Monday’s Mood Board – Taking Time To Smell The Roses!

Last week we launched our Vintage Rose Pillows and Fabric and ever since, it seems everywhere I look, I see Roses! We have several varieties lining our courtyard in the front of our home and they are all “just about” ready to take off. A few of the early bloomers are already cut and placed around my home.

Other than the typical places to have arranged flowers, I personally like to have flowers in every bathroom too. It offers a little element of thoughtfulness that one doesn’t usually expect. I add a small clipping of jasmine and it keeps the room smelling wonderful all day and night. Side note: I love Jasmine too and have it planted under all our bedroom windows. In spring the entire house smells divine.

This little, red vase inspired the design of our powder room, The Red Bathroom as everyone calls it. We built our house over nine years ago and I still love the color of this room.

Monday’s Mood Board is full of Rose Inspired décor for the home. I hope you’ll take time to stop and Smell The Roses this week!

1 Wall Decal 2 Place Setting 3 Rose Knobs ETSY 4 Melamine Plate ETSY 5 Vintage Rose Fabric 6 Rose Wall Paper 

Monday's Mood Board...Black & Yellow!

Monday’s Mood Board celebrates the launch of my new Vintage Rose Fabric and Pillows! Yay! I’ve always loved Black & Yellow together so it was really timely when a new client of mine told me her daughter wanted to do a yellow bedroom. Yellow is a tricky color, especially for a bedroom. You want to make sure the yellow is a warm yellow and avoid the bright yellows that have a green undertone to them. That type of yellow is an agitating color and not conducive to rest. Even the yellow in my watercolor is too bright (but fun for a watercolor) which is why I want to mention that to you.

I’ve included some fun finds in the room.  My client has a long window above her bed. Instead of covering it with a traditional window covering I wanted to treat it with something more unique. I saw the work of this ETSY artist and thought it would be terrific if they could create a wood cut-out that I could insert inside the window frame.

Another great find on ETSY were these chevron storage baskets. Tuck them inside a bench at the foot of the bed for extra storage.

By now you know I love the work of Jill Rosenwald and think her lamps are amazing. You can’t go wrong when searching for beautiful furniture and accessories when shopping at LaylaGrayce which is where the beautiful side tables and chandelier are from.

I couldn’t fit everything I wanted into today’s Mood Board so Wednesday I will post a follow up of some more ideas I want to  do in this room. Happy Monday everyone!

1 Vintage Rose Pouf & Pillow 2 Tufted Headboard from Amazon 3 Vintage Rose Fabric By The Yard 4 Newport Teardrop Lamp 5 Maura Daniel Chandelier From LaylaGrace.com 6 Bennett Nightstand From LaylaGrace.com 7 Elwoodworks On ETSY 8 Umbra Frama Mirrored Wall Décor Appliques

Sunday Sketches - Meet Monday Facebook!

Usually Sunday’s are all about spending family time and trying to get a little rest from the really hectic week. I try to sneak away to my studio and paint as my form of relaxation but yesterday I have to say I was a bit frustrated. My frustration was this new Facebook format. You need a banner image…well that’s like telling a little kid who loves every kind of ice cream to just pick one!

I thought I would just take out my paints and paint what ever I felt like…I had some beautiful roses given to me at the Harloe Talent Show (love them) so I started with a quick sketch of them…blah, not feeling it, so I just started to doodle, blah, still not feeling it…so I decided to go even more simple and just painted a quick chevron pattern to use for a background. This is what I came up with…I kept with the thought process of “Keep It Simple.”

If you haven’t already “Liked” my Textile Page I would really LOVE it if you would. I have some exciting product launching this month and another Give Away too!!!

Monday's MINT Mood Board!

It all started with a quick shopping trip with my oldest daughter, Serena. I was looking for red nail polish and she wanted to get a mint colored one. At first I said, "No way. That's so unattractive." As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I was wrong. You see, Serena has been trend spotting her entire life and I know by now not to ever question her on that. 

