From the monthly archives:

April 2010

Basement Makeover

April 22, 2010

Okay, I promised pictures and here they are! Last weekend B and I covered the dark red basement with a fresh coat of paint, and did some furniture rearranging as well. As a reminder, here is what the basement looked like before:

The dark red made the basement feel cramped and the low ceilings feel even lower. We left the wainscoting and ceiling white, and put a fresh lick of Woodlawn Blue (from Benjamin Moore) on the upper walls, and now…

The whole space feels so much larger and more welcoming now, don’t you think? We also moved the sofa and entertainment center to the other side of the room, which I feel is a better use of the space.

The bedspread is this one that I was coveting from Dwell Studio for Target – and it is lovely and soft in person! I would still like some new shams for the pillows, and art for the walls…and perhaps new lampshades as well?

And now that the sofa has been moved to one side of the room, we have an extra space opened up behind – I would like to use this area eventually as a crafting space and play area for our baby :)

So, what do you think? What else do you think this area needs? We use it all of the time to watch movies, and when we have guests, this is also where they stay. I would love to hear your thoughts!

{images: Laura Gaskill}

{ 14 comments }

Bold + Modern House Numbers

April 20, 2010

in Design & Decor

One of the first changes I have been itching to make to the exterior of my home is to replace the tired old house numbers. They are currently like this – am I weird for hating these numbers so much? B did not see any problem with them…but then once I started showing him some other options, suddenly it was like Oh! We can have cool house numbers! I think this is such a fun change to make because it is a way to personalize your home and make it stand out while costing very little. I have rounded up a bunch of my favorite sources and ideas for house numbers that make a big impact – once you get to the end, tell me which are your favorites!

I love the look of the clean, large numbers on a white mailbox, and the fresh white numbers on a white house (love that aqua front door, to0!) – both of these images come from Design Milk.

I admire the bold orange stencil numbers and yellow front door featured in House and Home, though I think this would work best in a more urban area than where I live. They also showed some really awesome mailboxes if you are looking for something unique & colorful!

How slick does this fence entrance look? I love this placement of house numbers if you have a prominent (and good-looking) fence near the front of your property. Found via The Brick House.

And now to dig into some sources for modern house numbers – first up? Design Within Reach carries the Neutra House Numbers, which were made to replicate a popular 1930′s design. The top image is from DWR; the second image shows the numbers in use on an Eichler home in the SF Bay Area, from Eichler Homes of San Francisco and Marin County. I am drawn to this style for my own home, because it was built in the 1930′s…but the DWR numbers are pricey (um, $48 bucks each is too much for me)! So let’s look at a few more options…

Both of these designs come from Architectural Numbers by Weston – this is a wonderful resource if you are have something specific in mind and you are having trouble finding it, because they will do custom work.

At the moment I am leaning toward these elevated numbers from The Home Depot – they have the streamlined look of the Neutra numbers, but at $5.99 each, the price is right! LOL.

For something really different, what about an acrylic plaque? This was featured on Apartment Therapy, and I do really like the idea of including your street name – cute!

And finally, both of these options come from Chiasso: on top we have the stencil house numbers, and below are solar-powered led house numbers – that would make it easy to find your house in the dark!

So what do you think? Do you have any favorite sources to share? Are you happy with your house numbers? Do tell!

{images: linked to individual sources above}

{ 10 comments }

Hellooo Monday!

April 19, 2010

in The Sweet Life

Ooh boy, I was not ready for this day to begin – have you been there? Over the weekend B and I were painting nonstop: on Saturday we tackled the basement, and on Sunday reinforcements came over in the form of B’s sister and Dad (and bearing bags full of pastries and sandwiches!) to help paint the kitchen. We had only set out to paint the basement this weekend, so to have two rooms done by Sunday evening totally blew my mind – and I even got to lie down for a little nap while Benny and his Dad finished up the kitchen. But oh my goodness, the endless traipsing up and down stairs and squatting to dip paintbrushes, etc., all while hefting a giant pregnant tum really wore me out! I am exhausted. The colors came out beautifully if I do say so myself, which really makes all of the hard work worth it – I will show you just as soon as I take a few pictures!

