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Sugar Paper for Target
Sugar Paper for Target
Sugar Paper for Target
Sugar Paper for Target
Sugar Paper for Target
Sugar Paper for Target
The highly anticipated Sugar Paper office collection for Target officially launched this week and as expected, everything is so beautiful. I'll take one of each please! Shop it here.
Do you use a paper planner? While I use a digital task manager to organize my master list of to-do's, I like to use a paper planner to jot down weekly business notes, and another as a health and wellness diary. There are so many beautiful ones out there that I kinda wish I could find uses for more of them. Below are my favorites:
1- Blush Full Grain Desk Diary, 2- Gold Wash Embossed Python Leather Desk, 3- Marble Mini Three-Ring Binder for use with -> 3b- Weekly Planner Sheets, 4- Day Designer Black Stripe, 5- MyAgenda Leopard Day Planner, 6- Black Natural Leather Pocket Book, 7- Sugar Paper Blush Pink Planner, 8- Moleskin Scarlet Red Planner, 9- Toile Blue Planner, 10- DapperDesk Leather Planner, 11- Panama Textured Leather Diary, 12- Sugar Paper Gold Planner
Oh my goodness, what a week! It was seriously down to the wire getting everything ready and I could really go for a nap right about now, but I am so excited to share with you the final result!
If you're new here, welcome! You can catch up on the weekly progress posts and get the full story with these links:
Week 1 // Week 2 // Week 3 // Week 4 // Week 5
Are you ready for the reveal? A little reminder of what I started with:
Here's what my living-dining room looks like now:
I brought in purples and blues with pillows, art, and other accessories. The fact that all the big pieces are neutral in color, makes the space versatile and will allow us to very easily switch out the colors whenever the mood strikes.
We also added a black vintage-inspired ceiling light fixture which was custom made by a fellow small business.
lamp | art - top left, top right, bottom right
pillows: purple textured, blue velvet, floral, navy zig zag
Gallery wall around the TV finally finished!
The dining space probably went through the biggest transformation. It's now welcoming and ready for guests.
The old Ikea shelving unit that we had, got a little makeover with the addition of legs, doors, and greek key panels. I also added bins to keep it organized inside.
What do you think? I hope you love the space as much as I do. Thank you so much for following along and cheering me on throughout these past six weeks!
Big thank you to Linda, the creator and organizer behind the One Room Challenge, for including me this season. I enjoyed the journey and I am delighted with the result.
Big thank you also to my husband who helped me on weekends and evenings with most of the assembling, installing, hanging, etc.
Shout out to all my sponsors, who generously contributed product to help my vision come to life: Karastan Carpet - Apt2B - Bellacor - Sarah Swanson - Minted - Lowes - Lucent Lighting - Urban Home - O'verlays - Bassett Mirror Company - Mark & Graham - NDI - Parima Studio
Be sure to check out the reveals of the other 19 talented ladies who did this challenge with me and worked hard to beautifully transform their rooms. So much eye candy!:
Apartment 34 /Because it’s Awesome / Coco+Kelley / Design Darling / Design Indulgence / Design Manifest / Christine Dovey / The English Room / Vanessa Francis / Hi Sugarplum / Honey We’re Home / Jojotastic / The Pink Clutch / The Pink Pagoda / Simplified Bee / Style Your Senses / A Thoughtful Place / Kimberly Whitman / The Zhush
Summary of Sources:
Living Area - sponsored sources:: rug | arm chair | seagrass basket | side table | watercolor paintings in three white frames | gallery wall art - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 | small clear lamp | black vintage inspired ceiling light fixture (custom) || other sources:: blue velvet pillows | floral pillow | navy zig zag pillows | purple pillows | sofa | white tray | gold round mirrored tray | blue lacquered box | throw
Dining Area - sponsored sources:: dining chairs | dining table | custom abstract art | custom greek key pattern for ikea expedit hack | napkin rings | double gourd lamps | fiddle leaf tree | organizational bin || other sources:: white linen table runner | chambray linen napkins | natural water hyacinth placemats | gold flatware | tall black mirrors | boxwood topiary
photography by Stephanie Godfrey
Eeek! It's crunch time. These 6 weeks are going by waaay faster than I had anticipated. Good news is that most of the big pieces are now in place and we're making good progress overall...at least that's what I'd like to think.