Of course, the following week it seemed everywhere I looked I was seeing "Mint"! I came across this beautiful necklace on Kelly Market and in my mind I instantly saw a picture of a young girl with red hair wearing it. So for a change of pace I painted the girl in my mind for this Monday's Mood Board. I gave her a sweet head band I found over at ThreeBirdNest's fairly new ETSY shop. The rest of Monday's Mood Board consists of more Mint Love that I adore.

I'm pretty sure we will all be seeing a lot more of this color this Spring and Summer! Have a great week everyone!

1 Oliphant Design Sea Green Bauble Necklace  2 Revlon Minted Nail Polish  3 Calvin Klein Dress  4 Mint Nail Polish Inspiration  5 Arteriors Chandelier From LaylaGrayce  6 Mint Kate Spade Clutch

Monday's Mood Board...Pagoda Inspiration!

I feel really fortunate to have graduated from a college in an area that I have fallen in love with, San Luis Obispo, CA. I feel even more fortunate that I can live and work here. A few years ago I watched the corner of Marsh and Higuera St. in downtown, San Luis Obispo, transform from a dirt lot into a beautiful park. Cheng Park is the creation of retired Cal Poly Landscape Architecture professor, Alice Loh. The Chinese Park sits across the street from an Asian inspired home designed by one of our greatest architects, Frank Lloyd Wright. (Another great reason to live here.) You can read more about Cheng Park here.

I drive by the park on a regular basis and the wood pavilion as well as the grand entrance to the park, inspire me. The odd thing is, I don’t know if it’s selective focus, but I’m seeing Asian inspired home décor goods everywhere and I’m in love with them all. Photograph of Cheng Park from SLOCity.org.

A very dear mentor of mine once told me that she believed a home is not fully appointed until it has at least one piece of Asian Décor. I’ve kept that philosophy in mind when designing for my clients and now I’m sharing a few of those ideas with you.

For more ideas on Asian inspired décor, these blogs are great: http://blog.thepinkpagoda.us/  http://chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com/

1 Seda France Mini Pagoda Candle 2 Thomas Paul Pillow 3 Tangerine Pagoda Giclee (Love all the art on this site!) 4 Pixie Dust Decor Pink Pagoda Toile Fabric (Other colors available - great products!) 5 Chinoiserie Toile Pagoda Fuchsia Napkin 6 Red Thibaut Oriental Toile Fabric (Other colors available as well as wall paper) 7 Vaughan Design Chinese Fretwork Lantern (Beautiful lighting on this site)

Monday's Mood Board...My Reading Wish List

Being a busy mom of three young girls, running an Interior Design business, and developing product for the home décor industry, keeps me one very busy gal. I have fantasies of more sleep, more time to work out, and the ultimate relaxation….reading a good book! I have lists and lists of books I want to read and here are some at the top of my wish list! I have to start with one that is very special to my heart, “Desire To Inspire” is written by a dear friend of mine, Christine Mason Miller. I’ve known Christine for many years and I have watched her blossom into an incredible force in the world of Creative Leaders. Her latest book is filled with inspirational stories, not only about her own journey, but also from several other incredible artists. On a ranking of 5 stars I give it a 10 Star Rating!

In life’s other available moments, I hope to read each of these other books cover to cover before the end of the year! All written by leading designers and bloggers who I admire greatly.

One last recognition has to go to an incredible pottery artist, Jill Rosenwald, whom I’ve just discovered…I know I must have had my head buried in the sand, but none the less, I’ve discovered her work now and absolutely adore her aesthetic for color and design.

