To DIY For: String Mâché Lanterns

Who wants to come have an art party with me and make these?!

This to-DIY-for project is brought to you by Wednesday.  It's messy, but looks relatively cheap n' easy and could be lots of fun if done with some crafty buddies.

Check out the full tutorial here!

Gallery wall frames...check!

I scored this 10-piece gallery frame set at Ross for under 10 bucks!

The set includes:
one 8x10
three 5x7
four 4x6
two 2.5x3.5

I can't wait to fill them with art!  Here's a peek at some of the prints I have my eyes on.

I will most definitely be getting one of these "Home Is Where Your Heart Is" prints by LilyGene.  I'd like to get one of the Carribean Islands with one heart on Puerto Rico and another heart on Haiti (my two places of ethnic heritage).  I'm digging her colors "Deep Sea" and "Cherry"

thebigharumph

Who wouldn't want 10 thousand kisses?!  And this peacock turquoise blue...gorgeous.

Judykaufmann

I love this Frida Kahlo print.  A inspirational Latina who's now afraid to rock a unibrow...and she fits in my color scheme.  It was meant to be.  Oh, and did i mention that the sizes for this print are customizable?  Swoon.

Foodie Wannabe: Asparagus, fava, and pecorino salad

So yummy...and even better, SO EASY!

I saw this crisp little treat on Bliss this morning.  This would be a perfect salad to bring to a pot luck barbeque, or to fix as a healthy mid-day lunch.  Check out the full method after the jump!

Self Interview: Living Room Edition

In an effort to clear the clutter from my mind and cure my design ADD, I've decided to interview myself the way bloggers interview the participants of their house tours.  Only, my interview will be about what I would like my apartment to eventually look like!  Here goes!

How would you describe what you'd like your living room to feel/look like?
Bohemian meets contemporary rustic.  Lots of textures.  Nods to both global bazaars and nature.  World Market meets Urban Outfitters with a splash of thrift.

What color schemes do you enjoy for this space?
For my living room, I am enjoying the idea of a "Moroccan Carnival" color scheme, which would be centered around my chili colored couch and my gun metal colored Apostrophe Chair.

 

Moroccan Carnival A

Moroccan Carnival B

 

What are the top 5   6   7 must-haves that you'd like to incorporate into this space?

1. Faux Antlers/Horns/Animal Heads (shown: Z Gallerie)
2. Faux Fur or Flokati Rug (shown: IKEA) 
3. Hanging Moroccan Lanterns (shown: Apartment Therapy)

4. A terrarium...or four. (shown: Augury on Etsy) 
5. Colorful throw pillows (shown: Sukan on Etsy) 
6. A wall gallery of neato Etsy prints (shown: Apartment Therapy)

7. Owls (Shown: AVelvetLeaf on Etsy, West Elm, Birdmafia on Etsy)


What are your dream decor sources for this room?
1. Urban Outfitters
2. Etsy
3. World Market
4. West Elm
5. Anthropologie 
 

Bike Racks from Urban Outfitters

I've been looking for you guys!

Bike Tire Tray & Wall Hook

Folding Wood Shelf Bike Rack

 This one is especially neato cuz it folds up into a more discrete position!  See?

Folding Wood Shelf Bike Rack

Design ADD - Part I

I've been so flustered lately.
Not only do I want to buy so many things and have NO money to pay for them, but I love TOO MANY styles.  I really should just shut-up, suck it up, and start DIYing.  But I have a fear of effing up a perfectly good piece of furniture, or spending money on fabric only to make a busted ass pillow.

I recently read about the "homework series" at The Marion House Book, which tackled the task of commitment issues in design and curating a cohesive home.  She actually got the idea from Holley & Gill, which I looked into as well.  Anywhoo...this got me thinking about these issues in my home.  I tend to be drawn to so many varying styles, color schemes, textures, and ideas that if i went with my gut (and had the income to actually do so) my apartment would look like a funhouse.  And not in a cute kitschy way.

I also had my usual recurring daydream of moving back to New York and thought to myself: "Self?  If you moved into a tiny little studio apartment in Morningside, your living room stuff would totally clash with your bedroom stuff.  Maybe you should try to make your whole home a bit more cohesive."  I agreed with myself.

So here's where I stand now:

BEDROOM

LIVING ROOM

All my walls are bare (eek!!!!) and i can't decide what fabulous Etsy prints I want to hang on them.  I have elements of every genre of design represented in my house (mid-century, contemporary, bohemian, scandanavian, etc.) and I need to bring it all together.

Stay tuned as I embark on this journey to cure my design ADD!

Hello Gorgeous: Button Bouffants

I am in LURVE.

Louis Vuitton Model

French metalworker, photographer, and design hero Anouchka Potdevin has stolen my heart with her button-on-canvas creations.  Inspired by models and performers with amazingly awesome hair, she has fashioned simple portraits of them on canvas and used buttons to style their 'dos.

Louis Vuitton Model

 Diana Ross

 Erykah Badu

Sadly, I can't see where I can actually purchase on of these beauties.  It does seem simple enough to DIY if you have the ability to screenprint the images onto canvas or are really good with a pen.