Up!

This past weekend I saw the new Pixar movie, UP. WOW! You all have to see it; It may be the best Pixar movie yet! I wouldn't take very young children to it though, it has some very sad situations that were hard enough for me to take! The animation is superb and the writing is excellent. Even the small 'short' before the movie was really entertaining!Without giving too much away, the premise is an elderly widower who attaches 1,000s of helium balloons to his quirky Victorian house to fly to South America! Don't ask, just go; Let me know what you think!

Blogger inspiration

I feel a bit uninspired lately, I have to apologize for that. I want to thank the kind people who have emailed me to make sure I'm ok: I'm fine and just a bit pre-occupied! Hopefully the weekend will rejuvenate my blogging sensitibilites and 'think different' as this old Mac ad proclaims with the divine Callas. I hope her singing will inspire you this weekend!

Rando Design Inspiration Friday

Too much rain makes me sad inside so I'm in need of some sunshine in the form of great interior design! Am I the only one? I think not.

I adore this sweet little attic guest room by Suzanne Kasler. So crisp and clean without looking uninviting. How lovely is yellow and white--the shades are Michael Devine Home, who has the greatest fabric collection HERE!

Mary McDonald's rooms are always a treat. Love everything here minus the mirrored coffee table. LOATHE mirrored furniture.

When I own my own country cottage, I'd like to have a library sitting room like this one with antlers, books, gorgeous throw pillows, and lovely art prints. By Markham Roberts.

I found this incredible designer Grant White on The Daily Bed (thanks Raina!). I'm in love with this color palette, but more importantly the gallery wall of prints with the one round one in the middle.

I think this home really defines my personal style. NO NO JUST KIDDING. This is from Real Housewives of NJ. OY.

Have a great weekend, all! Any great plans? For the first time in a while I'll be staying in NYC.


Alicia B.

Cameron's House from Ferris Bueller's Day Off

You guys are going to have to fight me for this one because Cameron's house from Ferris Bueller's Day Off is on the market in Highland Park, IL. Granted it's on the market for $2.3 Mil but I've been so good and hunkering down during the recession so I think I can splurge at this point. Right? HERE is the listing (and where all the pics come from) on realtor.com.

The ever so famous garage where Cameron drove through the back window with his father's Ferrari. I guess they fixed the window.

The house was designed by A. James Speyer and David Haid in 1953. The large floor to ceiling windows are amazing and really capture the view of the surrounding woods.

Sleek white kitchen.

Open floor plan with the fireplace in the middle. This house is about 5300 square feet. Not too shabby.

I notice the exposed wooden slats for the ceiling that seem to be throughout the home.

I guess the Ferrari isn't included with the house, or the three car garage. All in all, it has four bedrooms, four baths, a total of eight rooms and is all on one floor.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is one of my favorite movies of all time. I think we should all take a page from Ferris's book and have a little fun sometimes. As he ever so wisely says, "A person should not believe in an "-ism," he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me." Oh wait, wrong quote. Here it is: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."


Alicia B.

Crazy for Burlap Party

Rhoda from Southern Hospitality is hosting a crazy for burlap party. I have just recently been introduced to this great fabric. Whenever I heard the word burlap- all I thought of was root balls from trees & bushes! Not anymore. And do you know it doesn't just come in tan- there is black, green, red, off-white. I got this great lamp from a church rummage sale for $4-


I LOVED the shape of the shade but not the color- I first tried to spray paint it black-and it was not a pretty sight. Rhoda was actually the one who suggested using the burlap- and let me tell you- I LOVE IT! I love the warmth and texture it gives.



I also used to to make a Starfish on some summer fun pillows I made.



I am now looking around the house trying to find more places to use this stuff.

Hammered metal

Ok people you HAVE got to try this stuff! Its called Hammered by Rust-Oleum in Black. They have it in silver and bronze too.



I picked up this chandelier at Home Depot for $30 loved it- but hated the finish- it was a bronzy/brass color. Unfortunately I forgot to take a before picture- I know I know shame on me!! But here it is installed above my kitchen table. This spray paint totally changed the look. I have seen similar ones in Pottery Barn & Ballard Designs for over $200.

Swedish Modern Chair Makeover

I'm full of many projects lately and I am really enjoying them. This is a Swedish Modern chair that (below) belonged to my father; he got it back in the 70's which is quite apparent when you look at it. Well, now it's mine and I decided that the yucky tan vinyl had to go. Good choice, yes?

Sad deflated chair.

It really does have a beautiful frame.

Here it is completed! I had it reupholstered in European Cream Linen from Fabric.com. I think it looks clean and comfortable. Last night I sewed a little throw pillow from extra fabric left over from my love seat from Roger Arlington which is unfortunately no longer around. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty pleased. My apartment is still coming together piece by piece even after a few months but it's still fun!

Alicia B.

Sterling Park New Home Vs.Resale ?

Why chose a Sterling Park New home over a resale ?

Consider this , your new home reflects the state of the art design and construction . From space planning to energy efficiency to structual considerations, you're getting the best in a new Sterling Park Home.

New homes at Sterling Park are designed for the way we live today. With a new home , you select all the finishes , from cabinets and appliances to countertops and flooring. You get to customize your new home to suit your taste and lifestyle.

New homes save you money. Energy efficiency is built in from insulation and dual pane windows with low E glass to energy efficent , Star appliances. Did you know all Sterling Park Homes are prepared for installation of solar power systems too ? What you can save on heating ,cooling and water heating can be a significant amount.

