Interior Design with a conscience

I recently learned about a non-profit organization whose mission tugged at my heart strings.  The organization is called Dwell with Dignity.  Their mission is basically to work with community agencies who have secured housing for families struggling with homelessness and poverty and design inspiring interiors to positively impact  families and encourage parents to maintain a standard of living to be proud of.  My description cannot really do justice for this non-profit so I hope you will check out the link below.  Before you do that, here are some before and after photos of  the designs they have created:





To learn more about this non-profit, click here



Jason Wu Fall 2011: Splurge or Steal

So many beautiful items in Jason Wu's Fall Collection which is inspired by the restoration of Versaille.  What a wonderful concept, I thought, but how to attain the style of this collection with a more wonderful price point? My mission was to seek out visually similar items with a more gentle price tag...

{Splurge: Jason Wu Lace trimmed wool sweatshirt style sweater: $1,195}



{Steal: LOFT lace sweatshirt: $59.50}

{Splurge: Jason Wu Silk-chiffon & lace blouse: $1,495}

{Steal: LOFT Lace applique short sleeve top: $44.50}

{Splurge: Jason Wu Lace Halter Top: $1,295}



{Slight Steal: Bottega Veneta tulle top:$840}



{Steal: LOFT Lace shell: $69.50}


{Splurge: Jason Wu Belted houndstooth sheath dress: $2,650}


{Steal: White House Black Market Embroidered Sheath Dress: $178}

A whimsy element I am excited to try shown in Wu's Fall show is polka dot hosiery:

So fun and feminine!!

Alicia

127 year old wedding dress

Fresh from a weekend wedding I couldn't help but find the following story interesting when I happened upon it.  A 5th generation bride looking lovely in her family's 127 year old wedding dress:


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Check out this video interview to learn the story behind the dress.

Hope you had a lovely, restful weekend...Alicia

Part II: Nighstand Patina After Photos

A productive day to say the least.  I finally painted the nightstands I pictured in this post, cleaned the house, and made a new necklace!  The nightstands are a major improvement, but they're missing that je ne sais quoi and I think a little metallic Rub 'n Buff cream on the details will do just the trick.  But for now, this is how they look:

Not too bad, huh?  If only I could have taken the pictures during daylight they wouldn't be so fuzzy! Sorry.  And just for fun, here's the necklace...

{A costume brooch on a vintage gold chain}

Have a lovely evening, Alicia

Belle Maison Et Moi Sale!

Enjoy 20% off on any item in my Etsy shop!! 

Tidying up the shop to make way for fresh jewelry and rescued vintage home decor items.  Shop modern and classic style vintage decor as well as vintage, handmade, and upcycled jewelry. 

Here are some favorites:

{Vintage Westmoreland Milkglass Pointy Lace Bowl}

{Vintage FireKing Hollywood Regency Style milkglass dish}

{A glimpse of a Pale Pink Depression glass dish}

{Grey crackle pattern earring}



{Black Victorian Collar necklace with ribbon}

{Orange Coral Polka Dot Ribbon necklace}

To view these items and other beautiful things, please visit my Etsy shop or click the text below the photo!  

Hope to see you there, Alicia

Celebrity boutiques: Olivia Palermo & more



Early this spring I learned about a great website called Boutiques.com  It features favorite fashion items from many of the top fashionistas as well as items inspired by their style (and often at a more reasonable price point).  I have been loving Olivia P's boutique, but here are some of the other celebrities and designers featured:

{Kim Kardashian}



{Emmy Rossum}





{Marchesa}



{Oscar de la Renta}



I hope you'll stop by this website.  It's a lot of fun and you can even create your own boutique! 

Have a lovely weekend, Alicia

photos courtesy of boutiques.com

Little things that make a difference: bedroom decor refresher

Our bedroom is the least finished room in our house.  Although our bedroom is not the beauty we hope to have someday, it is a major improvement from what existed when we moved in!  We recently added a diy headboard (courtesy of my dad- more on this project later), a bedskirt, a painting (courtesy of my mom), and a new-to-us antique chair which in total have made the room more pulled together and cozy.  The new look cannot be appreciated without seeing the humble beginnings of our bedroom...

{It was awful!  Fake wood paneling, low ceilings, & previous owners who painted around an area rug!}

{So we took matters into our own hands and gutted the room}

{In progress}

{With the bedskirt, headboard, & picture it definitely looks more finished...please don't notice the nightstands I still haven't revamped} 

And one final addition in the corner of our bedroom that will be getting a makeover of it's own very soon...

{A vintage chair with golden velvet fabric in need of a cleaning.  Preparing to apply a distressed french grey patina!}

Viceroy Palm Springs: destination inspired vignette

My husband and I talk about visitng the Viceroy Palm Springs in California hopefully sooner than later.  Maybe some of you have been there, maybe not.  Given the state of the economy, for us and many others, vacations are the last thing on our minds.  But this has gotten me to think about how to bring these destinations to us since we cannot get to them.  Luckily, creating a Viceroy Palm Springs vignette in a small area of our home was fairly simple given that our decor is primarily black and white.  Out for a walk with my dog this morning, I picked a wildflower that became the yellow featured in the vignette.  Before I show you my simple little creation, allow me to take you on a quick virtual vacation to this stylish hotel:

 

{Regency Room}



{Sovereign Villa}



{Weatherly Suite}

 

{Citron Restaurant}

Okay, so now for my simple, small corner of Viceroy Palm Springs, here's my little vignette:





Gatsby Inspiration

I love The Great Gatsby  by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  It was one of the few books that I actually read in its entirety in high school (or at least didn't ask my dad to help me finish reading so I could work on other homework like most other assigned literature).  Recently I learned that a new rendition of the movie is being released in 2012, starring none other than...you guessed it...Leo. DiCaprio, that is.  He always seems to play a convincing 'time period' character and I'm sure he won't disappoint.  Mostly, I'm looking forward to the costuming and the movie set, hoping it encompasses some of these beautiful ideas:

  

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{Modcloth dress}

 
{Giles Fox dress}



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{mint juleps}

Dining Room Revamp

When we bought our house in 2008 (from owners who had not updated it in 40 years), we knew it would need many hours of care.  The dining room was one of the easiest to revamp but one of the most important since it is the first room to be seen once you cross the threshold of our front door and mudroom.

Before:

{Polyester blue curtains, dingy dirt stained wall-to-wall carpeting & a super outdated light fixture}

{The in between stage: carpet torn out, primed in white, old light fixture & door}

After:

{Peacock Blue Silk drapes}

{A super pale, cool tone gray paint by Sherwin Williams Harmony no-voc line}