London-based, Brazilian-born Carolina Mizrahi has been creating some impressive work these past few years. I’m especially enamored with her Underlife photography series that captures models submerged under water, staring back at the camera with distorted and expressionless eyes.
Dinosaur Designs‘ and their eponymous candy colored wares for house and body just released their latest collection – Atelier. This go around they’ve added candles, linen napkins, and puzzles to the mix just in time for holiday gifting. But those geometric bangles? Those are at the tippy top of my list.
Art is basically blanketing my backyard at this very moment. Baku Maeda attempts to bring dead leaves back to life with Leaf Beast, a series created from dried magnolia leaves that are then minimally cut to resemble various animals.
I’ll be sharing my holiday cards for the year with you in a few weeks, but have you started to think about yours? We’ll be picking and choosing our favorites from the absolutely huge selection available out there as the holiday season amps up and kicks off. Check out Part 1 here and now!
I first discovered the work of Jeremy Rabus back in January 2013, and he recently reached out to share his latest work. Following the progress and evolution of an artist’s career is always an amazing thing, and it’s apparent that Jeremy’s has grown tremendously in the past 22 months. His style has been refined and so has the palette he works within, making me excited for what’s to come from Mr. Rabus.
Advent calendars are one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. My mom started the tradition with me early and I’ve rarely missed a year. The paper variety that have the little door flaps that open to reveal a bit of a larger image or have a tiny piece of chocolate have always been my favorite, but I also love the idea of something more grand. Most of the ones I’ve included here are DIYs with a few for purchase thrown in for good measure. If you’d like to peek at roundups from years past – 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Click on each image to go to the project. All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
I posted a sneak peek of the kitchen last week, but this time it’s the real deal. I’m finally beginning to share how my new (old, built in 1900) house is shaping up. I think I’ve said before that I bought this home knowing that it was a flip, and fully expecting all of the weirdness/issues that normally accompany such a project. We’ve already done some updating to a few things – roof repairs, a plumbing issue, bringing outlets up to code, etc – and there are of course still things that need done and yet others I want to do aesthetically. But I’m really starting to feel like this house is much more me than the last one in Oklahoma City. There’s character, there’s charm, there’s quirks. I plan on being here for years to come and I’m so happy to share a bit of the journey with you.
The living room is directly to the left of the foyer area. One of the main attributes that had me laying down my money for this place was all of the lovely light – 31 windows! – and openness. My last home had 11 windows and it was a big problem area for me.
The fireplace isn’t functioning, but I’m hoping to change that once I talk to a professional about what the deal is. I really love the stonework. You can’t tell from this photo, but it’s not all flush and they stick out randomly for some fantastic texture. The interior is black which works really well for featuring other pieces (aside from that MIA fire). My old home had a gallery wall in the living room and it feels really nice to be able to break up my collection a little more here.
Before I made the move from Oklahoma back to my home state of Pennsylvania, I sold and donated several things that were no longer my style or not what I saw working in this space. My photographer, Quelcy Kogel, asked me while we were shooting whether minimalism came naturally to me and I had to admit the answer was no. However, I’m loving this more pared down lifestyle that I’ve aspired to for years and am attempting to make it my mindset going forward.
I keep going back and forth on whether or not to remove the shutters on the windows flanking the fireplace, but settled for ripping out the old greying lace curtains that came with the house before the movers even had a chance to arrive. I have an unspoken rule that there will always be fresh flowers in this room because they add such life.
Another old house quirk – the floors are most definitely not even remotely close to being level, as my bookshelves can attest. While I still find it charming and funny I’d eventually like to invest in some sort of built-in for my library collection that would be slightly more sturdy and, well, level.
This is my view every evening as I settle down with the pups and attempt to unwind. There’s a beautiful fir tree just outside the window there and I can’t wait to see it covered with snow.
So are you all ready for a giveaway? I thought so. Lamps.com is giving away the 5 x 8′ Tasman Shag Handwoven Rug that I have in my living room. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this thing. We didn’t have any floor coverings for several weeks when I first moved in, and the moment this beauty arrived and was laid down both I and the dogs lost our minds. It feels so soft underfoot and Bebe and Piper love sprawling out for a good nap in front of the couch. And if you spy another rug you love on Lamps.com (yes, way more than lamps!), know that every one comes with a free rug pad. Essential for not slipping and giving your piece a good base.
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
To Enter:
1. Simply follow @designcrush and @lampsdotcom on Instagram! Then leave a little comment saying you did so along with your Instagram handle.
2. We’ll choose a random winner next Monday.
3. Good luck!
