c'est la vie...en beouf!

despite my bad luck with Parisians, i do love the idea of Paris and its architecture.  Over the past few years, i've had my eye on Parisian dormer windows made into mirrors.  for a while, wisteria and anthropologie had something in that genre, but they were too expensive or enormous or just too machine-made looking. (don't get me wrong, wisteria still has an amazing selection of mirrors!)


in seeking the design term for these amazing fenetres, i learned they are called  "Oeil de boeuf" or "eye of the bull"... how wonderfully french does that sound??! 


here's a cute sample of a french dormer window at clayton gray interiors for about $450.


here's a fabulous zinc number from the elemental garden.



(btw, the elemental garden has these amazing french 1930s metal chairs, which would be perfect for a breakfast nook with a rustic wood farm table, non?  je reve!)


ok, back to my eyes of beefs:











 ooh la la la la la la.


are you drooling yet?  if you are, then you know how i reacted when i saw this in TJ Maxx today for way less than a hundred bucks:

sigh. it fit in our dresser nook perfectly. i'll hang it later this week but needed a little help.  some people are scared of discount stores, but these budget-friendly finds keep me on the hunt!

diy friday - frou frou tropical drink umbrella wreath

how cute is this super fun, tropical drink umbrella wreath?  great for a cookout to welcome over the neighbors.  costs about $5 for the straw wreath form and the umbrellas, which you just poke into the form until covered.  i'm so making one this weekend!  (now where to find a bag of turquoise-only umbrellas...)

color combo: an afternoon in tuscany...

 i saw this image and immediately thought of a warm afternoon in tuscany!  the flowers remind me of a deep sunset, and the pale teal green of the dress is a cool fountain.  i would love this color palette in a living room!  using cream as a base, this pale teal would look great using an venetian plaster technique on walls.  


let's start with this fabulous room in who-knows-where (but it HAS to be tuscany, right?).  this is my dream living room, complete with old wooden beams from those mysteriously romantic italian forests.  then picture an ever-so-slight hint of light teal on the fireplace wall.  i'm really excited about this color combo because i can't find a picture of a living room with venetian plaster teal walls anywhere. tuscans are too busy hunting for truffles and drinking fabulous wines to post pictures of their amazing homes, people!





if you're still not tracking with me, try envisioning this painting much bigger on the wall:





sweet sigh.  so calm now.


 
this pillow actually reminds me of my favorite flower, ranunculus!





bellissima!

it's the summer of chevron...

you may be thinking of gas prices, but i'm talking about the ubiquitous pattern, which is one of my favorites (as you can see from the background).  here are a few rooms with a great chevron flair!



love the traditional Parisian chevron floors...don't you want to do a ballet leap in there?


An easy art project using canvas, a little tape, and some paint can spice up a dark corner...


check out this fabulous Chevron duvet cover at Urbanoutfitters.com for only $79!

thank you Jonathan Adler for reading my mind about what to do in my next living room.  turquoise with black and white... drape a fur blanket or a mustard cashmere throw over the ottoman during the winter, and you're good to go year-round!

more brilliance from jonathan adler... pick up this rug at West Elm for under $500 in black or mustard. i want the runner for my galley kitchen!
 you can expect at least one pup in my posts... this design was hand-painted on an inexpensive IKEA rug.

another fabulous painted canvas! you could also staple some chevron fabric to a canvas frame and complete this project in about 10 minutes.  i love the contrast with a brightly colored rug.  (ashlee raubach photography)


kohl's has these cute bath towels on sale for under $20.