And in just a few days, my Dad and Stepmom will be arriving to help me paint the nursery and hopefully build the crib as well – so I really will have a lot to share with you later this week. Hooray for progress!! :) But for today, I am taking it easy and enjoying the Spring weather – the picture above is a small glimpse of the view from my backyard right now, where all of the trees are beginning to leaf out and blossom. It is lovely. If my hamstrings weren’t so sore I would be out there gardening! Ha! So how was your weekend? And how has your Monday gone? Are you feeling the Spring fever?

{image: Laura Gaskill}

{ 3 comments }

Sweet Obsessions Friday

April 16, 2010

in Sweet Obsessions

Oh happy weekend, friends! First I just have to apologize for being a bit overextended this week – things have been very busy around my home, and I am afraid that next week will be a crazy one, too! My Dad and Stepmom are coming to visit and help paint our kitchen and nursery, and while I will do my best to prepare a few posts ahead of time, I can’t make any promises! The good news is, by next weekend I should have a lot to share with you. And now it is time to share my seven finds from my wanderings this week, I really hope you enjoy them :)

1. I found the Midi Boutique on decor8 and was so taken with the style, the colors and textures in this sunny shop that I wish I could zip over to Australia to check it out in person! Hee hee :)

2. I don’t think these awning stripe outdoor drapes would be quite right for my own house, but I LOVE them! Somebody should buy them ;) Oh, and the sheer lanterns above are on sale right now over at Pottery Barn, they would be so pretty on a protected porch or in a bedroom.

3. Isn’t he handsome? This large, limited-edition print from Lonny would look fantastic in a crisp white frame with a large mat.

4. For a more 3D art form, what about commissioning a custom cross-stitch portrait from The Time Is Now? I love how these feel old-timey and modern at the same time.

5. Hello pink! How could you possibly be in a bad mood while carrying this awesome pink Orla Kiely bag?

6. Luna Shoe Shop makes the softest looking leather ballet flats; they almost look like Moroccan slippers, don’t you think? I am partial to the pink ones, but there are lots of other lovelies in the shop.

7. And finally, these photographs are from the portfolio of Kathryn Gamble – just dreamy, soft and lovely :)

Well that is all for me today! I have a very busy weekend ahead of me because Benny and I will be painting our basement, so wish me luck with that! Oh yes, and one last thing I must mention is that rock-star life coach Michelle Ward is giving away a coaching scholarship, which includes 12 FREE phone coaching sessions – pretty awesome, right? Find out all of the details here – and you have until May 7 to apply. Okay, that really is it! Have a lovely weekend!!!

{images: linked to individual sources above}

{ 4 comments }

Jessica Thomas: Art + Photo Direction

April 15, 2010

in The Sweet Life

“Art Director” is one of those mysteriously appealing job titles – it sounds interesting, creative, and serious…but what do art directors actually do? Have you ever been curious about this? I have been picking my way through The Education of an Art Director by Steven Heller, and from what I gather so far, Art Directors have a job sort of a parallel to editors, the difference being they edit the visual content. They are usually the person in charge of creating a certain look and feel for a magazine, newspaper, website, brand, or even film or television show (think, Mad Men), and they must be able to work with a range of creative types, from photographers and stylists to models, graphic designers and artists.

The more I learn about this profession, the more impressed I am with what Art Directors do…and the less interested I am in becoming an Art Director myself! It is not so glamorous in reality, and involves tons of hard work on tight deadlines – but I have the utmost respect for those who have chosen this profession. One Art Director whose work I have been admiring lately is Jessica Thomas. I’ve pulled a handful of my favorite images from her online portfolio to share with you, so let’s take a look at a few more…

Jessica has worked as Associate Art Director at Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, as well as Photo Design Editor at Country Home, and for companies like Target – wow, right? It is so interesting to think about how images like the ones featured here come together because of someone like Jessica – pulling together the right vision, the right people to make it happen, and finally editing the story until it is the finished piece I can enjoy with my glass of iced lemonade in my comfiest chair :) I enjoy being the “art director” of my own little world here on Lolalina, but my goodness, I can’t even begin to imagine the stress involved in helping to produce a massive magazine like Better Homes and Gardens! Let’s drool over a few more images Jessica Thomas had a hand in creating…

The sun-washed rooms, the flowers, and the vibrant interiors (love that pink dining room and blue wallpapered entry in the first pics!) are so inspiring to me. This is reminding me that we have a nice long spring and summer stretching out ahead of us…now where is my hammock and my iced tea?

See more here: Jessica Thomas Art + Photo Director

{images: Jessica Thomas}