1 Desire To Inspire by Christine Mason Miller 2 Plimpton MS. Jones Vase by Jill Rosenwald 3 Apartment Therapy Eight Step Home Cure by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan  4 Design Sponge Home by Grace Bonney 5 Domino The Book Of Decorating by Deborah Needleman, Sara Ruffin Costello, & Dara Caponigro 5 Mary McDonald Interiors, Allure Style by Mary McDonald 7 The Nest Home Design by Carley Roney

Monday's Mood Board - A Little Dachshund Love!

Monday’s Mood Board was inspired by my good friend, and amazing jewelry designer, Cindy Arnet and her cute little Dachshund, who she calls Fwankie. She sent me a couple pictures of her a week ago, so just for fun, I thought I’d include her in this Monday’s Mood Board.

For a long time I’ve had my eye on this Greek Key Rug at Shop Ten 25. I love that it comes in several colors and when my “16 year old, trend spotting, fashion setting daughter” says she would like to put that in her room, then I know it’s a winner. Besides, it looks great with my Peacock Pillow and coordinating Chaz Pillows! And who wouldn’t just faint over a pair of Dolce & Gabbana Slippers….ahhhh dreaming…

Thanks for stopping by...check back later this week for a special post (& Mood Board of course) on some of my favorite books! Have a Fantastic Week!

1 Fwankie (Priceless & Not For Sale) 2 Greek Key Rug In Pink from Shop Ten 25 3 Dolce & Gabbana Slippers 4 Peacock Pillow from my Shop

Monday's Mood Board! Chic Chairs & Kate Spade Love!

Last Friday I had back to back meetings and at the end of the day I was so happy to be home. I threw my purse on the chair and quickly went in to my room to change into some comfy lounge wear for the night. Later I looked at my purse on my dining chair and thought, "This would be a cute little vignette to paint!". Since I'm constantly looking for product for my clients and I'm stuck on this love affair with Macau and Bamboo Chairs, I picked a few of my favorites and paired them with different purses from Kate Spade...all of which I would Love to own! Four chic chairs, four chic purses, four little paintings that make me smile. I hope they make you smile too!

You can find three of the four chairs at one of my favorite sites, Zinc Door. The pink faux bamboo chair came from Craig's List of all places according to blogger, Pink Mohair. Just a reminder to always keep your eyes open. You just never know what you may find!

1 Striped Stevie Bag 2 Mount Perry Rumor Bag 3 Barclay Street Sera Bag 4 Westchester Treesh Bag 5 Faux Bamboo Chair 6 Zinc Door Ambrose Clove Arm Chair 7 Zinc Door Elise Clove Arm Chair 8 Zinc Door Regeant Arm Chair 

Posting this a little early because tomorrow is crazy busy! :-)

Monday's Mood Board - President's Day!

This Monday’s Mood Board is in honor of “President's Day” and depending on which State you live in you may be celebrating Washington, Lincoln and other notable Presidents…but for me it’s also a Celebration of this Country. We’ve been pretty beat up lately but I still believe in the USA!This great Spitfire Chair, 19^th Century Porthole Side Table and Counterpoise Task Floor Lamp are from Restoration Hardware. The Flag Pillow and Wall Art (made of USA License Plates) are from two very talented ETSY artists. The beautiful Horse Sculpture is from one of my favorite shops on the web, ShopTen 25 and the Fallon Zig Zag Federal Blue Rug is from another fantastic on-line shop, Zinc Door!

1 License Plate Flag Wall Art ETSY 2 Spitfire Chair from Restoration Hardware 3 Porthole Side Table From Restoration Hardware 4 Task Lamp from Restoration Hardware 5 Horse Sculpture from ShopTen 25 6 Vintage Flag Pillow from ETSY 7 Zig Zag Rug from Zinc Door

 Raise your flag, send good thoughts out for our Country, and enjoy your holiday!

Monday Mood Board - Pink Love!

This week’s Monday Mood Board is inspired by Valentine’s Day and my favorite color of all time…PINK ! The inspiration started with this fabulous headboard from Posh Tots.  I paired it up with some new goodies from my shop, my Peacock Pillow and my Hot Pink Chaz Pillows. I’ve also been experimenting with Poufs! I posted on my FB Page if anyone thought it was a good idea and judging from the response I had I believe I will pursue creating them!

