colosseo

i have dreamed of going to italy 

for a really, really long time.

i am working on making that dream a reality.

allen and i are saving and planning for a trip

to italy to celebrate our 

15 year anniversary in 2011.

on the itinerary: rome (duh),

 positano, pompeii,

florence, and venice.

just dreaming about it makes me giddy.

***

i am a huge fan of ancient architecture,

which could be attributed to my 2 year obsession

with greek and roman mythology as a kid. 

yeah, i know,

i was a weird kid. 

i was also obsessed with sharks and mummies. 

that's what happens when you

grow up with three brothers and no tv.

one of the structures that i am most

excited to see is the colosseum in rome.

in fact, my love for the colosseum was

one of my very first posts.

while doing research on italy, i came across this lovely 

print of the colosseo 

by designer cameron moll

a close up look reveals that the entire print

is made of type.

i think it is absolutely beautiful.

i may just have to order one for my home.
you can buy yours here

tack-y

i am delighted by 

simple things, really.

today i am going to share something with you that

i have been in love with for the last few years.

and it's not a mirror.

or a piece of furniture

or even fabric.

(i know, you're *gasping!)

it's a tack.

but, a tack that will change your life.

for real. 

i don't throw around phrases like that 

very often, but i seriously think these 

tacks are the best. thing. ever.

*

ever wonder how to hang a 

grouping of pictures,

totally level, 

and equidistant from each other?

like this

(images found at elle decor)

or this?

and how much would you pay to

have those pictures stay put?

to not shift when a door is slammed,

or someone accidentally brushes by 

and knocks it off-kilter?

(is there anything more maddening?)

well, i have found the solution, my friends:

the cobra tack:

(and no, i am not getting

paid to say this, but i totally should be...)

they come in packs of 4, 6 and 8. 

and so far, i have only been 

able to find them at lowes.

for each picture, you will need two cobra tacks, 

and two of the little included screws.

they are very easy to install:

peel off the adhesive backing.

(and then look at your hands, and

realize that you are in fierce need

of a manicure...ai-yi-yi!)

 place on the corner of your frame.

pre-drill the hole for the screw

(you can skip this step. but it makes

the next step much more difficult!)

attach the small screw.

this is how it will look...

figure where you want the picture to be hung,

and press one side into the wall.

level the picture, 

and press the other side into the wall.

in my sons room, i used the level as a spacer in

between the pictures.

so easy!

these (on average) cost about $1 per

picture to install, but factor in the

amount of installation time saved, as well 

as the fact that you won't have to re-tweak

your pictures every week for the

rest of your life, and they are

worth every penny.

i always reccommend these to my clients,

and they always ask the same question:

"really?...and they 

don't fall off the wall?!"

nope. 

if they did, they 

wouldn't be the best. thing. ever.

duh. 

(ok, i don't say "duh",

but sometimes i want to.)

 happy (carefree) picture hanging!

*now, excuse me while i head out

to get a much needed manicure...

shadow fun

i thought these were sweet.

the base holds a light that leaves 

an incredible shadow on the wall 

from the tree shape.

my oldest daughter would love to have one in her room!

 available at uncommon goods

also, many thanks to toni at 

design dazzle

for featuring my lego party 

yesterday!

click here to see the feature.

dirty laundry...

never looked so good!

i totally forgot where i found these.
country living, maybe?
in any case, i threw the page away and
forgot to find out where to buy it.
yikes.
all i remember is that each tote was 
around $100.
however, don't you thing it would 
be easy to "knock off"?

crazy for trellis

yeah, i totally admit it...

i love imperial trellis.

i don't even care that i have seen

it in what seems like a

trillion magazines and a

billion people's homes.

i still love it.

(but the price tag keeps me

at arms length from the

"real stuff")

(darn you kelly wearstler and schumacher!)

however, i have seem some really creative 

knock-off attempts that i just

may have to try out sometime.

the first one was kirsten's

project using freezer paper to

make fabric:

 and, then, this one... 

which i spotted at

elements of style,

it is the brain child of 

hello gorgeous.

she made her own stencil and

painted her walls with it!

totally fabulous!

and totally do-able.

i think she did a fantastic job.

i love the way she used the pearlized paint 

for a beautiful tone on tone effect.

gorgeous!

if i had a "real" house

right now, i swear i would be at

the hardware store 

right now getting supplies to

copy her idea.

you can get her detailed instructions here

had to share...

i saw these today at cococozy and just

had to share!

they are 

"invisible" switch plate and

outlet covers! with wallpaper making

a comeback, i love to see products like this!

available at forbes and lomax

metal garland

i tore this page from domino magazine a few years back.

i loved the look of that metal garland!

i would love to have about 10 of these 

to decorate my christmas tree.

available in 28 finishes,

including these:

available at 

iron accents

$ to burn?

replace your current light switches

with these old-school ones...

aren't these interesting?

you can also try looking at led dimmer switches from www.downlights.co.uk for great products.

i really love the look of them...

 i think they are really cool.

but i guess i am not 

"visually assaulted" enough 

by the plain-ol-regular ones

 to shell out some serious dough

to replace them with these 

glamourous-old-school ones.

not yet anyway.

maybe after i win the lottery 

i will decide to become

a light switch snob!

a girl can dream, right?

found at  fontini.

concrete ideas

i ran across these concrete tables 

while doing some research for a project, 

and thought they were lovely.

these would look so fun outside.

i love the look of this.

if i had a beach house, i would love to have a

table like this in it. sadly, i will never have a beach house,

but i like to decorate my fictional homes in my head.

(i also have a high-rise condo in a big city,

and a tiny stone cottage in the mountains.)

they are both stunning.

(in my head, of course!

simple and lovely.

i really liked the mix of the hard smooth concrete

with the organic branch.

found at holmes wilson tables

coat tree

how adorable is this?

i mean, really...i love to see creative minds at work!

picture found at laura casey interiors