Quirky Parisian Inspired Dishes

This adorable, quirky dish collection called Mademoiselle Oiseau by illustrator Lovisa Burfitt for Rorstrand would be a great accent to any table, cute propped in a china cabinet, or mounted on a wall for a hip, little modern art display...

{So lovely}

{Love this...}

{And this!}

Dishes available through the Scandinavian Design Center.

photos via

Mirror Makeover: Distressed Gray Patina

We've had these small gold mirrors for about a year, but I have never really loved how warm or coppery the gold frames were.  So, I decided I would revamp them with a slightly metallic distressed gray patina process that I've used on others mirrors (and love the result). 

{The mirrors before along with my supplies}

{One coat of Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray paint- eggshell finish}

{A light coat of metallic silver glaze}

{Just a bit of white paint to tone down the metallic shine and the pre-sanding. Yes that's an emery board!}

{Post emery board distressing...I ran out of sandpaper, but this worked just as well!}

{Close up}

{Et Voila!}

Christmas Inspiration

Fabulous festive photos to start off the week...

{via Southern Living}

{via County Living}

{via Southern Living}

{via Southern Living..a great idea to use an apothecary jar for cookies!}

{photo}

{via Southern Living}

{via blondiensc.typepad.com}

{via freshome.com}

{via Elle Decor}

Happy Monday... xo, Alicia

The quickest way to get warm

Is with a throw blanket, of course!  Why not freshen up your decor and warm yourself up by wrapping yourself in one of these gorgeous throw blankets:

{Ralph Lauren Home Stella Beaded Border Blanket}






{NewVintage Blossom Chocolate throw by Dwell Studio}

{West Elm Chloe throw}



{Berkshire blended Shimmer Speckle throw}



Paper flower

I love fresh flowers in the house, but it's not always practical to refresh them on a regular basis.  Having made plenty of fabric flowers, I thought I would try my hand at paper flowers.  Although I plan to make a bouquet of them (using colored tissue paper), I started with one to see how it would go.  Here's what I came up with:

My supplies: old packaging paper, scissors, orange and black ribbon, and wooden skewers

Next, with the paper folded, cut a half heart to create one set of petals

Continue cutting different size half hearts (petals)

Begin twisting at the base as you add the petals

Soon, the flower will begin to take shape

Add a bit of tape around the base and tie on your ribbon



Et voila!

My apologies for such terrible lighting in these photos,  but I hope this 'tutorial' was easy to follow and you'll give paper flowers a try too!

Alicia

Smoky Quartz Style

Inspiration for some new vintage smoky quartz jewelry in my shop...

{Chanel Paris Byzance eyeshadow compact Fall 2011}

{Givenchy pre-fall 2011}

Et Voila!  Just a preview...



{Vintage faceted smoky quartz beads reconfigured into earrings}



{mixed media necklace with vintage gold chain and quartz stones with champagne tulle accent}

For more items like these, please visit my shop.  Hope you're having a lovely day. I plan to happily settle in with a cup of tea and two new fave decor magazines! 

xo, Alicia

Gilded Glamour: A Treasury

A few of my favorite fancy things from various Etsy sellers. To shop for the products featured in this treasury, click this link. Enjoy!

Have a lovely evening, Alicia

Modern pillows

Our living room was in need of some pizzaz.  We chose the neutral decor because we tend to get bored with our surroundings easily and this way, we could add color, texture, or pattern through different pillows and other accent pieces.  This morning I decided to do a little sewing and created modern new pillow covers to add some excitement to the room!  

{Bland before pillows}

{Modern, geometric white and black pillow covers I made this morning}

{The overall effect in the living room..kind of a gloomy day here in NY}

{The pattern on the fabric complements this cupboard below our television nicely}

Overall, we're happy with this small change that makes a BIG impact! 

Have a lovely weekend, Alicia