1. Black bow flats, dark nails, and a bold ring. Via Emmy on Pinterest, pinned from Dustjacket Attic.
2. Chunky knit blanket. Via Janet Crosby on Pinterest, pinned from here.
3. Pomp & Plumage Boutonniere. Found via Kae Zherebnenko on Pinterest.
4. This hair color + style. Via Marion P on Pinterest.
5. This cool wine rack. Via Amy Feezor on Pinterest.
6. This scrumptious toffee…found via biz owner Sarah Tweet on Pinterest. : )

I am fighting the temptation to dye my hair that shade of red…I know I couldn’t deal with the upkeep, but I love it! Well, enjoy your day, my dears, and stay cozy wherever you might be today! xo Laura

p.s. – I tried my hardest to find the original source for numbers 1 & 2, but I can’t! If you can help, please leave a link in the comments. Thank you!

(images sources: linked above)

1. The Pondicherry headboard covered in Mustard/Putty Diamond fabric, from Serena & Lily.
2. Weathered brass swing arm wall lamps from Lamps Plus.
3. DwellStudio Chinoiserie duvet set and pillow.
4. Cat Girl print from Irena Sophia.
5. Baby Fox print from Sharon Montrose.
6. Clothbound Penguin Classics from Anthropologie.
7. The Jensen chair from DwellStudio.
8. White Wood Stool side table from West Elm.
9. Vintage 1960′s bird wall art from Little Byrd Vintage.
10. Feathers print by United Thread.

I would love to have swing-arm lamps in my bedroom – they would save on bedside table space, and the ones I chose above look so crisp and handsome, don’t you agree? Then of course I had to add some art that makes me smile, a comfy chair to curl up in and read, and that bedding…I’ve been drooling over that DwellStudio bedding forever! What do you think? Please chime in below and let me know! xo Laura

(images: linked above)

What sparked this post was Holly Becker’s mood board event back in August. During her presentation, Holly shared her personal tips and techniques on creating and using mood boards. I was so inspired I immediately scrounged for a pen and began scribbling notes on the side of a file folder, which was the only thing I could find to write on! Of course, I was also busy listening and taking in the whole scene, so I undoubtedly missed a few key points – Holly was quite thorough, so it’s all on me if I left anything out! Ha. Are you ready to get started? Oh goodie.

Let’s begin with the basics. What is a mood board? Well, a mood board, or inspiration board, is a visual tool you can use to organize your creative ideas about style, color, and feel. It can be used to pull together ideas for a specific room in your house that you want to change, or a more general collage of anything that catches your fancy. Mood boards can be very helpful even when not focused on a particular room or space – making one will hone your personal sense of style and train your eye. Plus, it’s fun!

The first step is to gather information. Tear sheets from magazines and catalogs you love, photocopies from books, printouts of images you find online, photographs, postcards, inspiring words and quotes, bits of ribbon and fabric – these are all fair game. Collect them in a central place, and be sure to note what it is you like about each image. This is so important! Down the road when you pull out your fat stack of clippings you may not remember why you saved an image – and a great idea could be lost in the waste bin! Use sticky notes and make sure to note the source as well. For example, one sticky note might read: “Love the white chairs and rustic table! – Elle Decor, Sept. ’10. Chairs from The Conran Shop.”

Once you’ve collected a good thick stack of images (and this could take a month, or more!), fix yourself a cup of tea, sit down somewhere with room to spread out, and have a good look at what you’ve chosen. Now is the time to look for themes in your images. What do you gravitate towards? Do you notice anything popping up in more than one image? If so, pay attention, because that’s what this exercise is all about: finding what makes your heart go pitter-pat. Also use this as a chance to consider your color palette. Narrow it down until you have a combination that’s to your liking, and then stick with it!

To use myself as an example, for this mood board I was drawn to simple spaces in white and gray with a modern or industrial edge, but enlivened with cheery art and accessories in sherbert hues. Once I had the idea for my general palette, I pulled a few paint colors and added those swatches to the board as well. This particular mood board was not meant to be used in planning a specific room, so I just had fun with it.

