Featured on Style at Home!

OMG… I’m featured on StyleAtHome.com!!!  Style at Home is one of my favourite inspiration sources, so I was beyond excited when they asked me to participate in their round-up of “Bloggers Fave Fall Design Trends”. 
I chose Modern Global as my favourite trend… go read my blurb on Style at Home to see why. 
I spent a fun afternoon spicing up my house with Modern Global accessories.  The amazing fabrics that Jodi brought home from Africa were perfect.  I also gathered up some global looking accessories (including a globe… hahaha… literal much???).  It is actually a very easy trend to pull off!
Here are some more photos from my home:


Thanks for the feature Style at Home!!!
Have a great weekend everyone!

Fall Trends: Color Blocking

Color blocking was a huge trend this spring/summer, and it seems to have continued into fall.  Here are some examples that I like: 



Isn’t that kitchen awesome???
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click images to go to source

Fall Trends: ‘70’s Style

This is another trend that I love, love, love!  I was a little girl in the late seventies and I totally remember my mom rocking some of these styles.
It’s kind of easy to add a touch of the ‘70’s to your fall wardrobe.  I’m liking high-waist flared pants, midi-length skirts with tie blouses, and super cool 70’s inspired boots.


But how do you add 70’s glam to your home without being tacky or cheesy?  Here’s what I’d do:
… add a bubble chair


… or something chrome and comfy:

I would totally go for some glammed-up lighting and caned chairs in a dining space:


I think that a lot of Emily Henderson’s rooms have a bit of a ‘70’s vibe, and I pretty much LOVE everything she does!  Check out her portfolio for more inspiration.

Are you into ‘70’s glam?
click photo to go to source

Fall Trends: Dots

I LOVE this trend!!!  It’s definitely one that I’m embracing in fashion and decor.
Disclaimer… I think a little goes a long way when it comes to dots.  Too many get kind of juvenile.  But done the right way, dots are fabulous…
Cool and casual: 


… or a little more sophisticated:


… or how about a couple of cute accessories:


So… what are your thoughts on dots???
Click photos to go to sources.

My plan for the week…

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It’s such a Monday.  I had big plans to do a whole week of fall trends on my blog this week, but guess what?  I’ve got nothin!  I really enjoyed my weekend, though, and I guess that counts for something.  Maybe in my ‘alone time’ this morning I’ll be able to squeeze in some quality computer time.  And I might even write a post if I can tear myself away from Pinterest!!!  It is so addicting.  Read Erica’s thoughts on Pinterest at Design Blahg because I just can’t explain it better than she did.  And guess what… Erica started following all of my boards this weekend!  Woot!
Also… I just realized that it’s already the last week of September!!!  How did that happen?  Anyone else feel a little blindsided by that???
*** Update… I guess everyone in our house had a case of the Monday’s this morning… just dropped off two crying boys who had to be pried off my legs.  Ugh.  ***

Quick Fix: Painted Lamp Shades

I’m in a phase of trying to ‘work with what I’ve got’ in my home.  Sometimes that’s annoying, but this project was actually kind of fun.  Mainly because I like painting stuff.  Plus, it only took me about 20 minutes.  For realz. 
I started with these. 

They’re old IKEA lamps, and I really hope they will be replaced with something a lot cooler, but in the mean time I just wanted to downplay the fugliness of them.  So I painted them black.
The only trick you need to know about this project is to spritz the shade with water before and during the painting process.  I learned that trick from Kristy at Hyphen Interiors… she painted two upholstered chairs, and they turned out great!  It seems like using a lot of water is the trick to getting the paint to brush on smoothly.  I just spritzed like crazy and brushed on the black paint.

After one coat it looked like this… so I went around again.

After two rounds… voila!  Much better.

Have a great weekend! 

The Natural Beauty Experiment: Henna Hair Dye

So, I’m on a natural beauty mission.  When I started doing research on what was actually in the products I was using, I was #1: shocked, and #2: inspired to make some changes.

