design overdose

i spent the better part of my day reading design blogs today. i took one off my favorites toolbar, and added about eight more. i read making it lovely all the way back to the beginning, two years ago, and also discovered (as just about everyone in the developed world already has) decor8. i learned that anthropologie is offering craft classes at select stores, which i will be sure to find out all about at a fabulous dinner sunday night with a few former anthro coworkers. i also learned that shabby chic is filing chapter 11 bankruptcy. ryan said, "at least it's not chapter 7." i figured i'd email rachel ashwell and we'd reminisce about madre's.

the day wasn't totally unproductive, though. i did regain a strong desire to continue decorating our apartment. in particular, this time, ryan and my room. first up: a bed. we have a fantastic mattress (my first really expensive purchase), but no headboard. one that's stuck in my head for a couple years now is this:

i wasn't sure it was exactly what i wanted, but i honestly haven't seen any that are as versatile since. i also like metal-framed beds, like from restoration hardware, but sometimes they remind me of an orphanage. obviously a glamorized orphanage in annie the major motion picture, but still.
i like the idea of being able to read with my head against the cushy headboard, and the nailheads almost remind me of jewelry. and it goes with my anthro lamp, which looks like this one, except taller. (to be fair, the one below is in my living room)

the lampshade is blue/cream/brown printed, and this is very similar to our bedding (bed cut in half, and all):

we i also really want to paint our room. it is bad bad shiny crack den apartment white with popcorn ceilings right now. there's not a whole lot we can do about that, but it would be lovely to paint the bottom half of our room chocolate, and the top half an eggshell cream and white stripe, with some chair rail to divide the two. that's all! i really don't think that's too much to ask. and this picture in a coordinating robins' egg blue to hang above the bed:

currently, there are awesome patches of about six different colors in various places around the room that we painted a few months back just to see which we liked best, and about a 5 sq. ft. sweet untextured section of wall where a plasma was once hung. and then fell. and then the hole was patched. and then evan touched it while it was wet. you can imagine how that looks. you'll have to, because i refuse to post pictures of that embarrassment. and then we didn't know if we were moving, and we still don't really know how long we'll be here, but c'mon! this neither here nor there is driving me crazy! i just feel like i have such high standards to live up to after reading apartment therapy all afternoon.

I'm feeling pink

Paper Source, the fun company where I work, is introducing new colors this year (woo hoo!). Currently, we offer about 30 solid colors, including two pinks and four purples. A single new color introduction carries along with it about 10,000 pounds of paper. PS uses every scrap of paper they print, which means the edges get turned into business cards and tiny envelopes. This also means that they have to be pretty darn sure a color will be popular with the masses before they go printing a bunch. Up first- fuchsia (I really thought it was fuschia):

What a lovely color choice. People seem to be surprised about my affinity for pink, but I really do love it. Now, I wouldn't paint my room this above color, but i definitely have some jewelry storage boxes in the hue. I would, however, very gladly take this room:

The Eames rocking chair isn't absolutely necessary for me at this time, but i just love how warm and cozy the mixed colors and patterns feel. This is actually the living room of Nicole, from Making it Lovely. She even included a cradle, creating a sweet space for the whole family.


Anyway, upon seeing these pictures last night at 1am, I immediately wanted to re-do my entire living room. I once tried to paint a tiny room in our apartment (that at one point was going to house Max's captain's bed) pink, and the boys revolted. They could care less what else I do, just no pink walls! This coming from the boys who wear pink ties and painted-on jeans. When all was said and done and blue, Max said, "yeah, pink would've looked better."

And last, ranunculas, because, who doesn't love those?

inspiration bored.

in all my spare time this week, i've done surprisingly little. Although the week did include a rousing trip to the dentist who informed ryan and i that we need a little over two thousand dollars of dental work. oh, and that our insurance really doesn't want to pay for much of it. yay, auto repairs, healthcare costs, and taxes!

i took pictures of new designs today, as well as pictures of packaging. i've emailed a few design blogs to see if they would like to do a feature on my work or an interview on what inspires me, where i get my ideas from, how i started making jewelry, etc.

for you, dear readers (all two of you), i will post some inspiring pictures, in hopes of inspiring myself to...do whatever it is i'm supposed to be doing right now. which i'm pretty sure is making lunch.

an inspiration board. i need to make one of these with all those pictures ripped out of domino (r.i.p.), and all those paint swatches borrowed from restoration hardware.


this is a great idea, which i've seen a number of places now, which is to turn a vintage frame into a chalkboard. while the sound and mess of chalk on a chalkboard unnerves me, i could turn the huge vintage frame i already own into an inspiration board. you know, for behind my desk:

this desk, in white, is what i want more than anything right now. i feel like it's a practical purchase in this economy, and might inspire me to create new works of art in a workspace other than my coffee table.