Here's To An Organic New Year!

Hello, I'm back!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Mine was a bit tumultuous, but more on that later. For now, lets talk about what we want more of in the new year! For me, organic and beautiful design sits high on the list:)

Blinds On Blinds!

If you don't want curtains in your bedroom why not take inspiration from the idea of using two different types of blinds?

Venetian blinds fitted inside the recess of the window provides the privacy you need without the use of net curtains, whilst a linen blend Roman blind style breaks the starkness, adding a soft and gentle touch which is ideal for bedrooms.

The great advantage of using two types of blinds is the endless possibilities of colour combinations you can use! White Venetian blinds provide you with a crisp clean look, as well as the versatility of being able to control the amount of light entering the room, whilst you can have a fabric blind which matches or coordinates with your bedding sets to bring the room together and provide a sense of balance.

This style of window dressing becoming increasingly popular as it a great money saver! Not only can ready made Roman blinds be bought inexpensively, you can also make your own Roman blinds which opens up a whole world of wonderful fabrics to choose from. Double layering window dressings is also a good way to help reduce heat loss via your windows, especially if you select a medium weight fabric for the Roman blinds.

Image: two ellie blogspot

Happy Christmas Everyone!

I hope you have a great day in your own chosen way, receive and give presents to friends and family, along with sitting round the table to tuck into your Christmas diner!

You've probably spent ages making sure your home is neat and tidy, especially if you have guests staying with you during the festive season, as well as decorating your home with your own individual design flair and colour combinations!

If you are spending Christmas at someone's else's home you will no doubt inadvertently look at their décor, colour scheme and interior design style – it's an 'inbred' thing which try as you might you can't shake off!

Obviously its wise not to pass judgement, however, making kind comments and remarks about someone's new curtains and blinds may be just the sort of thing they would like to hear, taking notice of someone else's efforts is a great way to build relationships as well as being a great talking point if you can't bear to sit and watch another repeat on the television!

Other people's interior designs can be very inspirational, rather like reading interior design blogs or thumbing through design magazines!

Image: Surroundings

Beautiful Festive Colour Schemes

You have probably already chosen your Christmas colour scheme this year, if you haven't try fabulous turquoise! This gorgeous colour is sure to brighten any home style as well as complimenting neutral décors.

Irrespective of what colour scheme you choose the key is not to get carried away and add so many baubles and tree decorations that your tree looks completely swamped! Remember the less is more 'rule'!

The other thing is to buy a tree which suits and fits comfortably within the size of your room! Placing it in front of your lounge window is a great idea just so long as it doesn't interfere with the opening and closing of curtains or vertical blinds.

Whilst it is the season to be jolly, you also need to be jolly careful that you don't expose your house and its contents to the world as sadly opportunist thieves are prevalent over the festive season, particularly if you leave your curtains or blinds open when you are not at home. Of course if you have Venetian or vertical blinds you can simply adjust the angle of the slats or vanes to give you privacy from prying and inquisitive eyes!

Sounds cynical? Or just a reflection of the times we live in?

Image: House of Turquoise

My Christmas Wish

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the great comments on my last post. All of you

are so supportive. Actually, that's why I feel comfortable sharing my

feelings, because I know you all will be so kind. I will be on the road today and

with family for the week. I'm not sure how much posting I will be able

to do, so I'm leaving a Christmas treat for all of you. I love Judy Garland so

much, and this song is just perfection. Hope you enjoy it.

Merry Christmas to all my readers, fellow bloggers, and friends!

Love

Carolina

Holiday Blues

I'm not the only one who struggles with depression throughout the holidays, right? Why is that? I really try to enjoy Christmas time, but mostly it seems to bring me down. I hate that, but its the truth. Sorry to be such a downer today. Its just that its difficult for me not to be honest. My faith pushes me to be more positive and to invite good things into my life, but its a struggle at this time of year. I always feel like I haven't done enough for everyone and another year has slipped by. I don't have enough time to send out Christmas cards and take Liam to see Santa. I usually am scrambling at the last minute to finish buying gifts that I really can't afford, but feel guilty if I don't. Ahhhh! I want Christmas to be about my faith in Christ. I get frustrated that people refuse to acknowledge Christianity as the source of "Christmas" and yet my life doesn't seem to acknowledge that either! I mean what right do I have to complain?! I don't believe in expecting other people to do things I don't do. I have to say that I'm pretty fed up with these feelings I struggle with. (I'm only writing this, because it helps me when I get it all out). My life has to change. I already have been changing many things and will share them after the New Year.

