Too good to not share

Holdling On To Love from ChelseaVictoria on Etsy


Up & Away from ChelseaVictoria on Etsy

It's Magic from ChelseaVictoria on Etsy


Little Treasure from ChelseaVictoria on Etsy


Waiting on A Fairytale by ChelseaVictoria on Etsy

I love these, my problem is deciding which one I love the best.  If you buy one I will give advice on how to frame it.  

Have you heard about Design Collective ATL?

So when I moved to Atlanta I thought clients would be knocking down my door (hello optimism!) but Atlanta is more about the tried and true than what's next and new.  But people are gathering here from all over the country, including urbanites, young families, artists, designers, and restauranteurs.  So there is a lot of next and new, but there still is no real outlet for discovery and networking.

I have seen that the design world has changed and we need to adapt and I know that we need to work harder.  We also need to educate the community about alternative design options. To commit to transparency, honesty, and accessibility. To adapt to the changing landscape of design and design clients.  To maintain a high level of quality and value from clients and in ourselves.  To facilitate new ideas and support within the design community. To encourage the use of an interior design and design professionals. 

A year of hard work later, I have been published, designed for a Showhouse, been featured on amazing blogs (thank you friends!), given speeches in front of people, and started a new organization that I co-founded with Hillary Linthicum from Peace Design to address everything above.  Pretty cool right?


So check us out at www.designcollectiveatl.com and see if you want to join the Collective.

Best of Atlanta Craigslist

Antique English Secretary - $400

I am in a serious secretary phase.  

Pinky & Blueboy Oil On Canvas' Large 24" X 36" - $100 (South Cobb)

How cute is he?

Secretary, Chippendale - $200 (Stockbridge)

I need a room to put this in.


ANTIQUE AFGHANI KILLEM RUG/ MUTED EARTHY TONES/LARGE - $250 (SMYRNA/VININGS)


Loveseat, White, Tufted Back. Good deal on an expensive piece - $290

Ensemble: Natural Wood & Shiny Metals

natural, earthy, warm, rustic AND modern, sleek, polished

what else do you need?

1970's Italian Modernist Chrome and Wood Bar Cart

Chista Landscape

Jasper Furniture by Michael Smith

Andrea Branzi

African Blackwood Wood inlaid in Sterling Silver Wedding Band on Etsy

Baby You're A Firework

Lately I have been loving these organic burst patterns on fabric - they are fun and playful but take a cue from nature with irregular patterns.  An alternate to geometric patterns.  

Lulu DK Sunburst and you can customize it in any color you can imagine.  

Ferrick Mason Bizzy Bloom

Albert Hadley Fireworks from Hinson

Best of Atlanta Craigslist

1940's Cabinet, Great Condition!!! - $195

Yes, please!

SET OF 19 ANTIQUE GLASSES - $20 (LAWRENCEVILLE)

Not sure if it is a blessing or a curse that Lawrenceville is 30 miles away?

Antique Writing Desk - $250 (West Cobb/Paulding)

Would be great as a bedside table.

CAMPAIGN CHEST - $50 (Norcross/Ptree Corners)

I am in love with campaign hardware.  

Today's post has been brought you you by Craigseasy - no compensation was involved, but I did save a ton of time by installing the "easy" button, doing my search and clicking said bookmark- turning all the listings into pictures.  I scrolled through pages like no one's business and turned this baby out quicker than before.  Try it.  

It all hangs in the valance

I have two awkwardly placed windows in my bedroom.  They have unoffensive white blinds and I decided that adding curtains may highlight the window placement (not what I want).  So whats a girl to do?  I was educated in the school of Michael Smith, who has a very particular textbook on window coverings, never once did I do a valance.

But then I saw Claire Watkins house featured on Decor Demon.  What better way to add a little pattern and color without breaking the bank?

Photo from Decor Demon, by Brian Patrick Flynn with photography by Sarah Dorio

My plan is about a yard of fabric, some foam board (a la Claire) and spray adhesive.  I will most likely choose a simple rectangle shape and maybe get a little crazy with a decorative trim.

I would love to use this Peter Dunham fabric, Janpath, and turn the border into a trim to run down the blinds.

Will post pictures when I get around to this one.  This blog may be turning into my to-do list!

Please don't run me out of town for this

Browsing the internet always leads to something else and before I know it I am completely off topic and lost in cyberspace with several bookmarks that I will forget to go back to.  But I stumbled across this and was amazed by the potential, a good way to mix in low.  Am I tardy to the party on this one? 

Everything on this page is less than $80 and from here.  There are some major misses - but also major finds. 

