Spotlight: Caramel Solarium

We painted again this weekend, so my brain is in recovery mode.  So I thought in the meantime I'd share a piece of eye candy with you guys.  One of my favorite blogs in the world (If It's Hip It's Here) brought this amazing caramel solarium by William Lanson to my attention recently - I had to share. It's gorgeous:

Photo Sources: William Lamson, Storm King and This is Colossal - via If It's Hip It's Here.

No joke - this thing is made of sugar. Pure, caramelized sugar! I love rich color when the sun shines through it.  I have mega deer problems at this house (I'm sure I've mentioned that like 500 times) and have been on the hunt for a greenhouse so I can have SOME plants. Though, maybe the deer would eat right through this one...  

This is just a sneak peak, hop over to If It's Hip It's Here for some amazing photos and a wonderful video. So happy to have come across this, what an amazing use for sugar. 

Good luck on your Monday today! Remember, there are only 4 or so a month. 4 outta 30ish ain't bad...

-Jesse

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Technicolor Glassblowing

I took the morning to browse around the blogosphere, and found myself totally mesmerized by this Technicolor Glassblowing video from The Etsy Blog.  The 1958 film is set to music, and completely hypnotic. Check it out ~ 

This week was pretty productive, we took three enormous truckloads of bushes from this project to the dump. Totally covered in scratches... No projects for us this weekend, my sister is getting married! So we're heading over the hill to celebrate. 

Have a great weekend!

-Jesse

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Spotlight: Home Tour of Robert & Michael

By the time you read this, I will be gone. (Beetlejuice quote alert! Anyone?...) Gone, to Lake Topaz, which I'm assuming has zero internet and cell time.  I guess I shouldn't blog lakeside anyway (oh but if I could...).  So, Happy Friday & today I'm sending you over to Apartment Therapy to see one of the most magnificent home tours I've seen in a long time. Robert & Michael's apartment.  I'm a HUGE fan of mid century modern, an unexpected love that was lingering just beneath the surface, until one day... bam.  So this place is super inspirational, "keep going... keep collecting", it says (yay!) Check out the sneak peeks but head over to Apartment Therapy to see the full slideshow, and to witness what an amazing jobs these boys have done, in their rental mind you... see what I'm sayin? You don't have to own that place to make it magnificent.

Oops! Looks like you dropped your jaw, that's ok so did I. And for damn good reason! This place embodies so many of the goals I have floating around in my head for our home.. I just love the mix of the Mid Century furniture (wood grains! crazy shapes!), with the retro handmade crafts (Macrame! Latch Hook Rugs!), modern touches (Flat screens! Stark white pottery!) and amazing ceramics (get a load of those lamps sister...).  This is the type of mix I'm scouting out. In the meantime I'll be referring to this amazing tour time & time again for inspiration. It really is what I was dreaming of. Ah.......

Ok since it's Friday I give you full permission to stop working and go on this house tour, it's roughly 20 pictures of amazing, and you won't regret it. Go ahead, boss won't mind.  I'm dying to know where they got that circular hanging room divider (above).. I wonder if they made it out of PVC slices. Maybe. Anyone? I should write them.

Have a fantastic weekend, hopefully you're up to no good, it's Summer after all! Make it memorable... 

-Jesse

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Colorful Antique Crates

As soon as it started warming up, it seems like ALL the inside projects we had going on just dropped so we could get to the outdoor ones.  Can't help it, right? If it's gorgeous outside you don't want to be painting some closet or rebuilding a book shelf as the birds chirp by, you wanna be in the sun! So we've been working on our front deck big time.  I've built a few herb planters, we scored some furniture (CVS of all places!), and now it's time to cute-ify.  I saw these crates over at All Things Thrifty and knew they'd be perfect for the deck. Plus, versatile - they can hold stuff, or be a little end table, plant stand... I like that.
Take a look:

Looks great, right? But you may ask yourself, where will I find an assortment of antique crates in just my color scheme? Well, you'll make them of course.  I'm sure you've seen these bad boys 'round the craft store:

Mmhmm.  Mega easy tutorial over at All Things Thrifty, she did a great job of transforming an affordable lil crate into a piece that looks like it's been in the family a while. I need at least 6 of these, in assorted colors.  Scratch that, make it like 16, as I want to make a bookshelf out of crates someday. I love the wood look and the aged technique would totally match our "Modern Mountain" living room.... more on that later. We WERE going to do something like these OSB modular units inside, but I think they just got a run for their money...

