Cabin Fever

Thom Filicia's newly published cottage up in upstate NY.  Panelled walls, cozy sofas and blankets, and a stone fireplace make me want to escape NYC right now.

As is most of the Northeast right now, I'm trapped indoors due to Hurricane Sandy.  I have my refugee sister from Zone A (Battery Park City) staying with us and after what seems like days of Storm Sandy Watch, we all have cabin fever...and it hasn't even been a day yet.  In order to amuse myself, I'm going to blog it up with some fun cabins and cottages.  See what I did there...cabin fever?  YEAH.

Nothing sets an autumnal mood like plaid upholstery.  And as trendy as they seem I still love a good animal hide throw.  Dransfield and Ross (hot).

Antlers collection!  And I'm DYING in love with that table.  Spectac!  Also, amazing hide throw.

I'm really obsessed with navy blue walls right now paired with accents of creamy whites and brass.   In our imaginary guest room I'm thinking of painting the walls navy blue--too extreme?  This is from Lonny. 

I can't even count how many times I've posted on this room.  This is Bunny Williams's cottage up in Litchfield County.  Look at al the fantastic details in this beautifully decorated room.  Every piece was chosen with purpose, not just clutter.  

Here is a simple moment in a library from Martha Stewart's Lily Pond Lane home.  The yellow on that chair is warm and inviting looking.  

Exposed beams also give a cabin type look.  Too bad our mod NYC apartment doesn't sport exposed beams.  Lame.  By Shawn Henderson. 

Hudson Bay blankets, so hot right now, make up the uber high draperies on this windows for this Michigan cabin. Totally cottage chic.  From Country Living.

What are you guys in NYC/LI/CT doing to amuse yourselves today?  Are you all "hunkered down" today as they keep advising on the news?  Watching TV? Reading a...GASP...book??  I haven't quite gotten that desperate yet.  (Just kidding, reading is awesome).  Hope you all are staying safe!!


Alicia B. 

Tree Topper Inspiration

Hi! I'm back! My husband and I went to Ireland and then things got busy. Anyway, we bought our first Christmas Tree together and though it's small, it's beautiful. I realized that we don't have a tree topper! I know, scandal. I grew up with a Santa and Rudoph on top of our tree and didn't realize how tacky it was until a few years ago, but we've had it forever and I feel like it would be a crime to change it.


This is our tree and I tied a pretty red and green ribbon on the top. I've tried to find a great tree topper but all I have found is tacky and scary. Yes, I made the world's smallest blue tartan tree skirt.

Here is a non denominational tree topper: a snowflake. It doesn't really feel like Christmas though but I appreciate the nod to winter. Canadian House and Home.

A nest! This tree is all about birds and nature with the nest as the topper and cardinal and pine cone ornaments. From Country Living.

Gold and blue color themed trees are pretty in concept but look a bit contrived in real life. I like the gold star on the top though--simple. Also from CL.

Oh look, another blue and gold tree. This one from Martha is covered entirely in glass ball ornaments (I had to retype that 3 times) and is topped with another gold star. I love the star on the top--thanks Martha!

This one is more my style. Just tie a bow of this fun upholstery ribbon on the top of the tree for a rustic and original DIY look. From Better Homes & Gardens.

Last but not least is the magnificent tree with a peacock on top. I just said PEACOCK. This tree is OTT--over. The. Top. Bananas. I love the idea of this but I don't know how one would find a mini faux peacock to put on a tree. HERE.

So, my husband wants to buy us a nice tree topper but I love the tartan red and green bow. I would love a star or an angel though so we shall see. What do you use on your tree?


Alicia B.

Happy Valentine's Day !

Feed me some pink macaroons.

Today is about love!! Let's celebrate Valentine's Day with some pink, one of my favorite colors.

Make your valentine some cupcakes like Martha Stewart! YUM.

This is from Betsey Johnson's apartment--isn't it fabulous?! The soft pink and romantic crystal drop sconces contrasted against the modern hard chairs and gold candlesticks are amazing.

Dallas Shaw created this adorable valentine for Kate Spade. Cute!

I'm looking for a duvet, and if I needed a pink one, this would be "the one". From Lands End, which is ALL up on my radar lately for their hot new home collection!

A little pink goes a long way and dispersing it around the room like Cath Kidston is very effective and beautiful.

Pantone just made pink the color of the year because they just wanted to spread the love, right? To tell you the truth, this holiday sort of sneaked up on me this year and I haven't exactly (or at all) done anything for my fiance/valentine! Some people are single and really hate this day but just think of all the great candy that comes about on this holiday!! And...I'm wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day! I love my readers!

