Happy Rooms

Are you one of those people who is constantly thinking about design? If you're not one of those people, then you'll find it odd that those of us who are design-obsessed are already looking past the holidays for 2011 design inspiration. Why? Well, because taking down the holiday decorations the first part of January ushers in a perfect opportunity to do something new with your interiors! (Some of you are groaning right now because that just seems like a headache.) Think about it: you take down the decorations, you clean the house super well because you just kinda have to after the Christmas chaos, and then you start thinking about new beginnings because it's January. Makes sense that this would translate to your interiors, right?

Okay, so not everyone redecorates every January (some of us do, though, and as soon as there is a twelve step program for this type of addiction, let us know. At least one of us needs to be enrolled in that program, ASAP.) Even if you're not already thinking about doing something new to your living room or master bedroom come January, you'll still enjoy Jonathan Adler's article featured in Canada's Style at Home. Jonathan Adler, as many of you know, is the king of happy interiors. He loves color, wit, and the occasional off-beat accessory and we love him for this. The three photos above show three of his beautiful rooms, but you'll want to read the entire article for some good Mr. Adler tips. If anything, looking at his colorful work should put a smile on your face and help you beat the winter blues!

Something Pretty...

I (Kari) have been drowning in a sea of AutoCAD all today. I very strongly dislike computer-aided drafting, but it's a necessary evil for those of us desiring the title of "Interior Designer." At least, in my current situation, I must do autoCAD, and today it feels even more oppressive than usual to my creative tendencies. So, let's take a little break together, shall we? A quick break to look at something pretty...

Anne Hathaway, November 2010 Vogue.

In Paris.

{sigh}

So lovely:

I will take one of everything she is wearing, please. And a plane ticket to Paris, too. :)

Hope your afternoon is lovely!

It's a Wrap!

We are loving these wrapping ideas from Home Life, the website featuring ideas from Australian home mag Inside Out. (Inside Out is a shelter mag we love very much. A subscription would make a fantastic gift idea for anyone on your list who loves home/design/DIY) All those "ordinary" items like buttons, scrabble pieces, newsprint, and twine make for some beautifully wrapped gifts when they are assembled artfully.

Wrapping is so much fun and turns into a special part of the gift when there are fun, unexpected elements thrown in. Here are some ideas we like:

Add a "paper bag flower" to your gift. See the how-to here.

These hand-felted "pearls" from Anthropologie are super-fun.

A variety of fun trim and novelties from Tinsel Trading Co.

How about making one of these fun glitter initials? You can put one on a gift (as the gift tag) or it can be the gift itself! Tutorial here.

Happy wrapping!

One of Each, Please...

The very first year I (Kari) was married, I got pretty excited about Christmas. I hurriedly wrote up my Christmas list and taped it to a cabinet door in the kitchen, a tradition that began when I was a kid. We always wrote Christmas lists growing up---even Mom and Dad wrote Christmas lists. The lists had realistic and out-of-reach wishes on them, and they were fun to read. My husband, however, did not grow up in a Christmas list-writing family. (I often joke to my husband that he didn't have a childhood: no Christmas lists, he never read the Chronicles of Narnia, and he never went to Disneyland. He says there are other things that constitute a childhood, too, but I kinda don't believe him...) Anyway, my Christmas list freaked him out. A lot. He thought my list of both "realistic and out-of-reach wishes" was a demand list. As in "buy me everything on this list or I won't be happy this Christmas." He didn't like it one bit. Apparently, my list was a little heavy on the "out-of-reach wishes" side and he didn't realize, at first, that my list was partly real (I really did need a new rolling pin) and partly fantasy (I didn't really think I was going to get that $35,000 sapphire ring.) :)

At any rate, we came to an agreement. He realized that he'd married a big dreamer, and I toned down the Christmas list. (But I now have him writing Christmas lists. They aren't yet epic, but hey, baby steps.)

This year, these things are on my Christmas list (no $35,000 ring this year):

Anthropologie shoes

Anthropologie heels

Sundance laptop bag (LOVE that it doesn't look like a laptop bag at all!)

What's on your list this year?

Are ya still out there?

via Room Polish

Goodness, life is crazy. And, we think most of you will understand that family and friends are more important than this here blog. That being said, we are very, very sorry for our lack of posts. We wonder if any of y'all have stuck around and are still checking in? We do hope so, because many of you have become our special blog pals and we don't mean to neglect you!

Today we are loving the photo above. Don't you just love how those random snapshots came together to create a statement piece of art? Seriously, this is just screaming for a little DIY, folks. If only there was a wall that size in one of our homes...

Hope you all are having a great week. Can ya believe it's December already? Yikes...