via FFFFound!
This handmade lit ampersand by White Electric can be distressed in a variety of colors.
Custom made ampersand chair by Lisa Barrett
Cast aluminum ampersand from House Industries
via Leo Reynolds
Large wooden ampersand from Hindsvik Vintage
via Jake Howe
Ampersand tote from Alphabet Bags
via Ed Prichard
Sterling Baby Elephant Ring by Michelle Chang
Vintage Silver Pouffs from Fabulous Mess
Sea Urchin Votive Bowl by Element Clay Studio
Silk Scarf by Under the Violet Leaf
Tip Top Bag by Ployly Mingzy Bb’
Snowball Accent Lamp by Filigree Creations
Sterling Compass Pendant by Just Jaynes
Silk & Linen “Evelyn” Dress by Three Little Ducks
Okay, I am officially over winter. Gray and blah and cold and slushy. Enough. I need some color in my life again. Seeing some brightly colored decor makes me happy [and wanting to repaint the entire house].
[via Boris Breuer Interiors]
[via From Scandinavia with Love]
[via Morten Holutm]
[via Morning's Light]
[via JashoDesign]
[via Homes & Gardens]
[via Sara Levasseur]
Whether you’re looking to organize, store or display, shelves are an easy way to get the job done. We have a large IKEA Expedit unit in the living room that I am forever rearranging and looking for a way to make it more personal and less Ikea. While looking for ideas, I found some other really cool ideas for shelving …
Crates. I love old crates anyway, and hanging them on the wall gets them up off the floor and makes for a charming and cozy place to store things. [And hello - casters! Love it!]
DIY tutorial from Factory Direct Craft Blog
via SpiderWomanKnits
Loving these ladder shelves [um, and the guitar collection - especially the steel - killer]. Great for an industrial touch.
DIY tips via Networx
A shelf made out of magazines? Yep – National Geographics. Pretty darn awesome.
by designer, Sean Miller
Don’t have a fireplace mantle? Make one and use it as a shelf. If you’re not very wood shop friendly, scour craigslist and salvage shops that carry architectural items for an old mantle to use.
DIY via Linda of Burlap & Blue
Super rustic … I love bringing natural elements into the home and this driftwood shelf does it perfectly.
DIY via Design*Sponge
Bringing new meaning to the word bookshelf. These shelves ARE books! You can choose from a selection of titles too.
I spotted this mod book hanger over at sfgirlbybay. They come in black, orange and white and also function as a bookmark. Give thanks to the ºes design label for this genius.
available at Sleek Identity
Who knew that mushrooms made such great display shelves? The DIY is a little involved, but well worth it. Will someone please make some for me????
DIY via Finder Maker
Today’s post is inspired by these beautiful collage globes by Artist, Wendy Gold.
Aren’t they just to die for? The one shown below can be personalized to showcase your very own family tree. Super cool.
Other people are doing some pretty awesome stuff with globes too … things you can even do yourself. Here are a few of my favorite DIY globe projects:
This chalkboard globe made by Halligan Norris for Design*Sponge looks amazing and is fairly simple to make.
This global bowl made by Cathe of JustSomethingIMade was made by sawing a globe in half, and lining with old book pages and some glitter – pretty neat idea [and it makes one for you, one to give away!].
Get the tutorial for this cool Globe Pendant lamp from Project Create a Home. I think I would add some metal hardware on the top, but otherwise genius.
Now that we have so much wall space, I’ve been on the hunt for unique ways to fill it. My latest love – vintage pull down maps.
image via Perry Stinson
image from Covet Garden via Desire to Inspire
image via Meaghan Scragg
image via mattmill00
image via Heidi
Today’s post is part of Blog for Digs, a charity blogging event for Dwell with Dignity ["a non-profit group of interior designers and volunteers dedicated to creating soothing, inspiring homes for families struggling with homelessness and poverty"]. To learn more about how you can help make a difference, click HERE.
My childhood bedroom was …. a complete mess. My brother and I had a playroom downstairs for all of our toys, but that didn’t seem to help keep my room from becoming a disaster zone. As much as I am a neat freak now, back then I was NOT. Underneath all the books, papers, and [mostly] clothes was a little wooden desk that sat facing a window with a view of the cornfield. I used to sit and read Sweet Valley High or Trixie Belden books, write in my diary, and write horrible horrible poetry. The walls were covered in some old purple textured wallpaper and I seem to remember that I made some weird “sculpture” on the wall next to my bed with a bunch of belts. I had a huge white bookshelf in my room filled with books, cassette tapes, magazines, etc. There was a Michael Jackson poster hanging on the back of my door [the one where he's wearing all white and I think he had a yellow sweater tied around his neck] and I’m sure there must have been some Corey Haim and Mark Paul Gosselear [who is still hot btw] posters up somewhere too. I also had a secret door in the back of my closet that opened into a room in our old farmhouse that we never used. It had never been remodeled and was very creepy. The one thing I always wished I had was a canopy bed.
