DECORATING NOTES

WELL HOW CUTE IS THIS?

AND EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A DECORATOR, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO JOT DOWN IDEAS WHEN YOU'RE OUT & ABOUT. 

(Charlotte Moss)

I'VE BEEN WORKING ON SOME SPACES LATELY THAT ARE INSPIRED by THESE IMAGES:

RENE MAGRITTE, THE TREACHERY OF IMAGES

OIL ON CANVAS, 1929

FAITH 47, WE THE PEOPLE SHALL SHARE IN THE COUNTRY'S WEALTH

SOUTH AFRICA, MONIKER ART FAIR

And I KNOW, I KNOW, 

BUT I L.O.V.E THIS DAMIEN HIRST.

IT'S MADE OF THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF BUTTERFLY WINGS!!

DAMIEN HIRST, I am Become Death, Shatter of Worlds

MIXED MEDIA, 1965

I WAS AT THE CHRISTIE'S POST-WAR & CONTEMP ART EVENING SALE where this was sold, AND IF I HAD 2 MILLION POUNDS TO SPARE, I THINK I WOULD HAVE PLACED A BID! 

SO DECORATIVE. 

what inspires you???

GOING TO THE CHAPEL....

MY BROTHER & HIS SWEET FIANCE E.L.W.

(soon to be EWS)
ARE GETTING MARRIED!
And these are the invites-- LOVE!

(SORRY, HAD TO BLUR OUT NAMES!! DON'T WANT ANY STALKERS!)
I THINK THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL, LOVE THE CALLIGRAPHY!

A day's work...

Today, I spotted these little treasures. 

Get yo'self one. I did, and it smells delish.
They last so long!

(@ an Anthro near you)

& a little bedtime reading, how cute are these chimps!?

pretty pretty. i consider a handheld mirror to be a necessity-- always take a sec to check out the back of your hair, and can be a super big shock!!

(find all these goodies at anthropologie)

PAINTINGS & PICS, WALL SPACE

IT'S HARD NOT TO HANG PAINTINGS & PICTURES TOO LOW, OR TOO HIGH. IF YOU AREN'T CONFIDENT ABOUT PLACEMENT, FILL THE WALL WITH LOTS THINGS YOU LOVE.

ELLE DECOR

IT'S ECLECTIC. IT'S CHIC. 

NOTHING IS WORSE THAN ONE BIG AWKWARD WALL WITH ONE PAINTING, RANDOMLY PLACED. FILL UP THE SPACE! 

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL

CHARLOTTE MOSS, HOUSE BEAUTIFUL
A CHARLOTTE MOSS ROOM NEVER SEEMS TOO PUT TOGETHER, BUT HAS THE PERFECT AMOUNT OF SYMMETRY
L.O.V.E.

The Lobby of the Hampshire House, complete in 1937. Draper & Co. Inc and the Carleton Varney Design Group

 I KNOW THAT THIS ROOM LOOKS A WEE BIT DREARY IN THE BLACK AND WHITE, BUT DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THE SHAPE OF THE MIRROR RISING OUT THE MANTLE?

CHANNEL THE SAME VIBE WITH THE LILY CARVED CAST RESIN MIRROR (ABOVE)
AT MECOXGARDENS.COM

OR GET THIS (LESS EXPENSIVE VERSION!) AT ZGALLERIE
WWW.ZGALLERIE.COM

LOVE THIS LACQUERED BAMBOO MIRROR

GET IT AT WWW.MECOXGARDENS.COM

THE HALL OF MIRRORS, VERSAILLES

THIS WONDERFUL MIRROR WAS IN MY VERY OWN BEDROOM, (AT MY OLD HOUSE!) AND I THINK THAT IT REALLY STABILIZES THE SPACE. I LOVE THAT IT HAS LITTLE SHELVES TOO. I FOUND THIS TREASURE AT UPTOWN COUNTRY IN DALLAS--- CHECK OUT THEIR STORE IN SNIDER PLAZA AND THEIR AMAZING BLOG AT http://uptowncountryhome.blogspot.com/

A MIRROR IS THE PERFECT WAY TO MAKE SMALL SPACE BIGGER. (I.E. IF YOU LIVE IN AN APARTMENT, FILL IT WITH MIRRORS!

GREAT PIECE, YOU'LL HAVE IT FOREVER. 

1970'S AMERICAN, LA BARGE GILT MIRROR WITH MULTIFACETED MIRROR BORDER

WWW.1STDIBS.COM OR EMAIL INFO@REVIVAL.COM

POLLY MCARTHUR & ASSOCIATES 

BUBBLE MIRROR, 19TH CENTURY VENETIAN 

 EMAIL POLLY@POLLYMCARTHUR.COM

LOVE THIS DRIFTWOOD MIRROR

FIND IT AT MECOXGARDENS.COM

I KNOW THESE ARE A LITTLE OUT THERE, BUT AGAINST DEEP NAVY WALLS IN A BACHELOR PAD? LOVE IT!! 

