Magazine Monday (Salon style staircase display)

~Photo credit, Domino Magazine October 2008~

If you have a small home filling every available wall space with frames, shelves, or nick knacks can overwhelm the space. Staircases and hallways provide the perfect place in a modest home for salon style displays. Because they are passages through which people move rather than rooms in which people sit, it is perfectly appropriate and in good taste to fill up the walls. I like the idea of my own little viewing area complete with photos of family and favorite prints or postcards all housed in frames that compliment one another rather than match.

~Happy Monday Everyone~
(even though it's now Tuesday, ha)

Friday Web Roundup

~Photo credit, Design*Sponge~

The lovely house of Catherine Taret (an American living in Paris) was recently featured by Design*Sponge. The mix of eclectic objects and styles is tempered and unified by the cohesive wall paint and molding throughout the home. Enjoy the house tour here.

~Photo credit Leafcutter Designs~

This Valentines day give an original gift in the form of tiny letters and parcels. Learn more by visiting Leafcutter Designs, the world's smallest postal service.

~Photo credit, Apartment Therapy Re-Nest~

If you are having a party or simply want to banish the winter blahs by filling your house with flowers this is a project for you. Buying a single bouquet filled with inexpensive flowers can actually make an impact when blooms are spread around in small bud vases. The project (pictured above) illustrates how to transform an old light bulb into a lovely vase.

Wish List Wednesday (for the home)

~Ceramic Babuschka salt and pepper shakers~
~ArtMind via Etsy, $50~


~Vintage Greek Key tea cups (4)~
~HighStreetMarket via Etsy, $38.00~

~Teal Glass Vase,
~Crate and Barrel Outlet, $14.95~

~Happy Wednesday Everyone~

Home Tip Tuesday (gallery wall how-to)

~Photo credit, Brooklyn Limestone~

The Times Online posted an article highlighting 50 of the world's "best design blogs" and I have been exploring what the list has to offer. Admittedly my pace has been slow, a blog here and a blog there and I like some more than others. One of the gems that I have come across chronicles the restoration of a poorly maintained Brooklyn Limestone. The features include renovations, before and after photos (extremely satisfying), and how-to projects. One of my favorite projects was the DIY gallery wall (pictured above). The directions explain how to measure and hang a grouping of small frames on a wall 'gallery' style (technically I'm pretty sure that when there are frames above and below one another that it is 'salon' style). You can pick up nice small frames or pieces inexpensively at flee markets, garage sales, and even some antique stores. If the finishes and colors are too disparate unify them by applying a single color of paint.

~Happy Tuesday Everyone~

Magazine Monday (airy bedroom)

~Photo credit, Domino Magazine March 2009~

Despite the fact that Domino Magazine is now defunct, I continually find inspiration when flipping through old issues. The bedroom pictured above has a fresh, bright, and elegant look which is just what I'm craving as the winter gives way to spring.

To get the look in your own bedroom:

1. Adding a simple bed skirt in a neutral or white tone will impart a crisp and finished look to the entire room. Because the bed is typically the largest piece of furniture in the bedroom, paying special attention to your linens and finishes will make a big impact on the rest of the room.
2. Install hooks, track runners, or curtain hardware to your ceiling and drape long swaths of light-weight white fabric. If your bedroom is on the small side keep the white fabric concentrated around the headboard. Skipping the footboard area draping in a small room will help keep the space open.
3. Add in a rich neutral in the form of shams, a throw, or decorative pillow. The contrast will help the white look even fresher more crisp in comparison.
4. Update your lighting (whether overhead, bedside lamp, or wall sconce) to something glamorous. Chandeliers, metallic finishes, or shimmery fabric shades all inject a little sparkle into an otherwise understated room.

~Happy Monday Everyone~

Friday Web Roundup

~Photo credit, Apartment Therapy~

I have always loved images of city scenes through windows. The photo gallery of NYC city scenes, found at the link above, is full of lovely images of unique moments in time.

~My kitchen, from which I need a vacation~

If you too are feeling the after holiday kitchen burnout take heart. After months of whipping up specialty after specialty and baking and brining nonstop, I have to say the prospect of standing over the stove even to produce simple meals has lost its appeal. This week the Apartment Therapy affiliate site The Kitchn has brought us a list of ideas to reconnect with the everyday cooking that we do for most of the year.

~Photo credit, Door Sixteen~

If you live in a small house or apartment, chances are the questions of where to put a television and how to make space for an in home office have plagued you. The solution pictured above of using a computer monitor within a closet as both a television screen and part of a small space office set up is genius. This idea could translate into many homes and if your closet is not appropriately situated try placing the setup in an awkward nook or an armoire.

~Happy Friday Everyone~

Weekly Watercolor Sketch 2

~Potted plant with metal tumbler~

This marks week two in my year of watercolor sketches. As a continuation of last week's subject (my couch), I chose to paint a couple of things that were lying around in the living room. I think that I will try to stick with closely cropped scenes from my everyday life. I like the idea of having an painted record of 2010. Honoring the mundane has always helped me to remind me just how lucky I am.

Roasted Veggies with Spicy Chicken

This "recipe" is really an imprecise collection of suggestions of what to do with whatever vegetables you have lying around and one of absolute cheapest cuts of meat, chicken thighs. Feel free to adjust and substitute based on the contents of your pantry and your own personal tastes.

INGREDIENTS
6 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)
4 medium yellow or redskin potatoes
1 large eggplant
4 medium carrots
2 medium onions
6 cloves of garlic (unpeeled)
3 beets (I used golden but any kind will do)
coarse salt
black pepper
paprika
ground hot pepper
ground cumin
olive oil
dried thyme

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
   
2. Clean and chop all vegetables into cubes (about 1" x 1").
3. In a large shallow casserole, drizzle vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle entire mixture with 1/2 tbsp of each spice.
   
4. Tuck unpeeled garlic cloves amongst vegetables and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Pull vegetables out of oven and place chicken thighs on top of them at even intervals. Sprinkle top of each chicken thigh (skin side up) with ground hot pepper, cumin, thyme, and salt.
6. Return pan to oven and continue to bake until chic thighs are finishes (juices run clear when pierced near the bone) about 25 minutes.
7. Allow meat to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

~Serves 4-6~

Wish List Wednesday (carry it)

~Linen and leather clutch, Sveika via Etsy, $65~

~Red felt tote, TheStoryofLouise via Etsy, $50~


~Handlebar bag, DNTX via Etsy, $95~

~Happy Wednesday Everyone~

Home Tip Tuesday (orchid care)

If fresh flowers don't fit into your budget on a regular basis, take heart. There are numerous flowering plants that can be kept around the house to provide beauty and interest. One of the most accessible and regularly flowering plants is the orchid. If I'm being honest, I have to admit that I have killed more orchids than I have successfully kept alive. The care tags that come with each plant give directions that I find vague and confusing. Luckily, one of the technicians at my plant filled dentist's office was nice enough to let me in on a little secret.

1. Once a week, fill your sink or a large container or bucket with water.
   
2. Submerge the orchid (the potted portion that contains the roots, not the leaves or stem) for about 1 hour.
   
3. After the hour is up, drain the water and leave the orchid to dry out a bit before putting it back in its usual area.
   

Following these directions I have managed to keep my new orchid alive longer than any of the past attempts. There are even a couple of new buds and I have high hopes that I have finally cracked the code.

~Happy Tuesday Everyone~