This past week we picked up our rug, which is actually a carpet piece from one of our generous sponsors, Karastan.
Going with a carpet was perfect because it allowed me to get a floor covering that was the exact size I wanted. I took it in to the team at Area Rug Factory in Ventura and they custom cut and bound the edges. I also had them do a custom pad to go under the carpet and protect the floors.
The carpet I chose was the Patola in Almond Cream (currently on sale), which has a subtle ikat inspired pattern with striated neutral colors. It's made of New Zealand wool and feels great when walking on it barefoot.
Looks nice right? These photos don't do it justice. The weather was a bit gloomy so the natural light was limited when I took these but hopefully you're able to see the pattern.
Here's a look at the binding they did around the edges. Some people prefer to go with serged edges, but I like the clean look of this.
Here's a peek of it with the furniture:
Speaking of which, my armchair came in. It's the Catalina from Apt2B upholstered in a cleanable cream fabric. The size is perfect for the space, and I love it's simple and tailored design. Also, yay for it being handmade in the USA!
A couple of other things, I added this little black accent end table which works great next to the armchair.
I also added this seagrass braided basket, which is actually part of a set of 3. The other two will go in the dining space. They're perfect as stylish storage for throws, dog toys, etc., and also a great way to bring in a bit of texture.
Both the accent table and basket are from sponsor Bellacor, which if you haven't checked out, is a good resource to bookmark for home decor items. They have tons to choose from.
Last but not least, the dining chairs and table.
I was so excited for these. As soon as we assembled them and put them in place, I thought, "yes! we have a grown up dining space now!"
The dining chairs are from sponsor Urban Home. They have a elegant curved silhouette and silver nailhead trim detail. They're affordably priced too.
The table is simple and sturdy. It's from sponsor Lowes. Who knew they sell furniture? I can't wait to dress it up with some tabletop decor.
Between now and Sunday the plan is to scramble to finalize everything for the final reveal photoshoot on Monday. I'm still waiting on a few more things, and I need to do some in-store shopping, installing, fixing, painting, hanging, ironing, cleaning and styling. Fingers crossed it will all come together! Wish me luck!
p.s. I've updated the ORC Pinterest board with the items in the space.
p.s.s. Rug sponsor Karastan is currently having a fall sale through Monday November 9th, and also a giveaway which ends today! Find out more here and here.
Be sure to check in with the other 19 ORC participants to see their progress: Apartment 34 | Because It’s Awesome | Coco+Kelley | Design Darling | Design Indulgence |Design Manifest | Christine Dovey | The English Room | Vanessa Francis | Hi Sugarplum | Honey We’re Home | Jojotastic | The Pink Clutch | The Pink Pagoda | Simplified Bee | Style Your Senses | A Thoughtful Place | Kimberly Whitman | The Zhush | The One Room Challenge is Trademarked by CIH
This week I added some green to my dining space with a fiddle leaf fig tree...
It's a 7 footer and fills the empty corner beautifully. Both my husband and I love it. Best of all, I can't kill it! It's an artificial one from NDI - the place to go for the best faux botanicals and florals (did you see Jana's peonies during the spring ORC season??) I made an attempt to have a real one, but it sadly didn't survive. Perhaps if I tried harder or did a different plant I'd have better luck, but aside from the fact that this downstairs space gets very limited natural light due to our covered patio and the lack of windows, it's really not a priority for me right now to try to improve my gardening skills. For this reason I decided getting a faux tree was the way to go.
In other news, I gathered (most of) the supplies I need for the Expedit makeover. I've decided to add doors and dress them up with decorative panels from the fabulous company O'verlays. I ordered a custom greek key pattern and I'm so excited to attach the panels.
I'm not sure what placement I want to go with though. There are four options:
Which one would you go with? I'll leaning towards Option 1 or 3.
