In search of inspiration or is it really procrastination?

My recent search for inspiration is really thinly veiled procrastination.  It is not an easy job to fit 1800 square feet of stuff into about 1200 square feet and as much as I am trying to rise to the challenge, it is sometimes kicking my butt.  Its not a tough decision to choose whether to attempt to squeeze four more 3-cubic foot boxes of kitchen goods into an already full kitchen, or to hop on the internet and find dreamy photos of beachside cottage homes or brightly colored fun crafting studios.  Off to the internet I go!

One great place to find color combination ideas and inspiration is Coastal Living, such as the shot above.  They provide beautiful photo galleries full of ideas for kitchens, living rooms, outdoor rooms, small spaces and just about any room you'd be looking to redecorate.  They have one collection of coastal styles that is organized by color scheme - you can choose blue and white, seaglass, citrus, whites only, pastel etc.  The above photo is from the seaglass collection.  As much as I have not wanted blue to be a part of my decorating scheme, I have to admit I'm drawn to the concept of seaglass colors.  Somehow a washed out cobalt or teal is not blue in my head.  Weird, I know!

I'm also finding loads of color inspiration from some of my favorite fabric-related websites.  Along with most of the world, I'm crazy about Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner and Heather Bailey.  The Amy Butler site has a series of inspiration pages where they show the fabrics in real settings.  There is also a page showing her studio, which is not as bright as I would have expected.  Perhaps a neutral palette allows for more creativity?

Anna Maria Horner's blog includes some great project ideas and she seems so nice and personable.  When you walk into a fabric shop, you don't necessarily think "Hmm, some person just like me who likes to quilt and sew came up with this great design."  You just think "Oh I HAVE to have that."  Don't you?  She has some free projects on her blog that I'd love to try once I get the studio all set up and can actually use my sewing machine.  I think the dog leash pattern will be first!  She also links to Flickr groups where her fabrics are turned into wonderful things by crafters everywhere.  Lots of fun to check those out!  This is the promo for her new fabric line to be released this fall.

And then there's Heather Bailey.  She's a girl after my own heart - just look at the hot pink peonies!

Her blog is fun to read too and she links to photos of projects created with her fabrics.  She and Anna Maria Horner are both designers for Free Spirit Fabrics, and you can find their full collections here.  Wish they had a gallery like Amy Butler, but you can find FO's out there on Flickr and other blogs.

There's my procrastination for the day.  Off to unpack some studio boxes and get the cabinets in there re-organized.

Modern Vintage?

I was running late for work this morning and decided to make coffee at home but put it in a thermos with my breakfast to take with me.  At least that way, the shop would be open and chances are that I could nibble at my yummy blueberry scone in peace and quiet any how.  My first thought was to reach for what I call the major silver bullet - its one of those stainless steel thermos' that you see everywhere these days.  I have a small one that a friend bought for me (which was really sweet, but as a non-coffee drinker he did not realize I needed the big daddy size!) which is called the minor silver bullet and a larger one that I got for myself.  Some days you only need a cup, but some days ... well you know the drill.

Unfortunately, I haven't unpacked either silver bullet yet, despite the fact that it feels like I've been unpacking for ages.  Then I remembered something I bought at TJ Maxx several years ago, just because I thought it was pretty and it has been unpacked.   Its an enamel thermos with the glass interior and an aluminum top.  Now the unusual thing about this thermos is that its pale blue.  Yes, that's right - blue!  When I was a little girl my mother, father and big sister all chose blue as their favorite color.  Not me.  No sirree.  For as quiet and shy as I normally am, I do like to feel special so I would have been darned if I chose the same favorite color as everyone else in my family.  Pffht.  So red was my official favorite color until I was about 28 when I discovered (yes Al Gore, I discovered it) green.  Sage green, thyme green, lime sherbet green, evergreen, blue spruce green, you name it - I love green!  Perhaps not day-glo green, but I'd probably pick it over blue.  If you asked, I would tell you that 90% of my home and probably 80% of my wardrobe is either red or green.  Long story short, pale blue is not often found in my home unless it was a gift.

Anyhow, here's my breakfast. 



I love that this is a vintage-looking thermos, but its not.  I also love that so many fabrics and stationary goods and other home decor pieces are out there now that are current and up-to-date, but really inspired by vintage items.  I also think this is going to be the color palette for some of the decor in my new home.  Pale blue with red and pink.

Color!

So I've finally gotten all my stuff moved in to the new house and I'm thinking about maybe changing color schemes here and there. I've really only committed to three areas - the office space is black & white with red and then my bath is light blue with silver and mercury glass accents. That bath already has a beautiful embossed wallpaper painted in a pale blue, reminiscent of the old tile ceilings. The guest bath is pink flamingos with aqua accents. Love it! So there's three decisions made, but they're really the simplest.

I thought that once I got my furniture into the house it would be easy to 'see' what I wanted, and whether I wanted to stick with my old color schemes. Not so much. The very front room of the house is painted in a lime sherbet color with a gorgeous tile floor in white and terra cotta with black accents. I've put in a black wicker chair and my pine craft cabinets. The room is sunny on two sides and I think I'll be using it as a knitting space and a crafty place for when my niece and nephew come over. Not sure what to do there, and that's just the beginning! I need to choose color schemes for the dining room / kitchen, the living room, the master bedroom and the guest room. Insert big sigh here.

Have you ever done just a simple image search for "color" on Google or Yahoo? Oh the things you'll see!

blogged by Corner Paint

I don't want to get too cliche and fill my house with palm trees and pink flamingos (just a bathroom full is ok, right?) but the tropical inspiration out there is heady!

blogged by Hospitality Design

 This one might be a bit much for me, but I like the color combo

blogged by StyleBeat

 I love the idea of removable vinyl wall stickers, especially in a rented home.  NouWall on Etsy has some beautiful choices.

gorgeous wall vinyl from NouWall on etsy

More soon!

Crafty Cabinets - before

I love my new little house, but since I don't have all of my furniture with me yet I went out in search of some cabinets or bookcases to use in the meantime.  I'm going from a 3 bedroom plus office home into a 2 bedroom plus sunroom home so there is obviously going to be some downsizing and consolidating.  Another big challenge is that my bedroom storage is reduced closet space - horrors!  Instead of whining, I'm off to the races with this adorable set of dressers that I found at a local consignment shop for peanuts. 

Since I'm renting, I'm not going to paint the walls in the guest room so I will need to add some fun color through my 'stuff' - the comforter, artwork and furniture!  My old guest room was in a soft peach with a gorgeous floral comforter and a general sea shell theme to the room and guest bath.   I've chosen a pink flamingo theme for the guest bathroom, but I really think one room of that is sufficient, don't you?  (And yes, I realize most people would say one pink flamingo room is one room too many!)

I'm thinking a brighter peach, or perhaps coral?  Coral would be girly but a little more tropical.  If I want to use the space as my studio for HotPinkPeonies, then I might want to go with a sky blue with hot pink accents.  That would be cute, but not a very good 'welcome to the beach' color scheme.  Decisions, decisions.  I've thumbed through some photos of beautiful craft rooms online and on Ravelry (because of course one must go there first), but mostly I see where people have added color to their craft rooms or studios on the walls, and used or created white furniture.  I'm sure sure which direction I'll take, but its fun to have a new project!

Anyway, here's the "before" photos :