Trippin

(image via JoLoLog's Flickr)

Well friends, I'm off. Hittin' the road in search of cooler breezes and greener pastures with my better half. So while I'll miss you, I need to unplug and take a deep breath. It's been a crazy year so far, and I feel like I need to recharge my batteries, spend some time outdoors, and just BE, you know? I promise I'll think if you, though, and send you a piece of the big open sky. I'll be back next Monday, August 9, so stay tuned! And feel free to use this time to check out other things as riveting as my daily posts. You know, like Jersey Shore. Heh.

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And The Winner Is...

4 Kids 3 Dogs! Please send me your email address, and look for your CSN gift certificate in your inbox. Woot!

Thanks so much to all of you who participated in Monday's giveaway. Hopefully, I'll be giving away some other fun stuff in the near future so keep your chin up. Try, try again right?? (Said the girl who never wins anything, but whatever, it's fun anyhow!)

(photo via 20X200)

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Slutty for Seating

I'm almost as obsessed with these prints by Blue Art Studio as I am with chairs themselves. Someday I'll tell you how many I have. Random. Hidden. In my home and in others. Seriously, it's a problem. And not one I plan to give up. Mwahahahahaha (insert maniacal laugh).

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Weekly Whiteout

(image by Warren Heath via Desire to Inspire)

Maybe it's because I'm overworked, sleepy and dreaming of my bed, but I'm enamored with this shot today. Ahhhh, sweet, sweet slumber, sprinkled with a little old-school love. Perfect.

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Monday Funday - It's a Giveaway!

Ever been caught between contentment with a room, and wanting to rip everything out, leave it on the sidewalk and start again? Welcome to my daily struggle. I know I don’t need new pieces for the bedroom, but at the same time there are a few things I think I’d love. You see I’ve never been a headboard kind of gal. In the past I’ve been perfectly happy with some fluffy pillows and a big piece of art. Lately, though, I've been doing a little research to figure out what it would feel like to have a grownup bed. Guess what I discovered? Being a grownup is expensive. Boooo. Guess what I discovered after that? CSN has some great beds that make me feel like a grownup without putting me in the poor house. Yay! And one last discovery…they want to give YOU a $40 gift card to use towards anything on their site. Double yay!

Seriously, you should enter because they some great stuff and carry brands like iittala, Kartell, Herman Miller, Martha Stewart and more. Just leave a comment below, about your bed or otherwise, and I'll choose a winner at random! Come back Thursday to see if you're the lucky lad or lady. Woot! How's that for a frun Monday?

(print by Dorthe Alstrup via 20x200)

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Frugal Fridays - Woodstalk

I love me some Restoration Hardware, but I love saving money more. Especially on a nearly identical piece of furniture. I know my loyalties are fickle...yet I'm strangely okay with it.

(holbrook coffee table from Home Decorators Collection, brickmaker's table from Restoration Hardware)

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Artistic Endeavors

I don’t care how overtly girly this sideboard is, I’d make it mine in a hot minute. And I think I could justify the piece with my husband by calling it “art.” You know, like I do every day at work with my jeans, flip-flops, and inappropriate use of sarcasm.

(mondrian sideboard by Boco do Lobo, bello shag rug at West Elm, hourglass table and small kaleidoscope pillow from Jonathan Adler, chrome tufted chairs at Pieces, harry allen pig bank via Design Public)

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The Call of the Wild

I feel like I could get away with a pad like this if I were a super spy, or maybe a superhero, or possibly even a high-priced call girl. You know, white, simplistic and chapstick-wearing by day, colorful, patterned and red-lipstick-rocking by night. Hey, don't judge - a girl's gotta make a living. And with a lair like this, apparently it's a good one. Word.

(paul mcCobb 6 drawer dresser from Modern Living, chair by unknown, miss nouveau headboard from Myrica Design, faux lizard desk set at Jayson Home and Garden, trim red phone at Totally Funky, jane street becca pencil case by Kate Spade)

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Weekly Whiteout

I can't decide how I feel about this shot. While I find it interesting, there's also something a little eerie about it. It just leaves me with lots of questions. I mean, did the frames ever house pics of friends? If so, what happened to them? If not, do you not have any friends? If so, do you not find them attractive enough to showcase? Did you pay full price for these frames or get them at the flea? Oh, and who took this picture? Yeah, that's a real one...I can't seem to remember. Typical Tuesday.

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Deep-Seated Struggle

You’d think with my love of mid-century furniture I would gravitate towards low, streamlined couches. Not so much. No matter how gorgeous I think those lines are, I like my sofas with a little more cushion for the pushin’, if you get my drift. At the end of a long day, I’d much rather sink into a sofa than practice perfect posture thank you very much. Truth is, there are a lot of things I’d give up in pursuit of good style. Comfort isn’t one of them. EeeGAD.

(vintage zustrian snowflake chandelier at Venfield, hippofolium peach rose photograph by the Hilton Brothers at artnet, place sectional by Jasper Morrison at Hive Modern, marlow side table from Williams Sonoma Home, felt rug by Melina Raissnia for Peace Industry)

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Frugal Fridays - Table Dance

I've always loved this table from Propellar. In lieu of glass that needs to be cleaned, it begs to be written on and carved into. Not that I would, but I'm a fan of options. Not to mention the option to save $2,301. Yep, I'm down with all that noise.