Alicia B.

Oh Christmas Tree

I will be going home in about 24 hours and I can't wait to see our Christmas tree and decorate it. This year, my parents have finally gotten rid of their metal stand from the 1940s, that makes my dad swear and makes the tree tilt to one side, and replaced it with a 2010 easy-to-use stand. Because it's easy, my parents are slightly un-trusting of it. Anyway, it got me thinking about different bases for Christmas trees and how I've been seeing so many interesting ways of standing those gorgeous trees up.

This wide basket makes a beautiful base for a tree, right? It also looks really stable--no tree tippage here. From Southern Living.

From Martha Stewart. Martha mounted a tree in the stump of a birch tree for a super woodsy look! I find the gold tree a tad abrasive but it's Martha so, I still love it.

This cute couple tried the same thing and I think it turned out really well. They took a regular stump of a tree, drilled a hole and put their tree inside it. I think this works only with fake trees as they have a thin end to them, which makes it easy to put inside the thick stump.

This is a great way to elevate a smaller tree if you don't have a lot of space. Sometimes if you want a taller tree, it has to be wider too, but if you put it in a bucket or on top of a cute box like this, you can show off your bucket and give some height to the tree. From Lisa Fern Creek.

Here is another bucket tree stand but this time in galvanized metal. I love how old fashioned this looks with apples hanging from the tree. From HERE--cute blog!.

If you have a crate, that also makes a great tree stand. Or an old flower box--just leave it natural or paint it white like this one from Homes and Gardens UK.

I adore this wide galvanized metal bucket tree stand from Country Living. This probably makes watering it really easy because you don't need to worry about protecting the stand or having leaks!

I know we'll just have a traditional stand with a skirt around it which will look beautiful, but do any of you, my lovely readers, have creative stands like these? A basket? A bucket? I'm sure everyone is traveling today so be safe and enjoy yourselves. Don't put too much brandy in your eggnog!

Alicia B.

Time to wrap presents.

Living Etc

I LOVE to wrap presents every Christmas. I pride myself in being a great "wrapper" and love to come up with fun ways to wrap presents or use fun wrapping paper and ribbons. I'm usually asked by my dad to wrap his presents for my mother but in past years my job has been usurped. Here are some inspirational images of some GORGEOUS wrapping jobs.

Have extra doilies left over from Valentine's Day? Who doesn't. You can use them for your presents now. They sort of look like really beautiful very embellished snowflakes! From room remix blog.

This style of wrapping a gift with a piece of clothing (also a gift) has become very popular in the past few years. This is a super cute idea but then you're stuck buying 2 gifts. Up to you! From Shelter.

Martha. You're a genius. I love the one on the left with a little box wrapped over and over with a ribbon. Cut outs in wrapping paper are also a great idea. I have a few Martha Stewart cut outs that I might use this year.

There is almost nothing I love more than sparkles and sequins this season. Glittery gift wrap is RIGHT up my alley. Again, Genius Martha.

Do you have tons of high end wall paper sitting around like I do? (I really do) I used to work next to the Farrow and Ball showroom and have some discontinued remnants in my apartment. I could wrap some Christmas gift for my MOST special recipients (you're all special, don't get jealous) in this gorgeous wall paper. From designer Lynn Bryne's blog.

I love the simplicity of this. Sweet Paul's simple elegant and somewhat country aesthetic for this wrapping job is spot on. I think topping a gift with an little ornament is just darling.

I guess my next step is to actually buy my gifts! I've been SO SO busy and I had finals this past week so LAY OFF. These images are lovely but if you receive gifts from many different relatives and friends, you can't exactly control how they look underneath the tree. You can't very well re-wrap gifts so that they all look coordinated. Can you? Seriously, I can be OCD...can I?

Alicia B.

Not enough room for a tree?

If you're like I am, and live in shoebox apartment, sometimes a Christmas tree can be a bit overbearing. Last year I got a mini tree but this year I'm really loving Poinsettias. I think they are the perfect alternative and a nice one is only about $10-15 !

From Homes and Gardens UK (best magazine ever), branches and poinsettias are put in this beautiful pottery vase. This looks so simple yet creates such a beautiful effect with the contrast of white and red.

Martha Stewart was inspired by poinsettias and fashioned a beautiful wreath out of ribbons made to look like flowers. To attempt this insanely involved how-to, go HERE.

Lauren Liess of Pure Style Home put a small white poinsettia in an antique trophy on to of her mantle. She has many more adorable Christmas decorations--take a look at them HERE. Her house is beautiful.