I'm hitting myself over the head because unfortunately, for some dumb reason, I only picked up six doors and I needed eight. Doh! So I need to make the hour and a half drive out to Ikea again to pick up the other two.
I wish I had more updates and photos for you, but I'm still waiting on most of the bigger things. I should hopefully (fingers crossed!) have an arm chair, dining chairs, and a rug to share photos of during next week's post. Stay tuned!
Be sure to check in with the other ORC Fall 2015 participants to see what they are up to: Apartment 34 | Because It’s Awesome | Coco+Kelley | Design Darling | Design Indulgence |Design Manifest | Christine Dovey | The English Room | Vanessa Francis | Hi Sugarplum | Honey We’re Home | Jojotastic | The Pink Clutch | The Pink Pagoda | Simplified Bee | Style Your Senses | A Thoughtful Place | Kimberly Whitman | The Zhush | The One Room Challenge is Trademarked by CIH
Last week I mentioned I'd be bringing in some color in my living dining space with some pillows, art and accessories. With so many options, I was indecisive on what exactly that would be, but ultimately I settled on using the Indian Arbre Hyacinth pillow as the color jumping off point and pulling out the blues and purples:
Once I chose that main pillow, I played around with different coordinating options. I landed on the Marine Blue Velvet, Java Java Navy and a light purple velvet. I also gave my sister Patty of Parima Studio, a swatch of the Indian Arbre Hyacinth fabric and she worked her magic to create a custom painting. What you see in the photo above is a sample print. We may make a few final modifications, then will get it blown up to a 24x30 piece that will go in the dining space, between the window and the front door.
Aside from that, I checked a few other things off my design to-do list. I selected and ordered the dining table, which should hopefully arrive later this week. I went to Lowe's with my husband to buy what we (ok he) needed to hide the TV wires. I started putting the art that arrived earlier, up on the gallery wall.
Last but not least, I unpacked these beauties which are going in the dining space and will be adding some much needed light:
They're called Hollywood Glam. I love their classic double gourd shape (my favorite for lamps) and that lucite bottom! They're also a nice size, so they'll help fill out the space nicely. I can't wait to add mirrors to the wall behind them!
There's still much left to do in 3 short weeks. It's going by so fast! More of the things I've ordered should start arriving (or be ready for me to pick up) so hopefully I'll have more photos for you next week. I also need to do an Ikea run (for frames, etc.), paint and fix my flea market entry tables (photo here), work on my Expedit makeover (fingers crossed it will look as I imagine it in my head), among other things. Stay tuned!
In case you missed it: Week 1, Week 2
ORC Fall 2015 Participants
In good company with some very talented ladies: Apartment 34 | Because It’s Awesome | Coco+Kelley | Design Darling | Design Indulgence |Design Manifest | Christine Dovey | The English Room | Vanessa Francis | Hi Sugarplum | Honey We’re Home | Jojotastic | The Pink Clutch | The Pink Pagoda | Simplified Bee | Style Your Senses | A Thoughtful Place | Kimberly Whitman | The Zhush | The One Room Challenge is Trademarked by CIH
Thank you to everyone who left comments and words of encouragement last week!
I'm lucky to report that I've made some progress in selecting things for my space. I can be pretty indecisive sometimes, but this challenge is pushing me to trust my gut and not overthink.
I started off by making a list of everything I needed to get and then began sourcing various options for each. Something I found super helpful was to measure and determine the maximum and minimum size I'd want each piece to be, and keep all those measurements in one place that I could reference. Especially with online shopping, the number of choices can be a bit overwhelming, so having a specific size range determined, helps eliminate a lot and narrow down the choices significantly. You may find that like me, there are a lot of things you're drawn to and then think, how am I gonna choose between all of these?? When you determine the ideal size, you'll find many things are either too deep, too tall, or too wide, and so you can quickly dismiss them as options. That makes choosing so much easier and helps avoid costly mistakes and unpleasant surprises!
To get organized I've been using Evernote. I created a notebook to keep everything (notes, photos, bookmarks, etc) in one place, that I can access from my phone, laptop, and desktop. Their little web clipper is so handy. It's one of my favorite digital organization tools.
