5 Musts Under $10

I was thinking about the inexpensive things in my home that pack huge punch. Here are my top 5 things - all of which are less than $10! - that will cozy up a home in a flash.

Saara's recipe for instant warmth:

1. Photos

Framed photos, both candids and formal, make a home feel so much more personal and warm. I love looking at old photos in my home and remembering good times, or looking at photos in friends' homes and learning more about their life. Target and Michaels have options under $10...

{Samantha Pynn}

2. Canisters & Jars

I don't like excessive clutter on my kitchen counters, but LOVE the look of clear glass canisters. My favorite look is clear canisters of various sizes and shapes grouped together and filled with similar colored foods such as oatmeal, pasta, flour, sugar or cereal.  I recently bought some great canisters at Crate and Barrel on sale for $7 each...

{Crate & Barrel, Urban Grace}

3. Throws

Every sofa looks great with a soft throw draped on it. I have an ivory throw on my sofa and love how it adds another texture and color to the space. This Ikea throw is a steal at $8...

{Decorpad, Ikea}

4. Books

Display your books, both old and new! I love a well organized bookcase, or a fun pile stacked beside a chair. Garage sales and estate sales are GREAT places to find old books for pennies, seriously they can be 25-cents a piece!

{Domino, Decorpad}

5. Plants

It is incredible how living things transform a room! Try to have at least one plant in each room, they really add life and are really good for air quality. :) I picked up an adorable mid-size fern for $8 at Lowes a few months back and it's still green and beautiful...

{BelleMaison23, House Beautiful}

PS. The rest of the NYC project schematic images are coming early next week. Sorry about that! 

Flea Market Finds

This sunday we took my husband's parents, who were in town from Toronto, to Pasadena. They had never visited this adorable little town complete with its beautiful tree-lined streets, gorgeous old houses, and fun FLEA MARKETS!

Unfortunately, they aren't in town next weekend for the huge Rose Bowl Flea Market, so we tried out the Pasadena City College Flea Market. Although it was smaller and lacked the charm of being held around the famous Rose Bowl, this flea market was still lots of fun and had great treasures to be found!

Us ladies were in our element...

There was so much stuff to look at! I have been into stone lamps lately and the one on the right was beautiful, but too big for my place. Oh, and I had just got a new alabaster lamp two days before (hehe)...

{Cute eggplant painting}

{Vintage faux bamboo dining chairs}

{Amazing strands of beads...so many ideas for these!}

The only thing I bought (scratch that, I also bought vintage alphabets blocks to spell R-A-E-L) were two Dorothy Thorpe glass and silver trays. I wasn't familiar with Dorothy Thorpe but these pieces caught my eye with their textured glass bottoms and sparkly silver and gold patterns. The vendor explained who they were designed by, and I realized they had more of a history than I had originally thought. 

Dorothy Thorpe was a Los Angeles- based glassware designer in the 30s. She is well-known for painting silver on glassware - trays, bowls, glasses, etc. I really liked that these pieces had an LA design history and snapped up the large oval platter, and one of the square trays (not visible in this picture). I'm kicking myself for not buying the small bowl too! After some googling and browsing on eBay I discovered that my pieces were part of the Atomic Silver Explosion collection. I love that I learned so much from this flea market stroll!

{Dorothy Thorpe glassware, all silver except the far right which is gold}

I was worried about how these would blend in my living room and dining room, but they mix surprisingly well - once I decide where these are going I'll take a picture to share. And what a fun way to take some LA design history with me when I eventually move back to Canada!

What's your favorite flea market find?

Summer Inspired Color

I'm all about color lately - it must be all the green outside and flowers in full bloom. Because of this, I shouldn't be surprised that when I stumbled on a photo of a current Missoni collection I was instantly clicking my way over to their website. I have always loved the amazing color and pattern which makes Missoni so unique and desirable. All of their home collections are gorgeous but their new Bouquet collections and the images on their website really got me in the mood for summer - swimming at my cottage and dining alfresco are two of my favorite things!

I could handle relaxing in this amazing boat or on this dock. The stripes and florals add a nice touch to this otherwise drab environment (haha)...

Dinner and good company under this tent would be fine too...

Missoni pillows, throws, rugs, bedding or furniture would be a great place to find inspiration for a new design. And because they hold so much wow factor with their color and pattern you only need an item or two to anchor your design - a perfect splurge item, which when paired well, can enhance less expensive items.

