Thank You, Made By Girl!

Jennifer over at the fantastic Made By Girl was kind enough to feature a tour of my house yesterday. What a thrill! I am so flattered to be singled out by this super-talented lady whose blog and whose designs I am such a fan of. Thanks so much, Jennifer!

To check out the full tour, click here!

And while you're over there, don't forget to take a gander at Made By Girl's Etsy shop, chock full of her gorgeous prints. Right now I'm wanting one of the new butterfly prints... so sweet!

Image of Butterfly print via Made By Girl

Some Young Punks Winery

This one is for the fellas...

I'm not in the habit of buying wine based upon the label design, but as I was shopping the other day my eye couldn't help but be drawn to the fun, pulp-comic labels on these bottles from Australia's Some Young Punks Winery. As soon as I saw "The Squid's Fist," a Sangiovese-Shiraz, I knew my guy Kevin would flip. And I was right, he totally did. Wouldn't this make a great gift for your favorite comic nut/amateur oenologist?!

The labels were designed by Israeli illustrator and comic book artist, Asaf Hanuka. (Interestingly, Hanuka also contributed art for the Academy Award-nominated documentary, "Waltz with Bashir," which is currently making the art-house rounds.) Prints of some of his work ("Squid" included) can be purchased here... Another nice gift idea, don't you think?

Is It Spring Yet?

The snow may have finally melted here in Philadelphia, but it's still miserably cold. These sunny images from Sunset Magazine have me longing for warm afternoons, outdoor dining, and cooking in a bright, funky kitchen! The boyfriend and I have been talking about putting a French door in our kitchen to let more sunlight in... after seeing the image above I am convinced it is a must!

New Coffee Table, continued

Here are a few more pictures of the new coffee table. It has turned out to be a great choice for us. I love the glass top, and the bottom shelf is great for magazines and other storage. I also like that it doesn't look like everything you see in West Elm/Ikea/Crate & Barrel/etc. By the way, here is what it looked like before...

I spent about 30 minutes in the freezing cold coating the table in several coats of primer (1 can was enough), and then another can of bright white gloss acrylic. The one good thing about the cold and the wind was that it dried the paint really fast! It was finished and sitting in front of my sofa after about an hour. Another project checked off the list!

I'm Coveting...

...this spectacular collection of Christopher Ross belts, belonging to the enviably stylish Judy Aldridge of Atlantis Home. I am now on the hunt for one of my own - the rabbit would be heaven!

p.s. Judy is the mom of Jane Aldridge, who writes another one of my new faves, Sea of Shoes. You can definitely see where Jane gets her fashion sense from!

Images via Atlantis Home

Lazy Susan Ceramics

Such graceful faux bois ceramics from Lazy Susan...

These glossy white and gold jars are pretty lust-worthy as well. I'd like a set for my living room bookshelves! Available locally (in Philadelphia that is) at the very stylish home boutique, Open House...

Drama...

Love the black-and-blue color palette of this room! From here...

My Next Project

I've been wanting a chandelier for the longest time, just haven't really had a place for one. I think I've figured it out though! And this old brass and crystal number from Craigslist is going to be my guinea pig. Hopefully soon, after a thorough refurbishing (which will definitely involve these), it will be hanging grandly in my house.  I'll keep you posted on this project... lots more pictures to come!

Purple Reign

What drama! Purple and yellow is such a great color combination, and this room takes it to the next level with the addition of fuchsia accents, and, most importantly, a wall of dark and whimsical garden-themed wallpaper. I'll take all of it...

Via Homes and Gardens

Fashion Illustration by Tanya Ling

Oh how I love these gorgeous fashion illustrations by Tanya Ling! The ones pictured here (which depict looks from the Spring and Fall 08 collections) are available for purchase as signed, limited edition giclee prints at Fashion Illustration Gallery. The Lanvin illustration, second from the top, is definitely my favorite. Such a tempting splurge...

Images (all via Fashion Illustration Gallery) from top: Marc Jacobs RTW S/S 2008; Lanvin RTW F/W 2008; Jil Sander RTW F/W 2008; YSL RTW F/W 2008

And the winner is...

After a random drawing this afternoon, a winner has been selected for the Orla Kiely giveaway. And so, congratulations to Linda (comment #17) of Perth, Australia! Linda - I have left you a message on your blog. Please contact me with your mailing information so I can send out your Orla goodies!

