Fab always has fun finds from big design names along with independent designers, so I like working with them to highlight some of my favorites. Here’s what I’ve got my eye on right now.

1. Ciao Travel Tags
   All the easier to spot your luggage by.

2. Decorative Ampersand
   Because I have a thing for decorative ampersands.

3. Walnut and Leather Wall Shelves
   These are gorgeous. Pricey, but gorgeous.

4. Lilac Pantone Business Card Holder
   I may pick this one up to hold a few of my pink and gold business cards.

5. Hello Foil Card Set
   Rifle Paper can pretty much do no wrong.

6. Red Medicine Cabinet
   I have this in white, in my basement bathroom.

7. Flower in a Can: Impatiens
   The cute container will decorate a sunny spot while you wait for the flowers to bloom.

8. Gold Stripe Thank You Cards
   Simple and pretty, and the shiny gold makes them special.

9. Mother and Child Tray
   I’ve always liked the illustrations on these Vitra trays.

10. Lilac Pantone Mug
    Hot chocolate would be extra nice in this mug, and it would be cute as a vase, too.

11. Pinch and Pair Set
    Four little containers that can store and stack.

12. Amazing Pink Tea Towel
    Why not treat the care details as a design element?

© 2013, published by Making it Lovely as Fab March | 13 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

I don’t like to share unsourced images, so I set to tracking this one down. I finally found it (Remodelista credits the kitchen to a Parisian architect, Phillippe Harden), and was rewarded with additional photos of the space.

I’ve got to get cracking on those curtains in the kitchen so I could play around with the palette in Photoshop. I don’t know that I want to go this colorful, but… maybe I kind of do now? I have to give it some thought.

© 2013, published by Making it Lovely as Blue and Green Kitchen | 24 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

I’m working with Fab again, this time to share my favorite quirky finds from their Valentine’s Day gift shop. As usual, I spotted some of my favorite independent designers among the offerings.

1. Son Of A Sailor Durango Pink Necklace
   Pink and brass? Thank you for combining my two favorites into something I can wear around my neck.

2. Rococco-LA Flowering Heart Print
   Such a good print.

3. AMINIMAL Central Park Earrings
   This would be a sweet token to remember a New York romance by. Or for architecture nerds and urban planners – whatevs.

4. Core Bamboo Heart Cutting Board
   Is there symbolism in taking a knife to a heart-shaped cutting board? Maybe, but it’s just so cute.

5. The Social Dept Baby Tee
   I carried a watermelon.

6. M.G. BAKER Bow Tie
   I love this. Brandon wore a pink tie to our wedding, but bow ties are having their moment now.

7. ASHKAHN a.bird, b. booty Print
   Hey professor, what’s another word for pirate treasure?

8. 1965 Playboy Pair
   Dirty magazines seem kitschy and campy when they’re vintage.

9. chain chain chained Necklace
   Brandon gave me this necklace for Christmas. It’s really sweet, and I’ve been wearing mine a lot.

10. RIFLE + RADFORD Rafferty Ring
    Aquamarine plays nicely with just about everything.

© 2013, published by Making it Lovely as Fab Valentine’s Day Gift Guide | 17 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

1. Forget Me Knot Ring in Neon Green
   Because we can all probably use a neon green reminder every now and then.

2. Luckies Video Notebook Lined
   Things are not always as they seem…

3. (of)matter Arrow Necklace
   Simple, but cool.

4. The Heads Of State Gatsby Print
   So fantastic! Imagined business cards from the guests at Jay Gatsby’s spring party.

5. Areaware Roller Stop Green
   Perfect for derby ladies.

6. Twig Terrarium Zombiarium
   Care instructions: water. And brains, probably.

7. Tattly Illustration Set
   I want to get the Tattly set for the kids, and steal a few for myself.

8. Farrah Sit Porcelain Containers
   I’ve been looking for hanging plant containers and having a hard time finding ones that I like. These, I like.

9. DPCTED Cuddle You Tee Green
   I actually bought one of these in red for Brandon a while back. it makes me giggle.

10. Native Union POP Phone in Orange
    Ahoy-hoy.

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as Fab Holiday Gift Guide | 8 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

1. KitchenAid Artisan Series Stand Mixer

2. Alphabet Needlepoint Pillow (via gift card)

3. Torpedo Sconce (via gift card)

4. Newgate Bubble Wall Clock (via gift card)

5. Squirrel Cookie Jar (via gift card)

6. Dooney and Bourke Florentine Domed Buckle Satchel

7. Michael Kors Acrylic Tortoiseshell Watch

I’ll be sharing more gift ideas next week too. Are you having trouble coming up with ideas for someone in your life? Let me know in the comments and I’ll help out with some ideas. Glorious ideas.

