Natural Surroundings

Merry Gift Ideas

2008-12-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

Merry Gift Ideas by Natural Surroundings
Sorry for the absence. Life is nuts!
I've been thinking a lot about thoughtful gifts that stand on their own and don't cost an arm and a leg this year.

Yummy Giveaway

2008-11-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

You can win a gift certificate for some of the most darling decorations by leaving a comment on every little thing. The new shop Bake It Pretty is wonderful. The paper cups are colorful. The cookie cutters and candy molds come is a variety of adorable and fun shapes. There are all sorts of novelties, edible toppers, fun decorations and even tools to help you box up your creation. What a hit these would be at a potluck. There is a sweet vintage feel to things and the cookie cutter sets would make great gifts.

Tasty Suite

2008-11-08T12:27:00.001-08:00

Cute and affordable wall vinyl from Tasty Suite is not only super sweet but also removeable. I really like the words and the various lamps and bulbs.

I Heart Outlets

2008-11-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Have you checked out the Crate and Barrel online outlet store?

Bernhard Chair

2008-10-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

A new chair at Ikea. Simple enough to fit in all sorts of design plans.

Plastic Rugs

2008-10-30T14:58:00.000-07:00

I want a plastic rug for my kitchen. Whenever I put a rug in the kitchen it always gets gross. I've tossed so many of those cheap little Ikea kitchen rugs. These plastic rugs can be wiped down when you wash the floor. They are more stain resistant, too. In general the idea of a plastic rug seems a little weird but there are actually some nice designs out there. A friend of mine had a plastic rug in his living room and you couldn't even tell unless you bent over (or perhaps had bare feet). Plus these rugs can go outside, too!

Home Infatuation has a wide selection of outdoor rugs. If you are willing to spend from $30 to $80 you can get something really cute. There are bigger rugs, too, for extra. All the pictures above are from Home Infatuation.

Spoonflower

2008-10-29T13:56:00.001-07:00

Spoonflower is now open to the public. You can have your designs made into fabric. How cool!

Osaka Curtain

2008-10-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

I am coveting the new Osaka Curtain at Urbanoutfitters.com $36. I love the colors. I would design a room around this curtain if I have a room left to design!

John Derian Trays

2008-10-28T17:46:00.001-07:00

I love the cute vintage feel of these John Derian trays at Target $12.99

Affordable Reed Diffusers

2008-10-20T17:40:00.001-07:00

I wholeheartly agree with Apartment Therapy when they say to treat a room with all five senses. Some senses are harder than others. I would love for every room in my home to smell great all the time. However, I can't always be lighting candles or leaving the windows open. I love the idea of reed diffusers in every room but even at Target they run at least $10 each. Most cost more than that, and the cheap ones don't always smell so great. So I was weary when I saw the Therepe Reed Difussers at Candle Bay for $2.99. How on earth could those smell good? Plus buying a reed diffuser on the internet without smelling it first seemed insane. The price was too good to be true so I had to try.

You can order items on Candle Bay directly through their site or through Amazon. This is great if you don't like the idea of giving your sensitive information to sites you don't know. Retailmenot.com does have coupons for Candle Bay, so I ordered through their site and got an additional 15% off!

Therepe Reed Diffusers cost $2.99 for a 2oz bottle, $4.29 for a 4oz bottle and $7.99 for an 8oz bottle. The 2oz bottle supposedly lasts for 2 months and is a great way to try out some scents. I ordered 3 2oz bottles: Lavender, Gourmet Vanilla and Thai Lemongrass. Shipping didn't cost that much and the box arrived in less than a week.

They smell good. I ordered lavender because I figured it wasn't hard to mess up. It smells nice and natural and not too strong. I think you want your reed diffusers to smell a little strong when you stick your nose in them. I also wouldn't use an up close sniff to judge because that's not how you experience a reed diffuser. That being said, lavender and thai lemongrass smelled nice up close. Vanilla smelled fine though a little fake. It was a little too baking cookies for me up close. I'm going to give it a try but I'm not sure I would order it again. Perhaps lighter scents and florals are better. The cork was also very hard to pull out in the vanilla bottle. A sign? The thai lemongrass wasn't super citrusy. I uncorked the cute little glass bottles and put them all in different rooms.

They aren't super strong. I like that. I think if I were always aware that a room smells like something particular I might get sick of it. Every once in a while I get a random whiff of scent and it's nice. When I come home and walk into each room I sometimes notice and sometimes don't. None of the rooms ever smell bad or stale anymore. I'm pleased with my purchases. I would order lavender and thai lemongrass again for sure. I think next time I order I will be a little more adventerous with their many choices.

Refill oil bottles are also available if you want to order more or if you have your own bottles. The site sells packs of reeds and all sorts of empty bottles. You could save money by buying a big bottle of oil, some reeds and then using your own bottles or jars. Refill bottles are $3.49 for 4oz and $5.99 for 80z. Reed packs are $.75 for 10, $3.50 for 50, $6.50 for 100 and $30 for 500. For a little more you can buy reeds in black or red. Bottles range around a few dollars.

15 scents: Gourmet Vanilla, Sandalwood, Mandarin Grapefruit, Tropical Berry, Green Tea & Ginger, Thai Lemongrass, Raspberry Patchouli, Pomegranate, Gardenia, Polynesian Sugar Cane, Lemon Ginger, White Chocolate & Pear, Fresh Fig, Tangerine Patchouli, and Peach Mimosa.