One of the more exciting discoveries I’ve made is henna hair dye!  I had heard of henna tattoos, but had no idea that henna could be used as a natural hair color.  It turns out that there are several benefits:

  • Henna penetrates the hair shaft and binds with the keratin in the hair, making hair stronger.
  • Henna also coats the hair, filling in rough spots on a frayed cuticle, which makes the hair smoother.
  • Henna is completely chemical free… which was a big deal to me since I was coloring my hair every approximately every 4 weeks to cover my grey roots! (Ick.)
  • Henna leaves your hair feeling thick, shiny, and healthy.

Sounds great, but I have to fill you in on the details, because there is a bit of a process to put it mildly.

First, lets talk color.  Natural henna gives a vibrant red color that doesn’t fade like chemical reds do.  You can get also get henna that is mixed with indigo for shades ranging from auburn, to brown, to black.  I got mine at Lush, and chose the brown shade (caca brun mama).   

The next thing you need to know is that it takes a long time.  I found that I needed a two-step process because I have so much gray hair in the mix (omg).  I had start with the plain red henna which covers gray hair completely.  I left it on for 4 hours.  Then I rinsed it out and applied the brown (to cover the orangey red), and left it on all night!  The good news is that I ended up with perfect gray coverage and a rich brown color the next morning!

I read a ton of reviews and tips before deciding to try the henna, and most of them made it sound like applying the henna would be a huge mess.  I didn’t find that to be a problem.  It was really no harder (or messier) to apply than a regular drug-store brand home hair color kit.  Any of the paste that splashed onto the counter wiped right off.  And the chunks that got dry and fell on the floor swept up with a broom.  I suspect that the people who found the henna to be outrageously messy had probably never coloured their own hair before. 

Anyways, you mix the henna with hot water to make a paste approximately the consistency of cake batter.  I added 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar because it is supposed to help the henna cover the grays.  Yep… it’s totally green.

I wore gloves, and also covered my forehead and ears with Vaseline to prevent staining (but I didn’t have to cover the floor with newspaper or anything extreme like that).  From there, I just sectioned out my hair, scooped the henna mixture on with a spoon, worked it into the roots with my fingers, and covered all the way to the ends.  Once I was done with a section, I coiled it up into a little bun to keep it out of the way.  When I was finished, I wrapped my entire head with plastic wrap to keep the henna moist, topped that off with a pink shower cap, then waited for hours and hours!

Rinsing the henna out was definitely the hardest part of the whole process.  I found that the best way to do it was to stick my head under the kitchen tap and just let the water run over it for a long time, rinsing out the muddy stuff with it.  After most of it was rinsed off, I hit the shower and used conditioner to rinse away any of the remaining stuff. 

OK… there is one more point to discuss.  The smell.  I don’t really know how to describe it other than “earthy” + “grassy”.  It’s pretty strong, and I know that it would probably repulse some people.  It didn’t bother me.  I actually prefer it to the harsh chemical smell of my old hair dye.

Two more final points:

  • Make sure you get high quality henna that isn’t mixed with any metals (that’s a recipe for a green hair disaster). 
  • Henna is PERMANENT and very difficult to remove.  Strand testing is highly recommended.  (Admittedly, I’m way too impulsive for that, so I just forged ahead and it turned out great!)

So, do you want to see how it turned out???

Did you notice my new cut???

Fall Trends: Style at Home

Style at Home has rounded up three top design trends for Fall 2011.  Here’s my take on them:
Trend #1.  Wood.
Let’s face it… we are all dying over fabulous herringbone wood floors these days. 
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Sigh.  Since most of us probably won’t be getting anything like this any time soon, here are a few more accessible ways to add some wood into the decor this fall.  How about a fabulous diy project?
Wood Stained Paintings via Me Oh My!
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Reclaimed Wood Headboard via House Tweaking
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I adore that headboard!!!  
Trend #2. New Neutrals.
Specifically?  Taupe, sage, and lilac.  I have to admit that it took some serious Pinterest stalking before I really warmed up to these shades.  But, shocker, I’m now loving all three:
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Trend #3: Modern Global.
I love this one.  The mix of bold patterns, colors, and textures are fantastic when done right.  I’d definitely like to add more of this trend to my home.  The African wax printed fabric that Jodi brought home for me would be perfect for some pillows.  I can also predict a vintage suzani in my future!
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Whew!  That was a long post!  Are you still with me?  Are you introducing any of these trends into your home this fall?