Etsy Fun: Magark Shop

I slyly convinced my mother to get rid of our no longer functioning dry erase board in our mudroom at home and go for something fun and old school like an actual chalk board. Out of a few choices she decided on the one above! I'm excited to see how it looks and I really like the green board instead of a black one for this space. It will add some nice color to the otherwise white painted room.


After I cruised around Etsy, I went back to the store where the vintage chalkboard came from and admired mostly all of the store! Take a look at some of my favorites. Etsy vintage shops have been very good to me lately...just sayin.

A set of vintage post cards for $15. I think old post cards are so romantic when they've already been written on in old script to a friend or loved one. So sweet.

These ornate little frames for $8.95 would surely add interest to a gallery wall or any table as well.

Iron stone pitcher. I love a classic white pitcher and this one is only $ 6.95!

These bank sacks are only 2.50! I love how they say they must be returned to Boatmen's Bank when clearly they have escaped. These would make a really fun pillow.

This gold leaf wall sconce is also quite interesting. I think I'd painted it white though and hang it on my wall. Only $8.95

Even when I was writing this blog, the Etsy Seller, Magark, updated the shop with more fun items! This also goes back to what I was saying a few days ago. It doesn't have to take a ton of work and a whole big daunting change just to freshen up your home a little bit! For my mother, this one little item is going to make a world of difference in the mudroom and when I buy those bank sacks and make them into pillows, it will really make my living room look different.

Did you all have great Labor Day Weekends? I had a blast! I'll show you some pictures of our adventures later on this afternoon. Patience is a virtue.


Alicia B.

Random Design Inspiration Friday!

Ah, Labor Day Weekend. Summer's Last Hurrah. Tear. This weekend is our last chance for fun. EVER. Sorry for the dramatics but classes start up next week and I don't know when I'll ever see the outdoors again after I start. There will be drafting, planning, color scheming etc and I'm totally psyched! Here are some "Last Hurrah" pictures for you on this lovely Friday!

Sherrill Canet designed this cozy little den. I love the soft dark coral with the rich chocolate colors in the room. I could read a book here for hours.

The whimsy in this room is so light and fun, yet I'd still feel comfortable in this bedroom. I especially love the ivory bedspread and that amazing headboard. By Sara Bengur.

Is anybody going up to their family's summer home in Maine? Well, this is from a home in Camden Maine. I just adore the plain linen on the back and patterned blue fabric on the front on this chair. By Chatfield Design. Gorgeous photo by © Sarah Szwajkos Photography

This weekend I'll be making my last trip home for a while as I will be chained to a drafting table for the next few months. I'll by hanging out with my sisters (and BIL) and my beau as we celebrate my older sister's birthday! YUM cake. Or pie? I'm so excited because we are so rarely all together anymore. Another tear. What are your plans?


Alicia B.

It's the little things...

Sometimes it's the little things that make the big difference. My apartment is certainly clean but I'm not going to lie, it's a tad cluttered. I have tons of magazines and fun design stuff that just accumulates after a while. Are you nodding your head in agreement? Here are a few small things that helped de-clutter my tiny spaces.

That's right. I had one of these little bad boys. It was full of paint and art supplies and had a nice label on it but even so, it was plastic and it was crushing my soul.

So I went on over to The Container Store and got one of THESE, which is made from recycled materials, then I applied a thin pink grosgrain ribbon around it to make it more "Alicia" and look how cute it is now!

It really loves its new home under my slip covered stool.

Do you have moments like this (above),

and this? All around your apartment or house? I love design magazines so I tend to accumulate a lot of them. I love to save the Architectural Digests and the House Beautifuls, and the Martha Stewart Livings, but the other ones sometimes I have issues letting go. BUT, I have created two books to help me with this.

This one that I'm showing you is my "Inspiration Book." It is for things that I see in magazines that inspire me and may not have anything to do with design (the often do though). It has small clippings that I just love to look at most of the time and they make me smile.

Above is one of those pages. A series of beautiful Rothko paintings, a pretty blue and white porcelain plate with a simple flower lying on it, and a black and white bedroom on the opposite side. After I do this, then I can discard the old magazines and free up some more space.

You don't need to make huge changes in your living space to clear out some clutter or make things a little bit simpler. Another thing I'm about to do is change my throw pillows on my love seat for fall! It will freshen up my apartment and not cost a lot of money or take a lot of time. Do you things that you do to freshen up your apartment after a while?


Alicia B.

