Handmade area rugs from Company C

Lively color and pattern is the hallmark of Company C. I love their rugs but they also have great bedding and fabrics.  They have retail stores in Hingham, Massachusetts (Toni, have you been?), Concord, New Hampshire and Portland, Maine — I wish I would have known so that I could have visited on this past trip to Beantown! 

Sustainable vase from Milk Design

This is pretty smart — take a used plastic bottle, remove the label, cut off the top and pop on the lace vase topper from Milk Design and voilà – a proper vase!  I love recycling stuff in clever ways.  My grandmother used to crochet little purses for us which transformed into a doll bed and they were crocheted on the top of an old plastic bleach container  — I’m sure that a similar approach could be taken to create a vase topper. Great Idea. 

The growing popularity of cake pops

Cake pops have hit Ireland with a vengeance. I’m seriously feeling like I’m out of touch lately — I was listening to one of my favorite programs on NPR, “This American Life” the other day (catching up from an old podcast from over the summer) and they were talking about how Bubble Tea and Vietnamese Sandwiches have swept the U.S. – whaaaat???  I felt so out of it!  Seriously, I track trends as a part of my daily job — how could I miss this?  Well, that’s how I feel about cake pops.  It seems like just in the past couple of weeks that they’re everywhere.  And now that I’m aware of them, I realize just how out of touch I’ve been! 

Anyway, loved the cake pops from “The Choux Box” – red velvet being my favorite.  And check out the Pop Stars post on Bakerella.com — so many creative ideas.  Makes me want to have a party just so I can make some Cake Pops!

Here’s a quick recipe to try if you haven’t made them yet – we can do this!

 

R.I.P. Shaun the Bichon

I’ve been meaning to do this post for a while now — it’s been two months since my four-legged friend, Shaun, passed away.  Tilly and I lived with Shaun and his people for a year so he was near and dear to my heart (and he totally had the hots for Tilly). 

 

He passed on while I was away this summer so I didn’t get to say a proper goodbye so I thought I’d do so here with a few photos of Shaun from our trip to “Norn Iron” back in July. As you can see, he was never far from Miss Tilly. 

Whimsical trophy deer heads

My mother will be happy to know that I’m over any early childhood interest with taxidermy but I do find these Italian designed ornamental trophy heads really fun.

They are manufactured in Germany and arrive flatpacked so you can simply pop out the pieces from the MDF and follow the instructions to put it together. 

I think it’s fun that you could have a whole series of these little gems — would be a cute design in a series for a hall that’s a little less than a grand hall…

Available at Utility Design. 

An easy solution for balcony gardening

If you live in an apartment in the city, it can be a challenge to have a proper garden.  I thought this was a great solution: the Cavalier Pot is a cleverly designed flowerpot for your balcony railing. It is produced in France with 70% flax which makes it lightweight and  frost-resistant. 

The art of Michelle Curry Wright

Spotted at the Telluride cafe of The Butcher and Baker Cafe (sidenote: YUM) were these great little mixed media paintings from Michelle Curry Wright.  They work great alone or in a series (as they were displayed in TB&BC).  

How to create more storage for books

I am such a book nerd (yes, five years working part-time through high school and then college at Waldenbooks).  Luckily, I got into the habit of giving away books as soon as I read them a while ago (unless, of course, they are in hardcover and a favorite…).  But I still have a LOT of books.  There are at least three storage boxes full of books up in the attic at Tilly’s Cottage which haven’t made their way downstairs yet. 

I guess that’s why I was attracted to these above-the-door bookshelves.  While I’m guessing my feng shui followers (yes, Lori, that’s you!) will say you’re not supposed to store heavy objects over your head, I think it’s a clever solution (if well secured!!) for a small space.  Perhaps best for paperbacks…

Blik is it!

This is one of those things that, when I see it, I think “Why am I so late to the party? Does everyone know about this?”  So, if you are also late to the party, then I’m happy to introduce Blik to you.  

Blik touts itself as “the world’s first removable wall graphic company.”  The company is the brainchild of an architect and a food editor looking to solve the paint versus wallpaper conundrum.  The company make innovative self-adhesive, removable surface graphics in all shapes, sizes and styles. 

They’ve recently introduced a line of wall puzzles for kids were are moveable wall graphics.  Brilliant. 

 

 

 

Paper Accordion Lanterns

I love the look of the paper accordion lanterns I found on Etsy.   They’re such a cute and easy way to decorate any room but especially a nursery or a child’s room.  And of course, they’d be great for a special occasion.  

I thought I’d share some other photos of these simple lanterns in place for more inspiration.  You can buy the lanterns on from Martha Stewart Crafts.