Manolo for the Home

Like the post title says, going gray for under $25 is easy. Just click on the pic for more info about any of the ginchy grey gear below!

The whole empty frames thing has been much derided as lazy or ghetto or less-than-creative, but I still like it and think it can be a whole lot of fun if hung in something other than a grid. The look works especially well if you have some nice frames that will stand out on their on. Conversely, you can play around with frame orientation until you find art that you like that also fits into your budget.

Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing, but I think that in this case more is more. The empty frames being so colorful doesn’t hurt one bit. (via)

This pic strikes me as belonging to the waiting-on-art camp. The perfect silhouette? Artwork scrawled on construction paper by tiny hands? The perfect print, perhaps? (via)

Empty frames framed by other frames? It’s a little odd, but all right. I like how the gold frames find a friend in the little lamp with the golden shade. (via)

You don’t need to go crazy, especially if your empty frames are larger and particularly striking, like these.

Of course, it’s not like you have to commit to keeping all your frames empty forever. Mixing empty frames and frames containing some kind of image is the moderate (and now quite popular) way to incorporate empty frames into decor. (via)

How adorable is all this stuff from Ninainvorm? She makes cute and colorful ceramics, screen prints, collages, and more, then sells them in her Etsy store way out in the Netherlands. Shipping is as expensive as you might imagine, but if your goal is to brighten up your environment, perhaps it’s worth it?

She says: “I make these name plates as a custom order for children and grown-up loved ones. I use the most beautiful vintage plates from my large vintage plate collection and then add screenprinted images & cut the letters of the name by hand out of colourful ceramic decal paper. Then the plates are fired in my kiln on a high temperature. The result is a unique, personal, sustainable and very cheerful plate.”

She says: “A beautiful medium-sized (contents: about 0.65 liter or 2/3 mugs) vintage 1960s design teapot, redecorated by me with my screenprinted lots of dots pattern in 6 colors. The vintage teapot is still in a very good condition, only some of the glazing on the handle feels a little bit rough, which isn’t something visible but you can feel it a little when you rub it with your fingers.”

She says: “Each set contains the six different postcards that you see on the pictures. In my other listings you can see detail pictures of the large prints that these postcards are the smaller version of.”

She says: “A beautiful medium-sized (about 7.5″”/18 cm diameter) vintage plate to which I added my screenprinted spirograph image. The plate is quite old, but still in a real good condition. This plate is fired on a high temperature and is therefore fit for daily use or to put it on a wall as wall art.”

As if you couldn’t guess, her life is just as colorful as her creations. See more at
her blog, which is well worth a visit!

I grew up playing with two reddish-orange wooden horses, painted with colorful stylized tack, but not knowing what they were. A lucky click later, and here I am, remembering with fondness my dala horses. Known also as dalecarlian horses (or dalahäst in Swedish), these very pretty ponies entered into existence as toys for children, then became emblematic of Sweden. Whatever you want to call them, I think they’re absolutely lovely. Here are just a few examples of how your might integrate a dala horse into your family:

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After a weekend spent trying to fit all of our stuff into the nooks and crannies of a rather small Cape, I am loving *LOVING* this clever board game storage idea dreamed up by the lovely lady behind Infarrantly Creative. She needed a little color for her game room and a way to get said games out of the way. Inspiration hit, and a few short hours with a table saw later and WHAM. Art, or something close enough to it for most folks.

Clever, yeah? And easy to DIY if you’re a fan of board games who doesn’t even have a game room. Even better if you happen to have vintage versions of classic games! But, you say, how are you supposed to get the boards out of the frames when you and the fam want to sit down to a round of Monopoly or Chutes & Ladders? The short answer is you don’t!

The pieces and rulebooks are all stored in the back of the frame, so they’re right there when you take the whole works off of the wall. Love it, love it, love it!

It’s been too long since I’ve gotten my girl on, and with Sunday having been Valentine’s Day, it seems like the perfect time to channel some femininity! I’m not talking about ruffles and bows, though, since we can be girly without being wicked lame about it. This isn’t the 80s, after all! I don’t need a floral print couch to feel like a lady (and I can only hope that The Beard appreciates that). I’m working on making my own tiny house a little more girly without going overboard or offending guyish sensibilities, but it’s slow going. To inspire myself, and hopefully you as well, here are six very different feminine interiors.

How can I acknowledge Valentine’s Day and not have at least one room with the appropriate red and white love theme? Especially considering my not-too-recent post about love pillows! I’d say this bedroom is feminine but that a guy wouldn’t balk at the idea of sleeping in it.

“Too cute” is how I’d describe this kitchen, and not in a bad way. I happen to love that color of green, particularly when it’s combined with that color of pink. And the shabby chic table? Somebody pinch me! I will say that I’m not sure I’m a fan of that half canister thing hanging on the wall, but nothing’s perfect.

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Anyone who has ever been afraid of using color should take a good look at this amazingly colorful villa designed by Giorgio Saporiti for Il Loft to see just how awesome color can be.

Beautiful!

The first comes from Mod Podge Rocks:

Amy took a fairly boring end table and spruced it up with a little paint, some scrapbooking paper, and of course, her signature Mod Podge. Directions can be found here for those who have their own boring end tables in need of upcycling.

The second comes from Moneywise Moms:

Gina posted a dresser re-do how-to that looks slightly more advanced than the one above, but seems straightforward enough for the dedicated crafter. I think both are awesome, and super inspiring to people like me who want to spruce up their furniture but are always putting it off.

There’s a long tradition of looking to nature for inspiration in art and design, and no wonder. Once upon a time, there was nothing but pure imagination and what you could see around you in the great outdoors. Nowadays we have a lot more to look at, but nature continues to inspire those who create.

The tree bed from Shawn Lovell Metalworks is a wee bit pricey at $15,000, but how delightful to sleep and dream in the comforting arms of a break in the woods. There’s even a nest for passing birds overhead!

For those who wish to dry their duds the old fashioned way, Insitu has stylized tree clothes lines, suitable for indoor or outdoor use. The colors are great, though the $600 price tag leaves a lot to be desired.

These look like slim vases, but they’re actually quite tall. Jean-Marie Massaud’s Missed Tree Flower Pot has a sturdy steel base so you can be quite sure you won’t be left shouting timber as your beautiful pot crashes the ground.

People get freaky about their dolls, but really it’s no better or worse than any other hobby. Silly me, I actually didn’t realize how deep the doll obsession can run until I stumbled upon some dolls that look way too much like real people in little dolly fashion shoots. That led me to some doll houses that look way too much like real houses, which I’m totally digging with a level of enthusiasm equal to the level of horror I feel when looking at those scary high fashion dolls.

These gorgeous wee interiors were created by Michael Williams for his “Welcome to the Haute Dollhouse” feature in Haute Doll Magazine. I actually bookmarked one picture in his album thinking it was a real room, but I won’t tell you which one.

Aren’t they lovely? It makes me want to buy a basic doll house for my daughter when she’s old enough to enjoy it, and fill it with analogs of designer furniture and home accessories. Basically, I want her to have the hottest (and hautest) doll house on the block.