Here's some of what I've chosen so far:
Yup neutrals, but don't worry, I'll be adding color with accessories and art. I like that a neutral base will allow me the flexibility to change things up easily for the holidays, etc.
Some stuff has already started to arrive, like these Minted prints, and more things should be arriving soon. I'll be sharing photos on Instagram, so be sure to follow along!
ORC Fall 2015 Participants
In good company with some very talented ladies: Apartment 34 | Because It’s Awesome | Coco+Kelley | Design Darling | Design Indulgence |Design Manifest | Christine Dovey | The English Room | Vanessa Francis | Hi Sugarplum | Honey We’re Home | Jojotastic | The Pink Clutch | The Pink Pagoda | Simplified Bee | Style Your Senses | A Thoughtful Place | Kimberly Whitman | The Zhush | TM by CIH
I'm thrilled and excited to announce that I am participating in my very first One Room Challenge! I'm joining the ranks of some inspiring and talented ladies (links to their blogs at the bottom of this post) and we're each transforming a room in 6 weeks while documenting our progress along the way.
My husband and I moved into our current home last November, and have not "finished" decorating any of the rooms yet, so the One Room Challenge will be a great push to get at least one done. I've decided to tackle the living/dining room, which is one long open space and where we spend the most time in as a family. Here's a look at my starting point:
The space has a nice base. We painted the walls a creamy neutral as soon as we moved in and we have a big comfy light grey sofa that we love.
Everything we have, has been carried over from our previous homes (Thousand Oaks and Sherman Oaks). While some things like the sofa work great in this new space, others just don't. For the dining space, I'd love to get a bigger table and new chairs. What we have currently worked great in our previous homes since they were smaller spaces, however their scale looks a bit off here. The Expedit against the wall will likely stay, but I'm thinking of giving it a little makeover.
The walls look rather empty and bland so I'll definitely be doing something about that. I'm thinking mirrors above the Expedit unit and a trio of white frames placed vertically in the living space next to the sunburst mirror.
I'll be switching out the two rugs in the living room for one large one that's appropriately sized. If the budget allows, I may also switch out the chair. It's a slipcovered one that I've had since college!
I have a gallery wall going on where the TV is, but it's half finished. I used a lot of the frames that I had in my previous home office, but since the configuration is different, some of the art no longer works (do you spot the the eiffel tower going horizontally?) and some frames are empty. I also need to do something to hide those ugly TV wires.
I hope you'll follow along as I transform this room. I'll be posting weekly updates every Wednesday morning here, and smaller updates on Instagram. I'll also be on Pinterest pinning inspiration and the products I'm thinking about or will be using for the space.
If you're new here, welcome! I am a pillow shop owner, and I blog for fun. Feel free to browse through my past posts. I not only love design, but I also have a thing for beautiful organization :-)
ORC Fall 2015 Participants
In good company with some very talented ladies: Apartment 34 | Because It’s Awesome | Coco+Kelley | Design Darling | Design Indulgence |Design Manifest | Christine Dovey | The English Room | Vanessa Francis | Hi Sugarplum | Honey We’re Home | Jojotastic | The Pink Clutch | The Pink Pagoda | Simplified Bee | Style Your Senses | A Thoughtful Place | Kimberly Whitman | The Zhush | TM by CIH
A couple of months ago I shared a photo of my new home office on Instagram. Slowly but surely I've made some updates and while it's not quite "finished" yet, I'm happy that it's starting to take shape and no longer looks like an empty box. Here's what it's looking like currently:
While most things were carried over from my old office. I did bring in some new art, pillows, accessories and since this office is a bit smaller, a new rug. Also brought in the black ribbon edged curtains from our old bedroom - I love them in here!
Not sure yet if I want to add something in the corner, next to the Expedit. In the old office, I had bookcases on either side. They are now being used for closet organization.
The main wall is still pretty bare. I used the frames that I used to have in my old office, for a gallery wall around the TV in our new living room (photo of that coming soon), so I need to shop for some new ones. I haven't decided yet though if I want to do a mix or all one color.
