Nifty Items I've Been Eyeing and Would Like to Be Buying

Outdoor furniture from West Elm (and the time to lounge).  (Okay, I'll admit I did actually just buy some outdoor furniture.  And wouldn't you know?  Two days later I get a West Elm email touting 15% OFF ALL OUTDOOR FURNITURE!  Is there some law that discounts are only offered after I've already made a purchase?  Good grief.)

May flowers.  But fake ones, because (alas) my ranunculus are already dead and gone.  Something like these peonies from Neiman Marcus.

This Creative Thursday print, bunny holding a bear holding a bunny (discovered via poppytalk).

Have a great weekend!

Nifty Items I Was Eyeing and Couldn't Stop Myself from Buying

{Because I lack the restraint to eye and never buy, 

here is my periodic post of items that are making me happy.}

Tree sticker from Ferm Living and knitted poufs from CB2 (because Ferm Living's version is apparently sold out).  These simple items are evidence that money can indeed buy happiness -- at least fleeting!  Seriously, these do make me smile.

This Under the Canopy print from Alicia Bock.  Doesn't it look nice with the mat and frame I chose?  I hung this by the door going out to the garage so I can enjoy it often as I'm coming and going.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  We went to see Rio and it kept the attention of my 2-year-old the whole time.  That's a good thing.  

Nifty Items I Was Eyeing and Couldn't Stop Myself from Buying

{Because I lack the restraint to eye and never buy, 

here is my periodic post of items that are making me happy.}  

This faux rust cymbidium from Diane James Home.  I ogled over the arrangements on the Diane James Home website for almost a year before I jumped on the opportunity to buy a couple of items with a generous discount code.  Her flowers and plants are pricey, but shouldn't there be a cost-per-loving-look measure (like price-per-wear for shoes and clothes)?  Just looking at this plant makes me happy, and that's really worth something.  

Prints from the Nebulous Kingdom on etsy -- Girl at Poppies and Princess Mardarine.

Nifty Items I'm Eyeing and Would Like to Be Buying

Hello -- the iPad 2 (available on Friday, March 11 at 5 p.m.).  I've been waiting oh so patiently.  The new magnetic covers look pretty cool too.   

Speaking of my addiction to Apple products, I just got a new iPhone this month, and I'm thinking about a wooden cover like this to protect it (and make me happy when I hold it):

From electronic notebook to old school notebook.  Don't these from Our Shop look like fun?  (discovered via Design Sponge)

This sticky tape and this color-it-yourself poster (among other things) from summersville (discovered via Poppytalk).

Framing Ideas

Moving to a new house has given me a fresh chance with blank walls to cover at my whim.

Idea #1:  Here's an idea I've had in mind for some time but finally brought to fruition.  Some time ago, I purchased some lovely Japanese postcards of tenugui designs.  For a number of months, I couldn't bring myself to remove the postcards from the booklet they came in because they were too beautiful.  (Seeing what the book is selling for now on Amazon, perhaps I shouldn't have defiled it by removing the postcards??)  But the book is perforated with the intention that the cards be removed and enjoyed (or even mailed), after all.

Removed from the book, the postcards were perfect for framing.  I chose a few different colors of frames in the same style, popped the postcards in and hung them in a tile formation on an entryway wall.  They are currently making me happy.  And when I want to mix things up, I can just change the selection of postcards in the frames.

You could use this idea with any type of postcard.  Or you might try using images from a pattern book (these V&A Pattern books even include the patterns on cd, so you can print them) or even an old wallpaper sample book.  I have some tree bomb Ferm Living wallpaper that I purchased for various crafts, and I even cut an 8x10 piece and framed it to hang on the wall.  Looks great.  Pretty much endless possibilities.

Idea #2:  Here's another extremely easy (and inexpensive idea).  Do your kids produce mass quantities of art work?  Mine do.  I've come across several great ideas for displaying their work, including:

• Buying frames that can hold many pages at once, so you can stack, store and reorder.
• Paint empty frames on the walls of your garage or laundry room, so you can pin up a rotating collection of artwork on walls that might otherwise be blank. (Can't recall where I saw this idea.)
• Paint a wall with magnetic paint and hang art with magnets.  I may just have to give this one a try.

Well, here's my own very lazy but satisfying idea.  Buy yourself some colorful japanese washi tape (I like Happy Tape) and tape their artwork to the wall of a playroom or bedroom.  I don't even worry about being neat about it.  We just tape it up, stand back, and admire.  

Nifty Items I'm Eyeing and Would Like to Be Buying

These book boxes from twine (discovered via Design Sponge)

Robins Egg Soaps from Cambria Cove.

This green jacket from Anthropologie.

Scrabble wall art like this (endless possibilities if you made tiles yourself . . .) (discovered via Say YES! to Hoboken)

Easter cookies like these from Sweet Tooth Cottage (that I could order and enjoy without getting sick while making and sampling the frosting and dough). (Discovered via The Celebration Shoppe)

Nifty Items I Was Eyeing and Couldn't Stop Myself from Buying

Because I don't possess the self-restraint to eye and not buy, I thought it might be fun to give a glimpse of some of the nifty items I was eyeing and couldn't stop myself from buying.  To start out, here are a few items that have made me very happy:

Rug tiles from Flor.  I pretty much want to put Flor in every room of my house, but this is my only purchase thus far.  Very pleased.  I haven't even used the Flor dots (adhesive circles) to attach the tiles together yet because I keep deciding to rearrange the patterns.  Thankfully, this isn't a high traffic area of my house, and the tiles have a grippy back that keeps them in place.