GET 'EM AT 1STDIBS.COM OR EMAIL INFO@WILLIAMLAMAN.COM

Mirrors have come to mean much more than the original 'looking glass.' They are now a part of the decorative scheme of a modern home. By using them, there are no dark, gloomy corners, no drab caverns for halls. There can be a feeling of freedom, light, air, space.

--Dorothy Draper, Seventy-Seven Recipes for Mirrors in Today's Living

FRANK: HOT DOGS & COLD BEER

WELL I'M JUST IN LOVE WITH THIS LITTLE PLACE.

IF I ATE HERE EVERYDAY, I WOULD BE HUGE! BUT, I MANAGE TO GET THERE OFTEN ENOUGH, AND I THINK IT'S PRETTY GREAT.

LOVE WHAT THEY'VE DONE WITH THE INTERIOR!

VISIT THEM IN AUSTIN AT 4TH & COLORADO

WWW.HOTDOGSCOLDBEER.COM

Day Plates for Play Dates

I love these custom plates from Iomoi. They are great for lunch by the pool or casual dining anywhere!

Find them at www.iomoi.com

 I'm always drawn to anything with an elephant--- so this blue and green plate is definitely my favorite!

 LOVE this sunny yellow pattern with the orange! 

Iomoi is my go to for wedding & birthday presents, and I have to admit-- I've picked up quite a few things for myself here! 

I love this Anya Susani 'outdoor' melamine plate, find it at www.madisondallas.com for $15!

And how cute are these? Also $15, by Winchester Mandala. 

Also at Madison.

Fresh Agendas & Madison!

It is January, and if you haven't found a planner that you LOVE, it is definitely time! 

These are my two faves. 

The Soho Diary, Jade Collection from Smythson.

www.smythson.com 

And the Metallic Monogrammed Agenda from Madison.

I used this agenda in 2010 and I went right ahead and ordered another for 2011. Like I've said before, I'm a matchy person and I appreciate the way in which the metallic gold goes with everything.

I frequent this store whenever I am in Dallas-- they have so many amazing gift items ETC. It's in Highland Park Village. 

www.madisondallas.com

Some of the goodies remind me of things that would have been in the Charlotte Moss townhouse. 

Beautiful!

And while you're bopping around the Madison website, go ahead and order a copy of "An Affair with a House" by Bunny Williams.


 You won't regret it.

Hey Cupcake!

I have a confession. I do not absolutely love cupcakes. I do, however, LOVE icing and some of the precious jewel boxes of stores from which the little cakes are sold & for these two reasons, I eat them every once in while! 

Here are my favorite places in the cities where I have been living over the past few years.

Hummingbird Bakery, London

Sprinkles, Dallas

Polkadots Cupcake Factory, Austin

Magnolia Bakery, New York

These are"miniature delights" from Hummingbird Bakery in London.They just look so homemade, which I love.

They are bite-sized, perfect for a wedding shower or cocktail party.

www.hummingbirdbakery.com

Hummingbird is also one of my favorites because some of their treats are covered in edible glitter!! 

These next treats are from Sprinkles in Dallas. They'll have these cute peace sign cupcakes through January.

They have locations all over, but this was our go-to cupcake spot in college, and I'll always be loyal to the Preston Center location!

I also love how you can get a cute little card & check off the flavors that you have tried. Fun!

Sprinkles cupcakes are great for parties or events because the cakes themselves look very tailored, and they offer lots of different ways to display their goodies. 

And I love the idea of doing these little party favor boxes. Find more at www.sprinkles.com

And now, Polkadots Cupcake Factory in Austin, Texas. 

2626 Rio Grande-- www.polkadotscupcakefactory.com

Polkadots Cupcake Factory lives in a precious house that was built in 1908, and while the owner has definitely given it a fresh new look, she retained the original beam ceilings & pretty bathroom tiles. LOVE.

This is Magnolia Bakery in NYC. I'm sure lots of you have been here before, it's a legend! 

I mean, the Olsen twins eat these. 

www.magnoliacupcakes.com

And last but not least, Crave, Houston. I haven't lived in Houston, but I LOVE this cupcake shop & I try to go everytime I'm in town!

I know, they look a lot like Sprinkles Cupcakes! & they're just as delish.

And their Holiday Spice Coffee (which they will have through January!) is AMAZING. It's so good, that sometimes I go in just for the coffee, and skip the cupcakes all together!

www.cravecupcakes.com