Find of the Day - Flower Artisan & New On Line Magazine

Usually, my finds of the day tend to be objects - an affordable accessory, a piece of furniture that I think is smokin' hot, or a really neat website.  Well today, I am revealing a person - Sarah Winward of Salt Lake City, Utah. 

source

I stumbled upon Sarah on Pinterest and found her incredible little flower shop Honey of A Thousand Flowers to be simply delightful.  

source

Her site is ultra hip, and she has some very interesting links to photography and food blogs BOTH of which will melt in your mouth.

source

  While exploring her site, I saw a post she did on a new online magazine - Kinfolk Magazine "A Guide for Small Gatherings" which was totally new to me.  Sarah was actually featured in the magazine.

And suffice it to say, I am totally smitten with it.

source

 This magazine has such a sophisticated home grown feel to it.  I know that sounds contradictory, but trust me, it is not!! You will just have to see it for yourself - Kinfolk Magazine.  When you have some time today, click over and check it out.

I hope you make the most of your day.
It's Wednesday, and we are on the downhill to the weekend!  M.

Design Perspective: J. Hirsch Interior Design

I thought you could use a little pick me up today.  

This is the work of the amazingly talented Janie Hirsch of J. Hirsch Interior Design in Atlanta, Georgia.  Enjoy.

source

source

source

source

source

source

source

source

source

source

source

Now that should get you through the day! M.

Happy Birthday, Muse!

One year ago today, I made the decision to start my blog.  It's been one of the best things I've ever done.  

source

I have met some of the most interesting people from all over the world; learned technical things about blog design, computers, and the Internet; and really grown as an interior designer.  

source

I won't pretend blogging is easy.  It takes lots of time and energy.  You have to be organized about it and dedicated to posting.  But, for me it's a true labor of love.  And, as with most things, my blog continues to be a work in progress.  

source

Because of my blog, this year was different for me -  I actually put myself back on the list.  Yes, there were some unhappy campers, at times.  But, all in all, it has been worth it.  

source

  Believe it or not, I have learned more this past year than I think I did in the last 10 years combined!  

source

source

Many of you have asked me why I love blogging about interior design so much, and I really can't explain it.  All I can say is, it brings me joy.  

source

So, thanks to each and every one of you for supporting me! 

source

 So many of you have made my day by putting me on your blog rolls, telling me in passing how much you are enjoying my posts and commenting on them, telling your friends about my blog, and just taking time out of your busy day to read my thoughts.  I truly cannot thank you enough.  

source

At the end of the summer, I began to feel as those I was running out of things to share with you.  But once my children were back in school, I realized I wasn't out of ideas, just distracted!  

source

So, my journey continues.  And I'm delighted to have you on it with me.

source

Here's wishing the Muse a very Happy 1st Birthday!  I'm overwhelmed with gratitude today. M.

The Unicorn

There are a handful of items always in the back of my mind when I source furnishings for a project.  One such item, the alabaster tulip lamp, has haunted me for years.  Well, this week, I actually found one of my unicorns!  I was shopping with a very stylish client who has an amazing eye for treasures.  We were chatting and turned the corner in a local consignment shop.  Just then, a beam of light shot down as if we were watching a broadway show (ok, just kidding, but we did spot it at the exact same time).  

Here's what we saw . . .

It's a vintage brass bar cart and the price?!  $98.00 - I still can hardly believe it.  So, here's the conversation:

Me: Do you see what I see?

Client:  Uh, Yeah?!

Me: What is it doing in here?

Client: Better question, What's the price?

Me(looking at the tag): Is that right?!

Client: What is it?

Me (almost in a whisper): $98!!!! Quick, pull the tag before it gets scooped up.

Client: By who?! We're the only people in here you nut?

Me: I don't care!  Take the tag, hurry before they change their minds!!

Client:  I know I need it.  Should I get it?  Is it the right size?  Do you think it's too brassy?  What do you think?

Me: If you don't get, I will.  

Client: Done. 

