Poppy Talk Handmade

If you receive Daily Candy, then you may have seen this the other day in your email box. I love getting Daily Candy as daily inspiration and Monday was no exception. There is something to be said about rustic handmade goods that bring us back to a simpler time. Poppy Talk Handmade is a sight that is a home for unique handmade and vintage goods that are beyond your average town craft fair. One of the featured stores that caught my eye was Bluebell Bazaar. Such unique offerings that you would have a hard time finding elsewhere unless you scoured antique stores...which they kind of give me the creeps so I would much rather find vintage goods online.

An Organized Home is a Happy Home

Organization may be boring to some, but to me I get a sense of satisfaction that all is well in life. And what is usually the most disorganized place in a home (aside from the garage!) but kitchen drawers. I have tried numerous drawer organizer options and they all work well enough, but they never fit the drawer just right. They are either too short by length or width and then shift around as you open and close the drawer.

We have some pretty wide kitchen drawers and several "junk" drawers. I can't stand the mess! So I tried out the custom drawer organizers at the Container Store to see if we could meet all our needs of storage in one drawer. And low and behold, I really like the product and intend to use it to organize the rest of our unsightly drawers. The beauty of the product is that you are not limited to the compartment sizes pre-molded in the ones already made. With some simple measuring and cutting the plastic strips with an exact-o knife, you can have the most beautifully organized drawer and be the envy of all your friends. And you will sleep peacefully at night knowing that pen and paper is right at hand in a moments notice.

Glass Panels: Functional and Art

We have had this hole in our stairwell for some time now and my little nieces have been very wary of going up our stairs - I don't blame them! This weekend, our hole has finally been filled. We spent a lot of time deciding at first if this glass (Onami art glass) was exactly what we wanted there. Would it look too chintzy, too busy, or block too much light? Well, after many a conversations, we decided to just go for it since there is only one guy in the world that does this type of glass. Then there was the long wait for production of course and then the long wait to get someone to install it. After much anticipation, it's exciting to see them finally up in the space and see how it alters the space we have become accustomed to.

I am really thrilled with the final outcome. All of our worries were for not. It lets in the perfect amount of light and still gives us some privacy from the park across the street and it's not too busy or chintzy. And it's been fun to see how the light plays off of the texture in different times of the day. Also, my husband welded brackets out of raw steel that ties in our metal banister he welded. It's like having an art installation that functions as part of the house.

Jayson Home & Garden: Who Doesn't Love a Sale?

Here is another one of my favorite online retailers: Jayson Home and Garden. I went on to their site to do my periodical perusing and saw that they are having a sale - oh how I love a sale! Some of their prices on furniture are really marked down. None of this $50 off hocus that so many retailers advertise. So if you are in the search for some interesting pieces, check it out. Also, if you are a true originalist and like to have something no one else does, take a peak in the rare finds section. But be prepared for what the term "rare" brings...much higher price tags!!

Design Tip: Designer Soaps on a Budget

We've all seen those beautifully packaged soaps that cost up to $15-$20 a bar. I love how they look, especially when they are grouped together in a glass vase in a bathroom. However, I just can't get myself to spend $100+ dollars on soap...that is just for decoration no less! So I came up with my own solution - buy some cheap basic bars of soap, buy some decorative paper at my local craft supply store and wrap them myself. I bought the soaps in a pack of two for $1.99 at Trader Joes, and then bought five sheets of patterned paper that I thought would look nice in our bathroom for about $1-$2 a sheet. After wrapping the soaps in the paper, I used some thin hemp twine as an extra decorative touch. And for around $15, I got some beautifully wrapped soaps customized to my very taste. Simple as that!

Pantone: Color Your World

Choosing colors for your home can be mind boggling. You want to pick something that is interesting, but you don't want to be stuck with colors that you will find obnoxious as soon as that color is passé. I have used Pantone as a my color bible for my work as a graphic designer, but I have yet to dive in to their home and fashion products.

I was browsing their site today and found that they have lots of good tips for choosing colors for your home, how much paint you will need to paint a room, color trends, etc. Check out their section on color advice for inspiration. Granted, Pantone has lots of products that you most likely will never need, including their own line of paints (have no idea how these are, but if you have used them before I would love to hear what you think), but if you spend enough time navigating through their site, you can find lots of useful information on color. Also, check out this short video from the Pantone color trend specialist.