Eliza Gatfield's Oyster Bay Home

I have always admired the architect/design firm Austin Patterson Disston, so when I opened up my brand new Traditional Home, I knew why. This home in Oyster Bay, NY is simple beautiful. Combined with Stuart Disston's excellent classical architectural sensibility and Eliza Gatfield's fun, but still traditional design, this home is a real visual treat.

Apparently no two fabrics are the same on these chairs, yet they all work with each other.

Ms Gatfield has a ten year old daughter. What a lucky girl!

I'm someone who completely falls in love when they see wire in the cabinets, but then, when there is fabric behind it as well...? It takes away from what could become really bulky and overpowering cabinetry.

Have you ever seen anything more graceful? The small porthole window on your way down must look out onto one of the many great views of Long Island Sound.

This is quite a large kitchen but Ms Gatfield loves to cook and bake with her daughter so they need room for all the necessary accouterments. She has custom refrigerators and freezers too and wanted white appliances so that the kitchen was updated but didn't look too industrial.

The subway tile extends all the way down to the baseboard and up to the ceiling. HOT.

Here is another great use for wallpaper if you have a ton of it around your house (like me!). Instead of painting the back of a bookcase, you could line it with different wall papers. Each space is a different little moment.

Disston made sure that there were plenty of windows throughout the house so that you didn't miss any of the great view. I love the color scheme in the master bedroom. The blues, reds, and creams are so endearing and comfortable.

Pretty faded rugs sit on top of her well worn hard wood floors.

Don't you all just love that chandelier? I wish I could see how the light hits it in person.

This room has a soft mossy feel to it.

Another great view, inside and outside!

If you read this blog you know I love traditional design so of course I love this home. I think it has a fresh updated look without looking forced though. I think it is important to see that in terms of fabrics geometrics are not the only way to liven up a traditional style. As much as I love the green trellis pattern that we see everywhere, these fabrics accomplish a similar goal. I was also happy that simply because this home was by the water, it wasn't covered in grass cloth and sisal (I probably would have loved it just the same though!). What do you guys think? Love? Hate? (All images are from Traditional Home.)


Alicia B.

Black and Light Candles.

As a design blogger, I actually do receive a lot of emails requesting that I review people's products etc. Most of the time I have to ignore them because why would I be interested in commercial paper products? I was very intrigued though when I got an email from this sweet company, Black and Light Co. They make the most gorgeous and fun beeswax candles I've ever seen! These would make such great housewarming gifts...hmm.

One of the things that I was most impressed by was the packing and presentation. Presentation is often the element that makes you fall in love with something to begin with. Not that looks are everything, but we're designers--we like things to look nice!

They included two matchbooks amid the amazingness!

I chose to order two candles because I just couldn't decide. This is the box that it was housed in.

The large one was black bees and inside this gorgeous box there was a sweet quote that warmed by heart almost as much as the candle did.

Oh Anne Frank. You are so wise.

I put the candles in my small foyer on the chest because I like to have a soft welcoming glow in there. They were just so simple and pretty and they didn't have a weird smell that I'd have to get used to or anything! I love bees (only in pictures though not in real life because I hate to get stung) so I chose the bees but they also have polka dots, floral patterns, and many others.

Besides the pretty packaging and the stellar product itself, their customer service was something we should all strive towards. They were patient with my questions, as I had many and were eager to know what I really thought! The follow up was great. Thanks so much Black and Light--talk to you soon for my next order. Probably the polka dots.

Alicia B.

Hell's Kitchen Flea Market Adventure

Yesterday you saw a part of my trip to the Antiques Garage, but the other leg of this excursion was to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market. This was equally as fun and we got some goodies here, too! Too bad it was raining because there would have been much more. I bought the green/brown bottle above and the vendor said it was from the 1800's! Depending on how the light hits it, it can be deep olive or a dark green.

Clearly a company with a sense of humor. Appropriate as we started out the day with Mimosas...

These oversized wrenches were very interesting. I can see these in some sort of antique tool collection or group of 3 or 5.

This graceful glass jug had "Italia" written on it. I had no choice but to fall in love.

They had so many fabulous suit cases. I wish I had room for them. A stack of them would make a really fun side table.

Antique filing cabinets. Sand these down and repaint them and you're in business!

Truly appropriate for my friend. She is a star client of mine now!

Amazing crockery.

How pretty is this collection of glass jars? I just love all the different shades of blues and greens.

I'm so glad you all enjoyed our trip to the Antiques Garage yesterday and I hope you enjoy this just as much. I think we'll take another trip to the Flea market in a few weeks when the weather is more favorable. We still have a bit more work to do on my friend's apartment--I can't wait to show you how it's coming together!


Alicia B.