I've Just Been [Framed]

I just discovered [FRAMED] and I'm totally hooked. [FRAMED] is a free, weekly video series that takes you behind the scenes with local, national, and internationally recognized photographers. The show gives you an insight into the photographers creative process, favorite equipment, post processing techniques, studio space - you name it, they cover it. In addition to the photographers featured, the host also includes interviews with the hair and make up teams; wardrobe and prop stylists; and models. You gain a real appreciation for the artist's entire process.

I really enjoyed Episode 3 about Ryan Muirhead (he's a riot) and don't miss this week's episode with Lisa Warninger including stylist Chelsea Fuss. I have only seen the first four episodes so far but I'm thoroughly inspired. Just placed a film order and I can't wait to start shooting again.

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Urban Please Outfit My Home

I might has well have just titled this post "A bunch of stuff I really want to buy from Urban Outfitters". Urban Outfitters has been hitting out of the park with their furniture selection lately. Many of the pieces are great for apartment living because of their petite footprint. I did some window shopping last night and pulled together a list of some of my favorites. Unfortunately, I would need at least three surplus empty rooms to be able to purchase all of them.

rolling cart - ladder bookcase - accordion table -

cafe stool - rolling bookcase - folding chair

settee - wire shelf - free trade pouf -

ikat slipper chair - floor cushion & frame

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Office/Guest Room Sneak Peek

Here's a little sneak peek of the office/guest room progress. All of the furniture is moved in but I'm still working on a lot of the finishing touches. More updates are coming soon.

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Creative Walls

A new book title recently caught my interest. Creative Walls is an inspirational guide by Geraldine James designed to help you arrange the collections you treasure to best effect and create elegant displays that give a home character and charm. If you feel daunted my the blank canvas of your bare walls this book will provide you with a ton of inspiration.

Check out the full 22 page preview here.

Update: Holly Becker has written a full book review on Real Simple Magazine's Simply Stated blog.

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Friday Etsy Favorites

Since I started the blog this morning with a focus on gardening I thought I should continue that theme into the Friday Etsy Favorites. This etsy favorites is a little different than the weeks prior since I decided to feature only one shop. The Bear Foot Shaman (yes the misspelling of bear is intentional) specializes in organic, heirloom herb and vegetable seeds in some of the most stunning varieties I've ever seen. I just placed a big order, can't wait to get my garden started!

1 - black beauty eggplant 2 - cosmic purple carrot 3 - cherokee purple

tomato 4 - rainbow swiss chard 5 - purple sicily cauliflower

6 - yellow pear tomato 7 - moon and stars watermelon

8 - cherry bell radish

Have a great weekend, hope you are able to get outside and get your hands dirty.

Related Posts:

Friday Etsy Favorites: For Japan

Friday Etsy Favorites: March 11, 2011

Friday Etsy Favorites: March 4, 2011

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Reuse: K-Cups Become Seed Starters

We received a Keurig coffee maker for Christmas and I love it. If you have one you should definitely try the hot apple cider, it's a delicious treat. What I don't love is throwing out the plastic k-cups that hold the coffee and tea. With my previous coffee maker I didn't even use disposable coffee filters; it was a low waste system. So, I started stock piling used k-cups on kitchen counter hoping I could find something to do with them. And then genius struck:

Since I plan to finally start a vegetable garden this year (some in pots and some in a shared garden at a friends home) I thought the k-cups would make perfect little seed starters. All you need for this project is:

* used k-cups, remove coffee & filter and rinse

* a tray to hold the cups

* seed starting medium or potting soil

* seeds for whatever vegetables or herbs you would like to grow

I also made little markers that I printed on adhesive paper and stuck to tooth picks. If you are starting seeds soon and think these markers would be useful let me know and I will make blank ones that you can download and print at home. Happy Planting!

Related Post:

Rework - The Forth "R"

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Anthropologie For the Decorator is Live

There has been so much buzz about the Decorator Concept shops that Anthropologie opened this month in 11 U.S. cities + 1 in London. I am lucky to live close to one in New York City so I will be checking out soon but if you don't have a Decorator Concept near you Anthropologie has just launched For the Decorator online.

This section of the website is full decorating tips full for decorating with hardware , area rugs, wallpaper, and other textiles presented with beautiful graphics.

They have made it really simple to order wallpaper and upholstery swatches and there is a really fun hardware designer.

There is also a really helpful Decorator's Glossary in case terms like flokati and voile are completely foreign to you.

Have some fun exploring the site and let me know what you think.

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Dancing Shoes

Girl friends be advised - on my wedding night (whenever that may be) you will be dancing the night away in these rad sparkly toms.

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What Happened to Spring?

