Holi Easter

After months of cold, snow and early sunsets its finally here... SPRING! The season of new beginnings, warmer weather and longer days is celebrated with lush colors, symbols of new life, sweet tastes and floral perfumes. Holi is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus as a festival of colors. Easter, most of us already know the story of Jesus which is separate from the bunny laying eggs.

My suggestion is to make it to India for the Holi Festival, or maybe there's local celebration in a city near you. Otherwise, Design*Sponge has a great and simple DYI project using Holi pigment.

From egg hunts to beautiful table-scapes, Easter is full of great reasons to be creative and colorful. Check out Apartment Therapy for amazing ideas on unique techniques for decorating eggs.

So how ever you celebrate this new season of Spring, we hope you find inspiration through new colors, blooming flora, and spending more time enjoying the daylight. Happy Spring!

Upstairs/Downstairs

For the past few months anyone I talked to would ask me, "Are you watching Downton Abbey?" to which I would answer "no" followed by a jaw-dropping reply, "you have to!" So this past week in a marathon viewing I finished seasons 1,2 and 3. One thing I noticed over and over is the amount of running up and downstairs (mainly by the servants). This got me thinking, what a great place to create a visual impact, stair risers. Here are some fantastic ways to make the vertical climb more picturesque.

Work a pattern with mosaic tiles or decorative wallpaper

Be bold with paint choices or painting techniques such as fading

Be original with chalk paint and inspiring words

When making the stairs the focal point of the space, its nice to have the background clean and simple, thing blank canvas and white

For the full story about where and how-to visit RealSimple

Happy Emerald Day

Pantone has declared EMERALD, Color of the Year 2013!
So let's get to know this luxurious and lively color, just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

Radiant, jewel-toned Emerald promotes balance and harmony (Fashion by Barbara Tfank)

Most often associated with brilliant, precious gemstones, the perception of Emerald is sophisticated and luxurious. Since antiquity, this luminous, magnificent hue has been the color of beauty and new life in many cultures and religions. It’s also the color of growth, renewal and prosperity – no other color conveys regeneration more than green. For centuries, many countries have chosen green to represent healing and unity.

Emerald for the Interior
Enhance your sense of well-being at home by rejuvenating the interior with Emerald paint, accents and accessories. This jewel-like hue will create a luxurious feel in an entryway, powder room, dining room or study, and bring life to a living room as an accent wall. Add a splash of color to the kitchen and dining room areas with Emerald dinnerware, stemware and appliances.

Happy Valentine's Day

Simplicity and thoughtfulness
with a brush of creativity...

For the complete how-to, click here

Are you ready for some football!

On this Super Bowl Sunday whether you watch to support your favorite team, have money riding on the big game, enjoy the new commercials, or it's just another reason to eat wings and nachos, lets take a look at the teams and their home cities. Perhaps design can play a roll in who wins, not likely but I've heard crazier reasons why teams have won the Super Bowl.

CHIPIT! by Sherwin Williams is an amazing tool, turn any pic into paint chips; SanFran typo map; Ferry Bldg. SanFran map

Have you checked out CHIPIT yet?; Baltimore map art; Baltimore Letterpress card

West coast/East coast, Gold Rush/Edgar Allen Poe, Rice-a-Roni/Maryland blue-crabs, Full House/The Wire

... good luck choosing your game-day team!

Weekend Warriors, simplify the DIY

For those of you who watch HGTV and immediately run out to your local home improvement store only to have a pile of unopened or half completed projects come Sunday evening, here are a few simple weekend projects you can start Saturday and finish Sunday.

Steppin' Up the Storage

 

Re-purposing an old step-ladder into a shelving display is a simple project that can be completed in a matter of hours. Consider using a wood ladder and showing it a bit of love. Sand it down to get rid of any nicks and digs and sprucing it up with a layer of tinted-primer or wood stain. Gently sand the ladder in random spots to give it a little character. IKEA has great wall shelves that are already finished (look for the EKBY, ANTONIUS or LACK series, www.ikea.com) which can be placed on the ladder rungs, finishing the shelving display. Added bonus, the shelves are adjustable and depending on the objects you're displaying you can adjust the height.

Dyeing for Some Color

I recently saw this in Inside Out magazine (an Australian home design publication) and thought it was amazing! This most definitely is going to be a weekend project for me, especially since I saw the exact style of pillows over-priced at Urban Outfitters.

What you'll need: pillowcases (or other fabrics), rubber gloves, fabric dye (we used Rit dyes in Teal and Dark Green), salt, dishwashing liquid, large rectangular plastic tub, broom, masking tape, two dining chairs. Using rubber gloves, fill the tub with hot water and add the dye, salt and dishwashing liquid according to the manufacturer's instructions. Wet the pillowcase, squeeze out excess water and tape the side not being dyed to a broom handle. Place the tub on the ground between the dining chairs and balance the broom horizontally on the chair seats so that the pillowcase hangs directly into the tub.To achieve the ombre effect (shaded light to dark), leave the bottom third only of the area to be dyed immersed in the dye for 10 minutes. Unwrap the pillowcase a little to allow the middle third to be immersed for 5 minutes, then unwrap further, so that the final third can be dipped briefly to achieve an even-lighter shade. Remove the pillowcase from the tub, run under cold then warm water until the water runs clear. Wash the pillowcase separately in warm water with detergent to remove excess dye. Repeat for other pillowcases. Tip: Natural fibers, such as cotton, linen and silk, will achieve much richer shades than man-made fibres. Create projects with Tamara Maynes at her workshops. For information and bookings, visit www.tamaramaynes.com

Something for every Mood

If you ever find yourself with a few minutes or hours to kill or just looking for inspiration or even eye candy, might I suggest visiting the Garment District in NYC. Located between 6th to 9th Ave. and w34th to w40th St. (and even up to w42th St. near 9th Ave.), the Garment District is full of fabric, trim, bead and haberdashery shops. One of the more famous spots is Mood Designer Fabrics. Perhaps you've seen it on Project Runway, its where the contestants get all their materials. Mood's selection is endless and don't forget to check out their extensive Home's section downstairs. Though you may or may not see Tim Gunn, Mood's in-house celebrity, Swatch the dog, is always there walking around barking what's hot and what's not. Worth mentioning, they have a very helpful staff ready to cut you a sample.

Just a block over is M&J Trimming. Find every decorative detail to bedazzle, bling and enhance your entire fashion collection. You'll be tempted to be a hot mess and get one of everything. Editing is a great tool when thinking in terms of composition and design.

At the end of a long fashionista day, make sure to feed your eyes and tummy with Baked by Melissa. Home of the mini-cupcake, these sweet treats are a great way to taste more flavors without the post-dessert guilt trip. They are known for the mini Tie-Dye cupcake and the surprise mini of the month, January is Milk & Cookies, yummy!