You may be wondering what in the world these photos have to do with what I'm writing. Well, I posted them for purely selfish reasons. Basically, they make me happy! I needed a jolt of sunshine and fun and these photos have that, don't you think? I found them via Living Etc.

Wake Up To The Smell Of Natural Pine Or Spruce This Christmas!

I love the idea of adding festive decorations to bedrooms! What could be more pleasing that crisp, clean, snow white bedding sets and the smell of evergreen pine or spruce sap to make you feel really Christmassy!

This chic bedroom uses natural elements throughout the year with the beautifully carved wooden bed posts and the simple wood-weave Roman style wooden blinds. It's the simplicity of the overall appearance of the room combined with different textures, as seen in the embroidered bedding and scatter cushions and bed posts which has so much appeal. The windows have not been over dressed, so as much natural light as possible can enter the room during the daytime.

It's really easy to emulate designs such as these and what's even more appealing is that you can choose inexpensive bedding sets and blinds, along with odd natural 'finds' (such as the scallop shells) to use as unobtrusive finishing touches. Keep the walls plain and the design simple, no fussiness just beautiful furnishings and personal treasures and the smallest of bedrooms can be transformed effortlessly.

Adding the natural festive touches would be ideal for guest rooms this Christmas and shows that you have great design style throughout your home not just in the lounge!

Image: A Life's Design

Baby, Its Cold Outside

I'm still adjusting to the cold weather! I prefer to be warm, but I'm dealing. Reading Veranda, I found a Wyoming home that makes winter a lot more palatable:) I just want to curl up by the fireplace in a beautiful wool blanket. If you're wondering, the design is by Barbara Barry. Her amazing eye definitely shows.

Create Stunning Festive Windows!

Don't you just love the festive season! I say this with tongue in cheek, don't get me wrong I adore Christmas, the fairy lights, trees and of course the receiving and giving of presents!

What I'm not too keen on is the hype and over commercialisation! The one thing that always please me is the opportunity to spend money on the all important finishing touches in the lounge and dining room which make the festive season so special.

I've decided on a chic and stylish theme this year which is minimalist, working on the adage that less is more! As the garden Christmas tree remains in-situ I ensue the windows are sparkling clean and have invested in lightweight voile curtains with trendy metal openings which compliment the curtain poles. I'm also going to hang bunches of baubles in pretty pastel shades to act as temporary tie-backs!

As you can see with little expense and inspiration from different pages of interior design blogs you can dress your windows in keeping with your Christmas design theme in your lounge and dining room to create stunning interior which will ooze with creativity as well as chic styling!

Image: Belle Maison 23

10 Years Ago Today!

(Mark and Me in the good ole' 90's)

Was the day Mark and I got married! I'm a little bit in shock, that its been that long. I still think of myself as a kid, but kids aren't married for 10 years! Of course, I know we are so blessed to have become a family and we have defied the odds. Marriage isn't always easy, but I don't know where I would be without my wonderful husband. Here's to MANY more:)

Love you, Darling!!

Bright, eclectic and colorful

The top five photos are of stylist Anna Richardson's Victorian home in East Sussex. (photos: Paul Raeside/ styled by Mary Weaver)





I enjoyed these two homes featured in Living Etc. recently (January 2010). Maybe it's just therapy to gaze at lots of bright color on this gray, dark winter afternoon. The lower five photos are from Anya Hoffman's Cologne period flat. The Scandinavian colors and fabrics and the bright tile are so happy. Love those over-the-door bookshelves too! (lower five photos by Christian Schaulin; styled by Kersten Rose)

Small style from Emily Chalmers

I'm sure most of you have read about or seen sylist Emily Chalmer's work through her books, Flea Market Syle, Contemporary Country and Table Inspirations, as well as her charming East London shop, Caravan. She is an inspiration- she always coming up with something unusual for her shop, and every time I pop in, I get new ideas from the way she has fashioned objects into a decorative scene. Not to mention, Emily herself is just a kind person who goes out of her way for her customers. Well, she's at it again with this ingenious little dollhouse I saw in January's Elle Decoration.
Emily and wallpaper designer Deborah Bowness designed this incredible dollhouse together and the detail is remarkable! I can't imagine where they found all the little bits, but it looks like a house you might really want for yourself instead of just for play!
Click on the photos to see more in a larger size. (Photos by Debi Treolar)

Winter Wear?