Last Friday it was at least 75 degrees in the northeast and then Monday morning I woke up to snow. Not cool Spring. I am not a fan of the crazy temperature fluctuations that Spring likes to tease us with. The first warm day makes me want to wear white pants and wedges that expose my toes. Instead I wore corduroy pants and a ski jacket to work today. I'll be a lot happier about Spring some time in mid-May. Until then I have these photographs that I took (with film & a non-digital SLR camera - crazy right?) around my neighborhood last Spring to gaze at longingly.

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Steal This Idea...

...Paint drab sliding closet doors with chalkboard paint to create two oversized message boards for a home office.

Idea stolen from Diana @ D. S. Brennan Photography.

Related Posts:

Steal This Idea... A Kitchen Hidden Under Stairs

Steal This Idea... A portable Wallpaper Backdrop

Steal This Idea... A Simple Painted Headboard

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Heather Bailey Fabric Giveaway - Winner!!

After 58 comments and 22 great project ideas it's time to announce the winner of the Heather Bailey Fabric Giveaway. There were so many great project suggestions I almost wanted to keep the fabric for myself.

And the winner is....

Andreia!!! Can't wait to see what you make out of these beautiful fabrics. Thank you to everyone who participated. The response was so great I'll be sure to host a giveaway like this in the not to distant future.

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Watercolor Artist Elena Romanova

I featured this Japan inspired print in last week's Friday Etsy Favorites but I wanted to share more of Elena Romanova's water color paintings with you because they are just wonderful. Her Fairy Somnia shop is full of original water color paintings of animals from the land, sky, and sea.

You can also commission a custom portrait of your favorite furry family member. This cheeky fellow is just adorable.

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Friday Etsy Favorites: For Japan

For today's Friday Etsy Favorites I thought it was important to highlight etsy shops who are committed to donating a portion of their proceeds to the Japan tsunami disaster relief. The percent each shop is donating ranges from $1/item to 100% of proceeds but every dollar counts. If you plan on shopping today, consider shopping with your conscience. This just a small collection of shops committed to the cause. Visit Etsy and type Japan in the top search bar, you will be amazed at how many shop listings come up.

1 - dottyspotsdesign 2 - fairysomnia 3 - onegearclothing

4 - whimsyandspice 5 - elephantdancing 6 - wrenandchickadee

7 - greenoptomist 8 - coffeedoglover

Have a great weekend and I will see you back here bright and early Monday morning.

Related Posts:

Friday Etsy Favorites: March 11, 2011

Friday Etsy Favorites: March 4, 2011

Friday Etsy Favorites: February 25, 2011

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A Recent Design Project

My good friend Jacqueline asked for help designing business cards that she could bring with her to the recent SXSWi festival. As an integrated online marketer that specializes in social media and branding who also leads a sustainable lifestyle (phew, that's a mouthful) the business cards needed to present her awareness of current online marketing trends as well as respect her green ethics.

Using plantable seed paper that could be passed through an ink jet printer was an affordable, at-home option to create beautiful, low-waste business cards. Since the cards are intended to be planted instead of cluttering a desktop we decided to include a QR Code on the back of the card that directs you to a landing page on her website with all of her contact information. This way you can plant the card, enjoy the sprouting wildflowers, and still have all the information you need to get in touch with Jacqueline. You can read more about the design process on Jackie's blog and check out the cards featured on the Botanical Paperworks blog.

Photo Credit: Jacqueline Dodd

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A Quick DIY - Fabric Covered Cork Bulletin Board

I have a simple project to share with you today. I added some life to a plain Ikea cork memo board with a piece of geometric fabric from Tonic Living.

Supplies you will need:

Ikea Vaggis cork board

Piece of fabric measuring at least 26"x18"

Putty knife with a thin blade

Straight edge razor

Use the blade of the putty knife to push the fabric underneath the frame of the cork board. As you work pull the fabric taught and straight. Once all of the edges are tucked under the frame, trim off the excess fabric with your knife. Tuck the visible cut edges under the frame. You might find it easier to use fabric with a more organic pattern, it was a little tricky for me to keep the pattern straight. The frame comes unfinished so you may decide to paint it a fun color. I was planning on painting mine white but decided I liked the look of the wood tone against the wall color and fabric.


Hang and adorn with your favorite inspirational images.

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Office / Guest Room Furniture Plan

Now that most of the hard work is complete in the office/guest room I can move on to the fun part - decorating! I pulled together a mood board with all of the furniture I plan to bring into the space. We already have the bookshelf, futon (the white cover is new), and dresser but the rest of the pieces are brand spanking new.

