Oh, you pretty things...

We hardly knew ye...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Moving!

http://thelittlemarigold.tumblr.com/

The Beach Shack Project: featured artist

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:05:00 +0000

I think I have made no secret of my love of all things coastal. As such, I absolutely flipped when I saw this necklace posted in my Google reader this morning:

{image from The Beach Shack Project, taken from Cafe Cartolina}

I can't tell you how many hours my family and I spent collecting sea glass and Willow wear along the coast... As a young child, it was like finding treasure. I still have a glass jar filled with sea glass and pottery in my home, and it is one of my most-prized possessions.

Just reading the artist's mission statement is pure bliss: "My work stems around a central idea of taking objectionable elements and altering them so they then become objects of desire." That speaks directly to what draws me most to coastal and rustic decor styles. Of course, I wouldn't call the objects that fill such rooms "objectionable" - but awkward, battered antiques are often what many people would call "trash," not "treasure." To see this premise executed so perfectly in jewelry design just amazed me! Something I would never have thought of, myself, and covet in just about every way possible!! (I mean, effectively, this artist just took my favorite thing in the world and turned it into something unbelievably beautiful - that you could wear!)

All I can say is run - don't walk - to check out this artist's amazing work! I'm really beside myself with awe!

Lady of Shalott

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:38:00 +0000

I capital-L Love this image from May's Anthropologie catalog. It strikes such a summery, relaxed chord - but also an almost magical one. I can't help but think of Waterhouse's "Lady of Shalott" (or Tennyson's poem by the same name, for that matter).

{image from Anthropologie}

Even the candles look like fireflies.

Suzani

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:23:00 +0000

I just can't seem to get away from Suzani prints. Not that I want to! It just seems that whenever something new catches my eye, lo and behold, once again it's a Suzani!

{from World Market}

My newest love is this cabinet from World Market, which I spotted this morning on Cafe Cartolina. I didn't even recognize it as a Suzani pattern until I clicked the link! Clearly, I am not the only one drawn to Suzanis...

{My cat, lounging beside one of my new pillows, which my aunt made for me with fabric from Lewis & Sheron. (And, wow! It looks like they've sold out of this fabric!)}

Since the overall impression of my pillows is so pink, I'm not sure I'd put a table like this in my living room. However, I'm in desperate need of some bedside tables... Hmmm! Better start saving my pennies!

Cute storage that won't break the bank!

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:27:00 +0000

I just discovered Way Basics, a company that offers simple modular storage designs. To be completely honest, I clicked on their link expecting to see the usual cast of overpriced characters. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, not only do the storage pieces come in a variety of exciting colors, but they're actually reasonably priced! (At least compared to any competitors that I've seen!)

{images from Way Basics}

Apparently, each cube is peel-and-stick assembled, no tools required! (This puts them at an advantage compared to equally well-priced Ikea, in my opinion. I love Ikea, don't get me wrong, but after nearly a full month of assembling new furniture this past January - thankfully with the help of friends - I think my wrists and forearms are only now beginning to cease their aches!!!)

Check them out!

Incroyable!

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:12:00 +0000

I have never before seen anything like the Tamara Roof Chair and Loveseat being offered right now at Home Decorators Collection (a site I just discovered, unfortunately, otherwise I'd have purchased a thing or two for my new apartment! interesting to note: several of the furniture pieces featured here can also be found at Target).

{images from Home Decorators Collection}

When I am furnishing my ancient and mad Parisian apartment, filled to the gills with dusty old books, specimen jars, rusted tin boxes, and antique curios to both delight and bewilder, you can bet that these two unique seats will settle right into the decor - bien sur! (Preferably in a room that has some very moody dark blue "fairy tale garden" sort of wallpaper!)

Although I didn't particularly love the movie, I can't help but think of The Dreamers when I look at this furniture. Somehow, they echo each other's mood.

Thanks decor8 for pointing me to the Web site!

Furniture LUST!!

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:08:00 +0000

If I haven't mentioned already (-cough cough-) my extreme affection for decor which incorporates various winged things in nature, let me put a fine point on it now: I adore it. As a result, my lust for this piece by FOLKFORM is just about out of control.

{image from FOLKFORM}

Materials listed are: Masonite hard board, 32 real butterflies from Adam Stechs collection, birch wood. How cool is that?!

