Archive for June, 2009
Window Shopping: Target Rocks My Socks
Ever since we photographed our way around Target’s Home Design Event back in January, we couldn’t wait to break out the camera again when the moment was right. Well last night we couldn’t help but declare that it was time for another photo sesh. Here’s what we’re loving…
First we have these awesome fabric covered canvases with gold printed feathers on them. Not New-Jersey-Circa-1991 gold (I would know, I was rocking it back then) but more like a soft hammered metallic golden tone that’s slightly distressed and oh so lovely. And your eyes don’t deceive you. They’re just $14.99 each and come in two serene subtly different bottom-of-the-sea hues.
And right next door there were these glittering turquoise candle holders (both extra large for $9.99 and itty bitty for around $2) that would add another splash of saturation to any space. Just imagine them with a flickering candle inside…
Then we came across this amazing woven mirror. At $59.99 it’s no drop in the bucket but just picture this hanging in a beachy bathroom or leaning above a whitewashed fireplace mantel. It has make-the-entire-room potential. I seriously have it bad for this thing.
This fun oversized brown and white giraffe pillow ($24.99) also caught our attention, especially paired with the yellow and white accessories above it. Love that color scheme and the fresh summery feeling it would add to any space.
And then there were these sweet little new-grass-green and sunshine-yellow votive holders (which would also look delightful with brown and white accents). And at $2.99 it’s easy to snatch up a slew of them to line the center of a dining table or even pop one in every windowsill for the summer- wouldn’t that be sweet?
But wait, there’s more green and yellow goodness and this display actually took us back to our lemon and lime riddled backyard wedding (complete with recycled green glass wine bottles that we repurposed to serve beverages). Concidently, that awesome oversized green bowl that you see below is actually made from recycled glass (as are the amazing hurricanes on the shelf above it) and at $29 for the giant statement making bowl (how sweet would it be filled with lemons or even clementines?) it’s an easy way to dress up a coffee table, dining table or even your kitchen counter in one fell swoop.
We also noticed these $9.99 frames and couldn’t help but think how cute they’d look in any kids room (I could see a combination of pink, yellow and green ones lined up on the ledge in Olivia’s room).
These $19.99 storage ottomans (that price isn’t a typo) would definitely add interest and a pop of hue anywhere from a kids room or a dorm to an upscale living room (two of the turquoise ones could be slipped next to each other under a console table for storage and style to spare).
And one of these little bird friends ($12.99) would look so cute as an all-weather centerpiece on an outdoor patio table or even next to a planter by the front door for a bit of asymmetrical interest.
We even slipped through the baby aisle (don’t get any ideas, two of John’s sisters are preggers) and couldn’t help but admire Dwell’s line of bedding, towels and other textiles- so cute for a boy (blue elephants!) a girl (pink birds!) or an I-don’t-know-yet (green and yellow polka dots!).
And for the slightly older crowd, these “chalk dots” ($29.99) were a pretty fun concept. They can be slapped on any wall over and over again (they’re peel and stick but they can be removed without damage and reused in another spot) to create instant round chalk boards for messages, love notes, and spontaneous wall doodling. The beauty of the clean round shape is that they’d work just as well in a kids room as a pantry door in a posh kitchen.
So that’s what we’re drooling over these days. How about you? Any favorite pieces from the holy shopping grail that is Tarjay? Do tell.
House Crashing: Green Acres
Let’s take a tour through some stranger’s house, shall we? Actually, meet Karyn and Eric. There, now they aren’t strangers.
Eric is actually a well known house rehabber here in Richmond (here’s his site) and Karyn is his lovely lady (she makes amazing jewelry by the way). They live in this charming and fabulous sixty-year-old home that Eric purchased years ago when it was in major disrepair. We’re talking crumbling walls and old unusable bathrooms. But thanks to his handy house-fixing skillz, he whipped his new abode right into shape, and actually converted four of the other buildings on the spacious two acre property into fully functional guest houses which he now rents out to cover a huge chunk of his mortgage. Not a bed set-up eh? But enough chit chat, let’s go inside.
