Wallpaper Free-For-All

Hey everyone.  Looks like I want to blog more when it's about me.  

In our new home, my husband and I have an actual front hall (and an actual dining room!!).  This may seem like insanity to even mention to the average person but for someone living in NYC a front hall and a dining room space are not exactly par for the course.  We hung a Ballard Designs lantern in the front hall and are going to wallpaper the small space because...why not!?  

Titanium.  Appears more grey slash blue in the space.  

At first I wanted a simple grasscloth but then I was like UM let's have more fun, right?! Right.  I narrowed it down to 3 geometric wallpapers from Schumacher and would love your opinion.  As a background, the living room and dining room are painted Benjamin Moore Titanium which is above.  Here goes with the wallpaper:

A more Moroccan pattern and I would probably end up ordering it in a pale blue if I went for it in the end.  

Love me a chevron with a side of ikat.  

And here is every bloggers favorite, Imperial Trellis.  I know its popular but its also classic and might be my secret favorite.

So what are we thinking??  Its a small room as I said but I think it should be fun and "set the scene" as they say for the rest of the apartment, which is fun, blue/grey, and soft with a side of Alicia.  Get at me with your faves--1, 2, or 3??

Alicia B. 

Many A Change...

SO, I've been silent for a while.  WELL I've got some BIG TIME (for me) news!  My husband and I took a big leap and...we moved to the suburbs!  We finally bid adeiu to Manhattan after seven years and have a tiny place to call home.  Its not far from the big city but it makes my commute a HECK of a lot easier and I get to go crazy decorating!  We've been tres busy trying to get this place move in ready: painting, sanding, and overall making it fabulous.  Stay tuned for some fun decorating projects and big reveals/before and afters!  

Alicia B. 

How to Make 2013 better: Feng Shui it.

Welcome to 2013!  I don't like to make new years resolutions because usually people go for things like "lose weight" or "be better at blah blah" and it just implies that you don't like your 2012 self!  Anyway, if I were to make one it would be about de-cluttering.  I LOVE stuff and by accident buy a lot of stuff.  I definitely need to work on that, in a good way.  I was sent a book, "Feng Shui Your Life".  Normally I roll my eyes at Feng Shui, but after reading this book...I'm in.  

The book is by Jayme Barrett with a forward by Mary Sternburgen (my mom LOVES her and so do I) so already I'm intrigued.  The book is written for a normal person, not a person that wants to decode the Feng Shui language or lives in a spa.  For the person that wants a simple answer to, "How do I do Feng Shui?"

My favorite part is the part about de-cluttering.  It sounds easy but people (myself included), hang on to objects because they potentially have an emotional attachement to them or you might be saving it for later, whenever that is.  I think, as in with clothing, if you've hung onto it for 2 years or more without using it, looking at it, or wearing it, give it away.  

Like many of you, I had lots of misconceptions about Feng Shui.  For instance, you need to have a mirror in every room.  The "rules" are actually easy, make sure the mirror shows your whole body including above your head, make sure the mirror reflects something beautiful, not something unattractive, and do not place lots of objects in front of a mirror.  Again with the clutter.

Overall, I'm a convert.  I'm loving the book, consulting it often because it's easy to read, and trying new FS tips every day.  I got this book free (disclaimer) because I'm a lucky girl, but you can get it HERE.  Get at it, now.  BTW, all these images are from the book.  Amazing right?!


Alicia B.