For a few years now I've been thinking about how well the Margherita dinnerware could be mixed in to accent other simple china patterns. I absolutely LOVE the smooth gradation of the solid colored plates and bowls, and think the colors are stunning...

Trend Alert

Elle Decor has declared that pastels are "in" - not my absolute favorite when used all together, but I think I could definitely mix them in in small bits. I do, however, really love these beautiful green and gold rimmed dishes by Anna Weatherley.

Designed by Patricia Urquiola, the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona opened in November, and low and behold, PASTELS! And, I love it. Not only do the pale blue, turquoise, yellow, orange, purple and cremes look soft, relaxing and beautiful together, but the architectural details turned out fabulous. The airy, net-like screen is my favorite part, and I can just imagine the wonderful things it does with lighting and shadows.

{It's a bit hard to see the true beauty of the colors in this photo, if you have the April issue of Elle Decor, check out page 52}

After researching the rest of the hotel, I found these other photos. I want to take a trip here, Barcelona is on my list ya know!

Being such a fan of architectural screens, I can't help but admire all these gold ones. They are a perfect reference to the hotel's Asian influence, yet in a modern and interesting way.

These rooms look amazing too! Good sleeps would be had! Something about white in a hotel room is high on my list of favs. I feels clean both visually and physically...

Here is a great example of the light shows created by all the decorative screening. I'm sure everything tastes better while eating in a space like this...

And after all my potential sight-seeing, I wouldn't have a problem having a drink on this rooftop patio, or taking a swim in this dark, cave-like pool...

Off to inform my husband about our next getaway! hehe

Pop Quiz!

Don't worry, no one fails this one! If you've browsed through the March issue of Real Simple, you may have already completed this design quiz. It's fun, though, so you can always do it again!

Without thinking too much about your choices or looking at the small letter they are associated with, circle images on the right page that you are drawn to.

{Sorry these weren't scanned - haven't been able to get near that device for some time now. You can click the photos to make them bigger. Don't forget to read the actual article too!}

Ok, start circling - quick, quick, quick!

Done circling? Now tally up how many A's, B's, C's & D's you circled (hopefully you have one somewhat dominant letter), flip to the next pages, and see your favored design style displayed in a beautiful room. I really love how the article suggests key starter pieces for every style - a great touch!

If you're like me, you probably had a pretty good idea of where your style would fall. I was right-on with guessing that I'd be mixing things up with a dash of "Sophisticated Classic" and sprinkling of "Vintage Eclectic".

Another great tool is the handy chart listing a few stores relevant to each style, or fusion of styles. I'll have to refer back to this when I'm drawing-a-blank on where to start my shopping...

Well, there you have it. I thought this was a fun 10 minutes!

Recycled Accessories

I've been trying to think of ways to update the accessories in my home, quickly and inexpensively. Behold, there are some darling ways to use the old items you have hanging around your house. It's great for helping to reduce our landfills, and old things ooze with genuine charm!

I've explored some websites, and here are a few of my favorite ideas. Some I had already implemented, the others are now on my "to-do" list.

I always have a few throws lying around and think this idea to tie them tight with an old belt is fabulous. There are so many different sizes and colors of belts out there, you can surely find some to match your design style. A few of these would look great in a basket together...

Everybody has an old frame hiding around somewhere, and if not, your local thrift store definitely does. I like how this frame/tray still has its original finish, but you could paint it too...

Such a FABULOUS idea! A sturdy, large vase flipped upside down is a perfect side table. I love this idea done with a simple, clear vase because it works in any decor, and is perfect when you need something that doesn't hold much visual weight (good for tight spaces!)...

ps. a stack of old books makes a great side table too! ;)

Another one of my favorites! This is such an easy kitchen picker-upper. A cute vintage bottle makes an adorable (can soap be adorable?!) dish soap dispenser. All you need is an appealing old bottle (look for an interesting shape, color or inscription), a spout and you're set...

The "mom" in me finds this last idea tempting. (I'm planning my daughter's 1st birthday. It's going to be at the park with a tortoise and hares, and I'm going with a flower theme.) These simple flower pots are adorned with stretched socks! I'm thinking of all the cute socks I can find to decorate small flower pots on the park's picnic tables, but this is a cute idea to use in a kids bedroom or playroom too...

Obsessed!

Where has Overstock been all of my life?! I recently bought two items (this & this) and my eyes have been opened up to the many more Overstock purchases that are lurking in my future. In all seriousness, they have some pretty good - well priced - pieces if you hunt. Oh, and everything ships for $2.95!

Check out some of my finds & be inspired...

My online shopping has hit an all new level!