Artist Alert

I stumbled across this illustrator about a week ago, and I just love her. Her name is Sarah Mensinga and here is her blog.
She’s got a touch of Chris Sanders in her art that I really like. Plus, mermaids are always great.

xo

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Springy

Don’t you just love all the colors that springtime brings? Pinks and blues and greens galore. I found this photo of a beautiful, colorful living room on Pinterest today, and just love how bright and happy it is!

It’s super easy to make a space brighter and more springy [new word] by starting with a neutral base like in the photo. Natural colors for large furniture and the walls allow you to go crazy with pops of color everywhere else. Also, adding in white pieces, like frames and accessories, let you fill up every bit of space without seeming too crowded. Definitely use various textures, patterns and fabrics, and as far as I’m concerned, gold and silver should definitely be in the mix. I LOVE that mirrored table, too. Sigh… so pretty.

xo

Happy Earth Day!

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Hello There

Guess what... You can buy the neon sign from Selena Kyle/Catwoman's room in Batman Returns here. The 'T' and the 'O' flash on and off, so it will read the same way it does after she breaks it. So good.

xo

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Love at First Set

TV and movie characters always have the best places to live, don't they? I collected some of my favorite famous rooms here... all wonderful in their own way. 

Carrie Bradshaw's Apartment. The closet alone is enough to make you swoon... sigh... all those blues.

Mary Margaret's apartment on Once Upon a Time. Perfectly suited for Snow White in all it's cottage-y goodness - the brick, the worn wood, the soft light. 

Jessica Day's bedroom on New Girl. That bedspread.... She's also got the bare bricks and the most wonderful closet door ever. The whole set of this show is beautiful.

I kind of love Buffy's room. That slanted wall, and how it seems to be decorated for an old lady or a little girl. Something about it just makes it perfect for her. 

Arthur's floating bed and solar system lights are what makes his room one of my favorites.

Cher's room from Clueless is perfectly 90's. Also, another swoon-worthy closet - one that can pick out your outfits for you. This fashion photo-shoot for Wildfox Couture recreated some of the most memorable moments from this movie. Pretty great. 

Mindy's apartment on The Mindy Project is too good. I'm obsessed with the spiral staircase to nowhere and all of those bright lovely colors.

Jay Gastby's bedroom is so beautiful. All those shirts so neatly folded... man oh man. 

Holly Golightly's apartment from Breakfast at Tiffany's may be one of my favorite sets of all time. Even though there isn't much to it, the simplicity and that beyond perfect tub-couch makes it iconic. 

I also love love love Julia Child's French kitchen in Julie & Julia. All the pots and pans, and that old table and her tiny little oven. Very wonderful. 

Which famous fictional residence is your favorite?

xo

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Happy Desk

A lovely work space can really change your perspective about the work you have to be doing. When you are surrounded by things you love to look at, sometimes it makes the thing you don't want to be working on not so horrible. Here are some ideas on how to make your desk area a happy place to be.

One decorative idea that I love to do is to hang wire, ribbon, or string and pin up photos, paint swatches, wedding invites, cards, and other nice things. Clothespins or small clips hold everything in place, and allow items to be switched out as you please. 

When all the papers and odds and ends you start to acquire are spread everywhere, organizing them in monochromatic boxes keep things neat, tidy, and visually appealing, too.

To really brighten up your work space, why not add a fun piece of art to help inspire you? This is a piece by Jen Ramos of Made By Girl. Love it. 

What are some ways you keep your office area a motivating place to work?

xo

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Old Sport

Over the weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to attend a panel discussion with all of the nominated teams of production designers and set decorators for this year's Academy Awards at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. This is the second year I've attended, and both times I've come away completely astonished and inspired by the nominees. The amount of research, time, and care these people put into their work is something to be admired. I also make a point to force myself go up to my favorites to introduce myself and say congratulations afterwards, and although I found myself shaking from nerves, I'm glad I did it.

My favorite of the nominees is The Great Gatsby. I thought the sets and the visual effects were stunning, and couldn't have done a better job of bringing the audience into the world of Jay Gatsby.

I was able to meet Catherine Martin and Bev Dunn, who were both incredibly sweet, as well as say hello and congrats to Gene Serdena, the set decorator for Her.

These are some of what I found to be the most fascinating points that were discussed...

• Originally, there were only to be a few orchids in the scene of Gatsby when Jay and Daisy meet again, but Baz Lerman insisted on hundreds more which proved a challenge to find at the last minute. But Bev worked her magic, bringing in hundreds and hundreds of faux orchids, and it allowed Leo to ad-lib the line 'Do you think it's too much?'. So perfect.

• Each prop used in Gravity had to be modeled, then input into the computer, then simulated on screen to achieve the perfect look. Each prop you see actually existed and was carefully selected. There are also many hidden layers to create back stories for the other astronauts living on the space station, whom we never see, including hints towards where they are from, who their families are, etc. In addition, all the glass on the helmets were added in post production.

• The designers of Her steered away from all blues in their sets, and red became a recurring theme.

• 12 Years a Slave was filmed throughout June, July, and August in Louisiana. The sweat is real. 

• Most of the scenes of American Hustle were filmed in Worcester, Massachusetts in order to make it seem like they were in New York in the 70's.

• Because of the large scale of sets in Gatsby, period pieces were found and then duplicated 10 fold by the prop department to create the look of the 20's.

• Every weekend during filming of 12 years, the designers would travel hours out of town, and even out of state, to rummage through old barns to find the perfect pieces.

• Many of the pieces of furniture used in American Hustle are now in the production designer's home because she loved them so much.

• The teeth used for Wolfsheim's tie-pin and cuff links in Gatsby aren't real, but it isn't because the designers didn't want them to be real. Real teeth were actually acquired and made into accessories, however upon seeing the finished products, the designers decided the teeth didn't look enough like teeth, so dozens of fake teeth were made.

Hooray for the win for Gatsby!!!

I can't wait for next year!

xo

Beauty and the Beast Office

She really is a funny girl, that Belle, but considering how much she loves to read like nobody's business, it's time for an office inspired by Beauty and the Beast.

Alright, so for this office, we're taking our colors from Belle and the Beast, lots of yellows and blues. This palate from design seeds was perfect for the job.

The main color of this office is blue, just like Belle's lovely dress that she wears as she greets the town with a 'Bonjour!' each morning. To keep it from being overwhelming, limit the deep blue to big accent pieces, like the rug, the chairs, and accessories around the room. You can also use different shades to create the feel of blue everywhere you look without being too monotonous about it.

A small tea cart is perfect for a nice cup of tea in the afternoon, or even in the middle of the night... be my guest!

I used these decor pieces as subtle hints towards the characters in the movie, but they also bring in the color scheme of the bright yellow ballgown that Belle wears in one of the most famous scenes in animation history. A silver mirror, like the one Beast gives to Belle also fit quite nicely.

The most important element of this room is, of course, the books. 'Gads of books, mountains of books, forests of books!' Like Belle, one can never have too many, and to fill an entire wall with shelves will make this office more like a library. How wonderful.

xo

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