Thank you Poppytalk for pointing it out!

Basic Grey

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:33:00 +0000

I'm late to the party (again!), I realize, but I just discovered Basic Grey papers and I am in LOVE!

I'd been thinking for a while that I might cover the glass panes of my new Julia cabinet with decorative paper (perhaps origami paper), to give myself the freedom to store things in a cluttered way inside and to bring a bit of colour in with all the black and white furniture.

{image from target.com}

I may still do that, but now I'm thinking these papers might make gorgeous mats for wall artwork! I'm thinking of perhaps alternating styles as outer mats and also as interior mats, just peeking out beneath the plain mat in front of the art...

Only trouble is, I can't decide which designs to choose! At only about 70 cents per 12" sheet, it's hard to pick!

'stache

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:01:00 +0000

Random Etsy search for "mustache."

Shadowplay by Adam Frank: featured artist

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:13:00 +0000

(No, not Ad Frank.)

New York artist Adam Frank has landed on something so simple and obvious - and yet so overlooked - it's genius: lighting which focuses not just on what it illuminates, but on the shadows it casts. Shadows are the central aspect of both his Reveal and Lumen creations. (I prefer the Lumen, myself!)

(I am actually very surprised at how extremely affordable the Lumen series is in comparison with so many over-priced art objects scattered throughout the design world... I say grab one before he catches on!)

{images from adamfrank.com}

Tweet!

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:17:00 +0000

I *love* this headboard! If I were designing something like this for a child's room, I would make sure the little birdhouse opened up somehow into a little "secret" cubby.

{image originally posted on Lily G online}

Eureka!

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 02:45:00 +0000

A while ago, I fell in absolute love with the Brunschwig & Fils' fabric "Dzhambul." Unfortunately, it tends to run a bit expensive...

However, I just found a less expensive fabric called "Suzani," which I think is very very close to Dzhambul. In fact, I have to say I think I like it just a little bit more!

Anyway, I just had an epiphany. My aunt is a crazy fanatic quilter. She's already offered to make me a runner for my new dining table (she's way more excited about it than I am!). It just occurred to me that I might be able to ask her if I could purchase the fabric, have it sent to her, and ask her if she would be willing to make two pillow shams for my new sofa (I figure I'll pick up some big pillows for that purpose at Ikea). This would be PERFECT!

Love!

p.s. You know what I think would be kind of hot? Instead of a normal pillow sham, two somewhat-more-rigid-than-your-normal-sham square panels of fabric, one for the front and one for the back, tied together artfully at the four corners (so, obviously, there would have to be some kind of under-sham). Could be gorgeous, if done well!

Happy holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:21:00 +0000

Drumroll please!

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:40:00 +0000

After much debate, this is what I think I have settled on for my new apartment. Not too shabby!

possibly my new apartment by ohyouprettythingsblog

redecorate

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 02:57:00 +0000

So it seems that I am moving rather abruptly to a new apartment. The good news is, I may have some extra money for a small bit of redecorating - including adding a dining area, as I have never had space for one before. I've peeked around the internet and have come up with just a couple of things that really kind of float my boat.

wanted by ohyouprettythingsblog

Looking at them together, I'd say they tie in together well enough without looking like a matched set. I need to come up with some sort of sideboard that would not clash in style with any of these pieces...or some other article of accent furniture with doors so that I can put excess clutter inside, out of view. If only I had enough money in the budget to hire a decorator!

fairy tale

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:03:00 +0000

I don't think I could fall more in love with this bedroom design by uxus than I already have! From first glance, it struck me as something straight out of a fairy tale.

{images from uxus design, courtesy of design*sponge}

Twiggy

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:58:00 +0000

If I had been asked before I started this blog, I would not have thought my tastes ran quite so rustic. That seems to be what I've been drawn to lately, though - as evidenced by how much I love the art of Leif Holland!

{image by thelastminute on Flickr}

{'medusa' by Leif Holland}

Huge thanks to PoppyTalk for pointing it out!

Friday I'm in love...

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:28:00 +0000

I absolutely love the vintage feel of the jewelery from Mama's Little Babies on Etsy!

Of course it was the various butterflies and bees that appealed to me! But it's not all wings and flying things over there...