What do you think? Is this your style? What colors would you do?  For our deck I'm leaning teals & yellows... we'll see.  Share what you're up to on Facebook, we all love to see projects!

Enjoy the day, it's another great one!

     -Jesse


Entered the String Art Giveaway? It ends tomorrow! Click here for details.

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Spotlight: Fan of Succulents

Get it? A Fan of Succulents? Because these are old fan covers! Now you see it, huh?  My sister Denise sent me this super cute planter the other morning and I fell in love! Pinned that right away. What a perfect succulent planter!  And surprisingly - I have actually brainstormed in the past uses for old fan covers, who knew I'd have enough dead fans to actually think this over?  I'd seen people make them into snazzy fruit bowls before, but really - you only need maybe one of those.  These? You could go on and on with this project and have them all over the place.

For the full project tutorial, pop over to Rancho Reubidoux.

I think you could do this with newer fan covers as well, as long as they are metal. Just pop any plastic parts out, and either give it a fresh coat of spray paint or distress it and let the weather do the work.  The metal will age well regardless and look really killer with the succulents. I wonder if you slightly sanded a the paint off the metal, then left the cover in a tub of water for a few days, what would happen? Anyone done this?

What do you think of this idea, you like? I love it. Next time I see a fan at a garage sale, that puppy is coming home!

Thanks Denise for sending the idea!
Got an idea to share? Submit it here.

Entered the String Art Giveaway? It ends Thursday! Click here for details.

     -Jesse

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Spotlight: Straw Bale Gardens

I was way bored the other day and started browsin' around the internet... you know how it goes.  I came across this little gem of an article about making raised beds with straw bales.  My first reaction was NO WAY a million weeds will grow from the seeds! Right? Wrong.. I guess straw bales are different than hay bales, in that straw bales are the leftover stalk once the seed has been harvested.  And hay is full of grass& weed seeds.  Ahh.. I'm obviously no farmer.  See what you think:

 Source

That tomato looks delicious...What I love about this is how EASY it is.  The look is a little rougher than I'm used to seeing in raised beds, but I dunno - it looks kinda cool? Especially with the black bark around it.   Joel, of StrawBaleGardens.com explains that's it's pretty much lay it on it's side, plant your plants, keep it watered and enjoy your bounty.  The warmth of the decaying straw is great for the plants, as well as the nutrients it provides.  When the seasons over, it just turns into soil.  This would be perfect for those areas with poor soil or hard to dig.

Hop over to Joel's website Straw Bale Gardens  for more info, directions and a few videos.  What do you think of this idea?

     -Jesse

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Spotlight: Bird Murals by Tobias Hall

I'm so excited to share this artist with you today!  I was recently lucky enough to stumble across the website of the freelance illustrator & designer, Tobias Hall.  Oh man - I'm in love with these birds!  The colors are fantastic, and the geometric take on these cranes is so unique, and a style I'm really diggin' lately. I love how some of the angles suggest wings & other features of the bird, they almost remind me of Origami...Anyway, I'll let them speak for themselves; see more of his work here.

Tobias is the in-house designer for Zizzi Ristorante in London, and is responsible for this stunning mural.  I love the colors especially, and hey - check that table out there! The meadow green cane back chairs with the two shades of green against the wood....   totally speaking my language here.  Would you say those are a twist on a chevron pattern? I wonder if he did those too....regardless, look at how well the room comes together:

Head over to Tobias Hall's website to see more of his work.  I would love to have some of his artwork in our home!  Those patterns are so inspiring...I'm gonna marry these birds.