Be sure to follow along here or on Instagram for future updates! I'll probably share our living room next.
In a recent post, I talked about how much I love luxury candles. I mentioned that a bonus is that they often come in beautiful jars, so once you burn them up and finish enjoying their wonderful scents, you can repurpose the jars and use them to store various items. Below are five ideas:
1. Makeup brushes and beauty tools:
2. Q-tips and cottons:
L: Trendenser, R: Skona Hem
3. Fresh flowers:
4. Office supplies - including pens, pencils, scissors, and paper clips:
L: Lonny, R: The Beauty Lookbook
5. Small plants - something I hadn't thought of until I came across these images:
tutorials >> L: A Pair and a Spare DIY, R: Luxirare
Lighting a fancy scented candle is one of my favorite ways to complement beautiful surroundings, elevate the everyday, and when paired with some music and a bath, indulge in a little self-care. Their wonderful lingering scent can transform the ambience of any space and lift my mood. While they can be pricey, if you find one you absolutely love, I say considering their impact, it's worth the splurge. Cheaper versions often burn too quickly and can be overly strong in a nauseating way. Also, since many luxury candles look as fabulous as they smell, you can repurpose them once they've burned down. Just put them in the freezer to easily remove any leftover wax residue and then use them as a small vase or a chic makeup brush or pencil holder.
Below are a couple of favorites:
1- Cire Trudon Trianon // "The picking of hyacinth, roses, white flowers, wild herbs from the meadows and graminaceous plants, this bunch of flowers reminds us of an ideal nature, that of the Nouvelle Héloïse and the country life dreams of Marie Antoinette. Vibrating with the memory of a summer evening, when the warm, musky scent of torches fill the air, this scent is a homage to the Queen of taste..."
2- Diptyque Figuier "The fig tree scent recalls the warm summer days in Greece when the rich fragrance of ripened figs fills the soft air....It intensifies the tree's qualities: the warmth of the bark, the freshness of the leaves, and the milky sap of its fruit."
3- Aerin Trumpet Vine // "Lily of the valley and the essence of flowering garden vines are blended with lotus blossom, hyacinth and musk."
4- Jo Malone Orange Blossom // "A shimmering garden oasis. Clementine flower sparkles over a heart of orange blossom and water lily, with warm undertones of orris and balsamic vetiver."
5- Carriere Freres Lavandula Angustifolia // "She’s also called “true lavender” and grows wild on the hills of Southern France. Purple shrubs of green grey leaves, lavender’s fragrant flowers stand up straight, defying the elements with their colorful spikes. Its essential oil, of the highest quality, purifies and heals."
6- Voluspa Santiago Huckleberry // "Notes of ripe huckleberry, vanilla and crushed sugar cane."
7- Eclectic Tom Dixon Orientalist // "The faint memory of an Indian wedding with rose petal garlands- giant cinnamon sticks on the beach stalls and the musky smells of the Chinese herbal market."
8- LAFCO Master Bedroom // "Warm and enveloping; a mix of sweet chamomile and sprightly lavender promotes a sense of well being."
9- Nest Moroccan Amber // "Moroccan amber, sweet patchouli, heliotrope and bergamot are accented with a hint of eucalyptus."
10- Capri Blue Volcano // tropical fruits, sugared oranges, lemons, and limes, redolent with lightly exotic mountain greens
This list could continue on, as I know there are other amazing candles out there. Which ones do you love? What are you currently burning? Do you change it up when with the change of season?
Hey guys! Sorry I've been MIA here lately. Have been really busy working hard behind the scenes on setting up a foundation for the shop to grow to the next level.
I wanted to share with you photos from a fun home tour shoot we did late last year, just before we moved out of our Los Angeles condo. The shoot was for the stylish pet friendly living website Pretty Fluffy and features my furry lovable companion, Little Foot. Photos were taken by the sweet and talented photographer Alicia Rius of Frame Your Pet.
This was a one-bedroom condo we had purchased back in 2008 and lived in for a few years, then decided to rent out for awhile (during which time we lived in this home), then moved back in for a couple of months before selling it so we could move closer to family and get something with more office space.