This is their super fun game room complete with a pool table and an old wooden Ralph Lauren sign they snagged years ago when Bloomingdale’s was getting rid of it. How fun and Americana is that with the navy pool table?
They also have these vintage honeycomb chairs nearby- with navy, orange and white upholstery (snagged at a thrift store). Aren’t they cheerful and cozy and perfect for a game room?
Every room of their house has amazing architectural detail that was either tirelessly restored or added by Eric. Here you can see that even the hallway has crisp chair rail molding and clean white trim that makes the house feel polished and stately.
And this is the dining room that you see in the doorway above on the left. The deep slate colored walls and of course that gorgeous chair rail really give the room character while the refinished fireplace makes it feel even more inviting and warm. And I know you’re staring at that gorgeous wood plank table so I’ll spill the beans…
… Eric actually made it himself with reclaimed wood. And it rocks our world.
Speaking of rocks, Eric also redid the entire upstairs bathroom and added some really great stone work in the shower. Gotta love the combination of over four different types of neutral tile and those built-in alcoves for soap and shampoo.
The living room has yet another amazing wood fireplace mantel that Eric took from old and crumbling to mint condition.
And the original kitchen got a facelift with painted cabinets, new knobs, and some new stainless appliances (the dishwasher’s next). We love how the woven rug really keeps things feeling warm and rustic.
And the outside of their house is just as breathtaking as the inside.
In fact, John’s sister and brother-in-law actually got married here (feel free to house crash their fabulous modern masterpiece while we’re on the subject). The rolling hills, blooming shrubs, and private woodsy feeling made Karyn and Eric’s home the perfect place to say I do.
Off in the distance you can see one of the other homes on the property that Eric also restored and now rents out along with three others. Not a bad way to pay the mortgage, eh? And everyone still has a lot of privacy thanks to the shrubs and trees that envelop each property for that leafy and lush feeling.
There’s even a charming little gazebo behind Eric and Karyn’s home, and they love to spend time out there planning future house projects (next on the agenda is a pergola that Eric will build using reclaimed wood columns!).
And we couldn’t leave without sharing one of the smaller details that makes this house such a stunner. Check out the restored dentil molding above the front door and the custom plaque they had made to draw even more attention to the amazing architecture:
We also love that they added shutters to either side of their front door to give it more presence (along with plopping down two matching rocking chairs for inviting ambiance).
Thanks so much for skipping through Eric and Karyn’s gorgeous home with us (feel free to pipe up with your favorite part!). And stay tuned for another home invasion coming soon…
Miki’s Design Dilemma
Miki’s bedroom is bursting with posh potential. Here’s her letter:
Hey Youngsters! My husband and I need some serious help with our master bedroom. We fell into the “everything matches” routine to the point where the entire room is the exact same color! What were we thinking?! So we desperately need your help to transform our room. Our style is classic modern (not so trendy that five years from now we’d cringe). We live in the mountains and my husband loves deep tones (forest green, burgundy, navy blue) while I’m from the beach and love fresh cool tones with a splash of bright color. We are UVA alumni and are open to any color scheme that doesn’t hint at “Carolina Blue.” Crate and Barrel probably represents our taste best. Everything can go except the wardrobe, the dog (our homage to Burger), and the print which we both really like. We plan to upgrade to a king size bed as part of the re-design. There is a wall opposite our bed (not shown in the pictures) four feet from our footboard that is 6 feet long and blank (then there’s a door to our bathroom near the one pictured window) and we would love to put something on the wall. Thanks so much! -Miki
This space is primed for a major makeover. Here’s the plan:
And now for the mood board breakdown.
Read the rest of this entry »
License to Skil Freebie Winner!
After reading all of the skills (or skillz, if you’re so inclined) that you guys admitted to needing on our Skil giveaway, Sherry and I got to thinking about the skills we wish we had. We decided Sherry could use some directional skills (there’s a reason we don’t let her loose in a car on her own) and when I asked her what skill she wished I had there was a long pause - which seemed like a good sign at first – but then I received a long critique of my foot massaging technique. Apparently I stop too soon. Sigh.
