I love white skirts like this one. That waist needs to be shown off, so I’d tuck in this green halter top (the straps are wide enough to wear a normal bra underneath, yay). The Seychelles sandals look so cute, and the Cubist bag is just awesome. I like that it doesn’t match exactly, but it still works. I could see it working with a ton of outfits that way. I’m pretty into those studs, and isn’t the ring cool too? It’s made of electrical wire.
This is What Our Bedroom Looks Like
I’ve been working with American Express to redo my bedroom. They provided me with a total of 300,000 Membership Rewards points.
Hello, dark and lovely bedroom.
Everything came together just as I hoped it would. The colors and patterns of the new bedding look great together, and our bed feels so soft with its new pillows and comforter.
The Edison Chandelier is amazing.
We do have our fears about Eleanor jumping on the bed or swinging a pillow and breaking the bulbs. We may need to revisit our lighting options in a few years, but right now we are absolutely loving the chandellier.
I like the little pop of red from our phone, and the yellow of the lacquered tray holding magazines by my side of the bed.
I really love the play between light and dark in the room. Sheer white shades, white curtains, and painted white trim all provide a nice balance to the zinc walls, gray rug, dark furniture, and the Jacobean bamboo flooring.
Our overflow of books has been contained by the new bookshelf.
The bedroom is somewhat small and there is already a lot going on visually, so we wanted the new art to be subtle. I love the antiqued zinc finish against our ‘zinc’ wall color.
Soporific.
Honor Roll


- I love this gorgeous wedding at the Parker Palm Springs. (above)
- Here’s another custom roller shade project, this time a how-to with patterned fabric.
- I am convinced that I need a pagoda umbrella for the backyard. Can’t you just see it? Stripey perfection. (via Ish and Chi and Mrs. Lilian)
- A blue Matryoshka Doll baby shower! So sweet.
- Someday I will have one of my own, but for now I’ll just file away cute laundry rooms like this one for inspiration.
- Shhh… If we are very quiet, perhaps we will be able to spot the Papilio cathedra (butterfly chair) in its natural habitat.
- I didn’t think I could love hot dog packaging (unless we’re talking Superdawg), but this adorable little (hot) dog makes me smile.
- Balloons to lift your spirits!
- I do not need new bedding, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want this Rings of Aster bedding. (via Black.White.Yellow.)
- Did you know that Jaime of Prudent Baby had such a cute home? Check it out here and here.
- Ooh, what a pretty case for your guitar. (via Oh Joy)
- I am smitten with the MoMa Modern Play House. Is it awful of me to want it, but plan to keep it away from Eleanor for a few years so she doesn’t ruin it? (via Poppytalk)
Inexpensive Custom Sized Roller Shades
I had been planning to put up sheer roller shades for a long time, even before I began redoing my bedroom (photos next week). We used to like our room darkening Roman blinds because they let us sleep in deliciously late. We haven’t been able to sleep in since we had our little alarm clock though, and the room began to feel oppressively dark in the wee morning hours.
I knew I had twittered about picking up the shades (ENJE), so I looked for the tweet to see how long ago that was. February 16. Oof.
The shades didn’t come in the exact size that I needed, but Anna reassured me that they are easy to work with. So over the weekend I set about trimming off 2.5″ and installing them, and it was easy.
All you have to do is measure the amount to be trimmed, mark it and then cut. Using good, sharp scissors will help (you do reserve a pair of scissors just for fabric, right?). The metal top and bottom can be cut with a hacksaw or jigsaw with a metal blade, but the fabric needs to be cut away first or it will become ragged. I used an x-acto knife for that part.
After you’ve cut everything down to the proper size, you just pop the ends back on and hang the shade according to the simple directions.
Done!
Benita of Chez Larsson just took on the same project recently, and here Anna of Door Sixteen gives her take on the ENJE shades. I’m so pleased with the way they look, and they were so inexpensive… especially compared to custom roller shades.
Constructor Craft Fair 2010
The Constructor Craft Fair took place in my neighborhood on Sunday, June 6. Here are some of my favorites from the show…

Funny plush from Steff Bomb (Eleanor grabbed hold of a stuffed stump and wouldn’t let go — I bought it for her.)

Venn diagram embroidered clocks from Diffraction Fiber

Adorable dresses for little girls from Lily Sky Designs (Eleanor owns two of these now.)

Cool photography from Heath Hays

Delicate ceramics from SODA by amy

Metalwork jewelry from Alisa Miller

Iconic Chicagoland prints from Leslie Hamer

Plush mustaches and wee ninjas from Shawnimals

Hipster embroidery from Moxiedoll

Clever shirts and onesies from Bernie’s Girl

Charming prints from Paper Parasol Press

Porcelain jewelry from Sofia Masri

And of course, there was a photo booth (where we snapped our adorable family shots) from Magnolia Photo Booth























