Inspiration...

Today I am inspired by:

Colorful, controlled chaos on an inspiration board...

I love that settee...

Whimsical, funny little pacifiers for the tiny people in your life...

Isn't that brilliant?

A cake with embroidery design...

Methinks it is too pretty to eat.

This chair in my favorite color combination...

And this quote...

What inspires you today?

A New Way to Store Books...

Stumped on a way to store your books? Bored with the same old bookshelf situation? Well, how about this architectual/artistic wonder:

I wish that I had the URL for this but I found it on Pinterest and then repinned it - anyone want to claim it properly for me????

Isn't it magnificent? I like the lounging among the books option best of all :)

Handmade for Home: Monopoly Money Lampshade

This is a GREAT idea! DIY Monopoly money lampshade. You really could apply this idea to so many things: old game pieces, game cards, old foreign currency you're too lazy to go get exchanged...

But this artist did things right. Check out the explanation from her etsy shop for the lamp:

"Who needs budget reform when you have this table lamp. Base is covered in a kitschy safety green and the shade is truely unique. An old thrift store shade is covered in vintage Monopoly money in a feather or scale pattern. All those beautiful pastel colors you have come to love in this classic game. Pale pink, mustard yellow, soft blue and mint green. This collection of play money is from 1935. They have a lovely aged appearance, but are quite durable and are still in great condition all $5739 of it."

Very clever - I may have to borrow this idea for myself.

Handmade for Home: Scrap Map

I am a big fan of using your leftover fabric scraps for anything you can and when I found this I got so excited. Fabric scraps for a map of the US! Scrap map!

Wouldn't this be charming in the living room, or even a playroom/childrens room?

Get Away to the Great Outdoors...

This may be one of my favorite pictures ever :)

Lately we have been spending a lot of time outdoors making our backyard an extension of our indoor living space. Its easy to do that living in California (although the rains of late have dampened our plans a bit). We've created our very first garden on one of our side yards, hung lanterns and baskets of flowers around the perimeter of our yard, freshened up chair cushions and just today I laid some new flagstone to make a little path around our new said garden (thanks to my friend Sarah). We are truly rolling up our sleeves to make our piece of the great outdoors GREAT.

I find inspiration in some of these pictures:


I wish that we could have a fireplace in our outdoor space - it would be so cozy! And I wish for an overhead trellis as well...Isn't this space gorgeous?

I love this space! I want to hide out in this little "treehouse" and take a nap! Or maybe listen to my kids laughing and playing house in there. Its so beautifully nestled in the trees and shrubs; what a beautiful retreat.

We spend the bulk of our warm spring and summer months outside (and into the fall as well), so I like for the backyard to be a colorful, true extension of our home. But that takes WORK and time. I'm grateful for a little inspiration :) What have you been working on in your outdoor spaces and what inspires you?

I've Got the Whole World...On My Wall

I am a recent convert to the greatness of vinyl wall art. I know, I know - I'm totally behind the times on that one. Whatever :)

But now that I have discovered and fallen in LOVE with it I find it everywhere! Like this great Slate World Map Wall Decal - isn't it awesome?


I would love this look in a playroom or a kitchen...what do you think? I also really like this skyline of Paris:


I love the treatment here, hovering over the floor. I also think it would look a little unexpected over a chair rail. Thoughts on that? Isn't the graphic beautiful? Makes me want to up and go to Paris for a little shopping jaunt...oui oui!

A Book for your Macbook...

Be still my heart...this Macbook case is such a thing of beauty I can hardly stand it.

It looks like an old leather bound book right? But you would be wrong. Because inside...


it holds your Macbook Air... Just gorgeous, and what a genius design. Sigh...swoon...

Slide Down THIS!

When in doubt...


..slide down a fushia banister. It will make all other decisions much clearer, no?

And if I may, that color combination of the pink against the turquoise will all of that white makes me swoooooon!

Children's Tour: Luke's ABC Room

Welcome to Luke's ABC themed nursery. It is a bright, colorful, warm space with thoughtful pops of vintage flavor. Lots of handmade details.

I love this vintage plane detail...

Lukes mom applied vinyl lettering throughout the room and it absolutely makes it.

The truck, plane and firetruck are new but of a vintage design. They add great richness and the "look" of history to the Luke's room. Plus, maybe they'll be fun to play with when he gets a little older :).


This nursery isn't long on space but it's better that way. Nurseries should be small, cozy spaces. Lukes' room contains a crib, a comfy armchair/ottoman , changing table/chest of drawers/bookshelf configuration, another small bookshelf and closet space. There is plenty of room for everything that is necessary for baby and mom.


I especially love this handmade alphabet quilt that hangs over Lukes crib. It is so rich and colorful and serves as a great focal point for the room.

Thanks for joining me on this sweet baby boy tour today.

Favorite Bathroom Ever

Yes, its going to surprise you. But THIS is my favorite bathroom ever. I just found it and fell in love...hard.

The painted floor treatment, the words on the walls, the shower curtain, the newspaper on the ceiling (notice how they are shaped as clouds?), COLOR. This is totally me. Its like the perfect SARA bathroom. My husband wouldn't go for it as a shared space...but if I had my own bathroom in the house, this would be it :)


Those floors!!!! Oh, I love this bathroom... What do you think? Does it move you?

Temperature Sensitive Tiles

This is one of the coolest, craziest products for the bathroom I've seen yet. Temperature sensitive tiles.

I. Want. These.

Again, elevating the everyday and sometimes mundane to otherworldly and brilliant.

Book Nook

I am loving this idea for taking a small, underused closet/space and turning it into a book nook. We all have this kind of closet, don't we? And if you have kids, you certainly have loads of books around.


This creative mom got crackin' and brilliantly realized a fresh little oasis for reading within her home. Click the above link to see how she did it step by step...


I love it.

(All pictures courtesy of Thrifty Decor Chick website)