Of course I get all kinds of inspiration from Pinterest and this is where I found these great Vintage Lamps from ETSY. (Always trying to support those small businesses) The fantastic side table is from Shop Ten25. This watermelon rug is divine from Madeline Weinrib and what I really love is this frame from John Murphy. You must check out his photography in his shop. So fresh!

You can always find my picks for my Mood Board Illustrations and where to get these items (plus a few more that didn’t make it to my final illustration) by following me on Pinterest.

I hope you like some of these ideas. Happy Valentine’s Day!1 Hot Pink Chaz Pillow in my Shop 2 Peacock Pillow in my Shop 3 Vintage Hollywood Regency Lamps from ETSY 4 Hot Pink Frame from John Murphy 5 Peacock Pouf Coming Soon to my Shop 6 Watermelon Rug from Madeline Weinrib 7 White Lacquer Oriental Chest from Shop Ten25 and 8 Hot Pink Headboard from Posh Tots

Introducing Our First Monday Mood Board!

Well Hello Monday! Welcome to my very first Monday Mood Board!

The idea came to me as I was photographing my products for my shop. I was wishing I had all the money in the world so that I could create beautiful room photographs that would show case my products…since buckets of money didn’t just drop from the heavens, I got a little creative instead and dusted off my watercolors and paint brushes from Waaaaay back In the day when I illustrated children’s books and greeting cards.

Not that I don’t do sketches all the time for my design clients but that’s what they are…for my clients. When I design for them I’m designing what they want and helping them to bring their vision to fruition. Instead, this is an opportunity to just paint and put together a room design how I would want to do it…no budget…no limitation to color palette…just fun, little whimsical rooms.

Another passion of mine is supporting independent artists so when I can, I will be including their wonderful work as well. All of these links are from companies in the US. My product is sewn right here on the Central Coast by incredibly talented seamstresses who had their facility shut down when production moved over seas. That said, yes, it costs a little more to make it here but I believe it’s worth it. I think if we can all do a little bit, then it will collectively make a big difference.

Last of all we have to include some DIY projects in here and today I’ve included two projects from the very talented blogger, Miss Jackie over at her blog, Teal & Lime. The lampshade in the center of the room is made with stencils she created (I know, now that’s talent) and the shelf in the room is made from Stair Treads! How clever is that? The full tutorials are over at her blog along with lost of other inspiration. Thank you Jackie!!!

And one more thing…yes, that adorable dog was up for adoption…since I started this last week, she has found a lovely home!!! Yay! But there are many more waiting, and if you're local, you can find a little furry friend for yourself at Woods Humane Society.

So that’s it! You can follow my Mood Boards on Pinterest they contain all the links and a few other options that may have not made it into my Mood Board Illustration. (For instance there are some inexpensive options for some of the items shown here) Like this upholstered headboard from Ballard Designs vs a $40 decal headboard from What Is Blik.

I’d love to know what you think and of course I would love it if you “Liked” my FB page. If you have a favorite piece of furniture or home décor product you would like me to design a room around, shoot me an email!

1 Suzani Throw at end of the bed from ETSY artist, Hollie Milne . 2 Jonathan Adler Book ends. 3 Mirror from Rosenberry Rooms. 4 Fabric for window treatment from Contemporary Cloth. 5 Trunk from Rhino Trunk and Case. 6 Lamps from Mottega 7 DIY Shelves from Teal and Lime. 8 Chair from Wanelo. 9 Bulldog Chevron Print from Mari Robeson. 10 DIY Lampshade from Teal and Lime. 11 Striped Rug from Zinc Door. 12 Lab Lovin' and Chevron Pillow from Mari Robeson 13 Adorable Rescue Doggy from Woods Humane Society