Who Knew?

Sy sewing machine @ IKEA - $59.

I work at the big blue box (aka IKEA) and it never ceases to amaze me how you can walk around a random corner and find something totally unexpected, yet utterly delightful. And that is exactly how I felt when I saw the SY sewing machine. It is a cute little thing with the IKEA blue and yellow for accents and would be great for a beginner… like me! I’ve got a vintage machine that my Aunt Connie gave me but it needs servicing and it never hurts to have a backup sewing machine, right?

Totally Inspiring Room

Better late than never, today’s edition of totally inspiring room is brought to you by the happy, colorful genius of Palmer Weiss. The mix of new, old, color, playfulness, and unstudied elegance is just right. This is another room I could walk into without changing a thing.

Happy belated Tuesday, all. See you tomorrow… hopefully much earlier!

Totally Inspiring Room

Living room by Robert Passal in Trad Home.



Today I’m just throwing up this quickie post as I’m working all day. Today’s room was designed by Robert Passable and is from Lonny magazine’s collaboration with Traditional Home. A totally beautiful living room. Calm, serene, classic. Love it. See the whole article here.

Have a happy Tuesday, y’all!

Best of the Week

What a week! I’ve feel like a whole year has passed. Really, it’s just a lot of life happening all at once. That’s life though, right? The ups, the downs, and everything in between. As the young Indian hotel clerk says in the trail for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: “Everything will work out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, it’s not the end.”

This week:



I was really inspired by this great mood board from fellow Charlotte design blogger, Andrea. She is a designer and DIYer who moved here recently, like me. Check out her cool projects and inspiration on her blog, SpaceSays.



Caitlin Wilson Textiles.





Surfing through some links on Laura Casey Interiors, I discovered this link to Caitlin Wilson Textiles. I’d never heard of this star design blogger but I was delighted to discover her new line of textiles! They are so beautiful and the blue, pink, and linen colored chinoiserie inspired floral gave me ideas for a great living room scheme. A complete set of swatches is available for $20 and comes prettily packaged in a beautiful pink box.

I finished my lamps here, read the YA bestseller The Hunger Games, and tested out a new Android app called Eggdrop with much success.

I also want to take a moment to say something about SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act. This is a bill that will effect every blogger out there. See this great post about what the bill means for you and me. Sign a petition, call your reps, and get the word out to your readers and fellow bloggers! This is OUR internet.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone! See you next week!

Totally Inspiring Room

Originally, I was going to go with an office I found earlier this week… but last night while I was trying to come down off my my late night coffee drinking high (I should never drink the stuff after 11am), I came across this room by Sig Bergamin from Elle Decor. Again. I see it online a lot. And I actually have the issue this apartment was in. At the time, I remember thinking it was a bit too… too! Even though I was seriously drawn to the apartment as a whole, it just wasn’t “my taste”! You know? But a few months and some seismic shifts in what I like have drawn me back to this gorgeously executed room.

I love the balance of graphic print and bright, saturated color on top of well placed neutrals, the juxtaposition of modern art with traditional elements, and the deeply welcoming and comfortable feel of the space. Did I mention the color?

Have an amazing Tuesday all! I’ll catch you tomorrow. 🙂

Totally Inspiring Room

The truth is that the weather here in Charlotte has been very kind this Autumn. Daytime temps are usually in the mid to high sixties lately. I don’t know if that’s normal or not… I just know it’s nice!

But the evenings… definitely Fall temperatures! Somewhere in the forties or lower (though, so far, not below freezing). On these cool nights, I think of rooms like this one: small, dark, cozy and inviting. The kind of room that practically begs you to wrap up in a throw, turn on the lamp, and curl up with your favorite book… preferably with a hot cup of tea to hand. The design definitely speaks to the part of me that is used to long months of overcast skies and cool weather.

There isn’t one thing I don’t like about it: the deep window seat piled with pillows, low tables covered with books, art filling the walls, the dark, saturated color on every surface. It’s beautiful and intimate; a perfect getaway inside of the home. We should all be so lucky to have one of those!

I dont have any info about the room this today.  If anyone can tell me who designed this room or where it was published, that’d be great! I hope everyone is having an awesome day today. I’m feeling a bit under the weather… but hopefully that just means I’m getting my yearly cold out of the way. 🙂 See you tomorrow!

Office Quickie… (For Your Desk)

Here are some cute office accessories from See Jane Work. I’ll be posting more deliciousness for the office tomorrow.

Watercolor Summer Wear

This has been a weird day! A window in my bedroom got mysteriously broken. It scared me pretty badly. And I’m still not sure how it happened exactly. All I know is after that trauma, I needed something fun to distract me from being distraught.

I decided to see if I could find find some pieces to make an outfit out of this skirt I just bought from Ashley Stewart (plus size clothes):

Camera phone pic alert!<<

It’s a dirndl type skirt that buttons down the front and has cute little side pockets and a sash tie belt. I couldn’t find a pic of it online but Old Navy has some similar skirts (in regular women’s sizes, you’d need a belt though).

I flipped through some of my catalogs to see if I could find inspiration there and… I did! Spiegel has this cute cami and matching cardi in a beatuiful blue, green, yellow, and white watercolor print. Super summery, right? Here’s the look I pulled together:

Clockwise from top left: Floral Print Tunic Cardigan $49 ($54+) – Speigel.com, Floral Print Tunic Cami $34 ($39+) – Spiegel.com, “Ananta” earrings $98 – Anthropologie.com, green and yellow flower bracelet $21.95 – Braceletgirl.com, Kate Spade “Felice” tote in citron $295 – Zappos.com, “Strung Packages” sandals $98 – Anthropologie.com.

The cardigan has such a strong mix of colors that I really wanted the accessories to pop and be fun. I love those yellow sandals with their green beads and the texture on the Kate Spade bag keeps the mix fresh. I know it’s a little matchy but… I like that!

Anyway, that’s my attempt at fashion for the time being. Think I did OK?

Totally Inspiring Room

Today’s room is very blue (one of my favorite colors)! The controlled chaos and saturated colors are what appeal to me here. I like how you can tell that these books are read even though the owner has them organized rather prettily. The hits of white and cream make the layered blues and warm wood tones pop. Not sure who the room is by… if you know, drop me a line!

Hope you all are having a fabulous Thursday. 🙂

Totally Inspiring Room

I found this pic (styled by James Leland Day) online while looking for Benjamin Moore’s Mysterious paint… I don’t know if that is the exact color in this pic but it looks close! Other pluses? My current obsession: a tray table. That rich caramel color on the sofa is making me drool. All in all a really pretty… and totally inspiring room!