(mannerizm dining table from Propellar, terra dining table from West Elm)

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Hello Lovahs

(dauville gold-brushed bowls at Jayson Home & Garden)

(vertical garden from Flora Grubb)

(arteriors large brooke canister via Quality Bath)

(apro chic haze mimosa pillow)

(honeycomb sheet set at Anthropologie)

(geneva sound system model L from Geneva Lab)

(c-thru table from PB Teen)

(lemon drizzle cake candle at Cox&Cox)

Friends, please accept my apologies for the lack of inspiration boards this week. Between crazy deadlines, record-breaking heat and frizzy hair from Hell, I am a walking disaster. Nearly one of the Lohans, if you will. Until my sanity, pride and semi-straight hair make an appearance, let's look at a few things I'd love to max my credit card on, shall we? You know, just for fun.

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Weekly Whiteout

(image via uydurrukcu's photostream on Flickr)

Check out this sloped ceiling! And the unbelievable light! And the delicious bread and croissant on the table! (Sorry, haven't eaten breakfast yet.) Also loving the light bulb on a red cord and what you know is an incredible deck.

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Everthing's Better on a Stick

(image via popbar)

Sorry, peeps, no board today. Truthfully? I'm just too f-ing hot and can't stop thinking about a recent discovery: Popbar in New York. Ever heard of it? It's handcrafted gelato...on a stick. I'm sorry, what dude? As if gelato couldn't get any better, they go and make it convenient and all kinds of cute. Not to mention I could write a dissertation on how much better pretty much everything would be/is on a stick. Meat on a stick, frosting on a stick, chocolate on a stick, coffee on a stick, you feel me? Therefore, you can imagine how devastated I was to discover I'd have to fly across the country to get my hands on this deliciousness. (Don't think I didn't entertain the option for a second.) In a sweaty, brain-cooked haze of emotion I actually clicked on the "click here for franchising information" page because, well, it seems like an act against God that this kind of thing doesn't exist in the desert. Until I have enough discretionary income to become Queen McSticks of the Southwest, though, I’ll just stare at this picture, hope one of you is getting a popbar fix, and weep gently under my desk.

Booooo. Stupid gelato.

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Frugal Fridays - C Jane Save (and Justify the Jenky)

Remember last week when I admitted to eating in front of the TV on a giant tray? I feel like it wouldn't be as jenky an ordeal if a c-table were in the mix. Call me crazy, but I think it could define me as pretty stylish. A trend-setter if you will. Okay, maybe not a trend-setter, but less jenky at the very least.

P.S. The term jenky is a cross between hot chocolaty mess and Fiasco McPhee and should be used with caution. Proceed.

(c table from Room & Board, framed side table at West Elm)

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My Home is my Castle

I’m loving Rosetta Santucci’s vibrant paintings these days. Even though my home is full of more muted colors, I’m drawn to this bright piece and think it would feel perfectly at ease in my living room. The vintage opera hats not so much, but I love them regardless. I think they’re really interesting not to mention they’d make great conversation pieces during a cocktail party. Especially after a not so sober friend yanked one off its base in order to declare him/herself king/queen of my castle. Or challenged someone to a duel. Or demanded to be knighted with a spatula. Not that I’ve thought about it in depth or anything, but seriously, stranger things have happened. (Lady in the cow costume, I’m talkin’ to you.)

(painting by Rosetta Santucci, vintage opera hats from Jayson Home and Garden, large brass numbers via Present and Correct, chelsea bench & stool set by World’s Away at Tonic Home, myrica sue ellen bar trolley at Huset)

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Weekly Whiteout

(image first seen on Emmas Design Blog)

This kitchen makes me happy, and that's kinda all I have to say about that. Shocking, I know.

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Fire up the Festivities

I know the 4th was yesterday, but I figured why not carry the celebration on to our Monday off? In honor of not having to go to work today, in addition to various other more obvious reasons, I hereby declare today BBQ Monday. Or at the very least, Mojito Monday. And yes, I do have the authority to do it. So pull out your dancing shoes and put on your partying caps, people. We have some celebrating to do.

Brew ya.

cabana red stripe umbrella, striped straws from Kikkerland, hammered acrylic drinkware at West Elm, blue and white checkered napkins from Sur la Table, round lacquer trays from West Elm, Kate Spade candice wedge at Zappos, ipanema mesh table and chair from CB2)

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Frugal Fridays - Let's Get Lit

Lighting is everything. I reminded myself of that just this morning while staring at my “laugh lines” in the bathroom mirror at work. A second to great lighting is a sweet deal. Good thing Overstock has my back on both counts. Unlike my laugh lines, which are clearly out to destroy me. Bastards.

(two-tiered pendant from Restoration Hardware, double shade pendant at Overstock.com)

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Eat, Drink and be Pretty

Though I’d love to dine every night at our beautiful dining table in our fancy chairs, my husband and I usually end up on the couch using the ottoman and a giant tray. Pretty, I know. Regardless, this modern table paired with classic seating begs for dinner parties. Or at least a microwaved burrito on a plate that goes in the dish washer.

(emery silver finish chandeliers via Lamps Plus, raymaille napkin ring set by Sandy Chilewich at the MOMA Store, woodblock ink placemats from Dwell Studio, strut table at Hive Modern, vienna side chair via Crate and Barrel)

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