over It: This is where I wound my first bobbin.

Ray Stitch: Part coffee shop, part haberdashery shop with lots of amazing fabrics.

Coletterie: A blog devoted to the craft with lots of tutorials, great if you get stuck on a project at home.

Sew Modern: a hip fabric shop with classes galore in West L.A.

One of my latest projects as I practice the skills that I picked up for soft furnishings at Sew Over It!

Welcome Dinner Design

I recently got married in Telluride, Colorado and I have been attempting to edit the photos from the amazing Figge Photography. Editing in my free time has been a challenge, but today I wanted to share some images from the welcome dinner the night before the wedding. I designed the decor for an apres-ski casual BBQ at the Elks Lodge in Telluride. My wedding didn't have one defining color, so for the welcome dinner I decided to go with an all-American red.

I found this vintage sign at Watson Kennedy in Seattle.

These lanterns were a great find at IKEA!

Color Story Monday: Sky, Yellow, and White

Spring is in full bloom and I was inspired from this photo over on HGTV to do a color story on the fresh and bright colors of sky blue, yellow, and white.
This room has really basic white furniture and uses pops of color in the accessories and wall color.
Here are some great accent accessories and fresh paint colors to get this look...

1. Benjamin Moore Skyscraper
2. Benjamin Moore San Clemente Teal
3. Capellini Ribbon Stool in Yellow from ABC Home
4. Banana pillow from Jonathan Adler
5. Perch glass lamp from West Elm

Preparing for a Home Tour

Spring is home tour season and I recently went on a fantastic home tour in London sponsored by my favorite interior design magazine Living Etc. As I was getting dressed for the day, I struggled with several things including appropriate shoes and handbag.
Here is a guide for what to wear for comfort and style to a home tour and a few etiquette tips as well...

SHOES:
The best case scenario for a home tour is gorgeous 72 and sunny weather. If this is the case on the day of your tour than a pair of Tom's are your best friend. They are comfy, stylish and very easy to slip on and off. (They are also inexpensive enough that if there are any Sex in the City/Tatum ONeal stolen shoe incidents you'll have no need to worry). However, if the home tour is a bit more hoity toity, you may want to go with your best pair of Tory Burch flats instead. The number one rule for home tours is don't wear heels! There is no use as the height will disappear as soon as you take off the shoes and you very well may be traipsing around a soggy garden that is not heel friendly. Check out some tour friendly flats below...

1. The Carita Ballet flat from Tory Burch is a spring must have.
2. Loving the Lula Bow Flats from JCrew.
3. Tod's Gommino Driving Shoes are oh so comfy.
4. Tom's in Burlap
5. Tom's new ballet flat design.

HANDBAGS:
I am a slave to the oversized tote bag filled with everything but the kitchen sink as much as the next girl, but I am also a bull in a china shop with a super size bag hanging over my shoulder. For home tours, I go for the slim profile cross body satchel that keeps your hands free and doesn't take up too much space. These bags should be large enough to carry all of your essentials for the day...

1. A fun orange leather cross body bag from Kate Spade
2. A very retro satchel that will hold everything from Orla Kiely
3. A British travel classic the Antony Messenger bag from Mulberry
4. The Louis Vuitton Odeon bag for showing your flashier side.

ETIQUETTE
A few basic rules that often get forgotten once surrounded by the gorgeousness of a home on a home tour!
*Be polite and don't take photos unless given permission, nothing is tackier than every person snapping a shot with their iphone.
*Don't use the bathroom in the house, usually the docents won't let you and there is always a Starbucks in every neighborhood.
*Don't pick up candles and turn them over to find out what the scent is, I have actually seen this happen and wax dripping onto the furniture, politely ask the docent for the information
*Don't pick up vases filled with flowers and water to find out who makes the vase, I have heard of water being dumped into a grand piano on a tour before.
*It is really best to not pick anything up from any surface.

Also, check out my list of home tours around the U.S. on Apartment Therapy

Carpet Samples

Just ordered up this sisal carpet for a project that I am working on, I have used it in the past as well as lived with it. I love that the knots are thick so it makes walking on this carpet not so prickly.

Love Amy Sedaris

I already own Amy Sedaris' cookbook and I feel like a very bad fan for not even realizing that she had a crafting book out! Thanks to my friend Nick for filling me in! She even has her own youtube channel here with all of the fabulous crafts demonstrated from this book. Bookmark her channel for when you need some kooky laughs!

**Disclaimer: Serious crafters with no sense of humor will be offended

Newport Harbor 2012 Home Tour

I have a really busy month ahead as I help a client prepare for the Newport Harbor High School Home Tour on May 17th. The home has been undergoing a stunning remodel over the last few months that includes a new kitchen and master bath!

Faberge Egg Hunt

Happy Easter Weekend! London had a very festive few weeks with the Big Egg Hunt all over the city. The city was suddenly filled with giant eggs all designed by various designers. everywhere from hanging overhead at St. Christopher's Place to hidden inside Liberty you could spy eggs over the past few weeks. Now for the finale this weekend all of the eggs have found their way to Covent Garden Piazza and you can bid on your favorite egg for charity!

Renovation Rental House Tour

My first house tour as a contributor to Apartment Therapy was posted yesterday! Click here for the tour...

Riviera Magazine March 2012

In making an attempt to catch up on old back issues of design magazines, I just came across one of my images from the Nautilus project and a small article on eco-chic gardens with our favorite landscape designer Bridget Skinner in the March issue of Riviera Magazine!

Organizing, Organizing, Organizing

This past weekend I was super busy Spring cleaning and organizing which included a garage sale, trips to storage, and lots of weeding out! These lovely new pieces I couldn't resist putting back into my kitchen cabinets though.