Click here to see for yourself. Candle Bay has many other candle and home scents options, too.

Discount!

2008-10-16T12:56:00.002-07:00

25% off your online order at UrbanOutfitters.com. This is a good one! Use the code LuckyBreaks08. This includes all their things for your home.

Seasonal Color Inspiration

2008-10-16T12:56:00.001-07:00

A fall inspired color palette.

(image from from psaphoto.com)

Still Here

2008-10-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. Sickness and moving and so much in the air! We'll be back to full swing soon!

Pretty In Pink

2008-10-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

I'd never get away with painting any of our shared space pink, but I can dream. I'm not even a huge pink person but the idea of something frilly seems relaxing somehow.
Image from Glidden Paint

Japanese Interior Design

2008-09-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is sort of my thought process for a relaxing bedroom. I like this idea very much. One has to be careful not to let a mess of clothes explode from the closets, though. This would be a good opportunity for a room divider headboard or some bamboo plants.

Image from Behr.

My Head Spins With Color

2008-09-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

The more I think about color the more my head spins. It's not a bad thing. I love color. It's like eating at one of those restaurants with the giant menus. After 10 minutes you've narrowed your meal down to 6 or 7 choices. You want everything. However, eating everything would make your stomach sick and painting the apartment every color would make your head hurt. Editing is an important life skill.

Image from Behr.

Do I Have a Color Strategy?

2008-09-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure I do. I have a scheme for each room but I feel like all those schemes should fit into a greater scheme for the whole apartment.

Image from Behr.

Etsy Find

2008-09-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

Check out Norajane's Etsy store for cute pillows and stamps. Great prices, too!

Making A Room Feel Larger

2008-09-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

I thought these side by side pictures were interesting. I see the difference. I am very aware that one of my decorating goals is to make the small rooms in the new apartment seem bigger. I'm not going to over stuff or over decorate. I promise! I'm going to throw away old ideas that neutrals are boring. I'm going to think of each room as a whole and the apartment as a whole. I am going to remember that just because it's my favorite color doesn't mean it belongs on the wall.

Image from Behr.

Trompe L'Oeil Floor Mats

2008-09-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool rug alternative from Urban Outfitters. Trompe L-Oeil Floor Mats are made from machine washable polyester and rubber (I love a floor cover that's easy to clean!) and are only available online. $140 at Urban Outfitters.

Rugs on Rugs

2008-09-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

Green walls and light brown wall to wall carpeting. How shall we decorate? I like the idea of rugs on rugs when the wall to wall isn't exactly what you would pick out yourself. I am cautious about a green overload. The idea of something super furry on my bare feet sounds nice, though white gets dirty pretty fast. Double rugs gives a little extra texture but one must be careful. I think some sleek furniture would be a good match.

Wood Grain rug from West Elm. $109 - $749
Peony Tree printed rug from Urban Outfitters. $28
Flokati rug from Ikea. $29.99
Jorun Rug from Ikea. $39.99

The Living Room

2008-09-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

We have decided to go with a light gray in the living room with bright white trim around the fireplace, windows etc. Probably blue toned and I'll paint the coffee table something crazy to bring in some color. I'd like it to look elegant and relaxed. I think I'll bring in some metallics, a nice mirror and a little tangerine.

Image from Behr.

Etsy Find

2008-09-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

Another great Etsy source for pillows. Take a look at Joom. I love all the bright colors.

The Bedroom

2008-09-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking a light green with the word zen in the name, with trim one shade darker on the same color swatch. I want my bedroom to be relaxing. I also want it to look good in both the morning sunlight and the evening reading light. I don't want the color to reflect back on me when I'm choosing what to wear in the morning. I want lots of bed linen possibilities. Green seems rather gender neutral. My boyfriend would paint the room black but luckily he is deferring to me.

Image from Behr

Color Lingo

2008-09-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a little info on color and talking about color. There are twelve basic colors. Each is equidistant from one another on a simple and helpful tool called, the color wheel.
To begin, it is important to understand some basic color terminology:

*Hue = another word for color
*Tint = any hue mixed and lightened with white
*Shade = any hue mixed and darkened with black
*Tone = any hue mixed with gray
*Value = the lightness and brightness of a color

Primary Colors

*Red, blue and yellow are the primary colors.
*The primary scheme is regarded as the most basic, pure and elementary color scheme.
*Primary hues cannot be made by mixing with other colors.
*Primary colors are a favorite for children\'s bedrooms.

Secondary Colors

*Green, orange and violet are the secondary colors.
*These hues are achieved by mixing two primary colors.
*By employing tints and shades of the secondary hues you can add a fresh uplifting quality to a decorating scheme.

Tertiary Colors

*Red-violet, yellow-orange, blue-green, blue-violet, yellow-green and red-orange are all tertiary hues.
*Create these hues by mixing one primary with a secondary color.

Complementary Colors

Hues are opposite one another on the color wheel and create a neutral when mixed together.

Split Complementary Colors
This scheme is easily acquired by selecting a hue and combining it with hues on either side of its complement. For example: orange with blue-green and blue-violet.