You can follow Tobias on Twitter by clicking: Tobias Hall 
Or on Facebook: Tobias Hall

What do you think?

     -Jesse

Up Next: Extremely easy & fast pickling recipe - sesame style....

Let's keep in touch: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Subscribe & of course, Email me.

Related Spotlight Posts:

• Spin Art 
• Kaleido-trays
• Cross Stitch Furniture - you read right...
• ZNAK Tear off Wallpaper
• Articipe: Turning Recipes, into Art!

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Spotlight: Pant Hanger Wall Art

Yea, pants hangers! Some people are so friggin' clever, I love it.  I stumbled across this beautiful DIY project from Ladies & Gentleman that creates a gallery wall effect that is extremely easy (and easy on your walls!) to rotate art in and out of.  I love the idea of keeping a ton of holes out of the walls, and using the vintage wooden hangers adds a lot of character. Imagine, you could even paint them fun colors for a twist:

Adorable.  Clean, and both vintage & modern.  I love this style.  The grid system itself is genius, and as you're about to see, is easily re-arranged for an entirely different look. I love how the simple addition of shelves here changes everything.

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How-To: Gilded Feather Pendant Light

I've been on a lighting kick lately, probably because I've been obsessing over the look of the new guest room - but I have a crush on all things lighting in general anyway.  During the Design Sponge masking tape competition a bit ago I saw this little baby from Poppy Haus come through, and immediately bookmarked it so I could share with y'all eventually.  Here's the eye candy:

This pendant light is so pretty! Even prettier when you consider it's made from masking tape - amazing right?! It has all the elements that speak my language: It's a light, it's extremely affordable, it's made from things we all probably have in our homes.  I can imagine two larger ones hanging mid-height, framing a bed.  Maybe with a braided or wrapped cord (remember that post?)...Hey, I may just do this in our bedroom someday.. Hooray for new ideas while sharing ideas :)

For a full tutorial, head over to Poppy Haus and prepare to be blown away.  Heather has so many fun projects and her blog is packed with 'em. I've featured her work before when I shared this DIY Sculptural Paper Orb:

Awesome work Heather! Happy Wednesday n' stuff...

     -Jesse

Up Next: A different use for pants hangers... wall art:

 Related Posts:

• Braided Extension Cords
• All lighting posts
• New Guest Room
• DIY Sculptural Paper Orb 

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Before & After: Beautiful Bamboo Fence #2

A while back I posted about my sister, Denise, and her boyfriend, Joey's fence they finished up.  You can see it here.  Well they didn't stop there, the two have been extremely busy pulling off yet another amazing backyard makeover, and their fence is the icing on the cake.  So nice actually, the company they purchased the bamboo from has entered their fence into their Project of the month contest. And for good reason! Check it out:

Pretty amazing right?! They did a great job.  That redwood frame looks gorgeous with the golden bamboo.  Perfect match, so warm! If you like this as much as I do, hop onto Cali Bamboo's contest gallery on Facebook and "like" their fence pictures to help them win. They deserve it!  I've watched them tackle this side yard from start to finish, and it has been a labor of love. They took an unused hillside covered in raspberries and turned it into an amazing summer patio.  A word of caution to those who love raspberries, do not plant them unless you get the thornless variety! Removing insanely overgrown raspberry vines is an absolute nightmare.  But that didn't stop them, they still did it, and it was worth it:

Luckily they took a lot of pictures of the process, and

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Spotlight: Spin Art

I love nostalgic arts!  Just like string art & tie-dye, spin art is one of those projects that reminds me of childhood.  So fun to make, and looks pretty cool.  I've seen a lot of different spin art machines that give you splash look, but this machine I want to share with you uses markers instead, and gives a much cleaner & controlled look:

These are the work of Sarah Gee...  I love all the colors she's used.  These are so mesmerizing, and pay tribute to the project of the past.  Check out the video on The Jealous Curator, but be careful, it's really hypnotic!