Stylish Blogger Award

1. I was born in Wyoming, but have lived in Colorado, Alaska, California, Arizona, and now Georgia.

2. One of the reasons I moved to Georgia was so I could fly a University of Southern California flag with all the rest of y'all.  Plus I wanted to see what this side of the country was like.

3. I loved to build forts when I was a kid.  Secret places where (I thought) adults could not find me.  I am designing homes today, although now I prefer adults.  I think we all could use a little more imagination, creativity, and fantasy in our everyday lives.

4. I worked at Michael Smith Inc for four years, but started for a few months at the reception desk to get my foot in the door and worked my way up to Designer.  Extreme luck because I found the job posting on Craigslist.

5. I am an extreme organizer.  I make lists of lists.  I think I could make better use of my time if I organized less.  I like organizing other people's stuff over mine.  Its a sickness.

kollin.hu

6. I have been dying to travel to Croatia for about 7 years, the culture, the beaches, and food, not to mention the fact they are not on the euro yet is very appealing.  Crossing my fingers 2011 is the year!

7.  I am a road foodie - When travelling I want to try the best of local cuisine and we do a lot of road tripping.  Chile in New Mexico, BBQ in West Memphis, Gumbo in Louisana.  Okay, I just really like eating out, but I like to cook too.  Boils down to: I love to eat.

Thanks to Lissa from After Adornment for including me in the Stylish Blogger Awards.  I got to tell you 7 things about me and then nominate other bloggers.  Normally I don't participate in chain activities, however this is fun and interesting - I got to know Lissa a little bit better in her post.

Here are the 7 bloggers I nominated for this Award - I hope that if you are not already familiar with them and their blogs you will take a moment to check them out.

Dagny @ Scandinavian Chic
Claire @ High Gloss Blue
Erika @ BluLabel Bungalow
Cristi @ Charm Home
Amanda @ Stylish Bird
Katie @ You Are What You Eat..Or Reheat
Miranda @ Everything Sounds Better in French

And Whitehaven is participating in the Stylish Blogger Award today too and included me!  Thanks Jane Douglas & Helen.

Also I am speaking at the AmericasMart this morning on "Adapting to Changing Design Clients" -wish me luck!

Best of Atlanta Craigslist

Decorative Round Mirror OBO - $75 (Marietta)

Perfect canidate for a paint job.

VINTAGE LAMP PAIR -CARVED WOODEN AND BRASS BASE W/NEW RED LINEN 

SHADES - $100 (SMYRNA/VININGS) 

Not convinced about the red linen shades on this pair of lamps.  I would find another pair of lamps for those shades and new shades for these lamps.  

Wrought Iron Desk with Glass top Desk and Chair - $100 (Cleveland GA)

This would be cute powder coated in a neon color.  

MID CENTURY CHAIR - $120 (CLAIRMONT/LAVISTA

I love the back detail.

Happy Shopping!

You're Invited

Need a little rejuvenation after the holidays?  Check out my Design Refuge contributing post "You're Invited".

This month I plan a Girls Night In and give you my ideas on invitations, decorations, food & cocktails.  But this months menu would be great for any dinner party - girls or not.  Please stop by.  

Painting to make it interesting

Traditional Home

I am thinking about doing some painted "molding" in my living room.  The walls will be painted white - 5 gallons of white dove has been purchased, but think that it needs something that feels more intentional.  So a trompe l'oeil molding is an option.

Apartment Therapy

Typically the walls are painted a color and the molding is white, although without the presence of actual molding, the precise lines would be more time consuming.

I have also toyed with the idea of doing a hand-stenciled border in a blue.  Maybe a greek key or paisley.  The Stencil Library is great for inspiration.


How great would this be, but if you read my post yesterday you know that I don't have the patience for this yet, but I am working on it.  

I would love to turn this Florence Broadhurst print into a border.  So chic.  


I am going to attempt to complete or at least begin one project from my home to-do list a week.  But painting the living room white dove is the first order of business.  

$30 to Fabulous

This weekend I added about a million projects to my home to-do list.  I also discovered that I am incredibly impatient because I want to see what it looks like, like now.

I have a high bed, so the perfect bedside table height is around 30 inches.  I had been using a bar cart (I told you I was obsessed!) but it was bulky and looked too cluttered.  I will either use it on the screen porch or clean it up and put it on craigslist.  I suppose that depends if the screen porch is warm enough for parties when I get around to that project.

I saw this DIY through one of my favorite blogs Little Green Notebook and had to try it.  Sorry for the awful image!  I am deciding on hardware now because hardware will make my $30 drawers look expensive and custom.  All hardware images are from the Hardware Hut.

I will also need to do another coat of stain and lacquer the whole thing, but I was really excited to see how it would look.  So what do you think?  What hardware would you choose?