Yellow ruffle pillows from Sferra.  I never get tired of the color, texture and luxury of these pillows.  On more than one occasion, I've just stopped one of my kids in the nick of time from taking one outside for use in some fort or other with the plea "not the yellow pillows!  Those are special to me."

Urchin bowl from elements clay studio.  I'm using this one to hold earrings and hair clips, but I could see many uses.  Soap dish in the bathroom?  Paper clip holder in the office?  Love the texture and look.

Decorating by the Book

From an Andy (husband of Kate) Spade
art exhibition at French boutique Colette

I have a scrap (among many others, some of which I have blogged about) on my bulletin board with this quote attributed to the Roman author Cicero:

"A room without books is like a body without a soul."  

Amen.  

We moved houses recently, and the move has given me the chance to sort through and organize the books I've accumulated over the years, both for myself and for my children.  If you, like me, have children who will never keep the jackets on hardcover books in place and yet you can't bear to get rid of them so you have them stored in some closet, or shoved behind a bookcase or under some bed, you might like this idea as much as I do.  Here are a couple of quick examples I may use in my little boy's room.    

As an aside, I've found myself purchasing far fewer books in recent years, as many of my "reads" are actually listens (audiobooks).  At my law firm, the law library keeps shrinking and shrinking as we rely increasingly on the electronic over the tome.  But I will never stop loving the heft of a book in my hands and the turn of the pages on my fingers.  Nor will I ever get tired of the look of books.  

On a related idea, have you seen the artists who use pages from old books and even dictionaries as the canvas for their art?  

Coloring by the Book

Flickr

How do you organize your books?  I have always organized by paperback and hardback and then book size.  But lately, I've been noticing example after example of books organized by color.

Some of these are even stacked horizontally on the shelves, rather than with spines vertical.  You can see many striking examples on Flickr's Rainbow of Books pool.

My first thought was "well, that's beautiful, but do you people actually read the books?"  I'm still not sure, but I do like the look of it.

Flickr

Can you imagine if an entire bookstore or library were organized this way?  That's exactly what the owner did at this San Francisco bookshop.  Great for browsing, but what a hassle it would be to come in looking for a specific book!   

Nifty Items I'm Eyeing and Would Like to Be Buying

I love this.  I can't tell how much it costs from the artist's webpage, but according to Martha Stewart Living (March issue) it is $2500.  Alas, I don't think so.

The table in this photo from the Flor catalog.  I have no idea how to buy it or how much it would cost, but isn't the texture of it striking?  Love all the colors and details in this photo, actually.

Birchbox.  You get a selection of nifty beauty products (and a package to look forward to) each month.

Nifty Items I'm Eyeing and Would Like to Be Buying

Infinity mirror from CB2.  I have some floor to ceiling bookshelves along a hallway wall, and wouldn't it be doubly fabulous to hang an immense mirror on the other side to give the feel of walking through a corridor of books?  Yes, I think so too.  If I actually do it, I'll post a photo.

Wall art for my little boy's room from Ferm Living (via All Modern).

These Stabilo pens are a great addition to the never-ending arts and crafts efforts around our house.  Super fine and vivid.  Great for adding detail to artwork with my kids.   

Nifty Items I'm Eyeing and Would Like to Be Buying

Book Book for the iPad.  Oh yeah, I still need an iPad, but isn't this so great?

Have I told you how much I want to buy nearly everything in the West Elm catalog?  Well, I do.  These little soap dish trays are calling my name currently.

And these dessert plates.

Also love these artistic chocolates by MarieBelle (via Cambria Cove).  But could I bring myself to actually eat them?

Nifty Items I'm Eyeing and Would Like to Be Buying

Ferm Living Pouf Pouf.  Alas, I didn't react quickly enough, and these are all sold out (at least from huset).

Ferm Living Chalkboard Calendar from Fawn and Forest.  (Okay, I've got a thing for Ferm Living and have for some time.)

Pretty much anything designed and created by element clay studio.  Like these wall tiles.

Or these or these?  You know how I love faux succulents, and I'm crazy about the texture of these.

Or these urchin bowls?  Beautiful.

Nifty Items I'm Eyeing and Would Like to Be Buying

I haven't been doing my "Nifty Items" posts lately, mostly because I've been trying to limit my spending.  Deny myself now,  move into the closet of my dreams later?

Not spending doesn't mean not looking, though.  I'm currently a bit obsessed with the possibilities of Flor modular floor coverings.  They sell carpet tiles that you combine to form floor coverings with pretty much endless possibilities.  Here are a few favorites:

This Is the Plant That Jessica Killed

What is wrong with me?  How hard is it to keep a potted basil plant alive for longer than the small plastic container of cut basil you can buy in the produce section of your grocery store stays fresh?  I have a black thumb, and I'm not okay with it.  I have many killing methods.  I kill by overwatering.  I kill by underwatering.  I kill with too much sunlight.  I kill with lack of sunlight.  I kill just by possessing.  And it's not just basil.  It's really any kind of living green thing.  I killed 10 jade plants (hardy succulents) in the span of several years, for goodness sake!  I'm not proud of it.

I gave in some time ago and started purchasing "faux botanicals"--including faux cacti and other succulents.  There are some beautiful choices out there, so I learned.  Here are a few I like:

Faux succulent from Crate & Barrel

Garden Succulents from Diane James Home

Faux echeveria from Crate & Barrel

    

Problem is, you can't cook with faux basil.