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Spotlight: Kaleido Trays

Oh my! Pin this to my must-have board, I love these!  These Kaleido Trays from A+R are incredible, and so versatile.  We love entertaining in our home, so having a wide selection of trays comes in extremely handy. All the time. Clean & ready trays take a load off as the host, because as people arrive with this or that, you can quickly and easily lay things out, spending less time preparing and more time enjoying.  Not only are these the cutest colors in the world (80's rainbow!), but the combinations of trays you can create using these geometric shapes are seemingly endless.  They all fit snugly together, so you can have large open trays, trays with sections, trays with dipper bowls, and they all stack nicely to be put away.  Though with these colors, I guarantee I'd have them on display!  They give me all kinds of ideas for geometric wall art too, seeing these interchange so easily into different patterns is really inspiring! I was always a sucker for those geometric wooden blocks we played with as kids (I still have some, and use them!) so it's no wonder I'm drawn to them. You can purchase these trays from the A+R Store.  What's your take, do geometric shapes have a place in your home?  Enjoy the day, it's raining here - fun!

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Crazy for Colors

Mondays are boring, even if you have the day off it feels like a Monday, how is that possible? Let's brighten it up! Anyone who knows me knows that I like color. A lot of color. I have to tone it down sometimes, but I can't help it.  Bright colors are fun and energizing, and playful! Not everything has to be so serious and muted (Sorry Martha Stewart! Still love ya...) I know some people are deathly afraid of too much color, and it's very much a to each their own. I'm deathly afraid of the lack of color, and that's why these tables are right up my alley.  Let me start with my favorite:

I love this! The white base is great with it too.  This is from Instructables, which, is one of the most awesome websites on the planet. If you haven't seen instructables, call in sick to work today and browse that place.  So many great ideas posted up by real people, with step by step photos & instructions. I love it!  OK, maybe don't call in sick, I'm a bad influence.  Here's a great compromise, these tables are nice & simple in wood, until you turn them on:

Yes! A pair of these by the bed would be great. I found them on this site, but unfortunately the blogger didn't site the source (naughty, naughty!), so I can't find where to get them.  Though, I think you could easily figure out how to do this yourself. Especially now that all these lighting places are selling the LED sets for crazy rotating colors, you could just get (or build!) a cute set of tables, wire 'em up....... boom. done. These, I can't tell you how to make:

Photo Source

So you'd have to buy them.  They are a little more night-clubby than they are cozy-living-roomy but who knows. If I had the chance to own one, I'd find a way to work it in. What's your take on these, too much? just right? not enough?

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Spotlight: Stenciling with Stains

Wow, I've been so busy this week with little projects! I am wrapping up a color block stool tutorial for you guys (Update! Here's the link!), and yesterday Ralph and I randomly decided to get our hands dirty and work with grout to finish up some amazing light fixtures we made (another update, here are the lights!).  I'll be sharing them as soon as I tidy up the photos! For now though, I saw this great post come through one of my feeds, and just had to share it, Stenciling with wood stains...

Sooo pretty! I've tried to figure out a way to do this before, with no success.  I've seen two tone staining using tape to keep the stain out of areas, but stencils have posed a real challenge - until now! This is a tutorial worth saving, she used wood glue to block the dark stain, so smart! Head over to The Ambitious Procrastinator for the full tutorial.  While you're there, browse around as she has the tutorial to make these cabinet doors, start to finish, on an affordable Ikea base. Here's the link.  Have a great Friday, what projects do you have planned for the weekend?

Hugs and Stuff,

-Jesse

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Spotlight: Murphy Bed, & Desk!

Prepare to be completely blown away.  This came through Design*Sponge last week, and I about dropped my grilled cheese & turkey sandwich, all over Lappy (laptop...).  This is exactly the type of solution I was thinking of when we looked at a less-than-large house the other night.  A solution to not letting your guest space sit empty and unused when you don't have guests, the Murphy Bed/Desk/Storage/Home Office/Sewing Station:

Can you believe this?  As it is it looks like some beautiful closet system with an added desk, but wait - there's more:

A pull here, a fold there - BOOM! You've turned this room into 3 different rooms, just like that.  Sarah, of General Assembly designed and implemented this beautiful beast for her clients, and it came out fantastic.   It's this type of space saving creativity that has always amazed me about cramped cities like New York, Tokyo.. or even San Francisco.  The white matching the white walls also makes it look open and airy, even though so much potential is packed away into what looks like about 16 inches of depth.  Hey, if you're going to put furniture against a wall anyway you might as well take it vertical, right?