So, we took our little prize, and here is where he now lives (yes, this was our quick attempt at styling it before we ran off to grab some lunch).  Hopefully, you get the idea.  If you're not into cocktails, non-alcoholic offerings would also look fantastic served from this little spot.  Or, you could even use it to show off some beautiful desserts. 

And just for fun, here are a few more inspirational examples . . . 

source

This fabulous roundup of carts is from Ash of A Dash Of Ash.  Very fun! 

source

source

I love the contrast of the very traditional artwork and the funky chandelier in brass coupled with the silver bar cart and accessories - very unexpected. 

source

Love it as a side table. 

source

source

Perfect in this little spot.

source

As you begin your weekend, my wish for you is that you find your own unicorns (whatever they may be).  Enjoy your time off!!! M.

Picture Hanging Details

On Monday, I posted about hanging pictures from a brass chain to get extra impact from your artwork.  It was such an easy project I wanted to share with you what I used and how I did it. 

Step One

Get a plan - Dig around your house and find some artwork.  (It may even be stored in a box at the moment).  The goal here is to use something you already have on hand.  Then, find a wall in your home where you're looking to add some impact with artwork.

Step Two

Hang the artwork on the wall as you normally would with a simple nail or picture hook. (The chain is just going to be used to get the look, not support the piece.)  I chose to hang my prints lower than usual, to fill up more wall space and allow your eye to notice the chain detail.  As you can see from this picture, the bottom of the artwork is almost even with the bottom of the light switch to the right.  Obviously, you will need to take into consideration the size of your artwork and ceiling heights to get the right placement.  

Step Three

Measure the width of your artwork and divide this number by three to get the proper placement of the chain.  As I tell my son, "wake up those brain cells!!!" For example, my piece was 21 inches wide.  So, 21 divided by 3 is 7 inches.  So, the chain should hang 7 inches from the outside edge on each piece.  BTW, it is very important to measure this (don't eye ball it)!  Your eye will be drawn to the chain, and if it isn't even, it will not look right. 

Step Four

Using a yard stick and a level, mark the points on the ceiling where the cup hooks will go based on the calculations above (this will hold the chain), and screw the hooks in place.  I have crown molding which required I place the hooks just below it.  If you don't have molding near your ceiling, you can either place the hooks just near the ceiling or it would look great if you placed the hooks directly into the ceiling nearest the wall. 

I purchased two different sizes of cup hooks and ended up going with the larger one because my chain would not fit in the curve of the smaller hook.  Here's a link to the one I ended up using - Large Brass Cup Hook

Step Five

Select a flat chain for this project so that the picture will lie flat to the wall.  I used Brass Sash Chain, but you could also use this or even this if you liked the look better.  Also, I used brass for my project because I had a gold frame.  I think it looks best to coordinate the color of the chain with the frame color.

Step Six

Place your chain on the hook and then cut it (with wire cutters) 3 inches longer than the top of the picture.  You want to have a bit of chain to tuck behind the picture. 

 And that's it!!! You now have a picture with impact.  One last word of caution.  This project is so easy and inexpensive that it's tempting to do it in every room.  Don't!!! These types of touches really loose their impact when you use it multiple times in your house.  So refrain! 

I would love to hear from you, if you do this project in your home! Have a good one.  M.

New Chairs

Not sure if I mentioned this, but I lucked out and won an upholstered bench from Tina at The Enchanted Home back in May (on my birthday in fact)!  Long story short . . . the bench was backordered so I decided to use the credit towards this pair of chairs for my living room.  And last week the long awaited chairs finally arrived!  I will say, it has been a long wait, but well worth it. 

Here's a sneak peek.  

These divine chairs are from Safavieh and they could not have been nicer during the process.

I'll show you pictures of the entire room soon.  I still have a few other things to do in there before it's complete.  The lesson here - Tina does some amazing giveaways and does them often.  So, you really need to go see her and become a follower of The Enchanted Home. Thanks again, Tina!!
 Free is good, people.  M.