Best of all, everything is new at Sterling Park . Older homes come with a history.
Whether it's outdated design , questionable maintance , leaky windows or tired plumbing , older homes can be a major repair waiting to happen.

All Sterling Park homes come with a 10 year , roof wall and foundation warranty , 5 year appliance warranty and 1 year fit and finish warranty . Your new home comes with peace of mind.

Do you know about the tax credits for buying a NEW HOME ?

Yes ..its true ! The State of California is offering a HUGE $10,000 tax credit for buyers of new construction homes. This State credit is only $100 million dollars -so it will not last long .

Allocated by the state Franchise Tax Board on a first -come, first served basis.

Paid out to NEW HOME purchases only ,over the next three years in equal amounts.

Purchasers must live in the home for al least two years.

No income limitations .

Do not have to be a first time buyer .

There is no repayment requirement ( unless you sell or rent out etc before the 2 years expire )

What a awesome time to buy a new Sterling Park home !

Mirror, Mirror

Remember this amazing mirror I got from a garage sale for $15?




I sanded it down- spray painted some gray primer (love that stuff.)





Then I spray painted two coats of Satin black.

Here she is in her new home on my NEWLY painted walls (that post to come soon!). Unfortunately the cute little black table is totally dwarfed by the mirror- no worries! I will just have to be on the hunt for a larger table at a garage sale.

Foyer Wardrobe Makeover: Complete!

Finally I have completed my wardrobe makeover! After sanding, wood filler-ing, priming, painting, and decorating this wardrobe that used to house my baby clothes, it is finally complete and looks wonderful!

Here I am (okay fine it's Britney's face--thanks Ash.) modeling the wardrobe in my foyer for you. This is how it looked when I started.

It was in quite a state when we (thanks to my parents and friend Sarah) hauled it up 2 flights of stairs but it still had some beautiful detailing.

I repainted it and put some adorable wallpaper from Farrow and Ball in as drawer liner!

There was a key hole so I found and antique and got this gorgeous key tassel from Pindler in butter cream which I thought looked very beautiful against the pale blue that I had chosen for the wardrobe.

Since I don't have much space but I wanted to put one other element in the foyer, I found this perfect "ashtray stand" at an estate sale over the weekend and am using it as a plant stand. Don't ask me how Piglet got under the wardrobe but I have a sneaking suspicion that Lucrezia had something (everything) to do with it.

Here is the top of the wardrobe: three of my fave design books stacked with a pair of brass candlesticks, white enamel pitcher, spider plant and etched brass bowl filled with antique keys and a mirror LEANED against the wall.

And here it is! Not an amazing picture because it's a shallow space but I'm quite pleased with the results. I worked hard and had a lot of fun doing it. Nothing like doing all the work yourself (even though the bf did the wood filler part) to make a project feel very fulfilling. This wardrobe houses all my collected fabrics for projects, old drafting projects, and other design things that I need.

Alicia B.

In the Conservatory with a watering can...

I'm really into the idea of a conservatory of late; a quiet glassed-in sunroom to grow your plants. When I went home over the weekend, my parents were thinking about one as their latest project/yard time-sucker. They've all but abandoned my dreams them having a swimming pool but I'm still hanging on. I think the idea of a really sweet conservatory is a great one, though. A quiet sanctuary for your plants, to relax with a book while the sun is shining in on you.

This Edwardian style conservatory is by Parish Conservatories. I'd love to have a brick cottage with a little conservatory off the side. Just lovely.

This is from Nancy McCabe's garden which was on the Trade Secrets Garden Tour. Hers was a beautiful rustic style garden with many Spanish influences.

Bunny Williams had a very classic one off of her guest cottage with much architectural detailing and a large sideboard in it to accommodate her large potted plants. I love the repeating arches.

This is from Renaissance Conservatories, a company that specializes in custom conservatories. I like this round one with the clerestory windows on top.

This very classic one is also nice. It's more of a sunroom though than a room for your plants etc. I love the architectural detailing though. Also from Renaissance Conservatories.
This one is NOT QUITE my style (at all) as those windows are NOT ATTRACTIVE, but I love the floor. It looks like the conservatory from the board game Clue! Right? How badly do you want to play Clue right now?

I'm really embracing gardening and plants lately and this conservatory is the perfect mix of interior design and gardening. There are so many different styles you could go with and many fun garden accessories to add. Garden urns, exotic plants, amazing architecture, the possibilities are growing!


Alicia B.

Fun weekend projects

This past weekend, I went to the National Building Museum to check out some of the new, and very interesting, exhibits. They have the best gift shop in all of DC: Fun games, household items and every design book under the sun! I picked up a few postcards from Monkey Designs which contain parts to build models of some houses -you can see a few above.

I bought 7 and thought I might build 1 or 2 for some fun. I built 4, just couldn't stop myself! I started with the Georgian house you see to the far right, then progressed to the yellow Greek Revival style house which was a bit harder. I then moved onto the pagoda which, while it had a lot of steps -wasn't as hard as the French Styled house with lantern on the roof (a lot of swearing went into the creation of that TINY lantern). These houses stand about 1 1/2" high - TINY pieces to cut out with an exacto-knife!

But it was a lot of fun, I plan on digging up a miniature train set from micro-machines (do they still make those?) and putting them under my mini christmas tree this year!a blurry picture of my weekend projects. The 3 left are a Greek revival house, Buckingham Palace and Chartres Cathedral.