Category Archive for ‘force me to live here’

Hi there! I’m typically blogging from Charlotte, NC but this post is coming straight from Aruba.  For the past 4 years, I have taken a “girls trip”  with my mom, my aunt, and my sister. It’s one of the highlights of the year, and gives us a chance to catch up and enjoy one another. We arrived last night and and I woke up to this view! Off to the beach…

*All orders placed this week will be shipped next Tuesday. Thanks!

On this rainy Tuesday morning, I’d like to find myself in one of these rooms and have a day full of discovery…

*click on image for source

I’m slightly obsessed with this room…

The kitchen is my favorite part of a house.  Growing up, it’s the one place that we spent the most time, had the best laughs, and felt the most comfortable.  Perhaps it was my mom’s cooking or the bar stools that were just the right hight, but, needless to say, our kitchen got a lotta lovin’.

Here are a few that caught my eye…click on image for source.

This sweet little bungalow located in Louisiana caught my eye this morning. Check out the other photos of the inside here!

Designer, Anna Beth Chao, gives us a few tips on redecorating out own casa…

1. You don’t have to spend a million dollars to re-do a room. However, consider splurging on good lighting, a great rug (never skimp on rug size!), and one fabulous accessory.

2. Get good help. I found a painter, plumber, and electrician through recommendations from friends, and they’re worth every penny.

3. It doesn’t matter how much good stuff you have if your rooms are cluttered or dirty. If your house is neat as a pin, it will look a hundred times better than your rich friend’s messy manse.

4. If in doubt, find a picture you love and try to copy the layout of things exactly, but using your stuff.

I always think about how exciting it would be to renovate an old farm and live in it.  I can picture large gatherings with family and friends and the smells of bacon and eggs lingering through the house.  If I can’t actually remodel an old barn right now, I think it would be just as fun to integrate a barn door somewhere in my home (equipped, of course, with the sliding steel bar.)

Click on photo for source.

Everyday in Elementary school, l would count down the minutes until recess.  My classmates would line up at the back door and the second our teacher would open the door, we’d all run as fast as we could to our favorite recess activity…mine was swinging.  I’d hop on the rubber seat and grasp the metal chains & I was transported into another world…pumping as fast and as hard as I could to get me higher and higher into the sky.

Recently, Bryan and I have been thinking about moving into a different house & I mentioned to him that I thought it would be really cool to have a swing in the house.  Never surprised by these random ideas, Bryan tried to be supportive but told me that he was having a hard time picturing a jungle gym with monkey bars, swings, and a climbing structure in the middle of the living room.  To clear up the confusion, I found these examples to explain what I was picturing.  With luck, our next place will have a swing!

If you’ve taken a look through my jewelry & style, it’s easy to tell that i’m a big fan of the color, turquoise.  As I was visiting my favorite blogs the other day, I came upon this one…House of Turquoise.  I must say, the writer of the blog is totally speaking my language.  She finds shades of turquoise in fabulous rooms and posts them on her blog.  Take a look at a few of my favorites.

Dear turquoise chandelier and red coral drawer pulls,

Please come to my home and tell me if you'd like to stay, we'd love to have you.

Thanks,

Erin

My obsession for stones, colors, composition and shapes goes beyond jewelry.  Marjorie Skouras is one designer who shows how these materials can travel into interior design.   I love her playful vision…still traditional by with a funky twist. This turquoise chandelier really needs to come to my house….I just love it & can’t believe it’s made from 100% turquoise.

Melanie Acedevo just has that eye….she captures the moment, personality and lightheartedness of life.  The girl has photographed dozens of celebrities, Domino covers (man, i miss that magazine), and the interior to some of my favorite designers’ homes (must do: check out the photography from  Jcrew’s creative director, Jenn Lyon’s home).  I’ve had my eye on the wooden table in the first image every since it came out in Domino a few years ago…it’s just so yummy.  Melanie says her favorite people to photograph are her children, Violet and Rockwell (cute names, huh)?

images via made by girl

Anne Cabot Ishon, a good friend of mine and interior design student at Queen’s College, introduced me to the work of Kelly Wearstler.  This morning, I’ve been flipping through her portfolio and it is such yummy eye candy.  I love her mix of colors, shapes, and design.  She takes risks and mixes various elements, but still keeps a very classic feel in her work.  I’m flooded with jewelry ideas for 2010 & planning on incorp0rating new materials and bold designs into my work.

How awesome is this before and after?  This elementary school gym was converted into an artist’s work studio called the Clafin School Studios – located in Newton, Mass.  I love to see old warehouses, manufacturing buildings, rundown schools, and empty industrial buildings being converted into something gorgeous, airy, unique and (best of all) useful for the community.

Au revoir my friends.  I’m  leaving Charlotte this evening and spending a week in Aruba!  While I’m away, please check out the treasure chest on my website.  I’ve been adding new pieces everyday. All orders will be shipped when I return on July 21st.