noir et blanc

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It's getting all dark and spooky out there.  All Hallow's Eve is fast approaching.  

I love all the dark and light contrast that this time of year has to offer.  Black crows and white pumpkins, dark nights, dark mornings, too, for that matter...  Every once in a while it's nice to take a break from all of that vivid Fall color and focus on the simplicity that noir et blanc, otherwise known as black and white, can bring to your life.

All of the above items are offered for sale, if you are so inclined.

Just click on the numbered links above for more information.

Cheers, Julie

colorful design inspiration

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Some people rely on a calm serene monotone color palette to decorate their homes with.  I respect that.  

No judgement.  I love that design aesthetic myself.  But when it comes to gravity, I'm more often drawn to design that hosts an undeniable, unapologetic saturation of color.  Mixing different shades together in unexpected ways is more my cup of tea.  I think the inspirations I've chosen above definitely lend themselves quite nicely to that concept.  

How do you feel about color?  Do you enjoy mixing it up?  

Or maybe prefer to keep things on the calmer side?

Only one more day until Friday!!!  Julie

friday favorites...10/11/13

Five of my favorite things this week from my Pinterest pinnings...

Pinterest

This picture...It's astronauts.  It's a family.  It's an astronaut family.  

Is this what families are going to look like when we all migrate to the moon?  Kinda cool.

diy "edgy chic" pumpkins via small shop

We're waiting for a bit longer until we get ours still, but I've been thinking about decorating pumpkins lately. 

I'm dying to paint some black and white ones this year.  I really like how these ones are hipped up with all of the embellishments.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll decide to take it up a notch and do the same thing.

Pinterest

This room is just so bright and cheerful...I'm sure it could make anyone feel better after a long hard day out in the trenches.

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For you.  For me.  For everyone.  Just a not-so-subtle reminder that happiness is a choice.

pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

The perfect taste of fall...Get in my belly!

Happy Friday, All...Julie

geometric excellence

white floating honeycomb shelves by HandmadeRiot

Fact about me:  I'm a civil engineer.  So it should not come as any shock to you that I'm particularly fond of math and science.  It's really the certainty of it all that attracts me to these things.  They are subjects that involve analysis, interpretation, and proof.  No doubt, often times there is a lot of disproving of things that have previously been proven, too.  But for the most part, there is no ambiguity to math and science.  They just are.    

Besides math and science, I am also drawn to creativity and design.  Many people see a divide between creativity/design and math/science.  There are tech geeks and design geeks.  I guess I see it a little differently.  Math and science are everything...the universe.  Creativity and design are what the universe uses to make things that are vital and necessary to happiness in life.  So really, the two go hand in hand.  In my mind anyways.  Creativity/design can't live in a world without math/science and vice versa.  It's the juxtaposition of the two that maintains the balance.  Good example:  where would Apple be without either math/science or creativity/design?

The latest geometric design trends are the perfect illustrations of how the two schools of thinking can combine and coexist peacefully together.  Here are a few etsy items that have recently made it to my favorites list.

geometric pillow cover by Nirwa

hanging porcelain planter by RevisionsDesign

wood candle holders by ShadeonShape

print by Handz

Hope your week is shaping up nicely, Julie

friday favorites...9/6/13

Here's just a few of the things that I'm finding myself into this week...


This magazine...Domino is my all-time favorite.  As many of you other design geeks out there know, it was sadly put to rest a few years ago.  But the word on the street (according to the domino magazine instagram feed a couple of days ago) is that it's coming back for good as a quarterly mag.  Stay tuned.

This book...Yes, I've already seen the film.  And, yes, I loved it.  That's why I decided to immerse myself in the story long-term.  The book is turning out to be a bit different than the flick, too, so it's well worth the read.  You should read it, too.

pinned here
The rain...There, I said it.  The rain is actually kind of one of my favorite things this week.  That might sound kind of odd coming from a girl who lives in the perpetually rainy state of Washington.  But guess what.  It's been a long gorgeous sunny summer here.  And summer is always busy.  I'm ready to snuggle in and relax indoors while the rain gently pitter patters outdoors.  The thunder and lightning that we experienced last night is actually kind of cool, too.  I'm sure I will be singing a completely different tune in a couple of months, though.  Be prepared for my inevitable future moanings and groanings of how the rain never quits.  It will most definitely happen.

pumpkin magic bars
This recipe...It's got the words "pumpkin" and "magic" in it.  What could be better?  As the afore-mentioned rain has begun to set in around these parts, it's got me thinking about Autumn and Autumn means the Fall harvest and the Fall Harvest means pumpkin.  This recipe looks like it has pumpkin AND coconut in it.  PUMPKIN AND COCONUT.  Enough said.  Must try it.

