i'm impressed

this is a vinyl plank made to resemble wood. antique chestnut to be exact. its from mats,inc. in the floorworks section. their stones and metals i'm not all that impressed with, but the woods look pretty dang good. i'd put it in my house. you might be thinking, but isn't vinyl bad for the environment? well, this stuff is certifiable. their plant is certified as sustainable (no harmful chemical dumps or stuff like that) and it even contains recycled material in the product. not bad. here's a photo of one of the woods installed. can't tell a difference.

bored?

check these out.

some of the best design sites ever. well, according to this guy. i don't disagree much.

the one above, from http://www.miraentuinterior.com/ is right up my alley. mmm, pasta. the best thing about these giant wall stickers is that they're temporary, snazy, and you can customize the color.

great thinking! it would especially be great for rentals, since sometimes its a pain when you move out to spackle over all of those nail holes.

another great one? http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/


not only are there great ideas, projects, befores and afters, but there is this scavenger section such as this one, from los angeles. only big cities are featured, but if its good enough, you might could pay for shipping? there's been some really great stuff, like this sofa.




keeping in the season, there's a lot of christmas ideas that have been on recently, as well. one involved using old blue-prints as wrapping paper. if you're a designer, there'd be no mistaking from who that present came from. plus i'm sure it'd help clear out all that mess that architects love to collect ;)

christmas post #2

its beginning to smell a lot like christmas thanks to my frasier fir wreath and tree! i have holly growing in my front yard, so that was quite convenient. then i got some sparkly snowflakes at target-- pretty good looking wreath if i do say so myself. its even a wee bit cold down here in the gulf coast-- congrats to those of you who got snow. i'm jealous.

i thought this post would be to share with you a very special part of my christmas. my dad's mom (who died when i was 3ish) made these ornaments several decades ago using old jewelry an silk ornaments (by the colors i'm guessing late 60s or 70s). they are absolutely beautiful and i was lucky enough to be their keeper when i moved out of the house. each one is different. there are yellow, avocado green, and 2 red ones (the red, of course, are my favorite). its always been a mystery of where my artistic talent came from, but i like to suspect it came from her. that coupled with my mom's and dad's precision and math skills...that's where you get an art-loving math whiz like myself (tests in school showed i'm equally right and left brained--not sure if that's unique or just mediocre, but i like to think its unique). some say architecture might have been more my niche, but i disagree.

ok back to the ornaments. here are a few of them! maybe they will inspire you to get creative and make some of your own christmas ornaments in a similar fashion. i think i also solved the mystery behind why all the old ladies ask for costume jewelry at yard sales...maybe???

isn't the red one spectacular! i love putting that one on more than i do the star :)

do great things and merry christmas!!

christmas post #1

i love christmas. expect many posts.

numero uno: i already have some really incredible ornaments for my tree (to come in another post), but if i didn't, these guys from crate and barell would be my top pick.

super neato. i like the dogs because they resemble wiener dogs (my favs--that's what my dogs are...well, ok one is full-bred and the other has some unknown heritage, but they are cute)!

bout time!

its december, and in florida that's when we have the beginnings of fall (apparently...last year i think it got cold and the leaves just fell off).

its no tennessee valley, that's for sure, but it puts a smile on my face. ironically, my lantana is also blooming, which is bizarre. i'm sure after this weekend's frost they will exist no more!

ps: last night i went shopping for the family i picked from wish upon a hero (see last post). i shopped for a 3 and 4 yr old girl, and a 10 month old boy. it was SO much fun to pick out things that i knew would make both them and their parents have a great christmas. if i had more money i'd do it all over again. the greatest part about receiving christ's love is giving it to others. i HIGHLY recommend it.