{all images from Mama's Little Babies}

slightly steamy

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:24:00 +0000

Lovely Etsy seller discovered this morning thanks to Cafe Cartolina: stiksel.

{all images from stiksel}

Friday I'm in love...

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:35:00 +0000

Browsing through the online catalog for Anthropologie yesterday, I came across the "Eat, Drink And Be Merry Chandelier," and it just about knocked my socks off!

{image from Anthropologie}

Absolute love!

Re-vamp

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:31:00 +0000

A perfect idea to dress up one of those chunky, cheap white dressers that seem to be so ubiquitous to apartment life:

Summer at Summerized added wrapping paper and ribbon to her dresser to create a completely fresh, modern look.

{images from Summerized}

Taking that project as inspiration and starting point, I might add a framed print like Mirror Birds by paper sparrow at Etsy.

Then, maybe I'd throw in a bedside lamp that complimented the blues in the print - off the top of my head, maybe something like the Sapphire Ceramic Table Lamp at Target. (Although I'm not a huge fan of the stark white shade here, it might wind up complimenting the white of the dresser and the print. Shades are easy to replace, however!)

{image from Target}

sparkle

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:58:00 +0000

I have never really been a fan of overly cutesy things, so - by all educated guesses - I would not have been predisposed to like this lighting fixture. I have always been, however, absolutely nuts about bird cages. Maybe that's what drew me to this ceiling lamp... I will say that I think the execution of the design is absolutely superb (cutesy daisy shapes aside). Somehow, it manages to be simple and elegant. (And thanks to the decor8 blog for leading me to it!)

{image from Tonic Home}

The more I look at it, the more I see a project in the making, though. Given the right kind of wire base/birdcage, it could be possible to create a "cage" for your own lighting fixture - using crystal or glass in perhaps less cutesy shapes. (And, you know...maybe for a little less than the wopping $2600 pricetag that comes with this fixture.) I'm not entirely sure how I'd pull it off, but it's definitely within the realm of possibility!

String me along...

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:24:00 +0000

I know that many of my friends are knitters. I came across a collection of twine holders today on Jeri's Organizing & Decluttering News today, and had to wonder if some of these options wouldn't also work for knitting yarn. I think it would have to depend heavily upon how thick the yarn was and how easily it actually came out of the dispenser hole. If it did work, though, I thought something like one of these would be a cute idea!

{Acorn Twine Holder @ Williams-Sonoma}

{Jumbo Twine Stand & Jute @ West's of East Dean}

{String Dispenser @ Period Features}

{Victorian String Holder @ Lee Valley & veritas}

{Hanging Twine Holder @ Ancestral Collections}

{Twine and Dispenser @ The New York Botanical Garden Shop}

Cozy corner...

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:23:00 +0000

{image from housetohome}

It's that time of year again...

We're having a cold, drizzly day today, and I'd love nothing better than to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea before the fire.

I'm not sure if I'd overload that mantle quite as much as the designers here did! (Although I love the snowflakes dangling off the edge.)

That got me thinking about using pine cones as decoration. Around this time of year, people start doing a lot of truly silly things with pine cones (particularly involving spray paint and fake holly berries). But a lot of nice, tasteful things are done with them, as well. Take for example, this:

{"Nature's Floor - Decorative Sphere" by KG Design at Etsy}

Speaking of days that make me want to just curl up with a book, big thanks to design*sponge for posting about these gorgeous Penguin Classics editions, which look like they're available exclusively through Waterstone's.

{images from design*sponge}

mixed media

noreply@blogger.com (ohyouprettythings) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Early this morning while browsing poppytalk, I came across the art of Cori Kindred and was really blown away!

{images from corikindred.com}

I love the hollowed-out-book effect produced in the first image by covering the boxes in book pages.

Oh, you pretty things...

We hardly knew ye...

The Beach Shack Project: featured artist

Lady of Shalott

Suzani

Cute storage that won't break the bank!

Incroyable!

Furniture *LUST*!!

Basic Grey

'stache

Shadowplay by Adam Frank: featured artist

Tweet!

Eureka!

Happy holidays!

Drumroll please!

redecorate

fairy tale

Twiggy

Friday I'm in love...

slightly steamy

Friday I'm in love...

Re-vamp

sparkle

String me along...

Cozy corner...

mixed media

Furniture LUST!!