Like this “Coraline Canopy Bed” from PB Teen. I might have even draped some sheer fabric over some of the posts … oh who am I kidding? – Pre-teen me would have used it as one more place to toss my clothes. Still, I always wanted one. A canopy bed just seemed so fairytale-esque. But I survived without it and eventually I picked up all my clothes and papers and tucked them neatly into files and drawers [this only happened within the last few years]. No more belts or teen idol posters on the walls – just some antlers, actual artwork with frames, and a large white pendant lamp adorn the bedroom now. If I could go back, I think I’d keep that bedroom clean … maybe then I would have gotten a canopy bed.
Be sure to check out the next Blog For Digs post on Get It Girl Style tomorrow. And visit Dwell with Dignity today!
Sometime in September we found this beat up old nightstand in the alley. I was immediately drawn to it’s shape and could see right past all the dirt and dings. 
It started a mini obsession rehabbing old wooden furniture and spray painting anything I could get my hands on [bedroom dresser DIY coming soon]. The ONLY thing I miss about our old apartment uptown was that it had a small yard and big basement I could use for this kind of stuff.
Anyway, all I used was some medium and fine grit sandpaper, gloves, black spray paint [mine was a high gloss], and a new knob. Easily less than $20 in supplies. And no more than 1-2 hours of labor.
First I scrubbed it clean, sanded out the imperfections with the medium grit paper, wiped it down, went over some spots with the fine grit, wiped it down again, and then I busted out the spray paint. Omigosh I love spray painting … even if I did have to drive 10 extra miles to a Home Depot outside the Chicago city limits to get it. You can buy one of those spray paint holster things to save you some finger cramps, but this was a pretty small job, so it wasn’t really necessary. I find using a slow and steady back and forth motion with the can works best. Don’t get carried away. Light even layers. Make sure each layer is dry before you do the next to prevent drips and bubbles. After the paint dried, I screwed in the new knob and one month later we moved our “new” little nightstand into our new loft.
Saved from the trash, and now a bedroom treasure.
Ah, Christmastime. My favorite holiday. Even more awesome now that I’m a mom. Christmas is a time for people to go ‘all out’ … and not just in regards to buying presents. Christmas dinner [or breakfast for some] is a big deal too and the table has to be just perfect. Here is a collection of beautiful Christmas tables to help inspire your own amazing feast.
via Ben Newton
[These cute table decorations were made using foam balls and then inserting lollipops and curly ribbon with wire.]
via penguincakes
[Festive Red & Gold]
via Pierre Andrews
[Candlelight Dinner]
via Hannah Webster
[Neat & Pretty Presents]
via Theresa N.
[Natural Beauty w/ Wood and Apples]
via wondoroo
[Gingerbread - Green, Brown, & Gold. Fancy & Playful]
via Robert
[Classic Christmas Feast]
via Ed Seymour
[You don't always have to go Red & Green to make things festive - Loving the Blue!]
via Maggie
[Simple Stars & Votives for some Holiday Cheer]
via Postscript Love
[This is my favorite. Simple, Pretty, Inviting. Merry Christmas]
My family loves wreaths. They are usually stuffed full of fake flowers or wrapped with red, white, and blue ribbon. Ick. I finally found some wreaths that are too pretty to hang on the porch … I’d put any of these beauties on my wall anytime of the year. All of these picks are fairly easy to make, just click on their tutorials for more info!
Left to Right.
Black and White Stripes: Made from an old sweater[!] by Mandi. Tutorial on Smile and Weave [towards the bottom].
Moss: I love almost anything green. This moss wreath is so simple and pretty. Made by Christina of Our Little Box.
Felt: White like snow felt wreath by Laura of Oh Hi. No full tutorial posted, but she notes that if enough people inquire, she will probably put up a DIY post. [Oh, please do!]
Cupcake Wreath [amazing, right?!]: Made by Jen from Tatertots and Jello. Cupcake liners, ribbon, and hot glue – I think even I could pull this one off! She made it for Valentine’s Day, but depending on what cupcake liners you get the possibilities are endless.
Balloons: What a cute idea – perfect for a birthday! Made by Erin of Two More Seconds.
Paper Circles: A fun project to do with kids … very Christmas-y! Made by Beckie of Movies of Myself.
Patchwork: I love patchwork quilts and this wreath looks just as homey and cozy. By Jennifer Casa, of JCasa *handmade.
Yarn: Those little felt flowers really make this wreath. So pretty. Made by Danielle of Take Heart.
Bicycle: Very inventive. No tutorial, but pretty simple – wrap ribbon and lights around an old bike tire. Love it. Made by Megan.
Clothespins: I am beginning to realize that you can make a wreath of out almost anything. This cool clothespin wreath was made by Denise of d. Sharp Journal.
Nature: This one would be really fun to do with the kids – have them run around collecting pine cones and pods, then they can make their very own designs. You could even bring out the spray paint for some pops of color. Made by Maya of Maya*Made.
