Pretty Rugs from Safavieh

Spring is in the air! Can you just smell it? In Los Angeles where we live, it was the perfect 75 -degree, clear blue sky, sunny day. The hills are green and the wild flowers are blooming. It's so pretty we can hardly stand it. Despite what people say about LA, parts of it are quite stunning.

Spring also makes us want to clean up the house, wash the windows and spiff things up a bit. We find the best way to spiff things up is to add some colors to the house. Switch out the lamp shades (yes, you can buy different lamp shades and voila, it's like a brand new lamp), get some fresh flowers, and buy a couple of new rugs.

We like the Soho collection of rug from Safavieh quite a bit. It's totally fresh, modern and fun. It's also not too expensive either (about $1200-1500 for a 8 x 10)

Here are some samples from the Soho line:







To see the rest of the line, click here. If you need help with pricing/availability any of Safavieh rugs. please drop us a line.

Weekend Signoff :)

(Have a stylishly dreamy weekend! Thank you for stopping by this week and for all your lovely comments. All the best, cmoi)

Fearless

(Source, Jak & Jil.)

Five Good Things About A Bad Economy

Can you not open a newspaper or turn on the TV without hearing more bad news? You'd think the world is coming to an end or something. We just see it all over now, don't we? In our conversations with friends and family, not one passed without comments on the economy and how terrible things are.

But you know what, comes with every hardship there are things to be learned and treasured. Our lives are changing, but it is changing for the better.

Here are five reasons why:

1) We waste less. Seriously, we've been spending too much, wasting too much, eating too much. Cutting back is not a bad thing.

2) We learn to buy less and buy better. It's so much better to buy one good thing than ten junky things anyway.

3) We value more important things than money. This is the time when we appreciate our health, our friends and our family more than ever.

4) We start to recognize than there are others in the world beside ourselves; that we are all inter-connected and our actions affect us all.

5) We simplify our lives--and isn't that a better way to live?

Inspiration: Randomly Picked

(Source, We Heart it.)

(Source, Lolita.)

(Source, We Heart it.)

(Domino archive via Sfgirlbybay.)

(One of my favorite pictures. Source, Lolita.)

Great Source for Home Decorating Pictures

We have to confess, we are a home decorating magazine addict. We subscribe to every single one there is, but the truth is, we never read the text. We just look at the pictures. What's the point of reading if the pictures are enough, no?

If you are looking for inspirational home decorating pictures, we have a great source for you. Check out RedCover.com. This site is actually a seller of images, much like Corbis or Getty Images, but they specialize in interior, garden and food images only. What we love best is that it has the best of European home design ideas, which we don't have easy access to here in the US. It's a lot of fun to browse through the beautiful pictures on the site.

Here are some sample pictures. There are thousands more...

Notes: The pictures on the site will have watermark on them to prevent piracy, but for browsing purpose they are not too bad. We recommend the feature search as it lays out everything very nicely for you.

Z-Gallerie to close 25 stores

Z Gallerie announced it will close 25 stores across the country today, citing deteriorating business conditions. The company will still have 52 stores and its web site.

We love Z Gallerie. It has affordable, stylish merchandise at very reasonable prices. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this tough economy will pass and all of our favorite stores will survive.

Love This Loft!

The New York Times recently featured a wonderful loft in New York City that we just love. Loft decorating is tough. It is usually just a blank, open space and most people find it a challenge to make it cozy, warm and inviting at the same time. There is also the issue of spacing--you have to divide and conquer creatively.

Here are some pictures from the article which shows how it can be done. To see the rest of of the pictures and read the full article, click here.

Inspiration: Pillows

(as I have a preference for all things typography and collages, I absolutely adore these pillows from Bonjour Mon Coussin, discovered via Delikatissen.)

Photographer, Rony Shram

(Source, 2photo.ru.)

Dressed Up

(Photographer, Ellen von unwerth. Source, we heart it.)

Flickr Photography

(Beautiful photographs from an incredibly talented photographer, Emilie79*on Flickr.)

Weekend Signoff :)

(Posting has been scarce this past week due to many factors... will try my best to make it up to readers next week. In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend. Thanks to everyone who left a comment and to all that stopped in for a visit during the week! Source, Anders Overgaard Photography.)

Fooling around

(Did the title of this post get our attention? Well, I WAS really fooling around, but in Polyvore...created this set quickly. If interested, you can find details about the items, here.)

Staged beauty

(Source, unknown.)

(illogical, of course... but, oh so pretty. Photographer, Polly Wreford; discovered by Simply Natural.)

flowers in the middle of winter

: : I found this wonderful flowerbed made of paper flowers on my bike ride in to work this morning. it brightened my day so much! I had to post it on .colormeblogg.

you can find the flowerbed in front of the art institute of Boston, just past Kenmore square. absolutely lovely!!

fashion on my mind

: : since it's new york fashion week, I thought I'd share these lovely pieces by .mary & angelika. on etsy. the little jacket would be perfect with most dresses. so adorable!

Comfortable Chairs & Lounges from Jessica Charles

We like furniture that is made in the US. We just do. There are two reasons for it: 1) we are patriotic and 2)they are just made better.

Jessica Charles, a division of Hancock and Moore, is one of those. They specialize in only one thing, chairs (which include dining chairs, lounge chairs and occasional chairs) and oh they do it so well...

Here are some pretty things from Jessica Charles:









As always, email us if you need help with any of these items.