And to everyone else who participated, thanks so much for all the great comments! It was fun and enlightening to learn about your shopping holy grails. Continued good luck to all of you on your treasure hunts!

"Queen" gocco screenprint via Lab Partners

New Coffee Table + Pu Yi Tray

Finally, we have a new coffee table for the living room! After spending weeks searching junk stores, antique shops, eBay and Craigslist, we decided to go with this bamboo-framed table with a glass top. I found it on Craigslist for $70. You can see a glimpse of it above! More pictures to come soon...

As a welcome gift for the coffee table, I bought a special little knicknack to pretty up her surface. The hand-painted Pu Yi ceramic tray is by Fabienne Jouvin and can be found here. But I got mine at a very cute little home boutique in Philadelphia called Hello Home. I think it adds just the right amount of color and impact to my new table!

Eggman Studios - Michelle Knowlen

I came across these charming and surreal paintings by Michelle Knowlen the other day on Etsy. She offers original paintings, limited edition prints, as well as one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces that depict woodland creatures, Victorian freak show performers, disembodied heads, friendly octopi, and other playfully strange subject matter. I really like how unique each piece is - the image of body-less legs set into a perfect little vintage frame, a slightly nefarious-looking owl painted onto a teeny, tiny wood chip, or a miniature painting of a feather made into a brooch. All very original and fun! See more here and on the artist's blog...

New Project - One Fine Philly

Hey everyone! First, please let me say thanks for all the fantastic comments that you've been leaving on the Orla Giveaway post. I love reading about your shopping obsessions, and I'm looking forward to drawing the winner's name on Wednesday. Good luck to you all!

Also, I  have some fun news. I am collaborating on a new blog called One Fine Philly with my dear friend, Sober in the City. She is a fantastic writer and quite the blogger extraordinaire, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do this with her. The idea of the blog is to be Philadelphia-focused, with posts on shopping, activities, restaurant openings, culture and more. I think it's going to be really good, so I hope you stop by sometime!

My first post is on the highly anticipated opening of Barneys CO-OP in Center City. I put together some fun spring ensembles from their new spring merchandise that you all might enjoy. Check it out here...

Hot Stuff

If you would, please allow me to indulge for a moment in one of my favorite spring rituals... drooling over the new collection from Christian Louboutin! I know they are ridiculously expensive, but they really are works of art. And that pale aqua python pump is pure heaven! I would wear it with everything, all the time, all year long...

Bold and Bright Bungalow

I'm knocked out by the super-saturated colors and rich textures in the LA home of interior designer Moises Esquenazi. More eye candy to be found here and here...

Images via House Beautiful

Loveliness...

Just a little something pretty for your Monday morning!

So I came across this gorgeous image by photographer Mario Sierra in the (also gorgeous) coffee table book, Valentino: Themes and Variations. After taking in the combination of ornate interior, purple hydrangea, feathers and haute couture I decided I had to see more of Sierra's work. If you love fashion, you will go crazy his stunning documentations of the Paris couture collections....

Now I have to run out and buy some flowers for the house!

Happy Friday + Orla Giveaway

Here's hoping you all have plans for a lovely weekend! Before I sign off for the day, I want to announce a little giveaway for my loyal readers. 

Since I've finally had some luck tracking down items from Target's Orla Kiely line, I figure I should share a bit of it with you. So, just leave a message in the comment section telling me about that one thing you are constantly searching for on your shopping expeditions. It can be something specific, like a perfect pair of ceramic foo dogs, or something more general, like vintage beaded clutches. 

One lucky person will receive the super-cute pear print apron and matching oven mit seen above! The winner will be selected at random on Wednesday, February 25.... Good luck, and happy weekend!

Wallpaper Project on Apartment Therapy

Wow! Thanks so much to Beth over at Apartment Therapy for featuring my before-and-after wall project! I'm super flattered that they liked the results of my adventure in bargain wallpaper. Check out the AT post here...

Gryphone Stationers + Joel Holland

How cool is this limited edition notebook from Gryphon Stationers?! A collaboration with graphic artist Joel Holland, the journal features his playful illustrations interspersed throughout. Holland is known for his book cover illustrations and particularly his hand-drawn lettering... check out more of his work below and here...