Wednesday, December 10, 2008

White Parrot Tulip Quilt

I started quilting a little less than a year ago, and I have 2 lap quilts and a Christmas tree skirt under my belt already. But what I'd really love to be making is art quilts - quilts that represent people, places, or things through fabric. My favorite quilt artist, Ruth B. McDowell, does such amazing work, here are some of my favorites:
"Wallflowers"
"Sawtooth Tulip"
"Red Gate"
"Ostrich Quilt"
"Bison at Mission Creek"


My sisters-in-law gave me 3 of McDowell's books for Christmas, and now I can't wait to get started on an art quilt of my own. I carried white parrot tulips in my wedding bouquet earlier this year, so I think I want to use them for inspiration.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Oh, Deer!

Is it just me, or are deer heads popping up everywhere? And I don't mean the kind sitting in your parent's basement because Mum won't let it go up over the mantle... Here are some of my favorites:

Beautiful vinyl cling silhouette from Etsy seller TastySuite.

Okay, okay, I know it's not a deer, but it's got the antlers, and it's so cute! Wooden Jackalope from Etsy seller treeswithknees.

I don't know if this cute little hanger could actually support anything, but it would look adorable with some onesies hanging off it in a baby room. From Etsy seller ilovegreyskies

These antlers are actually made for hanging up coats. They're available for $99 at www.gnr8.biz. Very cool.

And finally, my absolute favorite deer head from www.keepcalmgallery.com. If you've never been to this site, they have gorgeous posters and prints, lots featuring beautiful typography. I highly recommend you check them out!

Best Living Room Ever!

This gorgeous collage from Bandelle Blog features Jessie Randall's home in a shoot from Domino Magazine. My living room looks nothing like this space, I don't have any pieces of furniture even remotely similar, but I want my entire house to look like these photos!! With that in mind, I've been cultivating photos of products I want to buy or use to inspire my very handy husband.





Love this desk and chair from West Elm. the desk looks crazy simple to make, and I'm sure I can find a similar chair from a vintage or antique store.
Gorgeous lamp, and with a woodworking husband, should be a cinch to make the base!

Don't be jealous, but my woodworking husband also knows how to weld. The base of this coffee table (from Room & Board) is very simple, and we have lots of cheap options for the top. We could do wood, like pictured above, or make a concrete table top, or have a piece of granite or another type of stone cut.

Because we don't have the several hundred dollars needed to buy a tv that mounts on the wall, we need a cute, low profile tv stand for our extremely small tv. I like the lines of this coffee table (also Room & Board), and if we reduce the depth and increase the length, I think it would totally work.
I lost the link to this photo (sorry if it's yours!) but I love the look in this dining room. It's not from the Randall home, but it's very similar in colors and its simple design. Love!

Pillow Talk

Etsy is a great source for beautiful and unique pillows. Here are some of my favorites:I love this lady-like pillow from Emma Jane Designs. All her pillows are equally beautiful and dainty.

These pillows from Etsy seller broksey are from her "attack" series. They'd look so great in a little kids room or a more casual den.

Must Make Moroccan Poufs!



I am loving these Moroccan Poufs made by Sofie Nova, as featured in Domino, I just think they have better curves and a more contemporary appeal than some of the others out there. But $1800 a pop?!! That's a lot to pay for some buckwheat and linen. I'll be trying to duplicate these gorgeous babies (sans pattern) over the next couple of weeks - I'll keep you posted!