So before I go work on building up my foot massage endurance, I’ll announce the lucky guy or gal for this week’s giveaway. The random winner of the Skil Isio 2-in-1 Cordless Garden Shear (designed to satisfy all of your bush-whacking and grass-trimming cravings) is… Pamela. Congrats!
And for the rest of you loyal freebie hunters, we’ve got a trio of prizes lined up for Monday so keep those commenting fingers warmed up.
For more freebie details just visit our Giveaway FAQs page. Images courtesy of Skil.
Let’s Talk About Sax Baby
Not since our discovery of The Kurv has a product wooed us to this degree. Ladies and gentleman, may we present to you, Envirosax:
We probably should mention that we do not work for Envirosax nor are we getting paid by them to write this be-still-my-beating-heart review. We just can’t get enough of them and had to share the chic little reusable fabric bags that wormed their way into our lives and changed them for the better.
We’ve always been fans of reusable shopping bags, but some of the crunchy plastic-y felt-ish boxy ones left a lot to be desired. Of course we preferred them to paper or plastic, but they made me feel… well, a bit frumpy. I mean picture me struggling to tote my three different mismatched bags into the store and blushing when I get to the register with the tangle of intertwined green and brown and gray bags (after accidentally dropping at least one in the parking lot on the way in). Ugh. Enter my always fashionable BFF stage left, who swung through town for some quick shopping. And what chic little rolled up bag did she pull out of her purse at the register? Why an Envirosax tote of course. It was smaller than a cell phone and unsnapped to create a large and lovely reusable bag that had me positively green with envy (and embarrassment as I tried desperately to wrangle my gaggle of bags).
Before I could even squeak out “where’d you get that” she said “envirosax.com, I can’t go to the store without ten people coming up to me to ask where they’re from- and they’re so easy to use because you can pop a few of them into your purse so you never forget to bring them.” I was sold before she even opened her mouth. Everything from the wider straps to the sleek fabric and the punchy print had me at hello, and the fact that they could be rolled so tightly and tossed into any purse (unlike my armload of reusable bags) ensured that I’d never find myself at the cash register muttering about how I forgot mine again. Because every time we forget our reusable bags we’re contributing to this problem:
- Approx. 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. That’s more than 1,200 bags per US resident, per year.
- Americans consume more than 10 billion paper bags per year. Approximately 14 million trees are cut down every year for paper bag production.
- The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of ocean.
Eeks! Let’s all make a difference and look cute doing it. How adorable is this mother daughter duo?
And at $8.50 a pop they’re a steal when you think about how long you’ll have them, how many plastic bags they’ll save and how convenient they are since they slip right into your purse (never to be forgotten in the car/house again!). They actually list the measurements on the site and they’re pretty darn amazing. Rolled up these things clock in at 4″ by 1.5″ (about the size of a cell phone) and they unroll to a glorious 19.5″ x 16.5″ full size- plus they can each hold up to 44lbs! And the fact that they come in oh so many fun styles makes shopping for them just as fun as shopping with them. They have chic black patterned bags for the sophisticated crowd:
And masculine dude bags for the guys who don’t want colorful girly ones:
And punchy bohemian bags for the hippie in all of us (plus these babies are 25% off):
Of course they also have solid colored bags (for those who like to keep it simple), kid bags (you bet our youngsters will tote these babies around someday), five pack sets (that really come in handy for larger families who do more bulk shopping), and even organic bags (these lovelies are a bit pricier at $24.95 but they’re made exclusively from organic bamboo):
I’m sure you’re wondering which ones we picked after such a wide selection of eye candy. True to form we went gaga for the blues and the greens. Since John and I always go shopping together he let me get two fun ones instead of a dude bag for him- but if you’re a more-than-one-car household and aren’t always attached at the hip you might wanna snag one that you guy will feel proud to carry. Although my gentlemanly hubs still offers to carry ours when they’re heavy- thanks babe!
And now I will get off my Envirosax soapbox and hit up the grocery store for bag complements- er, to spread awareness… there have to be some locals out there that we can convert!
Images and scary plastic bag facts courtesy of Envirosax.
