Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Love letters show ...


I am going to let the pictures do most of the talking today. I took these photos on Saturday at Beth Hylan’s “Love Letters”
Trunk Show at TaggArt Studio in Wakefield. I am always amazed at the unique ways that Beth combines vintage paper, jewelry pieces, and other odds and ends to create miniature works of art.





Precious.
Charming.

Adorable.

Signs of affection by Mary Taggart


Call Beth at 781.246.8552 to check on the availability of items pictured in today’s post. To be informed of upcoming shows visit her website to sign up for email notification. And if you are feeling creative, check out the schedule at TaggArt Studio (I will post a series of photos of my own “artwork soon!)


My gift to you: enter to win my Valentine’s Day giveaway! Feel free to share the love : )

Sunday, February 7, 2010

A blogger's Valentine giveaway ...


Love is a canvas furnished by Nature
and embroidered by imagination.
– Voltaire

Dear Readers, I am giving away a small token of my affection in honor of Valentine’s Day 2010! On February 15th one lucky follower will be chosen to receive a decorative item that I personally designed (the sewing, however, was left to a professional!)

To enter this sweet giveaway there are three rules:


1. Be an official
follower of my blog

2.
Post a comment saying which of these items is your favorite and mention where you might use it

3. To receive the giveaway item, the winner (who will be chosen by a random drawing) must provide a shipping
address in the United States. If the winner resides outside of the United States, there is a separate prize (but still feel free to comment on which item is your favorite).

Here are the choices ...



Choice Number One:

A pair of vintage tea towel pillows. Tea towel fabric on front with pink chenille on back. Down-filled, trimmed in red. Zipper at the bottom.



Choice Number Two:
“Monkey Love
Bundle



One banana-yellow down-filled bolster ...


wrapped in a snuggly child-size throw designed with a playful monkey flannel on one side and a brown faux fur fabric on the other. Bonus: one monkey mask.



Choice Number Three:
“Best Friend
Framed Fabric Art




Choice Number Four:
Seashell Pillow (Shells on front, blueish-green fabric on back). Made with indoor/outdoor quality fabric, zipper on bottom, welted in a vintage seafoam green and white striped fabric. Poly form pillow insert.




And if your name is chosen and you live outside of the U.S., you will receive three matted wallpaper prints (shown above in shadowbox frames – sorry, frames will not be included in prize shipment).




The deadline to post your comment is 11:59 pm EST on February 14, 2010. The winner will be announced on Monday, February 15, 2010. Winner must then provide shipping address to me via e-mail in order to receive chosen favorite. Items not chosen by the winner will be listed for sale on Etsy. Good luck and thanks so much for reading my blog!

xoxo
yvonne

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Fresh paint, fresh flowers


Dear Blog: To make up for my recent absence, I am posting some flowers for you. There is nothing like citrus-y orange and lime colored blooms to brighten up a winter interior! And just to show you that I am committed to keeping my promises, I am also posting photos of my first end-result for Resolution #4: I will set aside time to tackle at home design projects.



The most difficult part of this project was just dedicating the time to prep, paint and clean-up. When I take everything out I have to be sure to leave ample time to put it all away before my little whirlwinds get off the bus ... or there will be consequences!



Now isn’t that much better?



I haven’t gotten around to Resolution #5: update family photos (the boys are about three years older than they are in these photos) but I am working on it!



I used a pair of bunny bookends on either side of this grouping of three square vases to make this long and low arrangement. At the bottom of each vase I added river stones to hold the stems in place. It almost looks like the bunnies are out in the garden!

Is anyone else dreaming of spring about now???


There is great blog I have been following, written by Australian interior designer Anna Spiro titled Absolutely Beautiful Things that showcases a different arrangement of flowers on Fridays, views from her shop Black & Spiro, and other design inspirations.

Visit her musings-from-down-under
for a real visual treat : )

Have a good day!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

It must be love ...

Vintage paper art and
jewelry by Beth Hylan



You know it must be love when all you do is think about the next time that you can be together.



You know it must be love when you want to share everything that is important to you.




You know it must be love when you start to feel lost without the other.



You know it must be love when you make up reasons to spend time together.


I have been feeling lost without you, Blog! Please forgive me for abandoning you for over a week!!!! I have been thinking about you constantly. There has been so much going on that I want to tell you about, but I just need a little more time to get my thoughts together.
Please don’t leave me for another! Knowing that you are out there really means a lot to me ...

xoxo
Yvonne




Beth Hylan Design Studio

“Love Letters Trunk Show”

Saturday, February 6, 2010
Noon to 4pm

TaggArt Studio, Wakefield
781.246.8552

Monday, January 25, 2010

Master bedroom preview, part 2

Our current master bedroom is used in this photo
as a backdrop to showcase a pillow collection
that I designed for a seaside home.


