Archive for September, 2011

Doors aren’t just for doorways.

Saturday, September 17th, 2011

To my husband’s dismay, I’ve been collecting old doors for awhile now. They are stacked neatly in the garage just waiting for me to pick a project for them. In the interim, I’ve compiled a folder of some pretty cool repurposed doors for inspiration. Let’s take a look…

1. Benches

Door Bench Bench Door

2. Shelf

Door Corner Shelf

3. Headboard

Door Headboard

4. Tables

Door Picnic Table  Door Side Table

5. Chalkboard

Door Chalkboard

6. Arbor

Door Arbor

7. Room Divider

Door Room Divider

This last one is by far my favorite. I’m leaning toward manufacturing this one for Halloween this year by painting each door versions of black , white, gray, and silver with black and silver hardware. If it comes to light, I’ll post some pictures.

Who needs tv when you’ve got books?

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

In honor of all the kids that just went back to school, I thought a quick post on libraries would be fun.

My husband and I are avid readers and have books in every room of our house. The library is overflowing into the hall and end tables are becoming cluttered with book after book. So it should come as no surprise that I am enthralled by beautiful libraries. Here’s a look at my current top 5:

Library in Brazil

Ornate Library

Hall of Books

Spiral of Books

Arch of Books

As you can see, I love the blend of traditional and ornate when it comes to libraries. And the bigger the better! When I was a kid, I would have my mom drop me off at the library on her way to work and pick me up on the way home. Eight blissful hours surrounded by the smell, the feel, the stories, the knowledge…it was heaven!

Marie Antionette Bridal Shower

Sunday, September 4th, 2011

My best friend, Jules, is getting married in November so I wanted to help throw her an amazing bridal shower. A shower that emphasized all the things that she loves. Her wedding theme is Paris meets India so I decided to concentrate more on the Paris side of things for this shower. Think Eiffel Towers, Pink, Shopping, and more!

But to take it a step further, I added Marie Antionette into the mix.  Since she was the Queen of France and know for her amazing wardrobe, wigs, and accessories; it only seemed fitting for her to be the true inspiration for the shower.

Marie Antionette Table Jewelry Bar

It was these two pictures that served as my inspiration photos for the shower. I had no idea what the space I would be setting up in would look like nor was there a large budget to play with. So here’s what it looked like:

Screen of Jewelry

My goal for her party was for all of her friends to bring her accessories as gifts. They were instructed not to wrap them and would be given  pretty hand made tags to sign and attach to the jewelry upon arrival. The gifts were to be used as the decor.

Pink Lingerie   Hot Pink Lingerie

I took 2 mannequins with me to dress in sets of pink lingerie and added a boa for some flair. Then I recovered an old room divider in pink paisley fabric to fill an empty corner.

Food Table

The food table was lined with silver serving trays with Baroque frames and hot pink paper listing the food items. Parisian boxes were used to add height as well as Eiffel towers and tea sets.

Dessert Table

Dessert Tower   Cupcake Tower

The dessert table was vibrant in icing colors. elegant shoes, cake stands, and metallic candy dishes. If you needed a chocolate fix, this was the table to see.

Wine and Tea

I purchased some affordable wine, soaked off the labels, and adhered new ones that I made for the bride. Showcased on a high heel wine holder made to look like a Christian Louboutin and sat next to a vintage tea kettle with pearls.

Wine Corner

Rain Boots & Wine  Wire Mannequin

And in the other corner of the room, I set up an Eiffel Tower wine holder with Fleur de Lis rain boots and a black wire mannequin to even out the room.

Jules with all her bling

And here is a picture of the happy bride to be wearing as much of her jewelry as we could possibly put on her. I’m fairly certain she was happy with the final product!