Which Light?

We have a small hallway off our den that leads to the laundry room, basement and garage. It is a square with four doorways and very little wall space. Currently there is an ugly 1970’s ceiling light that I want to replace. I wanted to find something vintage, but don't want to deal with the rewiring. I have found some great options online without doing much searching. The only requirement is that the fixture has to be high so that it will not get hit by opening doors.


This Fabby light is my first choice. I have one in my bedroom at my parents home, but it is rather expensive and I would want to take it with us when we leave.


I would love to have the star fixture from Shades of Light, but I need to check to see if it is too low. If it does not fit it could be a good option for the entry hall.

Spring Blanket

Spring has finally arrived and I am ready for long walks, picnics and barbeques. I found this blanket from StitchT in an old issue of Cottage Living and think it is the perfect outdoor blanket for lazy days in the park or lying in the hammock. I am going to attempt to make my own version with old t-shirts that I don’t want to turn into rags.

Donimo Saturday

The April issue of Domino arrived today. Like always I immediately skimmed over every page and it is a great issue. I will admit I was disappointed in the previous issue that focused primarily on green living. Very noble, but I like to read Domino for the quirky interiors, new designers, and the over all Dorothy Draper style. Fellow lovers of Draper will not be disappointed with this issue. Now I just have to get it away from Nick, I mistakenly said it had a garden article.

Mirror, mirror, on what wall?

We have been watching these mirrors at Bombay & Co. for a really long time (they are much cooler than in this photo). As we have been watching they have gone from $249 to $199 and finally to $149. Since we were afraid that if we keep waiting for the price to drop anymore they will be sold out, so we finally purchased the mirrors. The only problem is we have no idea where to hang them. living room – too modern, den – no feature location, hallway – too busy, bedroom – maybe, but will be behind the TV. I am hoping the perfect spot will come to me, but in the mean time these lean against the wall and the cats stare at their different reflections. Below is a photo of the mirror ours was "patterend" after. Catherine Malandrino has hers in the bathroom, but I already have a mirror for our 1/2 bath.

Our First Etsy Artwork

We have made our first Etsy purchases for the wall of art. We have started with a nice odd number of three. Nick’s favorite is the Keep Calm and Carry on print because it’s a reproduction of an English poster. My favorite is the Business Murder mainly because it reminds me of my last job. Now I get to look forward to the UPS deliveries over the next week.

Wall of Etsy

I wanted to do a wall of art for awhile, but have been afraid of not having the eye to pull it off correctly. I found these images from the Kate Spade website. The installation is from an Andy Spade exhibit about looking at books instead of reading them. The mix matched black frames filled with brightly colored books are exactly what I want my wall of art to emulate. I plan to build my collection solely with items from Etsy. I have found some amazing prints and letterpress items that I cannot wait to get framed. As the collection builds, I will share how the wall grows. Oh, I am going to do this in our bedroom. The grey walls and duvet cover need a lot of color to balance the grey tones.

Martha Stewart at Lowe's

Martha Stewart’s new paint is at Lowe’s. The selection of colors is not as extensive as her line at Sherwin Williams, but all the color chips offer two complementary colors which is really nice. If you need any of her old colors from Sherwin Williams, just ask the sales rep and they still can make all her shades. We had a shock last week when we went to pick a color for our bedroom and found her whole display removed at SW. Luckily they kept one swatch of each color so we were able to get a Martha approved wall color.

Straffordshire dogs

I also found this great pair of Staffordshire dogs at another upcoming local auction. When I was little, I thought a pair of Strafford dogs was the epitome of wealth and good design and desired a pair of my own someday. I still don't have a pair and I am sure I will not be able to afford these. I guess I will need to continue to dream.

Up at Auction

I already have two sets of bamboo chairs – 6 of white chivari banquet chairs and four upholstered. However, I saw this photo for an upcoming auction and I have to bid on this set. The chairs are a completely different style than you normally find and the table is a unique oval shape. What I am most excited about in the piece hidden in the back. It would be great painted yellow. The auction is next Tuesday, so we will see what happens.

Kitchen Island

While watching Room Service this weekend (my favorite show), I had a “why didn't I think of that?” moment. Sarah Richardson created a kitchen island out of store purchased base cabinets and then built a frame around the back and sides to make it look like a custom island. Duh. This will be so much cheper than hiring an Amish cabinetmaker and my dad can help with the framing. We are going to Lowes later today to price out cabinet bases.

(The photo is from her website, and you don’t get the full effect of the island)

For Like Ever

My “for like ever” poster returned from the framers this weekend and it looks really good in the den. I may have gone overboard with the mat and frame size, but the finished product looks really good. The den is slowly coming together; we just need to get a new couch and hang some more artwork.