One of my favorite things about the space was that it was light and bright. I loved the fresh paint color which we carried throughout the kitchen, dining space and living room.
This spot near the window in the dining space is where Little Foot always loved to sit in the morning to catch some sunlight.
We kept Little Foot's toys stored in a stylish magazine holder, which made it easy to move from space to space and keep them out of sight when not in use.
This was my office space, a corner of the living room. Small, but functional.
Little Foot looked handsome in his greek key collar from Blueblood Living.
I loved having these two tall bookcases flanking the fireplace. They added height to the space and provided great storage for our books and my collection of magazines.
Little Foot's second favorite spot to hang out was right on top of the sofa. I think he liked it because it gave him a view of outside and allowed him to watch over the home, like a king.
In our bedroom we went bold with dark blue paint on the walls, and dressed up the bed with Arianna Belle pillows, of course!
For more photos and a Q&A interview with me, check out the Pretty Fluffy feature.
All photos by FRAME YOUR PET
Like the trays I featured in my last post, baskets are another one of those products that are very versatile and multifunctional. Use them in all rooms in your home as stylish storage for a number of things that uncontained, would otherwise make a space look cluttered. Use them in the living room to hold magazines, newspapers, extra throws, and firewood. In the family room, use them to hide pet and kids toys. In the entry, use them for shoes, slippers, and things that need to go out the door. In the bathroom, baskets work great for holding extra toilet paper and towels (roll them for that luxurious hotel look). In the bedroom, use them to hold books and extra pillows. In the linen closet, use baskets to hold items that are difficult to fold neatly like wash cloths and fitted sheets.
Below are my finds of baskets which are not only practical, but also stylish enough to integrate into your decor:
1- water hyacinth woven basket, 2- seagrass wicker basket, 3- navy basket, 4- brass basket, 5- white morrocan wedding basket, 6- black lace basket, 7- round belly basket, 8- grey wool basket, 9- blue striped basket, 10- patterned blue basket, 11- whitewash woven storage bin, 12- woven seagrass basket with leather
Trays are a personal favorite of mine because they are so multifunctional and versatile. They work well in just about every room in the house, for both styling and organizing purposes, including in the entryway, living room, office, bathroom and bedroom. You can use them to corral and display a number of small items such as: keys and sunglasses on your entry table, jewelry on your nightstand, beauty products on your bathroom counter, perfume on your vanity, candles and flowers on your coffee table, and office supplies on your desk. Things just tend to look so much neater and like a purposeful vignette when they're within the boundaries of a tray, than when they're spread out randomly.
Below is my roundup of some the most stylish trays out there:
1- tangle lacquered tray, 2- silver lacquered tray, 3- acrylic leopard printed tray, 4- nude lacquered tray, 5- bone inlay tray, 6- oro de nero tray, 7- gold mirrored round tray, 8- mirrored tray, 9- acrylic zebra printed tray, 10- python tray, 11- orange tray, 12- clear acrylic tray
Early last month my husband, pup and I moved into a new home. We sold our condo in LA and moved about an hour north to Ventura County, closer to our families. With the area we moved to being less expensive than LA, we were able to get a significantly larger townhome for about the same amount we were paying per month for our one bedroom condo. We gained about an extra 500 sqft of living space, a garage and a fenced front porch/yard. I'm absolutely loving it and feeling so grateful. It's the newest and largest home I've ever lived in. Below is a little mini tour:
Since moving in, we've done some unpacking and painting, but still have a while to go before everything is in it's place and we're fully settled in. The garage especially is looking like a mess right now as it's become a dumping ground for empty boxes and stuff we're not ready to tackle yet. Over the next several weeks I will be spending my free time organizing and decorating, and I will post updates on Instagram and on here as everything starts coming together. I hope you'll follow along!
My talented sister Patty of Parima Studio, just launched her Rose Collection of fine art prints, inspired by a trip we took to a rose farm back in May. I have loved being able to witness the development of it over the past few months and am so proud of her. She's so talented and passionate about what she does, which I think shows in the end product.
View the entire of collection here.