If you were using this to plan, say, a living room, you would want to be sure you found examples of each item you would need – i.e., lamp, sofa, coffee table, etc. – as well as draw a floor plan of your space. Your floor plan does NOT need to look pretty in order to be effective! Simply measure your room and furnishings and sketch it out to the best of your ability. You can use graph paper and pencil, or find a simple program to use if you prefer to do things on the computer. Do you need a floor plan? In a word, YES! Designers always do this for their clients, and it sure beats hauling furniture around only to find an arrangement you had been counting on doesn’t work!

Now is also the time to think about another practicality, budget. Think long term as well as short term: might you be able to make due with your existing chairs for a while so you can splurge on the table you really want? Or would you rather get it all done now, in which case you might need to rethink that table? Be realistic with yourself. This is decorating after all, it’s not worth going into debt over! And remember, sometimes spending less can actually inspire creativity.

As you get into the fine tuning of your plan, consider what will be your jumping off point for the room. Even if you are doing this just for fun, it’s nice to have one piece to build your board around and inspire your other choices. For me it was the image of cupcakes with rose petals on top, sitting in a vintage tin (from Jamie Magazine) that proved to be the heart of my board. In a room plan, your focal point might be a piece of art you love, a vibrant rug, or a special antique you have your eye on. Whatever it is, by building up your board around it you ensure that all of the pieces will complement one another.

When it comes to actually putting your board together, play around and have fun! I highly recommend using Japanese washi tape to affix your images because it’s pretty (of course) but more importantly, you can stick and restick and even peel it off with minimal damage to your images or the wall. What if you don’t have a bulletin board? Well guess what, I don’t have one either! :) The solution I came up with was to create a “frame” with washi tape directly on the wall. It was simple, cheap, and yet still provided that sense of my images being collected on a board.

Then let your eye rest, take a breather, and come back when you are refreshed to have another look, maybe move things around a bit more. Mood boards are meant to be works in progress. The most important thing is that it helps you. And a final tip from Holly that I would like to share is to add one thing that feels “off”, but in a good way. Often this is the piece that ends up making the room, the one that friends always comment on. Shake things up a bit!

If you are working on a room, when you’re done with your mood board you will want a way to transport your ideas with you when you’re out shopping. Holly suggested bringing along a small notebook with copies of your room plan, color swatches, measurements, and other ideas, this way you have something to refer to right in your pocket. :) Finally, organize a schedule for yourself. It’s all too easy to get confused about what was ordered when, or how much money you’ve spent – so keep track of everything in one place.

To sum things up, here are the steps in creating a mood board:

+ Gather inspiring images you love
+ Note what specifically you love about each image
+ Look for themes in the clippings you’ve collected
+ Pull together a color palette
+ Draw a floor plan
+ Consider your budget
+ Choose a jumping off point
+ Play around & have fun!
+ Add one thing that feels “off” but in a good way
+ Make a schedule

And there you go! I had lots of fun creating this mood board. To be honest it was the first one I’d created for a long time. It felt good, so I plan to make more in the near future…maybe to help organize ideas for my entryway, which is a space I’ve had trouble pulling together. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas – do you find mood boards useful?

Happy new week, friends! xo Laura

(all images by me, Laura Gaskill :) )

Clockwise from top right:

• Crochet covered sea stone by Margaret Oomen
• Hand knit Mermaid sleeping bag from The Miniature Knit Shop
• Essie nail polish
• Print from Positive Posters via Pinterest
• Handmade salt water taffy from Vanilla & Lace, via Creature Comforts
• Photo from this tumblr via Pinterest
• Watercolor Sky print by Honeytree

Have a great weekend! xoxo Laura

Above we have…A naturally shed antler (sadly this one sold already!) from Lackluster Co.; Faceted and tree earrings from Upper Metal Class; Wooden Wish/Goal clipboard from Decoy Lab; Hand-stitched leather baggage tag from harlex; French Bulldog portrait by Sibling Rivalrie; Log lamp from Michiko Shimada; White Paws by Sara Lagace; Birch veneer Kitchen Notes from In Haus Press.