These ladies and their Instagram feeds...Brandi (@BuenoBrandi) and Kelly (@Iheartbueno) of Mucho Mucho Bueno Bueno.  Besides having a great blog and their own jewelry line, they both have quite the knack for cool photography and always seem to capture some of the most innovative shots.  Their approach to life is fresh, young, fun and adventurous and I totally dig the amazing way they manage to portray that through their instagram photos.  These girls really know how to live.

This necklace by Moorea Seal.  You can find it here.  Truth be told, I don't really wear a lot of jewelry.  But truth also be told, I don't have much money to spend on jewelry nor do I currently have the kind of lifestyle that can afford to wear such outfits that require super hip modern jewelry like this.  But if I was living my ideal truth, I would totally have this necklace.  I'm really into the modern geometry style right now.  

That's about it for now.  What are you into this week?

TGIF, Julie

currently coveting...brass accents

Can we talk about brass for a minute?  For a long time, brass and anything having to do with the goldish tone was totally out.  I myself was completely grossed out by all of those brassy goldish door knobs and drawer pulls that came with my 1996 constructed condo.  I hated the pretty brass bed that I grew up with.  I secretly loathed every brass light fixture that was installed in my parents' big beautiful new construction home.

But that was then.  And this is now.  Now I'm craving that tiny of touch of glamour in my own home.
Here's the thing about brass:  It must be used in small doses.  Just a smidge too much and you're headed into brass overload.   The way to keep it classy is to add an accent piece here and there.  Perhaps it is best to think of it as jewelry for a room.  Maybe add a bowl here, a light fixture there, an occasional table there.  Then to be on the safe side, take one piece away.

Emily Henderson knows how to do it right.  All of the interior design inspirations shown in this post are all hers.  Want success with brass in your abode?  Follow Emily's example and you're in.







Shopping for some hits of brass to add to your place?  Here are a few pieces that shouldn't be hard to find:
Just click the links below to purchase your own.

one:  astra chandelier by anthropologie // two:  brass letter wall art by crate & barrel //

three:  martini side table by west elm // four:  walker sconce by pottery barn  //

five:  hanging brass planeter by urban outfitters 

Here's a not-so-secret secret about finding super budget-friendly brass pieces:  Hit up the Goodwill store nearby.  The home goods section usually always has a whole aisle devoted to some of those long ago shunned little gems of glamour that I'm currently coveting.  And that's one place that you will most likely find me in the near future, too.

How do you feel about brass?  Are you in or still on the fence about it?

cheers, Julie

art by cmcdonald

"Escape"  Photographic Print

I just love palm trees.  So statuesque and beautiful, not unlike all the glamorous movie stars that they are constantly hovering over in Southern California...among other places.  Unfortunately for me, though, there is not a palm tree to be found in the Pacific Northwest.  Apparently damp, cool conditions just aren't their jam.  Divas of the plant world.  Lucky for me, though, I can gaze longingly at Catherine McDonald's lovely palm tree photography and dream of vacations past and future in a far off place.  

Just click on the links below to acquire some of your very own cmcdonald photography.

"Strength"  Photographic Print

"Sunshine & Warmth"  Photographic Print

"Streets of L.A."  Photographic Print

CMcDonald has a lot of other fun things to offer, too:

 

Old Hollywood Photographic Print // Mountain High Peacock Chevron Shower Curtain //

  Mediterranean Pillow Cover // Southwest Iphone Case // Amongst Greatness Pillow Cover  // 

Bird on a Wire Photographic Print

Happy Hump Day, Julie

geek, chic AND relative ladies

So slightly embarrassing confession here...I had never watched a TedTalks episode until last weekend.  I know.  Sad, but true.  My oh-so-exciting Friday night, as my Friday nights always are (she said sarcastically), entailed laying in bed by myself and searching Netflix for something to keep me awake for another couple of hours until I felt it was a respectable time to call it a day and give in to my sleepiness.  I had come across TedTalks in previous Netflix searches and was definitely intrigued, but had always backburnered them for a later date.  This night I chose to meet my destiny and started into the legend that is TedTalks.  And now I'm hooked.

I stayed up past 2 am watching episode after episode and wondering how I ever made it through life without them.  So much inspiration and information to be had!  On this particular night I needed something to inspire me.  And I sure found it.

Here are a few of my favorite episodes that I found that night.  These ladies all represent the very essence of
geek, chic, relativity.  Something we could always use a little bit more of, in my opinion.

Enjoy, Julie

domicile delight

Just a little domicile delight to help get you through the middle of the week and rev you up for the end.  

These pics come from Dwell Magazine and can be found here.

Happy Hump Day!  

Julie