I was selected by American Express to help educate consumers about how to use Membership Rewards points. As such I was paid for my services as an ambassador, but all gift choices selected and opinions about the gifts and American Express are my own.

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as Points for Presents | 29 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

More truthfully though? They probably wouldn’t bother me so much if I could just keep the rest of my office neat. (It’s a mess in here right now.) Still, I do a lot of mental redecorating that revolves around those shelves. Here’s what I’d pick if I could wave a magic wand.

*Poof!* New shelves that didn’t cost anything or take any time to put together, that magically styled themselves, and fit perfectly in the room!

1. Whitewashed Wood + Metal Shelves

2. Emerson Shelf
   p.s. There’s more rustic industrial style in my post on Babble.

3. Slim Étagère

4. Lap Shelving System

Also, I pretend that if I had any of those bookshelves, that my stuff would somehow be condensed and look like this. Because it’s super practical to arrange one’s books with the spines facing in.

I assume the baskets and bowls shown are there to store the necessary pixie dust to make this configuration practical.

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as Shelving it | 56 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

I think of Photoshop as a decorating tool, just as you would consider a designer’s measuring tape or sketchbook. Seeing how everything comes together digitally has been the best way for me to get a good idea of what will work in a space, and I love putting together layouts for you. Below is the guide I’ve created, with 27 patterns matched to perfection.

• You can find the links to all of the patterned chairs and pillows used in the graphic above on my Pinterest board.

The trick to mixing patterns is to start with a bold scale. I like accent chairs in oversized prints, so I begin there. Pick something like this one in pinstripes, or maybe something a little crazy like this one in raspberry ikat or my floral grandma chair. It will be easier than you think to make it work! For example, my chair may seem limiting at first, but there are so many colors in it that it’s easy to find a match. (In my home, that match is of course pink. And now coral too.) Next you add a contrasting pattern. In my case, the next thing would be my pink zigzag rug.

You can stop at two patterns, but you don’t have to. I certainly don’t! Vary the scales enough (something large, something significantly smaller, and then maybe a teensy ditsy pattern), and everything will look fine. This corner of my living room, below, has a whole lotta pattern going on. Bold floral fabric on the chair, a zigzag rug beneath, wallpaper in the room beyond, a textured (read: patterned) side table, art above, a patterned throw, and a patterned pillow. But it all works.

This post is presented by smartwater.
smartwater, simplicity is delicious. Click here to learn more.

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as A Guide to Mixing Patterns in Your Home | 38 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

If you want a little owl friend of your own, you can usually find some quirky old ones on eBay, but it can be hard to find a simple, white one. I noticed this new one though, and I think it’s a good stand-in for a vintage find. Maybe it could even fulfill its intended purpose and safeguard your cookies?

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as Look Hoo I Found | 12 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

I’ve been sort of planning a little redo for our main bathroom. Not in any real, concrete way, mind you. More of a “gee, we’ve lived here for five years and have never touched the space, aside from hanging up a shower curtain” kind of way. (I’ve never even showed it properly, other than this shot.) So I’ve been looking at affordable updates, and I put a whole roundup together of bathroom decor under $50. I think a new shower curtain may be in order at the very least.

Sources: shower curtain • Botticelli Angel paint • mirror • wall vases • washing machine hamper • bath mat • cart • more here

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as Some Affordable Bathroom Update Ideas | 22 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts

A reader had asked me a seemingly simple question about how to choose lighting fixtures that work well from room to room, and I was inspired to create this entire lighting series to answer. Today, ten posts later, we reach the end and finally pull it all together to answer the original question! You’ll find links to each collection of lights at the bottom of this post, and I’ve also linked to each light individually on Pinterest. Below are my suggestions for combinations that work well together.

The Entire Ceiling Light Series

Jump to a post:
Sputnik Inspired // Hanging Drum Shades // Rectangular Lighting Fixtures // Round & Airy // Modern Traditional // Vintage Industrial // Drop Pendants // Flushmount Fixtures // Statement Lighting

                  

© 2012, published by Making it Lovely as The Lighting Guide: How to Put it All Together | 14 comments | affiliate links may be used in posts