I spent last week researching final choices for our new bedroom. I still love this color wall – Benjamin Moore Crown Point Sand which is kind of tan, kind of greenish – but I plan to go with something a tad whiter since there is less natural light in the new space. Although now that the room is completely plastered, it actually looks pretty bright up there. Even so, I have been seeing so many great all-white rooms in both design magazines and on the web that I would love to have one in our home as well.



My top color choice right now is Benjamin Moore Marscarpone. It is a bright creamy white with a touch of yellow that will help to give the room a sunny disposition even with just one window. I am planning on keeping many of the same fabrics that we currently have (reduce, reuse, recycle!) This tea-stained stripe was used to create our custom bedskirt – which I love – and would not feel right about replacing.




Here is the skirt with a sample of carpet. If we decide to go with wall-to-wall (less $ and/or labor) this medium taupe will ground the space well.




This lighter version looks kind of blah to me. Plus with the light walls there will not be enough contrast. Also, our headboard is tan linen and I would rather go with a darker color on the ground. Our top choice would be pre-finished hardwood which my husband could actually install, so the price without having to pay for installation just might work out for us.



This dark stained oak is our top choice right now. It would look appropriate in a 100-year old home.




On top of the hardwood, I would use our existing wool carpet. Here is just a peek of the border (the carpet is all rolled up after coming home from the cleaners, so I could only grab this little shot). It alternates squares of creamy white with greens and golds.



Most of our bedroom furniture is Swedish Home from Ethan Allen. The creamy white wood finish will blend in with the wall color, which will make the space appear larger than it is.




This chandelier from our current
room will move with us. I love it even though it does not give off a super amount of light (we will add additional layers of light next to the bed, and in the corners of the room).



This piece of white washed furniture has been with me since my first apartment at twenty-one.
Wherever I go, it follows!




Our current coverlet is neutral in color. It has always been a little small for our king-size bed (even though it is king size, go figure!) so it might end up on the foot of the bed and I will look for something in the same color family but more generous in scale.



I have a pair of zebra striped down-filled pillows from my design inventory that I will add to the mix.


Plantation shutters from Smith & Noble

At the window, I am thinking that a shutter would be a nice choice, allowing us light and privacy control.



My second choice would combine drapery panels (made out of tan linen, perhaps?) with a semi-sheer panel created out of this vintage hand-printed fabric. We often have deer in our backyard so I liked the reference to the world outside our window. I have been saving this fabric for something special, and I am thinking our new room would be a good place for it!

Monday, January 18, 2010

There for you ...

American Red Cross 2010 Calendar
from the American Red Cross online store


In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12, there has been an outpouring of generosity. So many have reached out to lend a helping hand by donating time, supplies or funds to aid in the emergency relief. At the same time, many of us are in the position of reflecting on how fortunate we are to have a roof over our heads and our loved ones safe and near. We are reminded how lucky we are to have the basic necessities of life.
To have clothing to protect us from the elements ...

Organic Vintage Tee


To have fresh water to drink ...

Red Cross Stainless Steel Water Bottle


To be able to take care of ourselves
and the ones we love ...

Vintage-style Personal First Aid Kit


And when those basic needs are met, to have the resources to enjoy leisurely pursuits ...

American Red Cross
Holiday 2009 Skier Card

And to know that when we are suddenly unable to take care of ourselves, someone else will ...

“History Through Posters Umbrella

Back when the
American Red Cross was founded (in 1881!) they had to spread their message to cities, towns and countries with the help of posters like the ones seen on the umbrella and calendar above (all items are available online at the American Red Cross store). Today it only takes a matter of seconds to spread information via the internet. If disaster relief is needed, financial support is just a click or text message away. I think it is just amazing and so inspiring to see people use social media to “answer the call!

Years ago, I used to work full-time as a graphic designer for an agency that created direct-mail ca
mpaigns for non-profits like The American Cancer Society, The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The Special Olympics and the American Red Cross. My job wasn’t very glamorous, and even with all of the projects that I worked on I can’t say that any were portfolio worthy. However, I did feel good at the end of the day that I had done something to help others.



My official two cents ...

Now it is easier than ever for anyone to help. And you don’t even need a stamp, envelope, pen or checkbook! Just text “Haiti to 90999 to donate $10 (charges will appear on your cell phone bill) or Yele to 501501 to donate $5 (same deal) or visit the American Red Cross online to learn how you can DONATE NOW.

And if you want to spread the word in a more traditional manner, wearing the Red Cross logo across a t-shirt is a cool way to do it ; )



P.S. Since my boys are home from school today, we chose a new quote for our quote board. “Life’s most urgent question is, What are you doing for others?
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The runner up quote, also from MLK, was
The time is always right to do what is right.