So the oddest thing has happened here in Houston, Tx...its been like winter time around here! Last week we had actual snow! Yeah, SNOW!!! Supposedly, today is going to get cold again. The funny thing about living on the Gulf Coast is that when cold weather appears, everyone is scrambling to find something to wear! We don't exactly keep winter coats and gloves on hand. So, I'm taking this opportunity to share an online store I'm loving right now called Old Town Clothing. I find it satisfies two of my deepest (usually unmentioned) desires. 1. To dress like I came out of an old movie 2. To wear men's clothing (yes, I have confessed to this before).

Honestly, I would have liked to post every photo on their website...I love everything! Sometimes I try to talk Mark into wearing these type of clothes, but he won't ever go there. Oh well.
Thanks to Ancient Industries for introducing me to this site:)

The Beautiful Colours Of Nature

If the thought of filling your home with tortoiseshell, ivory and horn sends shivers down your spine, you can still have some of nature's finest patterns and colours just as long as it faux (false).

Thinking about where your furniture and soft furnishing come from and the materials they are made from is becoming extremely popular as we are looking at ways to lower our carbon footprint, however, ivory, horn and tortoiseshell, rightly or wrongly, has been used in interiors for many hundreds of years across the globe.

The beautiful browns, creams and orange hues found in natural tortoiseshell make wonderful colour combinations. Cast your mind back to the 70s when teenagers wanted chocolate brown and orange bedrooms, they were the in-trend colours of the time and today these colours may be given fancy names such as chocolate, mocha or sunset glow they are still fundamentally brown and orange!

Nature inspires many interior designs and the use of natural materials which have been sourced from sustainable resources has never been more in demand. If you adore wooden blinds because of their colour, unique graining along with their practicality and versatility as a window dressing check out were the wood to make them has been sourced.

Image: Studio Annetta Blog

Ode To The Table

By Pablo Neruda

I have taken up poetry reading:) The beautiful photos can be found on Flickr:
1. Vesna 1962
2. Decorology
3. Soleil is Me
4. Missionpictures
5. Moxiee

I Need New Jewelry!

Because I don't have anything that looks like this! Found these at Tinctory.

(Via Pia Jane Bijkerk)

Can't Wait For Sunday

Normally, I save music videos for Sunday; but I had to share this today! While reading The Pursuit Aesthetic (A fantastic blog!)
I discovered Vampire Weekend's video. Love it! Maybe it will make Hump day go by a little faster:)
One more thing, check out the incredible guitars in the video. Are they vintage, I wonder? Don't know but they are cool.

Viva Venetian Blinds!

If you like to keep things stylish yet simple within your home Venetian blinds have to be one of the most practical and versatile window treatments you can use.

The old fashioned metal Venetian blinds that clanked and clucked their way into many offices have been re-designed to suit all styles of home interiors perfectly.

White remains one of the most popular colour choices, basically because the colour blends effortlessly with any other colour within the room. Venetian blinds are very practical for use in bathrooms and kitchens as the latest designs have special coatings which make the moisture resistant and some also have coatings which help prevent dust build-up which has to be a big plus for anyone! The controls have also been modified over the years, with easy to use wand controls replaced pull cord systems.

The choice of colours has been greatly improved over recent years and along with the latest in-trend sherbet colours vibrant primary colours and gloss black are now available, even you really want a real change there are some fabulous faux leather Venetian blinds in black or chocolate brown which provide the same versatility with chic and modern design styles to suit modern lifestyles perfectly!

Image: My Notting Hill Blog

White Elephant Antiques

Well, guess what...North Star Antiques was CLOSED!!! Yeah, I made Mark drive all the way over there, just to find they weren't open. Ughh! Just to be clear, I did call a couple of days in a row, but no one responded. Maybe that should have been a hint. Oh well, far be it for me to give up on a shopping trip. Luckily, I did find White Elephant Antiques was open. I'm sure many of you have read about this great place. Its really incredible! I lost track of how long we walked around, because every booth was so great. 

I'm crazy about this display! A board w/ chalkboard paint and the tiniest little hand, holding up music for an automated piano. It a total statement piece!

So, my plan didn't exactly work out the way I imagined, but it was still a blast! I actually have quite a few more photos on my Flickr site HERE. You didn't think I would keep it down to only 8 pics did you?