Etsy Love: Baby Green Shop

The break is over! I'm newly recommitted. Sometimes a blog and a blogger just need a little time apart - forced, in this case, by a fried laptop, some personal heart break, and the need to hit the road before the summer came to a close - but I'm back and more inspired than ever. I promise never to leave you again, dear blog. (Side note: I am not a boy, but the image below was too cute to resist.)



One of my admitted recent preoccupations has been getting my own Etsy shop up and running, so of course it's fitting for my Saturday 'Etsy Love' posts to resume with my own Baby Green Shop as the first feature. Consider it a 'beta' version please; it needs more TLC than my technology deprivation has allowed. It does and will continue to feature both vintage housewares and accessories that I stumble upon while sourcing for my interior design clients and gift baskets containing natural baby products and household supplies from Shaklee. Whether you are looking to add a whimsical decorative touch to your house or need the perfect baby shower or housewarming gift, Baby Green Shop on Etsy is your answer. Here are a few of the vintage and eco-friendly goodies that await....


Wooden Napkin Holder with Decoupaged Image of Jesus $9.99


Collectible Vintage Pyrex Ovenware in Orange & White $15.99


Japanese Earthenware Sake Set with Platter, Pitcher & 8 Sake Cups $19.99


Custom-order Baby Shower Basket with Organic Cotton Washcloth, Shakleebaby Gentle Wash & Shakleebaby Diaper Rash Cream in a Vintage Basket $50.00

On a 'break'

So, I just wanted to spread the official word that my blog and I are on a "break," as they say. No, I'm not seeing any other blogs in the meantime. And in this case, it truthfully is ME. (Actually it's my Powerbook's logic board that had a permanent meltdown.) Lots of soul searching, road trips, magazine catch-up time and design project installations lately, so when my blog and I do get back together, we'll have so much to share. Stay tuned....

Xx
Amanda

Monday Color: Silver

They say that every cloud has a silver lining. Having hit a few bumps in the road of life myself recently, I'm doing my best to see the silver not the storm. So I chose this powerful hue for today's Monday Color post, in the spirit of eternal optimism and storms that cleanse, but don't destroy. Take a peek below to see if your interiors could use the hint of the positive perspective and uplifting shine that only silver delivers.



























Images above:

1. Metallic wallpaper, complimented by blue-gray upholstery and a lucite and silver chandelier (from Decor Pad).

2. Silver crib, curtains and accents in a glamourous nursery, from Baby Lifestyles.

3. My personal favorite: metalic textured wallcoverings provide perfect contrast to rustic workspace furnishings.

4. Silver-leafed walls add richness to this room designed by Jeffrey Bilhuber, found on The French Eye blog.

5. The silver sheen of a silk rug and velvet upholstery dresses up this otherwise traditional interior, found on nissandra.com.

6. Wide metallic silver stripes are a modern touch in this serene bedroom.

7. Daring silver upholstered pieces make an eclectic mix with these unique vintage finds.

8. Classic architectural paneling gets a funky makeover with a coat of silver paint, below metallic accent wallpaper, found on Bite Home.

9. Haute House Sequin Safari Ottomans from Neiman Marcus.

10. Antiqued mercury glass and silvery brown shade make up Crate & Barrel's Jolie Table Lamp.

11. Silk dupioni pillow cover with silver beading from The Home Centric on Etsy.

12. Mirrored Dresser from Anthropologie.

13. Zuo Modern's funky Aristocrat Sofa in silver leatherette, from www.homeclick.com

Feather Lusting

Feathers have long been a mild obsession of mine. It's likely rooted in my desire to soar like a bird in a big blue open sky. But gravity and winglessness keep me grounded, and so it is.

Change of subject (sort of). My first and only tattoo is of my son's name with two little birds flying over an ocean wave, which I got in celebration of significant life changes that unfolded in the past few years. Tattoo # 2 is in incubation stage now but I know two things: it will go near my right shoulder blade to cover a large scar and it will incorporate an image of a feather. The images above are my "inspiration file" for this next piece. None of them are "it" but that's ok, all art is a process.