Do you crave pale/neutrals/metallics in January as well – or?? And now that all of the shopping for others is coming to a close, is there something you wish for yourself?

(images: linked to sources above)

Clockwise from top left: bedroom featured in Rue Magazine; lion ring from Need Supply Co.; wine rack from Crate & Barrel; Antler & Co. wall hooks via Creature Comforts; MCMC fragrance samples; street style, via Pinterest; prisms from The Wild Unknown; Coach clutch; Vince sweater.

I am also craving hot apple cider, fires in the fireplace, and…dare I say it? Snow! Coming from this California girl, that is a shocker. But honestly, it is so gray here (in the Northeast) that without snow to brighten things up it can be quite depressing! What have you been craving lately? I would love to know!

(images: linked to individual sources above)

I created a little inspiration board on the inside of a file folder, the purpose being to bring focus to what I want my blog to be. The look and feel, yes, but even more so I focused on the sort of content and general direction I want to go in. As you can see from the large “draw it yourself” in the center of the folder, one of my major goals for this blog as I move forward is to introduce more original content – be it drawings, original photography, documenting my home decorating projects, travels, design classes, etc.

In this close-up view of the upper right corner, I chose a few images to represent creative spaces and studios, which I would like to feature more of here on Lolalina…and to serve as inspiration for my own workspace! And la tour eiffel is there to reflect my passion for travel :)

I chose this image of a steaming cup of tea and the words “heartfelt & handmade” to remind  myself that the little things are often most important, and that what I want most for this blog is that it continues to come from an authentic place in my heart.

And there is my little owl business card! I stuck one onto my collage because although I adore my cards (from here, by the way, and very reasonably priced!) I have yet to give away very many of them! Circling back to my intention to collaborate this year, I would like to get out there and meet fellow bloggers in person, attend events that sound interesting, and generally put myself in more situations where I will have an opportunity to give away those cute little cards – having a big stack of them sitting in my desk drawer isn’t doing me any good! And the image below my card (from a Kate Spade ad) sums up the open, spontaneous attitude that I would love to cultivate!

If you would like to create your own mini-inspiration board too, I would love to see it! Feel free to link to an image on your blog, flickr, etc. if you have something you would like to share!

{images: Laura Gaskill}

Cat by AnyMotion, and Bling by jenny downing

The snowy white cat with those intense green eyes and the glittering jewelry remind me of icy winter fairy tales, sleigh rides, and ice palaces; cold and mysterious. What do they remind you of?

And just a little p.s. – I know I am posting late again today (sorry!), but this time it is because I was working very hard on my first Lolalina Gift Guide! This guide will be inspired by the Domino Holiday Gift Guides that I miss dearly, and I will begin tomorrow with my Luxe Finds Under $25, just in time for holiday shopping this weekend! I have really been enjoying putting these together, and I hope you enjoy them too!

{images: linked to sources above}

Clockwise from top left: A comfy-cozy outfit from Saltwater, cute enough for the dinner table and relaxed enough for a post-meal neighborhood walk; Bright little Hable Construction brag books for catching up the fam on your life since the last visit; Super-soft flannel lounge pants and a slouchy beret to see you through your food coma, both from Anthropologie.

Alas, I won’t be with my family in California this year. Instead, I will be joining B’s family here in New England – though I am sure that as the familiar scents of Thanksgiving dinner fill the house and I chat on the phone with my family and friends out in Cali, I will be feeling very thankful for the abundance of love in my life…Happy Thanksgiving, sweet friends! I will be taking the rest of the week off (as is traditional here in the States), so I will see you back here on Monday – and I am excited to share that I have been working on some very special gift guides, so stay tuned for that next week as well! And if you would like to share something that you are feeling thankful for, I would love to hear from you in the comments :D

{images: linked to individual sources above}

Clockwise from top left: An embellished door in Marieke van Proosdij’s Amsterdam apartment, here; Scrumptious rose candies from Celine Steen of Have Cake, Will Travel, here; Vintage 1940s hat from Dear Golden Vintage, here; Amazing wool felt skirt here; Hand-printed pillow from Hazel & Hunter, here.

Happy Monday, friends!

{images: linked to sources above}