Marker Rendering and Wood-lookin' Tile

My apologies for the lack of blog posts recently.  Homework has been totally kicking my blogger butt. Architectural Drafting and Marker Rendering are quite the time consumers.  But check out the chairs I rendered!

On another note... I actually have been fulfilling one of my new year resolutions! Yep, for real, I haven't forgotten about them yet. I went to an ASID trade show last week and guess what!... I won a Macy's gift card from Arizona Tile.  Yay!  Isn't it pretty?!

It even kinda matches my nail polish. Seems like it was just waiting to be in my fingers!  But anyway... here's a snap shot of this awesome tile they had in their showroom that looks like wood.  I'm totally loving it right now. 

I think it would look great in a commercial application.  In my opinion, it doesn't quite have the warmth of actual wood, so I'm not sure I'd want it in a residence. (That's not to say I'd rule it out completely.)  But it would be fab in a restaurant or an office... even on a deck!  It requires little maintenance and has more than 40% recycled conntent.  My dentist's new office actually has something like it that looks really snazzy.  Here's a great photo from their website

Purdy right?  Well I hope ya'll are having a good week. Over and out!

More Handome Bedding and Then Some at Unison Home

So guess what.... my lack ottomans where featured again!  I just wanted to say thank you to Amy at MoMamma for picking my ottomans, and to Pinterest for being awesome and both inspiring me and getting my stuff out there, and to my mom for allowing me to help with her tv room, which without that project, there would be no ottomans at all!

Alrighty, there's my speech... now on to the topic.

After yesterday's post about manly bedding my Dad made an impulse purchase and picked up a handsome grey duvet set from Target.  I think he made a great choice and I suggested that he get some yellow pillow cases to bring out the yellow in his artwork and add a fun pop of color that would be a great contrast against the grey of his new bedding.

Being that I'm a little obsessive when I get inspired, I started looking for some nice modern yellow pillowcases and stumbled upon Unison Home. Not only do they have very handsome modern bedding, but they also have quite classy table linens, sexy throw pillows, sleek home accessories, and a kids line! Here are a few of my picks of their snazzy selection.

Tatami White Duvet

Sailor Regatta Navy Duvet

Regatta Twin Pillowcases

Maritime Large Square Pillow

Rope Square Pillow

Sailor Large Square Pillow

Maritime Gold + Natural Tablecloths

Stitch Oven Mitts

Sailor Black + Natural Pot Holder

Nippon Napkins

Moller Melamine Salad Set

Candle Columns

Chevron Hurricane

Cutaway White Vases

Manly Bedding

A few years back I helped my sister asked me to help her pick out a comforter that wouldn't get shot down by her boyfriend.  She said she had shown him a few options, which he claimed were all too 'girly'.  After poking around the store (I think it was actually Burlington Coat Factory), we found something acceptable: a simple black and gold plaid. This might not be your cup of tea, but there are many other options out there that if paired with interesting furnishings and art, can look quite stylish.  So how does one find such manly bedding for the picky boyfriend or guy friend asking for assistance?  Here are my thoughts (which seemed to work in the case of my sisters boyfriend):

• Avoid all floral prints and anything too swirly lookin'. Curved lines give a feminine feel.
• Steer clear of 'girly' colors (pink, coral, etc.) Although some men might be okay with, or even like, these colors, from what I gather, most men don't want to sleep in a sea of fuschia.
• Look for something geometric. If you're want to add interest with a pattern, but aren't sure how to find a manly pattern, geometric are often a good way to go... perhaps a nice stripe, plaid or triangular pattern would work.
• Stick to something simple. Something solid or nearly solid can be 'dressed up' with an interesting blanked or pillow.
• Speaking of pillows... most men I've meet hate throw pillows. They think function, not form, and don't see the point. So avoid the extra pillows and find other ways to add that pop of color or pattern that you want... maybe interesting sheets, art, or a bench at the foot of the bed.

That being said, my dad asked me to help him find a duvet cover.  (I chuckle when I think of my dads recently expanded vocabulary... "duveT." I don't think he knew they existed, let alone what they  were called.)  So with my manly-bedding radar on, I went on the hunt for something simple, sophisticated, and modern. Here are some choices that I pulled.

You can't go too wrong with something simple in the brown, blue, or grey color palate...

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But, my dad also likes yellow, so I found a few yellow duvet covers that are on the more manly side...

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Or for a man who's really into color...

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Here's some more manly geometrics...

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And here's one more that I love. Isn't the asymmetry great!

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My Lack Ottomans on Ikea Hackers!

Here's an exciting thing to come home to after a trip to Vegas.  My Lack Side Tables Turned Ottomans were 

Yay!  Check out my original post with more pictures here.

Three Tips I Learned Of Late

I thought I'd share in the hopes that someone else out there might be as excited about these little tips...

1. The easiest way to iron your sheets is when they're on your bed. It seems so obvious! But for some reason I've been in the dark about this. Thanks to The Nester, who's doing a Christmas photo shoot today (or maybe already did it), and her post about a past photo shoot, I feel like an idiot who's been enlightened... A little embarrassed but also grateful!

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2. Lands End sells home decor and furnishings... nice stuff too!  My dad has gotten Lands End catalogs for YEARS and I've only ever thought of them as a resource for the outdoorsman.  Who knew they carried all sorts of rugs, pillows, bedding and much more?!  ...Kirsten over at 6th Street Design did!  Thanks for the tip about alternate places to buy home accessories.

Sources: Wool Cable Dhurrie Rug / Damask Table Runner

3. Live the width! Thanks Centsational Girl for this little reminder! One can never have too many positive reminders about life.

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Fabulous Cork Boards

Hello lovely readers!  I hope you had a nice weekend. I know I did.  I drove up to my dad's on Saturday and helped him reorganize his home office (photos coming soon), which of course got me thinking more about my office and the reorganization that it needs. (It's a resolution of mine to corral the mess and beautiful the space.)

I have a giant cork board in my office that I've been wanting to do something fun with for quite some time now. I was initially thinking about covering it with fabric like so many awesome DIYers out there have...

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I love this look, but I think I decided yesterday that in going to paint it instead. I actually bought a pretty shower curtain from Marshalls that I was going to use to cover it, but then I decided that the bold curtain would be better used to cover my future futon and that a simple pattern would be more suitable for the cork board.  So a little paint and painters tape should do the trick!  Check out these inspiring painted cork boards that I discovered surfing the internet...

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Here's a few more fun cork board ideas...

I love this idea of combining a few different surfaces. Cork board, chalk board, what more could you need?!

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Try making your board out of wine corks...

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Or make a map and keep track of your travels...

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Use your cork board as a calendar...

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Or make it a fun shape!

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Turn cork into custom coasters...

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Protect your wall from stray darts...

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Or create an entire wall of cork!

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All this cork is getting me excited! I'd love to do this project right NOW, but I'm afraid homework and what-not is going to occupy my immediate future. Hopefully this project is not too far off though.  I'll post photos when the time comes.  Have you done any fun cork projects recently?