In my online feather searches, I also came across so many beautiful representations in home decor that I just had to share. Until the day comes for my next tattoo, a vase or a print will have to do.



Birds of a Feather Wall Stickers from www.bouf.com.


Feathery Plumes No. 61, an original water color available at GollyBard's Etsy shop.


Large Feather Tray by Michael Angove available at Gretel Home.


Nourison's Parallels Rug in Lavender from Rugs Direct.


Framed Feather Wall Art by artist Scott Lifshutz for West Elm.


Thomas Paul's plum and cream Feather Tufted Pile Rug from Velocity Art & Design


Feather vase from Brooklyn Rehab's Etsy shop.


Ferm Living's Feather Wallpaper.

Backyard Wedding Bliss

I'm not much for Hollywood movies, but I took myself on a date tonight featuring cheese and wine, followed by a showing of Bridesmaids. It was filled with many good laughs, but I took particular note of the wedding in the end which was the opposite of any nuptial event I would ever want to partake in. Fireworks, laser show, lavender bridesmaids dresses, abundant ruffles and Wilson Phillips...need I say more?

To me, the ideal wedding has been a foggy image, perhaps thwarted by young single motherhood and lots of Mr. Wrongs. But the ever-inspiring City Sage blog post that landed in my in-box yesterday had me daydreaming once again. A rustic backyard affair with multi-colored wildflowers, vintage decorations, guests that don't feel like they need to cover their tattoos, indie folk music floating me down the makeshift aisle, simple and relaxed in every way......now we're talking.











Check out the full City Sage post here, featuring beautiful images by Noa of Feather Love Photography. Or head on over to Feather Love Photography for dozens of shots from the day: detailed glimpses of the decorations, portraits of the uber-hip bridal party, and festive food tables that all had me weeping with joy. And if you still haven't had your fill, the wedding was featured in Green Wedding Shoes.

Monday Color: Eggplant

Since the inception of my career as an interior designer a decade ago, I have always pledged to bring out my clients' personal style, rather than stamp my own aesthetic on home after home. If you've ever seen my portfolio, you'd immediately notice the uniqueness of each project. Part of the challenge in this mission is that I don't always like my clients' choices in color, style, vision.....but in order to make it all work beautifully, in every project, without compromise, I have to not just like them but embrace them wholly. That's part of the reason I started my Monday Color posts, to explore and pay tribute to the bounty of colors that can be applied in home interiors, especially the ones I don't love. The range of purple hues fell into this category, until my first purple-related post when I searched high and low for uses of the color that inspired me and left me reluctantly smitten. (It also may have something to do with the fact that my son's first favorite color was purple, almost as if to shove it in my face with a "like it or else" forcefulness.)

So here I am posting about another purple tone that marries red, brown and purple together in a regal but earthy hue of eggplant. And I may not have reached for this color when designing my own home, but now I must admit that I kinda like it. I'm realizing that with each blog post, I become a better designer, and with each client, I become a better blogger.




























1. I love the eggplant walls with gold accents in this living room found on Cococozy.com, but can't take my eyes off those amazing wide plank floors.

2. Another eggplant-filled living room, with unexpected accents of coral, found on The Design File.

3. Vibrant purple walls contrast with white traditional furnishings in this traditional dining room.

4. This purple bedroom features graphic wallpaper and cooling grays, that create a dramatic yet restful retreat.

5. A neutral living room with chocolate brown and eggplant accents, designed by Windsor Smith, found on Travel for Design.

6. The Cyan Design Purple Chandelier features a generous 36" diameter and regally-hued Murano style glass.

7. Comfort Wash Cotton Duvet Cover from the Company Store comes in a rich merlot hue, with a soft, lived-in feel.

8. Romo's geometric Estella Wallcovering in Elderberry.

9. Hand screen-printed Botanical Print Pillow from Sprouted Designs in a deep eggplant purple cotton with eco-friendly cream ink.

10. The plush faux fur texture of this throw from Z Gallerie makes it as regal as it's deep purple color demands.

11. Here's a literal use of eggplant in home decor: an actual eggplant printed onto an upcycled dictionary page by CollageOrama.

12. The Otto Rug in grape, by Madeline Weinrib.