Oh look, a white Christmas. Or ivory/silver. I don't recommend getting a metallic tree but I love the idea of different white and metal tones here. Is that little pot mercury or pottery? From Country Living.

Fellow blogger, Aesthetic Oiseau shows off her adorable tree and instead of putting a star (or an ill fitting Santa with Rudolf) on top, she put a poinsettia! It's basically perfect in my book.

From Country Living, they put these poinsettias in silver urns and added some decoration underneath the console table. True, they had room for a big tree and branches in a vase, but whatevs, nobody's perfect.

If you're like I am and live in shoebox apartment, sometimes a Christmas tree can be a bit overbearing. Last year I got a mini tree but this year I'm really loving poinsettias. I think they are the perfect alternative and a nice one is only about $10-15 ! Side question: How many of you pronounce it "poinsettEEA"? Anyone? Do you have poinsettias in your home this year?

Outdoorsy Types

I'm not really the "outdoorsy" type, but I love to be outside when the weather is nice. These rooms definitely are the outdoorsy types though, I'd say. They are the nice happy medium between outside and inside. Some of them are outside, but decorated like an interior. Take a look.

This is a "summer house" from a country house tour on Martha Stewart. I love the simplicity of it and how you focus on the architecture and the details instead of fabrics and furniture. Check out the height of that door.

Here is a terrace that is decorated much like a living room: sofa, two chairs flanking, coffee table, and two end tables complete with lamps on each one. I assume they are purely for decoration and they don't really work. LOVE the pink hat on the right chair. I could have used that at the Derby Party over the weekend! Kemble Interiors.

This is the dining room of the same outdoor setting. I love the faux bois dining table and chevron pattern on the dining chairs. Both are by Kemble Interiors.

Jay Jeffers created an incredibly welcoming covered porch with amazing seating with beautiful botanical fabrics and floor to ceiling soft pink drapery.

Here is the rest of the room! How beautiful is this? The shingles on the wall are a nice contrast to the interior aspects like a gallery wall and floor lamps. Jay Jeffers.

I would LOVE to walk out of my front door and walk out onto this wrap around porch. The lanterns are gorgeous and I love the massive columns as well. G P Schaefer.

An outdoor space isn't complete without lighting. If you can't hang a lantern outside, make sure you get these little floor lanterns with candles. There are some really beautiful ones at HERE. By Gary McBournie.

What do you all think? Are you ready to be outdoorsy? I don't have my own personal outdoor space to decorate but I can enjoy the park and my parent's terrace in CT. Do you have outdoor space? How do you decorate it?

REMINDER: This is the last day of the giveaway contest for the super adorable nautical tote bag. Click HERE to get to the contest or scroll down 2 posts. I wish I could win but, you can instead!!

Alicia B.

Yellow Painted Love.

If you read this blog on a regular basis you know some things about me: I love the color yellow, and I have a fondness for painted furniture. Most of the furniture in my apartment is painted--mostly just greens or one piece is blue. I have decided that I'm tired of my blue dresser in particular and decided to paint it yellow. Here is a little yellow painted inspo I've come across.

Martha Stewart offers a really helpful tutorial on painted furniture. I love how she used an accent yellow color on the trims and drawer pulls.

I love the color combination of blue and yellow which works well because my walls are painted blue. This relaxed looking living room is by Lynn Morgan. Doesn't this table look like an Oomph table? They should do a sunshine yellow color.

I love the pretty textiles in this room; the carpet, the suzani quilt, and the scroll upholstered headboard. The texture continues in the matching night stands in a mustard/gold tone of yellow. From House Beautiful designed by Johnathan Berger.

This room is the epitome of sunshine; designed by Eddie Ross. I'd love to know what paint color Eddie chose...

Okay, so now back to me. Here is my dresser which is a distressed blue finish:

Here it is after I re-organized the surface of it with all my make up (what make up?) and jewelry. See what I mean with the competing blues? It's time for a change.


These are the paint colors I'm choosing between and I'd like your opinions also.

Haystack by Martha Stewart Paint from Home Depot. My apologies but imagine this a little bit more on the lemon side of yellow.

Sunbeam by Glidden. Not quite this intense in person.

Golden Honey by Benjamin Moore

So far, my head says Sunbeam by Glidden but my heart says Haystack by Martha. What do you guys think? This project probably won't be finished for about 2 weeks so I'm going to need a decision right away. My plan for the knobs are a turquoise knob from Anthropologie I believe. Don't you worry, I'll give constant updates. Thoughts??

Alicia B.