1 - bookcase 2 - pillow 3 - futon 4 - more pillows 5 - side table

6 - lamp 7 - pouf 8 - chair 9 - rug 10 - dresser 11 - cabinet 12 - desk

I like it a lot though it is feeling a little too slick and Ikea (since that's where the majority of the furniture is coming from) so I need to bring in some accessories and art work that are a little rough around the edges to make it more homey and inviting. I will keep you updated on the progress. Can't wait to show you the final result!

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Let Your Nerd Flag Fly

In case it's you can't tell from the photo, I'm pointing at the tape holding my glasses together. I know it's time to get new glasses but sometimes it's fun to embrace your inner nerd.

Nerd glasses mug purchased from Terry Irwin via Cargoh.

Coincidentally, it's #piday so this post is really fitting for today. Thanks Kristin for reminding me of this nerdy holiday.

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Heather Bailey & Amy Butler Fabric Giveaway

*Contest Closed - Winner Announced Here*

I've been busy organizing and clearing out my craft supplies so that everything returns to the new office/guest room nicely organized. Lucky you will get to benefit from some of my purging. I am a confessed fabric collector and don't always have a project in mind when I purchase pretty fabric. I have a generous fat quarter set of Heather Bailey Freshcut fabric collection. There 35 - 5.5"x5.5" squares; one of each design in the collection (minus 1 missing square) and they all yours. I will give the set away to one reader, all you have to do is comment below. Bonus entry if you tell me a project idea for the fat quarter set. Another bonus entry if you tweet a link to this contest and leave me a comment with a link to your tweet. Don't forget to leave your email address in the comments so I can contact you if you win. You have until Monday, March 21st 12pm eastern to enter.

I have a few pieces of Amy Butler (and Waverly) fabric that I will throw in too. The Optic Blossom print in Linen is approximately 24"x44" and the Oxford Stripe is approximately 22"x30".

The contest is open to everyone, I will ship internationally. Good Luck!

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Friday Etsy Favorites

I have another weekend of home renovation ahead of me but it's finally nearing an end, for this project at least. We have supposed to have spring-like weather this weekend so I'm sure we'll sneak away from the manual labor to enjoy some time outdoors. Monday I'll share the furniture plan for the office/guest room with you. What are you up to this weekend? Anything fun planned?

This week's Friday Etsy Favorites is all about triangles, triangles, triangles. I'm drawn to geometric designs lately, I'm not sure where why but I like it.

1 - carsontoo 2 - solisjewelry 3 - jessalinb 4 - cpstudios

5 - melaniefavreau 6 - jaimers

Related Posts:

Friday Etsy Favorites - March 4, 2011

Friday Etsy Favorites - February 25, 2011

Friday Etsy Favorites - February 18, 2011

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Occasional Indulgences: Illume Good Nature Candle

I know most of us try hard to find the most affordable option to complete a project, or pull together an outfit, or even prepare a meal. The majority of the posts I write here on Design Evolution are focused on affordable design. While I love to score a deal as much as the next person I also believe that it's important to treat yourself every once an a while. Even if it's a small treat like this candle. Normally I would balk at paying $16 for an 8 ounce candle, especially because I often make my own candles at home, but this one is definitely worth it. These Illume Good Nature candles come in several scents but the Coconut Milk Mango is my hands down favorite. The scent throw is so amazing it will fill a room (but not overwhelm it) without having to light the candle. It smells just like vacation in a pretty gold tin. I love it so much I'm actually considering venturing out in the torrential rains we are having today to replace one that just burned out.

Related Posts:

Occasional Indulgences: Amala Purifying Toner

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Quick Tip: Visualizing a Furniture Layout

I love to draw out room plans with a pencil and a piece graph paper. It's actually a hobby. In high school I'd get so excited when a new Ikea catalog arrived in the mail. I'd spend hours picking out furniture for my first apartment then draw up to scale furniture arrangements. Now that I think of it, that's kind of a weird hobby for a high school kid. What was my point? Oh right, floor plans - because I enjoy doing it so much I was drawing out possible furniture arrangements for the guest room/office before we even ripped up the old carpet. My only problem with scale drawn floor plan is that although they help you see how furniture pieces will fit in a space it's difficult for me to imagine how the space will fell to move around in.

My solution - I create full size newspaper templates of the furniture I would like to place in the room and move it around the space. It makes it much easier to see what works and what doesn't. For example, once I laid out the desk and futon I could see that it might be difficult to walk around the right side of the desk. I could see one of us bumping into it a lot. That is how I figured out that the new side tables should be less than 18" leaving at least 2' of space to navigate in and out of the desk.

This is such a simple exercise but it will save you the aggravation of carting home a new piece of furniture only to realize that it won't actually work in your space. I definitely recommend you give it try next time you are rearranging a room in your home.

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