Pillow Talk

It's almost spring and I felt the need desire for something new for the house. Even though I am an interior designer, I don't spend a lot of money on my own home. I'm not sure why - there is plenty of temptation out there - guess I just have a lot of restraint in this area - and I follow an old saying by William Morris: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

However . . . the other day I was in the checkout line at Target and the gal behind me started putting these cute pillows on the belt - and the green and yellow colors were so fresh, I fell in love. I could not stop thinking about the cute beetle pillow I saw.

The beetle pillow

So, today I went back to make a return and look at pillows. I even went to a different store in case that gal bought the last two beetle pillows that day.

 In a section of the store with "designer-style-items" a couple of pillows caught my eye. I grabbed the butterfly and yellow flower pillows and a quilted throw, and went to find the beetle in the "pillow section." No beetle pillows there. But, I did like one from that section (the quilted multi-color number.) Then as I was walking around the corner, sad as could be, there was the beetle pillow on the endcap! And, across the aisle from that one was the stripped pillow. Did they make it hard or what? Four different places for 5 pillows. Kind of crazy if you ask me. 

My new pillows and throw - all ready for spring.

I ended up with the cute beetle, a butterfly, a flower, a stripe, and a quilted pillow and throw. 

Pillows are beautiful and functional, so I followed my own advice for 

bringing new items into my home!

My son did the large painting and it works for winter and spring color groupings. 

I feel like I need to explain why my sofa is up against the wall . . . something I really never do in a client's home. Two words explain it all: Olive & Lúthien. The granddaughters needed room to play and their red and orange Ikea tent needed floor space. By the way, that tent from Ikea is a great deal if you have little ones. Anyway, you get the point that my granddaughters are calling the decorating shots (for now.)

A few other pillows in my collection.
The yellow (with red embroidery) and the solid orange are down-filled and very cozy .

In my large pillow collection, I already have an orange, yellow, and several tan colored pillows, so they mixed right in with the new and will play nice together. I have another sofa across the room and I will use a couple of the new pillows on that sofa and by mixing with the ones I already have, it will bring the nice touch of spring throughout the room. Designers love pillows - is there such a thing as too many? My husband would say YES!

My winter look.

Four of the 5 pillows above came from the shop I owned - and they were a lot more expensive than my new Target finds. The one in front is beaded (so no one can really sit against it, but it is so pretty, haha.)

I am now ready to Spring Forward.

When will the temperature "Fall"

The calendar says it is almost Fall, but the temperatures in Southern California are hot, hot, hot.  And, that is how it always goes around here this time of year. It is difficult to switch gears and 

think about autumn decorating when the beach is still the only place to be. 

In San Diego autumn arrives late, but it is still my favorite season. When it finally arrives, 

I will put away the seashells and get out the pine cones. 

My favorite fall decoration

Last fall I put together this basket with a great piece of wood from the pile out back. 

I loved it and kept it out until spring. 

Sometimes I find a curvy piece of wood in the pile - doesn't happen too often

I'm looking forward to putting it together again and adding some new pine cones.  

The wood fit nicely around the basket handles and I attached it with twine.

Thrift Shop Tables

These tables are at the Goodwill Store in Oceanside. The side tables (they had two) were $15. each and the coffee table was $20. Not bad. I didn't need them, or know anyone at the moment who did, but I would have bought them in a snap if I did.

I think either would be great for creating a "shadowbox" table since the edge on the top was large enough to hold a piece of glass.

Wabisabi Green Gallery Opening

Last night I ventured down the coast to attend a gallery opening. Well-known local artist, Jolee Pink, launched her newest venture in Encinitas. She opened a pop-up gallery (with several other artists) to showcase her modern, eco friendly home decor collection and turned a ho-hum commercial space into an aquatic wonderland for the event.

A ceramic sculpture by Jolee Pink

I first noticed Jolee's work many years ago when it was featured at the Encinitas Library. I loved her pillow designs and decided to sell them in my retail shop. She is multi-talented and works with lots of mediums, including fabric, paint, and ceramic.

Hugo, Gears, and Steampunk

My husband and I have been wanting to see the movie HUGO for months and finally got the chance yesterday . . . just days before the Academy Awards. The movie is up for ten awards and worth a few wins in our book. It was visually stunning, entertaining, and enchanting. Big players in the film were the gears. Many, many gears, in many forms, some of them larger than life. Taking place mainly in a Paris train station in the 30s - it is about a young boy who lives in the station and keeps the clocks set to run on time. Go see it soon!

Before my visual encounter with gears in the film today, I had been noticing that they are everywhere right now. I've seen them in TV and print advertising, in jewelry, and in home decor. It started a few months ago when my daughter was experimenting with gears for a business logo for her marketing company. She wasn't able to find a combination she liked at the time and never created a logo using the motif. Since gears are being used over and over again now, I am kind of happy she didn't end up with a gear logo. When something gets too popular I tend to not want to use it much. 

Here is an interesting mix of gears I found in a simple search on Google Images.
It's from an online gallery: fubiz.net

Thrifty Find - Wicker Chair

I thought I would try something different now and then. I am always finding things in thrift stores that I love but I do not buy. Unless I am looking for a piece for a client or really cannot live without something, I often just take a photo and note the price.

My first post is about the wicker chair in the grouping below (created on Polyvore.com - so much fun!) It was only $7 and in great shape. I would paint it black, purchase or make a cushion, add a pillow or two, a foot stool, plant, umbrella, and most important, a glass of lemonade.  Ah, summer living.

Thrifty Find - Wicker Chair by marie-kinnaman on polyvore.com

$7.00 wicker chair and  $5.00 stool from Brother Beno's Thrift Store on Mission Road in Oceanside, California.