What do you think, would you do something like this?  Head over to General Assembly and check out all their amazing designs & space saving creations, get ready to pin-it!  Have a great one :D

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Spotlight: Cross Stich Furniture

One of my favorite bloggers, Barb Blair of Knack Studios recently posted these amazing giant cross stitch furniture & rugs. I had to do a double take, this reminded me so much of my Grandma! Except that she didn't make rugs & sofas, more like wall hangings (amazing ones too!)... these are unbelievable, I can't imagine the time that goes into them.

Look at that - pillows, sofas.... rugs... what a great idea, and such a unique look.  With the stitches being so much bigger, I imagine this would come out pretty soft, and take less time too.   They are sort of industrial and modern, but cozy, charming & give the feel of handmade. If that makes any sense!  These beauties are made by the Belgian Designer, Charlotte Lancelot.

I think the ottoman, or a few pillows would be more than welcome in our house.  What do you think could you add these to your home decor? Enjoy!

-Jesse

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 Hey check out that sweet lamp on the left there too, cute!

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Spotlight: Painters Tape Contest Finalists

Have you been following it?  If you're a reader of Design*Sponge, you've probably heard of the recent Painters Tape Contest.  What a clever idea, and I heard that they had so many entries.  Finally, the top 20 contestants came in, and they posted them recently. I can't even imagine having to choose, there were probably so many great ideas!  Here are my favorites:

Even of the four I'm showing you here, my absolute favorite is the white geometric wall.  I'm obsessed with that same pattern lately! Remember the canvas tutorial last week? Yep. I love it.  That ceramic pot is also amazing.  Look at that wall too! The deep blue alone was gorgeous, and the striking white shreds look so interesting.  Everything in that room, actually!

To see all 20 finalists, head to the fantastic Design Sponge:

Group 1

&

Group 2 

Speaking of contests... don't miss my first giveaway! Still time to enter, closes next Wednesday! a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Spotlight: Vinyl Designs

Lately I've been thinking more and more how I'd like to get my hands on some vinyl cut designs to incorporate some reverse stencil images.  Essentially you lay a gorgeous vinyl sticker down, paint, and remove.  The look is amazing, but I don't have an vinyl cutter (yet!).  So after some googlin' I found these beauties:

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Spotlight: Diamond Light Bulbs

Last night I had a dream about these light bulbs (weird..I know) and it reminded me that I meant to post about them.  I saw these while browsing around for antique looking light bulbs (which I found, see my ghost lamp post) and they flew right onto my wishlist. Designed by Eric Therner and available in his shop:

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Spotlight: Modular OSB Furniture

I recently came across these amazing modern shelves from the Etsy seller Modosb.  Aren't they great? Stackable, modular, totally customizable.  I love their simplicity. The colors he chose for the stains are great, very fun combinations.  I can totally see a future living room of mine having a major colorful book case from this shop.  There are some tansu style as well, which I've always been a fan of.  I've seen this type of wood used before, and assumed it was plywood.  Though when I went to find the plywood at the hardware store, it never looked quite the same.  Today, I learned that it is actually oriented strand board, and I love it!  Here's a quote from his shop that explains the wood much better than I can:

"Oriented Strand Board OSB is a modern engineered product that is designed as a replacement for traditional plywood in the building industry. It has been created to make strong and light panels. It is more eco-friendly than traditional plywood."

If you look at that dresser on the bottom right, you can really see the details in this unique wood. Very different from traditional wood grain, and affordable. Bonus! Hop over to Brian's Etsy shop and browse around.  I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!

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